CHAPTER 18

    Sam looked down at what she was wearing. She thought about it for a second and then decided that “wearing” was not exactly the right term. At best she was covered and that, she decided, was the best way to describe it. She had on a towel and nothing else. She kept hugging at it to make sure it would not fall, “you know this isn’t fair. Why don’t the guys have to do this?”

Dana was a little more comfortable in her towel, but seemed only slightly so. She seemed to take it as more like just another part of the job. Sam thought that strange seeing as how she had to do some pretty weird things for her job at the SGC. Never would it have occurred to Sam that someone else might have that exact same problem and, if anything, when you tossed in Dana Skully's little Mulder Problem, well, Sam was just starting to feel a bit more lucky.

 “I don’t think Rueben likes looking at guys in towels,” Skully said as she looked around the steam room that she was standing in. She then finally let out the deep breath she had been holding back, “and Rueben wouldn’t meet us any other way. Not a couple of government types anyway. The towel makes sure you don’t have a wire and, if one does get in, umm, in some other way, then the steam would neutralize it in no time.”

Trying to look on the bright side, Sam rationalized it as technical and shook her head, “I guess that makes sense.”

The door to the next steam room slid open. The man on the other side did have his clothes on. He looked kind of like a hair dresser. That would be the term Sam would have used to describe him at any rate. He looked over both women with a critical eye and then tossed back his head, “humph.”  

Then with a delightful smile he waived them in, “the boss will see you now.”

As Sam scooted around the guy he eyed her hair with that same kind of condescending look he first gave them, “humph.”

Rueben looked older than he probably actually was. Sam suspected that this was due to all of his attempts to remain looking young with cheap cosmetics. He had curly gray hair, big thick glasses that would have looked right at home sitting on Liberace, and a huge gold medallion was hanging around his neck. He too was in a towel. He was also stretched out on a table, flat on his stomach, propped up on his elbows, and sucking on a drink. It was the kind that always came with the little Japanese umbrella’s.

“Agent Skully,” he was quite pleasant, even seemed genuine, when he said, “long time no see.” After thinking about it he added, “of course that’s a good thing I think. Please both of you pull up a table. Dominique is very good.”

There was an empty table on each side of Reuben. Sam stood by the one intended for her, and hesitated. She looked to Dana for clues about what to do. The FBI agent motioned to the table with her eyes and then laid down on her own.

Reuben laughed at seeing the hesitation in Sam. He reached out and patted the table, “it won’t bite my dear.” He then looked to his right, and Dana, “so who’s your blond headed friend and does she have a sister?”

Sam almost squealed when she felt a particularly strong set of hands dig into her back. She took a glance and found that it was Dominique, the guy who let them in. Sam had to wonder where he got that grip of his. She had never dreamed that anyone could bare down so hard with a limp wrist.

“We’re on business Reuben,” Dana said in a matter of fact way.

“Too bad,” he really did sound sorry. 

Then Reuben considered something seriously before asking Dana, “I didn’t know you were still on the Mob Squad? I thought they put you into data entry? Somebody told me you were working on the text files.”

“Um,” Dana gritted her teeth and hesitated. Finally she decided, “close enough.” Saying that she was working on X anything, to Reuben anyway, was likely to get the conversation drifting in other directions that Dana did not wish to go. Instead she tossed out a name, “Terry Benedict.”

 He laughed, “and what makes you think I can help you there? I may owe you one Skully, but that is way above and beyond the call of duty.” Reuben developed a devilish grin, “you going to bust him?”

“Not exactly,” Skully thought that one over for a second. Were they? If that kid was really up there then they had a good solid case. That was of course until Benedict’s lawyers got involved. It had run across Dana’s mind to just go get a warrant and then beat down the doors of that casino. The only problem with that was in that getting a Federal Judge to sign one would give Benedict both a warning, and time, to dispose of the goods. In this case they were talking about a human being and getting her back alive was a priority. If Dana had been prepared to go the conventional route, she would not be laying here in a towel.  “Well maybe, but first… “

That caused Reuben to sit his drink aside, “but first what?”

Reuben glanced over at Sam who was rolling her head as Dominique squished and fondled her back muscles, “you know this doesn’t sound exactly kosher. Course then you aren’t Jewish.” Reuben scratched at his chin, “let me see. You come in here with an Air Force officer..”

Sam’s head shot up, “how did you know that?”

That caused the man to laugh, “think I just let anybody in here? I think I’m curious more than anything else. That’s why you’re here Major Carter.” He looked back at Dana, “so what gives Skully? What possible interest does the Air Force have in a guy like Benedict? Is he selling secrets to the Chink’s or somebody like that?”

 Dana just dove right in, “Reuben, somebody told me that Benedict got robbed last year.” He hesitated. She could see it in that moment that he took to become pleasant again that, just possibly, the rumors were true. Those rumors revolved around Reuben being involved which, Dana found, to be somewhat unbelievable. What she did find credible was that while Reuben might not have been directly involved he knew about it more than just indirectly. It was quite possible that he knew more than what could be expected from a man that was wired directly into the power circles of Vegas.

The only thing that he could muster was, “couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”

“Reuben,” said Skully, “we need to get in there and back out again.”

He laughed, “and you somehow think I can help you? Look cutie pie, not that it is any of my business that you want to get a side venture going, but Benedict is a bad place to start. This guy, if you cross him, will kill you and then everybody you know to boot. He will not care one little bit that you are a faithful servant of Uncle Sugar. Guy‘s like Benedict are above the law. Hell, they‘re a law all unto themselves.”

Sam pushed herself up on her elbows. She quickly made sure the towel stayed where it was supposed too. She was not used to all of this subtle garbage and as far as she was concerned she did not have time, “look. A friend of mine, a very young friend of mine, has been kidnapped by that guy. I don’t care who he thinks he is. I don’t know what kind of people you are used to dealing with but where I come from we don’t leave people behind.”

“Ah,” Reuben’s eyes opened wide. He nodded, then snapped his fingers. After conversing with his servant, Dominique, in a language that Sam could only guess at, Reuben then noted, “well Benedict certainly isn’t above such things. The only question is why would he bother with a nineteen year old girl?”

Sam was accusing, “you already know?”

He laughed.

Dana was not surprised in the least. She had long since learned to take Reuben with a grain of salt, “so you can help us?”

 Reuben reached out and touched her on the arm, “since it’s you Skully. After all I owe you a big marker from that thing with the guy in the place. Maybe, I can help. Course I think you’re both out of your goddamn minds.”

Sam’s temper was still up, “maybe?”

 Dana rolled off the table and discreetly shook her head towards Sam. She smiled at Reuben as they headed for the door. Before they opened it he was sitting up. Even the thick mat of hair on his chest was gray. His belly was over lapping his towel. His thick gold medalion was covered in sweat. He then asked, “so why is the Air Force so interested in a nineteen year old kid anyhow? First Benedict and now you? I don‘t get it.”

Sam had to remind herself of where she was, who she was talking to, and more importantly what she was wearing. The urge to get out of here as quickly as possible was now the overriding factor, “well I could tell you. Course it’s classified. Then I’d have to kill you.”

He winked, “I like spirit. Are you sure you don’t have a sister? Foursomes can be so much fun. Course we could always put a wig on Dominique.”

Once outside Sam was breathing easier. She had her clothes on and felt a lot more comfortable, and in control. As they walked for the car Sam had to ask, “do you have to do things like that often?”

“Around Mulder,” Dana replied, “it gets worse.”

Before the conversation could get any further they arrived at the car. Janet was not inside of it but, instead, was standing next to it with a strange look on her face. Sam quickly became concerned, “Janet? What happened?”

“Uh,” Janet had no idea what to say. She held up a small blue disk, “I thought I was dead. These guys came up to the car and when I thought one was about to pull out a gun and shoot me, he gave me this instead. You mind telling me what this is all about?”

Dana grabbed the disk and with a huge grin on her face and she proclaimed, “we scored.”

As they piled back into car, Sam could only shrug and with a bit of hesitation in her voice as she mumbled, “way to go Reuben.”