Page 1 of Wicked Tricks

1

Chapter 1

Rome

“Oh my god!” squeaked Mina, “I love your tie!”

Mina shouted over the thumping bass of the speakers, playing with the middle aged man’s tie and twirling it between her fingers. With a sparkle in her eye, she moved her hands to his balding head, running her long nails through the thinning grey specks that clung to his scalp. We sat either side of him, in the black leather booth. It was sticky with heat, sweat, and spilled drinks.

Mina pulled him close to whisper in his ear, and he wrapped one arm around her waist, and snuck his free hand onto my knee.

“Ugh,” I said, picking up a pudgy finger and throwing his hand away.

Mina leaned in closer, holding the nape of his neck tightly as she wrapped her arm around his thick torso. With a wink directed at me, she skillfully slipped her fingers into his back pocket, retrieving his wallet and dropping it into my hand.

Our well choreographed routine.

I slipped the wallet into the inner pocket of my jacket and slid out of the booth. The man did not notice my leaving as Mina slipped herself onto his lap, tousling her long blonde hair as he slid his last hundred dollar bill into the strap of her sparkly purple thong.

I scanned the crowd and the stages. The red and purple neon lights provided the only light in Lilith’s Club, faces became unrecognisable blobs and noises blended into each other. The girls danced on the high platforms, some among the crowds of men, some up on the stages skillfully slinging themselves around a pole.

Seeking solace and silence, I headed through the back to the dressing room and living area. The girls who were on a break were scattered throughout the room. A few draped over our purple velvet couch watching TV, and some sat out by the small perch overlooking the city, blowing the smoke from their cigarettes out of the small cracked-open window. I avoided all potential conversation and unlocked the office door with my key.

Retrieving the wallet from my pocket, I slumped into the leather chair and struck the space key on my keyboard to awaken the computer. Pulling out the man’s ID’s, I cringed at the photographs of his wife and daughters so proudly displayed. I wondered if they knew where he was right now - on a quiet Monday night at the strip club. I flicked through the cards, pulling out the ones that would be of benefit - and entered the information into my colour coded spreadsheet.

“Thanks Jack,” I said as I slipped his drivers licence back into the same slot that I had pulled it from. I spied a spare hundred dollar note hidden behind an ancient, unused condom and pursed my lips. After a moment of moral deliberation, I shrugged and tucked the note into my back pocket. With a deep breath, I reentered the chaos. Scanning the crowd, I found Mina once again, and quickly tucked the wallet back into Jack’s pants without him even flinching.

“Come on guys, calm down,” I barely heard the pleading of Gwen’s voice over the music. She was our newest dancer and bartender, and she was still learning the ropes. Surrounding her was a group of well dressed men, and she was obviously uncomfortable. With a sigh, I went to investigate.

They boomed together with drunken laughter, and as I caught the side profile of one of them, I felt the fire and anger rise within my gut. Not these pricks again.

The Family.

The Santino’s.

“Hey, assholes,” I shouted, “leave her alone.”

I made space and went to Gwen, putting distance between the men and her. They were all bigger than both of us, and towered especially over Gwen, who was a tiny little redhead.

“We’re just introducing ourselves to the newbie, Rome,” Robert said.

“Well, now she knows just who to avoid, doesn’t she? Now, fuck off.”

“Hey,” his voice snapped from laughter to rage, barking at me, “didn’t your boss tell you that you had to be nicer to us?”

He pointed a stubby finger at my face, puffing his chest and letting his fragile ego take control of his reaction as his friends watched on.

“She did,” I crossed my arms, “and didn’t I warn you not to come back or I would put you on your ass - again?”

Some of his friends snickered behind him. Robert was an up-and-comer in the Santino crime family. He was not a direct heir, only a cousin who threw the family name around like currency. Robert certainly wasn’t Don, or a Capo, or any kind of authority that had any power over us.

He grabbed Gwen tightly by the arm and she yelped as he dug his fingers into her thin, bare arm, pulling her roughly out of the way to get further into my personal space.

“You better watch yourself, bitch-”

With a clench of my jaw, and pure knee-jerk reaction, I pulled back my fist and landed it square centre of his nose. And as promised, I put him on his ass - again.

He tumbled backward, the alcohol not helping his reflexes, clumsily trying to grasp at his friends for help as he fell to the ground in a pathetic heap.

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