Kay Thomas - Bulletproof Bodyguard

He ignored the fact that it said something dark about where he chose to spend his time these days. Even working undercover, he recognized he was not in a good place. But then he’d met Boggs and it only reinforced Marcus’s self-destructive behavior.

Stupid blind luck.

“So you like working at the casino?” Boggs leaned over the table with his pool cue to take his shot.

“Yeah. Just wish I could make more money at it.”

“Don’t we all. Lots of money there at the ‘Wheel.” Boggs sunk a ball in the right corner pocket.

“At the Paddlewheel?” Carlotta plopped down on the round serving table directly across from Frank, seemingly too drunk to care that others could see straight up her micro mini to a Brazilian wax.

Marcus nodded. “Most casinos make ten to twelve percent. The ‘Wheel makes about thirty.”

“Good God, what does that much money look like?” Boggs stood up straight, the pool game and Carlotta’s peep show forgotten.

“Oh, it’s quite a sight. There’s a special counting room, of course. A few times there’s been so much money they haven’t been able to count it fast enough.”

“So what did they do?”

“Put the money in plastic garbage bags until they get it counted.”

“You’re kidding me. Garbage sacks full of money?”

Marcus nodded. “Hell, an armored truck got stuck clear up to the axles once.”

“I don’t get it,” said Boggs.

“The weight. It wasn’t a muddy road. It just sank into the gravel because of the weight of the coins. They had to get a damn crane to haul it out of there.”

Boggs listened with rapt attention.

“Those two armored security guys were sweating bullets,” continued Marcus.

“How come? They got guns, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but most of the casino guys don’t,” said Marcus.

Earleen brought him his extremely watered-down drink, their little secret, and raised an eyebrow when he asked her to keep ‘em coming. She handed Carlotta a beer and whispered something to her, but Carlotta didn’t respond.

“All that money and no guns,” mused Boggs. “Sounds like they’re just asking for it.”

“The casino is too afraid of bad publicity, like if there was to be an incident, shooting a patron or something. The money’s insured against theft once it leaves the casino in the armored trucks.”

“Still … seems nuts to me,” said Boggs.

“Yeah, but you gotta understand. The Paddlewheel isn’t run by the ‘casino people’ from Biloxi, Tunica or Vegas. It’s been an experiment with unbelievable timing. Goes back to the storm. Some good old boys made an investment, along comes Katrina, and suddenly the Paddlewheel’s the only casino still online and their little gamble’s paying off an incredible return. They had no idea they’d ever be able to compete with the coast or Tunica—they weren’t even going to try. They just wanted to cash in on some of the local gambling dollars that were going out of town.”

Marcus leaned on his pool cue as he explained. Boggs hung on every word.

“Katrina took those big casinos out just as the Paddlewheel was getting started and people had nowhere else to go to gamble. The ‘Wheel earned itself a nice little reputation in the process. A boutique casino if you will. Some folks don’t like all the glitz and glam of the big casinos along the coast so they come up here, particularly some of the bigger spenders who like their privacy.”

“An awful lot of money to have so little security,” Boggs sat directly in front of Carlotta and took her beer. Marcus carefully chose his seat on her other side, to avoid getting an eyeful of her “attributes.”

“Oh, they have security. Metal detectors before you go inside and some of the finest manpower available.” Marcus thumped his own chest and grinned. “It just doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the big boys’ systems.”

Marcus hadn’t told him anything that wasn’t common knowledge. Even the part about garbage sacks of money was already the stuff of urban legend.

Everyone knew the guards didn’t carry guns. It’s why the casino had to have those private bodyguards, especially on the big weekends. That was the casino’s legal loophole on who could have weapons on the job.

Frank continued to quiz him about his work, specifically security. Marcus answered carefully as the questions became rather pointed.

“You sound like you’re planning a robbery,” said Marcus.

Boggs laughed and shrugged. “Oh, you never know. I might have some ideas.”

Since then, there had been several meetings like the one tonight. He’d met Gregor soon afterward. Asa had been with him for that, but he’d been called back to Jackson last week. The aftermath of that damned Simmons case was still burning them both. Marcus felt it every time he thought of Tessa, while Asa was being put through the wringer by IA about money that had supposedly gone missing from the scene. Marcus wasn’t implicated directly—he’d been too busy bleeding out to lift evidence, but the higher-ups were definitely angling to make him guilty by association.

Marcus didn’t plan on testifying against his partner, no matter what they threatened. Asa had saved his ass more times than Marcus could count. But they had some issues to deal with when this was all over, starting with Marcus’s own confession about Tessa.

He was wiped—mentally and physically. And it was more than just the rigors of the past few weeks. He rummaged in his Dopp kit for a toothbrush as he stubbornly refused to face the obvious. He was on the edge of a burn-out. Maybe things would look better tomorrow.

“Me and Scarlett,” he murmured.

His shoulder ached like a bitch. The medicine hadn’t kicked in yet. He wanted a Scotch, but knew he wouldn’t want to stop with just one.

Cally had forgotten the homemade brandy she’d told him about when she brought up the sandwich. He was grateful for that. At this moment he might not be able to handle the temptation.

Instead, he brushed his teeth, turned out the bathroom light and dropped the towel before crawling between the cool, soft-as-cloud sheets. He stared at the ceiling fan. Moonlight shone through a gap in the curtains, throwing odd shadows on the far wall. The bowl of dried flowers and spices perfumed the air along with the faint hint of fresh paint.

It wouldn’t be much longer. Gregor’s plan was already unfolding. His strategy was disturbingly simple and that made it brilliant. In three days the Paddlewheel, the newest casino in Mississippi, would be robbed. And there wasn’t a damn thing Marcus could do, unless he helped with the crime.

“Nooo…No! Help me!”

Marcus sat bolt upright in the bed.

“Bears go away, bears go away!” The child’s voice was shrill.

Marcus looked around as he tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. It felt like the kid was crying next to his ear. As he fumbled to turn on the bedside lamp, he spied the red lines dancing up and down on what he assumed was a baby monitor.

“Momma, help! Momma, help me!”

He flipped on the lamp and shook himself awake, puzzling over what the monitor was doing in his room until he vaguely recalled Cally saying something about finishing up the room today.

She must have left it then. He glanced at the clock. He’d been asleep for less than half an hour.

“Momma, plea…se help me.” The little voice was sobbing softly, pitifully.