The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice

by Andrew Hess

  As Arcana slowly closed the door, a man shoved his hand through a door holding a badge and ID. “Mr. Arcana, wait,” the man shouted. “It’s Special Agent Peterson with the F.B.I.”

  The door flung open; causing Agent Peterson to stumble into the office. Arcana quickly closed and locked it.

  “Why did you bring all those agents with you?”

  “They are my personal team. I’ve worked with all of these men for years. I trust them with my life.”

  “Sorry if I’m not as trusting as you are.” Arcana sat behind his desk and found the email from the Phoenix waiting for him. “I think this is everything.”

  Peterson inched the computer closer. “Where’s the video?”

  “It should be downstairs in the control room.”

  “You shouldn’t have played it. This could compromise the entire investigation and should have you in handcuffs right now.”

  “I had no choice. I told the Phoenix I’d help him break away from the man that’s pulling the strings of the Revolution.”

  “And that would be?”

  “The Benefactor.”

  Peterson reached for a silver pair of handcuffs from his hip. “I need more information than that or I have to take you in.”

  “Get rid of the agents outside first and I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Benefactor.”

  Peterson opened the door, called one of his agents over and told him to wait downstairs. “Now, let me see the rest of that email.”

  They scanned through the documents; finding every mission briefing, every target and what each target was guilty of.

  “What was that,” Arcana asked as they scrolled past two pictures from a hotel hallway. “These must be the agents that have been helping the group escape.”

  Peterson stared at the photos. “This is impossible. I know these men. The blond one is Agent Fields. He recently took time off to take his family on vacation with his family. The red head is Agent Ruiz was part of the team that worked with us at the Mason house.”

  “Well, they’re both on the Benefactor’s payroll.”

  “I don’t know what you’re expecting in return.”

  “Help me bring down the Benefactor and get the Phoenix and his group out of this mess. It’s obvious they were forced into this and we need to get them out safely before one of them gets hurt.”

  “I don’t know what I can do for them.”

  “For now, we just need to lay low. They’re the only ones that can get the info we need on the Benefactor to prove he was behind all of this. Is there any way you can drum up some plea deals for them?”

  “I can try, but I can’t guarantee they won’t serve jail time.”

  “That’ll have to do for now. We need them to trust us.”

  “I’ll set up a meeting with the U.S. district attorney, but first I need to know everything about the Benefactor; including his real name.”

  “Okay, but did you get a hit off that number I gave you?”

  “Yeah, it belonged to a woman in Virginia.”

  “I say we give her a call and see what she knows too.”

  Chapter 68

  The Vegas Strip was filled with passing cars, bright neon lights shining brightly promoting local casinos, hotels that are as big as the sky line and beautiful women wearing skimpy clothes as they work the streets.

  Joe pulled up to the Reece Casino; letting Lilly exit. She looked incredible in her short black dress and heels; showing off her long tan legs.

  “The target should be hitting the floor soon,” Joe said.

  “Wait, you’re not coming with us,” Lilly questioned.

  “Erik and I pulled a few jobs here in the past. If I go in, it’ll blow our cover.”

  “I wish we knew that beforehand.” It was something we should have known before splitting into teams and he had neglected a vital piece of information. “Anything else we should know?”

  “Yeah, he’s a big fan of the ladies.”

  Lilly looked down at her dress. “Is that why Natalya gave me this to wear?” A few men walked by gawking at her.

  I eyed her up as well. “You do look hot in it.” I was seeing Lilly in a different light. Out of all the years we knew each other, this was the first time I saw her in a dress. I could tell she was uncomfortable, but her body was fit perfectly for a tight dress like that.

  I stepped out of the passenger seat; wearing my jeans and a polo shirt; allowing Joe to speed off. We only had one option left. We entered the casino; finding drunk men throwing their money away on roulette, and craps. The slot machines were mostly occupied by older women, but the big money players were at the blackjack and poker tables. I watched a few hands before sitting down.

  “Evening sir,” the dealer said as I placed my money on the table. He retrieved it; replacing the money with a hundred and fifty dollars in chips. “Place your bets.”

  I pushed all of my money in on the first deal; hoping I read the cards right before I sat down.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea,” Lilly whispered in my ear as her hands gently rubbed my shoulders.

  “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

  The dealer handed two cards to each of the five men surrounding the table including me. I looked at my cards; finding the ten of hearts and eight of spades. Everyone looked nervously at their cards; unsure if they should hit or stay with what they had, but I was the only one sure they would win.

  “Stay,” I smirked as I waived a flat hand over my cards. The dealer had a five showing. I knew he had two low cards. The man to my left was next he had a seven showing. He waived his hand in a manner similar to mine. The third had a two.

  “Hit,” he shouted as he slapped the table; nearly toppling his drink onto his cards. The dealer flipped a card towards him; showing off the Queen of Diamonds. “Shit, I’m out.” He flipped his cards over and pushed them towards the dealer.

  Next to him was a kid with long hair tucked under a black ball cap. I could see the ten of clubs on the table in front of them and knew whatever he had, he was about to bust.

  “Stay,” he whispered as he lifted his glass of soda from the table. His eyes focused heavily on the annoyed look on the dealer’s face.

  Finally the man at the far end waived their hand; causing the dealer to sigh heavily. He flipped his cards around; showing a five and a seven. Due to blackjack rules, the dealer is forced to hit on anything under sixteen. He turns another card around and found the Jack of Clubs; busting the dealer and giving us all a win.

  I played it safe the next few hands, but made sure I won every decent hand they threw my way; ensuring I wouldn’t lose any money. It was a tactical move on my part; risky but effective as the dealer nodded his head upward to one of the security personnel. I could instantly feel a dozen eyes zoom in on me as if every camera and every member of the security detail knew who I was and watched every move I made.

  “What are you doing,” Lilly asked. “We can’t sit around playing games all night. We have work to do.” Lilly scanned the room; seeing a few security guards closing in on our table.”

  “I am working. I’m drawing out the target.”

  “Well it’s working. We have three guards coming our way.”

  I craned my neck to look around; seeing the three guards approaching and even more coming through the double glass doors. In the center of the crowd stood a balding white man in his late forties maybe early fifties; sporting a cheap black suit and lime green tie.

  I looked down at my hand; seeing I was dealt a two of spades and a King of Hearts. The dealer had a satisfied grin plastered across his face.

  I put a hundred dollars in chips in front of me; betting on one last hand. “I’ll hit.”

  The dealer thought he had me right where he wanted me; believing whatever I had, the next card was about to bust me.

  “Nine of hearts,” the dealer chuckled. “Sorry, better luck next time,” he whispered under his breath.

  I flipped the two out
from under the king showing him I had twenty-one. “I guess that means I win.” I pulled my chips toward me, counted them and told the dealer, “I’d like to cash out now.”

  “Are you sure sir? You’ve been on a hot streak. I’d hate to see anyone end it so quickly.”

  “I always feel it’s better to quit while you’re up or else you’ll lose everything.”

  The dealer slowly took the chips back; counting the money as if it were someone counting pennies at a register looking for exact change. He was stalling for time and I knew it.

  “Come on honey,” Lilly said eagerly as she saw the men getting closer. “I want to play a few slot machines before we go.”

  “You heard the lady,” I told the dealer while reaching for my money. I scrapped up the last of the bills and walked off; counting the money as we made a quick exit into a crowd of people near the craps tables. We were concealed by hundreds of people like camouflage.

  “How much did you get?”

  “About five hundred,” I replied. It wasn’t a lot of money, but it was a few big hands which were devised to get their attention.

  We huddled together watching the guards comb through the crowds of people searching for us. Little did they know we were watching the man in the lime green tie as he stood next to the blackjack table; staring at my chair which now had a stunningly beautiful Asian woman in a tight skimpy silver cocktail dress and matching heels. Her face appeared sweet and innocent; someone who didn’t know what this man was capable of. I had to wonder; was he coming after Lilly or me. Or maybe his prize was both of us.

  I didn’t want to take any more chances and hurried Lilly out of the casino. There were two guards watching; waiting for us to pass by so they could grab us. We snuck behind a group of drunken women in tight dresses, one of which was wearing a bachelorette crown, and waited until they started walking near the exit. They stumbled around spilling their drinks; grabbing the attention of the guards as one of the women spilled hers on a woman holding a Coach bag. They sprang into action keeping the women apart; giving us the opportunity we needed to escape.

  The black Hummer pulled up as we made our exit. “How did it go,” Joe asked from the driver’s seat.

  “There were guards everywhere,” Lilly exclaimed.

  “Yeah and I did my best to get their attention.”

  “And…”

  “And it worked perfectly. His entire security team was searching for us.” Joe and I laughed; knowing we hatched a plan earlier in the day for me to draw attention to myself.

  “You were in on this together,” Lilly shouted as the Hummer pulled away from the Reece.

  “Sorry,” I replied. “We needed to keep you out of it in case I was made. That way you could have honestly said you didn’t know anything.”

  “I can’t believe you two assholes didn’t tell me this was the plan.” I could see her eyes were filling up with tears, but was filled with anger.

  “You were right about one thing,” I said to Joe. “He really does love the ladies.”

  Joe let out a maniacal laugh as if there was something he purposely left out when discussing the plan for tonight, but I was getting the feeling I knew what it was. Lilly and I were the bait. Joe just wanted to see who they would go after more. I didn’t know what he wanted us to do, but I realized he was better at planning this than we were.

  Chapter 69

  It was just after ten when we arrived at the Roosevelt. A large gold water fountain stood twenty feet from the doors to welcome guests and attract tourists. If the fountain didn’t lure them in, maybe the twenty floors that towered over the crowds with large illuminating lights would.

  The atmosphere inside was just as mesmerizing. The lights were brighter; hypnotizing their patrons with eye catching neon lights popping out from the circular bar that stood in front of the Roosevelt Restaurant. The waitresses wore tight silver and gold painted leather skirts with matching tops cut so their breasts were barely covered. They patrolled the floor handing out drinks and hovering over the drunken gambling fools; making it easy for men to lose track of how much money they spent while hanging around these women. Any man looking to make some extra money or desperately seeking attention would lose themselves in the women and the wannabe celebrity for a night life style.

  “I’m going to the slot machines,” Lilly whispered as she gently kissed my lips. She caught me off guard and sent shivers down my spine. “You boys have fun and stay out of trouble.”

  Joe watched my reaction. “Damn, can I get one too?” He puckered his lips and closed his eyes.

  I shoved him towards the Texas Hold Em tables. “Shut up and get going. Keep an eye out for the others.”

  “I don’t know. I think I need some convincing with this one,” Joe continued as we both looked back at Lilly. “Hey focus,” Joe shouted as he snapped his fingers in front of my face.

  I shoved Joe aside. “I was listening.”

  “No you weren’t, but I understand why. I mean with a woman like that…” Joe saw my eyes squint and eyebrows rise; telling him to choose his words carefully. “Fine, you guys can play house when we get back, but for now we need to get down to business. What’s the target’s name again?”

  “His name is Kevin Walters and from what I read he’s pretty slick. Apparently gambling isn’t his only way of collecting income. Walters also runs a prostitution ring in the area and supplies party favors.”

  Joe held his hand against my chest. “I’ve heard about him; he’s no joke. People know he’s well connected and don’t even bother to mess with him. A few associates of ours used to work security here. That fault is locked up pretty solid and only Walters and his closest personal guards know how to access it.”

  “Would your friend be able to help us?”

  “Doubt it. Walters puts the fear of God into them before they stop working for him; tell them if he ever sees them in the casino again, he’ll break their legs and their families will permanently disappear.”

  “That’s pretty ruthless for just stepping onto his casino floor after working there.”

  “He doesn’t trust many people and thinks they’re looking to find a way to get his money.”

  “What else do you know about the guards?”

  “They spent a lot of time at gun ranges. Some of them are long distance shooters or hunters; others are former officers.”

  “Great, so we’re up against Walters and his personal army. I guess shooting our way through is out of the question.”

  Joe gave a disapproving stare; the first time I’ve seen him this serious since we worked together on Long Island at a local video store and Loss Prevention came in trying to find out who’s been stealing from the store.

  “You better sit down before we draw attention.”

  Joe and I settled down at opposing Texas Hold Em tables; making sure to keep our eyes focused on what was going on behind the other.

  “Okay ladies and gentlemen, big blinds start at fifty dollars; small blinds are twenty-five,” the dealer called to the table as he placed a white chip marker in front of the man at the far right and dealt out two cards to each player.

  I threw away a hundred dollars on a pocket pair of tens; seeing the two men fold and a woman stayed in till the end against the man in the far right.

  There was something unsettling and oddly familiar about him. The man had long black hair that fell to the shoulder of his charcoal suit. His crimson tie stood out against his black button down shirt. The light above him was dim; almost as if the bulb was about to burn out; keeping his companion hidden from view.

  “Aces over Jacks,” the dealer called as each player flipped over their cards; declaring the man in the charcoal suit the winner.

  I shrugged off the eerie feeling and turned my attention to the dealer. “Guess it wasn’t my night.”

  I inched forward in my chair, waiting for the next hand to begin, when I received a short burst of pain in my ribs.

  Mike hovered above me; whispering
in my ears. “Our target is on the move. We need to go.”

  Chapter 70

  Joe and I hurried to cash out and keep up with Mike as he pushed his way through a crowd of drunken gamblers and spectators.

  “What the hell are we rushing for,” Joe asked as he jogged to keep up with us.

  “We’ve had eyes on Walters all night,” Mike began as he looked to see where the target went. “He’s been sitting in the VIP section of the restaurant.” Mike pointed to the second floor of the lavish restaurant located just behind the bar. “He’s been up there all night until a few minutes ago.”

  “Well, where is he,” Joe snapped.

  “I don’t know. He’s walking around the casino floor somewhere. Erik told me to go find you guys so we can find out why. It might be our only shot to get him.”

  I grabbed Mike by the shoulder; pulling his collar tightly; nearly choking him until he stopped trying to walk forward.

  “You don’t think he made us?”

  “No, but let’s meet up with the others and find him.”

  We followed Mike to the craps tables where a large crowd surrounded a short spiky haired man that was on a hot streak. People were cheering, but more so at the busty brunette next to him bouncing up and down in a revealing green cocktail dress.

  Mike pushed his way through; yanking him back. “What the hell man? You know he’s on the move. Why are you still here?”

  “Relax; he’s over by the slot machines. We’ve had eyes on him since he left the restaurant.”

  I overheard them say Walters was near the slot machines. My face contorted into a mixture of anger, annoyance, and being scared.

  “What’s wrong,” Mike asked.

  “Lilly said she was going there. We need to find her.”

  Mike grabbed Erik by the arm; looked him dead in the eyes and commanded him, “Cash out now, we need to go.”

  Joe explained the rumors he heard about Walters to Erik and Natalya as they quickly cashed out and walked briskly away from the table.

  We scanned the room; searching for a sign of either of them until Joe tapped me on the shoulder. “I think your girlfriend has some company.”

  I followed Joe’s finger as it pointed to a slot machine about thirty feet away. Lilly was sitting at a machine wearing her sexy black dress. Her eyes were puffy and distant as if she had been holding back tears all night; drowning them in liquor. Her head lifted slowly; looking behind her as three six foot bald men stood circled a slick blond man in a tailor made suit.