Page 46 of Reckless Pawn

"Izzy! What are you doing here?"

I turned to see Eva gracefully pushing her way through the crowd in my direction. She stopped two feet in front of me and did her usual scan from head to toe. "I don't have you on the schedule to work. JD said you needed tonight off."

"He was wrong."

Her right eyebrow lifted and I got the look that clearly said she didn't like that answer.

"Honest. I couldn't stand the thought of sitting home alone another minute. Besides, it looks like you could use my help. What’s going on?"

"Monthly poker tournament. It always brings out a crowd, but I think we're breaking numbers tonight. If you're serious about working, I could use you. Even though Mandy was a first class bitch, having her gone is making it hard to keep up with business."

I smiled. "Totally serious. Should I man the door since I haven't really been trained for anything else yet?"

She glanced at the crowd milling around us and shook her head. "Nope. The incomers need a strong hand tonight so I'm doing the front door. But I could use your help in one of the high dollar pits. They aren't hard and the tips are usually generous. Think you can handle it?"

I nodded. "Sure, why not? It's what I came for."

Eva grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the back. "All you have to do is keep them comfortable and gambling. That usually means simple things like getting drinks and food. Some are cigar smokers and you may need to fetch some of those. If so, ask Mary behind the bar. She'll get what you need from the safe."

Just then we broke free from the crowd and I nearly slammed into Eva when she suddenly stopped and whirled to face me. "Some will want girls on their breaks."

My stomach plummeted at the implication. I definitely wasn't up for that. "I—uhm I mean—"

She held up her hand and stopped my stammering. "I'm not suggesting you take care of their needs personally. We have extra staff in from The Line for that."

The Line was the club owned bar somewhere in town. I'd heard of it but had no frame of reference for its location since I still wasn't familiar with the tiny town of Sultan.

"If anyone asks, you go get Zook. He's the bald-headed guy standing guard in front of the private rooms in the back right corner. He'll take care of whatever you need."

I followed the direction she pointed and sure enough, there was the familiar shiny head of Zook along with his usual dark scowl and beard. I rarely interacted with the club, but I'd on occasion run into him on the compound and swiftly turned the other way. There was something about him that unnerved me.

Although I could say that about most of the club members at one time or another, Zook had a different vibe that went beyond the knife scar down his cheek and the arms and neck completely covered with ink. There was something darker on the inside that made him far scarier than his appearance. I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to him, especially when it came to finding women to uhh entertain the clients.

"Okay." Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"C'mon, I'll introduce you to one of the tables. If you get comfortable with that and think you can take care of more, get one of the waitresses to come find me. But keep your focus on the table. Happy gamblers spend a lot more money."

"Got it," I assured her as I followed her the few feet to a table filled with about ten men, all seemingly focused on the cards in their hands and not anything that was happening around them.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I hate to interrupt. I'd like to introduce you to Izzy. She's going to be your hostess for the remainder of the evening. If there's anything at all you need, don't hesitate to ask her."

A few absent-minded greetings sounded around the table with most keeping their focus on the game. A couple glanced my way and smiled, one in particular taking a few moments to appraise me.

"Welcome, Izzy." As kind of expected his eyes roamed over me, but fortunately not stopping anywhere that would make me too uncomfortable. It was over almost as soon as it began.

I turned to Eva. "Should I sit? Do I stand? What do I do?"

"Here is a good spot until you are summoned closer. And whatever these men say, don't worry too much over it. They're all gentlemen and some of our best regulars. You'll be fine here." She squeezed my arm. "Gotta go," she whispered before disappearing back into the crowd.

I turned back to the table and started watching the game. A glance around the table quickly told me they were playing standard Texas Hold’em. My father's game of choice. All his life he'd spent his free time either at the card table or at some other betting type event. (mostly sports like boxing.)

I couldn't remember a time that didn't involve one or the other. Over the years I'd learned to play several different games and had a fair talent for placing winning bets. Not that I got to use those talents very often. My father strictly forbade me from any type of gambling or even playing poker in any of his game nights. Those games were for men he insisted. So my skills came at the hands of the staff in secret late night games organized when my father and mother were out of town.

"You know how to play?"

I looked up, startled to see one of the older players at the table was speaking to me. His dark hair was liberally sprinkled with grey and the worry lines etched deep into his face placed him at probably sixty or more. But the blue of his eyes reminded me a little of Houston the night we met. They were clear and vivid, while filled with genuine curiosity. "A little, a long time ago. But not recently."

He patted the empty chair next to him. "Well, then. Why don't you have a seat and get reacquainted with the game? You don't have to stand there at attention while waiting to fetch us something. Someone will let you know if they need something."

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