Chapter 42 - Mr. Starr

Near the Star Casino it was the usual crowded entrance as people wandered aimlessly while waiting at the main doors. Security was thoroughly checking everyone for their ID as it had been troubling that a few youths had slipped inside before. A number of guards got fired over it so no one was ready to be lazy on the job, the pay was too good to look the other way anyway so they had been redoubling their efforts, throwing would be offenders if they gave any trouble at the front of the casino.

It was then a sleek black Mercedes drew up near the entrance causing a few nearby to give a low whistle. A few of the patrons were staring at the nice car and whispering on the price as the doors opened. A handsome young man came out of the passenger door and walked to the other side to open the door. A woman came out, showing off a dazzling smile as she was helped to her feet by the young man as the gawkers stared at the beauty. Although she was in a plain white dress she was still beautiful with her hair sweeping down to her shoulders, having a small blush on her face as she talked to the young man, the pair looked incredibly good together. The two waited in line like the rest of the crowd giving plenty of chances for people to comment.

"Damn I'm Hella jealous" one of the boys in the crowd said nudging his friend with an elbow. It elicited a few chuckles but failed to escape the notice of the pair. The girl shook her partner's arm and indicated to come towards the man that jeered at them.

"Oh are you interested in me?" The girl asked giving the bunch a radiant smile. The guys went silent as they watched the girl disentangled herself from her partner and approached the man that spoken to loudly. The guy nodded dumbly to her words as she drew closer to him. He could feel the heat of her breath and her eyes gazing at him intensly left him nervous and blushing. She brought her mouth to his ear and whispered.

"But I have a dick though." she said and smiled. The man paled and looked confused as the woman walked away with her partner to the security that were letting people through. His friends were poking him to repeat what the beautiful whispered to him but the man shook his head and said he felt too sick to go in anymore. All of the friends were confused while the pair flashed their ID and walked inside without much fuss and leaving the crowded entrance behind.

The entrance was enormous, crystal chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling as lights illuminated the painted gold ceiling as people were moving around in large numbers. The bleeps and sounds of the lottery machines along with the occasional cheer or groan of defeat meant the casino was a huge mess of noise and people to the ears and eyes. Will's eyes were sparkling however, the smell of money in the air and desperation of people left him with a hunger he had to satiate.

"Think we might have a chance to play a few games?" Will said rhetorically. His hands were itching to get a hand onto some cards or dice. Although he didn't gamble much in his previous life, he had a talent for misdirection and card counting. He could only reminisce from being banned by several casinos in his previous life when they found out. Though his words weren't really directed at Kim by his side and hinting he didn't want no as an answer he still cooperated since Kim was his babysitter usually.

"Focus Will, when we take over the place you can play as much as you want" Kim snapped and gave a slap on his arm while keeping a tight hold on him. Kim was sure the moment he let go would be when the havoc would start. As they walked through the casino, people were throwing looks at them. Although they were arm in arm, Will had been pressing his killer instincts down so no one would freak when he walked past but as a result for Kim it meant people would gawk or stare at him and how he was dressed. He was already irritated that the passersby were staring at him. The gazes gave him an uncomfortable feeling and the hairs raised on his neck let him know that those lust filled expressions were eager and that he might not be safe tonight. Even if he was pretending.

"Fine, fine. Mission first fun later...or better yet" Will said smiling leaving his words hanging in the air ominously. He was pouting at having to work when there was such a good chance to play but having an idea on the spot, there were always more than one way to have fun when working. Improvisation was the father of enjoyment.

"Kim, go to the bar and have a drink for yourself and keep an eye out. I'm going to poke around so expect a lot of activity soon" Will grinned and disappeared from Kim's hold. Kim wanted to grab the man but he vanished before Will even explained the plan. Kim complained to himself as he went to the bar and order a low alcoholic drink, sipping as he watched the crowds for anything that caught his interest. Not much caught his attention as he waved off several people interested in his looks and hated the sheer amount of people willing to throw their money and lives down a bottomless well.

"Hey beautiful, did you want to play a few cards with your drinks?" a voice said from behind Kim. He frowned and turned to see an older man dressed up to the nines. A pen blue suit with a white shirt and open collar, coordinated with his blue dress pants he looked quite wealthy. But that was a dime a dozen in this place.

"Flaunt your wealth if you want it's not enough for me anyway" Kim said giving a wave with his hand to shoo away the pest. 'Especially since if teacher wasn't so money hungry he would already be an incredibly rich young man' Kim continued in her head. The man chuckled and sat next to her, placing down a shot of scotch and ice he had in his hand.

"You won't find a wealthier man here then me" the man said with a grin. Kim could already tell the hidden message and turned to look at the man, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"The name is Mr. Ryan Starr, proud of many establishments and the Star Casino" the man said with a twinkle in his eyes. Kim cocked her eyebrow, unsure if it was the real thing or a bullshit artist.

"Sir, I believe that if you were truly him, why would you be down here amongst the rabble. Truly an unbelievable story" Kim said with a huff. It was good she was quick on her feet with her thinking. Her words giving only the option of either eliminating an annoying fly or getting closer to their mission which had only a rough guideline from Will. So Kim could only improvise without much knowledge for the job.

"Haha, truly wise beyond your years. Well of course, if I was the owner we could just go to my office hmm?" Mr. Starr said making the obvious hints what could be done in an office. Kim gave a smile and reached out her hand. She had a good feeling that if she followed him, the mission might finish even before Will ran rampant. Mr. Starr mistook the beaming smile as her being happy with his attention and grasped her hand.

"Lead the way, Mr. Starr" Kim said with a smile and walked away with the man leaving their drinks alone.

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Will was wandering around the casino when he finally spotted a familiar face. Parting the sea of people he approached the poker table that had already been playing a few rounds in. Will clapped his hand on one of the men sitting down playing.

"Hello teach, it's nice to see you again" Will said with a grin. The teacher was flustered and his brow was sweating. The dealer only gave a glance and didn't care much about the customers. He wasn't paid enough to care.

"Ahh...young sir. What brings you here" the teacher dabbed his brow with a handkerchief he withdrew from his coat pocket as he was under the intense gaze of the young man.

"Nothing much teach" Will said and then leaned in close. "Have they noticed you yet?" Will asked in a whisper.

"I've played for a while now so they should be here shortly. You sure you can pay off my debts with this?" The teacher whispered not fully trusting such a young person to take care of things. Will let out a laugh and slapped the teacher's back.

"Or course, everything will be fine" Will said loudly to reassure the nervous man. Two security guards had come over by then.

"Mr. Price?" One of the security guards asked as Will and Mr. Price had turned around to look at the guards. Mr. Price was visibly nervous and Will was anxious to get started.

"Yes, how can I help?" Mr. Price responded and followed the script.

"Mr. Starr would like to see you" the guard said giving a shift with his gaze that no isn't an answer they could allow.

"If that's the case then I will have to come if Mr. Starr is so willing to invite me" Mr. Price said standing up. The guards were just ready to take away Mr. Price when Will intervened.

"Woah, woah, woah. What are you doing to my friend here?" Will said as he held onto the guard's arm that had clasped Mr. Price's shoulder before he was taken away.

"It doesn't concern you." the guard said with growl, frowning and unhappy that a young punk was stopping him from doing his job.

"Of course it is, if my friend needs help so I have to stay with him." Will said with a smile. The two guards looked at each other and shrugged. 'What did it matter if they took one more. It wasn't for a nice meeting after all' And so the guards escorted the two near the elevators.

As they entered the lift, the guards swiped a key card and the top floor button became available, pushing it as they all stood quietly with the soft music playing from a speaker above their heads. The elevator escalated quickly, Will feeling the inertia in his feet at the speed they ascended before the elevator made a noise to signal they had arrived.

Will walked out with the guards leading them but was surprised by what he saw.