Cashing In (Luck's Voice Book 2)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Fiala blinked at him, surprised and unsure of what to say while Doc gave her the explanation he’d given Lia earlier. “Oh, I see... Does that change anything between us?”

  “Only if you feel uncomfortable.”

  Fiala giggled. “No, Doc. If anything, I’m happy you told me instead of just keeping it a secret. Thank you. I’ll hold your secrets safe, taking them with me to the grave.”

  “Hopefully, that’s never necessary,” Doc said, pulling her close and giving her a kiss.

  Lia gave them a moment, then cleared her throat. “The building?”

  “Oh, right. Sorry, Lia,” Doc coughed. “The storeroom here can be expanded to take in the office through that door. No need for an office in both buildings. The first thing I want to do is bring the two buildings together. That means the alley needs to get built over, and then we can make a large hall between them.”

  Doc took his time to mark out and show Lia what he was talking about, describing how the two buildings would function as a single one.

  “So you want the second floor here to overlook the first floor?” Lia asked for clarification.

  “Yes. That would give the people who only want to watch the last few tables the chance to do so without hindering the games themselves. It’d require a few people to keep a close eye on the observers so no one can signal a player, but today’s final table will prove my point in that regard.”

  “That means we can use the Lily as she is now for the girls to dance and entertain on the stage,” Lia nodded, “and you can use the tables there to open up cash games again, even when the tournament continues on. It’ll increase the number of players we can have in every tournament, too. The low-end tables will be flooded every week.” Lia paused for a moment, thinking. “Hmm... what about the third floor here you mentioned?”

  “I want to put staff housing in here,” Doc said. “It’ll clearly mark a difference for your girls. Since the third floor has to be built from scratch, it’ll mean they can have bigger rooms.”

  “What about the current rooms?”

  “Rooms for people who want to stay, like I was,” Doc said. “When news of the tournament spreads, some people are going to make the trip and want to stay a few nights. I’d like to put in a back stairway where the private dining room is so guests can use the bathrooms without having to go into the front.”

  “We didn’t get much use from the private room before you,” Lia said slowly. “It makes sense. Might as well put a door in there so people can get to the outhouses easily, too. This will all cost quite a bit of money if we get the Beavertons to do the work.”

  “How long would it take them?” Doc asked.

  “I’m not sure, just as I’m not sure about the final cost. Draw up what you were talking about and we can go speak with them tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good,” Doc nodded. “I’ll be recusing myself from every tournament except the yearly one after this one.”

  “To cut down on the rumors that might come up,” Lia nodded. “That’s for the best. I do have a question for you: is it possible to buy a share in Luck’s Holdings?”

  Doc chuckled. “I’ll need to talk with Ayla about that. I need her along for tomorrow, anyway.”

  “She’s a smart woman,” Lia nodded. “Do you trust her?”

  “Enough to handle the money. That’s enough for now.”

  “I see. Very well. We should get back. No need for you to default out of this tournament.”

  “True.”

  Chapter Six

  Doc stretched slowly, but when he didn’t feel anyone in bed with him, he opened his eyes. Rubbing the gunk out of his eyes, he sat up with a massive yawn. The shuttered window told him that it was day by the light coming in around the wood.

  Getting to his feet, he found the basin was still warm to the touch, but not steaming anymore. Guess she hasn’t been out long, Doc thought while he gave himself a quick rinse. He was pulling on his second boot when the door opened and Fiala came into the room.

  “Morning, Doc,” Fiala smiled. “I brought breakfast up.”

  Doc looked at the tray in her hands. “Something up?”

  “I wanted to have you to myself this morning,” Fiala said softly, her cheeks heating slightly.

  Doc smiled at her. “I’m not against it. What brought it on today?”

  Fiala started to set breakfast out on the table. “You could’ve been killed yesterday saving Jasmine. That thought didn’t really sink in until last night. I know we’ll have a lot of hardships, and death does like to follow you… that scares me. I’ve accepted that I’ll share you with some, but I still want time for just us, too.”

  Doc waited for her to set down the last part of breakfast, then pulled her to him. Arms going around her waist, he kissed her ear. “Nothing wrong with that, Fiala. The same will be true for others, I’m sure. It’s probably not going to be an easy road, but if we trust each other and talk out any problems we have, I think we’ll be fine.”

  Resting her head against his chest, she could hear his heart beating. “It’s only been a month. How did it happen so fast?”

  “I don’t know. I think your acceptance of what might come made it easy. Knowing you’d be beside me— come hell or high water— made it easy to love you.”

  “I can’t not love you, Doc. You care for others, you don’t care about our heritage, and you treat us right. Your openness is what drew me in to start, and while a small part of me wants to keep you all to myself, I know that your love shouldn’t be hoarded and locked away. I do hope you won’t keep anyone I disapprove of, though.”

  “It’d be difficult to have two people I care about fighting,” Doc said. “That’s a worry for me.”

  “I’ll do my best to get along with whomever you think needs to be beside you,” Fiala said.

  “You’re amazing, my beautiful flower,” Doc murmured, tilting her chin up and kissing her softly.

  Fiala purred as she returned the kiss. When it finally stopped, she was breathing a little fast. “If we don’t eat soon, the food will be cold.”

  “Daf would never forgive us...” Doc murmured before kissing her again.

  Fiala purred louder and pressed into him, pushing Doc over onto the bed and ending up with her straddling him. When the kiss broke, her eyes were glittering in the dim light. “I want more...” With a deep sigh, she pushed off the bed and went to the table. “But Lia is waiting for you.”

  Doc took a few deep breaths and adjusted himself into a less awkward position. “Oh, right. Supposed to talk to the Beavertons.”

  “Yes, but later tonight, we could continue this,” Fiala said. “Just you and me?”

  “Sold,” Doc grinned. “I’ll be thinking of it all day.”

  Fiala’s smile grew and she poured them both some coffee. “Try not to let it cause too many problems.”

  “No promises,” Doc chuckled.

  ~*~*~

  When he made it to the main room, he grinned at four tables filled with people already. Dillon stood near the bar, talking with Cassia and watching the games.

  “Morning. How’s it going?” Doc asked.

  “Busy,” Cassia smiled. “When the tournament finally ended, the tables opened back up, and we’ve had at least two games going since then. Surprised when you went out in fourth.”

  “Kiddum got lucky,” Doc said. “Probably best he did, anyway. He appears a mite too eager to shoot people.”

  “He’s too fast for anyone to take on,” Dillon said. “That and the way he can fire so fast. I didn’t see him cock the hammer either time.”

  “He didn’t fan it,” Doc said. “He might be thumbing it, or running a slip.”

  “What?” Dillon asked.

  “Fanning is a trick. Hold the trigger down and brush the hammer back with the palm of your hand.” Doc mimicked what he was talking about. “It’s obvious, and difficult to be accurate when fanning. Thumbing is similar— you hold the trigger, but using the thumb of your firing hand, you
snap the hammer instead of using your offhand. You need a strong thumb and a big hand to do it easily. Slipping is when you modify the gun so the trigger isn’t needed, and normally, you modify the hammer so it’s lower and easier to get to with the thumb.”

  “Which would make him faster to fire,” Dillon said slowly. “Added with how fast he can draw, it’s no wonder that he always manages to get the best out of a duel.”

  “And if he’s a little inaccurate, it doesn’t matter as much when he’s firing two or three shots to the other person’s one,” Doc said. “All conjecture, though, and I’m certainly not going to bring it up. By the way, don’t slip your gun. It’s a good way to shoot your own foot.”

  Dillon grunted, clearly having been thinking about it. “Yeah, I don’t want that.”

  “Doc, are you ready?” Lia asked, coming out of the back. Her dress was a little less conservative than it’d been in the past, but still modest, except for the side slits. They went to her knee, letting her long and lean legs flash into view when she walked.

  “I am. Sorry for the delay, Lia.”

  “You were in it until late,” Lia replied. “Even I was asleep before the tournament ended. Jasmine had to let me know the outcome.”

  “Who won?” Doc asked as they headed for the door.

  “Smythe took first, and Kiddum took second. You did the right thing to drop out when you did.”

  “Didn’t drop out. He beat me fairly. Luck might be my goddess, but that doesn’t mean I win all the time,” Doc said, a smile touching his lips when he spotted Ayla coming toward them. “Morning, Ayla.”

  “Good morning, Doc. I have all the contracts notarized and sealed. I have estimated amounts for the renovations and expansion, as well as what Rangvald thought the next shipment of ore might bring in.”

  “I appreciate it. I’d be in a rough spot if not for your help.”

  Ayla blushed lightly. “I’m doing what you’re paying me for.”

  “Might be true, but I’ve known a lot of people who do the bare minimum for their jobs, too.”

  Ayla smiled, brushing some hair behind her ear. “Well, it’s easy to be excited about the work when you know that the person you’re working for is trying to help others. I put together some considerations for the extra income, depending on how much comes in and how much the Beavertons want for the work.”

  “Damn. Might need to give you a raise already,” Doc chuckled.

  “No, that would disrupt all my calculations,” Ayla said quickly.

  “I wouldn’t want to do that,” Doc replied. His eyes drifted to the milliner’s shop as they passed it.

  “Were you thinking of helping him, Doc?” Lia asked as they continued to walk down the street.

  “I wanted to yesterday, but the clerk’s husband took it out of me,” Doc replied. “I’m going to see Sigmund after the Beavertons. Oh, and I’ll be unreachable tomorrow, just so you both know. I’ll be with the dwarves all day. I need to let Fiala know later.”

  “Going to help them even more?” Lia asked.

  “In a way. I need to make sure I can keep helping them. Otto mentioned that I’m already pressing the debt more than the clan is comfortable with.”

  “They do take their debts seriously,” Lia nodded. “It’s one of the things I’ve always admired about them.”

  “Good to know you get along with them,” Doc said.

  “Respect, yes. Get along... that might be stretching it.”

  “I’ll be tied up with them for years, at the very least,” Doc said. “Getting along is going to be necessary. Ayla, I need you to crunch the numbers on breaking Luck’s Holdings into shares so I can bring in partners.”

  Ayla’s steps faltered for a moment. “Partners? Who are you going to join with? Not Suez, I hope?”

  “Hell no,” Doc said. “Him and Goodman need to go. Lia asked about picking up a share of the business, and it got me thinking that in time, having them as leverage for deals would be a good idea. Best to lay the groundwork now.”

  Ayla glanced at Lia. “I guess leaving a partner behind in each location you have businesses in makes sense.”

  Lia’s lips twitched. “It does. If I was going to leave, I would have to make sure that whoever looks after my Lily was capable.”

  “That’s true, but I doubt anyone can imagine the Lily without you,” Ayla said. “You’re as much a fixture in this town as the Lily.”

  “Okay, that’s about enough,” Doc said. “I don’t care for veiled insults. I do not want people I deal with sniping at each other, especially friends.”

  Lia nodded once. “I understand, Doc.”

  “Sorry, Lia,” Ayla sighed, “I shouldn’t have said that last part.”

  “I accept your apology. Besides, you aren’t wrong. Leaving the Lily and Deep Gulch behind would be life-changing. I could never have even considered the option a year ago. If Doc is right, though, and Goodman and Suez can be forced out like Brand was, well… who knows?”

  “Who knows?” Ayla repeated slowly.

  ~*~*~

  Doc gave the home a good look as they approached it. The stately manor had exquisite woodwork adorning it. It was two stories tall and stretched a few hundred feet across.

  “Nice place,” Doc said.

  “They did the work themselves,” Lia said, “though they needed a loan to afford the property. That’s the only reason they don’t own it outright.”

  “Maybe we can cut a deal to include the deed, then,” Doc said.

  “I have the rough outline of one with that as the main point,” Ayla said.

  “Sounds good. Lia, you know them. Why don’t you take the lead for introductions?”

  “Gladly. I wouldn’t have agreed to hire them if I hadn’t come to know you,” Lia said as she walked up to the door.

  Doc was puzzled by her statement until the door opened. The woman who answered it had sleek fur where hair should be and a strong jaw with prominent teeth.

  “Lia? Is something wrong?”

  “Not wrong, Ursula. I came to talk about business.”

  The woman smiled and her front teeth became visible— they were bright orange in color. “Oh, it’s been a while since we had a good job.” She looked past Lia to Doc and Ayla, and her smile dimmed. “Goodman’s secretary and someone else? Lia?”

  “Ayla is no longer beholden to Goodman,” Lia said. “Doc Holyday is the reason I came about business.”

  Doc took off his bowler. “Ma’am, if it’s an inconvenience, we can come back later.”

  After a moment, Ursula sighed and opened the door wide. “Come on in. I’ll get my husband and we’ll listen to what you have to say.”

  They followed her to a parlor, where she had them sit, then left. She was gone for only a few moments before she returned with her husband. “Urik, you know Lia and Ayla. The gentleman with them is Doc Holyday.”

  “Good day, sir,” Doc said, standing and offering his hand.

  Urik took it slowly with a suspicious look at Doc. “I’m Urik Beaverton. You’ve met my wife, Ursula. What can we do for you, Mr. Holyday?”

  “I was hoping to hire you to renovate a building and combine it with its neighbor.”

  Urik frowned as he moved to take a seat. “An interesting idea. How much work are we talking?”

  Doc pulled out the sketches he’d made the night before and laid them on the coffee table. “The abandoned saloon next to the Lily, and the Lily,” he said, motioning to each set of drawings. “This is what I was hoping for to connect them.”

  Urik started to reach for the drawings, then stopped. “Lia, did you get the Lily back?”

  “Doc was instrumental in me regaining ownership. I entered into a partnership with him, as the Lily is no longer a brothel, but a gambling hall. We need to expand to make it a contender against the Gold Strike.”

  “Hmm...” Urik picked up the drawings and began to study them. Ursula looked over his shoulder, pointing out things to him. Minutes passed before he set the
papers down. “It’s a bit simplistic, isn’t it?”

  Doc chuckled. “Well, I’m not an artist, so I did the best I could.”

  Urik blinked, then laughed. “No, I’m sorry. It’s just that the overall design is not as much as it could be.”

  “Please, tell me more?” Doc asked.

  Ursula came back with some paper and a charcoal pencil and began to draw.

  “Joining the two buildings is easily done,” Urik said. “We can do that with minimal fuss. The stairs similar to the Lily will work, though you’ll lose two rooms— one on each floor— in the process.”