Another strange thing was that Nicky never wanted anything in return. It was almost as if he were trying to buy Shane's friendship, not his gratitude. And slowly, over the years, Nicky had managed to do it. Shane had really come to like the little grifter in that strange way that cops can like criminals but still not respect them.

The door opened and Nicky walked out smiling. "Man, you look great. You got a trainer?"

"Yeah, the P. T. instructor at the Academy."

Nicky nodded and shifted his weight. "Don't tell that to any of those silks out there," he said, pointing toward the room full of celebrities. "In this crowd, you gotta have a personal trainer and he's gotta have a shtick like the Tae Bo guy. Trainers around here interview the celebs, not the other way around."

There was a pause while both of them pondered the same question: What the hell are you doing here?

"Okay, you first," Shane finally said.

"I'm in showbiz now." Nicky smiled. "I guess I always was in the business of show. Hey, what's a street-corner hustle if it's not a good performance? I'm not selling bets on the nags anymore either… My bets are all at the box office-on movies, which we bullshitters in the cinematic arts always refer to as 'film.' "

"You're in the movie business?" Shane said, finding that hard to believe.

"Yep, producer. Got my own company, Cine-Roma Productions. We're in preproduction on a film right now. I've also got a big development deal with Farrell over at Paramount, on a novel I bought called Savages in the Midst."

"The sequel to Gorillas in the Mist?"

"Midst… Midst, with a d, Shane. Like in our midst… like that. It's about the meat-eaters in showbiz, and a girl from Illinois who's looking to be a star, and about savages in suits who ravage her body and, eventually, her soul. We could cast the fucking thing off this party's guest list. Farrell is talking Gwyneth, but I'm not so sure. I'm thinking more like J-Lo. Do it a little harder edged. Make the statement seem integral… amp up the verisimilitude."