Chapter 32
“It’s almost too easy taking these guys down. Are we sure we didn’t stumble onto the beginner’s level by mistake?”
Ji-Su laughed at Lawrence’s trash talk. Their frustrated opponents responded with a few creative insults that made him laugh even harder.
They were friends with the group they were playing against, so the trash talk and insults were all good natured.
The game ended with a victory for Ji-Su’s squad, which earned them congrats along with promises to beat them the next time they played each other.
Ji-Su and his team stayed on the channel after their opponents logged off, talking while they waited for the next round to start.
“Isn’t your blood pet contract almost over?” Iesha asked Ji-Su. “Do you have a new apartment lined up?”
Iesha’s questions brought Ji-Su up short. He’d all but forgotten that he was scheduled to leave the ranch soon. Over the last few weeks, his time with Raul had come to feel more like an actual relationship, and not only a contracted arrangement with a specified end date.
“I uh... I haven’t started looking yet.”
“Ji-Su you didn’t fall for your patron, did you?” Iesha asked in concern.
“No? I mean... I don’t think so.”
Silence greeted his uncertain answer.
“That worries me, Ji-Su,” Iesha finally said.
“It should be okay, Iesha,” Lawerence said. “Raul seems decent. Nothing like that first dick of a vampire Ji-Su was with.”
Ji-Su didn’t want to discuss his relationship with Raul in the few minutes they had before the next round started. Especially since he hadn’t thought about it on his own first. “Let’s focus on the game.”
“Okay.”
Iesha and Lawrence let the subject drop. But it stayed on Ji-Su’s mind while they played. When they finished for the night, he sat there alone in his gaming room, thinking.
He didn’t want to leave Raul. But did his lover feel the same?
What were they going to do when his contract ended in just under five months?
Would he leave Raul behind and move on with his life and Raul with his?
Would they renew their contract to be blood patron and blood pet again? Or... could they become something more?
RAUL PULLED UP TO THE Syndicate’s underground casino. He hadn’t planned to stop in here for his weekly inspection until tomorrow, but when the manager called to inform him of a situation with a VIP, he’d changed his plans and come here immediately.
This location didn’t have a flashy exterior with a big sign identifying it as a casino. It was a simple two-story white building with a small parking lot. Guards watched over the property, and a small metal plaque near the door marked it as a private club.
The steel door opened as he approached the entrance. The doorman, a former sumo wrestler, greeted him with a polite bow.
“Good evening, Mr. Raul.”
“Hello, Hisako.”
Once Raul was inside, Hisako pushed the heavy steel door closed and locked it.
Raul went down a short hallway that opened into a circular room.
The bright white space was monitored by multiple cameras.
To his right were three cash cages, each staffed by a vampire behind bullet proof glass.
A steely-eyed guard watched the guests who came and went.
Raul greeted them all, then went into the casino proper.
Everyone here was a high roller. Membership was restricted to those who could afford the high buy-ins and would keep their mouths shut regarding anyone or anything they saw on the casino floor.
Nobody called the police if someone was caught cheating or attempted to rob the place.
Raul or someone from his team handled it personally.
Always with violence. Sometimes with death.
The place was full tonight, but Raul didn’t stop to observe.
He made his way over to the bar where Deklan, his second in command, waited for him.
Deklan was dressed appropriately for his position in a charcoal gray suit worn with the jacket open and a hunter green button-down shirt beneath.
His dark blonde hair was neatly styled and green eyes that were too bright to be human watched Raul approach.
“You got here fast,” Deklan said.
Raul grinned. “I wouldn’t want to keep our celebrity guest waiting. Where is he?”
“In your office.”
Deklan signaled to the manager that they were leaving the floor, then led the way to Raul’s office. He opened the door then stepped aside so that Raul could enter first.
Marshall H. Jackson, one of the few vampire actors and currently the most famous, indolently lounged in one of the two chairs in front of Raul’s desk.
His legs were stretched out in front of him, hands loosely linked over his stomach, head lolling back as if he were about to fall asleep.
His girlfriend Braelyn, a human social media influencer, had the sense to look nervous.
She sat in the chair next to him with her back straight, hands gripping the armrests. A pair of guards stood behind them.
When Marshall arrived in town, he’d applied for membership to the casino.
Apparently, he was on what he called a ‘find his fun’ hiatus and wanted to relax and play in a city like Dear Lake that heavily catered to vampires.
When vetting him, Raul had learned that Marshall had a history of counting cards at the Black Jack table.
Raul had granted him membership, but warned him card counting wouldn’t be tolerated.
“Raul, you’re finally here. Can you call off these damn guard dogs?”
Raul stopped and hit Marshall with a hard glare. “That’s how you greet me?” he icily asked. He wasn’t going to take any disrespect from the vampire and it was best to let him know that upfront.
Marshall straightened slightly in his seat, but the bored expression stayed on his face. “Mr. Raul. It’s good to see you.”
Raul resumed walking to go sit behind his desk. Deklan went to the large arm chair in the corner of the room. “I can’t say it’s good to see you,” Raul said, leaning back in his chair. “My second tells me you were caught counting cards tonight.”
“Yeah, but—.”
Raul raised a finger, silently cutting him off.
“When you first came into town for your hiatus or whatever you want to call it, I told you that I knew about your little habit and that it would not be tolerated here, did I not?”
“You did.”
Raul flicked a glance at the guard standing behind Marshall. At his signal, the woman grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, yanked him up out of his chair, and marched him over to Raul’s desk. His eyes wide with shock that he was being manhandle, Marshall struggled to escape her hold.
“Do you know who I am? Let me go!”
She let him go, but before he could gain his bearings, Raul was on him. He grabbed one arm and twisted it up behind Marshall’s back then slammed his face down to the desk top.
Marshall shouted in pain. He instantly burst into tears, loudly wailing and begging for mercy.
Raul stared down at Marshall. His sobbing reminded Raul that all vampires had strength but not all vampires were tough. And Marshall was no doubt used to being fawned over and treated with kid gloves.
On the other side of the desk, Braelyn cried out in alarm.
“You’re hurting him!”
Raul slid her an exasperated glance. “That’s the point.
Troublemakers in my casinos suffer consequences.
I don’t care how famous they are.” He looked back at Marshall and wrenched his arm up higher.
“You’re a vampire which means you’ll heal pretty quick from a dislocated shoulder.
But it’ll hurt like a bitch when I tear your arm out of its socket.
” He twisted again, making Marshall do a comical tippy-tap dance on the balls of his feet in an effort to alleviate the pain.
“Do you want me to dislocate your shoulder?”
“No!” Marshall yelled.
“Then listen closely. The money you won tonight is forfeit and you’re banned from this casino.
Out of the goodness of my heart, I’ll give you a second chance and allow you to return to the main casino under strict supervision.
But if you cheat again a ban will be the least of your concerns. Do you understand me?”
Marshall continued his pathetic wailing and didn’t answer.
“I said, do you fucking understand me?” Raul pressed down hard on Marshall’s head, smashing his face against the desk top.
“Yes, Mr. Raul! I understand.”
“Good. Now get out of my sight.”
He released Marshall and stepped back. Marshall pushed himself up with his good arm. A large bruise marred the left cheek of his famously handsome face and his eyes were red-rimmed from crying.
“I’ll show you out, sir,” his guard said.
“Can I stop by the restroom and freshen up first?” Marshall asked while swiping a hand over his face to wipe away the tears. “I can’t let people see me like this.”
“No, you may not. Goodnight.” He didn’t give a shit that Marshall was going to have to cross the casino floor with his normally perfect face blotchy, wet, and swollen.
Marshall finally showed some sense and didn’t protest. Cradling his injured arm, he walked out of the office in between the two guards with his girlfriend at his side.
Once he and Deklan were the only ones left in the room, Raul sighed and sat back down in his chair. “I’m not surprised he couldn’t resist cheating.”
“I might have let it slide if it was small bets on one or two hands,” Deklan said as he moved over to take Marshall’s empty chair. “But he went overboard stacking up a mountain of winnings. And the players at his table were starting to get pissed.”
“You did the right thing pulling him off the floor and calling me.”
“Are you sure allowing him to return to the Grand Colorado was the right move?”
“Yes. He drops lots of money at the tables and the bar and I’m happy to take it.
Plus, having him and Braelyn at the Grand is good for business.
They post everything on their social media accounts.
That’s free promo for us. Their followers will see their posts and want to play where they’ve played.
Now that he knows I’m not fucking around with his cheating it shouldn’t be a problem again. ”
“Good points.”
Raul nodded before changing the subject. “Since I’m already here, I’ll do the weekly inspection now. Have there been any other issues?”
“No. Other than Marshall, it’s been smooth sailing.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He rose from his chair, Deklan doing the same. They parted ways after leaving his office. Deklan went off to do his job while Raul began his inspection.
Deklan was more than competent as his second in command and the managers were experts at handling the day to day running of the casino.
Thanks to their hard work, Raul didn’t have to do more than show his face to the staff, share a drink or cigar with a few of the members, and observe.
He did more thorough inspections a few times a year but tonight he finished up in a couple of hours.
After saying goodnight to Deklan, Raul walked back through the brightly lit lobby and down the hall to the exit.
His driver pulled up as soon as he stepped outside, the Cullinan’s glossy paint job gleaming in the parking lot lights.
Once Raul settled in the backseat, he looked at his watch.
Wednesday. Two thirty a.m. He and Ji-Su kept their standing feeding appointment and every week, the anticipation for it filled him with excitement.
Tonight was no different. He couldn’t wait to sink his fangs into his blood pet’s throat.
“Where to next, Mr. Raul?” his driver asked.
“It’s time to go home.”