PART 2
Chapter Eleven
Milo – Thursday
I didn’t sleep well all night long – thoughts of Eliza were coursing through my mind the entire time. Her behavior was definitely a little strange. She’d gone from having something close to a panic attack in the crab cake shop to inviting me out on what sounded suspiciously like a double date. I had to say, she had me intrigued. There was just something so raw and real about her; it drew me in more with each passing second.
My time in Florence would have been a whole lot different if her pipes hadn’t burst. I didn’t think that I’d be having anywhere near as much fun. In fact, I probably would have given up on the peace and quiet and returned home by now.
As I padded from the bedroom out into the living area, Veil close behind me, I shot a quick glance at my watch, hoping that she would still be there, so that I could get a morning dose of her kooky nature. Unfortunately, it was much later than I’d thought it would be, which meant she’d already gone to the salon. The disappointed feeling that washed over me proved that I liked that girl a whole lot.
I hummed an odd, out-of-tune song to myself as I waited for the coffee pot to kick into gear, feeling more positive than I’d thought I would. Things were good. I was still breathing, still living, still able to have fun. I had the sense that by the time I left here, I would have a much better clue of how to grasp onto that. It was just a simple case of shaking things up, that was all.
When my phone started to ring, I grabbed it out of my pocket with hope in my heart. Maybe this was Eliza wanting to hang out with me after all... When I spotted Bill’s name plastered across the screen, my heart sunk in my chest.
“Hey, Bill, what’s going on?”
I could hear the sounds of the slot machines tearing away in the background, and it transported me right there. The smells, the lights flashing around me, the constant bells ringing... Ugh, I couldn’t have imagined anything worse. Why did I ever enjoy that life? How did I not see through the gloss and glaze? It was so obvious to me now that every part of it was fake.
When I compared it to the natural beauty surrounding me in Eliza’s cabin, there was no comparison. Here was the best place on Earth.
“Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you about Waldon’s Security; they’re giving me a bit of trouble.” His voice sounded stressed, tension flowed from his tongue; it made my heart tie up in knots just thinking about it. Why does Bill love it so much? Doesn’t he want more for himself? “Apparently, they want more money.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I sneered angrily. “Don’t I pay them enough? What the hell has gotten into them?”
“Well, according to the very pleasant man I spoke to on the phone, a rival casino has offered him more money. They want to up it by at least fifteen percent.”
“That is a fucking joke,” I growled angrily. “Give me the details of the guy you spoke to. I’ll give him a call and sort it out. Don’t worry. Thank you, Bill.”
As he gave me the details, a red hot rage swirled around inside of me. I got the distinct impression that people were trying to take advantage of me now that they knew I’d been sick. They thought my defenses would be down, and they wanted to get more from me because of that.
Sure, I could have been wrong – maybe I was reading into things that weren’t there – but it certainly seemed that way, and it wasn’t fair. I was good to the people I worked with, and I wasn’t one of those ruthless businessmen who trampled over everyone who got in their way, so why couldn’t other people treat me with the same respect?
Greed – that was the obvious reason. People in business, particularly in Vegas, ran on money. Greed was the oxygen for the whole town, so I didn’t know why I felt so shocked that someone would want to take that out on me. Everyone wanted to make a quick buck somewhere, an attitude which was fueled by the lifestyle there. It exhausted me so much that, every so often, I was tempted to just sell the casinos, just to get a clean break.
Had I ever been that way? Solely fueled by money? Maybe at one point, possibly, but I didn’t think that I had ever been such an asshole about it. Maybe I was, though, and the health scare had changed that. Maybe, for a long time, I had been just like everyone else.
I stared at the name on the piece of paper, Gary Newcombe, feeling my temper ignite like crazy. He wasn’t the usual guy I dealt with, but he was the one who would feel my wrath now. He had tried to swindle Bill, and I wouldn’t take it.
I paced the room as I waited for Gary to answer his private line before eventually making it outside to suck in some fresh air while I spoke. The freshness of the cool air felt like a massive contrast with my rage, but that didn’t slow me down.
“Hello, Waldon’s Security, how may I help you?” a gruff voice answered.
“Gary?” I sneered. “It’s Milo. I believe you might have just spoken to my employee, Bill?”
“Ah.” I could almost hear the snarky tone in his voice. Whoever this guy was, I did not like him at all. “Yes, he did say he would have you call me. I didn’t expect it to be so quick.”
“Well, it only took me a couple of seconds to realize that no, I won’t be paying you any more. I’m already overpaying you for your services.”
“I understand you think that.” He was patronizing me, actually talking down to me like I was a piece of dirt on the bottom of his shoe. Was he actually trying to make me even more bad tempered? “But we have had a much better offer from one of your rival casinos—”
“Please, do not try and pull that one with me. I know what sort of games companies like you play. I will continue paying you what I’m paying you, and that will be the end of it.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” I could hear the smile on his lips, and I wanted to punch him in his stupid face. I didn’t even know what he looked like, but I wanted to smash his nose down his neck. This was all just bullshit. “The boss has spoken.”
“I cannot speak to you about it. Get Leon to call me – he’s the only half-decent member of staff you have there.” I couldn’t deal with this anymore. What was the point of speaking to someone who couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything for me? I didn’t need to speak to the monkey anymore; it had to be the organ grinder.
“Oh, well, he isn’t in the office at the moment, but I can get him to give you a call later.”
“Just make sure that you do.”
I clicked to end the call and threw my phone through the door and onto the couch. I had come here to get away from this sort of nightmare, not to bring it with me! Maybe I wasn’t cut out for any of this anymore; maybe it was time to cut my losses and walk away.
Fuck. Now I was going to have to wait until someone got back to me, and I didn’t have the patience for that. I couldn’t call back, though, not now when I’d made such a big deal about it. Plus, I couldn’t speak to anyone else but Leon; he was clearly the only one I would be able to get through to.
I couldn’t even go out because this was a conversation that I would have to have in private, so it looked like I was stuck in for the day.
***
While I waited for Leon to call me back, I got myself increasingly wound up, so by the time my phone rang once more, the temper was already there. I felt about ready to explode, but I did my best to reel it in just in case he was willing to talk.
“Hello there, Milo,” he started, in a very calm tone of voice. “I believe you have spoken to my colleague Gary today.”
“Yes,” I replied through gritted teeth. “I did, and I have to say that he wasn’t particularly helpful. He was spinning some bullshit about wanting more money, but as you and I both know, I pay you guys more than enough.”
“Now, I know this isn’t going to be easy for either of us, Milo, but we have had a better offer, and the boss does want us to take it.”
No way... No fucking way...
“So doesn’t loyalty mean anything, then? We have been working together for years. I have gone out of my way to keep you guys on. Now you’re about to throw this shit at me?” I pumped my fists by my side, causing my knuckles to turn white. I wanted to scream and yell, but I needed to keep it locked away. I had to.
“It isn’t like that,” Leon tried, but we both knew that wasn’t the case. “This is business; you know how it is. You could just up the money and that would be the end of it.”
“I’m not going to. I’m not going to fucking bow to you. There are a million and one security companies in Vegas – this isn’t something that I need to be putting up with. You got a better offer? Then fucking take it, but don’t come crawling back to me when you’re fed up with another shit boss.”
I was done, and I would find someone else. It didn’t matter to me. Leon tried to argue with me, to draw me back into conversation, but I was done, so I hung up on him, effectively terminating the contract we had. Fuck him, fuck the lot of them. I don’t need any of them.
Bill wasn’t going to be happy, though; he would be annoyed by the extra workload. I would tell him to get a temp company in for the time being, while I did my best to sort out someone else in the meantime. He would be fine; he would just get on with it, like he always did. That was why I hired him in the first place – because, under the grumbling and groaning, he always got the job done.
But before I got the chance to do that, I felt a little prickle on the back of my neck, as if there were eyes upon me. I snapped my head up and spun around slowly, a weird feeling overcoming me.
That was a pretty standard business disagreement, and anyone in my position would know what it was like, but if that was Eliza behind me, then she might look upon me differently. The nice guy image might have been shattered.
I turned and saw her there, with Veil standing right by her side, giving me an odd look. I couldn’t decipher her emotions at all, which left me totally speechless. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, willing something to come out, but nothing happened. We were in this weird standoff, facing one another, neither of us able to move.