Vegas Heat (36 page)

Once they were on the floor it was impossible to shoulder their way through the crowds of people surrounding the blackjack table. “Wait here, Fanny, I’ll get your manager.”

Fanny watched as Marcus plowed his way through the crowds, using his elbows and shoulders, smiling in apology as he forced the patrons to stand aside. From her position on the fringe of the crowd, she could hear the grumbles and the moans and groans as Neal called for the house break. Then he was at her side.

“Ash is on his way,” she told him.

“That’s a relief. Who the hell is that guy? He just walked in off the street, opened his tie, rolled up his sleeves, and started to play. He did the exact same thing at the other five casinos he hit. The kicker is he’s playing a straight game. He shows no signs of tiring. He’s not drinking either. He’s alone, no one is with him. I can’t be sure but he looks to me like he’s ready to bet the whole bundle at one time. We’re talking some serious money here.”

“I know, Neal. Let’s go into the bar. I think I see Ash. He must have flown down the mountain.” She looked up to see Marcus, striding toward her.

“I’ll say good-bye, Fanny,” he said. “You’re in good hands now.”

No, I’m not. I want your hands. want you, only you.
She nodded as she watched Marcus walk away.

Ash’s chair whirred to a stop. “Where is he?”

“Find the biggest crowd and that’s where he’ll be,” Neal said. “Ash, he’s playing a straight game. Don’t open yourself to a lawsuit. He hit the whole street. He just likes Babylon the best. It’s my opinion he’s getting ready to play the wad he’s won and call it a night. This guy is going to come back. Again and again.”

“We’ll see about that,” Ash snarled. His chair whipped around as he headed down the center aisle to where a small, dark-haired woman stood waiting, her eyes filled with tears.

“This is how your son repays me? Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?”

“I don’t know. Jeffrey leads his own life these days. You know he has his own apartment. How could I possibly know what he does every hour of the day. Someone called. I don’t know who, and I came ...”

“I suggest you go over to him and bring him here and I suggest you do it right now.”

“Ash—”

“Now, Margaret.”

“I’d like an explanation, Jeffrey,” Ash said, his voice colder than chipped ice.

“I’ve been winning all night long. I guess it must be important for you to come down off your mountain.”

“It’s important. The Gaming Commission and the IRS will want to talk to you shortly. As a matter of fact, both gentlemen are on the way as we speak.”

“The IRS?” Margaret Lassiter said in a squeaky voice. “Jeffrey, did you hear what Mr. Thornton just said?”

“Did I do something wrong,
Mister
Thornton?”

“I don’t know. Did you? The Gaming Commission will decide. You did make one mistake though. You should have stayed on this side of the street.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jeffrey blustered.

“My God, Jeffrey, did you win money over there, too?” Margaret Lassiter moaned.

“So what if I did.”

“I don’t think he’ll pay attention to me, Margaret. Maybe you should explain what that means to him, to you, and to your lives. Not mine. Yours.”

Margaret Lassiter led her son away as she spoke in low tones. Ash watched them, worms of fear crawling inside his stomach. He hadn’t even brought Simon’s name into the conversation yet. When they returned, Margaret was wringing her hands in frustration while Jeffrey’s face exuded bravado.

Ash jumped right in. “I know that my brother Simon put you up to this. I want you to know it isn’t going to work. I want you to tell him that for me. I can bar you from this casino, and I will do that. I’ll explain the circumstances to the Gaming Commission and go on from there. Babylon is a privately owned casino. We make our own inside rules. What that means, Jeffrey, is, we answer only to ourselves, not Simon. Simon has no part in this casino.”

“Yeah, well, how’s it going to look to the other casino owners when you won’t let me play here?”

“They’re going to think I’m one hell of a smart man. They’d do exactly the same thing. You can’t beat the odds. What that means is you are doing something you shouldn’t be doing. I’m sure Simon promised you a bundle. What’s going to be left of your bundle after the IRS takes theirs and Simon takes his? Less than you would get in the trust fund I set up for you and your mother. That’s history now. You can take responsibility for that, too. We’re finished. I’d like you to cash out now. They’re waiting for you at the payout counter. One last thing. My side of the street, the other side of the street, it doesn’t make a difference when something like this happens. We take care of our own and we protect what’s ours. If I were you, I’d go back across the street and lose all that money you won. Do what you want. You are not welcome here any longer.”

“Ash—”

“I don’t want to hear it, Margaret. You and your son are on your own now. If nothing else, I did expect a certain amount of loyalty. I didn’t expect my son to be so weak he would betray me for money. I’m sorry it turned out this way.”

His shoulders quivering with anger, Ash wheeled his chair over to where Neal and Fanny waited. “Boot his fucking ass out the door. Mr. Lassiter is not welcome in this casino. I doubt if he’ll be welcome anywhere else for that matter. He’s cashing out. Make sure he leaves the building.”

“Ash, this is going to hit the morning papers. It’s not going to look very good for us.”

“When it hits the morning papers, you won’t recognize the scenario they play out. How many times do I have to tell you, this town takes care of its own? Take care of business, Neal,” Ash said, jerking his head in the direction of the payout window.

“Ash, I’m sorry,” Fanny said. “I didn’t know what to do. Maybe I’m not suited for this business after all.”

“Of course you are. You were trying to be fair because it was my son. I appreciate that. If it was anyone else, your instincts would have kicked in and you would have reacted to the situation in a forthright business manner. I think Simon thought this was going to be a snap, and he’d come out a winner. He’s got to be over the edge, Fanny. For Simon to resort to something like this is so totally out of character I’m having trouble trying to comprehend it. Stay tuned for the next installment.”

Fanny cringed at the bitterness in her ex-husband’s voice. “Ash, he’s young. Simon has ... Simon can ... charm the bees out of the trees, we both know that. God only knows what he promised the boy. A big windfall would seem like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to that kid. Don’t be too hard on him.”

“He didn’t have to go along with it. I might not expect much in this life, but I damn well expect loyalty. Birch and Sage wouldn’t have knuckled under to something like that. That’s because
you
, not me, brought them up right, Fanny. I think I made it too easy for Jeff and his mother. This is all hindsight now. I’m going back up the mountain.”

“Temptation is a terrible thing, Ash. Neither one of us can be certain Birch or Sage wouldn’t have done the same thing. Where kids are concerned, you can’t afford to bury your head in the sand. Cool off, assess the situation, call your son tomorrow and have a talk with him. Don’t leave it like this, Ash.”

“Good night, Fanny. Hey, how’d the big date go?”

Fanny snorted, a very unladylike sound. “You see me, do you see him? I guess you have your answer.”

“He must be a hell of a patient man. Maybe you need to be more aggressive.”

“Ash?”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

“Testy, aren’t we?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Excitement’s over. Call him up. The night’s not over.”

“I’m not looking for advice, Ash.”

“It was for free, Fanny. You should never turn anything down that’s free.”

“Are you sure you’re up to the trip home? It’s late.”

“If I stay, can we do that thing?”

“No.”

“Then I’m leaving. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Call me in the morning and read me the paper.”

“Okay Good night, Ash. Drive carefully.”

Ash slapped at his head. “Jesus, Fanny, I almost forgot. I got a letter from Birch today. I left in such a hurry I forgot to bring it with me.”

“How is he? Is he all right? What’d he say?”

“I’ll read it to you when you call me. It wasn’t all that long. He did go on for one whole paragraph about how the chickens scratch on his tin roof at four in the morning. He said he hadn’t had a bath in eight days. He sounds like he loves what he’s doing.”

“All I care about is that he’s healthy and happy. Thanks for telling me. The night wasn’t so bad after all.”

“Do you really like that guy?”

“Yeah, I do, Ash.”

“Do you like him better than you liked me and Simon?”

“Don’t ask me questions like that, Ash. First of all, it’s none of your business.”

“I feel responsible for you, Fanny. You were my wife once.”

“A fact that you conveniently forgot from time to time,” Fanny snapped.

“C’mon, do you?”

“It’s different, Ash. I’m not the young, crazy girl who fell in love with you. I’m not that needy woman who swallowed Simon’s line. I’m finally me. This new me sees and feels things differently You do, too, Ash; you just won’t admit it.”

“I just don’t want you to get snookered again. I’m not always going to be here to look out for you. I do, in my own way. I want you to know that.”

“I do know that. I thought you didn’t want to talk about stuff like this.”

“I don’t. You know, Fanny, you bring out the worst and the best in me.”

“That’s a compliment, isn’t it?”

“Damn straight it is. Listen, Fanny, if Simon starts to call you, hang up on him. Don’t give him a chance to say anything. If you talk to him, he’ll feed on it. Promise me. Get an unlisted number. Do it tomorrow.”

“All right, Ash. Give the kids a hug.”

“Will do.”

Fanny looked around the casino. Her new world.

Things were back to normal.

Good or bad?

Good, she decided as she made her way to the elevator.

As Fanny made her way down the grocery aisle, she had the strange feeling someone was watching her. The feeling had been with her from the moment she parked her car in the parking lot. She looked over her shoulder, certain she would see someone staring at her. Nerves. The episode at the blackjack tables last night had left her unnerved and today she was paying for it with the jitters.

Ash had been right. The morning paper had relegated the event to page four and one small paragraph. What it said basically was, young man wins big and loses big. So, Jeffrey had followed Ash’s advice and crossed the street to return the money by losing. Babylon had taken the hit and things were back to normal.

Fanny scanned the list in her hand. Most of the items in her grocery cart were for Jake’s visit on the weekend. They were going to make raisin-filled cookies, Jake’s favorite. Peanut butter, jam, cherry Popsicles, cheese sticks, lollipops, and other goodies. The cart was almost full with her own purchases—vegetables, fruits, and a luscious-looking London broil.

Fanny looked over her shoulder again, then up and down the aisle. She tried to shake the uneasy feeling she’d had since entering the store. She saw him then as she reached for a box of cereal. She almost dropped the box. She swiveled around, her eyes wide, and struggled to take a deep breath and then another. Her knuckles gleamed white on the cart under the fluorescent lighting. Her instincts had been right: Simon had been watching her. How did he know she would go to the grocery store at this particular time of day? He couldn’t know unless he’d been following her.
Don’t panic, Fanny. Hold on to the cart and walk toward the front of the store, where the cashiers and manager are working.

She could hear his cart behind her, hear the sound of his shoes on the tile floor. The fresh scent of citrus assailed her nostrils. Simon loved oranges, grapefruit, and lemons. She knew his cart was loaded with fruit.
Don’t look over your shoulder. That’s what he wants. Go to the checkout line. He won’t do or say anything in front of other people. When you finish, ask to use the phone and have Security come to the market.

She felt his touch on her shoulder. Once his touch had thrilled her. She recoiled and stepped to the side. “Hello, Simon.”

“Fanny, imagine meeting you here.”

“I wonder what the odds of that happening are.” She was right. There were six grapefruit, a bag of oranges, and a bag of lemons in his cart. “I think you’ve been following me, and I’d like to know why Don’t do it again, or I’ll apply for a restraining order.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Fanny. I have as much right to shop in this market as you do. What am I doing wrong? Nothing.”

He looked so normal in his white dress shirt open at the throat, the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His chinos were crisp and fresh. He was freshly shaven. She could smell his woodsy aftershave, a scent that had once made her dizzy with desire. He looked so damn normal. Until she looked at his eyes. The urge to bolt and run was so strong she yanked at the cart to put more distance between them.

Simon chuckled. “You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”

“What do you want from me, Simon? Your plan didn’t work last night, did it? That was a low-down dirty thing you did. I knew about Jeffrey. Ash told me. Nothing you do is going to work.”

“I want Babylon. Give it to me, and I’ll get out of your life. You can go back to sewing baby clothes.”

“Not in this lifetime, Simon. Ash will never give it up to you.”

“Ash isn’t going to live forever.”

“That’s an ugly thing to say Ash is your brother. He could very well fool us all and live another twenty years. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll make sure you never get a foothold.”

Simon laughed. He sounded like she’d just told him a joke. She shuddered. Ash had told her not to talk to him, and here she was, babbling like some crazy person.

“You’re just spinning your wheels, Fanny. I want it, and I’m going to get it.”

“No. I won’t let that happen. You just want it because of Ash. You said you hated this town, this casino. That was all a lie. I’m stupid, but Simon, you’re even more stupid. If you had come here with me, I probably never would have caught on to you because I loved you so much. You couldn’t come though, could you? Ash would have seen through you in the blink of an eye. That was your first mistake. Everything else you’ve tried has been a mistake, too. Your mother must be having a fit.”

“Mom would want me to have Babylon.”

“If that’s true, Simon, why didn’t she make provisions for you to have it?”

“Fanny, you’re right, you are stupid. She didn’t know I wanted it.”

“It’s the red and yellow lollipop. The rules changed, Simon. I’m not Sallie and this red lollipop is a billion-dollar industry. The only way you might have a shot at this is over my dead body, and even then the kids inherit, not you.”

“Nobody lives forever,” Simon said, then added, “I always liked the kids.”

“This is going nowhere.” Fanny shoved her cart at Simon’s cart, making it spin out of the way She literally ran down the rest of the aisle to the checkout counter. Ragged little puffs of air exploded from her mouth as she tossed her groceries onto the counter. She looked over her shoulder a dozen different times before she made her way to the parking lot. Simon was nowhere in sight.

It wasn’t until she was back in the apartment with the door locked that Fanny drew a deep breath. Coffee in hand, she dialed the business office of the telephone company and was issued an unlisted number on the spot. She then called down to the office to tell Bess to call everyone and give them her new number. “It will go into effect at noon. Call the rehab center first. I have to call Ash, so I’ll give him the number.”

Fanny put away the groceries, her mind racing. Maybe she shouldn’t call Ash. Maybe she should go up the mountain. Her sixth sense, the one that always kicked in when trouble loomed, was kicking in now. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew Simon was going to go up the mountain. She yanked the plug from the electric coffeepot, grabbed her purse and ran to the elevator.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Call Ash, warn him. Have him take the kids to Chue’s house.

Fanny raced back into the apartment, dialed Ash’s number, her foot tapping the floor as she waited to hear his voice. “Ash, it’s Fanny. Send the kids down to Chue’s. I’m on my way up the mountain. I think Simon is on his way as we speak. No, I’m not sure. It’s my gut instinct. Just do it, Ash. Then go down to the studio and lock yourself in. I had special locks put on a long time ago. Your brother wants your billion-dollar yellow lollipop.”

Fanny’s eyes were everywhere as she barreled up the mountain at ninety miles an hour—directly ahead, in the scrub at the side of the road, in the trees, in the rearview mirror. It was all a blur until she reached Chue’s house. She slowed, the car fishtailing in the middle of the road. “Block the road, and if Simon shows up, he’ll have to make the rest of the way on foot. He’ll leave his car. Push it over the mountain, Chue. I mean it, don’t think twice. Then pile everyone into your truck and head for Babylon. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Fanny.”

“Where’s Ash?”

“In the studio.”

“Okay.” Fanny backed up the car and drove the rest of the way at a sedate eighty miles an hour. She skidded to a halt. She looped her purse around her neck as she ran from the car, the door hanging wide open. She was breathless when she reached the studio. “It’s me, Ash. Open the door!”

“Fanny, what in the goddamn hell is going on? You damn near gave me heart failure.”

“What do you think you would have felt if I hadn’t called you and Simon got here before me? He cornered me in the supermarket. He’s been following me, stalking me. Ash, he said ... he said if Sallie had known he wanted Babylon, she would have given it to him. He
believes
that. He means to get it. Last night was just a game. It didn’t mean a thing to him. He just wanted us to spin our wheels to show us what he can do if he wants to really get us going. I looked in his eyes, Ash. I couldn’t see anything because there was nothing to see. He’s gone.”

“What makes you think he’s coming here? Why would he come here?”

“For you. Think, Ash, he can’t get the yellow lollipop unless you give it up. Sallie isn’t here to take it from you. That means he has to step out of character and snatch it himself. Sallie isn’t here to approve or disapprove of what he does.”

“Fanny, I’m having trouble with this. Do you think he’s going to push me off the mountain?”

“Yes, Ash, I do.”

“You should have called the police.”

“Get real. He hasn’t done anything. It’s like last night all over again. The police can’t do a thing, and you and I both know it.”

“Is it your intention for the two of us to hide out here in this studio
forever?
You must realize I have a slight disability here.”

“We need to get out of here. I’m taking you back down the mountain. Chue is taking his family, Mitzi, Nellie, and the kids as soon as Simon shows up. He’s coming, Ash. I know he is.”

“Then why aren’t we leaving?”

“Because we’ll pass him on the road and he’ll just turn around and race us back down. Who do you think is going to go over the side, the car in front or the car in back?”

“You’re saying my brother wants to kill me. I don’t want to believe that.”

“You damn well better believe it, Ash. With me here he gets two for the price of one. He said no one lives forever. The Simon I spoke to in the grocery store is not the Simon either one of us knows. That Simon is gone. He looks so normal. He functions, and that’s what boggles my mind. He was clean-shaven, he’d had a haircut, he was creased and pressed. He even
smelled
good. Listen, Ash, I don’t want to die. I have things to do and places to go. I want to enjoy my children and grandchildren. I don’t have a plan if that’s your next question.”

“What?”

“I can’t anticipate him. You have to do that. You know him. He’s in a place I’ve never been. You’ve been there. You lived in that place. What will he do? How far will he go to get what he wants? What’s his Achilles’ heel? Does he have a breaking point? I don’t know those things. Look. I might be wrong. Maybe I didn’t read him right.”

“No, you’re not wrong. Simon has no Achilles’ heel. He has no breaking point. He’s always been totally fearless. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He used to hold his breath until he turned blue and passed out. Mom was scared out of her wits when he’d do that. She’d hold him and rock him and croon to him and then she’d give him what he wanted. It didn’t matter what it was. If he’d wanted my skin, she would have ripped the hide right off my body. He has no conscience. I always thought everyone had a conscience of one kind or another. I never met anyone who didn’t, except Simon.”

“I hear a car, Ash.”

Ash’s face turned as white as the shirt he was wearing.

“I told Chue to block the road with his vehicles and when Simon got out to walk, he was to push his car over the mountain at which point he’ll head for town. It’s you and me, Ash.”

“It’s always been you and me, Fanny.”

“To a degree. I’m your legs, tell me what to do. I know this mountain like the back of my hand. I can lure him away from here and that will give you time to get in the van and partway down the mountain. I’ll meet you at some point. I’ll tell him you went with Chue and the kids. I think he’ll believe that. He’ll think I came here to get you to safety because I still love you. He wants to believe that.”

“Do you, Fanny?”

Fanny made no pretense of not understanding. “A small part of me will always love you, Ash. I would never deny that. If you care about me at all, you’ll do what I said.”

“All right, Fanny. I’d change my shoes if I were you.”

“God, yes. I think I left my mountain boots here. Ah, here they are.” Fanny kicked off her heels and pulled on the boots. Just then, there was a tremendous crashing sound.

“Jesus! What the hell was
that?
”

Fanny’s face was grim.
“That
was Simon’s car going over the mountain.”

“Until just this moment I’ve been thinking this was all a bad dream.”

“You aren’t going to have much time, Ash. I have to go now.”

“Fanny—”

“Shhh,” Fanny said, placing her finger on his lips. “Be careful, Ash.”

“You too, Fanny.”

Fanny closed the door behind her and walked up to the house and then around to the back patio. She climbed on the picnic table so she could see the road leading onto the driveway. The moment she saw Simon set foot on the driveway she shouted. “I’m back here, Simon. What do you want?”

“Where’s Ash?”

“The least you could do is say hello.” She started to walk away, toward the top of the ravine where her children had played Tarzan light-years ago. She knew he was following her. She could hear the frozen grass crackling under his feet.

“Where’s Ash?”

“He left with Chue and the kids. They pushed your car over the side. It exploded. If you stand here, where I am, you can see Chue’s truck going down the mountain. You really didn’t think I was going to let you get hold of Ash, did you? Simon, Simon, what a fool you are. He’s mine, Simon. I love him. You know that though, don’t you? I’ll never let you hurt him. I only married you to get even with Ash for fooling around with other women. I made a fool out of you. You need to run to Mama, Simon, and tell her what nasty old Fanny did. Mama will make it right, won’t she?” Fanny taunted as she inched closer to the edge.

Fanny saw something spark in Simon’s eyes. She fumbled in her pocket, brought out one of the lollipops she’d bought for Jake. “I have the yellow one, Simon. I love yellow. Ash loves yellow, too. Here, you can have the red one. Red tastes nasty.”

Fanny went over the side, slipping and sliding as Simon bent to pick up the red lollipop. She continued to taunt him as her eyes searched out the overgrown path. The moment she heard the sound of Ash’s van engine turning over, her fist shot in the air. “Oh yeah.”

Fanny ran along the crest, her boots digging into the slippery pine needles as sweat dripped down her body. She forged ahead. Simon close behind.