So let him put a sweater on.
Its a gamblers expression, Uncle George. Steele will know something is wrong. Even if he doesnt know what it is, hell figure it out eventually. I have to play him on the square. If Im as good as I keep telling myself I am, then I should beat him.
You want to play the cowboy legitimately?
Yes.
Scalzo scowled. Skipper was letting his mouth overload his ass. He wasnt going to play Steele head-to-head. The old cowboy knew too many damn tricks. Scalzo dropped the remote in his nephews lap. Im going to bed, Scalzo said. Lets talk again in the morning.
His nephew stared absently into space as if disappointed with his uncle.
Good night, Uncle George, he said.
Scalzo entered the next room and was greeted by an unexpected guest. Karl Jasper, founder and president of the World Poker Showdown, stood at the bar, talking with Guido while drinking a beer. The face of the WPS, Jasper had black-dyed hair, whitened teeth, and shoulder pads in his jackets that made him look trimmer than he really was.
Nice place, Jasper said.
Scalzo and his nephew were staying in a high-roller suite, compliments of the hotel. It had a fully stocked bar, pool table, Jacuzzi, and private theater with reclining leather chairs. It was the best digs in town, and wasnt costing them a dime. A snifter of cognac awaited Scalzo on the bar. They clinked glasses, and Scalzo raised the drink to his lips and sniffed.
Did you see Rufus Steele on TV? Jasper asked.
The man is becoming a menace.
Scalzo let the cognac swirl around in his mouth. It felt good and strong and made him wake up. He liked how Jasper addressed things. He was a product of Madison Avenue, and had gone from account executive to founder and president of the World Poker Showdown in the blink of an eye. He was a smart guy who suffered from the same problem that a lot of smart guys suffered from: He didnt know how to run a business. Within six months of starting the WPS, hed run out of cash. In desperation hed gone to the mob, and Scalzo became his partner.
Scalzo could not have envisioned a more perfect setup. The biggest mistake the mob had ever made was letting themselves get pushed out of Las Vegas. No other town in the world had the same kind of action. By partnering with Jasper, Scalzo could run a card game inside a Las Vegas casino without the law breathing down his neck. It didnt get any better than that.
Rufus Steele is a clown, Scalzo said. The real problem is Tony Valentine. He wants to expose Skipper. He has a grudge with me.
The beer in Jaspers glass had disappeared. Guido popped the cap off a bottle and poured him another.
Youve dealt with Valentine before? Jasper asked. Scalzo nodded stiffly.
Can he be bought off?
No, Scalzo said. He was a casino cop for twenty years. They called him the squarest guy in Atlantic City.
So what should we do?
Scalzo stared across the suite at the picture window on the other side of the room. The curtains were pulled back, allowing him to see the pulsing neon spectacle that was the strip at night. For years hed run a successful scam in Atlantic City that had made him a small fortune, but this was different. This was Las Vegas, and for as long as he could remember, hed wanted a piece of it all for himself.
We need to get rid of him, Scalzo said. Once Valentines gone, Steele will fade into the sunset, and we can go back to business.
When you say get rid of him, Jasper said, do you mean, run him out of town?
Scalzo put his snifter down, and coldly stared at his guest. Jaspers face and hands were evenly tanned from playing golf three times a week. Theyd been partners for over a year, and so far, Jasper had shown no regrets for having jumped in bed with the devil.
I mean we need to kill the bastard, Scalzo said.
Youre serious.
Yeah. If you wanna get somethin done, you need to do it yourself.
Jasper blinked, and then he blinked again. Making a Madison Avenue decision, Scalzo thought. He placed his hand on Jaspers arm, and squeezed the younger mans biceps. We need to do it right now, Scalzo added.
3
O ld age was mean.
Valentine had discovered that a few years ago, the week hed turned sixty. Hed gotten up one morning, and half the bones in his body felt broken. Hed tried to remember what hed done to deserve such punishment, and realized his body was paying him back for a judo class hed taken two days before.
A two-day-old payback. That was just plain mean.
Old age also turned cruel on Rufus right after the football field cleared out. Rufus was putting his winnings into a rented Wells Fargo truck when both legs cramped and his face turned blue. Valentine had thrown the last bag of money into the truck, then gotten his head under Rufuss armpit, dragged him to his rental, and poured Rufus into the passenger seat.
Gloria and Zack had already left. Valentine got the rental started, and drove across the field to the break in the chain-link fence that led to the parking lot, then on to Las Vegas Boulevard. As the tires hit pavement, Rufuss eyes snapped open.