Chapter 2
Adrian Black
“I don’t care what clan they belong to. They are not going to feed in my casino,” I snarled, and Enzo nodded quickly.
“I know. What do you want me to do with them? If we kill them, it could anger some pretty important people,” he replied. When I growled once more, he didn’t take it personally. He’d heard it all before. Enzo Walters was my beta wolf, my second in command. In my absence, his word was law to my pack.
I ran my hand over my face in exasperation.
“They’re not Asamire, right? Do we know what clan they hail from?” I asked, too aggravated to go digging for clues myself.
“Not that I can tell. They might just be a pair of loners, or they could be affiliated with one of the lower families. Maybe the Ravnos or a sect even smaller than that,” he answered.
I sighed. I’d only owned my casino for a year, but some days I felt like it was more trouble than it was worth.
I’d bought one of the reigning hot spots on the strip after removing a particularly troublesome mobster from power, Ricky Gambino.
I’d given the place a much-needed facelift.
It was now known as Lupo and was one of the strongest contenders on the Vegas strip.
Most nights, my hotel was sold out and my casino tables were full.
I liked that. It meant my pockets were always full.
In most worlds, my trouble would stop at card counters or the occasional hotel guest getting too fucked up and messing up one of the rooms or an appliance breaking that needed to be fixed right away, but mine was more complicated than that.
Las Vegas had a rich history. Sure, most humans knew of the vast mafia ties it took to get Sin City off the ground.
Back in the 1950s, the mob got its start in the Flamingo hotel, and it only grew from there.
They helped build the Sahara, the Riviera, the Sands, and the New Frontier.
Their reach only continued throughout the years as the money started rolling in.
Federal agencies passed a series of laws that were aimed at fighting organized crime, but that only made the reigning mob families dig in deeper.
At some point though, the human families started to lose traction to a much stronger species. The vampire mafia gained a foothold and they’d been gathering power ever since. Today, they ran this city, and I was trying to get a piece of it back.
So far, I’d been successful. I had friends in some of the human sectors who liked to give me intel on the vampire clans here on the strip and surrounding territories. I’d even garnered a few allies of the vampire variety, which I considered a massive victory on my part.
I was the first wolf shifter to dare set foot in Vegas and I had no intention of leaving now that I was here. I was going to pave the way for other packs and one day, maybe the world here would be more balanced between the wolves and the vampires.
But fuck. Some days I wondered if it would all be worth it.
“I don’t want to make waves with the Asamire.
I don’t want to make a move until we’re certain they aren’t affiliated with them.
Why don’t you put them down in the cells and dry them out a little?
Perhaps a parched thirst will make them more amenable to our questions,” I finally offered and Enzo grinned.
“I think that would be wise, boss. I’m pretty sure they aren’t, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious about it,” he replied.
“Is there anything else I should know about?”
“Vinny’s man called me. I don’t remember his name. It was different than the last one though,” he smirked, and I sat back, crossing my legs and planting my heels on top of my massive wooden desk.
“What did he want?” I asked with a sigh.
“Your boots look nice,” Enzo delayed, and I snorted.
“Freshly conditioned and shined. Pretty little thing when she was on her knees for me too,” I countered, and he shook his head, but there was a hint of a smile that he refused to show. “Don’t give me that. She was the one that offered.”
“The one you met at the bar the other night?” he asked.
“Yup. She was auditioning for one of the shows in our theater and was looking for her big break. I told her I’d put in a good word for her downstairs and she just wanted to thank me. Properly,” I replied with a wink.
“I bet she did,” he replied, openly smirking now. “And that included shining your shoes.”
“Among other things,” I grinned.
“Did you have a good time?”
“I did,” I said after a moment. “She was quite talented.”
“I’m sure she was,” he answered with amusement. “You should know that there appears to be a new player in town.”
“Another Asamire assassin or something?” I asked.
I’d fought off a number of the like in the past and they’d been a royal pain in the ass.
I really wasn’t looking forward to another.
When I’d first come onto the scene, the Asamire clan had sent a few to warn me not to encroach on their territory.
For the time being, I’d listened to their wishes.
In time though, I would move against them, but I had to wait for the right moment.
I wanted to gain more power here in the city. I needed more allies. More revenue. More casinos on and off the strip.
“No, not Asamire. Human. It would appear she has connections. Maybe Russian or some outside family looking for a way in,” he continued.
I raised an eyebrow.
“That’s not all. It would appear that she was female.”
That was more than rare. “A human female kingpin?” I asked. “You’re pulling my leg. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Maybe. All we know is that she killed Joe Shapiro and Tony Siegal, and both their consiglieres. She killed Vinny’s too. For some reason, she decided to let that lowlife continue to breathe.”
“Really?”
“Yup. His man filled me in on all the details. She snuck in through their trafficking ring and broke out. When she found Joe, Tony, and Vinny, she was looking for someone. When they wouldn’t answer her questions, she killed them one by one with guns she stole off a guard.
Apparently, she was looking for another girl.
One that went by the name Irina Kotova.”
“Huh. One woman against six men. Impressive.”
“I know, right?”
“A new contender is always an exciting opportunity,” I murmured thoughtfully, and Enzo’s grin widened even further.
“She wanted to know where this Irina girl was. I took the liberty of looking into her a little bit because I thought you might be interested…”
“Good man,” I responded proudly. I could always count on Enzo.
“She’s an eighteen-year-old citizen of Belarus.
Some weeks ago, she was supposed to start college in Minsk, but she disappeared without a trace.
With some digging though, I found her. Some girls had picked her up on their cell phone cameras when they were taking a selfie in the Venetian.
Irina was being shuffled into one of the VIP sections behind them. ”
“So, the Asamire have her,” I answered carefully.
“It would appear that way,” Enzo replied.
“I’ll give Vinny a call. Anything else I should know?” I asked.
“Her name is Natalia,” Enzo offered.
“Got it. Good work, Enzo,” I responded, and he stood up to leave the room. By the time the door shut behind him, I was already dialing Vinny’s number. He picked up on the second ring.
The two of us talked for an hour. He told me every small detail about this little badass slip of human woman.
She was small, slender, and beautiful and she’d somehow gotten herself trafficked through the right channels on her way to rescue this woman, Irina.
She was smart. She’d taken out a man more than twice her size without a sound.
He’d been unable to call anyone to his aid, but in the end, she’d helped him eliminate Joe and Tony, two men that I’d known had been thorns in his side for far too long.
He didn’t appear to be too bothered by their loss. If anything, he was already moving in to buy their respective hotels off the strip.
“She could be useful, Vinny,” I offered, and he grunted in agreement.
“Human, but yes. We could use her skills I think,” he replied.
By the time the conversation ended, I’d bought her phone number off of him. He’d been more than willing to part with it for a few bills.
“If you want to play with fire, Adrian, be my guest. Just leave me out of it. I saw the look in her eyes when she held those guns in her hands. That wasn’t the first time she’s killed a man.
If anything, she’s probably been the last person a great many people have had the misfortune to see,” he warned.
“I can handle a human female, Vinny. When I set my sights on one, she doesn’t get away unless I let her,” I replied.
“Your funeral, wolf,” Vinny countered, and I chuckled.
“We need allies against the Asamire, Vinny. She could be very useful,” I repeated.
“Good luck, Adrian. I mean it,” he replied, and the phone clicked.
I dialed Natalia’s number after that. Excitedly, I listened to it ring once, then twice and then a third time until she picked up on the other line.
“Hello,” she answered, her voice delightfully light and musical. It was airy and soft, nothing like the vision that Vinny had painted of her.
“Natalia,” I purred.
“Who is this?”
She was perfect. “My name is Adrian Black and I know where Irina Kotova is.”