Faith: Biker Romance (The Virtues Book 2) (12 page)

Earlier that day we stopped for gas, and Eddie counted the money. When he did, we knew our plans had to change. With over four thousand dollars, we were backed against the wall. The two of us couldn’t keep paying for hotel rooms in ten dollar bills all the way to California, and with that many bills being taken, the serial numbers were surely making the rounds.

We sat at the service station trying to think of a quick way to dump the money and keep it at the same time. I had my head in my hands when I overheard two guys talking as they passed us. They were headed to Las Vegas, one of them for some poker tournament. Then the idea struck me.

Looking up from my hands, I said, “I’ve got it!”

Eddie stared at me. “Well, don't look so fuckin’ pleased with yourself. Tell me the idea.”

“Why not take our money to the place where it moves so much and so fast, no one will bat an eye no matter what we bring in? Let’s go to Vegas. We’ll cash it in for chips. Play some slots or poker or whatever, then cash out. They won’t give us the same money back, right?”

A wide smile appeared on Eddie’s face. I knew I’d struck gold. “Right. Those bills will just get shuffled in with all the other money coming in. Thousands and thousands of dollars a day, all getting mixed in with our consecutives. Faith, holy shit. That’s brilliant!”

We filled our stomachs, filled the tank, and headed south toward Sin City.

My guess was right. Even as we pulled into the city and headed down the strip, we knew we’d have nothing to worry about. There were other hikers, people driving fancy cars, and other people driving rust buckets. Las Vegas was an equal opportunity place. No matter your standing in life, your creed or color, the casinos would be more than happy to take your money from you.

We cashed in, and the woman didn’t even give us a second look. She handed us back four black chips with $1000 printed on them, and various other colors adding up to what we had taken in Mesquite. When we turned away, Eddie handed me the black chips. I slid them into my bra, the safest place I could think of.

With a wink, I said, “You know, for safe keeping.”

We wandered around the adult playground. All the lights and sounds were mesmerizing. It sounded as if there was someone constantly shouting with joy. My head was spinning in all directions, barely able to keep up with all the excitement.

It felt like an endless line of slot machines, with just about every theme and design you could imagine. The people were rooted in their stools, buckets in hand, waiting for that inevitable (to them) sound. Even watching people gamble was a thrill.

We passed a roulette table, and I stopped and pulled Eddie to a stop along with me. The marble was spinning against the wheel’s own rotation, pulling me into a trance. It finally lost momentum and snagged on a peg, sending it bouncing.

It dropped into a slot, and I tried my best to follow it around and catch the number, but the wheel was still whirring too fast. The man running the wheel was an expert, calling the number out long before I could read it.

“Twenty-seven, black.” I didn’t see any chips on that square, but there were bets on black. I could tell right away who placed them. As the casino employee paid out and cleared the table, Eddie pulled me toward an illuminated sign reading “Blackjack and Poker.” Lights flashed and beckoned us onwards.

I could feel the weight of the chips in my bra, two on each side pressing against my breasts. That Bonnie and Clyde feeling struck me again. We were gambling with stolen money, and blending in perfectly with the average patron.

Eddie dropped down into a stool at a semi-circle table. I knew almost nothing about cards, so I stood right behind him with my hands at his shoulders.

A woman dressed up like a sexy peacock came over and asked us if we wanted any drinks. At first I said no, but Eddie jumped in, acting like he owned the place.

“If it’s complimentary, we’ll have two Jack and Cokes.”

She smiled at him. “Of course, sir.”

I wanted to chastise Eddie for not blending in, but after looking around, I realized we were in a land of make-believe. Everyone here could have been a criminal or spy. It was easy to blend in, even if you were ordering drinks, shouting, cheering, or stumbling around drunk. I could look at anyone in any direction and see them completely comfortable. This place was a wonderland, and I was going to follow Eddie’s lead.

Eddie’s lead got us a comp’d hotel room for the night. We were prepared to cash out and pay for a room, but he hit a hot streak, and I think the hotel wanted to keep us around and vacuum back some of their green.

We thought about it, but not for long. We were tired, and there was really no hurry in getting to Bakersfield. Colorado Springs was years away. It didn't feel like three days before when I had been in church, sitting as close to Eddie as possible. Both of us had held our tongues, and when we just couldn’t anymore, he was there to hit the gas and drive all night.
 

In the morning, while Eddie and I sat enjoying the large buffet breakfast that had been provided, a man sat down at our table out of nowhere. He wore a black striped suit, and there were rings on almost all of his fingers. His hair was slicked back. The man smiled at us.

I was in mid-sip of my coffee. I slowly brought the cup back down to the table. Eddie leaned back and toward me, waiting for him to speak.

When he did, the voice was deeper than I expected. Maybe I had Joe Pesci in mind, but it was a smooth, baritone sound.

“Firstly, I’d like to welcome you to the Deluxe. We’re glad that you came to our establishment. I hope your stay has been enjoyable and entertaining. Secondly, we want no part of the illegal activities that may have led you to our hotel casino, and we’ll be asking you to move along.”

My eyes dilated and my pulse quickened. I felt like cops would swarm on us at any time. My gaze darted in every direction, knowing they’d be there. What I saw was more of the same, though. Older couples, young couples, and everyone in between was sitting down to a quiet breakfast before the excitement of the day picked up.

The man continued to talk, not paying me any attention. “Checkout is at eleven, and I fully expect you to be out of the Deluxe by then. If I catch you, Mr. Rivers, or you, Ms. Vincini, in my casino again, it will be bad. I cannot overstate this. It will be
bad.
” His voice dropped low, almost to a whisper, as a group passed us. The man leaned in.

“I’d like to let you know that the reason you two were granted a free room was we thought there might be a larger sum of money that you had stashed away, but after some research, my team alerted me to the robbery in Mesquite yesterday. The sums were damn close. How about that?”

Eddie remained calm. He was always calm. Even when I saw him furious, beating a man in a gas station, he was calm. My man smiled. “We don’t want any trouble. We’ll cash out and be on our way.”

“You will
not
cashing out. We’ll be keeping that which isn’t yours.”

My stomach dropped. We had finally come into a bit of luck, and it was being taken from us. It was our means of getting the rest of the way to California. We could obviously get more cash if we needed to, but it was clear that we were not as careful as we thought.

I heard myself speaking, but I don't remember trying to say anything. “We’ll be gone. Just... just let us get our things together.”

He nodded, satisfied with our answer. The man stood up and gave us a polite but damning smile. With that, he left us.

For a long time, Eddie sat hunched forward, his hands around the mug of coffee. I was out of ideas. I hoped he had at least one.

He turned to me with a sad smile. “Well, we’re done with Nevada. Why don't you finish up your breakfast and let’s hit the road.”

We didn't speak for the rest of the short meal.

We had enough gas to get a few hours outside of Las Vegas, and we both knew we’d have to make a stop for more than gas to get all the way to our destination. Outside of a small town, we came up with the best plan. Doubt was sewn into the fabric of every sentence, but we had no choice.

“Eddie, I haven’t driven this thing more than fifteen feet. I almost laid it on its side. I can’t do this!”

As we stood on the side of the highway, Eddie had me by the shoulders, that calming effect moving through my bones. “Baby, work with me. I know you can ride this thing. We need to pull the bike into the station solo. Hell, it will almost be fifteen feet. We’ll switch over two blocks before the station. I’ll walk up, and by the time you’re filled up,” he handed me the last of our money, a rogue twenty, “I’ll be wandering in. After that, it won’t be a problem.”

I shook my head. “Eddie, I can barely get this thing into first.”

“Darlin’, I believe in you.” He kissed me, muffling any opposition. “You know that, right? I believe in you, Faith.”

In my head, I talked myself through the steps Eddie had taught me about easing the motorcycle forward from a start. I was going to try my best. Maybe if I couldn’t get it going before the station, Eddie would switch our roles. Either way, we had to do what we had to do to survive.

“All right. Let’s do this. Just be careful.” I kissed him, leaning upwards into his height.

The switch went better than I had expected. Even though Eddie had done all the driving thus far, I felt comfortable holding the handlebars of the heavy bike. I eased the throttle back and let the clutch out. As the bike took off, I turned back to see Eddie hoofing it to the gas station.

My heart pounded as I pulled in. I hit the brakes too hard, bringing the Harley to a stop on a dime. I felt my face go flush, but the only other people in the place, a family in a minivan, didn’t seem to notice.

Taking extra care to get the kickstand down, I headed inside to prepay our last twenty dollars. After filling the tank and watching the family get their kicks down Route 66, I replaced the pump, replaced the cap, and pulled out of the station. No one was around when I pulled the Harley around the block, where I’d wait for Eddie.

I couldn’t see him enter the store, so I had to sit and try to stay calm. Keeping my heart in check was a practice I was getting used to, but I still was no good at it. I heard it thud as I waited.