Jacks Are Wild: An Out of Time Novel (Saving Time, Book 1)

by Martin, Monique

  Tony’s expression and message were clear—Don’t get any funny ideas. Susan is mine. “I do.”

  And not for the first time, Jack wondered just how controlling Tony Santo really was. He’d never seen any signs of physical abuse, but that wasn’t the only kind there was.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Jack said.

  Susan didn’t have time to do anything more than nod before Tony turned her away and led her toward another group.

  ~~~

  “Scotch, neat.” Jack put his arm across the back of the booth as the waiter took their order.

  Simon raised a finger to indicate the same, but Elizabeth shook her head and asked for water.

  “Doctor’s orders,” Elizabeth said with a pout in answer to his unasked question. “Just for tonight.”

  “And probably tomorrow,” Simon added.

  Elizabeth shook her head for Jack’s benefit.

  He chuckled. He was glad to see her doing so well. She was made of tough stuff, but getting knocked out was no joke. He’d had his eggs scrambled a few times, and each time it took longer to get over. Sadly for Elizabeth, this wasn’t her first concussion either.

  The bump on the side of her head was nearly gone, but the tip of the cut she’d suffered still peeked out from her hairline as an angry little reminder. Not that Simon needed to be reminded.

  He sat a little closer to her, looked at her a little more frequently, and the softness he reserved only for her in his otherwise hardshell was especially noticeable tonight. It was a stark contrast to the way Tony Santo had “worried” about his wife.

  “I thought you might be pregnant or something,” Jack said offhandedly, but their reactions told him he’d hit a nerve.

  Simon’s expression was unreadable as he looked at his wife, but Elizabeth shook her head, almost sadly. “No.”

  She pushed that away and smiled. “But we are trying.”

  “Elizabeth,” Simon chided her gently.

  It was unexpected news, good news, and Jack smiled. He loved kids, and the Crosses having one might be as close as he got.

  “That’s wonderful,” he said.

  “We’re not pregnant yet.”

  “We,” Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes, but clearly loving it, “like he’s going to do half of it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jack said. “I just …” He shook his head as a few things clicked into place.

  The argument they’d had when they’d found him in the desert, it made sense now. And it also explained why Simon was just that much more protective.

  “You should have told me.”

  Simon arched an eyebrow. “Would you like a daily briefing about our sex life or will once a week do?”

  Elizabeth burst into a fit of laughter.

  Jack quickly managed to contain his. “I’m sorry. I’m happy for you, whenever it happens.”

  Simon nodded his acceptance, but despite his joking, this was clearly a bit of a touchy subject.

  Elizabeth brought them back on track. “How’s Susan?”

  “All right for now, I suppose.”

  Simon frowned. “That sounds dubious.”

  Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s mostly recovered from your little adventure,” he said to Elizabeth, “but she’s afraid, that’s for sure. And not just of getting snatched again. It’s more than that.”

  He leaned forward and put his elbows on the table, steepling his hands. “Have either of you ever known anyone who was in an abusive relationship?”

  Simon’s eyebrows shot up. “You think he beats her?”

  Jack shook his head. “No, not that kind of abuse.”

  Unlike her husband, Elizabeth didn’t seem surprised by the question. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Jack. “You think Tony’s abusing her?”

  He frowned in thought. “He’s controlling and dismissive. I know it’s 1960, but this feels like more than what’s probably typical.”

  “You have good instincts,” Elizabeth said. “And if she’s really talking to the you know who about you know what …”

  Jack had to agree with that. No one in a happy marriage would risk it by talking to the Feds about her husband’s affairs. Things like that ended in one of two ways, and one of them was why he was here in the first place.

  “I think it gives me something else to worry about,” Jack said as the waiter arrived with their drinks. He took a sip of scotch. “And what about you two? I’m guessing you’re no longer in the market for your own little piece of Las Vegas.”

  Simon snorted. “No. But we are in the market for information. Elizabeth overheard something that might be useful.”

  Jack spread his hands out. “Lay it on me. I could use some good news.”

  “It might be nothing,” Elizabeth said. “My memory is still a little woogey, but I think one of them said something about a club. Someplace called Fun & Games.”

  “That sounds like a lead.”

  Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “Which someone won’t let us follow until tomorrow.”

  Simon arched an eyebrow and took a drink of scotch.

  “Although, I already looked in the yellow pages and asked the concierge,” Elizabeth said.

  “When on earth did you do that?”

  “Is that really relevant?” she asked.

  “Really.”

  “I might have sneaked out while you were showering, but there is no proof,” she said.

  Simon frowned. “Your confession makes that rather moot, doesn’t it?”

  “Good point.”

  Simon took a breath and let it and his frustration go. “And what, pray tell, did you find on your little outing?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Nothing. As far as he knows there is no such establishment. So, back to square one.”

  “Maybe not,” Jack said. “Hotel concierges are great for some things, but if you really want to know what’s going on in a city—ask a cabbie. They see it all.”

  Elizabeth perked up. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Glad I’ve had at least one today,” Jack said.

  Dinner was pleasant and comforting. It was good to know he wasn’t in this alone. He’d been here for over a week and he felt further away from knowing who killed Susan than when he arrived. The list of suspects just kept growing.

  He said goodnight to the Crosses and decided to sneak a cigarette before bed. Quitting again was going to be hell, but as he took a nice deep draw and felt the rush, he didn’t really care just then.

  He leaned against one of the posts of a pergola in the gardens. It was late, after midnight, and the quiet of the grounds was broken only occasionally by guests returning to their rooms. He blew his smoke up into the cold night air and let himself relax. Despite having been removed from his post for the evening, he was still in a very good position to be close to Susan when trouble started. That was something. And if the Crosses could find out who was behind the kidnapping, that would be something as well. He still couldn’t quite figure that one. It was sloppy and ill-conceived. It might be related to her murder or it could be bad luck. In this town, anything was possible.

  He took one more drag off his cigarette and started to look for an ashtray when he saw a familiar figure leave a wing of the hotel. Baxter. Good to know he was feeling better. Or …

  Judging from the nervous way he looked around as he headed toward the casino, he was up to something.

  Jack dropped his cigarette onto the ground, crushed it out with his foot and followed.

  While it was quiet outside, inside, it was anything but. Midnight was prime time in a casino and the floor was crowded. He lost sight of Baxter and shouldered his way through a group of drunken Shriners. But there were too many of them, and by the time he swam upstream through their bulk he’d lost Baxter completely.

  He hurried to the front, nearly bowling over a couple of just-arriving newlyweds in the process. It didn’t do any good. By the time he’d gotten past them and outside, Baxter was nowhere to
be seen.

  Chapter Seventeen

  THE CAB PULLED OVER in front of a seedy looking club called No Limits on the outskirts of town. The silhouette of a woman leaning suggestively over a pool table on the sign told Elizabeth all she needed to know about it.

  Next to her, Simon cleared his throat and leaned forward. “I think you’ve misunderstood.”

  The cabbie took the stub of a gnawed on cigar out of his mouth and turned back to face them. “You wanted Fun and Games, right?” He jabbed his cigar toward the club. “Well …”

  “This is the No Limits club,” Simon said.

  The cabbie nodded. “That’s where she works.”

  “She?”

  Well, that was a wrinkle Elizabeth hadn’t considered.

  “Listen, bub. I ain’t got all day. You gettin’ out or what?”

  Elizabeth opened the car door before Simon could argue the point. She heard him sigh and hand the driver a few bills before emerging to stand next to her. He looked at the sign and club with undisguised distaste.

  “Elizabeth, I think perhaps—”

  Before he could try to persuade her to do anything but go in and find Miss Fun & Games, she started toward the club.

  “Bugger.”

  He caught up with her and took her gently by the arm.

  She knew he meant well. Happily, he knew he wasn’t going to stop her from going in. She was curious as to what it was like, and the evil part of her would enjoy watching his English stuffing come out.

  He swallowed any argument he was going to make. “All right,” he said and then looked warily at the door. “Just don’t touch anything.”

  The No Limits club was half pool hall, half strip club and all icky. From her first step into the door she had flashbacks to her freshman year of college, memories of the smell of stale beer and something indefinably gross.

  No one bothered to look toward the door as it opened and sent a spray of sunshine into the dank, dark interior. As the door swung closed behind them the bright light it cast onto the floor felt like it retreated back outside to safety.

  Two men of the Hell’s Angels variety shot pool at one of the four tables in the front area of the club. One of them leaned down to line up a shot. His shiny bald head caught what little light there was from the green-shaded lamp over the table. He looked down his cue, but his eyes drifted above the table to Elizabeth. He grinned at her and took his shot without looking.

  His friend followed his gaze and turned to stare at her, too. He leaned back against the table and blew her a kiss.

  Simon moved between her and the men and ushered her into the club. Happily, they ignored them and went back to their game.

  “Stay close,” Simon whispered.

  “Not a problem.” She was practically in his back pocket now.

  They walked down a few steps into the sunken strip part of the club. A low, burlesque-ish, jazzy blues played in the background while two women stood on opposite ends of a narrow stage.

  One of them smoked a cigarette while she did, looking like she was waiting in line at the DMV. The other gave it a little more effort, but not much. All she seemed to be doing was bouncing up and down a little. She did, however, manage to get the tassels on her pasties swinging in opposite directions. She’d raise her right hand to her head and they changed direction. It was oddly fascinating.

  “Elizabeth?”

  “Hmm?”

  Most of the clientele wasn’t nearly as interested as she was. One man was asleep at his table while another was busy making a house of cards out of matchbooks. The third appeared to be a little too interested and Elizabeth turned away.

  “Sorry.”

  Simon glared down at her and then looked where she’d been looking. It was better for all concerned, however, if he didn’t see that last man, and she slid her arm through his and turned him back toward the bar. They took the last few sticky steps and waited for the bartender to notice them.

  He was at the far end of the bar cleaning glasses with a dirty rag. He was very diligent and even spit into them to make sure they were spotless.

  “Dear God in Heaven,” Simon muttered under his breath.

  Finally finished with his task, the bartender sauntered over to them. He picked up an enormous black phone and put it on the bar. “Fifty cents local.”

  Simon frowned at it. “We don’t need to make a call, thank you.”

  “Ain’t you lost?”

  Simon cleared his throat. “No, actually, we’re here to see one of your employees.”

  He eyed them. “If you’re from the board, I’m all paid up.” He put the phone back down behind the bar.

  “We’re not from the board. We just want to talk to one of your girls.”

  He looked at Elizabeth and smiled a very dirty smile. “Yeah?”

  Simon’s hand clenched into a fist, but he kept his voice light. “Yes. A Miss Fun & Games.”

  Elizabeth couldn’t stop the giggle that came out of her any more than she could stop the tide. Hearing Simon say that made up for her lingering headache.

  He shot her a glare.

  “She’s workin’,” the bartender said and nodded his head toward the talented tassels.

  “We only need to speak to her for a few minutes.”

  “But what about her adoring crowd?” he asked, waving his hands expansively. “I got a business to run.”

  “Yes,” Simon said and took his wallet from his jacket pocket. “What if I compensated you for her time?”

  The man’s eyes glistened as he looked at Simon’s wallet.

  “Ten dollars?” Simon said, pulling out a bill.

  The man grinned. “Twenty and no touching. That’s extra.”

  Simon handed him two tens. “Of course.”

  The man pocketed the bills and whistled loudly. Both girls looked at him and he waved tassels toward the back. With a shrug she stepped off the platform and headed into the backroom.

  “You got ten minutes,” the bartender said.

  “Very generous,” Simon said as he put away his wallet and escorted Elizabeth into the back.

  The door she’d gone through led to a short hallway ending with a door of beads. Pushing them aside, he and Elizabeth entered the dressing and undressing room.

  Miss Fun & Games had one leg up on a chair and was rolling down her stocking. “Don’t want it to get messed,” she said without looking up.

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  She turned and looked at him, a pleased smile coming to her face as she stood. That was until she saw Elizabeth and her smile faded. “No offense honey, but I don’t—”

  “We just want to talk,” Simon said.

  She looked a little disappointed and then reached for a thin cover-up and put it on. She rolled her stocking back up and sat down on the stool, lighting a cigarette.

  She waved her hand. “It’s your dime.”

  “We wanted to ask you about one of your …” Simon started then pooped out when he got to the relationship. Friend? Customer?

  “Regulars,” Elizabeth finished.

  “Yeah?”

  “We don’t know his name, but he was apparently kicked out of here recently.”

  She took a drag and picked a stray bit of tobacco from her lip. “Yeah?”

  She wasn’t going to make this easy.

  “He’s about five six, dark hair,” Elizabeth said. “Might hang around with another guy, tall, skinny. Scar on his right hand.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes. “You friends of theirs?”

  Simon glanced at Elizabeth. “Not exactly.”

  “Cause if you are, you just—”

  “We’re not,” Elizabeth assured her. “We think they might have gotten involved in something they shouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like them.” She eyed Simon and Elizabeth for a moment before shrugging. “What do I care? The little one’s Danny Doyle. And the big one’s an even bigger idiot, calls himself Jumpy. Don’t know his real name. Bu
mpy, Floppy, I don’t care. Coupla real peaches.”

  Elizabeth felt a surge of excitement. They had names. Actual names. At least one of them did, anyway.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know where we could find them?” Simon asked.

  She shrugged. “Danny used to work over at Chick’s Auto Body over on Charleston. No idea if he’s still there. Probably got kicked out of there, too. Piece a—”

  “Thank you,” Simon said, quickly. “You’ve been very helpful.”

  He handed her a twenty dollar bill.

  She stood and looked at it in surprise then tucked it into her G-string. “Thank you.”

  Simon started to turn to leave, but Elizabeth stayed.

  “If you don’t mind my asking. How do you?” She twirled her fingers in the air.

  The woman smiled and shed her cover-up. “You just bounce, baby.”

  She did and they did.

  Elizabeth watched mesmerized. “You’re very talented.”

  Fun and Games grinned and kept bouncing. “All the boys say so.”

  ~~~

  Jack almost expected the security guard at the Santos’ apartment suite to send him away, but he didn’t and Jack found Susan in the living room.

  Even though he’d called her name out, twice, she looked up at him in surprise.

  “Sorry.”

  She sniffled and quickly wiped beneath her eyes as she stood and walked to the other side of the room to needlessly straighten the picture frames.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said.

  “Not at all,” she said, without turning back. She took another second to wipe beneath her eyes. “I was just day dreaming.”

  She turned to him then and offered him a wavering smile. “Can I get you anything?” she said and started toward the kitchen. “Some coffee? I think there’s still some breakfast if you haven’t—”

  Jack caught her arm. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked down at his hand grasping her arm he let go.

  “Susan?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just being silly. You know how emotional women are.” She tugged on her fingers. “We can hardly think straight.”