by K A Kron
I entered a long hallway with unmarked doors on either side and a set of stairs at the end. The hallway was empty, and the black doors shined in contrast to the exposed historic brick walls. I could hear my heels click on the unfinished cement floor as I approached the first door, and I held my breath as I opened it. I would not have been surprised to see a mermaid screwing a monkey, but instead the room opened to a series of poker and tables, just as the bartender had described. I recognized a few of Adam’s regular customers at the tables and saw that a few of them were doing fairly well, gauging by their chips. At a far end of the room, I saw Chris at a table filled with beautiful people, calmly playing thousand-dollar hands. I was careful to duck out before Chris saw me, and I left to explore the rest of the building.
Moving down the hall, I discovered that each door was dedicated to a different game. Poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, and even an entire room packed with slots. Each room was self-contained and included a full bar, music, wait staff, and pit crew. Waitresses brought the patrons a wide vary of drugs, to include crack, X, Special K, and coke, as well as pot and bowls of colorful pills I didn’t recognize. Oh, and no one was paying nine dollars for a beer, I noticed.
I left the gambling rooms and made my way down the hall and up the steel staircase, realizing that, unlike Adam’s bar, I had not seen a cop in the place, leading me to believe that someone in the police department was involved in Immortal’s popularity. The top of the stairs opened to a reception room followed by another long hallway, this one with green doors. Behind the green door, I thought. Cute.
There were two attendants standing behind a counter on the floor, and I tried to look like I knew what I was doing. Another blonde woman nodded at me, as her eyes scanned me from head to toe; she was not wearing anything more than a chain necklace holding a black-and-white number. I recognized the other attendant as Joe, one of Adam’s bartenders. Joe ducked his blond head and tried to avoid eye contact as I approached. He, too, was wearing only a numbered chain, and he moved up against the counter while I stared at him. I resisted the urge to make Joe more uncomfortable by peeking over the counter.
I kept my eyes on their faces as the woman asked, “Reservation time?”
Since the dumb angle had worked so far and wasn’t hard to believe, I decided to keep it up.
“Oh, sorry…it’s my first time here. I don’t really know—”
The woman interrupted me, with the brilliant smile so prevalent on all Immortal employees. “Did you see someone you would like to have?” She placed a menu in front of me. It was comprehensive, I had to give them that. Any sexual act imaginable, and some I’d never heard of, was priced out, along with room rentals that started at $200 an hour. Some fast math put the average interaction at close to a grand, and I did a slow exhale. Joe the bartender kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye as he cleaned the same glass five times. I was sure that my presence was making him uncomfortable.
“We take cash, Visa, and AmEx,” said the blonde, adding with a wink that the purchase would be listed as “Bricks” on my bill. Bricks was another of Colin Miller’s upscale investments and was a respected eatery in the downtown area.
The blonde checked the roster and shook her head, “Hmm…I don’t have a private room available until two, but I could work you into the group room, if you’d like to go in now.”
My head hurt. Chris’s illicit activities, Joe’s presence, the possibility of a group room, and the overall scene was more than I could take any longer, and I scrambled for an excuse. “No, thank you. I would prefer a private room, but I may come back on another evening.”
I turned to go and made it to the door before the blonde called out to me. “I’m number thirteen. I’ll put you down for next weekend.”
Chapter 36
I had a hard time transitioning back to school, but it was Thursday night, so I pushed myself to complete the week’s learning. I decided to go in a little early so I could spend some time in the library. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with that idea. As I closed the car door, I could see Ali up in the distance, and it looked like she was walking with Dan.
Just as I was about to give them a shout, I saw something that looked like it came right out of a movie, slow motion and all. A man coming toward them grabbed Ali and pulled her toward him. Dan reacted quickly, pulling Ali back toward him. He got punched for his trouble. The man, who I could now clearly see was Tommy, probably had no idea who he was dealing with. Dan spun around and kicked Tommy squarely in his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Ali followed with a series of kicks and blows, until Tommy was lying on the ground, not moving.
Within a few minutes, Officer Jim arrived on his bike. I wondered if the campus police had been alerted by another student witnessing the event. He cuffed the unmoving Tommy and called for transportation.
I hadn’t realized that my feet were moving forward as the events transpired, but I soon found myself standing close to Ali. “You okay?”
She nodded, keeping her eyes on Tommy. Jim came over, also to check on her, as another officer dragged the now semiconscious asshole to his feet.
“Now what?” I asked, mostly to Jim, but Ali answered instead.
“I would assume you’re turning him over to DPD?”
Jim nodded. “Yes. I’m not sure how long they’ll keep him. I’m assuming that you’ll be pressing charges for assault? The university will be charging him with trespassing, at the very least.”
Dan stayed in the background, but Ali summoned him. “Thank you so much. Are you okay? He got in a pretty good sucker punch at the onset of the whole thing.”
He was humble, but the red welt surrounding his eye was growing by the minute. “I’m fine. Nothing a little ice can’t fix. And I’m not sure you really needed any help, from where I stood.”
Everyone stood around as Tom was dragged away and placed in a waiting Denver police car. Jim, of course, needed statements from everyone as to what had transpired. After that, Ali, Dan, and I exited the Public Safety Office, and there was not much collective motivation to go to class. Dan decided he was going to suffer through the evening, and Ali and I finally determined that we’d join him, although we both would have preferred a change in scenery.
Chapter 37
I entered Ice House on time for the second week in a row, setting a personal best and earning a fist bump from Oliver. As we set the bar for the night, I hoped my weekend would go off without a hitch. I hadn’t attempted such a complicated plan in years, and there were several potential points of failure. Oliver went to change for the night’s entertainment, and I waited behind the bar until Joe walked in for his shift.
“Point of failure number one,” I muttered, making a beeline for the employee break room. I caught Joe by the back of his shirt while he was clocking in and dragged him out the service door. When I slammed Joe against the exterior wall next to the dumpsters, he yelped in surprise.
“Riley, what the hell?”
“Shut your mouth, Joe. I mean it. Shut the fuck up, right now.” Even though we were about the same size, I easily held Joe against the wall and spoke inches from his ear.
“You screwed the wrong people. Did you think no one would find out about your little moonlighting gig at Immortal? After everything that Adam has done for you, this is how you repay him?” I slammed Joe against the wall one last time and released him. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m sorry. I need the cash. Ice House isn’t drawing the crowds like Immortal, and I saw a chance to make some quick money.”
“By whoring yourself out? Really? Adam gave you a job when no one else would take a chance on a loser coke head. Remember that? When you needed help and your life was damn near over, Adam gave you a job.”
“I need money, Riley,” Joe repeated. “It’s not personal against Adam. I know he’s done a lot for all of us.” Joe inched away from the wall and rubbed the back of his head, scowling.
“What do you think he’s going to say w
hen I tell him?” I asked.
“No, please don’t tell Adam. He’ll kill me.”
“Yes, he might.” I smiled. “I would give good money to see him maim you.”
“Jesus, Riley. That’s harsh.”
“Oh, I’m not done.” I pulled a stack of photos out of my apron and pushed them into Joe’s hands. “You, in all your glory, Joe. I would recommend a tanning bed, by the way. The spray tan is looking a little splotchy.”
“Don’t give these to Adam. Please,” he said, thumbing through the photos I had shot of him and the female attendant at Immortal.
“I’m going to give them to your mom. I’m sure she’ll be proud of her little boy,” I gave Joe a wide smile and turned to go back into the bar.
“No. Riley, please. That would break her heart. I’m doing well and staying straight. Please don’t. What do you want from me?” Normally, Joe was Oliver’s closet male competition in the looks department. His blond hair was always gelled and it was clear that he knew his way around a gym. Now his face was crumbling, and I could see he was close to tears. I almost felt bad.
I moved back toward Joe, as he put his face in his hands, and leaned against him. “This is what I want, Joe…”
Chapter 38
I walked into Ice House a mere eight hours after leaving the night before. The quick turnaround was brutal, but I needed to get off early in order to accomplish Mission Immortal. Adam was sequestered in his office, and I could hear him cursing in between punching the numbers on the adding machine. The crowd was a good size for an afternoon, and I hustled to work the bar alone for a few hours before Oliver showed up for the night shift.
Oliver was carrying a garment bag over his shoulder as he blew me a kiss and went into the back to change. When he returned, I had to cover my mouth to hold back a laugh. Oliver was decked out in a black top hat, white tuxedo jacket, black pants, and white shoes. His bare chest glowed from oil.
“You look like an Oreo,” I said.
“I know. Shut up. I told Adam it was stupid, but he wouldn’t listen,” Oliver said.
“What are you supposed to be, may I ask? Penguin? Zebra? Is it zoo night at Ice House? I’m sorry I have to leave early and miss it.”
Oliver made a face. “Black-and-white party.”
“Of course it is. Okay, I’m out,” I said, grabbing my bag. “Have fun, and don’t eat any raw fish or hay, whatever you do.”
Oliver sighed. “See you next week, babe.”
I watched him move through the bar for a few minutes. He was so innocent, so naïve in his own way, and yet he drew people to him, possibly due to that purity that was so rare in the community. If I had a brother, I thought, I’d want him to be like Oliver. At that moment he was rubbing up against one of his regulars, who was also now covered with oil. Well, maybe like Oliver, minus the oil.
Chapter 39
Charlie had the dump truck loaded and the tarps tied down tight by the time I arrived at the warehouse. He wasn’t pleased about the night’s agenda and was moping. After an hour of the silent treatment, I had had enough.
“How was I supposed to know you hang out at Immortal? It’s beneath you. I just hope you wore a condom.”
“But I like that place. It’s good for the random hookup.”
“That’s ridiculous, Charlie. You are gorgeous. You don’t need to pay for sex,” I said.
Charlie gave me a long look before smiling. “They pay me for sex.”
I shook my head and moved toward the truck, again checking the straps.
“It’s not going anywhere. Leave the straps alone before you manage to loosen them and we have rats spread all over Denver.”
I shuddered. And it wasn’t exaggerated. “Do you think this is going to work?”
This time, Charlie gave me a wide grin, and I could see in his eyes that he was running on the high level of adrenaline that always accompanied our little projects. “Only a flock of locusts would improve our plan.”
I stopped and turned back toward him. “You can get a flock of locusts?”
Charlie gave me a blank look. “Jesus, no. I was kidding. You worry me sometimes, Riley.”
“Alrighty. Let’s do this.”
Chapter 40
Charlie positioned the dump truck against the back of Immortal while I disabled the light over the door. I watched my phone intently until I received a text that read “GO” at precisely 3 a.m. From the shadows, I gave Charlie a thumbs-up and moved to the back of the truck, where I fed one end of a wide trough into a vent on the side of the bar. Above me, Charlie was fitting the other end of the tube to a trapdoor on the back of the truck.
“Hurry up! They’re about to kill each other.” He was sweating and out of breath.
“You need to get more exercise,” I said, kicking the trough into place with my boot. “Let them go.” I stepped back as Charlie released the trapdoor, and I could hear the little claws clicking against the metal tube. Charlie moved to the cab and slowly tipped the bed of the truck up until it was empty.
“Done,” I called, and pulled the trough closed. I swung the vent cover back over the hole and latched it in place. Finished, I jumped into the cab and gave Charlie a flying hug. With a flourish, I pulled out my iPhone and texted “GO” back to Joe. As part of our deal, Joe had spent his day secretly removing the screws from the vent covers in each room. I knew that a truckload of angry rats were pouring out of the walls and running like mad through all the rooms. That should be enough to break up the gambling and the sex, but I wasn’t sure how high a threshold these people had. As a backup, I had also told Joe to pull the fire alarm once I sent him a return text message.
“Let’s go watch the mayhem,” I said.
We parked the truck on a side street and walked back to the front of Immortal, which was now a chaotic scene. We could hear the fire alarm blaring, even from the sidewalk, and arrived at the same time as the first fire truck. The doors had burst open and were releasing a combination of wet, angry rats and even angrier patrons. The rats, at least, were covered, while a lot of Immortal’s customers were running from the building covered in water, foam, and little else.
Ali pulled to the curb, the red and blue lights of the patrol car bouncing off the front of Immortal, and I watched her from the shadows. Instead of running into the scene, Ali first assessed and took in everything. I could tell she was mentally making a plan before she said something over the police radio and pushed the car door closed. Ali looked strong and confident as she moved through the scene, directing the masses of people.
I saw number thirteen saunter out, as if it were perfectly normal that she was nude and standing in the middle of Colfax Street. I didn’t see the bartender, number nineteen, and I found myself hoping she was all right, against my better judgment. The first firefighters on scene were clearly confused at the sight of naked people and wet rats, and Charlie hid his face in my hair to conceal his laughter. After a while, we tired of the game and retrieved the truck.
Joe texted me an hour later. Square?
Square, I texted back.
At Pete’s Number 3 Diner, we ate breakfast and watched ESPN until the morning news came on. Immortal was the lead story, but the newscasters were having trouble relaying the information, mostly because it was so sordid and confusing. They started with the fire and the rats (which no one could seem to understand) but quickly slid to veiled allegations of police involvement with Chris and her partner Colin Miller in a combination prostitution, gambling, and drug ring. A spokesperson for the Denver Police Department looked harried, and I imagined he had been rousted out of a sound sleep to respond to the scene. He was even more confused than the reporters but promised a “thorough” investigation. Charlie and I ordered Bloody Mary’s and toasted our success.
“To old times,” he said.
“To new times,” I replied.
Chapter 41
A short time later I sat at my desk, the screens beckoning me to watch them, but I resisted. As usual, I had
a pile of work to dig through. I wondered, not for the first time, why I was putting myself through the torture of law school. While I enjoyed the bar scene, I was in my twenties, and I hoped that I would not have the same social life in my thirties and later. The truth was that up to this point in my life, I had gained skills that not too many people twice my age possessed. I knew how to gather information, find people, and most importantly, get lost. There was a certain thrill, that adrenaline rush, that I needed from life; and my previous job with the military had afforded me all the excitement I could take, and more. I knew that there would be many options out there for me if I had another set of letters behind my name and that I would find the perfect fit by the time I was done. There also was a certain degree of power that came with knowledge of the law, allowing one to either commit or right a certain level of wrongs.
I really shouldn’t say that it was my previous job, because it was the type of job you never really quit. You could, however, get fired—but then I wouldn’t be sitting here, talking about it, because they don’t exactly just give you a pink slip and tell you to get in line at the unemployment office. Previous job? Hmmm. Classified. Job Skills? Classified.
Besides the constant adrenaline rush, there were other advantages to my former career. I had managed to accumulate a lot of money, although it wasn’t exactly sitting in an investment account with my name on it. I was as poor as a church mouse on paper, and it had to be that way. I tried not to tap into my stash, as it could end up being a lifesaver some day. As a result of the places and circles I had traveled in, I also had a lot of connections, and a lot of favors were owed to me. I knew as well as anyone that you never know when you might need to call in a marker. I tried not to be in anyone’s debt, but there were a few out there who could ring me up at any minute, and I’d have to jump as high as specified.
