Chapter 2

It took an hour for my heart to calm after storming from the dressing room. That woman had always gotten under my skin in ways no one else ever had. Normally, I could brush it off, turn a blind eye or tell myself it was someone else's problem.

But not with this.

Mr. Leonetti's new mandate was the ammunition I needed to put a lock on the girls' reckless behavior. While they were sure to see it as a cramp in their lifestyle and a loss to their pocketbooks, I saw it as the means to assert the control I'd been dying for from the minute I took over operations at The Starlight Club.

"This isn't what we ordered." I shoved the clipboard and pen into the hands of the delivery guy, then kicked the box at my feet before turning to walk away. "Send it back. All of it."

"But ninety percent of the order is accurate," Johnny, our bartender, complained. "Can't we keep what's right and?—"

I spun, brandishing the scowl that was becoming a permanent fixture on my face. "And what? Let them get away with this bullshit again? We've got twenty cases of the wrong beer and a distributor that seems to believe they can pull one over on us by giving us their shit product when we ordered their top-of-the-line goods. We already took a bad order last month, remember?"

Johnny had the decency to look ashamed of himself for that mistake.

"So send the entire thing back and get the correct order here by noon tomorrow. Or else."

"Or else, what?" The delivery guy had his clipboard tucked under one arm and his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his cargo shorts, an unaffected air about him. That air shifted as I stalked closer, until he was brandishing his clipboard like a shield.

Pressing my finger into the cheap pressboard backing, I pushed it into his chest. I jabbed it in punctuation of every other word I said. "Or else I'll find a new distributor and a new delivery guy, and I'll make sure your bosses understand it was your shoddy workmanship that lost them our business. Do you understand?"

He nodded frantically, dodging my gaze like it alone could ruin his life. I spun on my heel, yelling over my shoulder as I went. "Get it fixed, Johnny, or I'll find a new bartender too."

Back on the casino floor, I scanned the room for any disturbances. There was a cheering crowd around one of the roulette tables and a quiet one around a small group playing blackjack. I made a mental note to check both of them out.

We had a few high rollers who required my attention tonight. Mr. Leonetti had called with very specific instructions that they be treated with our finest. I cringed when he said it, and I cringed again as I dragged my gaze to their private table across the room.

Our finest was a direct contradiction to the directive I'd just laid down in the girls' dressing room.

Evie and Ruby were already there. Ruby had her fingers sliding through Franco Tedesco's shaggy black hair while Evie was perched upon Carmelo Santoro's knee. My blood boiled when I saw Santoro's possessive grip on her hip, the way his fingers splayed across her bronze skin.

No matter how bad it was, I tried to ignore the relief I felt at Carina's absence…

Only for my chest to shrink as I registered her absence.

My attention was drawn to the staff-only door that led to the hallway and the dressing room beyond. Carina wasn't one to miss the high rollers. They were the money. The more they lost, the higher the pay of whomever worked their table, be it dealer, waiter, or one of the girls. Depending on their night, the girls stood a chance to earn thousands.

More, if they went against my orders.

With my jaw clenched, I crossed the plush, blood-red carpet on a winding path. The other tables needed my attention, despite having high rollers in the club. Sometimes, they needed it more. Specifically, the crowded blackjack table where some clearly disgruntled patrons were hunched over their cards while a lone, cocky-as-fuck player sat gloating.

I caught Lucy's attention as I passed, motioning with the jut of my chin for her to help me. The girls had been trained for this, and she caught on with nothing more than direct eye contact and that subtle movement. She was sidling up to the players at the table in minutes.

There was one problem taken care of.

Instead of meeting her, I stopped at the head of the roulette table, scanning the bets and players. Sienna was there in the middle of the throng, hand on one of the patron's biceps as she leaned in close to whisper near his ear. It was the flick of her eyes my way, that split second of eye contact before she tilted her head back in a laugh, that told me what I needed to know.

She suspected the man of cheating.

I lifted my gaze to the ceiling, to the camera hidden in the intricate wooden paneling. My lips curled into a scowl. Our new security system was courtesy of Carina's ex.

A disembodied voice spoke in my ear, through the tiny earpiece created specifically for The Starlight Club by Mr. Leonetti's son—Carina's other ex. "On it."

Grateful as I was for the high-end tech, the last thing I needed was that reminder. I shot a glance toward the still-closed staff door, conscious of the fact Carina still hadn't come out. As much as I wanted to find out why, I had bigger fish to fry.

I grasped the dealer"s shoulder before leaving without a word. The two high rollers needed my attention, and there was nothing I could do about the potential cheater.

Yet.

Stopping by Tedesco's side, I leaned both hands on the table and smiled. "Franco. Carmelo. So good to see you again." Much to my pleasure—and their chagrin—Evie and Ruby were pushed aside as the two men reached to shake my hand.

"How's winnings tonight?" I asked when they returned to their chairs.

"Well." Mr. Tedesco gestured to the small pile of chips in front of him. "As you can see, I've had better days."

"Just last month," Santoro replied before nudging Tedesco with the back of his hand. "They about kicked you out for how well you did, remember?"

"I remember," Todesco said, turning a wry smile to his friend. "I remember having to front you twenty grand so you could make it home to the missus without losing your head."

"Bah. Mr. Leonetti would never harm a hair on the head of any of his beloved customers. Isn't that right, Kingston?"

"Very right, sir." A cold smile swept across my face as I leaned closer and lowered my voice. "That's what I'm here for."

Their laughter was raucous, drawing attention our way. It was fine by me. It kept half the room from seeing the security guards ushering the roulette cheater and two of his buddies away.

I stood a little straighter, then extended my hand to Tedesco again. "I'll let you get back to your game. If you need anything at all, Ruby and Evie know how to find me."

After shaking their hands—and giving stern looks to the girls—I sped through the casino as fast as I could without drawing unwanted attention. Our head bouncer, Cole, was waiting for me near the back doors.

"How bad is it?" I asked before coming to a stop in front of him.

"Coulda been worse," he told me in a slow drawl. "They tried the mix-up a few times, made a couple grand each, but Sienna caught on quick enough. Guys upstairs didn't catch the sleight of hand until you brought it to their attention. They're good. Makes me wonder how many other times they've been here."

My lips curled. "It'll be their last time, that's for sure."

Cole's smile was the kind that gave good people nightmares. Luckily for me, I wasn't good.

"You got the bat?"

"Tony's holding onto it for you." He gestured toward the alley door, and I led him outside.

The three assholes were on their knees with her hands tied behind their backs—one of them was already in tears.

I grabbed the bat from Tony and stepped in front of the man Sienna had pegged. "Since you felt the need to come into our club and take what wasn't yours, I'll be taking a little something from you in return."

The man flinched as I hit the bat against my open palm. His crying buddy blubbered, his words nearly incoherent. "You can't!"

"Can't?" I stepped to the side, and then used the end of the bat to lift his chin. "I can, and I will."

"It's illegal! You can't hurt us!"

Laughter shook my shoulders. "It's illegal." I glanced at Cole. "The guy comes to an underground casino, steals from us, and then complains that it's illegal to hurt him."

"Pretty sure there ain't no cops gonna come around here and risk upsetting the apple cart. Not with the kind of money they stand to lose."

I looked back at the man, my teeth bared in a tight smile. "If you're done with your sniveling, I've got work to do. Load ‘em up, boys."

One of the bouncers pulled open the back doors of an unmarked white van, and the crying asshole burst into tears. As they grabbed him by the arms and threw him in the back of the van, the head cheater found his voice.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you for this." He was more calm than he had a right to be, especially as they pulled him off his knees. "You won't get away with this."

With the bat resting on my shoulder, I tilted my head. "Good luck trying. It'll be hard to kill me from the bottom of Lake Michigan."

Before he had a chance to react to my words, I swung the bat, taking out his left knee. I tossed the bat to Cole, then turned back to the door. "Make them suffer."

"My pleasure."

My heart was racing, my blood pumping faster than it had on my morning run. I entered the casino through the bar, grabbing a bottle of water as I went. Casting my eyes around the room, I did a quick inventory.

The high rollers, with Evie and Ruby.

Lucy over at the blackjack table.

Sienna had found a new mark at a different roulette table.

Nevaeh was behaving herself for once at a poker table in the corner.

That only left…

Carina wasn't at any of the tables, wasn't walking around the room like she fucking owned it the way she usually did. My heart thudded then froze as I caught sight of her gorgeous curves and her bright red shoes right before she disappeared through the front door.

I raced that way, not caring what anyone thought. I had to stop her, had to keep her from walking away. I had to know what the fuck was going on with her.

But I didn't get a chance. By the time I cleared the front door, the only thing I saw was her short black bob as the car she was seated in drove away.