"Hey, Sarah, VIP at table six. Big mob guy from back east. We had to close off four tables around him, so try and milk some good tips off him. You know what Lou would say."

The young woman with the firey red hair nodded. Lou would have been a lot more raunchy in his instructions, but today, Lou wasn't here. Today, the club was fully staffed, and Sarah could keep her clothes on. Such as they were, anyway. Unless this VIP asked to see more, the skin-tight black dress that left nothing to the imagination could stay in place. Today was just a little better than every other day.

Taking a glass of whiskey from the bar, she approached the man's table. She locked her emerald green eyes with his when he looked up, and gave him a seductive smile. The guards let her pass with no trouble, and she sat the glass down in front of him, leaning over to offer a nice view of what men liked to view. 

"Hello there, handsome. My name is Sarah, and it's my job to take really good care of you tonight. What's your name?" 

Gavin sighed contentedly as he finally relaxed in his chair. Were the days getting longer? Or was he just getting older? Still, he supposed age had some perks; the fact that the bar had kept the tables around him empty had been a nice touch. His throat felt like the Sahara and was practically clamoring for a drink, and he was just about to raise a finger to get someone's attention when a redhead who looked like she'd gotten poured into her dress materialized in front of him.

He reflexively smirked up at her. Even after two decades of marriage it was still impossible not to appreciate a beautiful woman, although he'd cut off his hand before he touched one romantically. Still, he occasionally found himself being manipulated by a pretty face, and it was something he'd learned to live with as a result of living an aesthetically pleasing life.

Getting married, ironically, had made him even more attractive to women than ever. Was it the thrill of the chase? The idea that at least one woman could stand him? He suspected it was the unflappable confidence one developed moving through life at the side of Bella Byrne.

The woman's voice jolted him out of thoughts of his wife. His icy blue eyes appraised her, and there was a mirth and a merriness there. It had been a good day at the poker table.

"Gavin. It's nice to meet you, Sarah. And nicer for you that I'm not thirty years younger, otherwise "taking really good care of me" would involve a stolen car, at least one gunshot wound and..."

He waved his hand lazily, many of his adventures blending together.

"... a zoo? We'll never know. How many other tables do you have tonight?"

Sarah perked up a bit, genuinely, at his greeting. Lots of men were talkers; more were touchers, but far less than both of those were actual conversationalists. She appreciated his candor. It was genuine and put her more at ease.

Pointing at the four empty tables surrounding him, Sarah winked. 

"These four, but I don't think they're going to be much trouble. I'm here just for you tonight."

She reached into the plunging neckline of her dress and pulled out a silver cigarette case. Flipping it open, she offered it toward her singular customer. The cigarettes were hand rolled in black papers, and had the distinct smell of clove. 

Gavin smirked. He was going to tip her enough that he would have been her only table, but apparently that was already taken care of for him. With a cigarette offered to him, he shrugged and accepted it. He wasn't much of a smoker, but he didn't mind one every now and then. And he always had a lighter on him for... reasons. Flicking it deftly, he lit the cigarette and raised it to his lips. His narrowed eyes scrutinized the woman's face.

"So. Let's talk about taking care of me. I need a bottle of whiskey. Irish. If you can find the county"Cork" on it, good. If you can find the world "Midleton" on it, even better. Any of the good stuff back there? Or is this not that kind of place?"

A knowing smile crossed her face. Sarah crossed her arms in front of her, teasingly scolding him and slipping into her grandmother's Irish brogue.

"Now Gavin, if y'be wantin' Jameson, you just need to come on out with it." 

She ran her hand across his shoulders slowly and turned toward the bar on her toes. 

"I've got just the thing for you. I'll be right back."

At the bar, one of the other girls wiggled in beside her. 

"Lucky. How'd you land the VIP?" 

Sarah shrugged a little and reached for a bottle from the cabinet below. 

"Luck of the Irish?" 

Lulu, the resident big-breasted blonde, rolled her eyes.

"Well you'd better work it hard. Lou is on his way back."

Sarah felt her chest clench, but she hid it and took a glass from the bar without another word. As she stepped back to the table, she put her game face back on. 

"1927 Jameson- smuggled in by the original owner of the club himself. I trust this will do to your liking? 

She poured three fingers for him, then placed the bottle on the table before slipping into the booth beside him. She crossed her legs at the knees and rested her elbows on the table with a sultry look in her eyes. The motions were all the same; like a dance almost. Do the routine until something piques the customer's interest, put it on auto pilot, and pray he's not a violent one. Watching him approach the glass, Sarah wondered what sort of man this Gavin was. 

When she returned with the whisky, Gavin smiled winningly.

"Well... not bad at all. Looks like my luck continues."

As she slid into the booth beside him, he smirked at her before deftly deflecting.

"Ah. That seat's taken I'm afraid. But please, if you've no other tables, why not sit and keep me company? Pour a glass for yourself and we'll toast our ancestors. I don't suppose you pick up a brogue like that by accident, no?"

His reaction surprised her- but only for a moment. An undetectable glance revealed a wedding band, and one that looked often worn. Perhaps this gentleman was exactly that; a gentleman. Intrigued, Sarah rose again.

"Well that's an offer I don't get often. Let me go get another glass."

She returned to the bar quickly and grabbed another glass. For a moment, she stood up on her tip toes and squinted through the kitchen door's window through to the office.  The door was still closed, which meant Lou hadn't gotten back yet. With a soft sigh of relief, she returned to the table and sat near the edge of the other side of the rounded booth bench from Gavin. 

"And you're right, no accident. Years and years of summers in Ireland visiting my Gran in Bantry Bay. Oh, the sunburns I lived through."

Grinning at the memories, Sarah poured herself a little bit of the drink and sat back.

"What about you, Mr. Gavin? Where do yours hail from?"

Gavin may have lost a step or two when it came to some things, but his awareness was still top notch. As the woman nervously looked for someone or something and then visibly relaxed, he noted it. 

"Just Gavin's fine. I was born in Newfoudland, but I've spent the majority of my life in Philadelphia. My ancestors, though, were from Ireland. Something exciting happening over there?"

He gestured with his glass of whisky before clinking it against hers.

"Here's to the Emerald Isle, then."

"To the Emerald Isle."

She lifted her own glass toward his, then took a tiny sip. The girls weren't supposed to drink on the job, but this was a VIP guest, and he requested her have a drink with him. She only poured a little bit- just enough to have a good taste and have it gone by the time Lou came back.

"Oh, no, nothing but a work day. You know how girls chatter like hens."

This guy was sharp; it made Sarah smile a bit. Knowing his line of work, she could only imagine the stories he had. But, she knew better than to ask. He wasn't the first connected man that had come into the club. To continue the conversation, she nodded toward his left hand.

"Someone is a lucky lady. We get a lot of married men in here, but none so gentlemanly as you are."

Gavin savored the whisky for a few moments before adding some more to his glass. He was in town for at least another seven or eight hours, so he didn't feel particularly rushed to put a dent in the bottle. If he timed it right, he'd fall asleep somewhere above Vegas.

"I am more than a little familiar with hens. And gentlemanly? I'll take the compliment. I probably owe most of that to my daughter, if I'm being honest."

Gavin sampled more of the whisky. 

"You'll fine me easy to please, Sarah. Why not tell me a bit about yourself? About the bar? Or a random story, if you're feeling particularly spry. In my current line of work, I mostly deal with silence and people glaring at me."

The smile on Sarah's face changed from that of a sultry booze server to that of...a daughter. It suddenly hit Sarah that this man must be nearly the same age as her father would have been. She hadn't spoken of him since she was kidnapped, for fear that someone might try to use her for ransom. But, in this particular setting, with someone who was in a similar business, maybe it would be ok to mention. After all, Gavin had a daughter, too.

"I'm originally from New York. My Dad was a good man- you might say her was in your line of work."

She paused and glanced over Gavin's face, hoping her allusion to his career didn't upset him. When he didn't seem to react, she continued.

"His name was Danny Winters. Part time gangster, full-time dad to a rebellious little brat of a redhead."

Sarah chuckled softly and swirled the whiskey in her glass.

"But he was the best."

Gavin raised an eyebrow. Was this girl working the casino as well or... nope. The other line of work. Gavin mostly knew Philadelphia, but he'd spent more time in the Big Apple than every other Midwestern and Pacific city combined. The name was vaguely familiar. But past tense?

"Was? My condolences, Sarah. What happened? Don't have to answer, of course. But if you don't answer, you do have to drink."

For a moment, Sarah hesitated. The glass was already in her hand. For a few more moments, she considered telling him everything; but it was too risky. For one thing, she wasn't keen on spending another night in the broom closet for pissing Lou off. For another, she didn't want to see her guest thrown out on her account. 

She lifted the glass and drained it, but gave a measured answer anyway.

"The papers said that it was a turf war; that he was gunned down by some other street gang. I don't buy it, though. Dad had a steel fist hold on that area. There was no way it could have fallen apart in two months."

She sighed a bit.

"Then again, I wasn't there."

The door from the kitchen swung open and a tall, barrel chested man in a suit and no tie sauntered into the main bar area. Immediately, Sarah's expression melted back into the seductress' mask she was so used to wearing. Slyly, she pushed the empty glass away from her and much closer to Gavin. She tossed her long red locks over her shoulder and batted her eyelids as Lou began to make his way over. He always made it a point to glad-hand the VIPs. When he was close enough, Sarah jumped from her seat.

"Mr. Valacci, this is Gavin. He was just enjoying one of the '27 Jamesons and telling me about his luck at the tables tonight."

Lou Valacci, a pompus mouth-breather with a terribly high opinion of himself, stuck out a sausage-fingered hand toward Gavin.

"A real pleasure to have you, Mr. Byrne. I met you a couple of years ago at the Bellagio. Pete Tucci's wedding. It's an honor to have you here. I hope Sarah here has been treating you right."

He glanced over the table and appeared to spy the second glass. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Gavin shook the man's hand, but his eyes never blinked and they never looked away from the man until the glass was noticed.

"Sarah has been superb in every way, even in indulging my special request to help me put a dent in this bottle with me. Why drink alone when you can drink with a beautiful woman, no?"

The club owner looked briefly to Sarah, then back at Gavin and nodded.

"Yeah, for sure. She's a hot little piece. Like that whiskey, you know? What's good ain't cheap, but smooth as silk. You enjoy your evening Mr. Byrne. And let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

It was painfully clear that Lou was brown-nosing. He wasn't a business man like that- he just served them and pretended to be influential and well-connected. If she could have, Sarah would have rolled her eyes so far back into her head she could have seen her skull. Finally, Lou made his way back to his office. Sarah's shoulders relaxed and she re-took her seat. 

"Thank you. Lou gets kind of pissy when we drink on the clock. Even when it's paid for."

Rather than going back to the subject of her father, or Lou, Sarah took another avenue.

"How old is your daughter?"

Gavin stared after the man as he left with a scowl on his face. Why would a woman choose to work for a man like that? Money must be fantastic. Shaking his head, Gavin polished off his glass and poured another.

"Twenty-two. I know I shouldn't ask a lady her age- but yourself?"

"Nineteen. But I'll be 20 next month."

She knew her age was shameful. No girl her age should be dressed in such a way and being subjected to the usual scum that came in looking for a good time. Worse yet, Sarah wasn't the youngest. 

"So, handsome gentlemen with a lucky wife and a grown daughter out here gambling by yourself?" 

Gavin smiled kindly at the woman. Girl. Suddenly, he felt like this wasn't the sort of place he wanted to sink too much more money into. But he had no intention of leaving immediately- didn't want to get this girl in trouble with her boss.

"My wife's business tends to be... very engaging. I do a lot of traveling on my own. It can be nice, getting to know a variety of different cities. Especially when you win money in most of them. Have you ever played poker, Sarah?"

Sarah's eyes brightened up a bit. 

"Not well, but I was learning. Dad used to have these poker games and he'd get me to come in and be his good luck charm for a while. I watched and would pick up on things. I beat my cousin on a few hands sometimes, but he didn't like getting beat by a girl."

She smirked, then glanced up to see Caroline come through from the kitchen. Sarah hadn't realized how much time had passed. With an apologetic shrug, Sarah stood.

"I'm afraid my shift has ended, and I have to go. Can I get you anything else before I do?" 

For the first time, Sarah was a little sad to see her shift end. Gavin might have been the one looking for conversation, but Sarah was the one who needed the chat the most.

Gavin shook his head.

"Maybe I'll see you at the poker tables sometime, Sarah. For now, take this..."

He handed her a couple hundred dollar bills, one for her to hide for herself and one to give to the boss.

"... and this."

She looked down at the business card in her hand.

Gavin Byrne
Risk Management Expert, Financial Acquisitions

There was an address and a phone number at the bottom of the card.

"If you ever need anything, just call and leave a message. You seem like a good kid. If you ever wanted to get out of here, either to make some real money or live quietly, just give me a call."

With a grin, Gavin finished his drink.

"Good luck out there, Sarah. Maybe our paths will cross again sometime."