A Little Bit of Luck

“I come with toys!” Sebastian said, carrying a box into the living room the next morning.

The group, although still yawning, was seated around the living room. Half of them had a cup of coffee in their hands while the others held food items. Sebastian had skipped out on the morning coffee and breakfast altogether so he could get the electronic devices he needed gathered.

“What is all this for?” Donovan asked, slowly lifting the coffee cup to his mouth as he spoke.

“Well you are going into the den of snakes, so to speak, and I think it would be a good idea to wire you up. I have your earwig in here so we can still talk to you if something important happens. Your favorite tie camera so we can see what is happening. And I also have a bug in here. All you’ll have to do is get it on the underside of his desk.”

“No bugs,” Mackenzie said, “That office is swept for bugs weekly. He would find them and that would mean there would be a pretty good chance that we’d get caught.”

“He sweeps his office for bugs on a weekly basis?” Sebastian asked, his jaw dropping slightly.

“He is a paranoid bastard. But I like the rest of the ideas.”

“Alva is supposed to be there so I don’t suggest you watching the meeting,” Donovan said, pulling up the collar of his shirt for the tie camera.

“I’m not going to be anywhere near the Diamonti or the video feed. You guys are flying solo for today.”

“Where are you going to be?” Kurt asked, looking like he was just told a big sister wasn’t going to protect him on the first day of school.

“I’m going to go visit my grandpa. We need that key and I haven’t gotten the chance to see him in a few years. So where are you guys planning to be?” Mackenzie slipped her glasses on.

“I’m going to go to the Diamonti with Donovan. While he is getting the job, I’m going to be checking out the casino. I don’t think it will hurt to know where all the visible cameras are,” Scott said, smiling at Mackenzie.

“Well I’m going to be in the parking lot in the van. I’m going to be sure and record the feeds incase Clifford or Alva say something that could help us later. I’m always willing to have company if anyone wants to come with me,” Sebastian said, handing Donovan the earwig.

“I think I’m going to go with Scott and Donovan. We do need to know where the cameras are but we also need to know all the employee only entrances are too. I want to see exactly how they work and how visible they are. Maybe if they aren’t too visible then one of us can get into them with Donovan.” Helena pulled out her cell phone and inserted an empty memory card so she could take pictures of anything that seemed important.

Everyone turned their attention towards Kurt, the only one that hadn’t announced his plans. Finally he said, “I’ll go ahead and go with Sebastian.”

Mackenzie stood up, snatching her car keys off the table. “It sounds like you guys are all ready to go. I’m going to head out. If something goes wrong then feel free to call me, but only if it is an emergency,” Mackenzie said, hugging her brother.

“Tell grandpa that I said hi,” Donovan said, fixing his shirt collar.

“Will do. Be careful, all of you.” She gave Scott a kiss and headed for the front door.

As Mackenzie walked down the concrete pathway that led towards her car she noticed the slight overcast. It had been months since she had seen a cloudy day like this. Six months ago this weather would have made her mood turn to less than thrilled about the clouds or she have went on with her day without a second thought. But today, after 3 months in the Caribbean with sunny skies almost every day, the overcast made her smile.

Inside the house, Scott was putting on his jacket as Donovan grabbed his car keys. Sebastian was checking to make sure that he had everything he needed gathered. Helena was slipping on her shoes so she’d be ready to leave with the guys. Kurt was just waiting for someone to give him something to do.

“Hey Kurt can you carry this monitor out to the van? I’ll be out with the rest of the stuff in a minute,” Sebastian said, resting his hand on a monitor.

Kurt nodded and picked it up, knowing that Sebastian had already unlocked the van that was in the garage. As he carried it through the kitchen towards the garage door a question popped into his mind. The houses that they stayed in were always owned by one of them but he wasn’t sure who owned this one.

He knew the beach house in California was Donovan’s. The Orlando house belonged to Sebastian. Helena owned the house in Nashville, the house that was by far his favorite because of the giant backyard. Scott owned the house in Connecticut. And Mackenzie owned the house in Denver and the cabin in Colorado Springs. But this house he hadn’t known about until now, usually when they came to Vegas it was just a vacation and they stayed at a hotel so he’d never questioned about a house.

Maybe when this is over I should buy a house, he thought, Utah would be nice. Aunt Edna lives in Salt Lake, it would be nice to visit her again.

“Give us about a ten minute head start. We need to get settled in and get things hooked up before you go inside. I will let you know when we are ready to go. So until you hear me say that we’re all clear do not go inside,” Sebastian said, picking up the remaining equipment.

***

The house looked exactly like Mackenzie had remembered it. The massive house was solid white with custom made windows that had an elegant, swirled black accent. The door had also been custom made to match the windows and added in five years after the house had been built. The glass on the front of the house was also frosted for privacy, a request that had been made by her grandfather, although it accentuated the accents instead of hiding them.

The stairs that led to the front door were made of white marble with wrought iron rails. On either side of the five stairs were patches of brightly colored roses; red, white, yellow, and even pink. The circular drive way had a round center of perfectly trimmed grass with a small gazebo settled in the center, the same types of roses planted around it. The area around the driveway was also covered in grass, the same grass that Mackenzie used to lay on in the summer, and free of flowers.

Mackenzie brought the car to a stop, put it in park, and killed the engine. Judging by the fact that the front exterior looked the same as she remembered, she was assuming that the inside of the house was still the same.

As she was walking up the stairs towards the door, a man emerged from the house, the door clicking closed behind him. Immediately, Mackenzie recognized him from her past. From the smile on his face he obviously remembered her too.

“Mackenzie Page,” He said, looking at her in an approving way. “The gone astray granddaughter has found her way back home again. I’m assuming that your brother is also in town. The two of you caused quite a bit of talk when both of you left town, especially you.

“I only ask one thing of you Mackenzie, just one thing. Get rid of your scum bag father instead of leaving town again. You take back control of that casino and hotel and you’ve got me and my money for life.”

“Mr. Felder I can’t make any promises,” Mackenzie replied.

The man didn’t say anything more. Instead he winked at Mackenzie and continued on his way. During the brief speech he had made, a limo had pulled into the driveway and a chauffer was holding the back door open. Mackenzie saw the limo and chauffer and smiled. It was nice to see some things never changed.

She rang the doorbell and leaned against the railing. The door swung open quicker than she had expected, revealing her grandfather. He too looked exactly like she remembered, even down to his attire.

“So I see you are still friends with Nathan Felder,” Mackenzie said, embracing her grandfather in a hug. “I hope you realize that he isn’t your whale anymore grandpa.”

“It never hurts to stay friends with people with that much money. I’ll have you know that I still have many connections with important people in this town. Now let’s get off the front stoop and inside the house.”

Just as Mackenzie had expected, the inside of the house still looked the same. It was still the same fantastically simple living room she remembered.

The white tile was specked with black so it matched the windows. It was still as clean as it always had been, the light practically glittering off its glossy top.

There was still the same white suede furniture, two couches and one love seat. Placed in the center of the room was a glass and wrought iron coffee table with matching end tables that sat beside the couches and the love seat. A crystal vase sat in the center of the coffee table, rich red roses resting in it comfortably.

Double stair cases framed the large, simple room gracefully. The banisters were made of the same wrought iron as the hand railing outside the house and held the same elegant, swirling design as the windows. The actual stairs where made of white marble but only the edges showed. The middle of each stair was covered with a plush, black carpeting that was decorated with hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs. She knew the design in the wrought iron had been her grandmother’s wish while the carpeting had been her grandfather’s.

But the most spectacular part of the room was the rear wall. In the center of the rear wall was two large French doors, made of spectacularly clear class, with elegant silver handles and trim. On either side of the doors were large windows that stretched from the ceiling of the living room to the glamorously tiled floor. Beyond the glass was what Mackenzie had always considered the most beautiful backyard in the country, if not the world. Not only was the yard amazing by itself but it also had a fantastic view of the city.

In the left corner of the gigantic yard was a specially designed pool. It descended from shallow to deep water by using stone steps. The deepest part was the center of the pool, with three levels surrounding it. The first level was flush with the ground, a gorgeous sitting area made of stone. The second level was on a five-foot wide, stone stair with water about a foot in depth. The second level was another five-foot wide, stone stair except its water was about 3 feet in depth. The entire pool was framed with palm trees that cast a shadow over the water at different parts of the day. Speakers were hidden flawlessly among the trees. Mackenzie’s favorite thing about the pool though was the built-in colored lighting system, which changed the ambiance of the water automatically.

On the other side of the yard was the cooking and eating area. The grill sat on the open concrete patio, slightly away from the glass dinning table. The dinning area was covered by a netted canopy; a glass bar was built onto the side railing of the large covering. In the center was a large glass table that was surrounded with chairs, thick, soft cushions sitting on the chairs. A lighting system that cast different colors down on the area was mounted in the corners of the canopy. Palm trees also framed this area.

In the center of the yard was a simple table with whicker chairs. Unlike the rest of the spectacular yard, this area was for sipping on drinks, talking, and admiring the view. It wasn’t surrounded by expansive stone stairs or tropical foliage and it didn’t have a custom lighting system. Instead it just peacefully sat in the center of the yard, nestled in the rich, green grass.

As a child Mackenzie had viewed this yard as a playground. She and Donovan had spent many summer afternoons with their family in the pool, splashing around and listening to Elvis, Sinatra, and Dean Martin on the sound system, their grandmother’s sweet voice blending with her grandfather’s raspy one, both singing along. Then, after vacating the pool, the family would move to the dinning area for a barbecue. Hours were also spent around the outdoor table, eating and laughing. Then the days would be finished at the wicker chairs and table, playing cards or just enjoying the view.

Mackenzie remembered the time around the center table as the calmest part of the days. As small children she and Donovan would fall asleep in the laps of their family members. She had usually been planted in her grandfather’s lap, slowly falling into a slumber as he whispered the stories of the city. In her early teenage years the evenings around the table were usually spent with games. She and her grandfather had loved playing poker around the table, each trying to figure out a new way to outsmart the other. And by the time her parents were splitting up and her grandmother had passed, the evenings around this table were just between her and Lawrence, just talking about the events of the day.

“It feels and looks exactly the same. It feels so good to be back here again,” Mackenzie said, struggling to hold back the tears of joy that threatened to flow down her cheeks.

“You know I don’t do well with change,” Lawrence said, opening the door that rested beneath one of the staircases. “Come on, let’s sit outside and talk. Maybe we can play some cards, just like the old days.”

Meanwhile, in the parking lot of the Diamonti, Sebastian and Kurt were watching Donovan walk into the office on the monitor. A man with salt and pepper hair was seated behind a desk, resting a hand on the knee of a woman. The man and Donovan had the same strong jaw, the same forehead and the same small bump in the nose. Mackenzie resembled him even less than Donovan did, having only inherited his ears and the shape of his eyes.

The woman was perched on the side of the desk, gazing down at him with a sultry smile. Her hair was long and silky, a shade of brown so dark that it was almost black. The camera only caught a side profile of her face for Sebastian and Kurt to see. But it was enough for them to make out her general appearance. She had a pointed nose, defined cheekbones, and full lips which were covered in a pink shade of lipstick.

“She can’t be more than 39 years old. That would make her what, 24 or 25 when Mackenzie was 17?” Sebastian said, glancing between the older man and the younger woman that were husband and wife.

“It is a living cliché,” Kurt said, unsure of what he was seeing.

“What you are seeing is the lifestyle of a rich asshole. Face it, age doesn’t matter when you are loaded. And really it could be worse if you think about it. He isn’t that old. It’s not like he is in his 80’s or 90’s.”

The voices coming from the speakers that were transmitting the audio from the office brought a quick end to their conversation. Donovan was saying his greetings to his father and step-mother.

Unlike during Mackenzie’s visit, the atmosphere in the office was relaxed. Alva was embracing Donovan in a hug, gushing about how she had missed him. Donovan played the part of a respectful stepson perfectly, not letting on to the fact that he couldn’t stand the woman. Clifford observed the exchange with a smile, having favored his son over his daughter for years now this was a joyous occasion.

Donovan reached out to shake his father’s hand, using a firm grasp and a dazzling smile. Clifford released his son’s hand and motioned to the chair that was opposite his own. Just
as he sank into his leather office chair, Alva settled back on the side of the desk, turning enough to see Donovan clearly. Mimicking the pair, Donovan too sat down.

“I was glad to hear from you son. I was beginning to think that you’d run off permanently. But I’m assuming that you are back in town with your sister, since she came to visit me as well,” Clifford said, his voice growing agitated as he remembered the meeting with his estranged daughter.

“When Mackenzie left I wasn’t about to let her wander off alone. She was reckless and impulsive at that age, leaving home with no real plan. I thought she was crazy, running off to purse a career in wildlife photography so young, so I went along to protect her. But now I know that she is capable of taking care of herself. When I told her I was coming home she wanted to come along too, visit the family for a while,” Donovan said, sounding convincing as he ran through his carefully crafted lie. “But she is going off on another safari to capture Africa’s wildlife for the first time in a few weeks. I, on the other hand, want to get back into the family business and rejoin the family.”

Donovan gave another dazzling smile, looking between both Clifford and Alva before letting the smile dissolve. Alva grinned and looked towards her stepson, giving him a look that had always made him uncomfortable.

“Well we are looking for a pit boss,” Clifford began, “I’m sure that you remember tagging along around the casino as a kid. You used to love to be right in the center of the action, always watching the pit bosses and the gamblers and never missing a social function.”

It was Mackenzie that never missed anything, Donovan thought. But instead of vocalizing his thought he said, “I remember everything about this place. I think I’d fit right in with the rest of the pit bosses. If the two of you would be alright with me working here, that is.”

“Sweetie, I think he’d be perfect for the job.” Alva coxed.

“When do you want to start?” Clifford asked.

Back in the van, Kurt looked over at Sebastian with a look of sheer admiration on his face. He had never actually watched Donovan pull something like that off before. He had watched Mackenzie, Scott, and Helena to do it flawlessly but he’d never witnessed Donovan’s act.

“He could have been a fantastic actor. I almost believed him,” Kurt said.

“We all could have been. You are just as convincing when you go in for a set up. Call Scott and Helena for me. Its time to head back to the house.” Sebastian turned off the monitor as Donovan exited the office.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie was helping her grandfather round up the poker chips. They had just finished a game of poker and both were smiling. Both of them had missed the moments like this and both were impressed with the other’s game. Lawrence was still proud of the way Mackenzie played, being a better player than both her mother and brother.

“You are the spitting image of your mother,” Lawrence said. “Does she know you are in town yet?”

“Not yet. I’m going to call her and take her to dinner tomorrow. It’s just so hard to see her now. I hate lying to her but she’d freak if she knew what Donny and I really do.” Mackenzie had always told her grandfather everything, and her career was no exception. He knew that she and Donovan were both thieves and he usually knew what city they were in at any given time.

Cora Page, however, was oblivious to what her children really did. She believed that Donovan was a sports writer and traveled to watch various sporting events. Mackenzie had told her that she was a wildlife photographer, the same story that circulated through various social circles in the city. To fabricate both of their stories, Donovan had written a sports article and made it look like a newspaper clipping and Mackenzie had sent her various pictures of animals.

Looking towards the house Mackenzie smiled again. Even from the backyard it was easy to tell the difference between the living room and the rest of the house. While the living room had been done in all white, the rest of the house was full of color and art. After a moment she said, “I wish that was something I inherited. Grandma had a fantastic eye for design. The all white was genius and she was so right too. It really makes the room stand by itself but it doesn’t take away from the view. Mom has the same eye too.”

“You do have the same gift, Mackenzie. You just view things a little differently,” He said, squeezing her shoulder. “Are you going to tell me the real reason you are back in town now? I know that you aren’t just here for a visit.”

“We’re going to rob the Diamonti. Donovan is getting a job as a pit boss as we speak. Clifford has gone too long with no consequences. I have to end it.”

“Meaning your revenge isn’t going to stop when you rob him. Do you really think that it will work?”

“Well nothing else has worked so it’s the last hope. If this doesn’t then I have to wait until he croaks and God only knows how long until that happens. But my team can’t pull this off without some help from you.”

“Just tell me what you need. I want to see the bastard get what’s coming to him as badly as you do. He had no right to do what he did to the three of you. But he did it, took what belonged to our family, and left the three of you to pick up your lives after he destroyed them. I will get you whatever you need.”

“I need the key, Grandpa.”