How this man finds the most inappropriate times to interrupt never ceases to amaze me.
“Yes, Arthur, everything is fine. But I am in the middle of something,” I say through gritted teeth as I watch Alexis now performing knee raises on the Power Tower.
Her gaze travels to my window and she struggles a smile as she strains to lift her legs.
I smile back.
“I’m sorry, but this can’t wait. There has been an incident downstairs on the casino floor.”
Eyes still trained on Alexis, I watch as she blows me a kiss. Fuck!
I drop my head back and close my eyes in heated frustration. “What kind of incident?”
“Armed hold up at one of the cashier booths, Sir.”
Breathing in deeply, I turn around and take a seat at my desk. “Which one?” I ask, as I access the casino’s security feed through my laptop.
“Booth six. Dale has the assailant in the holding cell, and the police on their way.”
I find the security files for Cashier Booth Six. “How long ago did this happen?”
“Approximately five to seven minutes.”
I click on the file date-stamped eight minutes ago and begin to watch the feed. Not before long, I notice an agitated Caucasian male pointing a hand pistol at Selena; one of my long-term employees. Selena is a 54 year-old mother of three and has been working for me for over twelve years.
“Shit! Is Selena okay?” I ask, running my hands through my hair.
“She’s a little shaken, but she’s fine.”
“How the hell did this creep go unnoticed?” I question, furious that our state of the art facial recognition software and highly trained security officers were unable to prevent this attack.
“I don’t have all the details yet, but obviously we will have to review the entire event. Dale is waiting for you in the cell, but if you are busy—“
“No, I’ll be there. Just give me minute.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
I hang up from Arthur and drop my head in my hands.
“Is everything alright?” Alexis asks as she makes her way toward my desk with Brayden against her chest.
The sight of both them rips my aggravation away like tearing off a Band-Aid.
“Yes, everything is fine. But I have to head downstairs for a moment. There was an armed hold-up on the casino floor.”
“Shit! Is everyone okay? God! Nobody got hurt, did they?”
Putting my arms out, I indicate I want to cuddle my son, and Alexis obligingly hands Brayden over to me. The mixture of his pure baby-smell and the soft scent of Alexis’ perfume, has me feeling at peace once again.
I sigh a little and answer to put her at ease. “Selena, the cashier who bore the brunt of his threat is apparently a little shaken. I want to go and see if she is alright and gather a few more details as to how this happened.”
“Of course, I’ll cancel my afternoon with—“
“No, don’t do that. You deserve an afternoon of pampering with your friends. It’s long overdue.”
“It’s okay. It’s only hair, massage, and some waxing. It really isn’t that important.”
“Hunny,” I say, as I touch the side of her face. “You’re going. I promise this won’t take long. And anyway, I’m looking forward to a bit of just-me-and-the-kids-time.”
The buzzer to the door sounds, interrupting us.
A huge smile covers her face. “You are, are you?”
Instantly, I sense her smile and tone of voice holds hidden meaning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She takes Brayden from me and, like always, the feeling of loss is unpleasant.
“Nothing,” she replies, clearly full of shit.
I would’ve interrogated her further, but she opens the door to my office and is nearly thrown back by a massive bunch of baby-blue and white balloons.
Lil—the bearer of those balloons—awkwardly stumbles through the door. “Hello, congratulations! Let me see, let me see,” she squawks while letting go of the helium filled bunch she is holding.
The balloons hit the roof and bob around.
Following Lil through the door is Carly, Jade, and Steph, who is holding a big green dinosaur and a bunch of flowers. They all gather around Alexis and Brayden and coo at my little man like he is the most adorable sight to be seen. Well...I can’t really blame them...he is.
Smiling, I shake my head and get ready to head out the door.
“Where’s Tash?” Alexis asks, disappointment appearing across her face. “Don’t tell me she can’t make it.”
The girls all laugh, except for Lil who just rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. “She refused to ride in the elevator with the balloons,” Lil deadpans.
Alexis looks to the roof and cracks up laughing. “Oh yeah...I forgot she has a phobia of balloons. Funniest thing ever.”
Phobias are far from the ‘funniest things ever’, I should know. But balloons? Yeah, that is pretty amusing.
Just as I’m about to kiss Alexis and Brayden goodbye, Tash enters the room and gives the spot where the balloons have rested against the roof a very wide birth while eyeing them suspiciously. “Keep those fuckers away from me. I swear, Lil, if you pull the shit you just pulled downstairs with those evil things again, I will cut you. I’m not kidding.”
“That’s my cue to leave,” I announce. “I’ll be back soon.”
I kiss Alexis and Brayden goodbye and then head out of the room. As I’m walking to the elevator, I hear Alexis ask what shit Lil pulled.
“She locked Tash in the car with them,” Steph explains. “It was hilarious.”
“Yeah, ha ha...very funny,” Tash responds. “I’m scarred for freakin’ life.”
I smile and shake my head, but soon frown at the thought of being locked in the car with a clown. That shit is just not funny.
After spending a little time with Selena and praising her for staying calm and following protocol, I reaffirm that she was at all times safe by reminding her that all cashier booths are bullet proof. But regardless of her now settled nerves, I choose to send Selena home on extended leave and organise some counselling for her. Despite the fact it is company policy, I want her to be well looked after.
I’m then briefed by Dale—my head of security—that the assailant is a desperate drug user and not the sharpest tool in the shed. I make it very clear that I want a full rundown of exactly how a shady character—looking the way the dickheads looks—got into the casino in the first place and then leave Dale to handle the aftermath with the police.
Opening the door to my apartment, I find Alexis breastfeeding Brayden while sitting around the lounge with her friends.
“I swear, I shot milk a good metre away,” Steph says proudly.
“Yeah, well I could write Jade on the shower screen,” Jade explains as she grabs at her breasts and mimics the lettering of J.a.d.e.
What. The. Fuck?
“Yuck! You two are disgusting. I’m not having kids for that reason alone. No one should be able to write their name with liquid from their boobs,” Carly interjects.
I tend to agree with her.
“Oh grow up,” Lil grumbles. “When you have that much milk in your ducts, you can’t help it. It just squirts out.”
Feeling the need to end this conversation before I hear something I will never be able to wipe from my memory bank, I make it known that I am standing in the room. “Ladies, sorry I took so long.”
I head over to Alexis, kiss her forehead, then cup Brayden’s head in my hand and rub his earlobe with my thumb. Hearing what sounds like a loving sigh, I look up to find Steph staring at me all dreamy, like a bloody schoolgirl. I give her an awkward smile just as Jade elbows her in the ribs.