A/N: After all this time, I still don't own Chuck or Sarah or anything interesting really.
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As you drive along I-15 into Las Vegas from Los Angeles, the nighttime glow of the Las Vegas Strip is visible for miles before you can actually see the lights of the City themselves. New York's Times Square is renowned for the size and vibrancy of its signage, but the Strip is a serious rival, especially seen at night. There was one bright sign after another doing their best to lure in the passersby to the restaurant, hotel, casino or other attraction on offer. Driving along the Strip after sundown, it seemed as bright as day. The hotel/casinos of the Strip were themselves legendary. With the Bellagio, the Venetian, the recently opened Wynn, the Magic, and the Mandalay Bay, the luxury high-end experience had exploded onto the scene. No longer the inexpensive destination, the hotels now catered to the wealthiest of clientele and did their best to attract the high rollers, known in the parlance of Las Vegas as the 'whales,' to their tables.
Smack in the middle of the Strip, with luxury hotels on either side, was Kirk's Magic Hotel and Casino. There was a forty foot tall Christmas tree centered beside the entrance portico. Many of the establishments had themes for their design and operation. Kirk's theme was magic. Paintings of top-hatted magicians and conjurers were prominently displayed. A ten foot tall statue of Harry Houdini was the centerpiece of the cavernous marbled reception area. Someone had perched a Santa cap on top of Harry's head. The different rooms for meetings and banquets were named for illusionists from history or present day – Houdini, Copperfield, Blaine, Agrippa, Blackstone, Thurston, and a half dozen more. The theaters offered one magic themed show after another.
The parking valet took the Porsche and Sarah and Chuck, arm-in-arm, crossed the lobby to the reception desk. The hotel was full of a holiday crowd and the reception area was bustling. Chuck was dressed in a well-tailored Armani suit and an open necked white shirt without a tie. Sarah wore a short black cocktail dress that showed off her long legs. The receptionist had their reservation (arranged by the CIA admin section) and offered to have the bellman take their bags to their suite. They followed the bellman through the casino towards the elevators to the rooms. Chuck was to discover that the only way to get between any two points in the hotel was through the casino.
Their covers were Charles Carmichael, rich young software mogul, and Sarah Walker, his girlfriend. His bodyguard/assistant had been delayed enroute and would be arriving shortly. The suite they had reserved had two bedrooms with beautiful views of the lights of the Strip. Each bedroom was complete with its own luxury bathroom (with a huge sunken whirlpool tub). The bedrooms were joined by an enormous living room which included a dining room table that could have hosted a large board meeting. Chuck tried to look unimpressed and sophisticated for the sake of the bellman, who he tipped generously with the CIA's money, but in truth he had never seen such luxury. Charles Carmichael was a high roller and would not have been uncomfortable with the arrangements. Chuck Bartowski, on the other hand...
Sarah took out her cell phone and called Casey, who was still on the road. He was not about to drive the Crown Vic at the borderline insane speeds to which Sarah took the Porsche. He estimated that he would arrive at the Magic in about 45 minutes, having hit some traffic outside of Barstow. Sarah told him the suite number and that they would be there waiting for him.
Chuck was busy setting up his computer and syncing it with the gigantic TV so that they could use it for...
Sarah wrapped her hands around his belly from behind and nuzzled the side of his neck. He could feel all the firm curves of her beautiful body on the back of his body. Then she took his earlobe between her wet lips and sucked on it for a few moments. She whispered into his ear, "I could use a bath. Want to try that cool looking bathtub with me?"
"Bath...yes,...bath is good...a bath is good...yes...let's bath...Uh, uh...bathe..."
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The DD Steakhouse in the Magic Hotel was supposed to have superb steaks, at least if the reviews were accurate. They settled down to the table.
"Security cameras everywhere," said Casey.
"It's a casino, Case. Every inch of the place is covered. You see the mirrors over the gaming tables? One way glass. There are catwalks above with security guys patrolling there too," said Sarah.
"Huhhh," he said. She was right. In addition to the cameras, there were uniformed guards both throughout the casino and guarding the elevator entrances to the hotel rooms. Without the key to your room, you wouldn't pass to the elevators. Casey had had to double back and obtain a key at reception before he could pass to get up to their suite.
They studied the menus and ordered. A filet mignon for Sarah. The porterhouse for two, for Chuck and Casey. A handful of side dishes.
"Ok," said Casey. "What have you got for us, kid?" On the drive from LA, when he wasn't squealing in terror, Chuck had done the research on Kirk. He had waited until they were all three together to give them the download.
"Lon Kirk was born in 1947, when his dad got back from the war. The family name had been Kirkorian, but the dad changed it when Lon was four for some reason of his own. Dad ran a series of bingo parlors in New Haven, Connecticut. Lon was a smart kid and a good student. He got a scholarship to Brown, where he studied history. Then he got a scholarship to Yale Law School. He did one year and dropped out of law school when his dad died unexpectedly. He began to run his dad's business and discovered that the business was over half a million dollars in debt. Turned out he had a head for business. Within five years, he had turned it around."
"Sounds like a pretty admirable guy, so far," said Sarah.
"Yeah, it does. But when we dig just a little bit behind the shiny bio fed to potential investors we get a slightly darker version. He had married young, but there were rumors of affairs almost from the beginning. And one of the men his dad had owed money to was killed in an alleged mugging attempt. His heirs settled the debt for pennies on the dollar. The homicide investigators looked to Kirk as having a motive, but could never find enough evidence. He moved with his wife to Las Vegas in the 70's, soon after that incident. Things started to expand for him here.
"He bought an interest in the Borderlands Casino and began to run it for the other owners. He did very well and eventually bought out the others. He had made a very solid connection with the owner and president of the Las Vegas Fields Bank, a local bank. That bank began to finance his further expansion. As the bank was a good partner to him, he has also been loyal to them. He used them when he sold the Borderlands Casino and bought the Paradise Casino, when its prior owner died in a plane crash. His first marriage ended in divorce at about the same time."
"Messy?" asked Sarah.
"Nope. No kids and his ex-wife has never said a word in public about him since then." said Chuck.
"Non-disclosure agreement, probably," said Casey.
"Yeah. That's likely," said Chuck. "He remarried soon after to a woman in her early twenties who had been a hostess in one of the Borderlands cocktail lounges. Wife number two.
"Anyway, he spent lavishly on the Paradise and eventually sold it for five times what he had bought it for. The analysts estimate that he personally made over $600,000,000 profit on the sale. Since that one, he's been the darling of Wall Street, but he's still using the Fields Bank. They aren't big enough to handle his loans themselves anymore, but he uses them as the syndicating bank."
"What's that mean?" asked Casey.
"It means they put together a pool of banks that, as a group, lend the money to the borrower...to Kirk. One bank will be the lead bank, putting the group together and getting paid extra for originating and administering the loan. It's done when the loans get too big for one player. Spreads the risk around. Given the size of his deals, Fields is making tons of money from the guy. As I said, he's loyal to them. At this point he could buy the bank with his pocket change, but still uses them. Similarly, he uses a local law firm and local insurance brokers."
"Keeping the business local. Must make him a popular guy in town," said Casey.
"Yeah. I expect it does," said Chuck. "While he was still running the Paradise, he developed the Magic from scratch, from an empty lot. He poured money into it to make it the most luxurious on the Strip. Soon after the opening of the Magic, wife number two got a divorce. Like number one, she's never said a word about him afterward. There is no wife number three.
"He's been expanding outside of Vegas for the last few years. He opened a Magic Casino in Atlantic City and is getting close to an opening in Macau for a huge Magic Hotel. He's been back and forth to Macau multiple times."
"Any connection to Taiwan?" asked Sarah.
"Not that I can see, but he could have been stopping in Taipei to and from Macau. I couldn't say," said Chuck. "Seems gambling is huge in Macau. His Magic Casino in Macau will be his largest yet. It's going to have 2,900 suites. Only the Venetian Macau, which just opened there a couple of months ago, will be larger, with 3,000 suites."
"Macau is the closest we're coming to Taiwan. We should look into that more. Chen was pretty clear that Kirk is acting under duress. They must have something on him. My guess is it's the Macau casino," said Sarah.
"Makes sense. He's got a ton of assets tied up in it. Seems to be a lot of his own money, if the investor's prospectus can be believed," said Chuck.
"Anyway, he gives to a bunch of charities. A lot of local stuff, but national ones too. The Red Cross. American Cancer Society. Pretty vanilla. It's his political contributions that are more interesting. Tons of money. Mostly Republican, but not entirely. He's been a big contributor to the last few mayors of Las Vegas, all Democrats. Nationally, though, he seems to support the Republican candidates. He supported W last time around and is supporting Romney this time. His fund raiser for Romney was several weeks ago and raised over a million for the candidate."
"Any hobbies? Anything like that?" asked Casey.
"Not that I can see. All he seems to do is work. He even lives upstairs in the penthouse on the roof." Chuck pointed to the ceiling over their heads.
"Well," said Sarah, "he likes women. Married twice. Any girlfriends?"
"Nope. At least none I found," said Chuck. "We'll have to give some thought to an 'in' with him. Something to get us through the door to approach him."
"No shit," said Casey. "We drove all the way out here. We'll have to figure something out."
"Speaking of that drive, I don't mind admitting, Case, that I was a little worried about getting a ticket on the highway. Not so much because we were going so slowly, but more because we were holding up the people behind us."
Sarah smirked a little bit and her blue eyes sparkled.
"She's got the car for it, Moron. What did you expect her to do?"
"I don't know. Stop and see what's to see? I tried to get her to stop and see the world's largest thermometer in Baker."
"Oral or rectal?" asked Casey.
Sarah had been taking a sip of her water when Casey asked that question and blew it out in a spray as she laughed out loud. Chuck, laughing as well, said, "You know, Casey, I don't know why everybody says you're not funny."
Casey smirked a small smile and said, "Vegas brings it out in me, I guess."
"I love Vegas," said Sarah. "It is a city with a sense of humor about itself. It is completely ridiculous and knows it's completely ridiculous and doesn't care. It's so much better than...I don't know...Orlando. Orlando is completely ridiculous and is totally serious about it. You will have fun in Orlando or else." She shook an accusatory finger. "Vegas knows it's all a goof and just grins. It's a great town."
"I don't like to gamble," said Casey. "Never took to it. I'll play cards with friends sometimes, but this stuff..." he gestured to the casino visible outside the doors of the restaurant. "...not for me."
Sarah said, "Smart man. This whole place is designed for the sole purpose of taking your money. You don't win at these games. Sure, people can walk away winners, but they are the stories people tell because they're rare. Man bites dog. This place, the Strip, makes billions of dollars a year. And not by giving the players a fair chance to win. The house always has the edge. That's what created this entire town. Remember that they make the rules of the games you are playing. Think about that for a moment. If you show up here to get rich, you're crazy."
Chuck said, "Even roulette, if you bet red or black, you'll only break even in the long run."
"Nope. You won't. Remember that they make the rules. There are two green spots. So, the odds of red or black are less than 50-50. Don't try it. Not with any hope of actually winning. Even if you play by their rules and are just too good, they will ban you from the place. They don't want winners here, just losers."
Casey said, "The ones who make the money here are the casino owners."
"Remember the gold rush? Who made the money there? The guys selling the shovels. Here there are a number of folks who can make money off this nonsense. Hell," she started to laugh a little, "the signmakers alone are probably rolling in it."
"Sounds like you've given a lot of thought to this place," said Chuck. "When was the last time you were here?"
"Yeah...well..." Sarah was quiet for a little bit after that and then she said, ignoring the question, "Guys, after dinner I'm going to go out for a bit to talk to some people. By myself. I have an idea to get a lead or two on Kirk, but it's something I have to do by myself. Alone. It's not dangerous, but I can't bring you guys."
Chuck and Casey exchanged a look. Chuck said, "No."
Sarah said, "What?"
"I said no. We are a team. You don't get to go off like that. We will have your back."
"Chuck, you can't let your feelings for me get in the way of the mission. We have..."
"He's not," interrupted Casey. "He's not reacting this way because he loves you. He's reacting this way because he's right. We are a team. No lone wolves here. That's what we used to be like, you and me both. We aren't like that anymore...at least not while this team is together. If you want to go on a one man op, fine, but we go along too, behind you to give you back up. We will have your back. It's not negotiable. Neither of us are letting anything happen to you. If I told you I was going to go off on a jaunt of my own you would both jump my shit too, and you'd be absolutely right. Same if Chuck said it. It's not what we're going to do. It's not how this team operates. Remember when Carina decided to stay with Alahi to get the diamond? We were awake all night outside his compound in case she needed us. We're not doing any less for you, for God's sake." He spoke calmly, but there was no missing the strong conviction behind his words.
"Guys..."
"Sarah, you were right. I do love you. More than anything in the world. But think about it for a minute or two and you'll realize that Casey and I are right too."
She was silent for quite a while chewing on what they had said.
From an operational point of view, they were clearly right. Back up is always the best policy. But she had her reasons for wanting to avoid that policy in this instance.
Chuck knew that she had killed people and had told her he was proud of her for it. But he didn't know everything that she had done in her life. He loved her and was a kind, forgiving man, but some of the things she had done...might be hard to forgive. She knew she would have to tell him eventually. Tell him about her past. Her childhood...her lack of a childhood...what she had done with her father, done over and over again. The people she had hurt and stolen from. Innocent people. The part of her life that was her deepest shame. It was the discussion she indicated to Bryce that she had already had, but hadn't. The one that scared the hell out of her.
What if he knew everything about her and saw her differently? What if that changed his feelings for her? She knew she would be totally destroyed if he no longer loved her, shattered beyond any hope of recovery. Their love for each other had remolded her completely. If that ever changed...No. She couldn't go there. She couldn't think about that. She wouldn't think about that.
To take them along tonight, where she wanted to go...they would ask questions, they would be curious. She wasn't ready to, but she'd have to explain...
Letting out a long breath, she said, "I have two conditions. Ironclad conditions. If you both don't promise I will not go out. I won't go without you, but I just won't go. We'll try to do things differently with Kirk...differently than what I had in mind."
"What are the conditions?" asked Chuck.
"What we do tonight, who we talk to, does not go into any report either of you write. And neither of you asks me a single question about it. Now or ever."
"Agreed," said Casey, immediately.
Chuck looked at her for an extra moment or two and said, nodding, "Sure. Ok."
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A/N2: Wouldn't that be a cool casino theme for a Vegas hotel/casino? I think it would be fun to have magicians wandering around the casino floor doing card tricks while the dealers were taking your money with the real cards. Just an idea. If someone here wants to take it and sell it in Vegas, that would be fine with me. Just arrange for me to drink free at the bars, please.