Stone Barrington 27 - Doing Hard Time

couldn’t care less. “But what matters is the quality of the players.”
    “Well, this week, we’ve got Memphis Slim coming in for a few days, and there’s Buck Thompson, from Montana. Next week it’s all Texans.”
    “Any of them ever win any money?”
    “We had a fellow in here a week or ten days ago who took sixty thousand from what I thought of as a hot group. Name of Billy Burnett.”
    Majorov stopped walking. “Say that name again.”
    “Billy Burnett.”
    “From where?”
    “L.A., he says, but he’s kind of a mystery man. I ran his identity, and he’s real, but his background is pretty skimpy. Looks like he’s spent his life flying under the radar.”
    “I would like to meet this gentleman,” Majorov said, and his tone did not sound like a request.
    “I tracked him down to a hotel in Los Angeles, Shutters, in Santa Monica, but then we lost him. I even sent one of our best VIP ladies down to see him, but then he just went
poof.
”
    “I’d like you to find him,” Majorov said. “And I’d like to talk to this lady you mentioned. Right now.”
    •   •   •
    Charmaine tapped on Pete Genaro’s office door and stifled a yawn. Pete had woken her from a sound sleep.
    “Come in.”
    She opened the door and walked in. That Russian, Majorov, was sitting on the sofa, and the sight of him gave her the willies. She was afraid of the man; she didn’t know exactly why, but she was.
    “Have a seat, Charmaine. You met Mr. Majorov, didn’t you?”
    “Oh, yes, of course,” she chirped, and took a chair, primly crossing her legs.
    “Charmaine, have you heard from Billy Burnett again?”
    “Not yet,” she said, “but I wouldn’t be surprised if he called.”
    “Call him,” Majorov said.
    “I tried, but his phone had been disconnected. I think he uses throwaway cell phones.”
    “Is there any other way you can contact him?” Majorov asked.
    “No, sir; he checked out of Shutters, his hotel in Santa Monica. He flies his own airplane, so he could be anywhere.”
    “His tail number is N123TF?”
    “Yessir, that sounds right. Maybe you can trace him that way.”
    “We’re working on that,” Majorov said. “That will be all, young lady, but if you hear from Mr. Burnett, I want to know about it immediately, do you understand?”
    “Yes, sir,” she said.
    “Thank you, Charmaine,” Genaro said.
    Charmaine left Genaro’s office, walking fast. She turned into the nearest ladies’ room, stepped into a booth, and threw up into the toilet. She checked her makeup and hair in the mirror, then went back to the little room in the hotel where she rested between shifts. She took a deep breath, then called Billy.
    “Hello?”
    “It’s Charmaine.”
    “Hi, there.”
    “That man, Majorov. I . . . I . . .”
    “Hey, take it easy,” Teddy said. “Take a few deep breaths and relax.”
    She did as instructed. “Pete Genaro called me into his office, and Majorov was there. He started grilling me about you.”
    “That’s all right. You couldn’t have told him anything that would hurt me.”
    “What does he want with you, Billy?”
    “I had a little run-in with some people who work for him. They tried to kill me, in fact.”
    “And how did you handle that?”
    “By staying alive,” he said. “That’s why I came to L.A., to get rid of them.”
    “Majorov said they’re tracking your airplane.”
    “Don’t worry, that won’t work.”
    “Billy, I got the impression that Majorov is deadly serious about finding you, and they’re putting a lot of pressure on me to help.”
    “Then do anything they ask you to do—just let me know about it.”
    “At this number?”
    “Got a pencil?”
    “Yes.”
    “Write down a new number.” He gave it to her. “Then wait a little while, and tell Genaro that you heard from me. Give him the number we’re talking on now. They may check your iPhone for recent calls from this number, so delete them all but this one. Find a Radio Shack and buy a throwaway cell phone, then call me at the new number from that phone, next time you want to talk.”
    “All right.”
    “I think we’d better cool it for a while, until the heat from Majorov is off.”
    “I think so, too.”
    “Call me whenever you like, but do it from the throwaway. I’d certainly like to know if you have any further contact with Majorov.”
    “I’ll let you know.”
    “Just relax and live your life as usual.”
    “I miss you,” she said.
    “I miss you, too,” Teddy