Chapter 2 #3
“You think you can afford to stay at one of the big casinos at a moment’s notice?” She laughed. “I’m taking you where you requested.”
“Oh, right.” April sat back and tried to relax. Were there casinos in the Vegas suburbs?
But they weren’t headed for the suburbs. The buildings around them turned older, darker, shabbier.
“Here we are, old downtown Vegas,” Bunni said as she slowed in front of a seedy-looking building with a tall, flashing sign reading The Western Pioneer Casino. Some of the bulbs were burned out. “Just what you wanted, a small casino with rooms. Hotel’s next door and it’s decent…enough.”
“It’s perfect,” April said with as much bravery as she could put into her voice. “Thank you.”
“The Pioneer’s full of locals. Felix should be at the desk tonight. Tell him Bunni sent you.”
April tried not to blanch at the dollar amount on the meter. She wouldn’t be taking many taxis if they cost that much. She reached for her wallet and took out enough cash plus a generous tip just to prove she could.
Bunni took the money, counted it quickly, and handed back the tip. “Nope, keep it, you’ll need it. And this.” She pressed an old receipt with her name and a phone number written on the back into April’s palm, holding her gaze. “Remember to ask for Felix. And call me tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” April said as she got out and walked to the open trunk to retrieve her bags. Cigarette smoke wafted from the window and Bunni pulled away the moment April set her bags on the sidewalk. She looked up at the doors just as an old guy lurched out and lost his dinner all over the pavement.
I’ve got this she told herself. Then April squared her shoulders and wheeled her luggage past the man, on a mission to find Felix.
April woke up the next morning having no idea where she was.
The metal bed frame squeaked as she turned over and opened her eyes.
Right, she was in a hotel room in Vegas, one that cost her more than she thought it was worth.
At this rate, she’d burn through her money twice as fast as she’d predicted.
Damn my pride for not taking Shane’s—I mean, Mr. Foti’s—money.
But, she had a plan, one that ironically came from tutoring Shane.
April showered and dressed, then went downstairs for breakfast. At least she’d eat one meal—a breakfast buffet was included in the price of her room.
And it was surprisingly good. She noticed familiar faces from the night before.
Felix had told her this was more of a local place, confirming what Bunni had said.
Everyone looked tired and she wondered how many had been up all night and were simply refueling for another day of gambling.
That won’t be me she promised herself as she carried a plate heaped with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast over to a small table in the corner of the room. This is only temporary. As soon as I have enough money, I’ll head for California like we…I…planned.
After breakfast, April went outside. Dry Nevada air hit her, shockingly hot already, and it was barely eight o’clock.
She’d been hoping for a craps table in the casino, but it was all slots, and electronic poker machines lined up around a bar.
The receipt Bunni had given her the night before crackled in her hand as she squeezed it.
Standing in what little shade an awning provided, April called the number on the back of the receipt.
“This April?” Bunni’s gruff voice answered.
“Yes, it is. I—”
“You wised up and going home?”
“I’d like a ride to the Strip, actually,” April answered. “Please.”
She heard Bunni swear and told herself it was directed at the traffic. “Fine. Okay. Great. I’ll pick you up out front. Warning, I’m going off shift right after.”
“No problem,” April said. “I’ll find my way back after I’m done.” She didn’t want to be rude and say Bunni wasn’t the only cab driver in Vegas. The woman was trying to do April a favor. She just didn’t understand.
Bunni had already hung up. April waited about ten minutes before a yellow cab pulled up to the curb. While she waited, April was treated to a parade of people coming into and out of the Western Pioneer.
I’m not staying. I am not staying.
April scooted out to the curb, opened the cab’s door, and jumped into the back seat.
“Where to,” Bunni asked, her tone sounding like she and April were meeting for the first time.
“Someplace with craps tables,” April said. If Bunni wasn’t going to say hi, neither would she. She’d also push down the disappointment that went along with it.
“Craps, huh?” Bunni said.
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
They were quiet the entire drive to one of the big casinos squatting along the Strip. She pulled up under a wide porte-cochere that could have covered a small house. April tried not to wince—again—at the total on the meter and pulled out enough bills to cover it plus another generous tip.
And again, Bunni took the money but refused the tip.
“Keep it, you’ll need it.”
“Thanks.”
Bunni shook her head and refused to look April in the eye. The service light on top of the cab clicked off as she drove away.
April turned to go inside the massive building. She’d been nervous to the point of nausea the whole ride, but now with the sounds of the slot machines inside, the valets in their neat uniforms parking expensive sports cars, her fear turned into excitement.
I can do this. I’ll be driving one of those cars before I know it.
April took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and marched in, head held high. She found the craps tables and settled in to watch the first few games, her brain already calculating odds.
April stepped out of the third casino of the day and looked up at the night sky.
She’d had no idea it’d gotten so late—there wasn’t a single window in any of the casinos, and even if there were, the Strip was so bright it would have looked like daylight.
She pulled out her phone and dialed Bunni’s number, hoping she was back on shift.
“You’re calling late,” Bunni answered.
“I’m ready to be picked up, if you’re driving.”
“You stayed all day at Flamingo?”
April smiled. “No, actually, you can pick me up at Luxor.”
“Huh. Made it all the way down the Strip, I see. Did they keep kicking you out for being too young?”
“No they did not,” April scoffed. She hugged her new purse to her chest, the pebbly white leather gleaming in the lights under the gigantic Sphinx. The rainbow-colored LV monograms looked like candy sprinkled across the surface.
Bunni scoffed. “I’ll be there in five.” She hung up.
True to her word, Bunni pulled up five minutes later. April strutted proudly to the cab, watching Bunni’s eyes grow bigger.
“Looks like you had some luck,” she said as soon as April closed the cab door.
“I did.”
“You spend it all on that new purse?”
“It’s a Louis Vuitton Murakami,” she said, savoring the words as much as she had the champagne they’d handed her when she walked into the boutique at the Forum Shops. “Speedy Thirty.”
Bunni gave a low whistle. “That’s no knockoff.”
“It better not be,” April said, running her fingertips over the buttery vachetta leather handles. She had no idea what ‘vachetta’ meant when the sales associate told her, but it sure felt nice under her fingers. “Considering how much it cost me.”
Bunni shook her head, pulling away from the curb. “You win a hand and march straight into Louis Vuitton?”
April grinned. “I didn’t march. I… glided.
” She could still feel the smooth marble floor under her sandals.
The air inside the shop had smelled like leather, expensive perfume, and the faintest hint of fine cigars drifting in from the casino.
April had only gone into the store on a whim, thinking maybe she could browse for a few minutes before the clerks started clearing their throats and shuffling their feet—a not-so-subtle way of telling her she wasn’t welcome.
Instead, the sales associate—Amélie, with perfect eyeliner and a French accent—had offered her champagne without even glancing at her scuffed sandals or the cheap fake gold hoops in her ears.
She treated April like royalty, especially when she lifted bag after bag from their displays like they were the crown jewels and presented them to her one by one.
For a full hour, April had been someone else entirely—not the town trash but a woman who bought whatever she wanted, no questions asked.
She justified buying the bag by telling herself that if she tied up some of her earnings into something that she’d have to return or sell, she wouldn’t be tempted to gamble the cash away quickly.
Though, with her skill, that might not be a concern.
“You know that purse’ll be an investment if the tables turn,” Bunni said. “The rooms at the Pioneer don’t have safes. You might want to use it as a pillow.”
“Oh, that won’t be a problem,” April said. “I’m only going back there to get the rest of my things. The Luxor is putting me up for the night.”
She’d just cashed out, the weight of her winnings a solid, satisfying heft in her new purse, and was weaving her way toward the exit when a man in a black suit stepped smoothly into her path. “Excuse me, Miss.”
Oh God, they figured out I’m underage. Would they call the police, or worse—would she disappear into the bowels of the casino, never to be seen again?
Maybe they’ll find my bones out in the desert, or at the bottom of Lake Mead.
“Congratulations on your win tonight,” he said, his voice as smooth as his silk tie.
His eyes flicked to her new purse, then back to her face.
“We’d be happy to make sure your evening continues in style.
If you don’t already have accommodations, the Luxor would like to offer you a complimentary suite. ”
April had glanced around, certain there must be a mistake, unless ‘suite’ meant a backroom where they’d teach her a lesson about gambling underage.
“A suite? You mean one upstairs?” She pointed up.
“It would be our pleasure.” He handed her a small black paper sleeve with the Luxor’s golden logo printed on it.
“Your room key. If there’s anything you need, just ring the front desk and ask for your host, Jim.
” He bowed his head slightly. “Or call me directly. My card’s tucked inside with the suite number on it. ”
April studied the top of the glossy keycard poking out of the sleeve. It looked real enough. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t give me a keycard to my prison cell.
Jim mistook her pause. "If you’re staying elsewhere already, we’d be happy to send someone to collect and transfer your bags if you’d like.
And,” he pulled out a thick, glossy black card with gold lettering embossed across the top reading Luxor Executive Host, “dinner is on us,” he said with an easy smile.
“Or breakfast. Or both. It doesn’t expire.
” Jim flipped the card over and handed it to her.
A handwritten signature was sprawled across the back above the words: $100 dining credit – Pyramid Café or Tender Steakhouse.
April blinked. One hundred dollars. That could cover several meals if she played it smart. She’d been planning to eat crackers and a granola bar back at the Pioneer. Her stomach gave a hopeful growl she prayed was covered by the slot machines.
She tucked the card carefully into her purse, right beside her cash. “Thank you,” she said. “I won’t be needing help with my bags,”—no way was she sending someone over to the Pioneer; that would give her away as a fraud—“but I will be back with them shortly.”
Jim gave her a nod of approval. “Call my number before you arrive and I’ll make sure a bellhop is waiting for you, Miss…”
She hesitated. “Meyer. April Meyer.”
“Miss Meyer. Enjoy your stay.” Jim smiled, nodded, then walked away.
And just like that, her new identity was sealed.
Bunni gave her a sidelong glance in the rearview mirror now. “You got a host on your first night in Vegas?”
April grinned. “Guess I made an impression.” Or at least my lucky purse did.
“Well all right then,” Bunni said, sounding impressed herself. “You keep making impressions like that, you might become the queen of the Strip. You could have a future here after all, kid.”
“No. Vegas is just temporary.”
But April did have a future in Vegas—a much longer one than she had planned.