“Luke, glad you made it.”
Lucas barely made it through the front door before Junior raced to his side, a big grin on his face, acting like they’d been friends for years, instead of meeting for the first time. The guy exuded a certain charisma, which probably smoothed the path for bringing in a patsy, and suckering them into gambling way more than they could afford. Lucas stuck out his hand.
“You must be Junior. Dante mentioned you’re the man I should talk to, that you’d show me the ropes.”
Junior looked around before asking, “I thought Dante was coming with you. When I talked to him yesterday, he said he’d be escorting you to our establishment.”
“He planned to come, but apparently there was some kind of problem with his sister, so he probably isn’t going to make it. Might be able to get here, but it’d be late if at all. His sister’s a bit of a prude, if you know what I mean. She’s putting on the pressure to keep Dante away from here.”
Saying the words left a bad taste in Lucas’ mouth, but he was playing a part, and needed to convince Junior he was a man on a mission, and that was to find a high stakes game.
Junior laughed and clapped Lucas on the back. “Yeah, I’ve met his big sister. She’s a real piece of work. She’s one of those butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her mouth type broads. Always riding his case about spending time with us. Doesn’t seem to understand Dante and I have been friends for a long time.”
“Exactly. Women don’t get it. We need to be able to blow off a little steam now and then. It’s harmless fun, am I right?”
“That you are, dude. You ready to play? Hope you’re feeling lucky.”
Lucas rubbed his hands together, and gave Junior a cocky grin. “Lady Luck is gonna be on my side tonight, I can feel it.”
“There’s one thing you have to do before I let you through, dude. Follow me to the office.” Without another word, Junior turned and started walking toward a door to the right of the entrance. He followed, wondering what the other man was up to, and whether he’d be tossed out before he ever got started.
Once inside the office, Junior leaned against the desk, his arms folded across his chest. Standing there, dressed in dark jeans and a T-shirt, his dirty blond hair a little scraggly around the edges, he appeared your typical All-American boy next door type from a small town. Nothing about him gave away the fact he was running a small empire of illegal activities. His posture appeared relaxed, like he had all the time in the world, and wasn’t afraid of anybody or anything.
“So we’re clear from the start, I gotta ask. You wearing a wire?”
“A what?”
Junior shrugged. “Unfortunately, can’t trust anybody. You might have a referral from a regular, but I don’t know you. Too many people want to shut us down, or want a part of the business, so we can’t be too careful.”
“I’m not wearing a wire.”
“Open your shirt. Not that I don’t trust ya—but I don’t trust anybody.” Junior said this with a huge grin, and crossed his arms over his chest. That’s when Lucas spotted the gun tucked into his waistband. He wasn’t surprised; he figured the bodyguards and hierarchy would all be carrying. After all tens of thousands of dollars, maybe more, passed through the gaming club almost every night, and these men weren’t about to be caught by surprise.
“Guess you run a pretty strict place,” he muttered while unbuttoning his shirt. He held the flaps open wide, and turned in a circle, showing Junior that he didn’t have anything taped to his chest or back. He wasn’t stupid. Hopefully, he’d be able to turn on the recorder on his phone, if they didn’t confiscate it, which was a possibility. Lots of folks tried to cheat the system with any number of devices. He’d forgotten to ask Dante about whether they’d let him keep his phone.
“Alright, you’re clean. There’re a few rules you have to follow if you want to play here. First one, no phones or electronics allowed. You can turn it in to Rocky, he’s the tall dude at the door. He’ll give you a ticket, and you want to pick it up on your way out. You’re not wearing glasses, otherwise we’d have to check them out for cheats. Now, please turn your head.”
Lucas knew why—Junior was looking for listening devices, small hearing-aid type earbuds whereby a second party could feed information to the player. He’d done his homework, hopefully knew all the tricks and tells Junior and his boys might be looking for, and prepared for anything they might look at.
“Excellent. You got any questions?”
“I’m mostly looking for a good poker game. I’m not so much into the slots or electronic stuff. I like a good old face-to-face with your opponent, high stakes game. Did Dante tell you I’m from out of town? Since my sister’s living here now, I’ll probably be coming here several times during the year, and I’d like to establish someplace for a good game. Something similar to what I have at home.”
Junior nodded while Lucas spewed out the details of his fabricated story. “Dante mentioned you were from somewhere back east. If you’re wanting in on one of the high stakes games, that can be arranged if you can afford the buy in.”
“How much?”
“Three grand minimum.”
Lucas made a scoffing sound at the amount Junior mentioned, as if it were a piddling amount. “Not a problem, buddy. I spend more than that on a pair of shoes.”
He could almost see the avarice in Junior’s eyes, thinking he’d caught himself a big fish with deep pockets.
“Excellent. Let me take you to the back, and introduce you to the players at your table.”
“Can I say, I’m impressed with what I’ve seen so far. You run an efficient place, your staff has done everything exactly how we do it back east. As a matter of fact, I’m one of the owners of two gaming clubs in North Carolina. Do you own this club yourself, or are you part of the management team?”
Junior’s eyes opened wide when Lucas mentioned owning two clubs. Guess he hadn’t figured Lucas for having that kind of clout, and the corner of Lucas’ mouth kicked up. If only Junior knew he was spinning a tall tale, lying through his teeth. But he needed to get a stable foothold into this club, if he wanted to get all their dirty little secrets for his article, and maybe bring them down in the process.
“I’m senior management with a profit share in the business. The boss trusts me to keep everything running smoothly. Everyone knows you don’t cross the line here. If you rack up a debt, you’re encouraged to pay it as soon as possible.” Junior almost preened as he outlined his importance. Pretty much what Lucas expected: he was a blowhard who liked to brag about how he was a big wheel instead of a minor cog in the machinery.
Lucas’ smile was brittle, because Dante had told him how they’d strong-armed Jill into covering his debt. They hadn’t hesitated to beat the stuffing out of Dante, stopping short of doing any permanent damage. That was the good thing about gambling debts, rarely were they fatal. You can’t get money from a dead man.
“We’ve got the same policy. Like I said, I’m very impressed with what I’ve see. Any chance the owner’s here tonight? I’d love to meet him.”
“He may come by later tonight, depending on his schedule. The boss is a busy man, with fingers in lots of different pies around the area.”
“Understood. If he happens to drop by, and I’m still here, I’d like to meet him. Professional courtesy, you might say.”
“Sure. You ready to play? I’m assuming you’ve got the cash with you?”
Lucas pulled out the envelope containing the ten grand, and showed the contents to Junior. His eyes followed Lucas’ every movement, reminding Lucas of a cobra, mesmerized by the shiny object before him. Ah, the lure of temptation affected everyone, and Junior was no exception.
“If you’ll follow me, let’s get you set up. Do you prefer five card draw or Texas Hold ’Em? We also have a hot blackjack table, if you prefer.”
“Texas Hold ’Em is my game,” Lucas answered. Fortunately, he’d played enough games with his brothers and the guys on assignments he was pretty savvy.
Junior opened the door and led him to the guard by the front door, and had his cell phone confiscated. He was then directed through the center of the gaming club, past all the electronic machines with their bright flashing lights, vivid colors, and the jingle of coins. The whir of the electronic spins filled the air, along with the sounds of laughter from the patrons partaking of their games of chance. Too bad the house always won, and those machines were finessed to rarely pay out the big bucks.
Junior opened a door and the first thing that hit him was the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke. He waved a hand in front of his face, his eyes watering from the fumes. It hadn’t occurred to him, being used to smokeless buildings, that nearly everybody inside the confined space would be puffing away.
“Gentlemen, we’ve got a new player, Luke. He’s not from around here, so take it easy on him,” Junior quipped. He turned to Luke, and pointed to the table. “This is the Texas Hold ’Em table. This here is Joey, Dennis, Two-Step, Weasel, and Pauly. Guys, try not to clean Luke out in one hand, okay?”
Two-Step gave a huge belly laugh at Junior’s warning. “Ain’t making no promises.” He studied Luke, his eyes squinted against the cigarette smoke. “You know how the game’s played?”
“I’m familiar,” Lucas responded, taking the empty chair. “Buy in’s three grand?”
“Yeah.”
Lucas pulled some money from the envelope, and put it on the table. “I’ll take five grand.”
Two-Step’s eyes widened slightly, but he passed the chips across the table, and handed the cash off to the guard standing close by. “Ante up.”
Everyone tossed their chips into the center of the table, and Joey was handed a new deck. Apparently he was the dealer, the rest players. Lucas knew it would take a couple of hands to get the feel of the other men at the table, assess any tics or quirks, any giveaway tells.
“What ya doing in Shiloh Springs, Luke?”
Lucas glanced at Pauly, a short, skinny balding man of indeterminate age, with thinning salt and pepper hair. He wouldn’t have suspected Pauly of being a high roller, and suspected that he might be a plant at the table, somebody who encouraged the others to keep playing and digging deeper into their pockets for the next hand.
“My sister moved here, and she’s getting married. Chances are good I’ll be traveling here several times a year, since she’s going to be living here.”
“That’s cool. You married?”
“No. Guess I haven’t met the right woman yet.” The minute the words left his mouth, a picture of Jill sprang forth. He shook his head, knowing he couldn’t think about her now. This wasn’t the time or the place to consider his feelings for Jill. He needed to concentrate, and Pauly was doing a darn good job of trying to distract him.
He lost the first hand when Weasel had a full house to his two pairs, queens over fours. The second hand he lost again, this time to Two-Steps’ four deuces. He folded. On the third hand, he drew to a straight flush, and won the pot. The men chatted, tossing digs and barbs back and forth, and he listened closely, trying to figure out who these men were, and how high up in the club’s hierarchy they stood, because a couple of these guys weren’t casual Saturday-night regulars.
They’d played around an hour and a half, when the dealer called a ten-minute break, for people to head to the bathroom or handle whatever other business they might need, like getting more cash. Lucas suspected Weasel needed to slip outside and smoke some weed. Dennis hadn’t said much for the last hour and a half, but he’d had shifty eyes and Lucas suspected there was more to Dennis than he’d uncovered. African-American, tall and well-built, he carried himself like an athlete, but he definitely knew how to play Texas Hold ’Em. He’d won a few hands, lost a few, always watching everyone. Kind of like him.
Standing up, he stretched his back, and Junior walked up to him. “I heard from the boss. If you’re gonna be here a while, he’s coming by in a couple of hours. Might be closer to midnight.”
Lucas smiled and slapped Junior on the back. “No problem, I’m having a good time, though I’m down a couple grand. Gotta see if I can win it back.”
“Who knows, maybe your luck will turn.”
“It might. I should tell you, I spotted Pauly as a plant right off. You might want to tell him to cool it with the third degree, he’s a little too obvious. Though it’s a good idea to have at least one guy at the table as a distraction.”
“Stupid punk. He’s in deep with the boss, and he’s working off the debt by steering the table. You’ve got a good eye.”
“It’s more like experience. I’m not exactly a newbie at the poker table.”
The big grin on Junior’s face was all the answer he got. “I’ll come get you when the boss arrives, if you’re still around.”
“Thanks.”
Grabbing a bottle of water, Lucas walked back to his seat, noticing Dennis had already returned to the table. Time for a little chit-chat before the rest of the gang got back. Insight into the players would add depth to his story. Besides, there was something about the way Dennis carried himself that reminded him of his brother, Antonio. Wait, that was it! He reminded him of a fed. Almost every single FBI agent he’d dealt with carried themselves with a certain air of confidence. No matter how hard they tried to hide it, unless the agent was adept at undercover work, the federal training showed. Wonder what he’s doing out in the middle of small-town Texas at an illegal after-hours gaming club?
“You from around these parts, Dennis?”
“I moved to Santa Lucia about six months ago. Originally from Oklahoma City.”
“I’ve never heard of Santa Lucia. Is it close to Shiloh Springs?”
“Next big town over the county line.”
The more Dennis talked, the more convinced Lucas became there was more to the man than a poker player. From his speech to his mannerisms, he screamed fed. Which piqued his curiosity even more, making him wonder if he’d stepped smack into the middle of an undercover operation to take down the clubs in the area, or if the dude really was simply a guy who liked to gamble his paychecks.
“I’m not from around here, so I have no clue where all these places are. I know Shiloh Springs, because my sister lives here now, and I know Austin. Dallas-Fort Worth too, but everybody’s heard of them. Won’t take me long to find my way around, I’m thinking.”
By now, the other players were making their way back to the table. Lucas immediately noticed that Joey was no longer their dealer, and an Asian woman slid into the vacant chair. Lucas couldn’t help noticing that she was a lovely woman with flowing dark hair, huge brown eyes accented with mascara, and a beautiful white smile. She expertly shuffled the cards with a skill he couldn’t help admiring. Meeting his gaze, she smiled, then moved on to Dennis. Seeing him, her smile dimmed the tiniest bit, before she regained her practiced composure, but not fast enough for Lucas not to notice. She’d recognized Dennis, and hadn’t expected to see him here. Interesting.
“Are you gentlemen ready to resume play? I’m Lucy, your new dealer. Please ante up.” Her voice was a low husky caress, professional and polished, exactly what he’d expect from someone in her position.
Lucas tossed his chips into the pile on the table, and glanced at his hole cards. King of Clubs and Queen of Clubs. Pretty good start. She quickly performed the flop and dealt the community cards in the center of the table. King of Hearts, Queen of Diamonds, and Ace of Clubs. He called the bet. The dealer then dealt the turn card, or the fourth card in the community cards. It was the Ten of Clubs. If the dealer uncovered the Jack of Clubs, Lucas would have a royal flush.
His heartbeat sped up as a shot of adrenaline raced through him. Even though he’d come for information, there remained an air of excitement he couldn’t quash at the thought of a royal flush. Although not impossible, it was a difficult hand to get.
The dealer turned over the river card, and he deflated. It was the six of clubs, which meant although he hadn’t achieved the elusive royal flush, but he did have a flush. Deciding to push his luck, he raised the bet by two grand. Dennis immediately folded, tossing his cards face down onto the table. Pauly tugged at his collar, a sign Lucas picked up on, which meant he was about to bluff. He called. Weasel looked at Pauly and then at Lucas, and tossed his cards onto the table.
“I’m out.”
“Raise it another two grand.” Lucas grinned when Pauly gulped, the sound audible even in the noisy back room. Looking at the stack of chips in front of Pauly, he had enough to cover the bet, but barely. If he folded, he could play a few more hands. If he called and lost, Pauly was out of the game.
“I—I fold.”
Lucas turned over his hole cards, and watched Pauly grin. Guess his hand hadn’t been that good after all. Surreptitiously, he glanced at his watch, wondering how long it would be before the big boss got there. It was already eleven thirty, and he was down about half the cash he’d brought with him. The loss would be worth it, if he managed to get enough info to help Rafe nail these jerks to the wall.
For now, he’d keep playing, waiting for Junior to take him to meet the big boss. The thought filled him with a sense of urgency, because Lucas had the feeling something big was in the air. Nothing he could put his finger on, but his gut instinct never let him down.
With an inward sigh, he picked up his cards and started the next hand.