Chapter 27
After attending Everett’s garden party, and everything that happened that night, the vibe between him and Raul was completely different.
For starters, Raul couldn’t stop touching him.
If they were in the same room Raul held his hand or had an arm wrapped around his waist or absent-mindedly rubbed his back.
Ji-Su was happy at the change in their relationship and loved the physical affection.
Although it took some time for him to stop blushing at the smiles of the staff whenever they observed them.
They were clearly pleased to see him and Raul together.
Ji-Su thought it was nice that they accepted him and eventually he didn’t get as flustered whenever Raul showed him affection in front of them.
The ranch house staff weren’t the only ones who’d noticed Ji-Su’s change in mood.
The chat right now was filled with his followers commenting on his appearance as he streamed himself playing through one of his favorite missions.
Somebody is glowing.
You look really happy Ji-Su.
He’s been smiling all night.
Look at those bite marks. We know why he’s smiling like that.
At first, Ji-Su had ignored the comments, keeping the focus on his game play.
But when his viewers didn’t show any signs of letting up on the topic, he finally laughed and acknowledged them.
“Everyone! Yes, I am happy because of my blood patron. But are we here to talk about the game I’m streaming or about my personal relationship? ”
Some people answered the game while others responded with relationship.
Por que no los dos?
Ji-Su cracked up laughing again at the reference to the old taco shell meme asking for both.
“Fine. I’ll share a little bit before we get our focus back to the game.
My blood patron and I had a bit of a rough start thanks to a few misunderstandings.
But we recently figured everything out. And now we’re enjoying our time together. ”
He makes you happy.
“Absolutely,” Ji-Su agreed with a nod. “He’s amazing. Gentle and kind and so hot.”
Damn Ji-Su. You’re very lucky.
Ji-Su had to smile at that. He often thought he was extremely lucky to have met Raul. “I am. Now, let’s get back to the game.”
AT THE MAIN CASINO for the night, Raul sat in his office reviewing quarterly reports from all the department heads.
Opening the first folder on the thick stack, he read the neatly typed files sent by the wait staff manager.
Some of the cocktail servers wanted more revealing uniforms to help increase tips.
He wasn’t going to say no to his staff potentially earning more money, so he approved the request.
The report from Customer Service explained that they’d had multiple complaints from guests about the new mural in the lobby.
He’d have to let the interior design team know to come up with something better.
The most important report was from accounting.
According to their report, guest visits were up as were profits.
After working his way through the stack, taking notes to approve or deny requests and follow up as needed, Raul closed the final folder and leaned back in his desk chair.
Paperwork wasn’t his favorite thing to do.
And sometimes it felt too mundane of a task for a boss of a criminal organization to have to deal with.
But the Sanguis Syndicate hadn’t gained their power and wealth on violence and crime alone.
The organization had to be managed as well as any corporate business in order to maintain their achieved status.
With that in mind, John had selected vampires who were able to both run a business and crack skulls when necessary to serve as bosses for the Sanguis Syndicate.
So even though paperwork wasn’t his favorite, he was good at it and he understood its importance.
However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t take a break when he wanted.
There was still lots more to do but Raul wanted to hear his pet’s lovely voice. He took out his cell and pressed the speed dial to call Ji-Su. The call connected after two rings.
“Hello?”
Raul automatically smiled at the clear, sweet sound of Ji-Su’s voice. “Hi, sweetheart. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure. Is everything okay?”
“Right as rain. I missed you.”
A small laugh came over the line.
“You’ve only been gone a few hours.”
Raul could hear the blush in Ji-Su’s voice and he imagined it warming the golden skin of his throat and spreading up to his cheeks.
“Doesn’t matter. I miss you as soon as I’m not with you.” Raul was sometimes taken aback at the strength and intensity of his feelings for his shy human lover. And for a second, he worried that his honesty might overwhelm Ji-Su. But then Ji-Su responded.
“I miss you too. From the moment you walked out the front door I started missing you.”
They both went quiet after Ji-Su’s quiet admission. Raul closed his eyes, simply listening to the soft sound of Ji-Su’s breathing. Happy. The little human on the other end of the line made him indescribably happy.
“What are you up to right now?” he finally asked.
“A new raid dropped today. I’m playing with randoms online to get a feel for it before I play with my team.”
Raul listened to Ji-Su talk, enjoying the passion and excitement he had whenever he talked about gaming. The conversation reminded him that they’d briefly discussed his casino putting on a gaming tournament. He raised the topic again when Ji-Su finished explaining how the raid was going.
“Were you still interested in helping me put on a gaming tournament here at the casino?”
“Absolutely!”
Raul made a note on his scratch pad to speak with the event planner. “I’ll set up a meeting with Elaine, our event planner and we’ll go from there.”
“Sounds good.”
Someone knocked on his office door. A quick glance at the small monitor connected to the security camera outside his office showed Deklan, his second in command, waiting in the hall.
“Come in!” he called out.
The door opened and the tall Irish American vampire with close cut dark blond hair and bright green eyes walked in.
“Security caught a thief. They’re bringing him to you now.”
Raul was instantly annoyed, but he nodded. He hated to end his call with Ji-Su but the thief had to be dealt with.
Deklan took a seat on the couch on the far side of the office while Raul continued his conversation.
The head of security and an additional guard came in, a young man dressed in a Polo shirt and creased khakis between them.
Still listening to Ji-Su, Raul looked at the man then pointed at the chair in front of his desk.
The thief obeyed the silent order and sat.
Everyone waited while Raul wrapped up his call.
“Okay, sweetheart. I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”
Raul ended the call with Ji-Su and turned his attention to the young man sitting in the chair in front of his desk. He looked guilty as shit. As he should, since he’d been caught stealing from patrons on the casino floor.
“What’s your name?” Raul asked him.
“Wally.”
Raul said nothing. He stared the thief down, waiting until he shifted nervously in his seat before he asked again. “What’s your real name?”
“Patrick.”
“Don’t lie to me again,” Raul icily warned him.
Patrick gulped, his Adam’s Apple bobbing.
“Yes, sir.”
“What did you steal tonight?”
“Three—I mean uh... four wallets, a watch, and a pair of designer sunglasses.”
Raul looked at the guard standing behind Patrick’s chair. “Search him.”
The guard stepped forward and went through all of Patrick’s pockets, even checking under his shirt, his pants legs, and his shoes. He pulled out the items Patrick had listed and laid them down on Raul’s desk.
“Look at that. You told the truth.”
“Yes, sir. I did,” Patrick nervously agreed.
“I appreciate honesty.”
The thief tried a charming smile. “Does that mean you’re going to let me go?”
Raul laughed. “Of course I’m going to let you go. I’m not going to kill you for picking pockets.”
Patrick sagged with relief, his smile widening. “Thank God.”
“However...”
Patrick went rigid again.
“I am going to give you a punishment. But since you told the truth and I’m in a good mood, the punishment will be a small one, to teach you a lesson.” He got up from his chair and walked around his desk to stand in front of the thief. “I noticed you’re left hand dominant.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Give me that hand.”
Patrick slowly extended his left hand to Raul. It shook, clearly communicating his fear of what was about to happen next.
Raul gripped that trembling hand with one of his own.
With the other, he took hold of Patrick’s forefinger.
He looked at the thief. His eyes were huge and fat beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
“Never steal from me or my guests,” Raul said before he quickly snapped the finger he held to the side. It broke with a sickening crack.
Patrick howled with pain, mouth opened wide and eyes screwed tightly closed.
Without an ounce of sympathy, Raul repeated the action on the thief’s third finger. The thief escalated to outright screaming and futilely tried to get up and squirm away from Raul’s hold. The guard behind him gripped his shoulders and slammed him back into the chair.
“Fuck! I’m sorry! Please don’t fucking hurt me anymore. Please!” he sobbed.
“Be quiet,” Raul ordered soft and calm.
The man bit down on his bottom lip to silence his sobs and curses. He sat there, breathing hard through his nose, doubled over in pain. He kept his right hand protectively tucked between his knees, as if that would stop Raul if he decided to break those fingers too.
“That’s your punishment for tonight,” Raul said coldly. “For the future, you’re banned from all Sanguis Syndicate casinos. If I see your face in any of them you won’t like what I break next. Understand?”
“Yes!” Patrick nodded frantically, face deathly white and slick with sweat. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now get the fuck out of my office.” He threw Patrick’s hand away from him, uncaring that the rough treatment no doubt sent another shock wave of pain through his injured fingers.
The guard hauled Patrick up from his chair. He was shoved against the wall to have his picture taken to give to the security team. Then, he was dragged out the back way to avoid the casino patrons seeing him.
Raul passed the recovered wallets and accessories over to the head of security. “See that these are returned to their owners.”
“Yes, Mr. Raul.”
The head of security left, closing the door behind him.
Once Raul was left alone with Deklan, Raul returned to sit at his desk.
“I’m going home,” he announced as he started shutting his computer down and locking his files away. He had an itch under his skin to be with his lover. Anything else that needed to be handled could wait until tomorrow night.
“To Ji-Su,” Deklan accurately guessed.
Raul grinned without shame. “That’s right. I’ve been away from him long enough.”
“Enjoy the rest of your night then.”
Raul’s grin turned roguish. “I definitely will.”