Chapter 37
HARRISON
I’m tucked away behind the table where the bright-green hookahs are laid. It’s been about a half hour since I moved here, and the other Aces staff are beginning to arrive.
Pretty soon I’ll be able to come out and blend in, but Bianca’s instructions were clear. Wait until the club is full. It’s a holiday, so it’ll be busy.
The Clubs section is always illuminated in green, but tonight the lights of the Spades, Diamonds, and Hearts sections match. Just like the damned Chicago River. Everything is green for St. Patrick’s Day.
And my birthday.
Just like Ray Sinclair’s fucking highlights.
What a way to ring in thirty-six.
I just hope I make it to thirty-seven.
“Dr. O’Rourke?”
Fuck. Guess I’m not.
Mr. Night stands in front of me, his eyes wide. “You are certainly dressed a little differently tonight, Doctor.”
“Mr. Night, I—”
He presses a finger to my lips. “You’re not supposed to talk, Doctor. Or should I say”—he eyes my right shoulder—“Ace.”
Mr. Night used to work at the Noir Parlor and didn’t disappear. Which means he must be at least partially aware of what Rouge is up to.
He might be fully aware and just doesn’t give a shit.
He could be on her side.
Alissa told us not to trust Chet. She didn’t say anything about Mr. Night.
I don’t even know if she knows him. As far as I understand, she spent most of her time at Spades and Diamonds.
“If you get a moment later this evening, I’d love to have a word,” Mr. Night says.
I nod slowly.
“Good. Remember not to speak. Otherwise the others will catch on quickly.”
Okay. He seems to be on our side.
Guess I’ll have to just assume that’s the case for now. If anything goes south, I know who to blame.
I tuck myself back into my corner when the bombastic voice of Rouge Montrose fills the entire club.
“All cards on deck! The doors are open!”
I peek around the corner and get a glimpse of the woman who’s turned my life upside down over the last few days.
She’s dressed in the same green monstrosity of an outfit that she had on the other night.
She’ll at least be easy to spot. Her wide ballgown will cut through a crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea.
Members spill in. I catch a glimpse of Bianca as she walks up to the stage. She makes eye contact with me and gives me a tiny nod. Within minutes, she’s started singing and the club is hopping.
I emerge from my makeshift haven not as Harrison O’Rourke, but as the Ace of Clubs.
Within seconds, a male patron is poking at my shoulder. “Hey, Ace!”
I turn around, keeping my head bowed.
“You’re new here, aren’t you?”
I slowly nod, keeping my eyes glued to the floor.
“Hey. Look at me when I speak to you.”
I pray it’s not someone who will recognize me as I slowly raise my head. It’s a middle-aged man with a gray mustache, thinning silver hair, dressed in a sleek black suit.
“That’s more like it.” He grins, looking into my eyes. “You’ve got a gorgeous face, Ace. Why hide it from these good people?”
I bow my head once more, indicating that I’m ready to take his order.
“Bring me a whiskey, neat. Should pair nicely with my cigar. Where’s the old man?”
“Right here, Mr. Rose.” Mr. Night walks in front of me. “What’s your selection tonight?”
“Dealer’s choice, Night.” Rose claps him on the shoulder.
I take that as my cue to leave. I head to Spades, where Dudley is tending the bar.
But shit. How do I tell him what Rose’s order is? I can’t speak. Dudley doesn’t speak either. He’s not a waiter, so I’m not sure if it’s by choice or not.
Then a waitress—the Ten of Hearts—scurries up to the bar. She takes a slip of paper, writes something down, and then whisks away back to her section.
Guess that’s what they do here. I cross over to the piece of paper that the Ten was writing on. She’s written her own number and suit on the top-left corner as “10H,” and then below it the drink order.
I grab another slip of paper, write the letters “AC” on the top corner and then the words “Whiskey, neat.” I glance over my shoulder. Rouge is holding court in the Hearts section, so I look around Spades while Dudley is preparing my drink.
Writing raven… Writing raven…
I’m not sure what I’m even looking for. There’s some art on the walls, but none of it depicts a raven of any sort, never mind one that’s writing.
Of course, the way that Alissa explained the “river of tears,” the actual meaning was more abstract.
It referred to raindrops running down the window of Maddox’s car, which led them to a key.
The key opened a safe in Rouge’s office.
There’s no way I’m getting in there, and I don’t have the key to the safe anyway.
I’m guessing Rouge took it back when she brought Maddox and Alissa to the Caterpillar Hotel.
What else could the raven in the riddle be referring to? The poem by Edgar Allen Poe? The football team in Baltimore? The Hogwarts house? A woman’s name? I know people with dark hair are described as having raven hair…
This is getting me nowhere. I glance back to the bar. Rose’s whiskey is ready.
Better bring it back to him before he goes asking around for the Ace of Clubs.
I grab the whiskey, place it on a tray, and walk to the Clubs section, making sure to avoid standing in Rouge’s eyeline. I present it to Rose, my head bowed.
“Excellent, Ace. Thank you.” He hands me a twenty. “For your trouble.”
I take the bill, nodding in what I hope appears to be gratitude. I reach to put it in my pockets when I realize that these shorts don’t have any.
Shit. I can’t just go around carrying a twenty-dollar bill.
“Allow me.” Rose places his whiskey on a nearby table and then grabs the waistline of my shorts.
I stop myself from letting out a yelp. All I can do is look down in horror as he pulls the waistband out far enough for my dick to be exposed and then places the twenty right under my balls before snapping my shorts back on.
I swallow as a rush of warmth flows to my cheeks.
“I like what I see, Ace.” Rose grins. “What’s your price?”
I lower my head, hoping that Rose gets the idea that I’m not interested.
“Five hundred?”
I shake my head.
“Six hundred?”
Again I turn him down.
“For fuck’s sake. A thousand?” He closes in on me and grabs my ass. “I could get a tight little callboy for half that. Why so shy, Ace?”
I rip myself out of his grip and look up at him, fire in my eyes. I’d like to kick this man’s ass for grabbing me like that.
Thankfully, Mr. Night cuts in between us. “The Ace is a new member, Mr. Rose. I think he would prefer to settle in for a few weeks before he starts taking…clients.”
Rose cocks his head. “I wasn’t aware of that policy.”
“You are surely aware, though, Mr. Rose, that any member of the waitstaff is allowed to refuse those kinds of services without any explanation required,” Mr. Night says. “That is the case with the Ace.”
Rose scowls. “Fine, then. But you’ll regret it. I didn’t want you anyway, you little slut.”
I clench my hands into fists, but Mr. Night takes me aside. “Eyes forward, Ace. I don’t know what you’re looking for, but tonight might be your only chance. I suggest you move on.”
He’s right. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and continue looking around. Since I’m in Clubs, I’ll look here. But again, nothing that could possibly be interpreted as a writing raven.
It must be right in front of my nose.
Rouge has left Hearts, so this is my chance to look around that area. Plus I’ll be able to listen to Bianca sing. Always a plus.
Tonight she’s singing a jazzy version of “Danny Boy.” A little on the nose for St. Patrick’s. She sounds fantastic, and her voice grows even warmer when she makes eye contact with me. She offers me a smile and then continues her line without missing a beat.
I look over at her band. Her drummer is still gone.
Shit.
I bet he’s locked away in that hotel somewhere, too.
Or worse…
Alissa and Maddox lucked out. They were left to starve. Some people, like that poor server girl, were beheaded and left dismembered in that nature preserve by the airport.
As much as I’d like to continue hanging in the Hearts section, I have a mission. And nothing here fits the description of that damned raven.
No luck in Diamonds either. I look over every card table, every roulette wheel, even the chips I find on the floor. Nothing.
Fuck.
I’ve looked everywhere.
Not exactly true. I haven’t looked at Rouge’s office. But I can’t get in there. And I’m sure Bianca already looked through her dressing room when she was here earlier picking up the branding irons. I can’t exactly go into either of those spaces without drawing attention to myself, anyway.
There’s the private area, but I can’t get there without a member on my arm.
I suppose I could go back to Rose…
But no. Fuck that.
I’ve been kissed by a man once. Ray Sinclair. For me, that’s enough for a fucking lifetime.
Where else could I check? That’s everywhere I currently have access to.
This and the bathrooms.
The bathrooms!
I didn’t get a good look at the ladies’ restroom when I came in. I can try the men’s first, obviously.
I go inside. Nothing as far as I can see.
I look inside each of the two stalls, scan the doors to see if something was scratched into them.
No ravens. No writing. A man at the urinals gives me a weird look as I pass him.
I guess waitstaff don’t normally use the restrooms. Do they just fucking hold it the entire time?
Damn, OSHA would have a field day with this place.
Of course, Rouge would just get out of it like she always does.
I leave the men’s room. I can’t go into the women’s room without having someone check before me to make sure no one’s in there, though. Nothing would draw more attention to me than a female patron shrieking that one of the male waitstaff is peeping on her.
I look back over to the Hearts section. Bianca just finished up her set and is heading back to her dressing room.
I make sure Rouge isn’t looking and then discreetly slip in behind Bianca as the pink door closes behind her.