Page 44 of Wildcard's Wager

“Shit, that’s not good.”

“They quit this when my club is working. People know she’s a Demon Dawg, so they wait until the Shadow Borns are working before they quit. Speedster said he’s lost five people today and three yesterday. They wouldn’t tell him why they turned in their notice. He didn’t push it. He was afraid they’d walk instead of finishing their shifts. Didn’t want to be left shorthanded.”

“Did anyone do an exit interview with them?” Brigit asks.

Trouble shakes his head. “What the fuck is that?”

She chuckles. “Exactly like it sounds. You sit with the employee and ask them why they’re leaving. It’s voluntary, but they can be useful. Sometimes people leave for purely personal reasons. However, to have that many leave at the same time. That speaks to a problem. Have there been any policy changes? Or personnel changes? Maybe changes in working conditions? Any of those can lead to turnover.”

“No. We’ve had the same policies in place for about a year now. Until recently, we’ve had little staff turnover. I don’t know about working conditions. What do you mean?”

“It’s a pretty broad topic, but it could be anything from having to deal with faulty equipment to management.Sometimes, a change in management can cause teams to quit. Are these people from the same department or area?”

“I don’t know. Haven’t talked with them. Speedster should know, or it will be on the computer.”

“See, this is why we need you,” Trouble says, pointing at Brigit. “You need to figure this out and help us fix the problem.”

“We need to clear her of a murder charge first,” I say, saving Brigit from responding.

“Have you given her the influence tour? That should get her to agree.”

I chuckle and take her hand as we leave my office. After locking it up, I fist bump Trouble. “I’ll show her the highlights.”

“Good man.” Trouble moves down the hall and into his office.

“Influence tour?” Brigit asks.

“Something I did with Angelica. Angel’s mom. We wanted to convince her to stay in Vegas and keep Angel close for Max and Viper’s sake. She was working as a cocktail server for another casino. Alisa and I thought maybe if we showed her how we treat our employees, she’d agree to work here. It worked. Better than we expected. She won’t be a server, but will do something much more important.”

“Like what?”

“I’ll show you. Part of the tour includes the pool, weight room, locker room, and spa, but those are downstairs. Should probably stay clear of the public areas for now. Employees have full access to these areas. They can use the pools and the weight rooms on their breaks or during non-working hours. We encourage them to bring their family and friends, too. The employees can get free massages at the spa and a discount on other services. We also have a hair salon, a barbershop, and a tattoo parlor. They get discounts there, too.”

“Tattoo parlor?”

I shrug. “We’re bikers.”

Brigit chuckles as I step up to the door of the daycare center we created for the employees. No one who found themselves in this hallway would realize what was behind the door. A one-way mirror on the wall lets those inside see who is outside, but keeps prying eyes off the kids. The room is soundproofed, so no one walking by can hear the chaos that it’s inside. I hold my keycard up to the reader and open the door.

I watch Brigit as her eyes go wide at the organized chaos inside. At any time, day or night, there are usually kids hanging out inside. Older kids take over the television and video game controllers in one corner. But we also have a second television with more kid-friendly games for the younger ones. Tables fill the space which allows kids to play board games, color, or do other crafts. The third corner contains several bean bags and massive pillows, along with bookcases and eReaders that the kids can use. Against the walls are various arcade games.

“Wildcard!” I hear right before a bullet slams into my legs. Looking down, I see Mal.

“Hey, Mal. I didn’t know you were here. Did you come with Trouble?”

“And me,” says Corrine as she glides her way through the chaos.

“Corrine and Mal, this is Brigit. Brigit, I want you to meet Corrine. She’s Trouble’s Old Lady. This is her son Mal., Who is…”

“Puma’s son. I can see the resemblance,” Brigit says with a laugh as she smiles at the boy and then his mother.

“Yeah, he didn’t get anything from me.”

“Except your intelligence, right Mom?”

Corrine laughs as I ruffle Mal’s hair. “Good thing.”

Corrine grins at Brigit. “Actually, Puma is a genius.”

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