Ch.6-Winning Hands TWST Mafia AU
There was nothing extraordinary to the job, given that Ace was only 17 there were only a few things he could do at the casino, but given the fact that he knew many card games he became a Dealer. The casino was roaring with business as usual, laughter and cheers of disappointment or excitement filled the air, and Ace was hard at work with his customers. His uniform was black slacks and dress shoes, paired with a white dress shirt and a black vest that contained a red heart design over his left pectoral, the gloves and bow tie also were black and in all it was a dull look to Ace. In his mind these were common “Casino” clothes like from the movies.
“Full bust!” Ace called out with a smirk and looked at the men at the table. “The game is black jack gentlemen, remember to get as close as you can to 21 and not over.”
“Hit me.” One called out, receiving a card from the dealer before the next man called out his move.
Ace loved all kinds of games, Texas Hold ‘em, Black Jack, Baccarat, he always had fun playing those kinds of games. Perhaps it was spurred on from his father and brother, the three always had a blast hanging out so it could have been a natural development. As the game continued on there were sudden shouts and yells of disturbances that caught everyone’s attention, running through the casino was a middle aged man with his hands clutching onto loose thaumarks with security chasing him. Deuce was one of the guards following and caught up fairly quickly but the man only shoved him into Ace’s table, sending chips and cards flying as the pursuit was endless to the perpetrator. The redhead was quick to help Deuce to his feet and checked on his friend carefully to make sure there was no permanent damage, unlike Ace, Deuce worked security and the check in counter and was on his feet constantly. Getting injured in a way that would hinder his ability to stand would be troublesome.
“Oi, you alright man? You didn’t hit your head?”
“N-no I’m fine, I need to go after him-” Deuce replied with a grunt, standing up to help with the chase but when the two looked over the man was already trapped under some guards.
“Too late, looks like they got him.”
“Damn it..I wanted to catch him.”
The teasing tone that came from Ace only sparked an agitated look from the darker haired man. “Oh? Deuce is still trying to live out his policeman fantasy huh?”
“Shut it! Just because I’m dedicated doesn’t mean-”
Both froze up and looked over to their boss, Riddle, who was walking to the guards with Trey and Cater behind him. His expression was cold as he glared at the thief and spoke in a regal yet pernicious voice. “How dare you come in here, lose your own money, and then proceed to steal from others to make up for your pathetic play. You are no longer welcome here, if I see you come in here again it will be off with your head.”
With a nod the man was escorted out, the casino owner looked around at the stunned faces of his customers and cleared his throat before announcing loudly. “I apologize for all those that had to witness a criminal in your midst, please continue your games and welcome yourself a free beverage in the Burgundy Bar.”
Cater and Riddle shared a look and the tangerine haired man smiled as he took out his phone. “I got it~ I’ll keep an eye on the bar and make sure to maintain order. Should I also post some things in the media?”
“Yes, update the black list and advertise the entertainment and people at the bar.” Riddle replied before walking off with Trey.
Trey glanced over at Deuce, who was still leaning on Ace for balance, and spoke with a smile. “Good work, if you both want to take a break now would be good while the staff clean up the mess.”
“Sounds good to me!” Ace replied, letting go of Deuce and heading to the bar, the bright cyan eyes from the part-time guard looked at Trey with apprehension.
“Are you sure? You guys are not going to need me?”
“Deuce, there is nothing wrong with taking a break, besides Riddle and I have some important business to take care of with Azul right now. The night should be a bit more peaceful now.” Trey assured him with a kind expression before following Riddle.
Feeling a bit disheartened, the darker haired man fixed his red vest and tucked his white shirt back into his red slacks, a black spade was designed on the front of his vest right at his right pectoral. Deuce removed his white gloves and tucked them into his pocket while accompanying Ace and Cater at the bar. It was loud and rather obnoxious to get through the customers but it was worth the second to sit down, Ace smiled at his friend and chuckled as he nudged him with his elbow. “Hey don’t look so glum, we get a break out of the commotion!”
“There’s nothing else to it, come on Deuce try to relax. You’re more of a stick in the mud than Idia.”
“Ace is right!” Cater pitched in, sliding a drink to Deuce and taking a picture of the two before giving a big grin. “Gotta do a whole vibe check to make sure everyone is happy. You both really fit the image here you know? Totally artistic clash with the outfits and looks!”
Half of the time the poor teens barely understood Cater, but the media manager was very good at bringing up promotions and making everything at the casino look perfect. Ace just gave a polite smile and shrugged as he replied. “Well it’s not my first choice of clothing. Hey, on another note Cater, what is with Azul coming here all the time?”
Deuce’s curiosity was also attained at Ace’s question, pitching his own input. “Yeah, and those two guys that come around with Azul are so strange. Riddle can’t stand one of them and Trey seems indifferent.”
“Eh? Oh right, you both were only hired here a couple months ago.” Cater realized and set his phone down for a second. “But you really don’t know who they are?”
Both shook their heads and Cater looked around them cautiously before getting out of his seat and motioning them to follow him, leading them to a private booth with door attachments. They sat quietly for a moment, both teens watching their manager with confusion as a finger played with a lock of orange hair. In contrast to the majority of staff, Cater was not in a typical uniform, his outfit was a cream colored shirt with a tan and brown tweed waistcoat, his shoes were black and his pants a tawny brown color. There were no gloves or bow tie to his clothes but the earth tones helped to bring out his vibrant fern green eyes. After the doors were closed securely, he kept his voice low and took out his phone to retrieve some pictures.
“So, let me make this clear, you can never tell anyone what I’m about to tell you ok?”
“Alright?” Ace replied skeptically while Deuce only nodded.
The first photo was of Azul, taken at an odd angle without the man’s knowledge. “Despite only being a couple years older, Azul is the mafia leader to the Ashengrotto estate-”
“Ashengrotto!?” Both Ace and Deuce shouted, eyes wide while Cater leaned back in shock before hurryingly trying to make them quiet down.
“Ok good! You know what that name means, good..” Cater sighed and put his left hand over his heart. “Jeez, total heart attack..anyways, he and Riddle work together to promote their business and keep the cash flowing. Our businesses are in a collective unit called The Coin, two sides collectively working together for a common want or need.”
“Just to be clear, isn’t working with the mafia..illegal?” Deuce asked with concern, he did not want to be involved in illegal activities that could jeopardize his future.
“No, technically we do not do any malpractice with them. Riddle is always working hard to make sure that we all stay safe and are not criminalized for what happens outside of the casino.”
“Jeez, what about that purple haired guy then?” Ace questioned, gaining Cater’s attention. “He was here a few weeks ago and security had to escort him out, but he was not added to the ban list.”
“Oh, that was one of Vil’s cronies. I haven’t met him, but that’s because Trey warned me to keep my distance for now. He was part of The Pride though, a union between the Savanaclaw Gang and Informant agency.”
“Whoa, pause for a second, rewind.” Ace groaned, leaning back in his seat. “Can you just start from the beginning? Otherwise this will get more confusing?”
Cater thought to himself, tapping his cheek with his index finger before smiling and nodding. “Alright! But it’s a long story, I’ll try to make it simple and quick for you two.”
“Is it really that complicated..?” Deuce muttered to himself as Cater took a breath and began to explain.
“Don’t tell it like a fairytale!” Ace snapped but Cater only chuckled and continued.
“Riddle and Trey were working on the proper paperwork to officially claim the business as his after the untimely death of his father. Mrs.Rosehearts did not approve but Riddle wanted to escape his oppressed life and continue his fathers legacy, to which Trey joined in. Another person by the name of Chenya had gone off on his own abroad for college, I’ve only seen him a couple times. Anyways, being the new casino owner meant there was a lot to do and Riddle needed a way to spread his name out, and I was brought on the scene! We were doing wonderfully for the regular gamblers but at the time we lacked the popularity we needed to make us a crown jewel in the city, to which Azul introduced himself one day. Apparently he’s had his eyes on this place for a while, but when Riddle rejected the offer to sell the business they struck up a deal. If Riddle could get more than one million new customers in one month then Azul would give up, and if not then he would have to sell the rights to the mafia.
I’m sure you realize that Riddle was not one to give up, so the three of us pitched several ideas together and worked our heads off to get as much advertisement as possible, the hardest part was getting the right clientele in. It didn’t help that Azul’s men, Jade and Floyd, continued to try and mess with us and our business the entire time. But by the time a month was up we managed to get more than one million new people through our doors and Azul was not happy about the defeat, but he respected Riddle’s valor so they struck up a new deal. Riddle got to keep his business so long as he paid Azul for protection, again this unsettled Riddle and he denied the deal. But then a few days passed where our people kept getting attacked and robbed that Riddle had no choice. In order to hold some power Riddle suggested a different kind of deal, that Azul would be paid for bringing new clients and using his men whenever needed, Azul is basically paid to give out bodyguards or laborers if Riddle needs them and to not harm anyone that worked in the casino. It worked out in the end, but they still hold a pretty tense partnership.”
“Wow..” Deuce said softly and blinked for what seemed like the first time in minutes. “We have ties to the mafia?”
“Yes, it’s more complicated as far as their deal goes but it’s confidential.” Cater chuckled and showed a picture of a shadowed figure, the face was unrecognizable because the picture was taken in the dark but the tall figure was there. “This is Malleus. He is the head of Thorn Agency, otherwise known as the assassin’s bureau. We normally don’t see him but his men like to skulk around here for their jobs..I’m sorry to tell you this guys but when we have a death here or someone sent to the hospital there’s a good chance it was intentional.”
“Wait, now we have assassins too?!” Ace sputtered out in shock.
“Don’t worry they’re completely professional, they would never harm someone that isn’t their target. Let’s see..you already know Idia obviously, he’s an underground doctor..then there is Sam who is a black market dealer for everyone and anyone. Both Idia and Sam have a “peace” compliance between the two groups so no fighting is allowed around them. And then there’s Kalim and Jamil that run the bank, we obviously have to maintain friendships with them.”
“Does the bank hold ties to us and the Mafia then?” Deuce questioned, leaning back in the booth.
“Of course! We have a different deal with them though. The Coin and The Pride are given a sum of money from the bank to keep the violence away from the streets of Golden Sands, we keep the violence away and we get paid along with having our cash stored there. Since Golden Sands district is filled with hospitals and other business firms we try to avoid chaos, any group that does not comply with the peaceful territory risks having money deducted and being turned over to the police.”
“Cater, what about the informants? Why are they coming here?” Ace asked, trying to get back to his own question from earlier.
“Ah..Do you boys know of Vil Schoenheit?”
“He’s a model right?” Ace questioned while Deuce only shook his head, not knowing the man’s name.
“Right, Vil is the head of his own informant agency, he likes to snoop around with some of his people to get dirty secrets on people to sell or blackmail with.”
“Huh?! If you know this, why don’t you tell the police?” Deuce questioned in annoyance. “First the mafia, then assassins, and now informants? Why can’t you guys go to anyone?”
“I think I know why,” Ace mumbled before asking. “Because “snitches get stitches” right?”
“Right on the nose Ace~” Cater replied cheerfully, tapping the tip of his own nose before continuing his explanation. “All of us know each other too well, this is a dispute between the groups, it is none of the police’s concern what happens. Besides, each region has paid off cops, some are on our side and others are on The Pride’s side, so we couldn’t tell who to trust. Anyways, we need to keep vigilant to keep Vil’s group out but it can be tough since they know the times that guards and staff switch shifts. No matter how many times we try to switch it up they always figure out the pattern.”
“So that’s why we had that weird week of day crew switching with night crew..”
Deuce still did not look pleased by the information but pressed on with his questions. “In that case, what does The Pride want?”
“The Pride consists of Vil’s group, which love to tear down the people we have as clientele, and the Savanaclaw gang. I assume you know this gang since they’ve hit the news several times over their destruction of city property and constant interruptions of construction projects. Both groups seem to hold a hatred for the city itself so we do our best not to get in the way. Azul especially has animosity for the gang since many of Azul’s business partners want to expand the city.”
“But why does Vil want to deal with a gang?”
Cater’s expression changed right then, it was of dismay as he released a sigh and stared at the two. “It’s hard to say..Leona and Vil have mutual respect but by what i’ve heard they constantly are fighting. I wish I could answer that to you both. All I know for certain is they both have a common goal of getting rid of the holders of the city, those in politics, construction, financial support, they can’t stand people like that. To be honest though, I can’t either but they’re like, our main source of money? So we put up with people like that.”
Ace and Deuce were quiet, thoughts rolling and grinding uncomfortably in their heads, the two shared a look of uncertainty before turning their attention back to Cater. Ace however was the first to break the silence as he stood up and exaggerated his arms stretching up as he commented. “Alright! Well I’m going back to work, come on Deuce!”
“Alright, thanks again Cater.” Deuce replied, standing up and following Ace out of the booth, the red head however was walking towards the entrance to the casino floor. “Ace? Where are you going?”
“Just uh, going to check and see how our boss is doing.” Ace replied with a cheeky grin as he made his way upstairs to the third floor, Deuce followed after him in a frenzy.
“Ace! I know what you’re thinking so stop right now!”
The two sped up the stairs and Ace’s cherry eyes narrowed when he thought about which meeting room Riddle would have gone into, ignoring Duece’s protests he snuck closer to the wall of doors and carefully pressed his each door until he recognized two voices. Deuce caught up and grabbed onto Ace’s shoulder as he hissed into his ear. “Ace! Come on, we can’t eavesdrop!”
“Shh! I’m trying to listen.” Ace grumbled as he shoved Deuce back a little and kept his ear to the door. “Oh shit they’re talking about a heist.”
“Really?” Deuce asked in disbelief and pressed his ear to the door, but then glared seeing the grin on Ace’s face. “You just lied didn’t you?”
“If you can’t make them, trick them.” Ace replied then refocused on trying to hear through the thick door.
The conversations were muffled thanks to the heavy doors but occasionally the two heard yelling, mostly from Riddle, and a taunting laughter. Unfortunately, no solid words could be made out and this frustrated Ace greatly, he slowly turned the knob of the door to try and open it but found it locked. Deuce noticed the growing aggravation and gently smacked Ace’s hand away from the knob and took out a couple bobby pins from his pockets and began to pick at the lock, Ace watched in surprise and asked. “Since when do you know lock picking?”
“Don’t even ask Ace, you don’t need to know..” Deuce muttered before getting the door open and giving a smirk of pride to Ace.
With the door cracked open they listened to what they could, which was not much when the door suddenly swung open and both teens stared at the tall teal-haired man in front of them. He gave them a polite smile but it was laced with a form of sadistic anger, he bent down a bit to loom over them and asked. “Can I help you gentlemen with something?”
Both of them sputtered and started blabbering out excuses when Trey came over and carefully moved Jade to the side a bit and scolded the two. “Guys, this is an important meeting, you’re lucky that Riddle is occupied, if you want to keep your jobs you’ll leave now.”
There was no need for further convincing as they ran off, leaving Jade and Trey at the door to watch them, only then the heterochromia twin chuckled softly and commented to Trey. “You always have such entertaining employees, it’s a shame they can’t join the meeting.”
