Fast and Loose Read Online Free

so I’ll drive. I’ve got some colleagues who live near and around Vegas. Good chance for me to hook up and compare notes. It’s a whole new security cyber circus out there these days.”
    â€œDo you mean your hacking buddies?” Dennis asked.
    â€œYeahhh,” Abner drawled.
    â€œIf you get caught, you could endanger the mission,” Dennis said fretfully.
    Abner’s jaw dropped. He looked at Jack. “Tell me he didn’t say what I just heard him say.”
    Jack laughed and stared down Dennis. “Yeah, he said it,” Jack drawled, “but he didn’t mean it. Did you, kid?”
    â€œGuess not,” Dennis mumbled.
    Jack turned to Harry. “Can you get away, Harry? With Yoko gone, who is going to look after Lily?”
    â€œThe nuns at Saint Teresa’s. That’s where Lily goes to school these days. She stays there during the week and comes home Friday night. The nuns will look after her, and she will love it. If I have to, I can take the red-eye on the weekends. I don’t see a problem. We’re at our spring hiatus at the dojo, which means we’re just doing maintenance and refresher work. Quon and Chin can handle things. I’m in.”
    All eyes turned to Jack Sparrow, the current director of the FBI. “Count me in. I owe Bert big-time. I have a bundle of vacation time due me. I just have to put it through, and that will take at least three days.
    â€œOkay! That means all nine of us are headed for Vegas, as per Bert’s request,” Jack said.
    A loud bark from under the table caused Jack to correct his mistake. “All ten of us are going to Vegas, per Bert’s request.” Cyrus barked his thanks for the correction.
    â€œLet’s talk and firm it up before we make the call to Bert. We need a plan. Charles, it’s what you do best, so let’s hear your thoughts,” Jack said.
    Charles toyed with his pen, pushing the point in, then out. The clicking sound irritated Fergus, who grabbed the pen and stuck it in his pocket.
    â€œI can’t hatch a plan with so little information. I need to know more,” Charles said. “Assuming this concerns the millions of dollars that wash through each and every casino every day, we still need to know what specific thing triggered whatever it was that put Bert on this path. Is it a sudden happening, or is it something that has been going on that he just became aware of? How privy are we going to be to the accounting firm? Or are we depending on Abner to get us that information, or is Bert going to provide it? Maggie’s suggestion that the four of them go as a team carries weight. I think it’s plausible, as well as credible. What happens in Vegas doesn’t have to stay in Vegas, not when there are five-star investigative reporters milling about.”
    â€œAnyone else have any questions or comments?” Jack asked.
    Harry raised his hand. Startled, Jack just stared at him. Harry never asked questions. “What?” Jack asked.
    â€œIf you recall, Jack, my pictures were plastered all over Vegas when we were on that Chinese caper with Wing Ping. I’ve attended martial arts trials and participated in the ones held in Vegas. Customers won’t recognize me, but the heavies will, and the security will for sure. Right now, I’m the number one in the whole country. That carries some publicity. How do you want to play that? Dude me up with a disguise? You know how I hate that crap. Let me go in as a shill? I’m all for going. I just don’t want to compromise the mission by being so exposed.”
    â€œHarry’s right,” Dennis said boldly.
    â€œYou’re right, kid. Charles will figure something out. He always does. We are not going anywhere until we have a foolproof plan of action,” Jack said.
    â€œShould we perhaps give some thought to alerting Lizzie Fox and Cosmo Cricket?” Maggie asked. “They’re Nevada