11. Zeno
CHAPTER 11
ZENO
I stare at my watch, lounging against a wall right inside the entrance of the Bang nightclub, electronica music vibrating the floor under my feet. I watch as each woman slinks into the doorway, swinging her hips, teetering in the highest heels. A few of them try to catch my eye as they pass, but I ignore them, not wanting to risk missing the scumbag hackers once they finally make an appearance. Not that I could if I tried. I mean, they’re gonna be strutting in here looking like Mark Zuckerberg wannabes in a sea of guys who are trying way too hard to get laid in their clubgoer gear.
My phone buzzes with an incoming message. I pull it out and hold it in front of my face to see a message from Bruno.
Slight issue. Gonna be late.
Fuck.
He texted me on my real phone, not the burner, so I can’t exactly ask him for details. But I’d like to know how much longer I need to hang out here by the door looking like some creepy ass loser.
How late?
I grit my teeth, something catching my eye on the floor as I wait for his response. A flash of something sparkly clicks along the floor and I watch it, temporarily mesmerized, like I’m a goddamn crow or something. I blink fast, my gaze moving from the shiny shoe all the way up the tight, toned calf until it hits the hem of a knee-length red dress.
Knee-length. That’s novel for this club, judging by the outfits on the other women in this place. I actually can’t see the girl’s pussy.
My phone buzzes again and I tear my eyes away from probably the most conservatively dressed girl in here to find out when the hell Bruno is gonna show up with those clowns.
Half an hour. Have a shot. Or five.
I stuff the phone back in my pocket and rake a hand through my hair just as it vibrates again.
What the hell, Bruno?
Except it isn’t Bruno.
It’s Sergio.
Where the fuck is the guy you were supposed to question?
A smile plays at my lips as I type my reply.
Think he went for a ride.
I figure that’s better than telling him that the guy almost ended up splattered on the pavement next to the parking garage.
I swear to God, Zeno!
I can hear my cousin’s threatening voice shouting at me from the phone screen and yeah, I know he’s gonna be pissed when he finds out what we’re doing, but it’s like can’t help myself. If there’s a threat, I squash it. It’s just who I am.
Besides, this ‘threat’ is probably gonna be another MIT-geek type anyway, the ringleader of this little hacker crew. Serge needs to relax for once and stop worrying about messing up this syndicate arrangement or he’s gonna end up shitting diamonds. I’m just gonna scare these guys a little, enough that they crap their khakis and find another casino to stake out.
That’s all.
And when I deliver that news, he’ll be happy.
Or, at least, less of a pain in my ass.
Maybe.
Relax and just trust me.
I chuckle when I send that because it’s just fucking hysterical even for me to read. I can picture Sergio’s eyes pop out of his skull when that text lights up his screen.
If given the choice, I’d rather stick my dick in a wasp hive.
I swallow a snort and shove the phone back into my pocket after telling him I’ll call him later.
Okay, shots. That’s always Bruno’s solution. Although I could use one right now. In a few days, Papa will fly in for the big family meeting…the one where we sign our lives away for this syndicate. And the one where Joe Salesi shows up to make a decision about whether or not he’ll join. Shit, from what I’ve seen, the guy should just steer clear. I know as soon as Papa gets here and Serge fills him in about what I’ve been up to, he’s gonna lock me in a room and read me the riot act about how I can’t be spotted outside of the hotel, blah, blah, blah because of the Messina threat.
I’m tired of watching my back. Let him come and try to get me.
My gaze flickers back over toward the girl in the red dress. I can see her whole back, almost the crack of her ass.
So much for conservative.
But I like it.
The material looks soft and shiny and my fingers itch to touch it, to run over the smooth globes of her ass. Long, dark hair is gathered over one shoulder, leaving her back completely exposed. I watch as the girl next to her whispers in her ear and both of them giggle as they walk deeper into the club.
He said I have half an hour, so…
I decide to follow them.
I can’t help but watch the girl’s hips swing as she walks. And I definitely can’t ignore the stares she gets as she passes every breathing dude in the place.
From most of the women, too.
I spotted her too late to see her face, but judging from the reactions she’s getting, I’ll bet it’s a million times better than the view from behind.
And I’ll tell ya, that view is fucking amazing.
I keep close tabs on her as she stumbles a bit in those shoes like she just put on heels tonight for the first time in her life.
Her friend leads her to the bar and just as I’m about to slide in next to her, some douchebag knocks into me, practically falling over himself to get close. The temptation to pull out my knife is strong, but I hear Sergio’s voice in my head.
It doesn’t whisper sweet nothings, either.
I clench my fists and stand down as the girl’s purse crashes to the floor. They both sink to their knees to grab it, and just as she flashes him a grateful smile, she turns in my direction.
Trouble.
Yeah, the promise of it definitely makes my dick twitch.
But this girl? Holy fuck. She’s not just trouble. She’s death .
And just imagine what that does to my cock.
Long, dark eyelashes, dark red lips, bright white smile.
Fuck me…
Even my inner voice is speechless, and he’s always got something to say.
I stand still, rooted to the spot, mesmerized by this crazy spell she’s cast over me for the second time. The first time it happened, she wound up on my lap, pressed against my cock as I drive my fingers into her tight, wet pussy. Her eyes barely flicker in my direction so she doesn’t even see me. All thoughts of Bruno and the Hoodie Brigade morph into white noise as I study her from a few feet away — her profile, the way she throws her head back when she laughs, how the guy next to her lights up like a damn Christmas tree when she places her hand on his arm.
My fists clench instinctively.
I want to be that guy.
But I walked away, not once, but twice.
And definitely not by choice.
I have to use actual effort to tear my eyes away from her a minute later when I remember the reason why I’m here in the first place.
My primary goal has always been to protect the family. I’m loyal to a fault, and would do anything to keep them safe and rich beyond their wildest dreams. But somehow, I always manage to go a little bit too far, cause a little too much damage, kill a few too many enemies.
My intentions starting out are always good. It’s the execution that needs some work.
Execution. Ha. I’m so punny.
When it comes time to act, I think about the people taking advantage of us, fucking us over, and stealing from us, and there’s this fire deep inside of me that roars to life and explodes out of me with a crazy intense force.
I go blind from the rage and devastation usually follows.
But it’s always in the aftermath that I sit back and say to myself, ‘hey, maybe I should have handled that a little differently.’
I know I have the tendency to go off the rails.
I just can’t control myself.
What can I say? I’m a passionate guy.
It’s why I’m on Messina’s radar right now.
That’s exactly why I was under strict orders to stick around the hotel until the syndicate meeting happens. A lot of powerful guys will be here in Vegas for that meeting, and a lot of their enemies will be stalking them.
The underworld is a pretty small place. It’s hard to fly under the radar when you have a certain, ah, reputation.
And my reputation always precedes me.
That’s what has Sergio so panicked and why he’ll have my balls in a vise unless I wrap things up here and get back to the Excelsior fast. It’s no secret that Sergio didn’t want me to take cover out here. He knew I’d bring the fire to the resort, his new baby, his chance to show the syndicate families how well he can rule over his own empire.
Well, I guess it’s really half a baby since the place is partly owned by the Marcone family.
Regardless, he figured I’d cause trouble because it happens everywhere I go, and the people hunting me would hear about it and roast me like a pig on a spit over a flame.
And then that’s when they’d really go to work on me, my family included.
We’d all be screwed.
It’s no surprise he put up a fight when Papa approached him with the plan.
I scrub a hand down the front of my face, a long, slim leg in my periphery.
It takes every ounce of restraint I have to not turn my head.
And it works, for all of five seconds.
See, this is why I’m always up shit creek without a paddle.
No goddamn control.
My gaze flickers over to Lily once again. The guy has disappeared.
For the moment? For the night?
Did she shoot him down?
How did I miss it?
I roll my eyes.
Jesus, am I back in high school?
I glance down at my watch. I still have a little time, and since I don’t know who I’m looking for, it’s not like I can stake out the hacker backer.
One drink won’t hurt.
One drink may actually relax me, make me not want to tear the backer’s arms from his sockets when I finally see who it is.
Yes, just one drink.
I’m not violating Alek’s rule about staying away from Lily. I’m just keeping an eye on her to make sure nobody gets too close.
And if they do, I’ll just step in to protect her.
Hell, maybe it’ll even ingratiate me with Alek and crazy Kat.
I push through the growing crowd, gritting my teeth as I fight my way to the bar. I have no idea when all of these people showed up. I probably missed the influx while I was busy undressing Lily with my mind.
In a blink, a flash of red disappears from the bar, a peal of laughter floating into the air in her wake. She’s clinging to her friend, a little unsteady on her feet.
I watch as she stumbles around, led by her friend to the center of the dance floor. Unconsciously, I move in their direction, sidestepping intoxicated guys and girls who grind and writhe around me. Her body sways left and right, now moving in time to the music. The fabric of her dress slides against her tight body, clinging to her curves…curves I want to dig my fingertips into.
Oh, Christ, what I would do to have those curves pressed against me again.
I slip past her and her friend, positioning myself against the wall like some babysitter. I recognize the girl she’s with now. I remember how she tried damn hard to get me to dance with her and how deflated she looked when I chose Lily.
How the fuck could I not?
I watch as a group of guys surround them. I grit my teeth as Lily falls over a couple of them, placing her hand on one of their shoulders for balance. Her ass is perfectly round, prime for spanking. A tingle jolts me when the thought of my hand slapping her flesh would make her squeal.
Me leaving my mark on her because she needs to be punished for wearing that hot as fuck dress in public and for taking a drink from some random douchebag at the bar. Me leaving her with a reminder of what happens when you don’t think about consequences.
Isn’t it ironic that me, of all people, would have to teach another human being that lesson?
My phone vibrates and I grab it out of my pocket, my eyes still locked on Lily.
We’re pulling up to the place right now. Grab the guys once they’re inside.
Shit. They’re early. I push off the wall and walk quickly to the door, throwing a few looks over my shoulder to make sure Lily is still visible, at least until the crowd swallows her up.
I need to get back to her.
I can’t explain why, but I do.
This is exactly why everyone is always so pissed off at me, why I keep getting myself into these no-win situations.
Because emotion always wins out over logic.
And something about that girl has my dick in a twist.
I want very badly for her to untwist it.
The bouncers step away from the door to let in the next group of partiers, and my hackers bring up the rear. I step in front of them, blocking their path.
“Get the fuck over to the side, now,” I hiss.
The ringleader, the one I had dangling over the side of the parking deck, tightens his jaw and nods at his partners to move. He has a deep gash over his right eye now and I quirk a brow at him.
“Lemme guess. You were stupid enough to think you could get away once that trunk opened, huh?”
He doesn’t answer.
Obstinate fuck.
He still refuses to talk.
I lean closer, placing my hand on his shoulder and squeezing it tight. “If you don’t wanna end up hanging by your fucking ankles again, you’re gonna walk me over to your backer so we can have a nice little chat.”
The two guys Bruno found in the bushes stare at me, eyes wide, obviously panicked.
Like the smart guys they are.
But this one, he doesn’t give me a single clue as to what the hell is going on in his head…or what’s about to happen.
“Let’s go. I see her,” one of the partners mutters.
I recoil.
Her?