7. Zeno
CHAPTER 7
ZENO
I walk back into the lobby, my eyes sweeping over the space, trying to ignore the sharp pang in my chest.
I’ve had to walk away from Lily not once, but twice, and I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel worse about it. I push back my hair. Damn this whole syndicate! These fuckers are messing with my life, and at this point, I don’t give a damn if they oust my family from their asshole alpha dog club. I did what was asked of me. How the fuck does that make me a black sheep?
I grit my teeth.
Screw it. I’m wrong for her, anyway. She’s an angel.
And I’m evidently the devil, at least, so everybody tells me.
I stalk through the lobby and back toward the casino. Sergio will be happy to see that the hotel is packed with people, although I think he’d prefer that they sit their asses in front of the thousands of slot machines in the casino rather than mingle at the lobby bar.
But for me, all of these people just represent a lot of headaches since my new ‘job’ as of a few weeks ago is handling the drunks who get too handsy and belligerent. I’m a fucking glorified bouncer, for Christ’s sake.
Sergio could have given me something else to do while I’m out here in Vegas. I look like fucking Secret Service with this stupid earpiece on. And the dark, imposing suit on my back doesn’t scare a single person. I may as well stand around in jeans and a t-shirt, twirling around a baseball bat. I bet I’d look way more intimidating that way. People probably wouldn’t pull as much shit if they knew I was gonna come after them swinging.
The days are painful, the nights excruciating.
And some of these dickheads who challenge me…oh, I’d love to take care of them my own way. Serge says to toss them out on their asses, but my fingers are itching to beat the shit out of someone.
Anyone.
I grit my teeth.
But I know I can’t.
No assaults. No beatdowns. No exposure.
“Zeno.” A smooth, sexy voice startles me and the angry voice in my head stops bitching when I turn around to find Rayleigh slowly approach. I stifle a smile as she takes her time to make sure I watch her swing her skinny hips left and right as she walks in her runway-model way. She’s been all over my shit since I walked into this place and uses her position as concierge manager to keep me close.
Someone always needs to be watched or reprimanded or escorted out or anything else that gives her an excuse to call me on my radio. Most of the time, her calls are bullshit and don’t amount to anything.
But tonight was different.
You’d think we had a slew of wild jungle animals storming the place judging by the amount of panic she laced into her voice when she called about the dog. Turns out, he was just hungry. And tired.
Poor Vito.
A small smile lifts my lips as I remember Lily murmur the name into his ear.
Lily, with her long, bouncy ponytail, glasses, and t-shirt about people sucking.
Which is absolutely fucking true, by the way.
She wasn’t the sexy vixen I remember from the club.
And before tonight, I’d have never looked twice at a girl like her. Not that she isn’t pretty without all of the makeup, because she is, like the kind of girl you’d see in those face wash commercials. Fresh and natural with smooth, tan skin. My fingertips twitch, anxious to skim over her glowing cheeks again.
And I know from that night at Vice that she actually has a brain. And depth. And enthusiasm for something other than partying.
Unlike all of the women I’ve ever been with.
I’m not complaining about them. Most of them were fantastic lays, but it was just that…and not that they could string together a coherent sentence between them. But as it happens, gorgeous, vapid women are pretty low-maintenance. Tell them they look hot, buy them a few drinks, and boom! They’re lifting their skirts for you.
My work never left me with time for anything more than that, anyway.
I need a woman who will keep her mouth shut unless my cock is stuffed into it. I don’t like being questioned because I hate lying. That requires way too much effort with very little return.
Since I was always charged up after a job, sex was about all I could handle. That night with Lily wasn’t my typical. I needed a release, yeah. But instead I donated it to her, deflecting all of her questions about myself. It’s not like I can talk about what I do or who I do it to.
And the truth about who and what I am is a damn taboo subject that will kill me if it gets back to the wrong people.
People who my cousins and my father are trying to protect me from.
So, for as much as I hate my life right now, I have no choice but to do as I’m told.
In other words, no fun for me.
“Thank you so much for coming as fast as you did,” Rayleigh coos, her voice breathy. “That dog could have really caused major problems for the hotel. People were running out, screaming for their lives!” She widens her eyes and I want to let out a snort of laughter at the stricken look on her face.
Uh, not true at all, but okay. Let’s just go with it.
“He was probably just hot and tired from wandering around in the heat all day. It’s like a hundred and twelve out there right now,” I say. “Tommy Marcone was at the restaurant and gave him some water and food. He pepped right up. I don’t think he was gonna tear the limbs off anyone in the casino.”
She reaches a hand out and grazes my arm. “Well, you just never know. The dog may not have had his shots, he could have had rabies. Can you imagine the liability? That would have been disastrous for us and our reputation, especially now when we’re so new!”
“Shit happens.” I shrug. “I don’t think a stray dog would have closed our doors.”
Rayleigh purses her lips and I swallow a laugh. She wants me to feed into this whole damsel in distress thing so badly, but I can’t help myself from shooting her down. She’s only after me because of who my family is, anyway. She wants to upgrade from her position at the hotel to mafia mistress, and she never misses a chance to make that crystal clear to me.
“Well, it’s a relief that you were here to handle it so quickly and get it out of here.” She wrinkles her nose. “Along with that raggedy rescue girl. She was equally atrocious.”
My spine stiffens. “Looks like she was just doing her job. She was great with the dog and he went right to her.”
“I guess dirty animals always manage to find their own kind,” she snips under her breath and my jaw twitches at the memory of Lily whispering to the dog and petting him as he lay his head in her lap.
Anger bubbles in my veins as my eyes narrow at Rayleigh, taking in her overly made-up face, perfect hair, and tight clothes. Fucking plastic as they come, and a nasty bitch to boot.
I’d fuck Lily over her in a hot second.
So what do I do being the asshole that I am?
I slide my hand around to the small of her back, feeling her tits puff out against my chest because she thinks she finally caught me in her skank-ass net. I lean closer, brushing my lips seductively against her ear. “And I’d guess it takes one to know one,” I murmur before slowly pulling away to relish the shocked look on her face.
Her jaw is still dragging on the floor seconds later while she flubs some kind of smart-ass retort. I’m not listening anymore, anyway. My mind trips back to Lily and the fleeting thought I had about fucking her.
I let that percolate while I walk away from Rayleigh, leaving her with clenched fists and flared nostrils, still sputtering in frustration at my apparent disinterest.
Girls like her wouldn’t normally turn my head. Call me superficial if you want, but really, it’s because instinctively I know they want something I can’t give.
Because girls like Lily are good, innocent, and na?ve.
I’d taint her. Corrupt her. Completely violate her.
Oh, fuck me, I’d love every second of it, though.
Maybe that’s why even thinking about her adjusting her glasses gives me a little cock jolt. I want to see her again without them masking those expressive brown eyes. I saw a lot in her gaze in the short time we were together.
Fire and ice, compassion and disgust, the latter being directed at Rayleigh.
In short? Hot as fuck.
The thing is, if I try to see her again, there’s a very good chance that I’ll be castrated and it won’t be at Messina’s hand.
It’ll be at Salesi’s.
Or that crazy bitch Kat’s.
I adjust the earpiece, rolling my eyes as I shove it back into place, feeling like a complete idiot. I try to push the image of Lily out of my mind.
Lily and her “People Suck” t-shirt.
I smile to myself. Something tells me that’s much more her style than the dolled-up look she was donning back at the Montepremi.
It fits her, too.
Snarky, sassy, and sarcastic.
I expel a shallow sigh as I wind my way around the craps’ tables. Gamblers boozing it up for free as they throw the dice. I duck out of the way of a pair of strays that fly right off the table. I bend down, flip them over in my hand, and drop them into the pit boss’s outstretched palm.
The roller, a blonde stuffed into a mummy wrap dress flutters long, dark eyelashes at me as I pass. “I sent them over the side just so you’d have to stop and pick them up,” she murmurs. The lashes flutter faster and then one of them droops. It’s now hanging by a single lash, and a deep red flush colors her cheeks as she quickly flips around to fix it.
I bite back a snicker and keep walking.
I’ve had plenty of offers from women since I started working here, and I haven’t taken them up on a single one.
Tonight won’t be an exception, especially since my own personal highlight reel has just been updated.
That “People Suck” t-shirt won’t last long on Lily’s body once I close my eyes and conjure her up in the center of my bed.
The other night, I had the insatiable urge to bend her over my knee and spank her once for every man who gawked at her as she strutted through the nightclub.
And tonight?
Fuck, I just want to spank her.
I stop next to one of the blackjack tables, backing against a wall as a couple starts canoodling. I can see from my position behind them that they’ve got a good number of chips piled between them. A few minutes later, they’re joined by another guy who gets a little handsy with the girl.
Interesting.
I watch them play a few hands as a cocktail waitress waltzes over with a drink for the girl. She’s already tipsy from the looks of it, but sucks down the new drink pretty damn fast, dropping something onto the cocktail waitress’ tray. I don’t recognize the waitress, so I keep my eye on her as she meanders around the casino. The threesome is forgotten as I follow the waitress. She always takes the same path past the dealer before delivering her drinks.
I tail her to see where she goes once her drink tray is empty and she goes to fill a new order. When she comes out, I see her stop outside of the restrooms just as a tall, skinny guy comes out of the men’s room. Navy blue hoodie, dark eyes, moody expression.
Maybe he’s a jealous boyfriend who doesn’t like his girl shaking her ass around the casino in that glorified bathing suit.
Maybe it’s something entirely different.
Or maybe I’m just seeing shit that isn’t really there because I clearly need something to distract me from certain death otherwise known as Lily Salesi.
I pull out my phone and dial Sergio’s number.
“Yeah?” he answers, sounding out of breath.
“You in the middle of fucking?” I ask. “I hope I’m interrupting you.”
“I just got off the treadmill, asshole,” he grunts. “What do you want?”
“I’ve been watching some things down here,” I say. “Think we need to check out some security feeds.”
He lets out a huff. “Fine, I’ll meet you in my office in ten.”
A few minutes later, we’re huddled over the security monitors, tracking the people I pointed out on the feed. “Something looks off, Serge,” I say. “And I don’t like it.”
“Okay, Columbo,” he grumbles. “Let me check the past feeds.”
I watch as he scrolls through the few days prior. The hotel has been a madhouse, so it’s not surprising that I don’t recognize them. But there’s an odd feeling twisting my gut.
I feel like I’ve seen this crew before, but where? When?
Serge shakes his head. “Nah, nothing for the whole week before. Lemme look again. Could be that they’re counters looking to take advantage of us being so new. There are plenty of cocksuckers out there who are looking to scam the new places, figuring we have so much business, we’re not paying attention.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. “I guess.” That guy in the hoodie, though. He looks so fucking familiar, but I can’t place the face.
“I’m gonna send a few of these images to Alek Severinov,” he says. “Maybe he’s seen them before. If they’ve worked here in Vegas, he’ll know about them.”
I smirk. “You sure you’re not just trying to get the big, bad Russian boss to notice you, Serge?”
He flips me off. “I’m trying to keep our place from getting robbed, Zeno.”
I poke at me ear. “I can’t hear you. You’re head’s all the way up Severinov’s ass. Pull it out for a second.”
Sergio glowers at me. “You know, there really is no shortage of people who want to maim you these days, is there?”
“Shit, that’s the story of my life, Serge. A new zip code won’t change that.”
“Well, I’d watch your ass if you have any hope of ever leaving this zip code alive.”