Wizard for Hire

It was dark by the time we left the house. Travelling on the tube in our smartest outfits, I felt a few eyes gaze towards us, this didn’t bother Felix in the slightest as he sat uncomfortably in his best tuxedo. However, I was rather more self-conscious, not just that, also paranoid that any of these people could be undercover police, or undercover wizards.

The bombshell that Alister was now working for the very Creep that had got us into this mess was disheartening. I thought Alister was a good guy, he struck as having a high sense of morals, or perhaps he was just mistaken. Taken in by an excellent orator, spun a story so convincing he took the bait. Or it could have just been the obscene amount of money he must have been offered, combined with the tantalising prospect of getting to lock up someone he clearly regarded as a nemesis.

Felix was undoubtedly thinking on this matter too, for his eyes didn’t move and struck with their usual glazed expression, although with an added mixture of defiance. Getting onto the tube he rather limped, clutching one of his ribs, I told him he needed to get it seen to, but he ignored me. It was likely one or more of them were broken, Alister was a big man and his fists flew with fury.

I wanted to ask who this Jessica was, the way Alister got so riled up about her made me imagine that Felix had perhaps come between him and this Jessica girl — that would explain the inferiority I sensed from Alister towards Felix. Every time I went to ask, the wizard shushed me, rude.

“Karen and Bob are right,” said Felix as we stood in the centre of Leicester Square, “they do use the casino as front for their criminal empire. I have my ears to the ground on all this type of stuff, for my job—” he added at my bemused face as he mentioned his apparent job, which I now knew was working mostly for criminals. “They launder money through it. It’s just one of those secrets that everyone knows.”

“I didn’t know,” I muttered after the wizard who had already started marching towards it. Leicester Square was lit by lights, bright and all consuming. Vitalies Casino was a large, ugly and crass building dominating an entire corner of Leicester Square. Large neon glowing signs flashing with arrows pointing to the entrance and the promise of free drinks. It was the sort of place I would try and avoid at all costs in my normal life.

As we approached the entrance, a sense of foreboding filling every crevice of my being, a white limousine pulled up right outside. Outstepped the most stunningly beautiful woman. Now, I am no pervert, I would even class myself a feminist, but I couldn’t help but stare at this woman’s wondrousness.

“Put your tongue away Norton,” said Felix, his gaze still on the woman too.

“You first.”

She had long blonde hair, long legs tucked inside a black and white sequinned dress and the face of a angel. In that moment, she reminded me of Cameron Diaz in the film The Mask, you know what I’m talking about right? It was just like that.

I felt the bottom of my mouth all but extend to the floor, as she strutted past us, two security guards following close behind as she entered the casino.

Felix and I looked at each like only two men can upon seeing a beautiful lady and smiled, before entering. Suddenly, it was not so much of a chore.

However, we had some trouble getting in. The guards were checking ID, that was fine, but then we were pushed aside to the corner of the lobby by a big burly gentleman with a pony-tail.

“We ain’t seen you too ’ere before, you new?” he said.

Felix was far more comfortable speaking to people than I, and especially more comfortable speaking to men the size of pickup trucks. “We have this,” said Felix holding up the £5k poker chip with VIP written on it.

At this, the guard nodded once, appeased before letting us past. Phew. I did not fancy being chucked out by him.

Inside was large, plush and dimly lit. Through the lobby led to the tables, in the corner a large stage area with red curtains for entertainment. Their were CCTV cameras everywhere, no windows, no clocks, but lots of waiters with trays of drinks.

Felix reached up as one waitress passed and took two tumblers of whisky and passed me one. “What you doing?” I whispered. “You can’t just take the drinks, you have to order them!”

“They’re free ain’t they?”

“It doesn’t work like that,” I said already exasperated with his childishness. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

But he was already off. I like how he had commandeered the poker chip for himself. I was even more upset when he promptly walked to the nearest chip booth and exchanged it for a big pile of £100 chips, passing me a bundle which I had to hold in my cupped hands. That was a £5k chip, I imagined all the things I could have done with £5,000, it ran through my mind making me even more upset. I pocketed as many of the chips as possible, until I had a small handful to play with. The rest were mine. That would pay back all the money he owed me.

It’s safe to say Felix was a terrible gambler, he was all risk, I wondered if he was doing it on purpose or not, throwing his chips liberally about the games tables like a cowboy. Blackjack, he lost £700 asking to twist when he had two kings. I mean what the hell?

But I didn’t even have time to ask him what he was playing at, because a second later he would zoom off to another table and blow £500 on something else. I tried to keep up with him, but after twenty minutes, he was all out of chips and asking me for some. I lied and told him I’d blow all mine too.

After that extravagant display which made me feel rather sick and hoping it was part of some plan. We took seats in a booth facing the stage, for entertainment was about to start.

Felix tutted and hissed as a magician came out and displayed his tricks. He could not hide his dismay and rage as this, what he considered, travesty. For most of it, he couldn’t even look, staring into his whisky with distain as a round of applause echoed around the casino.

“That was shit,” he said loudly. “You know what that was? Nothing more than a dramatic representative example of real magic. Like a Punch and Judy is an representative example of domestic home life.”

Just a few booths away, I now spotted the ridiculously pretty blonde lady, tapping Felix and pointing towards her. As we both looked, I noticed she was sitting with around a dozen men; tough, suited and dangerous looking men.

“Gangsters,” said Felix at my worried expression.

Shortly after the magician had finished and a singer graced the stage, the blonde lady got up from the booth of gangsters and circled the room. She stopped and spoke to the men in the booths, flirting. The gangsters watched her admiringly.

“She’s not a…” I started afraid of the answer. “Prostitute is she?”

Felix shot me a dirty look. “Take your mind out the gutter Norton. No, she’s the casino’s asset. Men come here just for her, in the hope that she will speak to them. Thus, the men come in and spend lots of money. She’s the draw. The bait.”

It was true, she was circling the room, and saying hello to all of the men and seemed to be on first name terms with most of them. Big grins plastered the mens faces as they got to speak to the pretty lady.

And it wouldn’t be long before we got to speak to her too…

Felix nervously watched the show, I thought he would give us away, he was tapping his leg, sipping his whisky and looking around the casino hoping something would spring up to give him the clues he needed to solve this thing.

The blonde lady clocked us and came over. My heart started fluttering upon sight of her.

“Hey,” she said seductively in an American accent. “Would you two gentlemen mind if I sat with you?”

“S-sure,” said Felix stuttering. I am glad he spoke because my voice was trapped. She parked herself between Felix and I and said her name was Sharon. A flowery perfume drifted under my nose.

When I was a teenager I fancied one girl all the way through school. Right from when I was eleven when I first next to her in Maths. She was called Sarah. I fancied her so much I used to dream about her most nights (and no, not in that way). Well, I never did anything about it, even though everyone knew. But one gloriously sunny day, she came to sit next to me on the school field. Completely randomly. I remember the feeling as my stomach fluttered with butterflies.

That same feeling hit me now. Like a teenage crush, she compelled me.

“So gentlemen, what’s your story? Why you here tonight?”

Felix grinned, he was alpha-male through and through. “We’re just here for a good time.”

“Is that right?” she said running her tongue along her top lip.

She asked me what I did, I said I was in sales, putting the emphasis on was.

“So this is your first time here then?” she said.

“Yeah,” said Felix leaning closer to her. “But I tell you what I’d love…” suddenly she seemed to lose some of her control as Felix gazed into her eyes. But only a fraction. “I would love to find out about my friend.”

“Friend?”

Felix knew he was running out of time, so threw caution to the wind. “Yeah, his name is Kriston. Do you know him?”

Sharon lost her composure, giving away that in fact yes she did know him. She took a breath and whispered. “Undercover police really are not welcome here, you have no idea what they will do to you if they find out,” she said nodding at the booth of gangsters.

“We’re not police,” I said softly.

“Oh come on,” she grinned. “I can spot you a mile away, you come in gamble all your money, think you look like good customers and then hope the casino will look favourably upon you and answer your questions.”

“No seriously,” I said, “Felix is just shit at gambling! I’ve still got most of my chips left look…” I opened my pockets and showed her.

“You lying sod,” Felix cried. “I was on a roll and you said—”

Sharon held up a hand, seductiveness ceased. “So why are you here then?”

Felix pulled his best wizarding expression. “I am a real wizard. I am trying to find out anything I can about Kriston who I knew to have some connection with this casino. And if you know whether he worked here or not.”

“I’ve never heard of him,” Sharon said.

“That’s strange,” said Felix rubbing his chin. “Usually when I tell people I am a real wizard, they laugh. Unless you already have a knowledge of who I am, or wizards?”

“I knew there was something odd about you,” she said. “Soon as I saw you outside. You’re different. You’re like him.”

“Him?” Felix repeated.

“Why have you come here?” she said, a modicum of concern in her voice. “You are in so much danger if they find out who you are. Jonnie knows who you are, your the other wizard that has the ring. You stole it from the freak. You’re crazy coming here! I would leave now, if you value your life.”

I went to stand, but Felix waved a hand at me to sit.

“I know about you too,” he said taking her hand and holding it softly. “You are scared to leave because they will kill you, for you know too much. I can protect you.”

Her eyes gazed into Felix’s, it was almost uncomfortable. It was as if she was searching his eyes for the truth, to see if he really meant it. She looked like she had experienced years of being lied to, and could spot one a mile away.

The next moment, my heart sunk, for it seemed Sharon was right. They knew who we were. We had been rumbled.

“Sharon!” cried one of the gangsters, standing from his booth with a face of fury. “Get over here now!”

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