“Ever since, he’s been fronting about buying shit in AC. Throwing his cash around like he’s mad at his money.”
“Interesting.” I take a last drag then crush the butt out in the ashtray. “But he don’t own this place yet.”
Ace shakes his head. “We have to make sure the Dogs don’t get a foothold here or anyplace in AC.”
“What we need is fast cash,” Scratch adds. “And I know where to get it.”
“Keep talking,” I prod.
“The Russians run the boards now. The games, the rides, even the hot-sheet hotels on the outskirts of the city. They’re always looking for muscle and for places to store their money. Plus, they hate Viper.”
“He’s easy to hate.” I look at the others, and they nod. “We might even be able to dip back into underground gambling.”
“That was a huge fuckin’ moneymaker,” Shady agrees.
Hard to believe in a city that has legalized gambling, you could make money underground, but it’s big for guys who were blacklisted at the regular casinos, guys who want no limits on their bets, and guys who don’t want to give a big chunk of their winnings to Uncle Sam.
I push away from the table. “I’m still gonna have a talk with the manager. See if we can strike up some kinda deal where we provide security and straighten this place out in exchange for a chance to buy in.”
Twenty minutes later, I leave the manager Jack’s office, thinking things are finally going my way. He might’ve been a buttoned-up corporate type, but he knew he was out of hisleague trying to manage the crazy-ass customers at the Royal Flush.
Drug deals behind the bar, constant fights, and unreliable employees. If you don’t lay down the rules, it can get out of control real fuckin’ fast. I laid out our plan, and he readily accepted my offer of help, then said he would speak to the holding company first thing in the morning about a price for us to buy in if they like the changes we made. Good deal, ‘cause I already know what needs to be done. Before I got sent up, we owned two strip clubs on the outskirts of AC that ran at a profit. A huge fuckin’ profit.
The look of relief on his face told me he would’ve walked out the door right then if I offered.
I head for the shitter, thinking things might finally go my way. Tomorrow we’d make a deal with the Russians, who would definitely back us against the Dogs. Plus, my brothers are behind me again, and just maybe before fall we’d have a functioning clubhouse and a profitable business, along with some extra cash after we got the basement gambling up and running again.
I push through the door of the bathroom, and something hits me at the base of my skull. I stagger, but keep my footing, turning right into Viper’s fist. He slams me hard, then gut-punches me. I double over, staying on my feet, then ball my fist and cock my arm, but Bullet and Crank drag me backwards into the bathroom.
They slam the door, then wedge the garbage can under the knob. I twist and kick, but I can’t break free from the iron hold of the Rabid Dogs.
“Fuckin’ pussies gotta do this three against one.” I bark out a humorless laugh, and they jack my arms higher. Another few inches and my bones will snap for sure.
“Just showing you what will happen if you don’t leave the Dogs alone and stay outta our territory.”
“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? You think after five years in the joint, I’m scared of you limp dicks?” I keep the bravado going, but I have no delusions how this will go down. I’ve seen plenty of guys in MCC get this kind of a beating, and it never ended well. Even if they didn’t block the door, nobody but my brothers would get involved, and they thought I was talking to the club manager.
“Talk all the shit you want ‘cause, when we’re done with you, you’ll wish you were back in the slammer.”
Viper pummels my face first, then they all take turns. Kidney shots, body shots, then back to my face until I spit blood. When they can’t hold me up any longer, they let me drop to the floor. My body curls into a ball, but their steel-tipped boots find my ribs anyway.
My eyes slide shut until Viper kneels down and grabs a clump of my hair, angling my face to his. “I think we made ourselves clear.” He twists his fist. “And another thing, you tell that bitch Sammie I know she has that flash drive, and if she doesn’t hand it over, she’s gonna be in for a world of hurt. Also remind her she belongs to us, so there’s no fuckin’ way you’re buying that place.” He leans into my face. “Understand?”
I gather all my strength and spit right in his face. Viper rears back, wipes away my blood and saliva with the back of his hand, and growls. “You just tell her what I said, ‘cause if she doesn’t hand that shit over, it won’t end well for either one of you—especially her.”
He straightens up and gives me one last kick, but before my eyes slide shut, Viper’s words filter in—my mystery woman’s name is Sammie, and she’s part of the Rabid Dogs.
My swollen face pounds against the cool tile of the bathroom floor. I force myself to open my eyes, or at least the one eye that’s not swollen shut. They fucked me up good, but sadly, I’ve had just as bad from people who were supposed to love me.
When I roll to my side, the room spins. I still for a minute and then push to my hands and knees. Using the counter for leverage, I heave myself up, then brace my hands against the Formica. A wave of nausea hits so hard I eye the bathroom stall, then drag in some deep breaths. After a few minutes, it passes, and I brace myself to look at my reflection in the mirror.
Shit! Those bastards are gonna pay for this big-time. I pull some towels out of the dispenser, wet them under the faucet, then wipe away the dripping blood. Aside from a split lip and what will soon be a huge bruise on my left cheek, I’m not cut up too bad.
The water in the sink runs red until I finally staunch the bleeding from my nose and lip, then I press a wet towel to my puffy right eye, and it throbs against my hand. Had a guy back in the day break my eye socket, so I’m happy for just some swelling.
I assess my face and tell myself, at three against one, it could’ve been way worse. There’s something about enduring physical pain that makes a person all that much tougher the next time. It’s like I’ve developed an immunity and can withstand what would put a normal person under.
The door bangs open behind me, and I jump, then wince.
