The Fury
Issue #9
by Tom Zjaba
Chapter Ten
High Roller
Jack leans against the window of the bus and watches the same
scenery keep going by. The road stretches on for miles and everywhere he looks,
he sees trees. He knows the trip is short, but already he is bored. It has been
a long time since he went on a trip, so he is not conditioned for long trips. He
is also not used to being sober this long. Time flew by when he was drunk, which
up until a few months ago, was all the time. He looks around the bus and decides
to read some minds for fun. He knows that it is intruding and probably illegal,
but what does he care. He never said he was a good guy. He looks around and sees
an old lady sitting there reading a magazine. He concentrates on her as her
thoughts open up to him. <I really hope I can get tickets to see Tony Bennett.
He is just so dreamy.> Jack giggles to himself as he moves to the next person.
He sees a business man on his computer and decides to have some fun. The man is
typing something as his fingers are furiously moving around the keyboard. Jack
concentrates on the screen and pushes it down, slamming it on the guy's fingers.
Not enough to hurt him, but enough to get his attention. The guy screams out
"Owww." as he pulls his fingers out. He rubs them as they have been pinched. He
then lifts the screen and checks it out. He opens and closes it to see what is
wrong. After checking it, he gives up and goes back to typing. As he is typing,
Jack keeps hitting the backspace button. The first time, he stops and looks at
it. Then he returns to typing, when Jack does it again. But this time, he keeps
it down as it erases the whole line he just typed. "Stupid junk. I better see if
I can return it." he mumbles as he turns it off and puts it down.
The bus is now in New Jersey as Jack looks around for a new
victim. He turns in his seat as he looks to the back of the bus and sees a girl
and a guy in the back of the bus. The guy keeps trying to cop a feel from her,
but she keeps pushing his hand off her leg. She is a cute girl with long blonde
hair in a ponytail. She is wearing jean shorts that are tight and a tube top
that is striped. He is wearing a black t-shirt with some metal band on it and
cut off jeans that look like they were made with an old pair of jeans and some
scissors. He has long hair and a silly looking goatee. He listens to their
thoughts and hears her thinking <He is finally taking some time off from work.
He better not be cheap on this trip.> Jack then listens to his thoughts <I am
blowing enough money on this trip. She better make it worthwhile or I am dumping
her ass.> Jack figures he will have a little fun with them. He waits for his
opportunity. After a few minutes, she starts to yawn and stretches. She raises
her arms up over her head as she stretches. Jack then concentrates and pulls
down her halter top. One quick swoop, the top goes
down and her breasts spill out. As soon as it happens, she screams and quickly
pulls the top back up. Everyone on the bus turns around to see what the
commotion is and some of them are treated to a free show. Once she is decent
again, she turns and smacks him across the face. "What the hell were you
thinking?" she screams at him. He is stunned as he has no idea what is going on.
While he did enjoy the free show, especially having a front row seat, he had no
idea what happened. "Why did you smack me?" he says as he rubs his face. She
then slaps him again as she says "You know why, for pulling down my halter top.
What the hell were you thinking?" He now covers his face as he says "Will you
quit slapping me. I didn't pull down your halter top, honest." She glares at him
as she says "I may be blonde, but I'm not stupid. If you didn't do it, who did?
A ghost?" The guy moves over a seat as he doesn't want to get slapped again.
"Maybe it was a horny ghost." he says as he now has a little distance between
them. She then stands up and goes over and whispers something to him. He has a
shocked look on his face but he follows her into the bathroom. They both go in
and close the door. After a few minutes, she comes out of the bathroom with his
shorts and underwear. She moves up to the front of the bus and sits down in a
seat. The man's head then pops out of the bathroom and he looks around for her.
"Honey, where are you?" He looks around and then he sees her sitting halfway up
the bus, waving his shorts. "Come get em." she says with a smile on her face. An
old lady is sitting across from her and smiling. She then says "Come on sweetie,
don't be shy." They both start laughing. "This isn't funny, give me my pants
back." he says as his face turns beet red. "I don't think so." she says as she
keeps waving them back and forth. "This isn't funny, now please give me my pants
back." he says as he is getting pissed off. "You thought it was funny when you
showed my boobs to the whole bus. Now it is your turn to flash them ." He glares
at her as he is pissed. Knowing she needs to do something more dramatic to get
him out, she reaches in his pocket and pulls out his wallet. "Let's see what's
in this wallet." She then starts taking stuff out commenting on it. "Four
condoms, you won't be needing these." She then takes the condoms and throws out
the window. She then pulls out the money and starts counting it "Two hundred
bucks. I hope you have more money somewhere else. Trust me, there was no way you
were going to spend this little and use all four condoms." She then puts the
money into her halter top. She digs deeper in his wallet, when she pulls out a
piece of paper. "What is this?" Realizing what she found, the man runs out of
the bathroom naked. Everyone on the bus starts whistling and laughing as he
tries hard to pull his shirt down to cover himself, with no luck. The old lady
laughs and smiles as he runs over and grabs his wallet back. While he does
recover his wallet, he does not get the piece of paper that she is holding.
"Give me that." he says. She turns away from him and starts reading the paper.
"Why do you have a piece of paper with your ex girlfriend's number on it?" He is
trying to grab it away from her as he says "I just forgot to throw it out." She
then turns it over and sees that it is written on a receipt which is dated. And
the date is only a week old. "Really, then why is it written on a receipt that
is only a week old? Did you get a time machine?" Tears are rolling down her eyes
as she looks at the date and realizes that it was her birthday. She then turns
to him and says "You went to see your ex girlfriend on my damn birthday. You are
such a jerk, get the hell away from me." He tries to touch her to calm her down,
but she turns to him and says "Don't you ever touch me, you two timing son of a
bitch." She then leans against the window and starts crying. Not knowing what to
do, he grabs his shorts and underwear and runs back to the bathroom. The old
lady comes over and starts comforting the woman. "Men are such pigs." she says
as she tries to get her to stop crying.
An hour later, they pull into the bus station at Atlantic
City. Everyone rushes to get out of the bus. Well, everyone but the guy who is
sitting in the back of the bus, moping. The girl has gotten off and is heading
over to buy a ticket back home. He is unsure what to do. Should he try to make
up with her or should he stay and have fun. Figuring this relationship is over,
he gets off and decides to check into the hotel room. The room is paid for and
he doubts that he could get a refund. He looks over at the woman as he gets out
and she flips him off. He does not respond. Instead, he just grabs his suitcase
and walks off.
Jack takes his bag and sits down on a bench. He is tired and
decides to just relax for a few minutes. He does not have a room yet and hasn't
decided on where to stay. Right now, he just wants to sit back and enjoy
himself. Bus stations are no stranger to him as being homeless, you learn that
they are a great place to get out of the cold for a short time. And their
bathrooms are always open, which is nice. As he sits there, he sees a man rush
past him. The man has a nervous look on his face. He is carrying a gym back and
clutching it tight. Jack decides to read his mind <I have to hide this money.
They are going to notice it missing from work and they will come to my house and
search. I have to hide it where they will never find it.> He then sees the
lockers in the station and rushes over there. <I will hide it in here. Just for
a couple of days.> He then puts in the bag and pays the money and shuts it. He
then pulls the key out and sticks it in his pocket. He then hurries out as he
looks around to make sure no one is watching him. As he leaves, Jack smiles to
himself. He walks over to the locker and stares at it. He concentrates on the
lock and with a little work, he is able to mentally open it. As the door opens,
he reaches in and pulls out the gym bag. He quickly closes the locker door. He
then starts walking off as he opens the bag and looks inside. He smiles as he
sees a pile of money inside there. He then thinks to himself "This trip is
already profitable and I haven't placed a single bet yet."
Walking down Date Street, Buffalo Bill, Slash and Boom Boom
look for information about The Fury. With no good leads, they are getting
desperate. So they try one of the best ways to find someone, go to the place
where everything is for sale, even information. As they look around, they decide
to hit the bars. After going into a half dozen bars, they finally come across a
decent lead. As they are talking to the bartender, a man walks up and says "I
have some info for you." Bill turns around and looks at him. "And how much do
you want?" The man smiles and says "Fifty bucks and I will give you a trail to
follow." Bill looks back at his two accomplices and then nod. He then pulls out
a fifty and hands it to the man. "I am a trained killer, so if you are wasting
our time, I will waste you." The old man laughs and says "I'm not worried, you
will have your hands full with the Fury." He then puts the fifty in his pocket
and walks over to a table and sits down. The men follow him and sit around him.
He takes a swig out of his beer and then puts it down. He looks back and forth
at the three men and says "The man who the Fury robbed came through this bar."
Buffalo Bill reaches in his coat and puts his hand on his gun. "You better have
more than that old man." The man looks at him and says "Patience cowboy,
patience. The guy was a regular here. He was also a regular at the Candi Stripe.
That is where he was robbed. A man bought him a private dance with two girls and
while he was enjoying himself, the guy robbed his car." Slash stares at him and
says "And what does this have to do with the Fury?" The man smiles and says
"That man was the Fury." He then pulls out a picture out of his pocket and hands
it to them. They look at the picture and see a man sitting at a strip club.
There is a half naked lady walking behind him. "That's the Fury?" Bill asks as
he hands the picture to Slash. "The one and only. But he is in disguise." Boom
Boom then looks at the picture and asks the man "Who took the picture?" The man
smiles, which shows his missing teeth. "I took it." Bill grabs the picture back
and puts it in his pocket. "What were you doing with a camera in a strip club?"
The man laughs and says "I was doing research for a book I am writing." The men
all laugh. Bill then looks at him and says "Bullshit. You were taking pictures
of the nude women. Isn't that right you pervert?" The man laughs and says "I am
being morally judged by a hired killer, that's funny." This makes Boom Boom and
Slash break out laughing. Bill is not amused, but he decides not to do anything.
The last thing they need is the police sniffing around for a murder. He just
rises and says "We have our lead, let's get out of here." As the men leave the
bar, the old man pulls off his baseball cap and looks at the camera he has
hidden inside. He smiles as he looks at it and says "I wonder how much I can
fetch for pictures of three hit men?" He then puts the hat back on his head and
laughs.
Jack checks into a hotel that is connected to a casino. He
drops his bag on the floor and falls on the bed. He lays there enjoying the nice
bed and thinks about how long it has been since he was in a real hotel, one that
did not rent rooms by the hour. He looked at the blankets and sheet and was
amazed at how there were no stains. And everything smelled so nice. He looked in
the bathroom and was amazed at how clean it was. He then returned to the bed and
grabbed the gym bag. He figures that he will pour out his take and see how much
there is. As he pours it onto the bed, he is amazed at how much money was in
there. A large pile of money is laying there. He starts sorting it out with the
twenties in one pile, the fifties in another and the hundreds in another. So far
the hundreds make the largest stack. When he finishes, he begins to count it.
When the counting is done, he ends up with $250,000.00. Part of him feels guilty
for taking the money. He doesn't know where the guy got the money from or who he
was afraid of, but he is pretty sure it is hot. Jack pulls out ten grand and
puts it in his pocket. He then takes the rest and hides it under the bed. It is
not the best place, but he figures as long as he keeps the door locked, he
should be all right. Part of him wants to have the desk hold it, but he doesn't
trust them. So he grabs the gym bag and pulls out another ten grand and stuffs
it in his pocket. It is found money and if he loses it, at least he has some of
it. He then pulls a few grand out and puts it in the top drawer next to the bed.
This way if someone breaks in and finds some money, they may leave and not keep
looking. Feeling better, he locks the door and heads down to the casino. It is
time to start making some money.
Deacon is sitting in his office when one of his henchmen
comes in. "We have a guy who says he has something of interest for Justin Rage."
Deacon puts down his paperwork and says "Send him in." The man with the baseball
cap with the camera comes in. He looks around at the posh office and says "Nice
digs. I see the recession hasn't affected you." Deacon moves one of his hands
over to push a button that sends security. "I know you didn't come here to talk
about the economy. So what can I do for you?" The man walks over and pulls over
a leather chair and sits down. "Very comfy. You know how to live. Anyway, I am
here to see Justin Range. I have something he may be interested in." This always
upsets Deacon as he is Justin Rage's right hand man and everyone who wants to
see Justin, has to be cleared by him first. Despite all his power, he is still
dissed by every two bit hood who wants a personal meeting with Justin Rage.
Demanding to talk to the top guy may work at a department store, but it does not
work like that here. He glares at this man who is obviously living the low life.
He hates having to deal with these guys who have little money and figure that
Justin Rage is a big bank that just gives money away. It is Deacon's job to keep
Justin Rage from being disturbed by all these parasites. He glares at the man
and says "All visitors must be cleared by me before Justin Rage's sees them."
The man pulls out a cheap cigar and prepares to light it. Deacon quickly jumps
in "There is no smoking in this building." The man grumbles as he puts the cigar
back in his coat. "What kind of mobster doesn't allow a person to smoke." Deacon
stands up and says "We are not mobsters, we are businessmen. If you repeat that,
I will have you thrown out of the building. Is that understood?" The man
grumbles some more, but this time he does it under his breath. Deacon then says
"What business do you have with Justin Rage?" The man pulls out a few photos and
hands them to him. "Word on the street is that you guys put a contract on the
Fury. Thought Justin Rage would like to see who is in town to collect." Deacon
looks at the pictures but does not recognize the men. He then hits the buzzer,
which triggers a silent alarm. Within seconds, two very large men come into the
office. "What ya need boss?" one of the security men asks. Deacon walks over and
says "Make sure our guest remains here while I talk with Mr. Rage." He then
walks out of the room and the two men block the doorway. The man looks over at
them and asks "Mind if I smoke?" He then begins to pull out his cigar when one
of the security guards cracks his knuckles and says "Mind if I bash your face
in?" The man then puts the cigar back in his pocket and shuts up.
Deacon walks up to Justin Rage's office and knocks on the
door. He learned a long time ago to always knock. That is one of the reasons he
received the promotion to second in command. The man who used to carry that
title made the mistake of walking in while Justin Rage was entertaining a few
ladies. He broke the mood of the moment and in turn, Justin Rage broke his neck.
Deacon quickly learned that if the door is closed, always knock first. If you do
not get a response after one knock, go away. But this time, he gets a response.
"Come in Deacon." he says. The first few times it would freak him out to hear
his name before opening the door, but once he got over the fact that the entire
building was on camera, he calmed down. Justin likes to know exactly who is
outside his door. In his profession, it is important to have a warning. Deacon
opens the door and sees Justin Rage sitting there. "A man came in with these
photos. They are some of the bounty hunters who are looking to kill the Fury."
Justin looks over the photos and laughs. "I was hoping for better than this.
These guys are amateurs. The Fury will eat them alive." He then gives the
pictures back to Deacon. As he takes back the pictures, Deacon asks "The man
wants to meet with you. What do you want me to do? Have him thrown out?" Justin
reaches in his pocket and pulls out a wad of hundreds. The wad is easily three
inches thick. He peels off a hundred dollar bill and hands it to Deacon. "Give
him the money and tell him to keep his eyes open." Deacon takes the money and
says "But we already seen the photos, why don't we just throw him out?" Justin
rolls in his chair and laughs. "You have allot to learn. These guys are our eyes
and ears. If you earn their trust now, they may come with some good information
next time. Now pay him and make sure to thank him." Deacon nods and begins to
leave when Justin Rage adds "And don't forget, I am watching you."
Back in his office, Deacon walks over and hands the money to
the man and says "Thanks for the tip. Keep your eyes open." The man looks at the
hundred dollar bill and smiles. That will buy a few lap dances. "Tell Mr. Rage
it was a pleasure doing business with him." The man then smiles and walks out.
Deacon just shakes his head as the man leaves. The last thing he wants this
place to turn into is an ATM for every druggie and wino who has a tip.
Jack is at the blackjack table with a beer in front of him
and looking at his cards. He is holding a 17 in his hand. He reads the dealer's
mind and finds out he has an 18. As much as he hates to hit on a 17, he knows
that the dealer has him beat. While the rest of the table only sees the 10 that
is showing, Jack knows he has an 8 in the hole. So he takes a hit. He gets an 8
and busts. He still smiles as he is up over two grand. It is not hard to do when
you know for sure if you should hit or stand. He still loses some hands as he
does not control which cards he gets. But he has a decisive edge over the dealer
and is making the best of it. He takes a swig of the beer, but does his best to
nurse it. Casinos rely on people getting intoxicated and becoming bad bettors.
He has no intention on this happening.
In another part of the casino, two men are watching Jack on a
camera. They are part of the surveillance team that keeps an eye out for
anything out of the ordinary. They have been watching Jack since he first won
big at the roulette wheel. They watched as he won over five grand at the wheel.
They then watched as he went to the craps table and ended up winning another
three grand. And now he is up two grand at Blackjack. The two men are named
Richard and Israel and are trying to figure out how he does it. Israel watches
as Jack stays with a 15 and watches as the dealer hits with a 16 and busts. "It
is almost like he knows what the dealer has." Richard pulls up some of his
earlier footage and watches as he is winning at the roulette wheel. "It is the
same at the roulette wheel. He correctly picked red or black forty times in a
row. That is unheard of." Israel watches as he looks for a gadget or for someone
behind the dealer that is tipping him off. "I cannot figure out how he is doing
it. There is no one else tipping him. We have changed dealers three times, so it
is highly doubtful that he is working with three different dealers." Richard
watches over and over as the roulette wheel slowly comes to a stop. As he
watches it, he notices a very tiny, almost unnoticeable movement in the wheel.
It is almost like someone or something is controlling it. "Come over here and
look at this." he says to Israel, who stops his surveillance and comes over.
"What am I looking at?" he asks as he sits next to him. Richard starts it back
up and plays it in slow motion. "Watch how very slight movement of the wheel. It
is almost like something is moving it." He plays it again and again and Israel
looks at it and says "You're right, there is a slight movement." Richard picks
up the phone and makes a call "Danny, I want you to close down Roulette table #8
and have maintenance take it apart and check it for anything unusual." He then
hangs up the phone and says "I don't know if he put some kind of device that
changes the flow of the table or if it is possibly warped and he noticed a
pattern to it, but I want it checked out". Israel then asks "What do you want to
do about him? Should I have him thrown out?" Richard watches the tape and says
"No, I want him to stay. While he is winning, it is not a ridiculous amount. He
may be cheating but he is not greedy. He could easily be up a hundred grand."
Israel looks at him with a shocked look "Are you getting soft on me?" Richard
gives him a look back and says "I want him comped big time. I want to find out
how he is winning and figure out how to stop it. If he is doing it, who is to
say that others won't be following him? Let him have his fun now, but let's
figure this out and fix it." Israel then looks at him and says "How big you want
him comped?" Richard smiles and says "Give him the works. A penthouse suite,
dinner at our best restaurant, in room massage and send Nina over to attend to
his every need." Israel looks at him and smiles "You are sending in Nina. Now I
know you mean business." Richard laughs and says "If anyone can get his secret
out of him, it is Nina."
The Fury
© Tom Zjaba 2006-2008