Chapter 11
It only took an hour before I was sitting at the table, along with three other guys I‘ve never seen before—my team. At least the one Nick found for us.
Canelli, the man who knows everyone and can find his way into top-security places where not even the air could reach. He seems as slippery as a real snake. And I have the feeling he is also as venomous as one. He will bribe the security guys along with a few waiters to give us an easy in, easy out.
Lawrence, the drunk guy who lost at the gambling table more than a few times, and will be causing a scene.
And last, but not least, Giovanni, our tech expert. Apparently, Nick doesn't trust Seth's men to handle the job, so he asked that we bring our own people. Well, they are Nick’s people. For me, this is the first time I've met these guys, but for once, I do trust Nick’s judgment. He never failed us before when it came to getting the help we needed. I know he won't fail us now, especially since there's so much at stake.
I'm not sure we're going to meet the two-day deadline though. Things need to be perfect so that we can go in. Still, I do want to hurry. I want to get this over and done with.
First of all, I need to assess the place and see what I'm up against. For that to happen, we need to go to the Tiger’s Eye Casino. I decided that Nick and I would play the tourist couple, out to have fun and probably spend our life savings. Vegas is full of tourists, so this will fit right in, especially since Nick is already used to spending his life savings. I know I made him promise me he wouldn’t gamble, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and this is the easiest way in such a short time.
For my night out, I chose the same dress I wore when I met Monica at the coffee shop. It's not like I have any other option. And I didn't want to use the expense card just yet. I'm gonna need it anyway to buy myself something decent to wear for the night of the heist.
I have no idea why, but Nick seems to take longer than me to get ready. It’s not as if he is the one who needs to cover his bruises.
By now, I'm starting to miss even the life I had in Elko, but there's only one direction I'm going, and that is forward. Before we head out, we stop to check with Seth's assistant. He did say all expenses are included, and I have a feeling Nick is going to take advantage of that, especially since we're heading to a casino, and our role requires us to gamble more than a few bucks. The Tiger’s Eye is an exclusive casino with a minimum entry fee of ten thousand dollars. I can only imagine how upset Nick must be that he has to gamble away all of that money. And I can’t say anything about him gambling again since it’s part of the job .
I still can’t figure out how he gets so damn lucky.
We take a cab to the location. No one would buy our cover if we rolled up in our $200 luxury car. At least we don't have to tip the valet. Not that Nick would actually do it, so it just saved me from the embarrassment.
This place isn't as impressive as the Sphinx, but I easily notice the ridiculous amount of money spent here. Too bad thick bank accounts don't also bring along good taste. If the ginormous golden dragons don't impress me, then the stuffed tiger greeting us at the entrance turns my stomach.
These bastards killed an animal just to have a pretty ornament—at least their idea of pretty. I find it grotesque.
You fuckers deserve me robbing you.
Suddenly Nick steals my hand, the same way he did when he first entered the Sphinx, only now I don't need his protection. The place is imposing, I admit, and I'm pretty convinced that some vicious criminal is the boss around here, but I don't get the same feeling that I had when I walked into the Sphinx. Sure, this is dangerous, but Seth Malvagio's place has the potential to be a lot more than just dangerous.
I squeeze my fingers out of Nick's grip. I am not his property any longer, and I don't care if he wants to show off or maybe even protect me. We’re well past the stage where he has any right to do those things.
The other three guys are already here. For this to work, every single one of us has to know exactly what he needs to do, and what the weak and strong points are. The place is packed, every table and machine crowded with people ready to gamble away their fortunes. Impressive for a $10,000 entry fee. But I think it’s less about the game and more about being part of the exclusive club. It's the same reason why anyone buys designer clothes and jewelry. I should know, I used to be one of those people. Now all I want to do is live. A designer purse to soothe my existence would be nice as well. I'm still a woman, this is something I bear in my genes after all.
Nick and I blend in at the tables. It's pretty easy for him— he's familiar with this kind of place, just not this particular place and that's only because of the minimum entry fee.
He gambles at the craps table while I try to spot any possible exits. I already know where the safe is from the blueprints. What I don't know is exactly what kind of safe it is. And I plan to find out right now, along with testing the security guy Nick found.
Can you override the cameras? I text Giovanni. I want to take a closer look at the safe without being exposed.
Giovanni’s reply lights up my screen: Give me five minutes.
I look around the place, searching for the exit to the safe. It's a staff hallway that leads to the executive office. I just need to see if there's an additional inner chamber to that office, and I have an idea how to get there.
“I need an attendant uniform,” I whisper as I walk past Canelli, expecting him to deliver. This is a test—both for me and the crew. I need to see if I still have it and if they can be trusted to follow my lead. My brother used to do that all the time. Now I guess I need to step up and be the big man for this particular job.
To be honest, I was expecting I would freeze, knowing that I am on my own when it comes to calling the shots. But a strange thrill has taken control of me. The adrenaline seems to bring me to life, making every nano cell of my body vibrate with the empowerment this job gives me. I haven't felt so good in years. It's like I was born to do this. I remember this feeling all too well, what I don't understand is how I allowed myself to forget it.
Turns out, I do have something evil in me after all. Maybe I am no better than Nick and his passion for gambling because with every second I spend in this room, I regain my passion for stealing. It's not even about the sum or what the money can bring. It's about that feeling that you're one in a million. No one else in this room can gain access to the safe. That's how every time a bet with myself is born. I want to break my limits. And I always win.
Canelli signals to me that he got what I asked of him, and I start walking toward the washroom. We don't even make eye contact. I just pick up the bag he's holding in his hand while I bump into him, then enter the ladies' room to change myself.
One of the ventilation grills makes the perfect hideout for my own dress. I'm going to need it later when we leave. Now all I have to do is blend in and hope no one can tell that I don't actually work here. Judging by the army of staff around the place it's almost impossible that they all know each other. Plus, I know how these places work. Every day there's a new employee coming in and an old one leaving.
I don't waste time between the players. I don't want anyone asking me for a drink or anything else for that matter. I need to follow my brother's advice—get in and get out.
With everything being so out of the blue, we didn't have time to get an earpiece to use for communication. I'll just have to keep my phone close and watch out for when Giovanni gives me a sign.
Taking a deep breath, I open the door that leads to the staff corridor. I only take a few steps before I hear my phone vibrate with a text. It's Giovani.
Go ahead, it's clear.
Things are almost too easy. Maybe my luck is finally turning around.
I walk to the end of the hallway, then take a left just as I remember from the blueprints. The place is poorly guarded from what I can tell, and that could only mean one thing—it's gonna be fucking impossible to get into the safe. They don't have that many guards because their security must be airtight, and I need to know what gives them this kind of confidence.
There's a woman attendant walking past me, and by her wrinkled outfit and small tint of smudged lipstick spreading up to her cheeks, it wasn't the guests she was attending. It was one of the guards. I quicken the pace and I see him exit the room that I have just passed. He's too dazed to turn and see me. This time, I'm in luck, especially since Giovanni's text only comes in when I reach the office.
Guard!
I could have been dead five times by now. I really need to be more careful next time and stop jumping into doing things without a well-thought-out plan.
I'm finally in the office. The place is a statement of wealth. There are so many gold-plated items that I might go blind if I remained here for much longer. I'm not even sure I need to go into the safe to get rich. I could just grab one of these chairs and call the job done. But master Seth wants his relic, and that makes me head straight to the safe.
Not before I get another text from Giovanni.
Send me a few pictures before you step into the safe room.
I know exactly what he's talking about. There could be all sorts of hidden alarms there and as soon as I send him the pictures, he confirms they have an alarm system and even a possible floor sensor. He'll have to override those too. That could take a while, and I can’t stay and wait here. I just take a picture of the safe and leave.
I'm not familiar with the model but that's because I'm sure it's custom-made. From what I could see it has a fingerprint lock as well as a mechanical one. It’s gonna be hard, but not impossible.
Just as I’m figuring out a plan and how to get Mr. Chen's fingerprints, I spot an empty whiskey glass on the office table. This really is my lucky day. This piece of glass just saved us a lot of trouble. I'll duplicate the fingerprints on it and use them to secure access into the vault. Let's just hope it wasn't Chen’s secretary who drank from the glass.
Giovanni checks the cameras for me and after a couple of minutes, he finds me a clear path. In no time, I'm back in the restroom, changing into the clothes I came with, ready to get the hell out of here.
This was easy, but I know the actual breaking-in won't be.
We're pretty much done here, though Nick doesn't seem to agree with me. He still has some of Seth's money to burn—as a deductible expense, of course.
We only have two days to finish the job, and if Giovanni figures out the security system, we’ll make things work. I still have one of my brother's contacts to send me the software I need to crack open the safe. I just hope I still have what it takes to get through the mechanical lock, and figure out the cipher.
It's a very strange feeling. Adrenaline, fear, and power, all combined to make me feel high on the rush they create. It's one of those times when I feel I can do anything I set my mind to. I just need to have a little more faith in myself.
Nick and Lawrence decide we need to stick around for a while. They claim it’s for extra safety measures. Nick tries to sell me some shit about him wanting to study the place and the guards’ shifts. Even though he knows I’m not buying it. Still, I stick around. Who knows, maybe I’ll really spot something that can help us with the plan.
Work soon transforms into just plain fun. Nick is on a roll at the craps table, and I’m his lucky charm. He's much more detached since he's not betting his own money. I think that's one of the reasons he's winning in the first place.
Funny how tonight reminds me of the good old times. I used to believe he was a winner. Now, I don't know anymore. Not sure when things changed. But I am sure we both have something to do with it.
Like I wasn't confused enough already, this evening manages to screw up my mind even more. It's like my heart has been put into a blender and Nick is the one pushing the on-off button, managing to destroy a little bit more every day.
If I didn't know better, I could say we're good. With every new spin of the dice, he pulls me a little closer to him, while his lips search more and more often for my own. I don't even know why I kiss him back. It's like a reflex that I can't seem to shake. It's just the spark that is missing. No butterflies, not even a single emotion except pain. It's like seeing your loved one die and there's nothing you can do but helplessly watch him fade away a little bit more every day.
Maybe the foundation I put on earlier covered up the bruise on my face, but it did nothing for the one in my heart. Just because he doesn't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. I hadn't forgotten or forgiven him just because he decided to play the nice guy for a couple of hours. Being on a roll for the night doesn't get him a seat at the winner's table. It just makes him lucky. I just hope he doesn't use up all of his luck tonight. We're going to need all the luck we can get in a couple of days.
Nick seems set on emptying the casino's safe, and that, without me having to break into it. At least that's what he imagines. I think the reality is a little different. He's probably gonna walk away with empty pockets by the morning. He always does. That’s his main problem. He never knows when to stop. And that applies to all aspects of his life.
The adrenaline got him warmed up in every sense of the word. His hands can't keep still any longer and are now traveling the line of my waist down to my thigh—between two throws of the dice, of course.
Maybe the craps will get him what he wants tonight, but not me. My pussy would disintegrate before I'd let him in my bed after raising his hand at me. He should consider himself lucky I haven't poisoned his drinks or food by now.
Three hours later, he's still on a roll, only more intoxicated, and much more turned on. I know where things would lead if I were to remain here.
Testing my luck, I ask him to go back home. I know him well enough to be certain that he's not going to leave a winning roll.
As I expect, he refuses. On another occasion, I would have been pissed off. Now, I'm just glad.
Pretending to be sleepy, I find an excuse to leave and head straight back to the Sphinx. I might not like it there, but compared to The Tiger's Eye, it's paradise.
Ordering a bottle of champagne from room service, I pour myself an extra large glass. I don't even know what I'm celebrating: getting out of the casino alive, gathering the information, or my last couple of days on earth. That remains to be seen. All I know is that I'm searching for ways to calm my own fear, since I won’t allow Nick into my bed to still it, I might as well try to drown it.
My heart is pumping like mad, and I discover the bottle runs empty way faster than I imagined. I don't even want to think about the last time that I drank that much, but it's definitely my cue to get into bed—in my bedroom. Nick can sleep in the spare room, and to guarantee that, I lock the door. Safety reasons.
I can congratulate myself for doing so when I hear him twisting the knob early in the morning. By the tone of his voice, I know he wants to do more than sleep. “Babe, I think you've locked the door by accident.”
Accident my ass.
I just pretend not to hear him and pull the sheet over my head so that the sun's rays won’t bother me. I plan on getting a good rest today. I can never sleep the day before a heist, so I need to get as much rest as I can, while I can.
By the time I wake up, Nick is the one sound asleep. We are only meeting with the crew later tonight to set up the final details. That gives me enough time to search for a dress. I kind of already used the only one I had, and a lady never wears the same thing twice while going to the same place, especially in the Vegas universe, where everyone aims to shine brighter than the stars in the night sky.
I don't have that many shopping options. Nick took a down payment from Seth, but I'm sure he’s already spent it by now. That leaves me with the hotel's expense card, and sends me to a shopping session at the boutiques I saw downstairs.
It doesn't take long before I find a gowns and cocktail dresses store. I stop at the cocktail dresses section. I can barely make up my mind. Sequins are too shiny, and a little out of style for my taste. The hand-sewn beads look fabulous but weigh more than I do. And the simple ones are too simple. Decisions, decisions, decisions. It's so difficult being a woman.
I ended up trying out more than ten dresses. It's not like I have anything else to do anyway. I don't want to go back to Nick, at least not for now.
My mind stops at an over-the-knee ivory dress. The style is a bottom-shaping rucked mesh bodycon with a cut-out back and a very sexy cleavage.
If you got them, then show them. At least that's the look I'm going for. I am a woman, after all, dressing up nicely helps me improve my state of mind. And I could use an improvement when it comes to that chapter.
Picking up a pair of matching heels, I walk outside the dressing cabin and head to three extra large mirrors they have in the middle of the store. A nice sales assistant guided me through the shelves earlier, so I am looking for her opinion on this. I'm going to get it anyway; I just need to know it's not too over-the-top. I don't usually wear things like this. But I need a change. And this is pretty much the only thing I can change in my life right now.
The sales assistant is busy with another client. I’ll just wait for a few minutes. The dress is so beautiful that I can't get enough staring at it, so I take my time arranging every single wrinkle of the rucked mesh. I'm so absorbed by the material that I don't even hear when someone comes behind me.
“Turn,” the sound of a man's voice reaches my ears with a command I can't deny.
I turn. Although I suspect he should have said faint . That's what I feel like doing right now. My mind instantly recognized that voice, although it had trouble believing it to be real. Seth Malvagio is standing in front of me.
What the fuck is he doing here?
I don't ask that question because I'm not sure if I can even open my mouth to speak. The man is a sight for sore eyes. And I can’t help studying him the same way he is studying me.
I don't know who does his costumes , but the tailor deserves a statue. The black pants he's wearing fall perfectly over his shoes while their line makes my eyes travel to a very dangerous place. I don't know if his tailor is that good or if God has been so good to Seth, but my sight seems to be stuck below the line of his belt.
By this time, I know I am staring, but I just can't look away.
Get a fucking grip on yourself, Serena!
Useless. My eyes are still there. I can barely convince myself to move them, and I only get them to stare at the way the black shirt he’s wearing molds on his triceps, biceps, six-pack, or whatever groups of muscles he has under those clothes. By the looks of it, he has them all, and I'm so eager to learn anatomy.
I got distracted so easily that I didn't even get a chance to think about what he wanted from me. I'm not gonna open my mouth to ask him anyway.
But I guess he already knows that. “I see my money is being spent for a good cause.” He looks at me from head to toe, as if just because he's paying for the dress he could own the one wearing it.
His voice has that seductiveness that you know will make you want to fuck him until your whole body hurts.
Sure, I have my fun allowing myself to be mesmerized by his looks, but I don't want to confuse fantasy with reality. No matter how good he might look, he doesn't own me just because he hired me for a job.
I'm well aware that the Seth living in my mind doesn't correspond to the one in reality. And I don’t want to get to know the real one better than I do now.
I'm not sure if he's even trying to be seductive. I don't see the purpose. Men like him don't even need to be seductive to get what they want. So there must be something else. He's probably been studying me to protect his investment. That must be the motive for his interest.
The thought troubles me. I’m not a guinea pig or his case study.
“What are you doing in a woman's store, Mr. Malvagio?” I can’t stop myself from asking.
“Last time I checked, I own the store. And it’s Set. Mr. is only for the staff.”
I swallow the lump that has just formed in my throat. “And I? Am I not staff?”
“I haven't decided yet.” He arches an eyebrow and reaches out to arrange the strap on my dress.
His gesture almost leaves me breathless while my body flinches under his touch.
Fuck, he noticed.
I know it's from the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. It's almost victorious as if he has just won the first battle and can't keep himself from preening over it. “Are you afraid of me because you're attracted to me, Serena?”
Feels like he's entered my mind and has no problem articulating what he just found there. My weakness only drives him on, empowering him. It’s like his special power to feed on people's fear. That's what makes him a ruler and all the rest, his subjects.
I feel he’s pushing the limits a bit too far, but it's no use denying the obvious. I know the tension between us can be picked up from a mile away. So maybe it's time to admit the truth, “I'm afraid of you because I can feel your darkness.”
My mouth overrides any self-protection mechanism I might have. He's too overconfident that I am attracted to him, and I prefer the part of the truth where I step on his nerves rather than admit that I get my panties in a twist when I see him.
I'm not sure if my answer amuses or angers him. His facial expressions give nothing away. I guess he has mastered his poker face well, we are in Vegas after all. But then an evil grin spreads all over his face. He's got me in his back pocket and he knows it. “Then you should stop playing around its borders,” he whispers, sending a cold chill to weaken any attitude I might have.
He is as deadly as he is seductive. One way or the other, I’ve ended up directly under his radar. “I'm waiting for my artifact.” This time, he snarls a warning right before leaving the store. I know he's not kidding around, and I also know I have every chance of getting killed if I don't deliver what he wants. Seth is the kind of man who doesn't confuse his business with any kind of personal pleasure, and even if he finds his fun in getting inside my head, I know he won't hesitate to pull the trigger if necessary. There's no room for mistakes in his world, and I can't afford to be the one testing that.