Vegas Vengeance by Randy Wayne White

Author:Randy Wayne White
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781504024556
Publisher: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller

twelve

After grabbing a sandwich in the restaurant, Hawker found Kevin Smith in his office. A big, comfortable office of wood and glass and leather, for a stocky, comfortable man.

Smith still looked more like a cop than a casino operator. Like a cross between Lou Grant and Rocky Marciano. Smith was in his early sixties. He was only a few inches under six feet tall, but his barrel chest and thick forearms made him look shorter. The graying hair was sparse enough to show a well-tanned head beneath. The face was full and jowly, and his small blue eyes crinkled when he smiled—and he smiled often.

He listened intently as Hawker briefed him on his two clashes with the mob. When Hawker had finished, Smith tapped a pencil on his desk impatiently.

“The bastards,” he said in soft exclamation. “It just doesn’t make any sense.” He thought for a moment, then reconsidered. “Well, maybe it does.”

Hawker sat across from him in a heavy leather chair. The leather creaked whenever he shifted his weight. “What do you mean, Kevin?”

Smith shrugged noncommittally. “I’m not sure, really, Hawk. But maybe I’ve underestimated the worth of the Five-Cs. I know the mob operates in Vegas. Hell, what cop doesn’t? But they aren’t nearly as strong as they were, say, thirty years ago. When the big legitimate conglomerates began to hear what kind of profits a casino made, they started buying out the mob. Howard Hughes paved the way.” Smith smiled. “Not even the mob could turn down dough like that.”

“What’s that have to do with the Five-Cs?”

Smith hunched forward to make his point. “It’s this, Hawk. The mob has slowly been losing control. But the things they have held on to have been solid—either established casinos or a few selected outside businesses. Their outside businesses have nothing to do with gambling, but it gives them a place to wash any illegal money they have. We started the Five-Cs six years ago. We started small. Hell, we wanted to be small. That way, the outsiders wouldn’t be interested. Why would the mob want to bother with us? But our casinos are like no others in Vegas. They’re individualized. Very personal. I’ve been told they have kind of a hometown flavor. And maybe that’s why our success has been three times what we ever hoped it would be.”

“You’re making a lot of money?”

Smith nodded quickly, as if he couldn’t believe it himself. “Not compared to a really big casino. But we’re still making more than I ever dreamed. And maybe the mob found out. I mean, that has to be it, doesn’t it? Why else would they want a gambling complex? Maybe they decided the Five-Cs is the place to get their foot back in the door. Maybe they’re making another run at Vegas so they can get the same kind of control they had in the old days.” He stared out the window. “God knows, their methods are the same as in the old days. Extortion. Threats. Murder.”

“You said the mob still controls some businesses that have nothing to do with gambling.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.