Grift by Jason Mosberg

Author:Jason Mosberg [Mosberg, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: orphan, poker, prostitute, gangster, caper, vegas, gambling, heist, kidnapped, pageturner
Publisher: Jason Mosberg
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

--Darkness. There’s darkness in him. That darkness seeps into his desires and even his decisions. I guess I’ve always known that.--

CHAPTER TWELVE – A grift bender

Forty-eight hours. That’s the deadline to deliver the ransom to Charlie Moses. Thirty-six hours. That’s when Dennis Cane’s million-dollar poker tournament begins.

Max already spoke with Dennis – 11 people have signed up to play. A day and a half from now, I could be playing against those 11 players.

In the next 36 hours, Mars, Rob, Jesse, Kim, and I will try to pull together one million dollars. It’ll be a super-hyper version of our normal work. Max wants him and me to talk to everyone individually about their assignments. He calls Kim into his bedroom first.

“Kim, for you to be successful, it’s all about teamwork. Have you spoken with Vivi?”

“Yeah. She’s in.”

Kim’s friend Vivi came up in one of those MIT card-counting clubs. Vivi rowed crew for a couple years at MIT until she realized counting cards was more lucrative than counting strokes. Since the club disbanded, Vivi has counted with Kim on numerous occasions.

“I know she’s good,” I say. “But how far is she willing to take it? Is she willing to risk getting caught?”

A large reward and limited risk accompany counting cards. Since it’s legal, the only risk is being banned from virtually every casino in Las Vegas. I know Kim’s willing to risk this for Sophie. But Vivi has never even met Sophie.

Kim replies, “She was planning on quitting blackjack and becoming an actuary, so she’s not afraid of being banned.”

“Perfect,” says Max. A few moments later, as Kim leaves, Max adds, “Tell Rob to come see us.”

Rob has barely sat down when Max launches into his lecture.

“Rob, for you, it’s all about profiling. Sure, the more pockets you pick, the more cash you collect. But for each pocket you pick, you also risk getting caught. And if you’re caught, you can’t add any more wallets towards our ten million. So it’s not just about picking pockets. It’s about picking which pockets. Do you understand that?”

Max couldn’t be more right. Some blue-collar thirty-something with a non-ironic mustache and a Dallas Cowboys jersey drinking Bud Lights probably only holds a hundred bucks. How about a Japanese businessman with an affinity for craps? He’s more likely to be holding some real cash.

“And wallets are only half the game,” adds Max. “There are also chips.”

Depending on the exact bills, a thousand dollars in cash can be bulky (and therefore difficult to steal), but a thousand-dollar casino chip isn’t much bigger than a ten-dollar chip.

“The other factor you need to worry about is surveillance. This is a town decorated with cameras.”

“Focus on the areas where the camera can’t touch you,” I add. “Corners. Escalators. Bathrooms. Crowds.”

Max stands and puts a hand on each one of Rob’s shoulders. “You’ve got to play it safe, but not too safe. You’ve got to be hungry.”

Mars comes in next. When he sits down across from us, Max instructs him that he must find himself in games that share three qualities.

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