Chapter 6

After the little cocksucker had left, Willow said, “Consuela needs some new pussy.”

Claire smiled, “Needs or wants?”

“Probably both.”

“Who do you recommend?”

“I’d like to start rotating some of the waitresses — Mel’s and Claire’s — over to the Pink Pussy. Promote a few housekeepers to the restaurants.”

“Expect any resistance? From the waitstaff?”

Willow shrugged, “Maybe a couple.”

“Don’t force them.”

“I know.”

Willow’s cell pinged. She said, “Maria. She says Lube can start at Pink Pussy whenever I want.”

Claire laughed, “What did you do to them last night?”

“Nothing special.”

“Check the files.”

Willow opened the video feed for the Morales home. She scrolled back in time until she found them in conversation late last night when they got home from Luke’s.

They spoke in Spanish.

Maria handed Lupe one of the five hundred-dollar bills that Willow had given her. Lupe nodded her thanks.

“Mama, I may as well be selling it.”

Maria looked at her for a long moment, “You sure, bebita?”

“Pretty sure.”

After a long pause, she said, “Okay, go see Consuela in the morning. She may start you as a waitress.”

“I hope not, been there, done that. I’d rather be up there on the stage.”

Marie smiled ruefully, “You like all those hombres looking at you, don’t you?”

“Like you don’t.”

Marie shrugged, Like mother, like daughter.

“And none of them gonna be as big as Señor Luke.”

“No, but you gonna see all kinda shapes and sizes.”

Marie didn’t bother to tell her daughter to do whatever she was told. Lupe knew it; every girl in Four Corners knew it.

Willow smiled at her mother, “See, no coercion from me.”

“Hmm.”

Just then Claire’s cell chimed. “Uh oh.”

Willow and Luke exchanged a glance. Claire mouthed, “Teeny.”

Tiago ‘Teeny’ Delgado, ‘the man’ in Des Moines.

Claire listened, frowned, started to say something, then just muttered, “All right, Teeny, I’ll see you at 2.” She clicked off, “Fuck.”

Willow spoke sympathetically, “Pussy?”

“Ostensibly. He says he’s got some prime preteen puta he wants to rotate in.”

Luke said, “Leverage.”

Claire, “Yeah, he knows I won’t allow it, not even if I kept the girls in the trailers. So he’ll try to renegotiate more tribute for the circuit girls. Probably.”

“What will you do?”

“Stall. I’d love to drop the circuit girls altogether. How big a hit did Hymie say we’d take?”

“Between 30 and 35%, but that’s just a seat-of-the-pants guesstimate on his part.”

“Okay. Okay. Willow, tell Consuela to ramp up the rotation. Start using waitresses, maids, hell, even shopgirls and temps, at Pussy. Maybe an economic hit is better than being under Teeny’s thumb.”

Willow grinned in anticipation, “What about the girls who balk?”

“Fuck ‘em. Replace ‘em. Iowa is full of pussy.”

Luke, “What about some of the lot lizards?”

Claire, “What are you thinking?”

“Some of the young stuff isn’t that skanky. Willow could talk money to some of the mothers who drop them off here.”

Willow nodded, “Done.”

Claire, “Luke, go see Martin. Explain the shifting landscape.”

Martin Schroeder, former army buddy who had served in Afghanistan with Luke. Head of the Four Corners 22-man Security Department.

Luke, “Yeah, now’s the time to ramp up. Martin will make sure the new hires are all vets.”

Claire, “I still don’t want them packing. Not at this point, anyway.”

Willow looked at her mother, “Luke and I will do Carefree for you this afternoon. You can make an entrance tonight or tomorrow morning.”

“Probably tomorrow. I hope everyone is fucking by tonight.”

Willow and Luke, just as Claire would have done, went to Carefree Village early, before the first guests arrived. They double-checked the apartments, the party room, the grounds. Oversaw the catering team from Mel’s Diner. Went into the party room and undressed.

There was no need to speak to it, but each knew what a knockout package they presented. Tall and tan, good-looking and sexy. Bodies that made you think of sex.

Willow would decide which of the women she’d hookup with, if any. If the party got off to a rollicking start, maybe she and Luke wouldn’t be needed to participate.