I had spent enough time lately traveling around that I was starting to loose connections. The connections that I needed to get into the…more seedier places that were around. Those places that weren’t exactly above ground, legality-wise. Once the foot was in the door, it was always going to be easier, I just had to get to that point first.

Work had been slow lately, of course there was always going to be something to do but setting up things around the country took a considerable amount of work. It was difficult trying to run things and stay in the loop when I wasn’t in town. It certainly slowed everything down.

Sparking up a smoke as I stepped from the train at Las Vegas Depot, I paused for a moment, enjoying the bright sunlight and dry air. It felt like a different world out here. I didn’t have to fight off the cold like I did back in New York and Philly. It was something that I could get used too.

Pulling the folded piece of paper from my pocket, I read it quickly, committing it to memory before tossing it away into the trash. Giving my watch a glance, I only had an hour or so to get to the meeting.

Heading down the steps, I hailed a cab quickly enough, climbing into the back seat, I reached forward, handing over a decent amount of cash. “Russo’s Bar and Casino, please. If ya could step on it, that’d be great. Bit of a time crunch, if ya don’t mind.”

The cabbie grumbled something underneath his breath as I grabbed for the cash, stuffing it away into his pocket as he jammed his foot on the gas hard enough to push me back into my seat a bit.

“I suppose I found the right cabbie.” I thought to myself as the streets seemed to race by in a blur. Before I knew it, the cabbie was slamming on the breaks, forcing me to catch myself from slamming into the back of the seat. “That’ll do.” I handed him a few more folded bills, “Thanks again.”

He grumbled something again before speeding away as soon as I shut the door, his tires squealing as he did.

The bright lights of Russo’s Bar and Casino illuminated the strip of sidewalk I now stood on. The street was busy but not overly packed, bodies moving here and there not paying attention to anyone or anything around them. It certainly wouldn’t be hard to relieve them of their valuables with the way that they were ignoring their surroundings.

I pushed those thoughts away, I wasn’t here to perfect my pickpocketing skills, I was here for something hopefully much more lucrative than that.

Ashing out my smoke, I headed for the security guard standing beside the front entrance. “Evening, Sir, nice night?” He stared straight ahead with no reaction what so ever, “Alright then, is your boss in, Mr. KennyRusso, by any chance?”

"Eh." Kenny shrugs while being interrogated by a police officer. In the privacy of his backroom, this brave, naive cop was trying to make a name for himself by accusing Kenny of various crimes hoping to bring him in, clueless about the danger he'd put himself in. When his security guard told him that a cop was trying to enter the bar, he had to see what it was all about. Seated on his desk with the man on the opposite side of him, Kenny took a swig of a bottle of whiskey and replied to the cop, with a smile on his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He puts the bottle down and corks it. "I'm just a business owner, I wouldn't dare to break the law."

A laugh can be heard from the couch where Kenny's pupil Theo is seated. The cop was fuming, he knew Kenny was lying and trying to be funny.

"If that's all, I'm a busy man and have stuff to do. Theo can you show this fine officer the door?"

"You got it." Theo says getting up from the couch. "This way, sir." He smiles, the boy knew the cop since he spent a lot of time in the police department for being caught pick pocketing, breaking and entering and stealing from stores. The cop resisted, trying to speak up. Kenny just shushed him and pointed to the door. "This conversation is over."

A hour passed from that and this time Kenny was seated at the counter of his bar, listening to the new band he hired. It was a mix of classical music and opera. There was a lady with a wonderful voice singing loudly and Kenny was entranced. With a cigarette newly lit on his lips he feels a touch on his shoulder.

"What?" Said him, clearly bothered.

"Man outside. Well dressed, seems important. Could be a fed, could be a high ranking member of the mob. Should I send him in or send him packing?"

"I've got it." Kenny got up from his seat and accompanied the security guard to the door. Traversing through the empty dance floor he makes his way towards the exit of the bar where James Baxter is waiting. Arriving there he sees the man described by his guard leaning against the wall on the sidewalk. Kenny passes by him and keeps walking, nodding his head for him to accompany, the man does.

"Who are you?"

I fell in step beside the stranger as he motioned for me to follow. I could understand the need for privacy, the less ears around, the better. Not wanting to spook the man, I pulled out another smoke slowly, I certainly wasn’t here to cause any trouble. I definitely wasn’t here for that.

”Mr. KennyRusso, I presume.” I waited until we were out of earshot before I spoke, “James Baxter, pleasure to meet you. Sorry to pull you away from the business but I was hoping that you could help me out a bit. I’m…looking to expand. I’ve got some balls up in the air out here at the moment and I’m in need of something a little extra. Actually, if I’m being honest, I’m in the need of a partner.”

I let the silence fall between us, letting the sounds of the city wash over everything. This was a delicate subject to broach. When things of this nature went down there was always an added pressure, an added chance for things to go sideways.

This type of work was going to take trust and everything being equal, I didn’t know KennyRusso from anyone else. However, the only way to truly trust someone was to be in the trenches with them.

It was going to take a leap of faith.

I decided to take that leap, I didn’t have many other options at the moment. The only thing I could do was lay it all out on the line.

”I need a way to move some cash. A…a lot of it. Obviously, not clean cash. There in lies the problem. I’ve got a bank back in Philly but that doesn’t exactly help me out all the way out here.” I paused for a moment, ashing my smoke before pulling the small flask from my pocket, “I know the trouble that this could bring, the mess that it could turn into.

I’m not trying to get one over on you here, Mr. KennyRusso, what I’m suggesting is an equal partnership, fifty-fifty split. We will both be taking the risk so there’s no reason that either one of us should be benefiting more than the other.

I’ve heard some rumblings about the way you take care of business, you’re trustworthy, someone who knows the ins and outs of this world. Now, of course I don’t know if that is true or not but, I’m willing to find out. You think that this is something you could get behind? I know I’m asking a lot here. Especially coming from someone that you’ve just met.”

James Baxter. That was a name Kenny had heard on the streets. This man has been around and it was pretty high up in the PH chain of command. Kenny listened intently to what he had to say and was interested. After years spent on Sicily, Kenny didn't knew anyone of clout in the US anymore, except in Las Vegas, when he returned to America, Dawson connected Kenny to various influential people in the Sin City but that was it. Outside of Nevada Kenny didn't knew anyone.

"A partnership, you say?" Kenny took a puff out of his cigarette and expelled smoke through his nostrils. "See, I may have the solution to your problem. But I have heard of you. You're the left hand man of the Undead Alliance. Looks like you're pretty connected in Philly."

Kenny looks up at the starry sky and is hit with a feeling of nostalgia, Philly was where he grew up with his brother and was introduced into the life of crime. He had a special place for that city in his heart even if he doesn't call it home anymore.

"See, I've been away for some time dealing with family business in Italy. I've lost all my contacts and friends of mine have gone underground, making them impossible to be found." They arrive at a park with a fountain, Kenny keeps the silence for a few seconds while they approach and Kenny takes a seat on the fountain, placing his hand on the water.

"So, let's say the money will be 70% for you, 30 for me. And you introduce me to some influential people in Philly. Politicians, police officers and key members of this thing of ours. I can do the same for you, if you keep your word." 

Kenny lets James contemplate what he said for a moment while finishing his cigarette, throwing the butt on the ground.

"About moving the cash, the way I can help you." Kenny gets up from the fountain and stretches. "I used to have bars all over the US during the prohibition era. I produce all kinds of liquor and had them transported through routes where police wouldn't patrol. From the east coast to the west I had trucks delivering tons of booze without once the cops getting a sniff of it. We could do it with your money. I just have to make a few phone calls, contact old friends who are still around and see if my drivers are available."

Truthfully, Mr. KennyRusso’s proposal seemed too good to be true. With this much cash needing to be moved, was always going to have problems. I certainly wasn’t going to run into this issue in the future.

”No. That just won’t do.” I stated defiantly, “Fifty-fifty or no deal. I’m going to nip this in the bud before it has a chance to blossom. I’ll put you in touch with whomever you need. It’s not a matter of money if that’s what you’re thinking.” I took another small sip from my flask before offering it to KennyRusso, “I’ve got that in spades and if I’m being honest, it doesn’t mean all that much to me. There’s always more to be made. What I’m truly interested in is avoiding a lengthy prison sentence. That’s pretty much at the top of the priority list.”

I was going to stand firm on this. There was no reason that any one of us should be making more than the other. Just getting into Vegas was the real goal, anything else was secondary. I wasn’t worried about a little bit of dough.

”So, what do you say KennyRusso? Ya think fifty-fifty will work?”

Kenny takes the flask and takes a sip while listening to James. The chance of meeting some new contacts in Philly while also getting 50-50 for doing what he did for years was a pretty amazing offer that he couldn't refuse. He also knew that James was not going to fuck him over because of the street cred he had, Kenny heard from many people about his reliability.

"I just proposed the 70-30 because I was asking the favor of being introduced." Kenny goes for his pack of cigarette and lights one, taking a deep drag. "If you're going to be generous, give me half and still make the introductions, I'll do the same for you. Tomorrow come to this address, give me a moment."

Kenny pulls his notebook and writes something in it. He takes the piece of paper and hands over to James.

"This is the address to my crew's HQ. Tell them to fetch me once you get stopped by security in the gates. I'll take you in and introduce you to Summerlin's Godfather and some more influential people of the district. I can also show you the safe routes from PH - LV when you're there."

“What can I say?” I shrugged my shoulders, “You have to give trust to get trust. Respect earned, respect is given, and all that fun jazz.”

I smiled as KennyRusso handed me the paper that he tore out from his notebook, “Without a doubt, I will be there.” I extended my hand to shake the stranger turned associate’s hand, “Pleasure doing business with you, KennyRusso. I’m sure that this is that start of a fruitful partnership.”

Stepping out from the shadows Olivia_Parentela smiled, taking JamesBaxter's hand in hers. "I couldn't agree more," she said. "And with our combined skills and expertise, I have no doubt that we will achieve great things together."

We continued to chat for a few more minutes, discussing our goals and aspirations for the partnership. Olivia shared her passion for innovation and her desire to push the boundaries of what was possible, while KennyRusso emphasized the importance of teamwork and communication.

As we wrapped up our conversation, Olivia couldn't help but feel excited about the future. With JamesBaxter and KennyRusso by her side, she knew that anything was possible.

"Okay, let's do this," she said, ready to get to work. "We have a lot to accomplish, and I can't wait to see what we can achieve together."

With a final round of handshakes, we went our separate ways, ready to tackle the challenges ahead and make our partnership a success.

Vegas work, cried JohnFareham.

I remember when things were wild out in Vegas. Men died. There were sitdowns.  Wars. 

I don't think two storytellers and a lady hosting an election can expect to draw a pension here. 

Huh. 

Olivia shook her head at the strange reaction from the man she thought she knew, a man degraded to displaying his paranoia and sociopathic tendencies for all to see.

"He really thinks it's all about him" she thought to herself as she weighed up her options while keeping a close eye on the gun he had inadvertently left on the table beside him.  

"Harassment", she exclaimed loudly......"the only person filling my BOX with filth lately has been you, unsolicited mail is not welcome."

Grabbing the gun she stepped to the right of him, pushing the gun into the throbbing vein on his temple.

"The pleasure is all mine", she cooed softly into his ear before pulling the trigger.  The last thing he saw was KennyRusso pissing his pants in the corner.

THE END. 

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Crazy was always going to do crazy.

”Well, after your rather boring show here, I’m still alive and kicking so, once again…” I pointed down the street in the direction of the psych ward, “The mental institution that you’re looking for is right over there. Best of luck. You seem like you need some work with your obsessive tendencies. I hope you find the help you need, it certainly seems like you’re in desperate need of it.”

I lit up another smoke, if I was going to be racking up credits from idjits, I might as well enjoy it. 

Addendum:

She thought she heard something.

But ghosts don't exist.

Dedicated to Mum and Dad.

“Yup.” I declared loudly, “The mental institution is that way. Best to check in before the beds fill up.”

After that horrible display of scariness, Kenny sobbed with his hands trembling and went home for a change of pants. After meeting with his friend Theo, he cried and asked for comfort.

"You should have seen it! How intimidating!" He could barely keep the breath on his lungs on account of the sobbing. He was for sure traumatized and would never leave his room again.

I think that JamesBaxter is a good man doing good work and he is a journalist like the others.  He should be allowed to live in peace