Jacob Evan Black, known better as Jack by literally everyone who didn't know him better (which was everyone but a small group of people) marched up to the front doors of his place of business. House 21 was the largest casino in the city and easily one of the biggest fronts of otherwise nefarious activity that he was aware of… which was not saying much about the casino itself he supposed.
One of the bouncers had the door open for him before he reached the threshold and he gave a brief nod in thanks as he walked through. He walked by a server dressed in a half-tone dress of the specific black and red that made the casino's logo colors. She got his attention and offered him what looked like a shot glass of espresso.
“We've been expecting you back, sir,” she said.
“Figured you would want a shot of ‘Liquid Gold’ on your way down.”
Jack gave her a genuine smile.
“It's as if you all know how to keep a caffeine addict happy,” he said cheerfully.
He nodded in the direction he was headed, prompting her to walk with him.
“How are we doing on the main floor tonight?”
“From what I know of we are doing well tonight, sir. We have plenty of patrons all over the place, practically a Full House,” she noted with an amused smile at her own pun.
“There's been a steady flow of credits all around and plenty of them wanting to move to the lofts.”
Jack nodded.
“I see what you did there!” he chuckled.
“Keep up the good work and keep them happy and the money flowing!”
The server nodded and returned to her work, leaving Jack to continue to his destination. He approached an elevator with a gilded frame and scanned his thumb on a digital reader. The reader chimed and flashed his personal emblem of a black poker Spade with a “J” in the center of it, and then the doors hissed open.
“Welcome, Jack of Spades” spoke a computerized voice as he stepped into the elevator.
“Sub-level two,” Jack stated as he turned back to face the now closed doors.
The mechanism worked instantly at the voice command and the elevator descended below the street level. Moments later the doors opened again and revealed a long corridor that led to a wide set of ornately decorated wooden double doors, guarded by a pair of rather burly and well-armed men. He walked briskly to them and pushed the doors open as dramatically as possible.
On the other side was a vast and poshly furnished meeting room. A massive oval table with each of the card suite icons divided in quadrants was the centerpiece of the room.
A pair of guards with similar gear as the two outside the room flanked the doorway. Jack's only close friend and a fellow member of the House 21 leaders, the Ace of Diamonds, was near the door as well. He wore his signature suit and tinted glasses and his even more signature blank expression with his arms crossed, facing the doorway expectantly.
“You look even more cheery than usual, Ace,” Jack prodded.
“Oh, you will be too, trust me…” the Brit said flatly.
“Why? What did Maverick break this time?” Jack asked with a grin as he looked across the table.
He froze and his expression went slack.
Across the room at the head of the table stood Maverick Queen with his usual defiant smug look that Jack always wanted to punch off his face.
Next to the King of Clubs was the Queen of Hearts, Tesla Quing, who looked just as annoyed as the Scotsman looked pleased with himself.
“Hope whatever you had wasn't important, Jack…” she said.
“We may have a situation… of the blond variety…”
Seated and bound to the chair between the two was a young girl Jack instantly recognized… the barista girl from The Brewer’s Cafe… and she instantly recognized him as well.
“Jack?!”
Jack began to try to speak but was flabbergasted beyond words for a brief moment. He gestured with his hands, turned to look at Ace, then back at the girl.
“Exactly what I thought you'd say…” Ace said.
Jack composed himself, put his face in his hand, then pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I thought I made it pretty clear that we have a ‘NO ABDUCTION’ policy! What part of ‘NO ABDUCTION’ is so hard to understand?!" he roared.
Maverick continued to stare him down, defiance plastered all over his face.
“Well, I would have asked her nicely, but she refused,” drolled Tesla.
“She was snooping around while we were meeting with the contact and one of her goons nabbed her.”
She glared over at Maverick then closed her eyes and exhaled.
“Ham-Hands over here obviously wanted to ‘silence’ her so she couldn’t say anything about what she saw or heard and saw. Went with the next logical thing and brought her here.”
“Do you have any idea who this is?” Jack asked, gesturing to the girl.
“Just some wee lass from the street at the wrong place and the wrong time?” Maverick asked.
“Isn’t this Charlie?” asked Ace.
“Who the blazes is Charlie?” asked Maverick.
“And why should I care?”
Jack put his hand back over his face.
“She works at the cafe I go to across town…” he said, exasperated.
Tesla looked at the girl, then back to Jack.
“She what? That’s why you’re all bent out of shape over her being here?”
“I WAS a regular customer, but I suppose I’ll have to go to the bloody Cosmic Coffee or something now….” Jack noted.
Charlie finally spoke up.
“You’re worried about your reputation as a customer at my family’s cafe?!” she said.
“You know my brother works for the N.A.P.D., right?”
“Dear, the N.A.P.D. is the least of our concerns right now…” Tesla said, patting Charlie’s shoulder.
“We aren’t just gambling with petty amateurs… we deal with the real high-rollers around here.”
Charlie gave her a confused look but turned back to Jack.
“What are you going to do with me?” she demanded.
“Just keep me here locked up?”
Jack motioned for the two guards behind him.
“Take her to the suite for now,” he commanded.
“I presume someone already took her phone?”
Tesla produced the device from her coat pocket and slid it across the table to him as the two men walked across the room. Jack picked it up and handed it to Ace.
“Send a text to her mother or whatever family she has and say she is staying with a friend for the night or something,” he said.
“Just make it believable to be from her.”
Ace nodded silently and left. This left Jack alone with Tesla and Maverick.
“And my evening was going so well…” Jack said, shaking his head.
“Now I have to sort out this mess…”
“And while you were out on a nice little stroll we had to deal with Ace’s ex…” Tesla said.
“It’s no one’s fault specifically besides the girl’s that she is here. She followed us.”
“Because that oaf stands out like a sore thumb in that dress of his!” Jack snorted.
“Says the man prancing about the city in a long coat and top hat like he is going to visit the bloody queen!” retorted Maverick.
“Both of you, can it!” demanded Tesla.
“It's not one or the other of you, it's all of us! Our specific wardrobe practically flags us for attention and she noticed us as a whole.”
Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“You're right, and it was a conscious decision on all of our parts to be as obvious as we are,” he said calmly.
“We wanted a signature look and this is the occupational hazard in our line of work.”
“What are we going to do about the girl?” asked Tesla.
Jack shook his head.
“While I don't technically know her personally, I'm at least familiar to her…” he said.
“I'll talk to her and we will figure this out.”
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