James Swain - Take Down

Ike hung up, called the cage, and spoke to the cage manager, a guy named Don Winter. Don was part of the casino’s inner circle and knew about the money laundering. Ike said, “Hey, Don, this is Ike Spears. Reverend Rock’s ready to cash out.”

Don said, “Bring him down. We’ve got the goods ready for him.”

Ike said, “See you in a few,” and ended the call.

Ike tried to stay calm as he waited by the elevators. Soon, he and T-Bird were going to be living the good life in Mexico, lounging by the pool and doing all the fine things that rich people did. He was sorry to be taking Billy’s share-the little guy had grown on him-but the way he saw it, Billy had plenty of big paydays down the road, while he and T-Bird were at the end of their playing days. The elevator doors parted, and T-Bird and the two sexy ladies from Billy’s crew waltzed out. T-Bird had the drug dealer persona down flat and walked with the swagger of fast cash. The girls wore trashy clothes and makeup so dark they looked like hot Mexican bitches. The one named Misty carried the Nike bag with the fake chips swinging by her side.

“You guys look sharp,” Ike said.

“I feel sharp,” T-Bird said. “Lead the way, my man.”

Ike led them through the packed casino. The shift change was taking place, and he saw blackjack dealers leaving their tables to be replaced by fresh dealers. It was a perfect time to be pulling off a heist, the room in a state of flux.

By the time they reached the cage, the sweat was pouring off him, the memory of those fuckers blowing past him in college and the pros still haunting him. No more blooper reels, he told himself. If anything, he might get profiled on The Ones That Got Away .

There were long lines at the cashiers’ windows. Ike looked over the people’s heads and spotted Don. The cage manager held up a finger as if to say, Give me a minute .

They stood off to the side to wait. There were surveillance cameras in the ceiling, but Ike wasn’t worried. Rock, Marcus, and Shaz were watching the Gypsy wedding and paying zero attention to the cage. Billy had suckered them good.

“What are we waiting for,” T-Bird said impatiently. “Don’t they know who I am?”

“Cool your jets,” Ike said. “Our ship’s about to come in.”

At four, Frank got the word that the roadblocks were in place.

“Okay, folks, we’re ready to roll,” he announced.

The three gaming agents watching the monitors rose in unison and filed out through the side door of the truck. Frank looked at Mags, who sat handcuffed in her chair.

“You, too,” he said.

Mags stood up and held out her wrists. He shook his head.

“Why are you treating me this way?” she asked, fighting back tears.

“Because you can’t be trusted. You’re a cheater and always will be,” he said.

“You sure enjoyed sleeping with me.”

He shrugged as if to say, What did you expect?

“You still haven’t said what I’m supposed to do,” she said.

“My team is responsible for busting Billy and his crew,” he said. “When you see Billy in the casino, I want you to call out his name and start walking toward him. Be real friendly.”

“You want me to bring his guard down.”

“That’s right. Billy’s no dope. He’ll see you cuffed and realize he’s done. Let’s go.”

“Can I have my cell phone back?”

“You’re funny.”

They went outside to where a small army of gaming agents dressed in NV Energy uniforms were gathered on the sidewalk. Each agent had a firearm strapped to his side and a seven-pointed gold star pinned to his uniform. Trixie was giving them their final instructions before going in. “Remember, we have the exits to the hotel and casino covered, and that includes the underground garage,” Trixie told his troops. “If either Cunningham or Reverend Rock tries to make a run for it, let them go. Our men outside will chase them down. Got it?”

There were murmurs of yes and a collective nodding of heads.

“I got a phone call from the mayor earlier. I promised the mayor that we would not discharge our weapons inside Galaxy’s hotel or the casino unless there was a life-threatening situation, and I expect you to uphold that promise,” Trixie said. “Am I making myself clear?”

More agreement. Vegas was strange when it came to firearms; the police and gaming agents regularly gunned down bad guys in the street, yet rarely fired their weapons inside the casinos, fearful of the effect it would have on the town’s tourism business.

Mags breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Billy wasn’t going to get shot.

“Any questions, ask them now,” Trixie said.

There were none.

“Let’s roll,” Trixie said.

“The Gypsies are coming out,” came Rock’s voice in Billy’s earpiece.

It was four o’clock, and Billy stood frozen by the potted plant. Ike had been gone for several minutes, and Rock hadn’t said boo. Across the lobby, the chapel’s double doors sprang open and the Gypsies spilled out, all grins and good-natured laughter. They made a beeline down the lobby toward the casino, the bride still holding the groom’s hand, the weight of the hidden dealing shoe making each step a treacherous one. The rest of the party was yucking it up and having a swell time, enough of a distraction that no one would notice the bride wasn’t walking right.

“Ready to nail ’em?” Rock asked.

“Ready,” Billy said.

“Wait for Chase and his group. They’re coming out now.”

The storage room was directly across from the wedding chapel. The door opened, and Chase and the mob of muscle-bound security guards poured into the lobby as if being released from cages. Chase came over to Billy and pointed a finger in his face.

“I finally remembered you,” Chase said. “You and your friends ripped off the Tropicana at craps. Took us for a whole bunch of money.”

“Live and learn,” Billy said.

“I lost my job because of you, asshole.”

“Get moving,” Rock said into his earpiece.

Billy headed down the lobby with the posse of security guards breathing down his neck. The Gypsies had a good head start and had already passed the hotel check-in. Taking a hard right, they made their way into the casino and briefly disappeared from view.

Billy picked up his pace. If there was anything he loved as much as cheating a casino, it was watching someone else do it, and he didn’t plan on missing one beat of the Gypsies’ scam.

“Where’s Ike? I don’t see him,” Rock said into his earpiece.

He feigned looking over his shoulder and shrugged.

“You don’t know?” Rock said.

“He was here a second ago,” he said into the lapel mike. “Want me to go find him?”

“Fuck no. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

He passed the check-in, turned right, and entered the casino. The Gypsy wedding party was dead ahead. They had stopped to form a line so the best man could take a photo on his cell phone. Not liking the arrangement, the best man asked several members of the party to shift places.

Billy halted, and so did the security guards. Before his eyes, there was a swirl of bodies and a rustling of fabric as members of the party brushed past each other, the effect as dizzying as watching a square dance. Only the bride stayed still, as if glued to her spot.

Was this the Dazzle? It sure seemed to be, only the wedding party was nowhere near the blackjack pit, and that was where they needed to be standing if they were going to pull the stacked dealing shoe out of the bride’s gown and make the switch. Something else was going on.

Chase edged up beside him. “What are they doing?”