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TONY HAD SPENT ENOUGH time on The Strip. He’d asked enough people to discover Chance and her father, Clarence, were well known. They were so well known that he wondered why he’d not come across her before. There were only five blocks on The Strip, and although they were long as city blocks went, there were still only five of them. Even working opposite ends Tony thought he should have seen her.
The last place he visited was the Pacific Manor, where he’d had the steak with the hottest creole spice rub he’d ever eaten. James was at the concierge desk again.
“I’m looking for Chance,” Tony said.
“What for?” James asked.
“Not sure,” Tony said. “I helped her out the other night. I just want to speak to her again.”
“She’s not here,” James told him.
“Your daughter, Lilly.” Tony reached into his jacket and handed a slip of paper to James.
“What about her?” James took the paper and looked at it suspiciously.
“That’s the name and details of a shaman by the docks. He specialises in reversing curses. I promised your daughter I’d find his details.”
“How much?” James asked.
“I don’t know how much he charges, but I was told it’s cheap for coloured folk. If it’s source are the bastards I suspect it is, he might even do it for free.”
“No, I meant what do we owe you for the information.”
“Nothing.”
“White folk don’t do nothing for coloured folk unless there’s something in it for them.”
“Is Chance like that?” Tony asked. “Or her father, Clarence?”
“Don’t you say nothing about Clarence.”
“You know them, but all you know about me is my skin is as white as Chance’s and for some reason that means—”
“Alright, I get the picture. I’m sorry.”
“You said that too fast to mean it, but it’s alright. I understand. Tell Lilly this man can help her. If you need anything more—”
“It’s fine,” James said. “Thank you.”
“So where can I find Chance?”
“She was in earlier this evening.” It was Lilly walking in from the restaurant. “Is that the details of the man you promised to find for me?”
“He says this one’ll reverse the curse,” James said.
“So did the last shaman you paid a fortune to,” Lilly said.
“I trust the man who recommended this shaman,” Tony said. “If anybody can help, I believe this one can.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Tell me how much you paid and I’ll see to it you’re reimbursed.”
“And if he does?” James asked.
Tony looked into his eyes. “Then you can give me something.”
“What?” James asked.
“Another one of those fucking hot steaks. It was the best I’ve had.”
James laughed. “Deal,” he said. “I tell you what. You go fetch Chance and bring her here and I’ll make sure you both get the biggest ‘fucking hot steak’ you’ve had for a long time.”
“Where is she?” Tony asked.
“Casino Cosimo,” Lilly said.
Tony’s stomach sank deep. “What in the name of dead gods is she doing there?”
“Said something about not being able to lose,” Lilly said.
“Thank you,” Tony said quickly. “I’ll be back with her as soon as I can.”
***
ANDY MADE FOR TONY as soon as he entered the casino. “You’d better take that woman you left with the other night out of here if you want to see her again,” he said.
“What’s she doing?”
“Cheating,” Andy said. “The only reason she’s still breathing is we can’t figure how she’s doing it. She’s won too much at the Black Knight table to not be cheating.”
“So she can’t be counting the cards?” Tony asked.
“Changed the shoe, eight decks inside, all shuffled together. Made no fucking difference, so no, no counting going there.”
“You know that sometimes luck happens?”
“Yeah,” Andy nodded. “And sometimes the tooth fairy does come, but nobody’s going to hold their breath waiting.”
“I’ll get her out,” Tony said. “Carlos noticed?”
“We don’t tell him till we know how she’s doing it.”
“I know that, but has he noticed?”
“He won’t notice until the end of the night, when he notices the takings from the tables.”
“Thanks,” Tony said. “I’ll make sure there’s nothing for him to notice.”
He moved through the crowd to the Black Knight tables. It was easy to see which table she was playing. Although he couldn’t see her hat, he could see where the crowd was thicker than everywhere else. She mustn’t have been there long, otherwise Carlos would have noticed and there’d be more security watching. Andy was more observant than most of the others.
Tony pushed his way to the table with the call “Money coming through!” This meant someone intending to play wanted access to the table. No spectator dare stand in the way of that. There was a spare seat beside Chance, so Tony took it.
“Well, well, well,” Chance said as he sat. “If it isn’t the gifted Tony Sharpe. Here to give the casino some more of your money?”
“Like you should,” Tony said. “How much have you won?”
“About six thousand,” she said proudly. “But I’m only just beginning.”
Tony smiled at the dealer.
She smiled sweetly back at him. “Fifty to start,” she said.
Tony put a fifty on the table and was given two cards.
“You should sit on those,” Chance said.
Tony smelled gin on her breath. “You might consider the same.”
She shook her head. “I know what’s coming. A girl would be foolish to pass this one up.” She turned the cards over. Ten of staffs and six of coins. She pushed a thousand forward and said, “Hit me.”
The next card same. Four of staffs.
Tony looked at Chance again. “Six thousand you said?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Then push another four thousand to the dealer and tell her to hit you again,” he said softly.
“Are you stupid?” she whispered.
“No, but I think you are,” he answered, “and drunk.”
“Are you here to save my life again? Well I got news for you. I got no life to save.”
“I can walk away now and not give you a second thought, but your friend James and his daughter Lilly want to see you again. They’d like it if you’re still alive when they have good news to give you. Your father might even want to see his little girl one day.”
Chance glared at him. “What’ve they been telling you?”
“All you need to remember is nobody breathes very well under water, and nobody swims well with chains about their ankles.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Tony pushed another four thousand crowns toward the dealer. “What’re you going to say to the lady?” he asked her.
“Hit me,” Chance said.
The dealer pulled another card. “Two of cups,” she said.
There was a chorus of Ohhs from around the table.
Tony pushed two thousand toward the dealer. “One for the house and one for your silence.”
She looked at Chance and then smiled at Tony and nodded.
***
TONY LED CHANCE DOWN the hill toward The Strip. The first four blocks leading away from the casinos were all well-lit and busy. It wasn’t until the last couple of blocks that it became dark and abandoned. There were two kinds of tourists who visited Orsvonton, those with money and those with lots of money. This was the no-man’s land between them.
As Tony and Chance approached the lights of The Strip, Tony heard a garbage can knocked over behind them. He turned in time to see a dark figure draw a gun. Quickly he pushed Chance aside and lunged toward the man.
All he remembered was the sound of two gunshots, the sound of Chance as she screamed and the commotion as people came from nowhere and seemed to flee. Before it all went black it occurred to Tony that it would have been a good place for an ambush if it wasn’t near the back door of the Pacific Manor.