The answer popped into my head at once. Men like Mac kept them afloat. It was immediately obvious that rich folks could pay such a platform to publish absolutely whatever shit billionaires wanted them to, even slanderous lies. I was certain the fees were high enough to cover whatever injury the platform incurred in the process.
“Focus,” I said to myself aloud.
I was getting distracted with theories of publication and viewership and dark money when the reality before me was that my casino was desolate.
Normally, at this time of day, at a casino like Dazzlers, there’d be something like three hundred people on the floor. This kind of count came to me as naturally as breathing — when you work and live in Vegas long enough, you learn the flow and ebb of casino floors, the circadian rhythms of its movements.
Today, I counted three people.
I wondered what my father would say, if he were alive to see it. Could I have fucked up his legacy in such little time?
This was nothing short of a crisis. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much cash we stood to lose today. Worrying yet, I didn’t actually give a fuck. Dazzlers had plenty of money. What was really twisting me in knots was Kiki’s absence.
She should be here by now, I thought again.
Could she have been put off by that heinous article? Was it possible she was avoiding work, so as to not be tainted by the new stench coming off Dazzlers? She did, after all, have some strict morals, as I’d found out rather recently.
I checked my watch every minute for the next half hour. No Kiki.
But, at three thirty-five, she stormed into the casino, her hand clasping her phone so tightly the veins popped. Though she nodded politely to the coworkers she passed, it was clear that she was in no friendly mood.
“Kiki!”
She whirled around, searching for the source of the sound, and finally laid eyes on me.
She let out what appeared to be a small laugh of disgust before continuing on her path, not even offering me so much as recognition.
“Kiki, wait!”
I leapt up from my perch and bolted to her. Her heels sank into the carpet as she walked faster and faster, clearly trying to avoid me. I wasn’t gonna let her get away that easily.
Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m in good shape. It didn’t take me more than a few seconds to intercept Kiki, skidding to a halt before her.
Her lips became a thin line.
“Move, Tate. I have work to do.”
“Please, just — can we talk?”
“No.”
She pushed past me, and I let her go. At the very least, given everything else, it was incumbent upon me to allow Kiki to do her job. To stop her, even when the situation was so dire, would be crossing a line.
Still, I hung close to her as she went to the station to clock in. I saw the floor manager greet Kiki, and then shake his head. Kiki threw her arms up, and the floor manager made a remorseful expression. What could they be talking about?
Kiki pivoted back around and moved to me once more, following the same path she’d walked minutes ago. Why wasn’t she carrying a tray? Why was she still wearing her coat?
“I hope you’re happy,” she spat as she came within a few feet of me. “The floor manager said I can take the day off. There aren’t enough customers, apparently, to justify more than one server, and I was late.”
“Why’s that my fault?”
It wasn’t the question I’d wanted to ask, but I resented her accusation.
Her lips drew back in a shocked, sarcastic grin. “Are you serious? Either you were a part of it, or you let it happen, but all this shit with Dazzlers in the news — that’s on you. And it’s why the customers have fled, though obviously you already know that. So I don’t get paid today because your business is flailing, and your business is flailing because of some stupid shit you pulled.”
I pulled my shoulders back. I hadn’t anticipated a fight, but Kiki was baiting me, and if she wanted to duke it out, so be it.
“Kiki, you know me. You know I wouldn’t condone anything like this.”
“I know you? We met like a week and a half ago. I don’t know shit.”
“You’re just afraid of how close we were a few nights back,” I countered in a low voice. “Don’t try to deny that there’s something deep between us.”
She rolled her eyes in frustration.
“God, you’re so full of yourself! I should’ve realized that all this talk was just that — talk. You put on a good show, Tate, I’ll give you that, but I’m from Vegas and I recognize an act when I see one. You can play innocent all you want.”