Ray Hoy - Jack Frost 01 - The Vegas Factor

by Ray Hoy

  Forty minutes later there was a knock on the door. With a feeling of dread, Felicia called out for Benny to enter. He walked into the room, an apprehensive look on his face. This was sacred ground to him, she realized. He stopped just inside the door, his eyes riveted to her breasts. He walked slowly to her, sweeping her body with his eyes, making no effort to conceal what was going on in his mind.

  She quickly brushed past him and walked toward the door. Even here she was uneasy being alone with him. He frightened her more than any man she had ever met.

  In the elevator, Benny stood close to her, staring down into the open gown. She could feel his hot breath on the top of her head. She was aware that his hands were twitching. She knew he was fighting the impulse to touch her, but she also thankfully understood that he knew the consequences.

  When the elevator door finally opened on the bottom floor, Felicia exhaled with relief and stepped into the flow of humanity that walked down the corridor leading to the main casino floor.

  Once on the casino floor, she drifted through the crowd, Benny on her heels. She was aware of the questioning glances.

  “He must be a bodyguard,” an old woman said to her husband. “She must be someone important to have that kind of man protecting her.”

  Felicia made her way across the casino, Benny close behind. As they entered the lounge area and approached the steps leading up to the stage, a big man with a full beard and mustache got up from a nearby table and stepped into Felicia’s path. She bumped headlong into him. He steadied her with both hands on her shoulders. Her eyes went wide when he softly said, “Ripper misses you.”

  Benny Florentine’s massive arm reached over Felicia’s right shoulder and gave the bearded man a push. “Watch where you’re going, asshole!” Benny said.

  The bearded man smiled at Felicia and said in a heavy Texas drawl, “My apologies, ma’am. I didn’t see you down thar, you’re such a little thang.”

  Felicia felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Even in her shock she could not help but marvel at his disguise. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. But then he looked over her head at Benny. The smile never faded, but his eyes changed. They looked cold, and hard. “I’m shore sorry, podnah,” he said to Benny. “I didn’t mean to run into your purdy little wife.”

  Benny’s brow furrowed while that sank in. Finally he said, “Uh, she ain’t my … anyway, watch where the hell you’re goin’ next time!”

  “Shore, shore!” the bearded man said. “I didn’t mean to almost knock her down, but that’s better than knocking her up, right?” He laughed, and poked Benny playfully—but hard—on the arm. Then he walked away, still laughing. Benny glowered after him.

  Felicia’s knees would scarcely support her as she climbed the steps and walked to the microphone. “Hello, boys,” she said to the band. They gave her a standing ovation.

  I watched from the outer edge of the crowd. The lights dimmed until the stage was in total darkness. A soft blue spotlight fell on Felicia, who stood in the circle of light, head down. Her long red gown was daring, even by Vegas standards.

  I thought about my five grand in winnings, folded up in my pocket. A new wardrobe would be the first thing I’d buy this lady.

  Felicia lifted her eyes to the crowd, and softly began to sing. I watched her performance, totally amazed and fascinated. The crowd loved her as much as I did. And the boys in the band stood once again and joined in the applause when she finished her first song.

  Varchetta’s goon sat at a small table close to the stage, looking up at Felicia in awe—perhaps reverence. He was a big mother. He would look right at home swinging from tree to tree.

  So he was the creep that I had heard in Jilly’s recorded conversation. I thought about what an animal like him could do to a gentle, sensitive woman like Vi Evans. And I thought about him with Felicia and found myself gritting my teeth.

  As her act grew to a close, I left the lounge area and walked briskly down a long hallway. Minutes later, I stood in the elevator as it swept me upward. The door opened with a pneumatic hiss.

  I glanced out. Nothing. I walked down the red carpeted hallway toward the door to Varchetta’s apartment, trying to figure out where I could hide long enough to surprise the monster who would bring her to this very spot, just minutes from now.

  I spotted an alcove just to the left of a window looking down on the strip, thirty stories below. Rain lashed against the window. I glanced out at the sea of vehicles in the parking lot, catching the movement of people dashing to their cars through the wind and rain, and the headlights of cars creeping along the Strip through the downpour.

  I stepped into the narrow space and waited.

  After a few long minutes, I heard a “ding” and the elevator door opened. I peered around the corner as Felicia stepped out and quickly turned and pressed the palm of her hand against Benny’s chest.

  “No, Benny,” she said, smiling up at him. “You don’t have to take me to the door. I’m safe here; this will be just fine. Thank you for seeing me home.”

  I saw him hesitate, not quite sure what to do. He said, “Mr. Varchetta would want me to see you to the door.”

  Felicia smiled, then reached up and adjusted his tie. She had his undivided attention. He looked down at her, puzzled. Even from where I was standing, it was obvious that he was flattered, amazed that she was showing him some attention.

  “That’s fine, Benny. And thank you for looking after me.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “I feel lucky to have a man like you to protect me. That bearded man would surely have tried to pick me up if it hadn’t been for you.”

  Dumbo’s chest puffed up. Flustered, he grinned and mumbled something about it really being nothing at all. He backed into the elevator and the doors slid shut in his face. The last glimpse I got of the cretin, he was still grinning.

  Felicia glanced around just as I stepped out of the alcove. A groan escaped her lips. I pulled her back into the alcove. We squeezed into the small space together. “We’ll stay here for a few minutes until we’re sure he’s gone. Then we’ll grab the elevator and get the hell out of here.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. “I couldn’t believe it was you!”

  “Are you okay?” I said.

  She nodded, unable to speak for a moment. She threw her arms around my waist and squeezed as hard as she could. “Harry had invited Benny to come and watch—”

  I interrupted her before she finished that terrible sentence. “—Does Benny live here in the hotel?” I said. She nodded. I went on, thinking aloud: “That means he’ll probably go to his room and wait for Varchetta’s call.”

  I looked around the corner of the alcove again. The hallway was empty. “Let’s do our disappearing act,” I said.

  Chapter 13

  I glanced at Felicia. Her eyes were bright and excited in the glow of the instrument lights as she stared through the windshield at the onrushing road.

  The Jag flattened against rain-washed Route 95, delighted with being let loose after being confined for so long in the city. The clicking of the wipers was the only sound inside the car, except for the deep-throated moan of the six-cylinder, double overhead cam engine as it propelled us away from Las Vegas.

  I grinned as I thought of Benny, sitting alone in his room, filled with anticipation. I imagined the little beads of sweat on the dummy’s face as he explored his erotic thoughts. Then, suddenly, it wasn’t funny, and I found myself pissed.

  I forced myself to think of other things. Such as, where to now? I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to get out of Nevada as quickly as possible.

  Felicia slouched in the seat, eyes closed, mentally and physically exhausted. Ripper tried to get comfortable, at her expense. She stirred, and her eyes opened. “Poor Ripper,” she said. She put both arms around the brute and helped him get rearranged on her lap.

  The big predator looked at me and sprawled against the warmth of her body, a 150 pound puppy. “
Isn’t he squashing you?” I said.

  “He’s tired, Jack. He’s worked hard, too, you know.”

  Ripper let out a huge sigh and laid his ugly face between the full breasts that swelled up out of her wet, tissue-thin evening gown. The sight gave new meaning to the term, “Lucky Dog.”

  I continued to cruise right around the century mark, letting the Jag eat up the miles. I checked the gauges. Everything was normal and the tank was full. There’d be no need to stop anywhere until we were well away from Las Vegas.

  I glanced again at my companions. They were sound asleep, Felicia’s cheek resting against Ripper’s head, her arms still wrapped tightly around him.

  * * *

  The lights of Tonopah beckoned. I pulled into the Tonopah Station’s parking lot. The casino’s reader board boasted of a twenty-four hour restaurant. I killed the engine and glanced at my watch. One-thirty.

  The rain was coming down harder than ever. A stiff, cold wind swept across the high desert, adding to the general misery. I sat there in the quiet, dark interior, listening to the creaking of the engine as it cooled down. Ripper was snoring, his head still resting between Felicia’s breasts, which rose and fell steadily as she breathed deeply in her sleep.

  I was reluctant to disturb her—and yes, I was enjoying the view. Finally, I touched her cheek. She did not move.

  “Hello in there,” I said. Nothing. I leaned closer and called her name. Ripper opened his eyes and gave me a disgusted look. “I’ll happily trade you places,” I said to his ugly face. He groaned and moved, which brought her instantly awake. She looked around, confused. “Where are we?”

  “Tonopah. Hungry?”

  “Starved.” She looked out at the driving rain. “Oh my, it’s really coming down!”

  I got out of the car and dashed quickly around to her side. I opened the door and Ripper clambered out, Felicia right behind him. She headed for the front door of the casino, her head bowed against the driving wind and rain, Ripper right with her. I locked the car and followed them into the lobby.

  I led Ripper to a secluded corner and gave him the command to stay. He settled to the floor, but his eyes followed Felicia as she headed toward the ladies’ room.

  I decided to wake Jilly with the good news. I dug out my cell phone. A minute later a jubilant Jilly said, “Fantastic! I can’t believe you got her out of there that fast!” He laughed, elated. I found myself grinning from ear to ear as I stood there, dripping water onto the rug.

  Jilly solved my problem before I could pose it to him. “Take her to Andy McGuire’s place in Incline Village; she knows where it is. He has a vacation cabin in the hills just outside of Virginia City. That’ll be a good place to hole up for a while until we see what Varchetta’s gonna do. Call me after you get settled, Jack.”

  Before I could reply, he went on: “Is Felicia okay?”

  “Exhausted but unharmed.”

  “How’s Ripper?”

  I laughed. “In love.”

  “In love?”

  “With Felicia.”

  Jilly laughed. “Well hell, who isn’t?”

  I smiled. “We’ve got to get some hot food into us and get out of here. I’ll stay in touch.”

  “Okay. And Jack … thanks.”

  “Believe me, my friend, it has been my pleasure.”

  When Felicia walked out of the ladies’ room, I quickly slipped my jacket off and held it open for her. “Oh, thank you Jack. I am cold,” she said.

  I didn’t tell her that I was really trying to hide that transparent gown which was plastered to her body. I led her into the nearly deserted dining room.

  The lone waitress placed hot coffee in front of us and we ordered. We sat in silence for a few moments, staring out the window at the rain-dimpled surface of the deserted, wind-blown swimming pool.

  “I called Jilly,” I said. She looked at me with interest. “He wants us to go to Andy’s place.”

  She nodded. “It will be good to see him again.” I heard the weariness in her voice.

  “Jilly said that Andy has a little cabin somewhere up in the hills behind Virginia City. He suggested we kick back there for a while until this blows over.”

  She stared at me for a few moments, her eyes big and sad. Then she looked down at her coffee and just nodded.

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No.”

  “I think I did,” I said.

  She looked up at me and for a moment I thought she was going to cry. She didn’t, but what was going on in her mind was mirrored in those enormous dark eyes.

  She took a sip of coffee before she spoke again. “Jonathan and I spent some time together there.”

  “Oh.” My voice sounded hollow in my ears. They were obviously beautiful, but painful, memories. I envied both of them. I’ve never known anything like that. I suppose you don’t miss what you’ve never experienced, but I had just enough of an inkling of what it would be like, from the few things she’d said, to fill me with a sense of loss.

  Chapter 14

  Benny Florentine sat on the edge of the bed in his room, dressed in a fresh black suit. He inspected his polished shoes, flicked a small piece of lint from the left sleeve of his jacket, adjusted his tie for perhaps the tenth time, and glanced once again at his watch.

  He could not keep the troublesome thought from creeping into his mind. Has the boss decided against letting me watch? What if he’s forgotten about me?

  Benny got up and walked across the room. He did not want to think about that. The boss wouldn’t do that to him. Hadn’t he done a good job? The boss had said so. He wouldn’t lie to me, would he?

  Benny poked through a stack of skin magazines, selected one and returned to the bed. He sat there, flipping through the pages, staring at the familiar poses. But his mind was on the bedroom, some ten floors above him. No, the boss wouldn’t lie to me. He told himself that, over and over. Any minute now, the telephone will ring.

  The thought had no sooner entered his mind than the phone did ring. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Hello?”

  There was a pause. Then Harry Varchetta’s nasal voice crackled in his ear. “What the hell are you doing there?”

  For a moment, Benny was at a loss for words. “Why, I’m sitting here waiting for you to call, waiting for you to tell me I can come up and watch, like you said.”

  Varchetta’s voice cracked. “What the hell do you mean, you’re waiting for me to call! Where’s Felicia?”

  Benny felt the coldness creep into his stomach. He didn’t want to say anything to upset his boss, but he was confused. His brow furrowed as he concentrated. “I don’t know what you mean, Boss.”

  “Goddamnit, Benny! That’s clear enough! Where’s Felicia? You were supposed to deliver her up here after she finished her act in the lounge! I just called down there. Alex said you two left together thirty minutes ago!”

  Benny felt the sickness spreading in his stomach. Oh shit, now I’m in for it. He tried to reconstruct the whole thing in his mind. Varchetta’s voice screamed in his ear. “You sonofabitch, are you there? Did you fall asleep, you moron!”

  Benny’s eyes narrowed and he scowled at the phone, something he would have never done if he were facing his boss in person. He mouthed an obscenity, his face sullen. “I dunno where she is,” he finally said.

  Fear flooded through Benny as Varchetta quietly said, “You-don’t-know-where-she-is?”

  Benny flinched and held the receiver away from his head as his boss screamed in his ear. “You don’t know where she is? You were supposed to walk her right to the door! Dammit, Benny, what happened!”

  Benny got off the bed, the skin magazine spilling to the floor. He stood there, frozen in place, the receiver to his ear. “We got off the elevator on your floor, boss. She told me that I could go back down to my room and wait for your phone call, that she could make it to your apartment okay by herself.” Then, like a child with a secret too big to keep to himself, he said, “She even gave me a ki
ss on the cheek and thanked me for seeing her home, and for saving her from that big guy in the lounge.” He stood there, grinning at the memory.

  The grin disappeared at the sound of the sharp inhalation of breath at the other end of the telephone. There was a moment’s hesitation, then: “Big guy? Big guy? Benny, you’re one dumb bastard! You’ll pay for this, I promise you that! Now get your ass up here—and it won’t be to watch no screwin’ match!”

  The phone slammed down in Benny’s ear. He placed the phone back on the cradle and stuck his hands in his pockets. He didn’t want to go up there and have to listen to what his boss was going to call him. But that didn’t bother him as much as the fact that now he wouldn’t be able to watch.

  Chapter 15

  I shifted in my seat, trying to stretch aching muscles as I watched for deer and cattle over the Jag’s long sloping hood. This was “open range” country, where Nevada cattle were free to roam wherever they pleased.

  I was suddenly aware that Felicia was studying me.

  “Well, you’re awake,” I said.

  “Have been for quite a while.”

  “You want to ask me something?”

  “You’re pretty tuned in to people, aren’t you.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  Without waiting for my reply, she went on. “Jack, what do you actually do for a living? I asked Jilly, but he said he really didn’t know. How can that be, you being his best friend and all?”

  “I’m … retired.”

  “Retired? I don’t think I believe you.”

  “Oh yeah? Well I am.”

  “Retired from what? Football?”

  I hesitated too long. “Yeah, football.”

  “I heard you were really bad at it.”