God, I hope she doesn't bring the plane down, Wolf worried.
8 The Neon Lights
Ella
"Here you are. The Palazzo. Enjoy your stay in Vegas," the cabbie announced as he pulled up to the hotel.
Ella paid the man, walked to the front desk and booked the cheapest room available for a single night. She ignored the cascading fountain and the vaulted views. Yes, the lobby was beautiful with its towering columns, friezes, and pediments, but it was a modern interpretation of old-world architecture. It didn't have the same aura, that could only come from enduring for centuries. None of that mattered though. Ella wasn't in Vegas to sightsee.
Her heels clicked on the terrazzo tile, as Ella followed signs that led to the casino. When she entered the giant game room, she was assaulted by a cacophony of ringing bells and strobing lights. Ella had never stepped foot in a casino. She didn't know how to play any of the games laid out before her. The place reeked of a mix of excitement and desperation. In her current state, she added to the pathetic vibe.
Ella walked around the room studying the games and the players. She bypassed by the slot machines. They had digital displays, and paid credits onto cards, rather than spitting out chips or change. She didn't dare try to mess with them. Ella ignored the card games altogether. Her gift was no help there. She wasn't psychic, like Wolf's friend.
Ella stopped when she came to the Roulette table, with its spinning wheel. People were gathered around the table laying chips down on the red felt, betting on specific numbers, or red versus black.
"No more bets," the croupier announced, then spun the wheel and sent a little white marble careening.
Everyone held their breath as the marble rattled and bounded from one space to the next on the wheel. Ella smiled at a young woman wearing a giant button announcing it was her twenty-first birthday. She was bouncing excitedly as she watched the ball.
Ella reached out with her gift, testing how it felt to nudge the marble as everything slowed. She aimed for the twenty-one, since that was the number the birthday girl was chanting. Once in the numbered slot, Ella held it there, as the birthday girl jumped up and down squealing in delight.
This is my game.
She watched a few more spins to get a better feel for how to play. Some, Ella let ride on their own, others she picked a random number for the ball to land on. It wasn't too hard to get it to go where she wanted. It didn't take finesse, since the marble danced erratically in the wheel before stopping.
Ella stepped up and set her money down on the table. After the plane ticket, the cab ride, and her room for the night, she only had four hundred dollars to play with. It was the remaining balance of her checking account. Ella bet all but fifty bucks that the number would be odd, then worked her magic.
Cheating at the game was harder than she thought it would be. Not because she couldn't get the marble to do what she wanted, but because after several wins she realized it would look strange if she kept winning. Even though she was mainly betting on the odd/even or red/black spaces, she was clearly making more than she was losing. People around her had started betting on the same spaces she chose. After a few more spins Ella collected her seven thousand in chips and moved to another table.
Over the next hour Ella cautiously doubled her winnings again, before deciding it was time to move on. She was doing really well, considering she started with a few hundred. But progress was slow.
With a five-hundred betting limit, it's going to take forever to amass a seventy-five grand.
Ella wandered over to the bar, grabbed a glass of wine then circled the casino again. She stopped at a Craps table and watched as she finished her drink. Ella had dismissed the dice game because the rules were more complicated, but she was back again. The betting limits and payout were higher at Craps.
Well it looks like I'm learning to play Craps.
The table wasn't full, so Ella sidled up next to a middle-aged man in a green polo, who looked like he knew what he was doing.
"Hi," she smiled. "I don't really know how to play. Do you mind if I shadow you?"
"Not at all. You'll want to put your bet here on the Pass Line. The name's Charles."
"Thanks. Nice to meet you Charles. I'm Ella." Ella nodded as she set fifty dollars in chips where he indicated. "What number do we want to see rolled?"
"Anything but two, three, or twelve for this first roll."
Ella watched as another woman at the table tossed the dice, sending them tumbling against the felt bumper. Ella let the first die fall naturally then nudged the second one in their favor. Everyone at the table cheered, since they hadn't immediately lost their money.
"Now we've got eight points. If another eight is rolled, we win. But if it's seven, we lose," her new partner coached.
Ella played along with Charles, until she got the hang of the game. It wasn't long before she got bolder, placing bigger bets, and her fifteen-grand tripled.
Halfway there, Bella Bear.
Between rolls Ella noticed movement on her right, and turned to see a well-dressed man sit down beside her. He wore an obscenely expensive Fioravanti suit, like it was business casual. It was paired with an equally lavish blue silk tie, matching platinum cufflinks, and a watch that would pay her rent for over a year.
Ella knew expensive taste. She liked the finer things, even owned a few outfits that the rich and fabulous would die for. But her vintage Dior ensemble was purchased at a sweet little old lady's garage sale, not some over inflated house of couture. Ella wore her finest on this risky excursion so she wouldn't look out of place, playing with a large amount of cash.
The thirty-something man on her right was more than comfortable as he threw down the max bet of two thousand. He didn't hesitate the way others did when they made high bets. He had the same confidence Ella did, but for a different reason. The man could obviously afford to lose.
The stickman stood up straighter as he pushed several dice over toward Business Casual, making Ella wonder if the man was a regular at the casino, or someone important.
"You want to pick out your favorite dice and give'em a kiss for good luck?" Business Casual said with a smile.
Ella felt like he was appraising her, even though his gray eyes never drifted from hers. She suddenly felt like a little minnow being circled by a shark.
"I have a feeling you don't need the luck," Ella smiled back, undaunted because the man came on too strong.
"I was thinking the same about you," he commented as he glanced at the column of chips she amassed. "Please." He pushed the dice in Ella's direction.
Ella shrugged and grabbed two dice, blew a kiss on them, then handed them back. Business Casual brushed her hand as he took the dice from her. It was intentional. Ella caught herself before she rolled her eyes.
Business Casual looked like he was Mediterranean in origin, and was rather attractive, but his cocksure demeanor came off all wrong. Ella thought about another proud character she knew. Wolf.
Crap I should call him. Ella had been so caught up with this nonsense, she forgot to give him a call. I hope he and the boy are okay.
"Pardon me." Ella leaned back from the table and pulled her phone out of her purse.
"Should I wait?" Business Casual cocked his brow.
"Oh, no. I'm sorry." Ella set down a bet, and the man cast the dice, while she checked her phone. "Darn it!" The thing was dead, and in her rush, she forgot to bring her charger.
Good planning, Ella.
"Problem?"
"My phone died. I was hoping to hear from my boyfriend."
Ella took the liberty of calling Wolf her boyfriend. Neither of them had made the declaration, but what they shared certainly wasn't casual. Also, Ella hoped the comment would stop Business Casual's sideways glances.
"I'm sure they sell chargers in one of the shops," he commented as he glanced at the blank screen on her phone.
Ella nodded and slipped the phone back in her purse.
"Are you in kid," Charles asked.
"Yeah."
Ella smiled at her impromptu mentor. She'd been careful to not screw him while she earned the money for her sister's hospital bills.
"This is my last round. I've got dinner reservations with the wife. She should be happy, since I didn't lose my shirt, and she got time in the spa."
"Thanks for showing me the ropes, Charles. It was nice meeting you."
"No problem, you're a natural. Have fun."
Charles got up after the final roll, collected his winnings, then walked off with a smile.