Jesse drops me and Johona at the motel and goes out again. We look at TV and play cards till he gets back. He’s been dipping again. Las Vegas is the best town for it. Everybody’s got money and everybody’s drunk. Jesse scored big and he’s brought Johona a green dress and me a plastic pirate sword. Johona puts the dress on. It matches your eyes, Jesse says. She gives him a kiss don’t even care I’m watching. I poke Abby with the sword till she hisses. The sun’s up when we go to bed. Jesse and Johona keep me awake with their whispering and giggling.

The circus man hanging upside down above us got a girl by the hands. He throws her to another man. All us watching go to clapping and whistling and the circus folks drop into a net and take a bow. A fella comes out with a pack of dogs. One in a top hat one in a dress. They commence to dancing on their hind legs jumping through hoops and pushing a pram.

I turn to tell Jesse we should get us a pup and catch him kissing Johona. She’s wearing the new dress. The Little Devil gives me a kick and says, I told you that bitch was trouble. When the dogs is done the fancy man says, Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls that’s our show for tonight. On behalf of Circus Circus and our performers I bid you good evening and wish you the best of luck.

I begged Jesse to bring me here and he said okay even though he’s still worried about the Fiends seeing us. They got games upstairs. The one where you knock over milk bottles the one where you pop balloons the one where you toss rope rings. They’re all gaffed but Jesse worked in a carnival so knows the tricks. Put some backspin on it, he says when I’m trying to throw baseballs into a peach basket but the balls still bounce out. Jesse steps up and—one two three—makes all his shots. He tells the lady to give me the rubber lizard I was playing for. Johona wants a stuffed bear. To get it, Jesse has to shoot a paper star with a machine gun. He does it his second try. Better’n Al Capone, I say.

We drive to Caesar’s Palace. Monsieur Beaumont is waiting for us in a bar wearing a white suit. He’s got six scars across his forehead. I asked him once did a lion get him over in Africa. He said the scars was a sign to show people what tribe he was in. I asked him did his tribe live in teepees and he said they got houses.