Chapter 19
One week later… A new deal with the devil
La’Nova moved through Lennox’s casino like she’d never left it.
Her purple wedge heels nearly glided against the marble floors that stayed polished no matter how much blood, tears, and pain soaked beneath them.
The air smelled like expensive cigars, liquor, perfume tangled with dominating cologne.
Dice clacked, cards shuffled, the hunger in different men’s eyes as they laughed too loud couldn’t be missed.
She understood that she was no longer amongst common people. Everyone except the innocent young women strapped behind the walls were vultures. This place had some of the most prestigious, sick men, that lacked a conscience for all of their wrongdoings.
Vegas breathed different underground. There were no windows, not many exits to escape. Two ways in, three ways out. If there were any hidden exits, she still to this day hadn’t learned about them.
Two of Lennox’s men flanked her sides as they led her past velvet ropes and private tables, down a narrow corridor hidden behind a mirrored wall that served as an illusion. The deeper they went, the quieter it got, until the noise of the casino faded into a low hum.
La’Nova swallowed down her disdain, and the fear that she wouldn’t deny.
This was her final chance to end Lennox then move far away to finally live her life in peace and in freedom.
The Bonetti family had stained and tainted her life since she was a little girl.
The only good that came from them was Luca.
For the past week, she chained smoke until her throat felt raw.
She cried her eyes out until soft whimpers escaped her lips.
There was no denying the feelings that Luca made her feel.
Their talks, and the way that he touched and looked at her alone set him apart from every man she ever encountered, including her father.
La’Nova cursed herself over and over. She wished she got out of dodge over a month ago when she first laid eyes on Luca in Lucille’s office.
Now she felt heartbroken and incomplete after having gone a week away from his estate; it felt too much for her to bear.
She could still feel his masculine presence, his deep dark eyes.
Her fingertips tingled, remembering the ruggedness of the deep scar in the center of his neck.
The universe played a wicked joke on her. There was no way she could be with Luca. La’Nova tried to flip and turn several scenarios of their future together. Each time, she pushed it far out of her mind. She was the cause of his number one pain, the murder of Dontrell Bonetti.
How could she tell the man that she was falling so hard for that she didn’t regret looking his father in the eyes and killing him?
Murdering Dontrell didn’t make the pain of losing her parent’s go away.
His death served as justice. A justice that she would have never received if she did the right thing by going to the police.
The day Lennox mini axe split her forehead wide open; she understood something cold and irreversible at a young age. Goodness would not save her. Mercy wouldn’t be there to protect her, and whatever prayers she tried her hand at would not bring her justice.
She was fooled once by Lucille acting as a savior.
Although she was forever grateful for Lucille taking her away from here.
It placed her right in the arms of another monster that needed her in order to take what didn’t belong to him.
Kentrell Bonetti didn’t waste any time sinking his claws into La’Nova.
Lennox told his son everything he needed to know about La’Nova and how her parents were murdered.
All Kentrell had to do was put it in her ear.
Kentrell even went so far as to making La’Nova believe that he hated his entire family.
He was so convincing that she believed every word he said in the beginning.
La’Nova pledged her alliance to Kentrell once he set up the play then handed her the gun.
She wasn’t aware at the time of how deeper her deal with the devil had gone.
La’Nova was sure that Luca was going to kill Kentrell.
She got away before shit hit the fan and made a final decision to go after Lennox.
Not only was she going to kill Lennox for raping and killing her mother.
She was also doing it for Luca. It was the least that she felt she could do since she betrayed him in a sense.
If she wanted Lennox dead, she would have to meet him where he lived. In darkness.
She inhaled then swallowed the cigarette smoke as they entered Lennox’s office. The ache inside her wasn’t just sorrow. It was combustion. La’Nova felt it in her ribs first, like something was clawing to get out. Her pulse slowed instead of racing.
La’Nova could already feel him before she saw him. Lennox carried evil like it was effortless and casual. Evil was Lennox, his way of life was preying on the weak then owning their souls. She ignored the nauseous wave that coursed through her as one of his men opened his door without knocking.
Her eyes landed on all the gold accents everywhere; his office looked like an ancient mini kingdom.
A wall of surveillance screens showed every inch of his underground empire.
Lennox knew the time and second La’Nova pulled up on his territory.
It’s why he hadn’t acknowledged her when his men entered with her in between them.
La’Nova counted a total of ten men in black tailored suits. Five of them sat in leather chairs with their jackets unbuttoned. The other five men held the walls up with their hands resting on top of the butts of their guns. While the other two remained at her sides.
Lennox sat behind the desk with his long legs stretched out, one ankle resting over the other without a care in the world.
He kept his eyes locked on his phone screen.
His hand grabbed and tugged at the bulge in his crotch as the sound of moaning echoed from his small phone speakers.
Lennox was tall and lean, posture straight, with gray hair touching his temples.
At sixty-five years old, he didn’t look a day over forty. His cashew skin was smooth, his bedroom eyes looked predatory but alluring.
The Devil aged well. La’Nova thought as she took another long pull from her cigarette. She waited for what felt like forever. His men eyed her curiously then looked back at Lennox.
He was the head of the Reyes Syndicate. Some shit that didn’t belong to him rightfully. He killed off Ryan Reyes and his entire bloodline. Lennox was sick enough to keep the same name as a fearful reminder to whoever tried to go up against him.
He was now considered Vegas royalty, but to La’Nova, he was nothing but a sick trafficker, a pimp, and the king of exploiting already broken people. She cleared her throat since his men didn’t speak up to get his attention.
Finally, he looked up slowly, then smiled.
The sound of him locking his phone could be heard as he placed it face down on top of his desk.
He clasped his hands together, then took her in thoroughly.
He frowned at her purple wedged heels first. His eyes went up to her thick calves, the extra meat flapping over her knees then the cellulite in her thighs.
He was disappointed that La’Nova even felt bold enough to wear a skirt.
“La’Nova,” he drawled lowly, shaking his head. “Time has been disrespectful to you.” He finished his sentence with a smile.
She didn’t flinch. This was the start of his mental manipulation.
Lennox laying eyes on La’Nova again in the flesh came as a surprise.
He didn’t like surprises at all. In fact, her presence made him think back to how stupid his brother had been.
Dontrell should have let him kill La’Nova when she was nine years old.
That way, she wouldn’t be standing in front of him now as an adult.
“You got fat,” he continued casually, rocking back in his seat. “That scar still ugly as sin, and I see you still smoking cigarettes.” He chuckled dryly.
“It’s good to see you, Lennox. I’m here to work, and because I figured you missed me.” La’Nova licked her lips and smiled at him.
Lennox’s bushy brows bunched together then straightened. Two of his men chuckled lowly, making him join them in laughter because La’Nova had to have been a comedian coming to entertain them.
“You always thought too highly of yourself, even when you were a lil bitch, crying for mommy and daddy to raise up from the dead.” His eyes darkened, his top row teeth sunk into his bottom lip.
Lennox studied La’Nova hard. His eyes locked into her gray orbs.
“Your momma—”
“I forgive you, Lennox.” La’Nova sharply cut him off. “Please…”
“Bitch, I don’t give a fuck about your forgiveness.” He spat out coldly.
Her eyes closed, the cigarette burned the pads of her index finger and thumb.
She welcomed the pain, needing to feel anything other than the thought of Lennox raping and murdering her mother in cold blood.
There were too many sleepless nights filled with starvation along with suicidal thoughts that La’Nova battled alone behind the deaths of her parents.
She currently had a role to play in order to get what she came for. Lennox was playing dirty just to see her real intentions of coming to Vegas.
“It was my father’s fault.” She gnawed on the inside of her cheek until she tasted metallic. “He owed money and took the mafia for granted.” Her eyes squeezed shut again.
She cleared her throat, gulped down her bitter emotions then gazed into Lennox eyes.
“It’s his fault why my life is miserable without them. I accepted that shit, and learned to live with it…Just please…” Her words trailed off.
La’Nova felt dizzy, lying was something she wasn’t too familiar with. Standing before Lennox lying about her true feelings had caused her severe heart palpitations.
“Please what?” He pestered tauntingly.