14
(Season
2 Episode 3)
The
Hype
Tobias walked out the front door
in dress pants, a button down shirt and a grey blazer. Hank watched him walk
down the sidewalk toward his car with a suitcase in hand. Hank was leaning on his car waiting on Tobias
for their impromptu road trip.
“Why, the fuck, are you dressed
like that?” Hank asked shaking his head.
Tobias paused and looked confused.
“Dressed like what?”
Hank shook his head. “We’re about to spend sixteen hours in a car,
I’m not taking you ballroom dancing.”
Hank, as usual was wore a tee
shirt and jeans with his camouflage ball cap. Tobias frowned and walked to the open trunk to
put his suitcase away. “It’s called
professionalism.”
Hank shook his head. “You’re a cook.”
Tobias slammed the trunk shut. “I am a business owner.”
Hank rolled his eyes. “It’s a
restaurant.”
“For the next seventy-two hours I
am a professional cat burglar.” Tobias said as he walked around to the
passenger side.
Hank shook his head. “Alright, just gonna be a long drive.”
The two got into Hank’s car and
pulled out. Hank was driving first. “So, who the hell is Skeever and what did you
find out?”
“Skeever is a data guy.” Tobias answered.
Hank raised an eyebrow. “You mean a hacker?”
Tobias shook his head. “Hackers break codes. While Skeever is also a hacker, he finds
things for me. It’s the information age
for criminals as well.”
Hank frowned. “Sounds like a hacker to me.”
Tobias ignored him. “I had Skeever look for possible hype scams
that might involve Savannah Burton, as well as anything else he could find on
her.”
“So that’s why we are headed to
North Carolina? That’s where this hype scam
is happening?” Hank asked.
“Yep. Emerald Island, to be precise.” Tobias
answered.
“Alright,” Hank said. “So, what’s a hype scam?”
****
“His name is Demtri Markov.” Savannah
explained as they drove on. “He is obviously
new to the states, but I did some research and from what I hear, he’s pretty
good.”
“Not better than you though,
right?” Sidney asked the question with an edge.
Savannah grinned. “That depends on how good you are. A man named Harrison Foote is backing him in
the scam. Harrison runs a rotating casino
on the island using the rental houses.”
Sidney nodded at the idea. It was a good one, he had probably worked out
a deal with someone at one of the rental agencies, setting up shop in an empty
house for a week, then clearing out before a rental family got there, moving to
another empty house.
“The game is going to be one high-profile
table, fifty thousand dollar buy in. We
will be playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday and Sunday anyone who got knocked out
can buy back in for another fifty large. Sunday, it’s winner take all.” Savannah explained the game in her heavy
accent and Sidney felt like Savannah was selling her something.
“I get it,” Sidney said, just to
get Savannah to stop. “You want me to be
you, and you go in as a no name, right?”
Savannah smiled. “I knew you were clever, sweetie. I need you to just stay in the game until
Sunday, while I take out Markov.”
Sidney nodded, almost bored with
the description. “Then you throw the
game to me on Sunday to make you look even better.”
Savannah nodded. “Yep, just stay in the game. Fold on every hand and drop only the blinds.”
“Then you give me the name?”
Sidney asked, her eyes becoming stern.
Savannah responded quickly. “I’m a woman of my word, darling.”
****
“The hype scam,” Tobias began to
explain. “In the game of underground poker,
much like in real poker, you need money to play. This requires you to be either rich to begin
with or have some sort of backer. A lot
of times, an illegal racketeer man or casino owner will notice a player of
promise. The owner will make a deal with
the newcomer, offering him start up cash so he can buy into bigger games in
return the player will pay the owner a high percentage of the winnings.”
“Makes sense,” Hank said.
Tobias nodded. “The thing is, the owner wants to protect his
investment. To do that, the new player
needs to get noticed. He needs to be
recognized to get into the big games. So
the owner sets up a poker game and invites a bunch of low level players and one
big-namer. He also has his new player
put into the game. Then he rigs the game
somehow so that the big name player loses their shirt to his new player.”
“So the pro loses to the rookie
and the rookie looks like a pro.” Hank
simplified the explanation.
“Basically, and when the rookie
becomes a pro, he makes the sponsor a whole crap ton of money.” Tobias finished.
“So, why don’t we just walk in
there and take Sidney out?” Hank asked, skeptical.
Tobias shook his head. “Slow down Billy Bad Ass. I’m sure there are plenty of very big, highly
trained guys waiting to stop us. On top
of that, we have to let this one play out.”
“Why?” Hank said frustrated.
“Because if we rob Sid of her
chance to find her father, it’ll be worse than if we let her die.”
Hank sighed but stopped arguing. He didn’t understand it but he respected the
decision. Hank reached into his center
console and pulled out his chew.
Tobias grimaced as he watched his soon
to be brother-in-law stick an oversized wad of chew between his lip and bottom
teeth. Hank turned and caught Tobias staring
at him. “What?”
“And you had a problem with my
suit.” Tobias said sarcastically.
“Fuck you.” Hank said in response through a mouth full of
chew. “So what did Linda say when you
told her we were leaving town?”
Tobias’s face curled into a look
of irritation. “Funny you should ask
that…”
****
Before, with Linda.
“So let me get this straight,”
Linda said as she watched Tobias pack. “This
woman is going to be your best man at our wedding, she is your best friend and
I have never met her. Then, seconds
before I get to meet her, she gets kidnapped?!”
Tobias sighed. “It’s a complicated relationship.”
“Is it a relationship? Does she even exist?” Linda shot back, more
than frustrated.
Tobias stopped and turned. “She is real.
She is my best friend, and she is in trouble. Big trouble.”
Linda had a hurt look in her eyes
which made Tobias feel two feet tall. “You and I have talked about what she and I
used to do. This is a loose end coming
back to get us.”
Linda’s hurt look turned to anger.
“You promised you wouldn’t go back to
that.”
“That is a promise I am going to
have to break.” Tobias’s words were hard
and filled with sadness.
Linda took a deep breath then
walked over to him, placing both hands on his cheeks, “Who is this woman to
you? Is she the one that got away? Are you rescuing a friend or chasing a woman
you have always wanted?”
Tobias touched his hand to hers
after dropping the clothes he was holding.
He looked deep into her eyes. “I
wanted her, years ago, before I knew what a wanted. Now I want you, and kids, and a house, and a
real life. But I can’t do that over her
dead body.”
Linda smiled. She knew Tobias was many things, but not a
liar. Not to her. “Alright. Then there is only one solution to
this.”
Tobias’s face turned skeptical. “We can’t call the cops. Hank and I have to handle this, if we bring
in-”
Linda shook her head cutting her
off. “No, I’m not talking about bringing
in the cops. I’m not letting you vanish
on me again.”
Tobias’ eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”
****
Present, with Hank.
“Are you fucking, nuts?!” Hank
asked angrily as he spat into an empty plastic bottle of Brisk Iced Tea.
They pulled up to the curb into
front of Hank’s parents house where Linda had gone to have her car watched by
her parents as well as to have them get the mail while she was out of town.
“You ever try saying no to your
sister?” Tobias said as he watched her walk out of the front door with a suitcase.
“Pop the trunk,” Linda yelled from
the lawn, and Hank did so before turning his hateful eyes back to Tobias.
Tobias just took a deep breath and
shrugged. “This is officially a family
affair.”
End episode 14
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