Chapter 9
Alex
Ipush my cards toward the dealer, folding my hand. The man on my left calls, his chips clicking as they drop to the table. The man on my right leans closer to me, while I twirl the straw in my drink. A whiff of alcohol penetrates my nostrils, and I hold back a gag.
“So, what’s a pretty girl like you doing here?” His hair is balding and his teeth are yellow, but he obviously expects his fake Rolex and ill-fitted suit to get all the ladies.
“Oh, I’ve always enjoyed playing cards.” I shoot him a warm smile, wincing internally. “And my friend recommended this place.” Wrapping my lips around the straw, I take a long pull of the drink.
“Did she?” His eyes catch my tongue licking the excess liquid off my lips.
“Yeah. Maybe you’ve seen her around?”
“Is she as beautiful as you?”
I giggle dramatically, my throat fighting off bile that arises. “She has brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, but she mostly dresses in sweatsuits. She’s also super smart. Do you remember seeing her?”
“I can’t say that I do.”
“Aww,” I respond, deflating on the inside.
Coming here has been a bust. Other than the two hot-as-hell encounters with a certain owner, my mission has been a total failure. I wonder if he’s here tonight. Is he watching me right now? I glance up at the vaulted ceiling looking for cameras. When I find one, I shoot it a tiny wink.
God, I’m an idiot. Flirting with inanimate objects is a new low, and seeing him again could only lead to complications, but I can’t say a part of me doesn’t wish for another night like that.
My attention now fully away from the man next to me, I focus back on the game. My hand is a jack and a nine of hearts. One of my favorite hands to play. I raise, hearing laughter to my right.
“Whew, the kitty has claws.” He leans so close I feel his breath on my neck. “Good thing I like to play.”
A chill creeps up my spine, while the lunch I had hours ago struggles to stay down. I let out a noncommittal ‘hmm,’ not glancing away from the table. The flop gives me a flush draw, so I raise again. The creep on my right calls again.
The river is the ace of hearts. A flush for me. I raise, and the creep re-raises. I take a deep breath. Two pairs. That is what I’ve got him on. I add my chips to the growing pot, re-raising again.
He flashes me a yellow smile before calling.
We both show our hands.
Two pairs, just like I expected. My lips turn up, but my smile is short-lived before his face transforms.
“Lucky bitch.” His eye twitches with barely contained rage. My reflexes kick in, and I itch to get out of there. I scramble to place my chips on the tray, lifting from my seat, when he grabs my arm, digging his disgusting fingers into my skin.
“Where do you think you’re going? You think you can take my money and walk away? Sit down and give me a chance to win it back,” he grits out, freezing the blood in my veins.
“I will have to ask you to let the lady go.” I hear the dealer’s words faintly in the background, overpowered by the loud sound of my heartbeat.
He lifts his hands in a surrender motion, and I feel the sting of where he held me. “Just think it would be fair if she’d let me play a few more hands. This is a cowardly move.” His snakelike smile sends chills down my spine.
“I-I…” Is the only thing that leaves my mouth as I make my second attempt at escaping, but the man pulls me by my elbow back into my seat.
Panic rises in my throat. This is nothing.
Casinos are crawling with security that can be here in less than a minute, which is why they are my favorite place to be.
I also have a gun in my purse that is just within my reach.
Realistically, this man can’t do anything to me.
But my body doesn’t know that. It’s frozen in place, muscle memory making it hard to move.
My lungs can’t get enough air in them, and just when I think I will hyperventilate, a deep voice breaks through the fog in my brain.
“Do we have a problem here?” The voice is familiar, but I’m too distracted to place it.
“Come on, man. We’re playing.” The guy next to me responds, brushing him off.
“I asked, ‘Do we have a problem?’” the man behind me grits out. I’m too frozen to turn around, but I feel the scorching surge of rage emanating from him.
“As a matter of fact, we do.” The jerk doubles down. My skin itches with imminent danger. “This bitch thinks she can cheat me out of my money and walk away.” He gestures to me, turning his head.
His eyes widen to saucers as soon as he turns his head back and before I’m able to do the same, a large hand wraps around his throat, lifting him out of his stool.
Leon’s jaw teeters on the edge of breaking as he stares at the jerk with pure hatred in his eyes.
He’s in another one of his suits, though his shirt is messy and unbuttoned at the top.
He doesn’t look at me, his attention focused solely on the pathetic man in front of him.
The man lifts both of his hands to Leon’s, trying to pry him away, but Leon is half a foot taller and twenty years younger than him.
He struggles to catch a breath, and with the lump formed in my throat, I’m not far behind.
Finally, Leon loosens his hold. The man coughs, placing both of his hands to his neck protectively, but Leon’s not done.
He pulls him by the collar of his shirt.
“Apologize to the lady.” His voice is so low, it sends shivers up my spine.
“I-I didn’t…”
Leon’s hand lets go of his shirt, grabbing him roughly by the jaw. “Apologize to the lady.”
Leon turns the man’s frightened face towards me. His eyes are a mix of hatred and fear, but I guess fear wins when he says, “S-sorry.”
Still, Leon doesn’t let go.
“Sir?” A voice speaks next to him, and it’s only then I notice the three burly security guys surrounding us.
Casinos are safe, Alex. You are safe. With a loud sigh, Leon lets go of the man.
The security guys grab an arm each, dragging the man toward the exit sign.
My mind is faintly aware the danger is leaving, but my chest is still tight, my vision blurry.
I should feel safe, but it’s something I haven’t felt in a long time.
“Alex?” The soft touch to my shoulder makes me wince.
Leon removes his hand as if burned and lowers down to my eye level. “Alex, are you okay?”
Tears prickling in my eyes, I force my face into something resembling a smile and nod. The look in his dark eyes tells me he doesn’t believe me for a second, but he doesn’t press further. Rather, he takes the chip tray in front of me and hands it to the leftover security guy.
“Cash that in for her, would you?” Leon tells him. The man is a giant, standing easily three inches above Leon. With a slight dip of his head, the security guy starts in the direction of the cashier. Leon reaches his hand out toward me, but doesn’t make contact.
“Come.” He doesn’t ask, but it’s obvious he’s letting me decide.
Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I take his hand, just noticing how soaked it is. I bump into something, but I’m too dazed to check what. He leads me through the maze of tables, and I follow along, as if on autopilot.
He stops at the sliding glass doors and presses a finger to the scanner before the door opens for us.
I hate feeling like this. This isn’t me. I’m strong and opinionated, not the measly, frozen little girl fear turns me into. But I can’t help it. No matter how much I run, I never truly feel safe. Being back here, in this city, has obviously hit me harder than I realized.
We reach the end of the long hallway, and just before the elevator, we turn right into a room.
The room screams money, with polished mahogany accents, a grandiose crystal chandelier, and a chair fit for a king.
Leon brings me to the maroon velvet couch, making sure I sit down before tapping away on his phone.
My gaze is stuck to the floor, the panic still holding me captive.
A knock sounds at the door, snapping my head up.
“Thank you,” Leon says, grabbing a tray with a single glass on it.
He hands me the glass, and the sweating, cool surface of it is comforting.
“Drink,” he says, and I obey without second-guessing.
As the first sip of my favorite drink hits my taste buds, any dams I’ve held fall, along with a tear spilling from my eye.
I don’t dare look up, hoping he doesn’t notice. Being vulnerable and frightened is bad enough, but other people noticing it makes me want to crawl out of my skin.