[ At the bottom of the stairs, Ray stops - expectedly - and Armando drops his hand onto his shoulder, squeezing gently, almost reassuringly. Almost, and then the touch is gone, replaced with a very hard push off the bottom step. He moves down after him. The heat is unbearable, of course, but Armando is still in his full suit, with his tie, his cufflinks, his 24 karat gold tie clip...
Hot. But he can sort himself out when he has Ray under control. He still has to be Armando, and Armando would have Ray under control first. In fact, if he doesn't--well Ray is a detective. He'll detect. He'll detect that there's something funky about this guy who's supposed to be a big, bad, nasty mobster.
He tilted his head, looking over Ray's shoulder. ]
He showed up a week ago out of nowhere, came down in a penguin suit shaking up the blackjack tables worse than you did. He kept giving his chips away to the women wishing him luck. A player, but good natured, attractive. Hooker bait. We figure he'd won and given away three hundred thousand by the time we stepped in. That shouldn't be possible without cheating--I mean, you and I both know our people are doing everything they can to make the cards fall in our favor.
I sent people in to pick him up, but he slipped between our fingers. He outran them, slipped away into the crowds like a ghost. But that was fine. He tracked me here the very next day. Good at that, your friend. He got all the way in here. Tresspassing, they call that.
[ But he was assuring him that yes, he had seen Fraser, he may have even stood right here, and Ray was doing the right thing by following along with this because in fact, this was the only way that he was ever going to see his friend again.
He took Ray's tie out of his pocket, reaching down to loop it around his wrist, knotting it, and pulling it tight. He stepped forward, using it as a leash and leading him further into the room. Ray seemed reluctant, and he wasn't going to be much use if he had to be pushed through everything, forced through every jerk and gesture.
Ray got it. Really he did. This room was terrifying, and he was naked, and rapidly running out of nerves. He wasn't ready for what might happen next, he was starting to wonder whether going to the casino was really worth it. Good. Afraid was good. ]
We call this the Red Room. For obvious reasons. And for all the other reasons.
[ He kept a tight grip on the tie, turning back in toward Ray, raising his hand very slightly.
I'm gonna restrain you now. And I don't expect anything that comes after that is gonna make you very happy, but...well, it's a compromise; a business deal. I need certain things from you, you want certain things from me. Just business. So don't take it personally, huh? There's a good boy.
[ And Ray patted him on the cheek, and gestured to the big chair. ]
Take a seat. It's comfy, I swear. Like a big armchair.
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Hot. But he can sort himself out when he has Ray under control. He still has to be Armando, and Armando would have Ray under control first. In fact, if he doesn't--well Ray is a detective. He'll detect. He'll detect that there's something funky about this guy who's supposed to be a big, bad, nasty mobster.
He tilted his head, looking over Ray's shoulder. ]
He showed up a week ago out of nowhere, came down in a penguin suit shaking up the blackjack tables worse than you did. He kept giving his chips away to the women wishing him luck. A player, but good natured, attractive. Hooker bait. We figure he'd won and given away three hundred thousand by the time we stepped in. That shouldn't be possible without cheating--I mean, you and I both know our people are doing everything they can to make the cards fall in our favor.
I sent people in to pick him up, but he slipped between our fingers. He outran them, slipped away into the crowds like a ghost. But that was fine. He tracked me here the very next day. Good at that, your friend. He got all the way in here. Tresspassing, they call that.
[ But he was assuring him that yes, he had seen Fraser, he may have even stood right here, and Ray was doing the right thing by following along with this because in fact, this was the only way that he was ever going to see his friend again.
He took Ray's tie out of his pocket, reaching down to loop it around his wrist, knotting it, and pulling it tight. He stepped forward, using it as a leash and leading him further into the room. Ray seemed reluctant, and he wasn't going to be much use if he had to be pushed through everything, forced through every jerk and gesture.
Ray got it. Really he did. This room was terrifying, and he was naked, and rapidly running out of nerves. He wasn't ready for what might happen next, he was starting to wonder whether going to the casino was really worth it. Good. Afraid was good. ]
We call this the Red Room. For obvious reasons. And for all the other reasons.
[ He kept a tight grip on the tie, turning back in toward Ray, raising his hand very slightly.
I'm gonna restrain you now. And I don't expect anything that comes after that is gonna make you very happy, but...well, it's a compromise; a business deal. I need certain things from you, you want certain things from me. Just business. So don't take it personally, huh? There's a good boy.
[ And Ray patted him on the cheek, and gestured to the big chair. ]
Take a seat. It's comfy, I swear. Like a big armchair.