Free Wild Cards 13 : Card Sharks by George R.R. Martin

Before six o'clock, I started walking toward the Bowery on the route Flo had taken before, hoping to run into her on the way. I didn't see her. Starting to worry, I paced up and down the sidewalk, peering closely at every cab. Six o'clock passed. I paced more frantically.
    When I saw Jube the Walrus down the block on his regular run, I ran after him. "Hey, Jube! Jube!"
    "Evenin', Chop-Chop. Have you heard the one about -"
    "Look, Jube, I'm in a hurry. That girl I was with yesterday - have you seen her?"
    "No, Chop-Chop, I'm afraid not. You're expecting her, eh?"
    "Yeah! And it's important - she wouldn't miss this!"
    "No? Well, this isn't her part of town. I was surprised to see you with her. I never thought she'd come to Jokertown."
    "You mean you know her?"
    "Not personally, of course. From her picture in the paper."
    "In the paper? Look - do you know who she is?" 
    "Whoa! Don't you?"
    "Well - no. I just met her."
    "Chop-Chop, she's Fleur van Renssaeler. Her daddy is Henry van Renssaeler, the Congressman."
    "He is ? Uh - do you know where they live?"
    Jube didn't know, but he was able to find out. I suppose it might have been in the society pages of an old paper or something. He told me to meet him back there on the corner in fifteen minutes, which I did. Henry van Renssaeler lived with his daughter and her two older brothers, Brandon and Henry, Jr., in a penthouse apartment. I never did find out why Jube bothered to help me. Looking back, I suppose he resented her father's attitude toward the wild card.
    I wasn't going to go after Flo - Fleur - alone, though. First I hurried over to Biff's. Cheetah and Troll were hanging around there at that hour as usual. Tonight the place was full of other jokers, though, all talking about the fire. After last night, Cheetah and Troll were up for more adventure. Even back in those days, Troll had a sense of what you might call joker identity. When I got them aside, I told them I had to visit the home of a well-to-do nat girl and was real scared. They agreed to come along. So we headed uptown on the subway.
    The apartment building was in just the kind of fancy area of New York you might have expected. In those days, you know, even rich people didn't have the kind of security you see nowadays. They didn't need it then.
    We just walked inside and went over to the elevator. This young guy in a gray uniform was sitting there on a stool, reading a comic book. His eyes got real wide when he saw us, but he just took us up without a word.
    I was nervous when I knocked on the penthouse door. The little peephole darkened as someone looked out. Then I heard a muffled gasp and footsteps and voices inside.
    Finally the door was yanked open. This stiff, arrogant man in a suit and tie was glaring down at me. He had to be Fleur's father, Henry van Renssaeler.
    "Is Fleur here?" I sounded like a kid who wanted her to play.
    "Get out of here!" He jerked his head toward the elevator door. "You filthy...." When he looked up and saw Troll behind me, his mouth just dropped open.
    Behind him in the foyer, I could see a uniformed black maid and a couple of other servants staring at us. Then Henry swung the door to slam it in my face. Before it shut, though, Troll reached over my head and gripped the doorframe with one giant, warty hand. The door banged off his hand and bounced open again.
    I felt another very large hand shove me forward, inside the apartment. Cheetah, laughing loudly, danced past me to a small table and ripped a telephone cord out of the wall. The servants huddled in a corner, where Cheetah held them by showing his teeth, waving his arms, and making his favorite chimp noises. 
    I turned. Troll ducked inside the doorway, slammed the door shut, and leaned down toward Henry, trapping him against the wall with a green arm as thick as my waist. Henry was sweating heavily, speechless.
    "Where's Fleur?" I demanded.
    Her father glanced down at me, but he didn't speak. I couldn't tell if he was being