Page 23 of Devil's Marker

Win told himself he didn’t have time for diversions. Certainly not the kind that had been described as hot-tempered handfuls. While he was thinking about turning and walking the other way, a cheer went up.

He turned to see an enormous five-tiered cake being wheeled into the middle of the room. With lit sparklers from top to bottom, it was a sight to see. People started stomping on the wood floor, which created an enormous din and, just when the sparklers went out, a stripper burst through the top of the cake.

Everybody cheered.

Win turned toward R.C. just in time to catch her roll her eyes and hear her say, “How original,” to Robin.

The stripper, wearing a g string with letters spelling Happy Birthday strung between pasties, tried to sing the familiar song in breathy Marilyn Monroe style as bikers pushed Boss forward. The girl couldn’t sing, but really, that wasn’t why she’d been hired. When she was finished, Boss picked her up out of the remains of the cake and pulled a pastie off one of her nipples with his teeth to squeals from the stripper and cheers from a crowd growing rowdier by the minute.

R.C. shook her head, but didn’t look as scandalized as most girls would be if they witnessed their fathers performing public acts of a sexual nature. “Let’s get out of here before they forget who we are and decide we’re part of the entertainment,” R.C. said to Robin.

Robin snorted. “Nobody’s stupid enough to look at you that way. But there’s a club downtown that has opened since the last time you were here. You want to check it out?”

Nodding, R.C. said, “We need a driver.”

“Let’s make it simple and call Uber.”

He watched them move toward the exit and felt a little tendril of pleasure when R.C. turned back and caught his eye just before she went through the door.

“Hey, little brother,” Cue said, almost knocking Win over when he banged him on the shoulder in a macho interpretation of good-natured fun. Normally Win would think nothing of it, but the physical shock that would normally be absorbed by his body without a second thought traveled straight to the damage to his face. Nerve endings screamed.

Cue was half plastered, but not so drunk he didn’t notice the wince followed by a grimace. “Oh, sorry, man. I didn’t think.”

“That’s okay,” Win said. “You know, if you’ll just point me to where I’m bunkin’ in, I think I’ll call it a day.”

“Bunkin’? We need to show you around.”

“How about tomorrow? I think people are more interested in celebratin’ than gettin’ to know me. Right?”

“Yeah. I see that. You got some stuff?”

“Stuff?”

Cue laughed. “Silk pajamas or whatever?”

“Saddlebags. I’ll just crash tonight. Get my stuff in the mornin’.”

“Up to you. You’re down this way. We call it the West Wing.” Cue moved his chin to indicate the general direction of Win’s new home, for a month or less.

He followed Cue through a big door into a wide hallway. The noise level was cut by half as soon as they closed the door behind them. At the end of the hall they turned left into another hallway that looked more like a hotel than anything. Cue stopped at number twenty-seven.

“This is you,” he said, opening the door and switching on the light. He pointed to a key hanging by the door. “This is the only key. You lose it, you pay the locksmith to replace it.” Win nodded. “Bed’s clean. Mini-fridge is stocked. We got people who’ll clean and do your laundry, but you’ll have to leave your door open on Tuesday mornings for that. WIFI password is Mhouse. Got cable. All the channels. You get hungry for real food, go back the way we came. Kitchen’s on the other side of the club house.

“You gonna remember any o’ this?”

“I think so.”

“Boss’ll talk to you tomorrow about club biz, how you fit in, ya know?”

Win nodded again. “Think so,” he repeated.

“All righty then. You’re on your own. I’ve got some partyin’ to finish.”

“Better get to it.”

“I will.” With that Cue left the room.

Win closed the door. He was alone, and it was remarkably quiet considering the Bacchanalia going on under the same roof. He stared at the door for a few seconds then took the key off its hook and locked it.

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