pulled Anders to his feet. 'Can you walk okay?' he asked him.
'Can a jackrabbit jump?' Anders smoothed his hair and straightened his clothing. 'I could walk out of this place with two broken legs and a splinted dick.'
Bolan chuckled and pushed the comic ahead of him to the door. 'Keep it straight until we're clear and running,' he cautioned.
'What about Stanno?'
'Let Stanno worry about himself,' Bolan said.
They went out and Bolan carefully closed the door.
Max Keno was sitting sideways in his chair. He gave Bolan a scared look and said, 'What the hell is going on?'
'Nothing you have to worry about,' Bolan told him. 'Just don't go opening no doors until I give the word. Not for nobody.'
'Hell no, I won't,' the little tagman assured him.
'For nobody.'
'Right, that's right, boss.'
Bolan grinned and touched Keno's chin with his knuckles, then he interlocked arms with Anders and led him down the stairs.
'I've had enough,' the comic told him in a low voice. 'If you can't keep the ants out of the picnic basket, then you might is well give up the picnic.'
'You're throwing in the towel?' Bolan asked, scowling out upon the casino floor.
'I'm getting out. Time to retire, I guess.'
'A priest can't retire, Anders.'
'What priest? Who said anything...'
'If the mob is the invisible second government in this country, then your business is the invisible second church.'
They reached the bottom of the stairs, now unblocked and no sign of the two who'd been there earlier.
Anders was saying, 'You wouldn't say that if you'd played the dumps I have.'
'It'd be a damn gray world if everybody in your business closed up shop.'
They were moving across the casino floor, Bolan looking neither left nor right.
'I guess that's right,' the comic said.
'It's true and you know it. That's why the biz captures anybody who brashes it. It's where the soul is, and you know it. It's where your soul is, Anders, and that's why you're straining so hard to keep the ratpacks out.'
'Maybe you're right. I never thought of myself as a priest, though. How'd you find me?'
Bolan fiercely stared down a pair of gunners who momentarily blocked his path. The guys gave way and Bolan pushed his man on through.
'How'd you find me?' Anders asked again.
Bolan kept his scowl intact and said, 'A couple of unholy sisters showed me the way. I believe they would've gone after you themselves if they'd known exactly where to go.'
'What're you talking about?'
But Bolan did not have to answer the question.
The two girls were waiting in the lobby and trying to ignore the ogling attention of the guys in the silk suits.
Bolan gave Anders a hard shove and propelled him into the girls. 'Get outta here!' he yelled. 'And take your gold-plated sluts with you! I catch you peddling flesh in here again and I'll run you clear outta town!'
The twenty odd people milling around in there froze and interestedly watched the disturbance as the big 'torpedo' advanced menacingly on the trio. 'I said get out!' he yelled, the voice hard and threatening.
They got out, and the cluster of men near the ioorway hastily parted ranks to let them through.
'That's how it's going to be around here from now on!' Bolan proclaimed to everybody within hailing distance, then he turned around and stalked back into the casino.
That took care of Anders and the girls.
Now all he had to do was complete this mission and get himself out.
For the moment, at least, he was rolling nothing but naturals.
Chapter Fourteen
New blood
Time was of the essence now, and Bolan swept through the casino, loudly collaring the pit bosses and dragging them along with him. He was 'high-rolling' with everything of value to his life, plus his life itself, in the stakes on destiny's crap table.
The guyr were murmuring among themselves as they tagged along and snatches of the comments were reaching Bolan'a alert ears.
'I dunno, he just said…'
'… for the new owners I guess… .'
'Hell who knows what to expect next around, this… ?'
'… name's Vinton, I think. I don't…'
'Vinton' halted the procession at the foot of the stairway to Vito's ex-joint and yelled up to the tagman.
'Max!'
'Yes, boss?'
'Round up some boys and show everybody the door. We're closing at the eight count.'
A pit boss in the Bolan entourage groaned, 'Whaaat?'
Keno was scampering down the stairway and fighting his way into his coat. Bolan told him, 'Pass the word they can come back at midnight. Meanwhile everything in the lounge and dining room is on the house. And I want a continuous floor show! Nothin' stops but the action in the pits!'
Keno chirped, 'Yes sir't' and hurried off on his mission.
A pit boss standing at Bolan's elbow reminded him, 'We're just going into a shift-change, Mr. uh…'
Bolan snapped, 'Mr. Vinton and you better remember it. Listen, you run back and tell the new shift what I just said. It's on the house for them too. They go to work at midnight.'
The guy grinned and said, 'Sure, Mr. Vinton,' and took off.
The procession moved on to the counting rooms and offices at the rear of the building, Bolan bulldozing his way through the most elaborate security network on the Strip.
The people in the rear had been making preparations for the eight o'clock count, due very shortly. Bolan invited them all to sit down, and he shoved the pit bosses into a line against the wall and began his speech.
'I guess you all know by this time what's going on,' he said, positive that they did not. 'You all heard that Mr. Apostinni cashed out and moved on, but it ain't going to be legal until midnight. We gotta close this joint out, and I mean tidy. You get me? Tidy!
'So we're knocking off all the action, starting right now. I want all the table stakes brung in and counted, all of it, everything. No goddam balance sheets, understand? Counted! You got four hours, you hear me? — four fucking hours, pardon me ladies, to tidy this place up for the new management. I don't want a nickel left out. Who the hell is the boss in charge of the count?'
A nervous man in goldrimmed spectacles stepped forward and identified himself as 'the controller.'
'Awright, you control it then,' Bolan growled. 'We clear it out and then start over clean at midnight with a whole new deal. You got that?'
The controller assured the 'new boss' that he had that.
Bolan swung a fierce gaze to the pit bosses. 'Are you guys coming on or going off?' he asked.
'Going off,' one of them replied.
