Page 7 of Devil's Deal

No name tag said, “He’s the big cheese.” Turning to his coworker, he smirked. “See, I know that.”

Harlow sighed. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, sir,” he said, addressing me. “Can I help you?”

“No problem,” I assured him. “I learned a new word today.” The kid’s baby blues brightened. Oh wow. This one really liked his job. There was no faking that excitement. “I have a reservation for Bosley Taylor.”

He clicked on the keyboard of the open laptop in front of him. “Yes, Mr. Taylor. You’ll be in the Gangster’s Paradise Suite.”

My blood froze in my veins as my stomach dropped. Only years of mastering my poker face kept me from revealing that I’d just gone on high alert. Did someone who shouldn’t know I was in town? “Excuse me.”

“Ha!” No name tag guy fist-pumped the air. “It’s not just me. The names are a little over the top.”

Schooling his features, Harlow said, “Excuse me,” to me, then turned to the other guy. “Huey, why don’t you take your break? Most of our guests have already checked in for tonight, so I should be fine.”

Huey shrugged. “It’s your turn to go on break first, but suit yourself.” Then he leaned down, grabbed a smashed pack of cigarettes, and hightailed it out of there.

Harlow, who was doing an admirable job of pushing down his irritation and putting his customer service persona back in place, inhaled deeply and then pasted on a smile as he turned back to me. “Yes, the owner named all the rooms himself. It’s supposed to be fun and whimsical. Make you think of speakeasy.”

“That’s cool. That’s one of the reasons I come to these little boutique hotels. They have character.” It sounded reasonable enough, but Gangster’s Paradise was a little too on the nose for me. “I don’t suppose I can meet the owner? So I can compliment him.” And make sure I’d never met him before. I wasn’t a man who believed too much in coincidence.

Suddenly, the smile on Harlow’s face became a whole lot more genuine and dimples appeared. “Sorry. He’s usually hovering around, but he went to spend some time in Vigor.” At the questioning quirk of my eyebrow, he huffed a small laugh. “That’s our gym.” He pointed toward a doorway that I assumed led into the huge rectangular building attached to this one.

“Ah, Vigor. I planned to hit up the gym myself later.”

“You totally should.” He nodded cheerfully, obviously back in his happy place. “We offer so many great amenities and services. You’ll find a listing of everything on the vanity in your room.”

The vanity?Ha. I really loved boutique hotels. He passed a small white envelope with a card in it across the counter. “Here’s your room key. Your room is on the second floor, near the back. I’ve written it on there for you, along with the actual room number.”

Picking up the small open-sided envelope, I studied it for a second. “Huh. I expected a huge brass key or maybe a skeleton key.”

He snickered. “Apparently Cory thought about it, but his husband, God rest his soul”—he crossed himself like a good Catholic boy—“talked him out of it. Said it wouldn’t be convenient in this day and age to expect anyone to carry a monstrosity like that around when there are more convenient methods.”

“Makes sense to me. Thank you for all your help, Harlow. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”

With a big smile, he waved me off. Good grief, the kid was cute as a button.

As I made it to the elevator, an older Black gentleman with the etchings of a long and happy life and a wedding ring dull from age was coming off.

“Oh, hello, sir. I’m going off shift now, but I’ll take you up first.”

“No, that’s unnecessary,” I assured him. “I’m sure I can push the button for the second floor all on my own.” I looked around. “Or even take the stairs if you point me in the right direction.”

He pointed to the left. “The stairs are over there in case you want to use them in the future, but”—he stepped back inside with a raspy chuckle—“it’s my pleasure to take you up now.”

I followed him inside. “No one replaces you when you’re done for the night?” I asked, making conversation.

He shook his head. “No. I’m pretty sure Mr. Letterman tossed me a bone with this job. He doesn’t really need me, but I needed a job, and I enjoy chatting with the guests.”

We quickly reached my floor since it was only up one story, and I flipped through my money roll, pulling out the appropriate amount for his time and kindness. It chapped my ass that our seniors weren’t taken care of. This man should’ve been at home, relaxing or playing with grandbabies or whatever it was that people with normal lives did.

“Thank you. Have a nice evening,” I said as I stepped out, thrusting the bill into his hand. Through the glass of the elevator doors, I saw the shock on his face when he realized it was a hundred-dollar bill. He immediately started waving to stop me, but I smiled and headed for my room.

I’d been a little worried about being assigned the Gangster’s Paradise Suite, but an owner who hired an old guy for an unnecessary position out of compassion for his situation didn’t sound like a character I needed to be too concerned about.

Down the hall, right where Harlow said it would be, was the name of my room on a shiny gold plaque. The keycard beeped, and I opened the door, expecting to be overwhelmed by another over-the-top room, but it was tasteful and classy. One wall had baby blue wallpaper with gold flowers, but the rest of the room was painted cream. There were black and white prints spaced around the room. One was of two old-time gangsters posing side-by-side with guns over their chests. Another was of a woman, looking off into the distance, holding a cigarette holder with wisps of smoke coming from her mouth. As I expected, they all carried that same theme.

The bathroom made me laugh out loud, though. Black and gold pinstripe wallpaper with a sink jutting out of the wall made completely of black tiles with gold fixtures. They must have spent a pretty penny decorating this place.

Meandering to the vanity, I found a black leather book with The Gin Mill etched in gold across the front. The first page listed the different shops and their meanings.

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