Victoria was east of the strip when it started to rain. She ducked inside a lone convenience shop. It looked to have once been a gas station, but the pumps had been removed. Once inside she made her way to the back. The guy behind the counter let her know that he didn’t want any trouble by placing his shotgun on the counter next to him. Victoria browsed the racks hoping to wait out the rain as quickly as possible, but at the same time without needing to buy anything. She counted to forty five before the guy let her know he was watching her. 

“It’s late.” He said as if it actually was. When actually it was just after ten. In the city of sin it was early. They both knew it. She didn’t argue. “If you aren’t buying anything you need to leave.”

Can’t a girl find her favorite bubble gum?

The man snickered and shook his head. 

“Girl, you ain’t even lookin’ at the gum.” 

He put his hand on the shotgun. 

Oh! 

Victoria exclaimed like a dumb baby girl and hoped it was at least something of convincing. The man cleared his throat and let her know the gum was up near him. She glanced at the window and noticed the rain wasn’t coming down as hard as it had been minutes before. Victoria still took her time as she approached the counter. A few more minutes and the heat rain would pass. 

“We got bubble gum and bubble gum and oh, yeah, bubble gum. Now you pick your favorite and scram.”

She raised her eyes from the gum and met the man’s. 

I’ll take a pack of lucky’s.

The steel security door clambered as it shut behind her. Something, probably a cat, skittered out of a trash can and farther into the ill lit back alley next to her. Victoria stepped from the corner shop to the curb and lit a cigarette. It was January in Vegas, but she pulled her waist length leather jacket around her body as she lit her cigarette. Some would say it’s too cold for Vegas this time of year, some would say it’s just too damn hot all year. The intersection was empty, the streets were empty, the sidewalks were…mostly empty. Victoria could see a shadow of a person inside the office of the motel across the street. The vacancy light flickered, a shortage in the power. The chill breeze carried voices from the motel’s parking lot. Victoria didn’t stick around to see if they were friendly or not, she headed north.

These days everything in Paradise seemed to be unfriendly. Since no one Don or Godfather laid stake to the land, the drugs, the girls, the crime, the money, the gambling…it had become any man’s paradise. Sure, there was Don @Dovahkiin and Consigliere @Shagg’s presence in Vegas, but they had their own districts to run. Paradise was it’s definition: an ideal place. To anyone who wanted a piece of the pie, but at the same time wanted to stayed under the radar enough for the official leaders to not care. Maybe they didn’t even know. Victoria knew. It was what she had been sent here for. 

Danton Dice was running some sort of club or brothel or both. There was booze and there were girls. Of course there were girls. There was always a harem of girls around Danton. He was the spitting image of every parent worst nightmare for their daughters. They ran away from home for him. They stole for him. They sold their bodies for him. It was how he was even something out here in the desert. How he was getting away with the things he was getting away with. They made him. But he made them feel like they couldn’t survive without him. Victoria was a stranger to the reality of life. It was a man’s world. Danton Dice was a man you didn’t want to get caught up with or he’d be your only world. 

A few blocks up from the motel, Victoria crossed the street to an old theater. A girl with a purse on her hip, the tacky false gold chain over her shoulder, stood just to the side of the theater. If they were in any other place it would be easy to assume the girl was waiting for her boyfriend to pull the car around so she wouldn’t have to get her hair wet. They weren’t in any other place, plus the show the theater was playing was at least six months old. The girl, too thin, too willing, too desperate was a hooker. 

“Got one of those for me?”

She smiled, showing off her flaw. That was the thing about Danton's girls - once you got close you realized their beauty was only an illusion. However, if it wasn’t for the teeth this girl could work the main strip. She was beautiful. Victoria didn’t even want to know how she lost her some of her teeth, but she guessed it was from Dantons fist. She offered a smoke to the girl who took it, turned from the wind and lit it with a lighter she had. 

“Thanks.” The girl took a drag from cigarette. “You don’t look like you are from around here. Need a tour guide?”

Victoria thought about all the things she could say to the girl. She could tell her she wasn’t interested. She could tell her to run. Instead she settled on. I’m here for a show.

“All sold out.”

Oh yeah?

"Yeah. You’ll have to come back tomorrow." 

Victoria lit a cigarette for herself showing the girl she wasn’t leaving that easy.

“Unless you were looking for something else…”

The girl trailed off. Victoria met her eyes with the girl's. 

“Through the front doors, past the red curtains and you’ll find Mr. Dice.”

The way the girl said his name made Victoria’s skin crawl. She wanted to tell the girl to run. To get as far away from here as possible, but she knew her breath was wasted. Victoria could see something in the girl’s eyes. It was too late for her. 

Victoria entered the theater. 

Richard referred to Danton as a ‘way back friend’. She could never get him to answer her questions of how far back or what do you mean, friend? Victoria had been under the impression that Richard never quite trusted Danton. Probably because Richard was always saying he never quite trusted him. It was almost tradition. After the goods were exchanged and the crew parted ways after a big job, Richard would mention how much he trusted Danton.

The French bastard was one of those guys that was only loyal if a lot of money was involved. Even then, you were still taking your chances. Unless it was a whale of a job than you had the guys loyalty till the job was complete. It wasn’t anything Victoria could fully understand until she actually worked with the Danton. He was a snake, but he damn sure liked money. 

Victoria pushed open the theater doors and dreaded what she’d find inside. The job Victoria was on was not a big whale. It didn’t have any money in it for Danton. The two were not friends outside of big jobs and with her current relationship status relationship with Richard. There was a fairly good chance that as soon as Danton saw her she would be shot. If it came to that Victoria knew she’d be able to get off the first shot. No matter which way she tried to spin it you couldn’t mask the feeling of looking death in the. No warm and fuzzies, catching up with an old pal here. 

She beelined through the lobby and past the black swing doors into the theater. Victoria kept moving as she took in notes of the the theaters condition. The party was not out here. The thick heavy red curtains were pulled together, closing off the stage. Victoria walked to the center and stepped through. She found two gals talking about a john, but quickly stopped as Victoria had interrupted. 

“And who might you be?” 

Damnit. Victoria had hoped she wouldn’t run into anyone really, but she was also realistic. In what universe is that possible. The woman with the question, her hand on her hip, looked Victoria up and down. She noticed the gun. Of course she noticed the gun. Victoria hadn’t been particular about concealing it. 

“You are coming with us.” 

The other woman that hadn’t said a thing yet, but did glare five miles into Victoria, walked to her side. Mute woman grabbed Victoria’s arm, who made it known she was annoyed but going to fight. The ladies walked Victoria around the corner, down a hallway and into a room. Right in front of Mr. Danton Dice. He sat on a couch, a girl on each side of him. Two girls behind him. Four girls total fawning over him. Victoria reminded her self to inhale. 

“Eh bien, si ce n’est pas Victoria Blake.” His french was magnificent, it slipped smoothly through the air between them. “Still has beautiful as ever. You never disappoint.”

Danton nodded his head down once to the woman at each side of Victoria. The non-speaking one let go of her arm with a slight twist. The lionesses were unhappy to have her in their lion’s den. 

“What do I owe the pleasure?”

Oh, I was just in the area. She smiled at him.

Danton narrowed his eyes as a grin played out on his lips. He could be quite the host, but not to an uninvited guest. He made it clear in that look that Victoria was already running up her patience. His pistol sat on the table between the two of them, closer to him of course. 

"You just happened to be in the neighborhood? Does Richard know you are here? I was just talking to Richard the other day. He didn’t mention you were coming.”

Denton let her know. It was a 50% shot he wasn’t bluffing. Richard would be upset if she killed Denton and he was trying to prevent that any desperate, but yet prideful way he could. He may of known about what was going with Richard, but would he really care? If he had just talked to Richard the tables sure did change. Victoria had heard rumors. Rumors though, half the time she didn’t even believe facts.

Victoria gave him a smirk on her lips, a smile in her eyes. Her gun was half raised just as he started to reach for his. A girl behind Victoria shrieked. Then another. Victoria pulled the trigger, combustion, shot and another. The two girls on the couch were moving away from Danton as his chest took the bullets, blood splattering. Some sort of death sound came from Danton as Victoria turned to find the woman with the questions. There she was, to her right. The gun she held was pointed at Victoria. 

You want this place? Victoria asked. It’s yours if you don’t shoot me. If you shoot me you’ll die by next week. 

Victoria watched the woman with the questions, who she would later learn to be Sweetie Darlin’, lower her gun. Smart move. Victoria looked back at Danton. The life was gone from his eyes, the girls finally gone. Sweetie Darlin joined Victoria from where she had been standing. 

Lets talk. 

~~~~~~

After Victoria’s discussion with Sweetie Darlin she exited from the old theater. She tapped up a sign to the outside door. 

Under construction. 

Soon to be reopening as The Star and Garter 

A Burlesque Theater

Remember: You can always find your dream girl in Vegas.