show. But his heart’s all wrapped up in this thing. I personally think that’s real dangerous when you’re running a sting. You need to be detached. Him gettin’ angry like he just done is a bad sign. If we fail with a mark like Tommy Rina, we’re gonna be hanging out with a buncha engine blocks at the bottom of some lake.”
Victoria didn’t answer, but when Beano finally came back from the men’s room, she could see he had water in his hair. She wondered if he had put his head in the sink to cool down. Once he was seated they sat in silence for a while, picking at the overcooked food.
“Okay, look,” she finally volunteered. “You mentioned that the Rinas don’t have a casino because they couldn’t get approved by any gaming commissions in the U.S.”
“That’s right,” Beano mumbled.
“But it’s wrong. They do have a casino.” Both Beano and John looked up. “They’re not on any of the ownership records, but according to my information, the Rinas are majority silent partners in a huge new casino in the Bahamas called the Sabre Bay Club. I couldn’t ever prove it ‘cause they’re not on any of the paperwork, but I suspect they may also have a piece of the SARTOF Merchant Bank of Nassau. SARTOF is an acronym. Stands for Société Anonyme de Refinancement Toutes Opérations Financières.”
“Ooh-la-la,” Beano said and looked over at Paper Collar John. “That bank could be the dead-drop.”
“If it is … that’s gonna make it a whole lot easier,” John said, and Beano nodded.
“Then we should be able to scam that Bahamian casino for a couple’a million,” Beano said, upping the amount. “We need to get ahold of ‘Fit-Throwing’ Duffy. He’s the best tat player in the family.”
“What are you talking about? What’s a tat?” Victoria said. It was starting again; they were talking in a language she didn’t understand.
“A tat is a dice con,” Beano explained, then looked back at John. “And I’m gonna need a female mack to steer Tommy.”
“The Queen of Hearts.”
“No,” Beano snapped.
“Just don’t fool around with her this time. You want a mack, she’s the best. She’s also the best looking. You won’t have to troll her past Tommy more than once.”
“Damn it, stop talking over my head,” Victoria said. “I told you about the casino. What’s a mack? Who’s the Queen of Hearts? I want to know what the hell we’re talking about.”
John turned to face her. “A mack is a sharper who runs lover cons. Cons of the heart.”
“Are we talking about some sleazeball who marries poor dumb pensioners, then takes their money and disappears?” she said.
“Yeah,” Beano acknowledged. “That’s about it. We’re also talking about my cousin-in-law, Dakota Bates. She’s a widow now, used to be married to my cousin Calvin Bates. He died in prison. They call her the Queen of Hearts, but she’s not going to be part of this hustle.”
“Just don’t hand your heart to her this time,” John advised. “You give a mack your heart, Beano, and she gets confused. She don’t know what to do with it, ‘cept squeeze it for cash and throw it on the ground. She always loved Carol, she’d wanta do this, and she’s the best. Since when did we start usin’ seconds on a sting this dangerous?”
“Okay, call her up,” Beano finally agreed. “I think she was in California, last I heard.”
“She’s right here in Adantic City. She’s been bucking the tiger in clubs off the Boardwalk.”
“I hesitate to ask,” Victoria said.
“Faro player,” Beano explained. “She hangs out on the faro tables, looking for full Toledos who pull into town flashing diamonds and driving Cadillacs. She does real good.”
There was a long moment and then Beano looked over at Victoria. “Okay, what’s it gonna be? You gonna hang on me, laugh at my jokes, and let me buy you a pearl? It’s you, or I take a chance on a hooker. Either get in or get out. Last call,” he said. Beano felt tired; his vision was beginning to split. And every time he let himself focus on the Rina brothers, he felt a panic attack. He wondered if in a direct confrontation with Joe or Tommy he could hold it together. He yanked these unsettling thoughts away, took a drink of beer, and tried to calm down.
Victoria sawed off another piece of gristly steak and tried in vain to chew it. She finally tucked it back in the corner of her mouth, like a chipmunk with