Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
Mia took a deep breath and let it out. She knew she had to bet more, but Peter still hadn’t put her at her own table, and it was too much to gamble based on those around her. There was a new drunk guy tonight, Tony, and he was making all the wrong calls. It was killing everyone else’s chances. He was using up cards that should’ve gone to the woman on her left. The woman, Mitzy, a blonde in her sixties from the mainland, was getting upset and Mia couldn’t blame her. Tony was screwing the deal up for the three other people at the table.
Mitzy raised her hand and called, “Peter,” in a loud voice. The tall slim man turned and made a beeline toward her.
“Yes, Mitzy?”
She dropped her voice so low Mia couldn’t make out the words. Peter seemed to listen intently and then shot a glance at Mia. His eyes narrowed but he nodded and then turned and walked away. He grabbed two of his guys and they began setting up a new table.
Mitzy turned to Mia. “You haven’t been playing here very long but you’ve played somewhere.”
“Um, I used to play a few years back and then gave it up for a while.” She smiled. “What about you?”
Mitzy shrugged. “I’ve been playing a long time. I used to do it professionally, but I married a rich man and now I just do it for fun. We’re over here vacationing and he’s off to bed early because he gets up at the ass-crack of dawn to golf. The idea of whacking a tiny ball, then chasing after it seems futile.” She shuddered. “I can’t stand golf, so I gamble at night and then sleep late. We meet for lunch. Works for both of us.”
Mia wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say to that information, so she just smiled. It was her turn. The dealer, the same Patty from the other night—although Mia suspected wasn’t her real name since she was definitely of Hawaiian descent—dealt her a card face down and a nine of spades up.
Mia looked at her hole card. A seven of hearts. Sixteen. The dealer showed the ten of hearts and, of course, her own face-down card. Mia placed a bet and then tapped the table.
The dealer dealt her an ace.
Mia considered what her odds were and then placed another bet and tapped the table once more.
Again, the dealer gave her another card, this time the three of clubs. Twenty.
All the aces were showing, so Mia knew there was no point in continuing to take cards. She shook her head, and the dealer dealt to herself. It was the seven of clubs. The dealer promptly turned over her card to show that she’d had the five of spades.
Twenty-two.
Mia won. Relief washed over her like a rolling wave. She’d bet more than she’d felt comfortable with on that round. The risky move worked in her favor this time, but it wouldn’t necessarily work out if she kept having to play at the table with Tony and the others.
Peter made eye contact and strode purposefully toward her. Mia’s heart started to pound. Was it illegal to memorize the cards played? The whole damn thing was illegal but was it cheating? Would Peter kick her out for cheating? That would be disastrous. She had no other way to raise the money in time.
Before he got too close, Carter stepped in between them. Peter came to an abrupt halt and looked confused. “Who are you?”
“I’m with Mia,” Carter said. “Is there something you need?”
Mia’s heart filled with gratitude for Carter’s presence. She let out a pent-up breath. No matter what, he would help her. He would make sure no one hurt her.
“We’ve set up a separate table for Mia.” Peter pointed to the table the men had just set up in the corner. A male dealer stood behind it.
“Sugar, you’re too good to sit at this table,” Mitzy stated. “So am I, but I don’t care anymore. You do.” She winked.
Mia placed a hand on Mitzy’s arm. “Thank you,” she said. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
Mitzy shrugged. “You look stressed. I have a feeling you’ve got a lot riding on all this. Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Mia said as she gave the other woman’s arm a squeeze.
She collected her chips, tossed one to Patty as a tip, and then rose from her chair.
Carter escorted her, with a hand tucked against the small of her back, across the room to her new table. She sat down and he moved to stand against the wall. After giving her an encouraging smile, his eyes went back to scanning the room. Stress melted away from Mia’s body, like a wave rolling out at low tide. Even though she was still in a bind, her chances had increased for her to get out of this whole mess in one piece.
Peter hovered at her elbow. “Mitzy seems to think you’re good enough to deserve this table. I trust Mitzy, so we’ll give this a try. But if you don’t do well, or you try to screw me in any way, I’ll shut you down.” He gave her a ‘we’re watching you’ kind of look.
Carter suddenly appeared next to Peter. “Please step back,” he said, his voice cold and menacing. Peter stared at him for a long moment as his own security started to move in, but Peter waved them off.
“Is there anything I can get you Mia?” he asked.
“A Pepsi would be good.”
Peter nodded but his gaze hadn’t moved from Carter. “Don’t push your luck,” was all he said.
Carter’s stare bored into Peter’s back as the man walked away and signaled to one of his wait staff.
“You okay?” Carter asked.
Mia nodded. Her mouth had gone dry as soon as Peter had threatened her. She just needed to play the damn cards and get the hell out of here.
The dealer, Joe, smiled at her. “Are you ready?” He tapped the tabletop.
Mia nodded and he started dealing. It was going to be a long night if she couldn’t get into the zone. She glanced at her chips and calculated that she was up about five thousand. At a minimum, she needed to triple that if she was going to get the money in time. But hey, no pressure. She surreptitiously wiped her hands on her dress and then checked her cards. Here we go.
Carter leaned against the wall and watched the crowd. There were a few wealthy people present, but mostly the tables were occupied by average people, getting dressed up for the opportunity to give their money away, as he saw it. The wealthy were allowed to pick any table and play and if they showed any talent whatsoever, they were taken to a high roller table. Honestly, Carter was surprised Peter didn’t just sit them down at the high-roller table to begin with, but he supposed if they really sucked others would get angry.
Peter was an enigma. He was dressed in an expensive suit, but if Carter had to guess, he would say Peter came up hard. The man exhibited street smarts and above-average survival instincts. In any fight, he’d be the one to watch.
The rest of the security staff were a mix of general thugs and gym rats. No one really stood out as a threat. However, Carter didn’t need to see the bulges in their waistbands to know they were all carrying. Still, when push came to shove, there were too many of them for Carter to take them all on and win. In a fair fight, he’d hold his own, But with this crowd, the odds were stacked against him. He might have to call in his buddies if this looked like it might turn ugly.
The dealer pushed a pile of chips in Mia’s direction, but she didn’t even acknowledge it. It appeared that she’d blocked everything out and settled into a zone to play once she was moved to her own table. Carter knew it was going to be a long night, but he was up for it.
At least doing something, even if it was mostly standing around and assessing the crowd, took his mind off Castle.
A sudden shout brought all activity in the room to a crashing halt. Mia immediately whipped her head in the direction of the noise. Carter quickly identified the source of the racket as the drunk who’d sat next to Mitzi at the other table. He moved to Mia’s side and put a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “They’re just throwing out a drunk guy.” Her shoulder relaxed under his touch,
The dealer asked if she wanted another card and Mia nodded. Carter returned to his post, but he could see the shout had wrecked her concentration. She made small bets for the next few hands but didn’t manage to win again.
“Mia,” he said as he approached her, “why don’t we take a quick break? Go outside for some fresh air?”
She met his gaze, and the glazed look in her eyes told him he’d made the right decision.
She nodded, and as she stood, Peter arrived at the table. “Finished for the night?” he inquired.
“No,” Mia shook her head. “Just taking a small break to use the restroom and get some air. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Can you have someone watch my chips?” She looked up at him. “I know exactly how much I have on that table. I expect it to be the same when I get back.”
It was Peter’s turn to nod. “Of course. We’ll look after it for you. Can I get you anything from the bar?”
“Another Pepsi please.” Mia moved around Peter and headed in the women’s bathroom. She was back out a few minutes later and Carter escorted her outside.
“How are you feeling?” He took a quick recon of the parking lot and didn’t see anything alarming. There were a couple security guys stationed at the corner of the building and he was guessing a few more back by the street. He wasn’t sure whose operation this was, but they were smart to have stationed security in spots where they could sound an early warning system in case the cops, or any other trouble, showed up.
Mia leaned against the wall. “I’m tired and hyper all at the same time.” She rubbed her face. “I was making progress until that guy yelled. It really rattled me. Damn Bobby. If he and Donny hadn’t freaked me out so much, this would be easier. Every loud sound or sudden movement has me jumping.”
“I know. If it makes you feel any better, you will always be fine inside. Peter would do anything to avoid any kind of a scene. He sure as hell won’t do anything to scare people off. Throwing out a drunk now and again is probably as bad as it gets. If he has an issue with you, he will wait until the room is empty or take you somewhere else.”
She gave a snort. “Not as reassuring as you seem to think.”
Carter grinned. “Call me an optimist. Seriously, if there’s going to be a problem, it won’t be here.”
Mia bit her lip but then nodded. “That actually does make me feel better.” She let out a long breath. “Okay let’s go back in. I need to make a lot more money if I’m going to get what Bobby needs in time.”
Carter held the door for her, and they went back inside. Mia went back to her table and sat down. “Good luck,” Carter said and kissed the top of her head.
He went back to his post by the wall. Peter arrived with a can of unopened Pepsi. Carter had explained to him earlier that Mia wouldn’t drink anything that could be tampered with. The other man had appeared somewhat affronted but just gave a curt nod. His job was to do what the clients wanted, no matter how insulted he felt.
The real question on Carter’s mind was who was really running this place? It wasn’t Peter. He was just a middleman who answered to someone else. There was a kingpin, but Carter didn’t know enough about crime on the Big Island to have any idea who that might be.
Another hour went by. People gambled and mostly lost, as far as Carter could tell. There were a few winners, but Mia was by far the biggest. Now that she was more relaxed, it seemed to be easier to win.
A ripple of excitement went through the crowd. Carter scanned the room to see what had caused the reaction. Over by a side door, a group of six men entered. Security for someone. They were dressed in suits, and unlike the guys here at the warehouse, these men knew what they were doing. Their tattoos marked them as gang members, but Carter would bet good money that they had military experience as well. The military had a gang problem these days, and these men were part of the reason why. Go in as thugs and come out as killing machines with all the best skills and knowledge.
Carter studied the people the security staff appeared to be protecting. A tall man with a medium build. His black hair was cut in a stylish manner, and his suit was expensive. He was also vaguely familiar. It took Carter a minute but then it clicked. Mark Bascom. Head of Blue River Security, a security company that operated out of D.C. He’d made a name for himself in Iraq and now he ran with the big dogs. Several of Carter’s retired friends had gone to work for Bascom. They liked the money but not one of them liked Bascom. Said he was all kinds of shady.
The man beside him was shorter and wider but tattoos peeked from beneath his collar. His suit was also expensive and there was no doubt he was wealthy by the flashy display of large gold and diamond rings on his fingers.
Peter greeted the newcomers, and by the way he moved, Carter surmised that the shorter man was Peter’s boss. So this was the man Bobby wanted to replace. No way in hell. Bobby was penny ante and didn’t have the balls to take anything from this man. And even if he did, Bobby would need a hell of a lot more than two hundred and fifty K.
Carter’s gut tightened. This was not good news for Mia. Bobby was playing out of his league, and the sinking realization in his gut affirmed that it was going to come back to bite Mia.
Carter glanced at her as he scanned the room and focused once more on the two new visitors. Mia was totally in the zone and doing well. Blissfully unaware was a good thing. He needed her to stay relaxed because he was starting to tense up. This situation had just turned way more dangerous than Carter had bargained for. Dealing with Bobby was a pain in the ass. Dealing with Bascom and whoever this man was, yeah that was a whole other league. Mia needed to keep flying under the radar. Keeping her as just another decent player was the best approach.
Just as Carter had that thought, Mia won again. And it must have been a huge win. The amount of chips the dealer was pushing in her direction was mind-boggling. The dealer signaled a runner and whispered something to the lanky kid in the too-big suit. The kid sprinted across the floor toward Peter. Carter’s spine tingled. This wasn’t good. The kid whispered to Peter and then backed away. Peter looked over at Mia. Then Peter’s boss said something to which Peter replied and pointed to Mia.
Carter’s pulse ticked faster; like the red lights on a timer seemed to do as they approached zero right before something went boom! Peter and the two men started across the room toward Mia, who remained blissfully in the zone.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Carter moved in beside Mia and let her finish her hand. He cupped her shoulder.
She glanced up at him, annoyance flashing on her face. “What?”
He gestured with his chin. She turned and the color drained from her face as the men stopped beside her.
The shorter man said, “How nice to see you again, Mia. It’s been too long.”
“H-hello,” she said her voice quavering.
The man glanced over at Carter. “And who is this?”
He extended his hand as if he hadn’t a care in the world. “Carter Nolan, Mia’s boyfriend.”
The other man raised his eyebrows. “Mia, you didn’t mention you had a boyfriend. I expect to be kept abreast of all the big happenings in your life.” He shook Carter’s hand and tried to squeeze it, but Carter gave as good as he got and the man broke the tight clasp.
Carter nudged his hip into Mia’s “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
Mia swallowed. “C-Carter,” she said and then cleared her throat. “This is my uncle, Makaio Hale.”
Carter kept his face bland while his heart about galloped out of his chest. Queasiness erupted once his stomach hit his knees.
The man Bobby wanted to replace was Mia’s uncle?
Holy Shit! He hadn’t seen this coming, not in any way, shape, or form. He glanced at Mia’s white face. Carter needed to get her out of here and then she’d better start talking ’cause things just went sideways from where he was standing, and he wasn’t sure if he could protect her anymore.