“The only reason we’re doing this is to provide cover for Jade if she needs us,” I say. “Hopefully she won’t. I can’t believe she didn’t pull the plug on the plan once Eva warned her about the security alert.”
“I can,” Kit says. “Jade never gives up. She wants to see this through to the end.”
“And we’ll do every damn thing we can to make it happen for her,” I reply. “Are you clear on the plan? All you need to do is concentrate on driving this damn monstrosity, and I’ll entertain the crowd. You’ll make one straight shot through the casino. In through the main entrance doors and out the staff exit at the back. My crew will be stationed by both sets of doors to open them and help us if we run into trouble. Vulcan is on standby parked outside in a back alley. God help us all if we have to call him in for reinforcement. If that happens, all hell will break loose at the Imperial tonight.”
“I know my part,” Kit assures me. “I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that we won’t need to go out there and do this. Of all your batshit crazy ideas over the years I’ve known you, this one takes the prize.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” I struggle to climb up beside Kit on the seat of the big red sleigh. It’s difficult and awkward since I’m dressed in a full Santa outfit, complete with a white beard, heavy black boots, and a red hat.
“Damn! This fucking outfit must weigh thirty pounds,” I say. “How do shopping mall Santas do this for a living? I’m sweating like a whore in church already.”
“At least your dick is covered up,” Kit says. “Check out mine.”
I glance down at his crotch area where the elf costume is stretched tightly, barely covering him.
“Don’t stand up,” I warn him. “Otherwise, you’ll flash your balls to the crowd. They’re hanging out of your costume.”
“I won’t, don’t worry. What do we do now? Just sit here and wait while literally sweating our balls off?”
“We sit tight and hope we don’t have to do anything,” I say. “Leroy is upstairs in the security room, making sure everyone is full of holiday cheer. And by holiday cheer, I mean his Mom’s special ingredient brownies. He delivered an entire platter to his friends working the security cameras tonight. If he sees or hears anything worrisome, he’ll send me a signal.”
“Oh man, I’m not looking forward to this,” Kit groans, stretching out his long legs and rearranging his balls again under the spandex. “Maybe Jade will get in and out of the casino quickly without needing our help. I can’t wait for this to be over, so we can all go home.”
“Tomorrow is Christmas Day,” I remind him.
“I’m well aware,” he says. “Our first family Christmas with Jade. I hope it’s a good one and not one where she’s sitting in a jail cell waiting for bail money. Do you have enough cash on hand if we need to bail her out?”
“Of course,” I reply. “I always keep enough cash in the safe for bail money since I’ve been called out in the middle of the night more times than I can count to bail out Vulcan. He’s calmed down a lot since Jade came into our lives. No more drunken fights or car accidents.”
“She’s good for him,” Kit says, suddenly serious.
“She’s good for all of us,” I reply. “Oh, fuck! My damn phone is buzzing in my pocket.” I stand up and dig way down in Santa’s pants to pull it out. “This outfit is a goddamn nightmare.”
“Is it Leroy?” Kit asks. “Is there a problem?”
“A big fucking problem,” I tell him after quickly reading the text. “Leroy spotted Giovanni on the security cameras. He’s walking into the casino with a team of his men. Shit! Shit! Shit! We’ve got to get Jade out of there now. We can’t let Giovanni get his hands on her. Not now, after everything we’ve gone through to keep her away from him.”
I quickly call Vulcan, instead of texting. “Are you ready?” I ask him. “Giovanni is in the casino with his security team. We need to get Jade out now.”
He replies with a laugh, “Fuck yes! I was born ready for this.”
“Wait for our signal and then ride like a bat out of hell.”
“Yes, sir,” he replies, still chuckling. “God! I love this shit. Don’t worry, we’ve got this. I can’t fucking wait.”
“I guess that means we’re really doing this?” Kit asks.
I nod back at him. He leans down with a sigh to pick up the heavy leather reins connected to the eight reindeer pulling the sleigh. Like most of Kit’s animals, he rescued them from a roadside attraction and now they live a life of luxury on his ranch.
Not that they’re appreciative of his efforts. No, the reindeer are an ornery, nasty bunch. And unfortunately, much larger, and smellier than I expected. They’re noisy too, breathing hard and snorting loudly. Giovanni is going to be royally pissed at us for taking them through the casino. But it’s Christmas Eve and what could be better to use for a diversion, than a sleigh pulled by real reindeer? It’s a perfect cover for what we have planned.
“Ready?” Kit asks, cocking an eyebrow at me.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply. “My crew is watching for us. They’ll open the doors.”
He makes a clicking sound to the reindeer, then calls out to them while lightly flicking the reins. “On Dasher, on Dancer…”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I interrupt. “Those are really their names?”
