Page 26 of A Raven Reborn

“Why don’t you bring this home to sleep in?” She smiled up at Patrick.

“Don’t think I haven’t considered it.”

The next table they came to was a large rectangle. The corners were rounded and the playing surface marked with a host of numbers and symbols, was recessed a ways from the mahogany, outer edge.

“What’s this one?”

“This is for a dice game, called craps. Most of the time, there will be a crowd of men gathered around this table, whooping and hollering, and sometimes even praying, for the dice to land just the right way.”

“Do you play?”

“No.” He shook his head for emphasis. “Although it’s entertaining to watch. Especially when it doesn’t go their way and the whole crowd groans in unison.”

“I suppose that means you win, right?”

He chuckled. “Yes, it usually does.”

They walked around the rest of the club, Patrick explaining each of the tables in turn. They were all different sizes and shapes, but most of them sported either a padded black leather or mahogany edge, around a green baize playing surface. Each one was marked with different numbers, grids, and symbols, but they all had at least one raven emblazoned upon them. Some of the tables were meant to be played while standing, but the others were surrounded by red velvet upholstered chairs or stools.

Rosalyn was in awe. She’d never seen anything like it. Turning slowly in a circle, she tried to take it all in, imagining what it must be like at night. Countless lamps adorned the walls, so even then, there was sure to be a flood of light bathing everything and everyone in the room. She envisioned crowds of men, laughing and drinking and playing games.

Why did men get to have all the fun? On the few occasions Rosalyn had attended gatherings with women, it was no more than tea and gossip. Perhaps a titter or two was permitted, but certainly no jovial laughter or raucous cheering.

“What do you think?” Patrick asked, but the proud smile he wore proved he already knew the answer to that question.

Rosalyn shrugged. “You should open one for ladies.” Patrick actually choked, before sputtering into laughter. At least she’d managed to surprise him out of that smug grin.

“Would you like to see where the business side of things takes place?”

“You mean other than at that table?”

Patrick shook his head. “No one ever visits the inner sanctum.” He shrugged. “But if you’re not interested.”

Rosalyn felt another growl coming on. If banter had a winner, it was always him. They climbed an unassuming staircase behind an unassuming door. It didn’t feel much like the entrance to a secret lair, but perhaps that was the point. As they climbed, however, excitement blossomed in her chest. He was showing her something few people had seen.

At the top, Patrick unlocked another door. It was dark within, but he flipped a switch, and bright light instantly flooded the space. A massive office. Three matching mahogany desks, arranged in a U, sat comfortably in the center.

“You each need your own desk?”

“We couldn’t agree on which drawers should be used for what.” Patrick shrugged. “It was the simplest solution.”

“But not exactly the most frugal one.” Rosalyn shook her head. She’d never seen such extravagance.

“Yes, well, frugality has never really been something we’ve strived for, I suppose.”

“Which one is yours?” He patted the top of the one on the left. Rosalyn seated herself in the oversized chair behind it. “Now I see why you have your meetings downstairs.”

Patrick nodded. “If these chairs were as cozy as those ones, I’m afraid we’d never get any work done.”

Along the wall at the bottom of the U, were three enormous safes. “You each have your own safe, as well?”

Patrick laughed richly. “Not exactly. That's for security purposes,” he explained. “None of us knows the combination to all three safes.”

That was something Rosalyn would probably never have considered. It was undoubtedly a good precaution, but they would only need such precautions in case they were robbed and forced to open the safes. For some reason, she didn’t like the idea of Patrick being in that kind of danger.

“How many times have you been robbed?” she asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

“None, so far,” he said confidently, “but you can never be too careful. We take security very seriously. The man you’ve seen is just one of many, with his size and skills, that we employ.”

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