Page 47 of Joker's Ghost
“Yeah, there are a couple of famous old ones downtown, and the Venetian just opened one with a secret entry and everything.”
“Might be kinda cool,” Cobra adds. “Open it up to the public and make it exclusive for members only. Boa and I looked at the blueprints for the building last night, and we can make a separate door in the alley, then open up the wall down here.”
“What about our storage space?”
“We partition it off, so we’ll still have storage. We never use this side anyway.” Cobra waves his hand around the room. “Clean it up, but leave as much of the original bar as possible. Crazy we never would’ve known it was here if you hadn’t fallen and Boa didn’t start poking around.”
“Yeah, crazy.” My eyes rest on the exact spot Daisy lay bleeding out in my dream.
“It’s a no-brainer, and another legit business. We already have the liquor license, and you see the crowds we get when we open The Gold Mine to the public one Friday a month, so this—” Cobra opens his arms wide, “will be a fuckin’ win all around.”
Once Cobra gets something in his head, it’s all gas, no brakes, and I had to admit it could work. Plenty of placesaround Vegas made money off its history, and The Gold Mine’s history was actually legit.
“Who’s gonna run it?” It sure as shit ain’t gonna be me coming down to this dark cave.
“Rattler will get it up and running, then the prospects can take shifts. I’m telling you, this is gonna be a win-win.”
I run my hand over the bar top, and I swear to fuck I can almost sense a presence like a pulsing vibration of whoever or whatever came before us.
Cobra stares at me. “You’re not up with this.”
My prez and I can read each other from fifty feet away without a word, so I’m not surprised when he figures me out in the close confines of the damp, dusty basement.
“Seems like a lot of work for little profit.” Yeah, that sounds logical and like I’m not scared shitless to come down here on a regular basis.
“It’ll take some work, sure, but people can’t get enough of these speakeasies. We fix it up, advertise it right, then charge a hefty fee to be a member of a real old-time speakeasy. We’ll even throw in the Bugsy Siegel angle since, according to Boa, all that shit about this being his private club is true, and now we got the proof. I’m telling you, it’s gonna be huge.”
“Won’t it interfere with us using The Gold Mine as a clubhouse?”
“People will enter from the alley and go straight down to this room. We keep the other side of the basement locked off.”
“Sounds like you got it all figured out.”
“I’ll have Boa work up the numbers, then we’ll put it to a vote at the next church meeting. If it’s all a go, I’ll start looking into contractors.”
“I gotta get to the shop.” Truth is, I gotta get out of this basement, but at the same time, I dread climbing those stairs again.
“I was kinda hoping you’d be more into it.”
“I got a lot on my mind.” I wait for Cobra to go up aheadof me, then follow close behind. When I reach the mid-point, I hear a slight humming but nothing compared to the other night. I don’t mention it to Cobra, and by the time I’ve reached the top stair, it’s gone. Thank fuck.
“Tonight, we take care of our business with the Nomads.” Cobra holds out his fist, and I do the same. “Settle this shit once and for all.”
If I could only shake this wonky unsettled feeling, I’d be all in. Hopefully, tonight we’ll straighten shit out so I can get back to my life and shake off whatever cloud is following me.
DAISY
I make sure all the purchase orders and billing are up to date, then amble, more like waddle, into the garage. Sounds crazy, but even though I’m pregnant, I still love the smell of oil and gasoline that surrounds me. It actually calms me and reminds me of what Joker and I have built together.
I watch, unnoticed, as Joker works on a bike in the last bay. His level of concentration and dedication when he works amazes me. Where my thoughts most times are all over the place, he is centered and focused always.
It’s not until I’m three feet away from him that he looks up. “You all right?” The anxiety in his voice saddens me.
“I’m fine.” I massage the small of my back. “Just a little stiff. I’m thinking of heading home for a nice warm bath since Derek is picking up Deana after school today.”
Lately, I’ve been leaving the shop earlier than usual because I’m at the point in my pregnancy where no position is comfortable. If I sit too long, my hip aches; if I stand too long, my lower back aches, plus my ankles are swelling. Good times.
“Wish I could join you, but I gotta get this done.” Joker motions to the Softail Harley. “The casino manager from the Bellagio is picking it up later.”
