“It’s too early for this,” I mutter grumpily as I slide into the booth my brothers reserved. I pick up a sticky menu and open it to the breakfast section, combing the columns of crappy food. I’m too cranky to eat anything, but it’s something I can do with my hands to keep from beating the crud out of my brothers.
“C’mon, Nicholas,” my brother, Joe sings from his side of the booth, “don’t be grumpy.”
I peer over the menu at him. He’s stretched out on the seat, his feet hanging off the side. He’s wearing his glasses today, since there’s no girls to flirt with in the dinky little diner we’re sitting in. He cradles a chipped mug of coffee in his hands, and a cheeky smile tugs at his lips as he sees my expression. He raises the mug in toast and then takes a gulp from it.
“It’s your fault you dragged me out of bed at seven thirty in the morning,” I retort, closing the menu. “And where’s Kevin?”
As if by magic, my other brother Kevin appears and slips into the booth beside me. “Good morning, boys,” he says cheerily, taking my menu and opening it. When he gets no reply from us, the menu falls and he looks at us. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Grumpy guts over there doesn’t want to hear what we have to say,” Joe replies. He puts his legs under the table and puts his mug on the surface. “And let me tell you, little brother, that what we have planned is probably going to be the best thing you’ve heard in a long time.”
I groan and I stare at Kevin. “Please tell me we’re not trying to hit Garter’s again.” The last time we tried to get into Garter’s Jewelry Warehouse, we were literally three inches away from getting our asses dragged to federal prison.
“No, we’re not hitting Garter’s again,” Kevin reassures. “How long has it been since you’ve been to Vegas?”
Vegas? I stare at him, slack jawed. “Vegas?” I repeat incredulously.
“Yep,” Joe says easily, sipping his coffee. “Vegas. We haven’t been there for a while and I miss all my old friends. The Bellagio, the Sands, the Flamingo…and I’ve been feeling lucky lately.”
Only Joe would call casinos his ‘friends.’ I scowl and shrug. “So, what do you suppose we’re going to do in America’s Playground?” I ask.
“Three casinos,” Kevin says, lowering his voice. “One night.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “No way,” I reply, shaking my head. “It’s not possible.”
“Stop being negative, Nick,” Joe snaps. “I think it’ll work.”
“It’s not,” I say, ignoring his command to stop being negative. This can’t work. No one’s done it before. Sure, people have attempted it - but we all know where they are now. I tell this to Joe and Kevin, and they tell me they already have a plan. “Oh yeah? Tell me.”
“Well, we’re going to need a team - a big one,” Kevin says. “And they’re going to have to be good. Really good. I’ve actually got a few people in mind from our previous jobs. You remember…?”
“Yes,” Joe and I chorus, knowing exactly who he was talking about.
“Which casinos?” I continue.
“The Atlantic, the Oasis, and the Pacific,” Kevin provides, counting them off on his fingers.
More disbelief. “Those are Tristan Silver’s places.”
Joe quirks an eyebrow and attempts to look spy-like. “Exactly.”
I roll my eyes and swallow the urge to smack him. I turn back to Kevin. “Why, exactly, are we going to rob Silver’s places? Do you have any idea what he does to people - even if they’re just counting cards? He has thugs beat them until they’re half-dead. Imagine what he would do to people who are trying to rob him.”
Kevin takes a breath and says, “Dude, I know you’re a genius, but I already knew that. That’s why there’s going to be extreme caution and people we trust on our team. Nobody in the casinos will know our names, not know we’re even there. We get what we go for and then we vanish into thin air.”
“I like it,” Joe says. He leans back and takes his coffee cup with him. “I’m in.”
Kevin turns to me. “You?”
There are so many different viewpoints to this. We could get caught, half-killed, and then shipped to prison. Then again, we could reap in the benefits and heighten our status in our thieving world. I also like a good challenge.
“Sure,” I say finally, settling my chin in my hand. “I’m in.”
Taking on Vegas
Prologue
