Stardust // Reggie Mantle (3)

Chapter Fifteen

Desperate for a little bit of normalcy, Caia let Reggie drag her to Veronica's speakeasy to help out. Reggie had let his guard down a bit when Caia had informed him that Noah had left, but he was still on edge and trying to keep Caia at arms length at all times. He might have been right, in the end, for Caia had skillfully neglected to tell him about the threatening note she had found on her bed the night after Noah left, complete with sacrifice symbol at the end of the note.

Caia sat at the bar polishing glasses. Veronica stood next to her, her eyes lingering on the group of four teens playing D and D at the only occupied table in the room.

Reggie set a box on the counter. "What's up, Roni?" He questioned, noticing the girl's mood. He picked up one of the excess glasses next to Caia and began helping her polish them. "Still bummed about Archie bailing on the world?"

Veronica leaned forward. "That's on my list of woes, yes," she confided.

"What else?" Reggie probed.

Veronica paused, sighing before answering. "We work all day and all night and yet we're barely scraping by. The numbers just aren't adding up," Veronica exclaimed.

"It may not be the Copa Cabanna yet, but," Reggie began. "Business is steady."

Caia, who had often been in charge of keeping the books, looked up from her glass. "If by steady you mean the same four customers every day, you'd be correct."

Veronica glanced over at the other girl and nodded. "One thing I learned from my father is that steady is one bad week away from broke," she explained. "We'll never turn a profit selling five dollar mock-tails to high schoolers who sit here all day playing some stupid board game."

Caia's head shot up as an idea hit her. "Pardon me for being the one to suggest beginning the mild corruption of this upscale establishment," she began. "But I think we need a side hustle."

A small smile began to appear on Veronica's face as she thought over Caia's suggestion.

She was right. They needed a side hustle, and she knew the perfect man for the job.

*

A few nights later, Caia's suggested side hustle was put into action. With the help of Veronica's friend Ellio, Le Bonne Nuit had been turned into a makeshift casino, for one night only.

Reggie approached Veronica and Caia. Reggie was clad in a suit jacket and plaid pants, with Caia wearing a simple but elegant blacked flared dress. They had dressed to match.

"Veronica, C," Reggie greeted the two, nodding at Veronica before pressing a kiss to Caia's lips and moving to stand beside her, setting a hand on the small of her back.

"See Reggie, Caia was right. This is exactly what we needed. Thanks to Ellio, we're gonna pull in bank," Veronica stated.

Caia glanced around the room, filled with fancy looking rich kids dressed in designer fashions gambling away all daddy's money. It was weird, but Caia felt a rush every time a dice was rolled or a chip hit the table. It was exciting to know that they were making so much money solely off of bad decisions.

"Yeah," Reggie agreed. "Or he's gonna break it."

Caia and Veronica shot their heads toward the boy in alarm. "What do you mean?" Veronica demanded.

"Your generous friend Ellio is on a hot streak. He hasn't lost a single hand all night." Caia turned her gaze to where Ellio was seated, playing, and presently, celebrating. "He's gonna wipe us out. We're gonna be bankrupt."

"I thought the house always wins?" Veronica mused. "How is this happening?"

Caia glanced over at Veronica. "Well, unless Ellio is on some inhuman streak of luck, my guess is that he's cheating." She glanced over at the pile of chips next to Ellio's spot. "Big time."