Thanks so much to those that reviewed, alerted etc for the first chapter. It's so nice to know there's some interest for this story out there.

I forgot to give thanks to girlno4282 in my previous author's note. I bounced some of my ideas for this fic around with her, and she assured me that my ideas weren't too mad. So in a way, if this story ends up being shit, it's not really my fault...

Anyway, hope you enjoy.


Chapter Two: The Bartender And The Thief

Emily

"Is that what you're wearing?" Asked Katie, in a tone that made it clear she thought I should be wearing something else. I just shrugged. I didn't really see any need to get changed to see the show. Katie had other ideas. "We've got to make a good impression, Emily!"

"You didn't sound bothered when we spoke to them this morning."

"Just playing hard to get" said Katie with a grin. She grabbed her make-up bag and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open. "May as well let them think I'm flooded with offers" she shouted through. "Although a magic show is hardly what I'd of chosen. Still, it'll probably be a platform to bigger and better things."

I sighed softly and wondered how Katie's confidence in herself managed to remain so unshaken. It had been her idea to travel to Vegas. She was convinced that she could make her fortune here. Not, as many deluded travellers to Vegas have thought, via the slot machines or a high stakes game of poker. Oh no, Katie's plans were much more concrete than that. She wanted to become a showgirl, and live the glamorous American dream. We had been in Vegas for about three months now, and Katie had gone to as many auditions as she could. But it was the same story every time: Katie just wasn't tall enough to be a showgirl. She had argued the point with every single director, but to no avail. One or two had suggested that she auditioned instead for the strip-clubs, but fortunately Katie drew the line there. Dancing topless on stage was one thing, but giving lap-dances was quite another. Besides, dancing at a strip joint didn't hold the promise of a glamorous lifestyle - and that was really what Katie was interested in. She wanted to mingle with the high-rollers and the celebrities that came to Vegas.

You may well ask why I came to Vegas. Well, I had no such dreams of becoming a showgirl. A life in the spotlight held no appeal for me. It was the chance for a change of scene that drew me to Vegas. I suppose you could say that I wanted to 'find myself', to coin a commonly used phrase. That probably seems quite pathetic to you, right? Running away from home on a journey of self-discovery, and the best I can manage is to follow in my twin sister's footsteps. That's always been the way, I guess. She's the one who craves the attention, I'm the one who follows behind her in the shadows. She's the one who will dance in the spotlight, while I'm the one holding her coat backstage. I wasn't even sure that Las Vegas was where I wanted to go, but Katie had been adamant that that was the place for us. And Katie always gets her way.

She emerged from the bathroom with her make-up now refreshed. She had changed into a floral summery dress. She looked me up and down and sighed.

"We don't have time for me to get changed now" I insisted. I didn't have any reason to make a good impression, because I had no desire to be a part of the show. That small fact didn't seem to make any difference to Katie though. I had spent the last couple of hours trying to explain that to her, but she hadn't really listened. For the sake of a quiet life, I had dropped the matter for now. But I was secretly hoping that nothing would come of our meeting with Cook and Naomi this afternoon.

"Come on" said Katie, grabbing her bag and leading the way out of our motel room. I snatched up my own bag and followed after her. We were staying in a cheap motel, a little way from The Strip. When we had first started planning our trip, Katie had wanted to stay at one of the luxury, themed hotels actually on The Strip. I had managed to talk her out of that, since our budget had to be more limited. We were a little bit further away from the main attractions of Vegas, but our accommodation wasn't bad. It was basic, but clean and well maintained. It didn't live up to Katie's high ideals, but it had to do for now. We headed across to the bus stop. On our first day in Las Vegas we had made the mistake of walking to The Strip, because the journey didn't look that far. However we soon learned that in Vegas all of the hotels are so massive, that apparently short distances can turn out to be anything but. Couple that with the baking desert heat, and a walk that would be an easy matter in England in mid summer, becomes quite an ordeal. Thankfully, buses were frequent and pretty reasonably priced.

As we waited for the bus, Katie started rummaging in her bag. She pulled out her wallet and began going through the contents, grumbling to herself as she did so.

"Have you seen my driving licence?" She asked with a frown.

"Not since Cook nicked it." Katie rolled her eyes at the mention of Cook.

"God, that guy's full of himself" she huffed. "I definitely put it back after he took it." She stopped her hunt, apparently frozen for a second. Then her jaw dropped, as realisation dawned. "Fuck! That wanker's probably taken it again! Right! I'm gonna knock that fucking smirk right off his face when I see him." I swallowed a smile, not wanting to antagonise her.


The show was in the same theatre that we had been in earlier for the auditions. It started promptly. We had barely been in our seats for ten minutes before the curtain rose. We saw Cook doing some magic for people in their seats before hand, but he wasn't close enough for us to see properly. He disappeared backstage just before the lights went down and the show began. Naomi walked out and stepped to centre-stage. She looked quite different to the girl we had met this morning.

"She's almost pretty when she makes the effort" whispered Katie. I didn't bother to respond to her catty comment. I thought that even without any make-up, Naomi looked beautiful. But now, with her long hair loose and straightened, and her face made up, she looked amazing. Well, apart from the outfit. It was an odd looking patchwork ensemble, with each patch a different colour. It really didn't suit her, and was clearly made to appeal to the family audiences.

The show was really great. Even Katie agreed that it was an entertaining spectacle. Naomi was clearly an accomplished performer, and made everything look effortless. She did a routine where she cut then magically restored a rope, then a piece with a signed playing card that repeatedly jumped to her pocket. There followed a whole host of tricks, the highlight being a very funny and surprising appearance of someone dressed head to foot in a bear costume. The whole audience jumped as one at his sudden arrival. Then he leapt from the stage and ran along the aisle, interacting with whoever he could reach. I wondered if it was Cook inside the costume - especially when he ruffled Katie's hair as he passed her.

After the show, we filed out of the theatre. After a few minutes, Naomi arrived in the foyer to sign autographs and pose for photos. Katie and I hung back until the last of the audience had trickled away. Then Naomi turned towards us with a friendly grin.

"Hey, you came!" She sounded genuinely pleased to see us. "What did you think of the show?" We both answered her enthusiastically. She seemed delighted that we had enjoyed the show. Then she led us backstage and into a dressing room. Once there, she promptly stripped off her ridiculous suit and donned a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I glanced at my surroundings. It wasn't a very large room, and it appeared smaller because there was so much clutter. There were pieces of rope laying around, playing cards scattered on the floor, and other strange, unrecognisable paraphernalia covering every surface. The walls were covered with child-drawn depictions of Naomi performing her show. She was a big hit with the children who watched her show, I had noticed that earlier. She must regularly get sent these drawings from her younger fans. I thought it was nice that she took the time to put them up.

A moment or two later, Cook sauntered into the room. He was still dressed from the neck down in the bear costume, confirming my earlier suspicion. He didn't knock, and Naomi didn't pass any comment on that. Clearly the two of them were pretty comfortable in each others company.

"Hey Hey!" Cook exclaimed loudly, when he saw me and Katie. "Give me a bear hug, girls!" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled us both into his arms. I giggled, but Katie wasn't amused. She fought her way out of his embrace as quickly as possible.

"Where's my licence, fuckwit?" She demanded. Cook waved his hands in a placating gesture.

"Calm down, Red. Your licence is safe."

"I'm waiting." Katie stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Cook. He made a big show of patting the sides of his costume, before shrugging.

"Sorry Katie - no pockets. I guess bears don't need wallets." Katie took a threatening step towards him. "It's in my dressing room" added Cook hastily. "I'll go get it." He darted from the room. Naomi looked awkwardly around her, before shifting some clutter from a small sofa. She gestured for us to sit down, before perching herself on the edge of her dresser. Cook returned, still in the bear suit. He handed Katie's licence to her.

"You are the most irritating man that I've ever met" she told him with a sneer. Cook grinned broadly back at her.

"That's quite an achievement!" He declared, happily. It certainly was: Katie met Jeremy Clarkson once.

"Cook!" Said Naomi with authority. "Stop being a twat." She clearly wanted to keep a more harmonious atmosphere.

"So tell us about this big show you're planning" said Katie, in an effort to turn the conversation around to her chance of stardom. Naomi cleared her throat.

"Well, there's er... We told you earlier that we..." Katie cut straight through her sentence.

"You gave us a lot of waffle earlier, but I'd like to know some facts" she said firmly. Naomi stuttered and fell silent. I gazed with pride at my sister. People often underestimated her, just because she's willing to use her tits sometimes to get what she wants. She is anything but an airhead though, and won't be taken in easily. I had also noticed that Naomi hadn't told us anything concrete yet, and I was glad to see Katie call her out on that. We watched as Naomi and Cook exchanged a concerned look. "What's the deal?" pressed Katie. Eventually Cook nodded at Naomi, as the two of them resolved on what to say.

"Okay. There isn't actually a show yet" began Naomi. "We've got a meeting with the hotel manager on Friday to tell him our ideas. We're hoping he'll say we can put a headline act together."

"What show are you wanting to put on?" I asked. Naomi stared down at the floor in front of her.

"We've got a lot of ideas, but that's all they are at the moment" she said quietly. She sighed, and let her shoulders slump. "Look, I'm sorry we misled you. Why don't you leave us your number, and I'll get in touch after the meeting if we get the go-ahead."

I felt myself breath a little easier. They may never get the go ahead, and that call may never come.

"Well can't we help?" Asked Katie suddenly, taking everyone - including me - by surprise. "We could listen to your ideas at least."


Before long, our impromptu meeting had moved to a nearby bar. It was an open plan place, off to one side of the huge casino, that took up most of the ground floor of the hotel. The sound of ringing slot machines filtered through to us every now and then. Naomi brought a pad of paper along, and swiftly made notes as we discussed possibilities for the show. Cook (now back in his regular clothes) and Naomi listened carefully to anything Katie or I had to say, even though our knowledge of magic was very limited. They seemed pleased at our interest, and were trying hard to make us feel included. The time passed rapidly by, and drinks continued to flow.

"So how do these two fit in?" Asked Cook, motioning his thumb towards us. He had asked the question I had been wondering about myself. Naomi shrugged.

"I'm not sure, really. When I saw them, I just though of Lafayette, you know?" Katie and I both looked towards Cook, expecting to see a look of recognition on his face. Instead, the name 'Lafayette' seemed to mean as little to him as it did to us. As Naomi took in his frown, she sighed. "Cook, didn't you read that History of Magic book I lent you?"

"I might of flicked through the pictures" said Cook with a grin. Naomi rolled her eyes at him. I chuckled to myself as I was put in mind of Hermione telling Harry Potter off for not reading his study books.

"The Great Lafayette was a magician" began Naomi. "He died about a hundred years ago on stage. He was performing at a theatre in Edinburgh, when a fire started. The audience got out, but those on stage were trapped, and a lot of them died - including Lafayette." She paused and looked around her to make sure that she had her audiences attention. "Anyway, they pulled his body out of the rubble, identified it and cremated him. Then a few days later, they pulled another body out of the rubble and identified it as... Lafayette. Turned out the first guy was his double that no-one even knew about. You see, instead of just tricks, Lafayette used to do whole scenes - like a play. He used the double to stand in for him so that he could suddenly appear elsewhere. So in one bit, the audience might see him at one side of the stage, then the other cast tied him up or something. Next thing you know he's vanished, then he reappears at the other side of the stage."

"Yeah, I think I get you" said Cook, nodding slowly. "Like, Katie could be on stage one minute, then she vanishes. Next second, there's Emily at the back of the auditorium, waving. Meanwhile the audience is going 'how the fuck did she get over there so quick?'"

"Exactly!" Said Naomi, her eyes alight with excitement. "I mean, we'll need to work out the details, but it really could work."

The two of them launched into an animated conversation that sounded too technical for me and Katie. We exchanged a look, and Katie rolled her eyes.

"I'll get us some more drinks" she said as she rose to her feet. The action seemed to snap Naomi from her conversation.

"Yeah, I'll come with you" she said as she rose up and followed Katie to the bar. Afternoon was beginning to become evening, and the bar had slowly gotten busier and busier.

"So how'd you end up in America?" I asked Cook. His accent was difficult to place, but must originate from England.

"Well, I grew up in an orphanage in London" he told me. "Ran away when I was eight, and lived on the streets. I learned to pick-pocket just to survive, really. I kept saving up whatever I could until the day I could afford a plane ticket over here. I always saw America as the land of opportunity." I listened intently as Cook spoke. He told me details about his time on the streets, and in the orphanage. I didn't challenge what he said, but it all seemed to drip a little too easily from his tongue. I suspected that Cook's background was a well-honed story, nothing more. It sounded just a shade too Dickensian to really be true. But truth or not, I was growing to like Cook. He had an easy-going aura and a sense of fun that was hard to resist.

"So what about you?" He asked. "You've not being going to auditions, so what've you been doing in Vegas?"

"Bar work" I answered with a shrug. While Katie went about chasing her dreams of stardom, one of us had to keep some money coming in. I had brought what I could in by taking various bar jobs from time to time. "I used to do it back home when I was a student. I like it, you know? I get to talk to people, and it's comfortable. I know what I'm doing behind a bar, so I feel comfortable."

"So, any beefcake boyfriend back home?" Asked Cook, with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

"No, I'm single" I answered quietly. A large grin spread across Cook's face. The guy is an irrepressible flirt. "You're not my type!" I told him with a laugh, cutting him off before he even began.

"What is your type then?" He asked, instantly making me wish that I'd kept my mouth shut. Not a conversation that I was keen to get in to. I simply answered with a shrug and tried to think of a change of subject.

"What's Three Card Monte?" I asked with a grin, remembering Cook's earlier mention of it. By luck, I hit on the exact thing to change the tide of the conversation. Cook's whole face lit up.

"I'll show you!"

Katie and Naomi returned with drinks. They set them down and sank into their seats.

"Three Card Monte" announced Cook. "Give us some cover there, Blondie." Naomi sighed and got to her feet again.

"Don't take their money though, yeah?" She stood hunched over the table, as though to cover it from view. I was puzzled - Naomi didn't appear to be blocking us off from the eyes at the bar. The bar staff only needed to glance over to see what was going on. Naomi caught my confused look and nodded at something behind her. "Security camera" she told me. I glanced over her shoulder at the camera fixed into the ceiling. "No, don't look!" She insisted. "We don't want the pit boss to see - the guy who looks after the casino floor. They'll throw us out if they see us doing this. Three Card Monte's a gambling game. The casino owners don't like money changing hands in their casino when they're not getting any of it."

Katie and I leaned in closer to the table, our interest well and truly hooked. Cook reached into his pocket and brought out three playing cards. One was the queen of hearts, the other were the black aces. He displayed them all, then threw them face down onto the table.

"Just follow the lady." Katie pointed to the card that we had both seen shown as the queen. Cook turned it face up. "Yep, it's as simple as that" he said with a grin. He threw the cards down again, and Katie pointed to the queen. This time when it was turned over, it was an ace.

"What the fuck? Do that again" insisted Katie. Cook smirked and gathered up the cards again. He kept on placing those cards down on the table. Each time he showed us clearly which one was the queen, and each time, Katie or I guessed the wrong card. We just couldn't seem to get it right. Cook and Naomi seemed amused by our mounting frustration.

"You can see how people lose a lot of money doing this" said Naomi eventually. "They keep betting more and more, thinking that they only need to watch a bit closer next time. It's a con though - they'll never win."

"And you did this for a living in New York?" Asked Katie. In spite of her earlier surliness towards Cook, she sounded impressed. I had noticed that as the afternoon progressed, Katie was slowly but surely being won over by the two of them.

"Yeah. Always plenty of tourists in a hurry to lose their money in New York. Easy pickings, really. Specially if you've got a partner to relieve them of their watches and stuff while they're watching. Double pay-day that way." Cook grinned broadly and sat back in his chair, stuffing the cards back into a pocket. "Of course, I'm a law-abiding citizen, now though." He waggled his eyebrows again, clearly wanting us both to conclude that he was anything but law-abiding. Naomi chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, Cook. You only use your powers for good now!"

The rest of us joined in with her laughter. I was really enjoying myself with these two. I may not want to be a part of their show, but I couldn't help thinking that hanging around with Naomi and Cook could be a very intriguing experience.


The bit with the bear costume is taken from Mac King's afternoon show at Harrah's in Las Vegas. I kept the description deliberately vague so that it will still be a surprise for anyone watching the show. If you ever get the chance, I reccommend it - it's a hilarious show.

Also, the bit about The Great Lafayette is true - he died 100 years ago this year. Magic history is a side interest of mine, and I'll be using other bits and pieces of facts that I think could add colour to the story.

Let me know what you think!