Chapter 47
Luca's Plan
Hey, it's about time I had a shot a this.
Ciao. It's Luca the Octopus. Sure, you know me by now. I'm the Don's Consigliore. It's my job to carry out all the boss's sneaky plans. But guess what? That little Jason squirt's gone and stole my job at this moment in time. Why did the Don pick her? Oh yeah, because the other sharks despised her. But now, that little pipsqueak was trying turn the tables on me and my mafia friends. Who did she think she was?
If she thinks she can out smart me…again…she's got another thing coming. 'Cause I'd got a plan.
You know that kid's got a talent for picking horses, right? And you remember the time she tried to join that poker game, right? If she wanted respect from this mob that bad, I thought we could make a trade. And of course, we'd make up all the terms and conditions of this contract and if she didn't like them, she could just forget about join our little game.
But first, I had to find that kid. She maybe a sneaky little glassfish, but she can't hide from me. I've made my living outa sneaking around.
Where would a little squire like that be lurking around? What here would lure a piece of shark-bait like that? There was only one thing I could think of; the piano.
Now, that kid knows better than to snoop around the boss's office now. She wouldn't be snooping around there. But there's more than one piano in this hideout.
The ballroom's where I perform. I play the piano too you know! And if that little squirt had been messin' around on my piano there was gonna be trouble.
But when I swam closer…eh, the piano hadn't been touched. I lifted up the key cover just to make sure. No, nothing. And a good job too. This piano was mine.
At first I just stared at the keys for a moment or two. Then I thought; 'Sure, I'll play'.
I love the eight-bar-blues. That's my style, unlike that melancholy trash Jason was playing.
C, E, G, A, Bb, A, G, E… Simple enough if you know what your talking about.
But something was about to interrupt my flow…
C, E, G, A, Bb, A, G, E…
C, E, G, A, Bb… That's when the keys played themselves. A-D Something slammed the keys down two octaves higher.
Something disturbed my flow. And if I didn't know that little squirt so good, I never would have expected it.
I kept on playing, I knew she'd try it again. She was there somewhere. Hiding 'cause of those colour changing scales of hers.
C, E, G… A-D… Bb, A, G, E… C-E-G…
I stopped. I couldn't keep going with that little pest bugging me. "Quit, doin' that, will ya? And don't try hiding from me. Show yourself."
She showed herself, aright. She was sat on the edge above the keys.
"You can't hide from me, kid."
"I just did." She answered back. "I've been following you around for the past ten minutes and you didn't even know I was there."
"What?"
"I knew you were looking for me. But I just felt like having a little bit of fun. I would have followed you around all day, wondering how long it would take for you to give up. Ha, ha!"
She laughed that same mischievous laughing she laughed last time she humiliated me. I didn't like the sound of it.
"Shut up, will ya?"
She quit it and straightened her face. "What did you want to find me for, mate?"
For once, she asked a smart question. Time to make a deal with a little devil.
"You did a good job pickin' that horse last time." I talked with a smirk. "Tell me, is that really a skill or was it just beginners luck?"
"I pay attention. That's all. I won by my own skill and I could do it again!"
(Good…That's what I wanna hear…) "Hey, Em." I half called her by her name. "How would you like to win some clams for yourself and the mob?"
Em just gave a suspicious look. "What's in it for me?"
"Glad you asked." I said. "A chance to join the gambling games. Isn't that what you want?"
"No."
(Hold on…Did she just say 'no'!) "What?"
"I value my talents far more than a poker game." Jason explained.
"That's fine." I tried to be slick. "You can just forget about joining in our little game, then."
"That's fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
I turned my back on her. She did the same.
Wait a sec! I was supposed to be in charge of this little agreement! I wasn't about to let that kid beat me again!
"Tell you what, how about a little extra." I tried again. "How about a share in the winnings? If you pick the right horses."
"Hmm…(!) No."
"What'd ya mean 'no'?"
"Look, mate. I know what you're thinking in that bulbous brain of yours. You're gonna try and make a deal and then your gonna lay down all these strings attached to that deal. But you can't fool me, mate. If someone makes a deal with me, I make up all the terms and conditions of else you can say bye-bye to your horse-picker."
"Hey, if you're gonna be like that then you can just forget about your chance to be part of the game."
"I can live with that." She tried to sound smart…and she was good at it. "Besides, I don't trust you."
"Don't trust me?" (I knew she had good reason for that). "Come on, Em. I wouldn't kid you."
"Liar. I remember the first time I tried to joining your little game, I ended up chocking on blood for that. And what did you do? You betrayed me! So, maybe you'll think next time about that before double-crossing someone like me."
Yeah, I actually kinda felt bad about that. "Hey, that wasn't my idea! I was on your side, remember?"
"Well," Ok, now she was starting to sound as slippery as me. "You can tell that to your little mafia mates, can't you? And you can tell them that your little plan not worked out as you thought."
I could believe it! That kid turned down my offer like some coupon for a free coffee! I just could believe it!
"Anyway, I've got better things to waste my time with than a slimy, bulbous brained squid and his petty dealings." And she started to swim off, just like that! "See ya, mate. And who knows, maybe the guy I'm supposed to be looking for is, quite by accident you. I know how dim-witted you can be. You might have even messed up one of the accounts so bad that you didn't even recognise your own mistake. Ha, ha!"
There she went again with that sinister giggling.
She turned down my offer! I just couldn't believe it. Actually, I could…Alright, that kid had a reason not to trust me. But still, I was offering her a chance to gamble with the gang and she was just gonna turn that down. Shell! What was I gonna tell the guys when I got back to the gang?
