Lucky looks at me and says, “Well, I hope you’re happy. Ten million dollars just walked out the door.”
“You don’t want to do business with that guy.”
“Why not?
“Guys and Dolls? The media would have a field day.”
Gwen laughs. “Pickles and Peters in business together. You get it? Pickled Peters?”
“Shut up, Gwen,” Lucky says.
We all shut up. But our heads turn toward Surrey, as if caught in the pull of a tractor beam.
Moments later, Tom scurries over to the table. He appears to have tears in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry!” he says, with great sincerity.
“Quite all right,” Lucky says.
“I was talking to Surrey.”
Gwen arches her eyebrow and says, “This gets weirder and weirder.”
“I’ll just escort her out of here,” Tom says.
Gwen says, “He struck her!”
“He’s upset,” Tom says.
“I don’t care! He can’t just go around hitting her like that. It’s still abuse.”
Tom lowers his head and sighs.
“He’s done worse.”
He bites his bottom lip a moment, then positions himself behind Surrey, places his palms below her elbows, and carefully begins hoisting her to a standing position.
“This is the worst part,” he says.
“Lifting her?” I say.
Tom shakes his head. “The constant fighting,” he says. “They’re always at each other’s throats.”
“Tom,” I say.
“Sir?”
“What does he pay you?”
“Sir?”
“Eddie. How much does he pay you for this bullshit?”
“He doesn’t pay me anything.”
“Excuse me?”
“Surrey pays me.”
Gwen laughs.
I say, “Of course she does.”
20.
“It’s not going to work, you know,” I say to Lucky.
“What’s not?”
“Your Vegas Moon scam.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This isn’t a real deal. And if it was, it wouldn’t make sense.”
“Why not?”
“You’re the draw. The rest is just another sports book.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you set the line at Vegas Moon, the casinos would simply adjust theirs. You’d be betting against yourself.”
“You know anything about Vegas?”
“I know there’s plenty of bank financing for legitimate deals.”
We’re in Phyllis’s actual office. Gwen’s walking through the other rooms with a penlight, keeping it below the windows the way I instructed her.
“You know much about sports betting?” Lucky says.
“Nope. But I understand people.”
