Vegas Shuffle (Vegas Series)

by Mimi Barbour

  “I told you before, boss. I’m no one’s piece of meat. I wanna be with a girl, I treat her right. It’s gotta mean something. Otherwise, no deal.”

  Sonny scratched at his curly hair, and Kai watched malice sprout in his big brown eyes. “You got a chick stashed away somewhere we don’t know about?”

  Disgusted, Kai didn’t answer. Instead he stared the loudmouth down.

  Trying to make up for his lapse of backbone, Sonny pushed once again. Because he was the boss’s stepson, Sonny felt safe mouthing off. Ranking as his lowly bodyguard, Kai well knew that Sonny overruled him in all matters. Not having the brains to back off, the idiot snickered, “You musta been a momma’s boy growing up. Cause your ideas make no sense to a man like me.”

  The back door swung open and a large, black-haired, mustachioed Italian stepped into the room. More muscled and taller than most, his bodyguard stood alert by the door and leaned against the wall, steely eyes ever watchful.

  “Shut up, Sonny. And leave Jack alone. He’s a good man, ain’t he? He’s kept your skinny ass alive too many times to deserve anything less than respect. Got it?!”

  “Sure, Pops. Just messing around with the guy.” Jack and me, we’re cool. Right, Jack?”

  Kai’s instinct was to kick the stupid showoff in the balls, but he had a job to do. “Sure, Sonny. Like bacon and eggs.”

  Dominic Angeli, mastermind of the Angeli mob, was a man to be feared and the reason why this gang had eluded the authorities for years.

  Sonny was Angeli’s punk stepson, and a kid he had no use for. On the other hand Sonny’s mother was the love of Dominic’s life. Therefore, the swaggering peacock needed to remain unharmed, and Kai had carried out that role from the first time he and Dominic met.

  It was the night after the Rhondo shooting that Kai had returned to L.A. from Vegas all fucked up. He’d taken his hurt feelings, a hard knot replacing his heart, and spent the first couple of nights licking at the wounds his masculinity had suffered. Now in retrospect, his behaviour disgusted him. He’d repeatedly kicked his own ass, figuratively speaking, and would have carried it out physically if possible.

  His brave Aurora had killed Rhondo. Yes, she did! But she must have had her reasons. He’d understood that, once his brain had stopped reacting like a two-year-old. There was more to the story and he hadn’t stuck around to find out. Like a shit, he’d tucked his tail, whined his fury and escaped. And now he was stuck.

  Kai thought back to the night he met Sonny. The little scumbag, thinking himself so tough, had shaken his protective shadow earlier that night and had ventured into the same bar where Kai sat nursing a beer and his fifth tequila shooter. Kai had watched the strutting pissant enter, and then studiously ignored him—until he saw a big bruiser start roughing up the scrawny whining loser.

  Not liking to see anyone take a beating from a guy twice his size, Kai stepped in. The next thing he knew all hell had erupted. Enjoying the chance to let loose and hit someone, he’d fought his way toward the back door, dragging the cowering Sonny along with him. They got away from the battle inside, but once they reached the street the police showed up.

  Knowing he’d be overdrinking, Kai had purposely left his wallet with his I.D. back at the apartment. Therefore, when he didn’t recognize the rookies during the arrest, he’d kept quiet about his police status, figuring the guys downtown would identify him and quietly settle the situation. Jettisoning those memories, Kai glanced toward the ambitious young hood.

  Unfortunately, Sonny the stupid blusterer actually believed he had the smarts to be the next in line, to take over from Dominic, to be the big boss. And there was nothing more dangerous than a man who had some semblance of power and a brain seldom used.

  Kai had seen Sonny play the role many times and usually stepped in to save the kid’s ass. That was his job. In Dominic’s own words: “Keep the idiot in sight at all times and out of trouble.”

  Being a part of this gang would eventually pay off. So far, the evidence he’d gathered would help the authorities clean the scum off the streets of L.A. Regrettably, there were a couple of problems. He never got a moment alone, no privacy whatsoever. Sneaking away from Sonny turned out to be impossible—the idiot clung like Saran wrap. If and when he’d need back-up, he prayed he’d be able to make the call. At this point it didn’t keep him awake at night because he didn’t have all the details, like who they dealt with across the Mexican border and how the drugs and arms were being shipped. Dominic never shared information easily unless you happened to be one of his personal henchmen. Even then, he’d been told that everything happened in code and not everyone held the key.

  Or at least that’s what Sonny thought. Then again, he was such a sap, Dominic could have told his stepson anything and he would’ve believed it.

  They had so much to answer for, these men who had the devil in command of their decisions. Young teens hooked on drugs, prostituting themselves to get more money. Money that paid for the guns funneled into the Mexican cartels, guns used in killing thousands. To complete the circle, drugs returning to Los Angeles’ streets as payment and sold to crazies, who, drunk on the power the drugs created, were more than willing to sell themselves or pull a trigger and lose their humanity.

  When Kai had stepped in to save Sonny’s life on his second night of drinking away his misery, the action had given him a foothold into the upper echelons of the mob. A position no one else on the force had previously managed to infiltrate.

  That night, his boss Captain Alan Howard, had covertly entered his jail cell.

  “What’s going on Captain? Why am I still here?”

  The distinguished man’s hesitation was palpable. “Drunk and disorderly is not becoming to a police officer.”

  “I’m a mess. I know. But I’m officially on leave.”

  “Not anymore. I have a proposition for you.”

  He then proceeded to issue an ultimatum arrowed straight to Kai’s honor as a man, as a cop, and as a caring human being. “They’ve sent their lawyers to bail you and Sonny out of here, and then the word is Angeli wants to meet you. Take this opportunity to hang with them. Help us break up this gang and save a lot of people from being hurt. Trust me, Lawson, you’ll never be able to look at a kid’s broken life again without wondering if your decision could have saved them. Hell, I should say it’s your responsibility because you chose to be a police officer. I could order you to follow through. But I won’t. I refuse to force you. It’s a dangerous mission and we have no way of knowing for how long you’ll need to stick with them, gathering evidence. We’ll protect you all we can, set up a drop-off place for you to leave messages. Otherwise, you’d be basically on your own, son.”

  Kai had hesitated, even thought of asking for a day to fly back to Vegas to make peace with Aurora… but his pride stepped in and shut him down. Stupid bastard! Now he was stuck in a situation he had no idea how to get out of. He’d have to ride this wave until he could obtain the information they needed to fold the whole operation. If he went off half-cocked and took down only the Angeli bunch, the Mexican arm would have someone step in before he could so much as spit.

  Problem was, he missed Aurora so much, his bones ached. And every week and then month that slid by made him aware that she would have written him off as scum. Regret seized him and didn’t let up—he totally deserved the title.

  Chapter Eight

  For the next few weeks, the Vegas streets teemed with criminals all wanting one thing: a fast, dishonest buck. And day after day, Aurora and Lisa worked non-stop to give them exactly what they deserved—a jail cell and a record.

  As much as Lisa still couldn’t hide her exuberance for life, Aurora found a way to shut her out by listening to music from earphones in the office and turning up the dial on the radio while in the car. It didn’t always work. There were times when Aurora had to listen to the girl who tended to look at life as a half-full glass and insisted that every cloud had a pair of silver linings.

  Since s
he routinely saved Aurora’s ass and made the grunt work and physical side of the job so much easier, Aurora forgave her and pretty soon found that her partner had weaseled her way onto Aurora’s very short favorite-people list.

  The sun beat down as Aurora drove with Lisa relaxed beside her. The strip was busy as usual, tourists milling everywhere wanting to spend money and have a good time. Aurora scanned the area and admitted to herself that the fairyland atmosphere gave her a small lift every time she drove along Las Vegas Boulevard.

  “Aurora, hey!” Lisa waited for her partner to grudgingly turn down the blaring radio. “The new casino, Cascades, opened last week. Have you been there yet?”

  “Nope.” Aurora’s hand quickly reached again toward the dial, and when Lisa continued, she stopped and sighed dramatically.

  “It’s fantastic! I went last night with a friend. You know the guy I told you about, Rikki, who wants to get a sex-change operation, the one who looks and acts more feminine than any other of my girlfriends? He has the dress sense of a model and the cosmetic skills to make even a hag like me look okay. He could wonders for you.”

  As soon as the words left her lips, Aurora watched Lisa swallow and then turn her head away with a stupid smirk. “No offense.”

  “None taken. But it’s probably best to quit while you’re ahead.”

  “I gotta tell you about Cascades. There’s waterfalls everywhere, hell even the chandeliers look like waterfalls made from crystals. Their big attraction in the middle of the casino is a glassed-in jungle where they have different species of butterflies and even some small tropical birds flying around inside. And get this: They allow so many customers to stroll through at one time. If a butterfly lands on a person they can win money for the slots. The person, not the butterfly.” Lisa paused for a laugh that was not forthcoming, then continued. “Anyway, I know several species of butterflies that need more sodium and can be attracted by the salt in human sweat, but others are more prone to evading humans. Soooo—”

  “How the hell do you know so much of this trivial stuff you natter on about?” Aurora had asked this question before when her partner had hit her with inconsequential details about so many weird subjects.

  “Don’t know. I just remember things. Anyway, there are cameras everywhere and the guards warn people not to annoy the creatures but to just meander around to see all the flowers and strange vegetation. It’s phenomenal, the place was stupid.”

  “You mean stupid good or stupid bad?”

  “Totally good!”

  Aurora shook her head and banged the steering wheel. “Can’t you talk like a normal person? To me stupid is derogatory. There are enough adjectives you could choose to describe something nice without misusing… Ahh just forget it. And quit giggling like a stupid fool. Notice, I used the word in the right context.”

  Before Lisa could continue, a call came over the system about a problem at the very hotel they’d just been discussing. She turned to Aurora, her face lit up like a Jack O’Lantern. “You want to go check it out?”

  Taking the next corner sharply, Aurora growled her response. “Anything to stop your babble.”

  Lisa radioed in their response and sat back happily.

  Within minutes they pulled up to the paradise façade and handed the keys to the valet. Pulling her t-shirt up a bit, Aurora flashed her badge and gave instructions. “Leave the vehicle close by in case I need it.”

  Lisa came up beside her, bent down and whispered loudly. “See what I mean? Look at all the water designs along the walls. They must have fifty different waterfalls and all with rainbows. I wonder how they designed something so spectacular.”

  “Hey, we’re here on a job. Keep your eyes off the decorations and on anything that doesn’t look right. And off the men also.” Aurora knocked her elbow against her partner’s side to stop her from eyeballing a dreamboat who’d just passed her with a devastating smile. “Be professional!”

  “Sorry—not!” Lisa quickly smiled her repentance when Aurora glared her frustration.

  The manager, a short man wearing an expensive suit and striding like a chicken with a stick up its ass, approached. “Follow me, please.” He led them to his stunning office behind the long rococo reception desk. The moment the door had closed behind them, he held out his hand. I’m Jonathon Wimbly, the manager here at Cascades.”

  “I’m Detective Aurora Morelli, and this is my partner Lisa Jordan. A call came over the radio requesting assistance. What can we do for you Mr. Wimbly?”

  “First of all, I’d like some assurance you can keep this situation inconspicuous because nothing turns off the customers more than a pickpocket who’s capable of evading the surveillance cameras. We’ve been handling it on our own until one of the victims demanded we bring in the police.”

  “That must have pleased you.” She felt the little devil on her shoulder prodding her to be meaner but ignored the temptation. She soon changed her mind after picking up on the twerp’s condescending attitude. “We both know how much the casinos tend to keep their business under wraps.” Aurora stared the businessman down and smiled inwardly when he looked away first.

  “Yes, well, we’re equipped to cover most contingencies.”

  “Except for a thief who’s superior.”

  “True.” Mr. Wimbly rubbed his fingers around the back of his neck. “As you might imagine, we also don’t want an irate customer venting his anger throughout the premises. It doesn’t bode well for our reputation—especially as a new venture.”

  “I’m sure it doesn’t. Can we see the tapes in question?”

  “Of course! Since we set up decoys for the last two nights, I’ll have to point them out as our employees. Other than our own people trying to encourage the thief to hit on them, you probably won’t pick up anything. We’ve been over the films repeatedly.”

  Lisa agreed. “Maybe not, but we have to start somewhere.”

  Chapter Nine

  Aurora looked into the mirror at Lisa. “I know he’s your friend so I’m giving you time to say good-bye before I shoot her—him.”

  “Rikki prefers being thought of as a her, a she… you know what I mean—a girl. And will be once she gets the final operation.” Lisa slouched across the chair next to where Aurora sat in front of the old-fashioned vanity.

  “If he lives so long!”

  Lisa stopped her giggle after she caught Aurora’s annoyed stare. “You agreed that we needed help with this undercover job, and that Rikki’s our best bet.”

  “You mean Cory agreed. I didn’t have any say. By the time your enthusiasm caught him up in the plan, no one gave a good goddamn what I thought.”

  “Cause everything you had to say was negative. I don’t want to piss you off, Partner, but you sure have a short fuse lately.” Lisa held out her hand toward Aurora. “Just sayin.”

  “Yeah, yeah! Look, I’ve never worn this much make-up in my life, and if Rikki thinks I’ll put on that topless wonder… Aurora heard Lisa’s throat clearing and switched her gender reference… she’s nuts.” Aurora glared at the amazing white and silver threaded creation laying across the bed that Rikki had laid out for her.

  “Shuu, she’s coming back.” Lisa pulled Aurora to her feet and thrust her behind the screen, then threw the gown in her direction. “Quick, put on the dress.”

  Since Aurora and Rikki were closer in size, it had been decided that Aurora would be the one to go undercover for tonight. Lisa’s suggestion that her friend Rikki would lend them a dress, do the make-up and help set up the sting made sense since Rikki starred in one of the Extravaganza acts at the Mirage and knew the ropes in getting attention. With her help, they hoped to draw the thief toward Aurora and tempt the perpetrator to make a move. Spending money that the casino had agreed to provide, she’d lure the pick-pocket by gambling as if there was a never-ending supply of moola in her purse. Well, that was one fun aspec: she’d literally be gambling with house money.

  “I found the heels for that dress, honey. It
’ll look lovely on you.” Aurora stepped out from behind the Chinese-styled room-divider. “Hey, stop pushing your hair down. Those curls are supposed to be puffed up like that. How else can we show off the dress’s neckline, darlin?”

  “What neckline? There’s no dress across my chest. Just two slivers of material halfway to my waist.” Aurora’s voice lowered to a growl. Thank goodness the dress flared out midway and hid the telltale bulge from her stomach. Realizing her hand lay protectively covering that area; she slapped it back down by her side. Rikki’s sharp gaze, followed by a sneaky grin, made her hackles rise. “How the hell did I ever get talked into this nonsense?” Earlier in Cory’s office she’d thrown out a plan, and the next thing she knew, she herself was the actress starring in the lead role.

  Rikki patted her shoulder. “You have wonderful breasts, nice and plump and your skin is to die for, lovey. Quit pulling at those edges. Everything will stay in place.”

  “They’d better, Rikki. Or I’ll come looking for you and we’ll have a chat.” Narrowing her eyes, she glowered at Lisa’s smiling friend who ranked as one of the most gorgeous… ahhh women that Aurora had ever been close to. Go figure.

  An hour later, pampered from arriving at Cascades in a stunning white limousine sent by the hotel, Aurora was stopped at the door by one of the handsomest men she’d ever met. His evening clothes were molded to a form both virile and lean. Thinking he must be an actor the hotel set up as her escort, she played the expected role and smiled winningly.

  Medium height, wearing a cloak of masculinity no one could dispute, his magnetic charisma made her catch her breath. He’s too good to be true! Thick auburn hair styled with just the right amount of wave. Big grey laughing eyes that shone with intelligence plus an interesting inflexibility. And full lips most women would never tire of exploring. Whoa!

  Aurora looked upward and grinned. She had no doubt that Lisa would be screeching at the unfairness while she watched the videos in the Eye in the Sky surveillance area with Hampton.