“Good morning.”
“Ready to start?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, giving him the same tight-lipped smile.
He turned and I followed him. We walked up to a set of large oak wood automatic doors that opened for us.
Once we got inside I widened my eyes at what I saw.
It was a whole other world apart from the casino.
Below us was an open plan section with rows of desks with workers sitting at them, literally like an office setting. That was practically the whole ground floor and I guessed there were about a hundred people down there.
“This is what we call the back office. Our admin team if you will,” Armand explained. “All paperwork is done here. All business deals filed. Anything to do with the hotel chain and casinos are all managed here. There are separate managers for each department.”
“Wow, I never knew Giovanni had a set up like this,” I stated.
“He sure does. The man is a genius. It’s like a whole ecosystem set to run by itself.”
A whole ecosystem indeed.
It made me realize that the place had different security systems because we hadn’t seen any of this on camera. It was something I could report back and Wes could check out.
“We consider this branch headquarters, although technically the other hotels and casinos on the strip is bigger. It’s just that this was where it all started.”
“Have you been with him for a long time?” I asked because of the admiration with which he spoke.
“Not as long as the others. Six years. Fresh out of college. Our families go back to Italy. I always had a job lined up for me with Giovanni if I chose it.”
“And you chose it,” I filled in.
He chuckled. “Of course. Only an idiot would pass on an opportunity like this. It was down to starting out on a salary of twenty grand a year or six figures. Which would you choose?”
I smiled. “That’s a no-brainer man.”
“Precisely.” He pointed through a door and I followed his gaze. “That’s us over there. There is no surveillance past that point.”
“What’s over there?” I asked.
“The Castle.” He smiled.
“Castle?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed Giovanni is very fond of playing cards. He’s the king, we’re the knights. That is the castle.”
“What of the queen, the joker and the ace?”
“The queen is dead and you don’t ask about her. That would make you the joker who ends up dead. The ace is me, his most trusted.” He made a show of flicking invisible lint off the shoulder of my jacket.
This guy really was a prick. I hated being touched, but I’d let him have that on account of this being a job and me trying to blend in on my first real day.
“Gotcha, Ace.” I smiled.
“You will meet the others now.” He started walking again and I followed.
He proceeded in the direction of the metal doors. Unlike the oak wood doors, these opened when he pressed his fingertip to the panel.
We went inside and I saw straight away that this section was different to everywhere else.
This section was more spacious, yet had further subdivisions that were sealed like vaults. It took me two seconds to guess that if the prints were going to be anywhere it was here. Had to be.
Absolutely fucking had to be. No surveillance so it couldn’t be seen.
It was the best way to keep something hidden.
“What’s down here?” I asked.
“Secrets.” Armand looked at me, giving me a cold stare and stopped to regard me. “It’s curious. Very curious indeed.”
“What is?”
“You. The rest of us had to wait at least a year to venture down here, yet you come along and hey presto, he wants you in on his secrets.”
That was none of my doing and very curious indeed. Last night’s conversation came to my mind. It seemed like I’d made more of an impression on the Vegas mafia king than I realized.
“I don’t know what to say. Maybe he likes me a lot.”
“Could be, but you know what’s more curious? Him thinking one of you was enough to replace four people.”
“Well, that says a lot about me now, doesn’t it?” It was my turn to be a prick. I leaned forward and flicked invisible lint off his jacket, smiling at the annoyance that washed over his face.
Armand didn’t answer. He just continued walking and I followed.
The corridor was our final destination.
There were three men standing there, talking and laughing. They looked the part of standard mobster tough guys.
I’d seen them the other night at the recruitment.
“This is Vinny, Frankie and Freddo.” Armand introduced them respectively.
Vinny had a tattoo of a black panther on his neck, Frankie had a nasty looking knife scar on his cheek, Freddo was clean shaven and seemed to be the youngest.
They all looked at me, assessing me.
“Guys,” I said tipping my head for a curt nod.
“New guy,” Vinny said with raised brows.
“Yup,” I replied straightening up.
Vinny just looked at me. Frankie didn’t say anything. I assumed they were like this for the same reasons Armand had pointed out.
“This is our area. We protect what’s here, all that is inside,” Armand explained pointing to the rows of vault compartments.
“What’s inside?” I asked.
“That’s on a need to know basis,” Frankie answered for him. “That information is classified and if Giovanni sees fit, he will tell you.”
I sensed an edge of anger in his voice.
“He will tell you if the need arises,” Armand added. “The bulk of our time is spent watching over the casino floor by day and the special games that take place at night.”
“What kind of games?”
“High stakes poker games.”
Okay… poker games, the castle with vaults containing secrets I’d be told on a need to know basis. It was clear that the secret I wanted to know was not going to be divulged to me.
So, maybe I didn’t make that big of an impression after all.
I was going to be watching the area though with them so that was something. I’d gotten this far. it was just annoying as fuck that I really was going to have to figure out where the blueprints were being kept.
Shit, that might take forever… and there was no surveillance in this area. Finding the damn prints was looking like it was going to be more harder than I’d anticipated, and what I’d anticipated was already hard.
Armand moved over to the floor to ceiling glass window and I saw it held the view of the casino below on the lower ground floor. It all came full circle and was definitely quite the set up. Two hundred bedrooms in the world class five star hotel, a renowned casino and this space here. It was all very impressive.
We both stared down below at the crowded floor. It wasn’t even ten yet but the place was busy with life.
Busy with life yet the two of us saw the beautiful blond woman at the same time.
Jia walked by the roulette table and stopped to talk to one of the croupiers. She wore another dress that looked like it was made for her. It was a simple black business dress that was supposed to look professional but all I could see was how she made the damn thing look sexy. Her, not the dress.
Feeling eyes boring into me, I looked back to Armand and found him already staring at me.
“Beautiful isn’t she?” he asked in an even tone.
“Yes.” I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to say.
“You can impress the boss all you want. Jump hurdles and do your fancy card tricks, Xander Cage, but be warned to watch yourself when it comes to Jia Marchesi. She belongs to me. Do not go there.” That fake smile filled his face again. Fake and filled with a warning I should heed.
Do not go there…
Yes, I knew that and I thought I deserved an award for my resistance of th
e beautiful blond who had looked at me like she wanted me on every interaction I’d had with her.
It was only because it was in my best interest not to go there that I was staying away.
“Easy tiger,” I replied and he walked away from me.
I turned my attention back to the beauty and watched her.
Staying away would be a lot easier if she didn’t appeal to me.
Even now she fueled that spark of curiosity that made me want to know more about her and want her.
Bad idea.
Very bad idea, especially since I wasn’t who she thought I was.
Chapter 9
Jia
“I think it would look more legit if I came with you,” Anya bubbled, rubbing her bony hands together.
I set my gaze on her and wondered if she was being serious.
She swung herself around in my desk chair in that habitual manner she always did when she got a bright idea. Then the chair creaked as she straightened looking at me with expectancy.
She’d come by earlier, all apologetic for standing me up and not answering my calls and messages the other night. We’d confined ourselves to my room with all the peace offering candy she’d brought.
Apparently, she was no longer with Mike. I was just waiting to see how long she would be able to stay away from him this time.
“You’ll seriously come with me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.
She tapped away at my computer keyboard and nodded. My very clever best friend had come up with the brilliant idea to go on a cruise to the Mediterranean.
Her plan was for me to take my leave and make my way over to Europe. With my birthday coming up she was sure Pa would be willing to cut me some slack. I wasn’t so sure it would be so easy.
What had happened at the recruitment session pushed me to a place I couldn’t quite describe. I wasn’t talking to Pa. I didn’t know what to say to him.
It was like someone had pulled the wool from over my eyes and I saw the monster within.
The whole situation just made me realize I truly couldn’t stay here and I couldn’t take the time I’d wanted to either to plan. I’d had a very sketchy plan to wait for my birthday in four months but now I felt that was too late. I had to leave sooner.
Last night I looked up flights to Europe and worked out a way to take cash out of my account every week without Pa noticing. Starting this week I’d take out a few hundred dollars and start putting it aside. The type of plan I had brewing would need cash payments. For everything. I was hoping I could maybe make a move in six weeks if I could stick it out that long and if all went okay. A month to six weeks of taking a few hundred dollars out each week could get me close to ten grand. I spent more than that shopping in any one month and Pa spent so much more just on his cars and other vehicles.
So that was it. The goal was ten G’s. Get the cash then split.
That was the first part of the plan.
After the warehouse drama I came home shaking and cried myself to sleep.
It was the first time since Ma’s death that I’d needed to speak to anyone.
Anya was there for me when Ma was killed. When Pa eventually allowed people to see me she was there for me.
What happened the other night was different to that time, however. It was an incident I couldn’t talk about. Couldn’t say anything to anyone, couldn’t share my shock with anyone.
Couldn’t talk about it full stop.
“So what do you think?” She smiled and nodded her head. The blunt ends of her bob brushed the underside of her jaw.
“Anya, I think that realistically, this may be a trip I may have to make on my own. And in the worst case scenario I wouldn’t be able to tell you where I was going.”
That was the reality of it.
Worry filled her eyes. It washed over her pretty face and she moved away from the computer to join me on the edge of the bed.
When she sat next to me I suddenly thought of us as little girls. She’d always come to my house. That would have been my parents’ mansion.
Anya and I had known each other since we were five.
We met in kindergarten and had been friends ever since.
She knew me and more importantly knew who I was. Not just for the fact of me being Jia Marchesi, but she could fill in the blanks too, and just know if there was something I wasn’t saying or talking about, when it was bad.
Earlier when she’d come by, I’d simply told her what Pa had said about Europe and the shit with Armand. I followed that up by telling her I needed to leave.
I’d never expressly said that before.
“Jia, maybe you should think this through a little more,” she offered.
“Yes, maybe I should but how long is that going to take? Thinking things through and coming to a conclusion? Especially when my father seems to be doing all the thinking for me.”
She sighed and pursed her lips together. “Jia, I just don’t want you to do something to make the situation worse.”
“I don’t think it can be any worse than it is. This is me being careful Anya. I have to do something. Whatever that something is… it gives me hope. The cruise won’t work. There’s been too much talk of Europe and angst over Armand. Pa will suspect something.”
“So what would you do? Just disappear one day?”
I smirked without the humor and blew out a ragged breath. That was actually the plan.
She glared at me when I didn’t answer. “Jia, you can’t. I’ll be worried sick. I’d worry so much over you. You can’t just disappear on me.”
“I think I’ll have to.”
“How will you do it though? If it’s not your Pa watching you like a hawk, it’s his men.”
I couldn’t help but think of Xander as she said that. It was the reference to the hawk. Of anyone I’d ever heard being compared to that saying he definitely fit the bill in every essence with his keen eyes.
Unfortunately, eyes that were not on me.
The man told me he was off limits to me. That was really a new one.
“What is that smile for?” She grinned. “I can’t keep up. You’re smiling like you’re thinking about a man.”
“I am. See this whole thing has made me crazy. I’m one of those people who can’t decide what to think about first.”
She giggled. ”You never told me about a man.”
“Because there’s nothing to tell.”
“But the fact that we’re talking about a man signifies you like him. Jia Marchesi doesn’t talk about men she has no interest in.”
I shook my head at her although she was quite right. I didn’t talk about men that never held my interest.
“He’s Pa’s new recruit. Hot like sin but not interested in me.”
“What man with eyes isn’t interested in you?” She actually widened her own eyes like the thought was unheard of.
“Anya I could say the same for you. It’s only because I’m in this slump that I haven’t started on you about Mike.”
She frowned. “I’m trying Jia. It would be easier to say no to him if I’d never fallen for him. I know he’s bad for me and I actually feel proud of myself for turning him down this time. It took me a few days, but I got there and just at the point where he looked comfortable. Like he thought he had me back. We were in a restaurant when I caught him blatantly checking out some woman’s rack. I was sitting in front of him and I just thought, fuck this shit. I can do better. So I did. I’m here and he’s been calling me but I’m not going back to him.”
I listened to her and felt proud too. This was the first I’d heard her sound so strong and determined in what she wanted with regards to him. I guess I could take back the annoyance I’d felt the other night because it had led her to this point.
“You sound like you know what you’re doing,” I encouraged her.
“I do, don’t I?” She arched her lips in triumph.
I inclined my head. “You do.”
“Cool, well back to you and your g
uy.”
I laughed now. “He’s not mine Anya. I think right now he’s just a good distraction. A nice one.”
A distraction that was still to do with Pa.
Xander saw what kind of man Pa was. It didn’t bother him. So what kind of man was he?
“I just need to focus on this plan of mine.” I nodded and the worry returned to her face.
I definitely understood her worry. I truly did. We were the kind of friends who worried about each other. On this occasion though I had to put myself first.
The less she knew the better for her. Pa wouldn’t hurt her, at least I hoped not. He’d want information from her though. So this was where I’d stop talking about what was going on with me.
Focus on the plan…
Focus on the plan…
Yeah sure, I had every intention to do just that until I woke up the next morning and saw that my car was gone.
My car was gone and one of Pa’s limos waited for me outside on the drive.
When I stepped out the front door of my house, processed that my car was gone and this limo was now there, I nearly breathed fire.
I very nearly did, and probably would have too if that feeling of impending doom hadn’t taken me down.
Frankie stepped out of the limo and looked me over when I approached him.
“What is happening? Where is my car?” I asked him, doing my best to restrain the tremor in my voice.
“Boss’s orders, you are to come with me,” he replied.
My lips parted and I sucked in a sharp breath.
“Where is my fucking car?” I shot back, not accepting his answer.
“Gone, do you see it anywhere? Now come.”
It was the way he ordered me. I raised my hand to slap him but he caught it and tightened his grip on my arm.
“Don’t do it. Don’t you fucking do it.” The corners of his lips turned up into a snarl and his eyes blazed with fiery anger. He stood at six feet and was solid muscle like a tank. In comparison to my five feet and four inches he towered over me and didn’t hold back on his strength. “If you didn’t belong to the boss I’d probably pop a bullet in that pretty little head of yours. Don’t piss me off, Jia. I don’t care who you are. I’m not above spanking the shit out of you.”
Ace of Hearts Page 8