Page 49 of Affliction
“Would you consider having some of your men on-site, in rotations of course, to supervise mine until you’re confident they’re sufficiently trained?” Michael asks and I nod.
“Our men are fully prepared to stay on site, as a permanent fixture of Perdition, as opposed to your security.” Michael’s eyes widen for a split second before he composes himself.
“Permanent fixture?” He repeats.
“Yes. We would like to be your full time protection here. I already have fully trained and trustworthy men. We would need to hire some more to adequately cover the size of Perdition, but we can get that done.” I watch the gears turn in Michael’s head as he contemplates my offer.
“It would be easier than trying to train these fucking kids. Let’s keep walking and talk about the details.” He replies and we set off further into Tophet.
The four of us spend the day touring every square inch of Perdition, hotel rooms included. Michael treats us to lunch in one of the many five-star restaurants inside the property, and we continue to discuss what it would look like for Cain Defenses to become Perdition’s sole security. Michael wants to keep on his group that has experience, and I’m not opposed to it. While we’re efficient in protecting people and their assets, his group has the knowledge as to how casinos operate. I have a good understanding after today, but their knowledge and experience is invaluable.
We meet up with Slater and Jeremy again in the Pit–the place where the security teams will meet daily at shift changes–several hours later.
“Well gentleman, it was great meeting with you today. If you’ll excuse me, I have another meeting scheduled in half an hour. Maverick, I will think about our conversation today, and I’ll be in touch soon.” Michael gives me a firm handshake, then does the same again with Karson and Slater then disappears with Nico and Jeremy. Karson, Slater and I turn toward the valet entrance we came in. Exiting the building into the parking garage, darkness surrounds the casino and I check my watch for the time. We spent nearly twelve hours touring Perdition and speaking with Michael.
“Do you think he’s going to go for it?” Slater asks as we hand the valet our tickets.
“I do. He seems like a smart man, and I think even he knows bringing us in will be more practical than training a whole new team.” I state as I undo the top few buttons of my shirt.
“We’re going to need a lot more people.” Karson chimes in. We currently have a team of fifty, Michael has another one hundred that he would like to keep on–his new hires will be trained in gaming and other areas of the casino if this deal goes through. If we’re going to do this, we’ll need about two hundred more to cover the size of the complex around the clock.
“I’ve got a few contacts with some veteran organizations, I’ll make some calls.” Slater states and I nod. Slater is a former Marine, where he was in Special Forces for twelve years. He finished out his contract and moved back to Oregon, where he found Karson and I while looking for a job. He has been one of our biggest assets.
“I’ll help you.” Karson says with an excited tone.
“I’ll talk to Cole as well and see if he knows of anyone looking for a job.” I add.
Karson turns to me with an arched brow and a frustrated glare. “Since when do we trust Cole?” He asks. The valet pulls up just then with my truck, another with Slater’s vehicle right behind him.
“I’ll explain on the ride back.” He eyes me warily, but nods and I turn to Slater. “Let me know what you’re able to find. I’ve got a few contacts in other areas as well that I think would bring in some trustworthy men, and Elias has his feelers out all over the place.” We shake hands and Karson and I walk to my truck. Taking my time, I inspect every inch of the vehicle's surface. Karson chuckles and the valet stands on the curb, sweating while he watches me. After checking the truck thoroughly, I stop in front of him and his nervous eyes raise to meet mine.
“Looks like your arms stay functional.” Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a hundred dollar bill and slap it into his hand, then give him a firm handshake.
“T-thank you, Sir.” His voice cracks and I snort.
These kids are seriously going to need to toughen up.
“Prick!” Slater shouts from his vehicle with a laugh, then disappears into his driver's seat.
Karson climbs into the truck as I round it again. Climbing in, I put the truck in drive and exit Perdition’s grounds. On the ride back, I explain the details of what happened at Doc’s last night to Karson. By the end of it, he seems to have accepted that Cole will be a bigger asset than we initially thought, he just wasn’t doing what he was good at before. Perdition will be a good fit for him. He’s a lot more like Karson than even I anticipated, both of them will enjoy the casino.
Arriving back at my house, Karson says he has somewhere he needs to be. He climbs into his Charger and speeds out of my neighborhood as I enter the house. Ripping off my shirt, I climb the stairs to the second floor, ready to take a shower and get to Doc’s. Cole will need to be filled in on our plans, and I’m more than ready to get back to Parker.
She’s not getting away from me now.
Entering my bedroom, I undo the buckle of my belt and a notification pings on my phone. Pulling it out of my pocket, I see it’s an email from Slater. The subject line reads“Here’s what you asked for.”Tapping the screen, the email opens, containing an attachment labeled “Kelly, H.”
Bingo.
It’s the background check on Hazel I asked him to pull. Locking the phone screen, I pad my way to my home office and fire up my computer. Lowering myself into the chair, I type in my password and open up my email. Double clicking, I open the attachment and it fills my screen.
Let’s see what you’re hiding, Raven.
Scrolling through the document, I notice a couple of things. Parker stated that Hazel was a friend of her parents, and while her name shows on the file, her parents names do not.Whoever put this together didn’t think someone would dig this far. Unfortunately for them, they were wrong.
I continue through the file, opening my own separate searches for each known acquaintance that is listed on Hazel’s background. Nothing of significance peaks my interest though, and I’m about to end my search for the night when the name I was hoping to find appears. It’s buried in a list of other names and places, inconspicuous and I’m sure that was by design. A rush of excitement slams into me and I roll my neck. Glancing at the time I note I have two more hours until Doc’s closes. Picking up the phone, I dial Slater. He answers immediately.
“Did you get what I sent you?” He asks.
