Chapter 24
Kian
I slept outside, by my in-ground pool, last night on one of the lounge beds. When I got home from Ace’s house, I skipped going to my room to change or shower. Instead, I came out here, and now, I’m waking up with a sore back and a foul mood.
When I stumble inside, my housekeeper is already here. Thank God she loves me because there’s already coffee made.
“In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you sleep outside. Who is she?” Gretta asks.
At the coffee machine, I grunt, pour myself a cup, and then turn around to face her. “I don’t know what you mean. I was tired last night and fell asleep by the pool.”
She uses a sponge to scrub a spot on the kitchen island, and my cock twitches, knowing exactly what happened on that counter just a couple of nights ago.
“And all the glitter in the house is a new fashion statement?” she asks.
Goddamn Ace and her fucking glitter.
It’s everywhere. She leaves a little trail wherever she goes. Reminding me that she was here, in my space, where I’ve never brought anyone other than my brothers before. And I didn’t even think twice about allowing Ace into my home. I wanted her here. Marking everything with her beautiful sparkle.
“I have to get ready for work,” I say, taking my coffee with me. “Have a good day, Gretta.”
“You too, dear. Sparkle bright like a diamond,” she calls out, then cackles so loud that I find myself smiling as I close my bedroom door.
God, the people in my life think they are comedians.
“Hey, Mr. Savage. Here are the reports for the last twenty-four hours. There was a two-million-dollar win on blackjack here at Royal Aces at about four this morning. The player is staying in room sixteen-twelve. He checked in after he was done. The surveillance footage is already in your email,” our gaming manager says as he lowers the stack of papers onto my desk.
Without looking up from my computer, I nod. “Thanks.”
As soon as he leaves, I sit back in my chair and sigh.
I am not in the fucking mood for work. Normally, my days fly by because I’m so lost in all the numbers and operations stuff that I don’t have time to think about anything else.
Yet, the only thing on my mind right now is Ace. And her asshole cousin.
Luciano is active in the mafia. He’s the second-in-command. But where does Ace land in all of this? Is she safe? Why does she not have around-the-clock security? If she were mine, she’d go nowhere alone. Not even the bathroom.
Irritated, I hit the space bar on my keyboard harder than I mean to and navigate to my email, then open the top report with a red circle on the front page.
I’ve got to get something done today. None of my brothers are showing as online in the messenger on our computers, so I assume none of them are working. Per usual.
I read over the report and stare at the two-million-dollar win from early this morning, then look for the email from the security team with the footage.
It’s not unheard of for someone to win that amount of money, especially in a casino in Vegas, but any win over fifty grand, we review.
Just in case. It’s how Xander figured out Cassian Black was cheating at poker.
And it’s how we’ve caught others thinking they could steal from us and get away with it.
Cassian Black is the only one who has ever gotten away with it.
The rest of the people who tried to fuck with our money are six feet under, somewhere in the desert.
Once I press play on the surveillance video, I sit back and watch for several minutes until a circle appears around the player, so I know who it is.
From the top, it’s hard to see the man’s face as he sits down at the table.
A second later, the view swaps to the table view, and I grind my molars together when I recognize the face on the screen.
That bastard.
As if he knows exactly what he’s doing, Luciano looks right at the camera and smirks as he pulls out stacks of money.
Only a few minutes into the video, I lean forward, watching as Luciano Ricci counts cards. “That motherfucker.”
After opening my top drawer, I grab one of the universal door keys and storm through the casino toward the elevators, punching the sixteenth-floor button.
He’s a dead man.
Luciano is waiting for me when I walk in, a news channel playing quietly in the background.
Stacks of money sit in an open duffel bag on one of the armchairs.
As soon as I enter the enormous room that overlooks the city, he smiles.
He knew exactly what the hell he was doing down there, and he knew I would show up.
“You’re dead,” I say darkly as I storm toward him.
He rises and advances on me, too, and at the same time, we swing at each other, the sound of knuckles hitting flesh filling the room.
Punch after punch, we fight. No words, just grunts and groans as we beat the shit out of each other.
The longer we go, the more tired we get until we’re stumbling and blood is dripping from both our faces. Our shoulders rise and fall as we breathe heavily, staring at each other while we decide whether or not we’re done.
“She deserves better than you,” Luciano finally says as he wipes his bleeding lip with the back of his hand.
“Yeah, she deserves better than you, too, asshole. Where the fuck have you been? Why doesn’t she have protection?”
The corners of Luciano’s lips twitch slightly. “You think I didn’t send protection with her? She fired all of them within twenty-four hours and told me if I sent anyone else, she would never speak to me again. Have you ever tried to tell that brat what to do? She doesn’t fucking listen.”
No shit.
I’d bet my entire fortune that if I put her over my knee on a regular basis, she’d learn to be my good girl and listen.
“So you’re going to let her make the rules?” I demand with a scowl. “Let her decide her own safety?”
Yeah, I don’t fucking like this guy.
“Lacey is the only family I have left, and I nearly lost her too,” Luciano shares quietly, his eyes haunted.
And swollen. Fuck, that was a good hit. He’s not so pretty anymore.
“Security guards follow her anytime she leaves her house, which she doesn’t know about. They’ve been instructed to stay completely invisible and not interrupt her life in any way unless she’s in true danger,” Luciano adds. “She’ll hate me if she finds out.”
Maybe I should tell her, then.
Though I dislike him a tiny bit less now.
“What the fuck do you want from me, Ricci?” I finally demand.
He looks me dead in the eye. “I want you to stay away from Lacey. Take your money. I don’t want it. But stay away from my cousin.”
Anger I’ve never felt before burns through me like a white-hot flame. The barrel of my gun presses against my lower back. It would only take a second to shoot this asshole and be done with him.
It would upset Ace, though. And I can’t do that to her. I won’t.
Staring him down, I lift my chin. “Keep the fucking money. I don’t need it. I’ll stay away from Ace when she tells me to stay away. Now, get the fuck out of my city before you don’t make it back to Seattle alive.”