A woman with coppery hair shrieks as Salerno scoops her into his side. “Where’d you think you’re going?” He leers at her before grabbing her hand and shoving it down the front of his pants.
“And that’s our cue to leave,” I murmur, striding across the room with Leo trailing behind me.
“The men will be talking about this for years to come,” Leo says when we exit the room into the much quieter hallway.
“You’re not staying?” I inquire as we walk. Leo doesn’t do relationships either, and he’s not opposed to screwing whores.
He shakes his head. “There’s a difference between fucking whores who are into it and a girl who’s been kidnapped and forced into the sex trade. I might have indulged in Vegas a few times, but that was only to appease the asshole back there.” He jerks his head in the direction of the ballroom. “That shit ain’t my scene.”
“Glad to hear it,” Ben says, stepping out from the door that leads to the basement. He wipes his bloody hands on a towel while kicking the door shut with his foot. Before it closes, Gambini’s anguished howls waft up the stairs. Salerno really wants to make him pay so he has him strapped to a chair in the dungeon with his guts hanging out. “And our men will know after tonight it won’t be happening again.”
Disgust radiates from his eyes, and I know he’s not happy some of our soldiers are in there enjoying Salerno’s twisted hospitality. To refuse would have insulted the newly reinstated don, and Ben can’t afford to piss him off. Not now he finally has allCosa Nostrain the US under the control of The Commission.
Most of oursoldatiare just drinking and observing, but a few idiots are indulging in everything on offer, and their days are numbered. Intelligence is a quality Ben looks for in all of his men, and he’s expecting them to use their smarts today. To party without shitting all over the values and qualities the boss has instilled in us. “I’m tempted to use my favor to force him into quitting the sex business.” Ben says, throwing the dirty towel away. “But I don’t want to be hasty either. We may need it, and he wouldn’t go for it anyway.”
“Did you get anything out of the traitor?” Leo asks as we walk in the opposite direction, away from the party room.
“Nothing. Gambini’s loyal to the Bratva. I suspect he’s probably been a plant for a while, and they were biding their time to strike.” We follow Ben into Salerno’s office. Leo walks to Saverio’s liquor cabinet to fix us drinks while Ben and I drop onto a drab-green velvet couch, with suspicious-looking stains, positioned in the corner of the big room. Ben kicks his feet up onto the coffee table, stifling a yawn. “I wish we could get the fuck out of here and head home, but Salerno would not take kindly to it.” I know he’s anxious to get home to Sierra and Rowan, and this isn’t how I wanted to spend my Saturday night either.
“We’ll leave early.” Leo places an unopened bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle on the coffee table along with three glasses. He grins as he opens the bottle, pouring generous measures of the expensive bourbon into our glasses. “Figure we’re owed this after today.”
Ben smirks as he raises his glass in a toast. “Hell yeah.”
The door swings open, crashing against the wood paneling on the wall with a loud thud, and I grab my gun from my holster, jumping up as I spin around and face the entrance.
“Where’s Daddy?” Anais asks, pushing into the room uninvited. A gleeful smile glides across her mouth when she spots Ben.
“He’s indisposed,” I say because no young girl should be subjected to the shit going down in that party room.
“How are you here?” Ben frowns as he stands. “Your father said you weren’t arriving home until tomorrow.”
“I got bored.” She drops the fur coat she’s wearing on the ground, sauntering toward the boss with clear wicked intent. “But I’m not bored anymore,” she purrs, lifting her hand to touch Ben.
Ben grabs her wrist before she can touch him. “Put your hand on me one more time and we have a problem. I’m sick of telling you I’m happily married and you can’t go around touching me or flirting with me. It’s disrespectful to me and my wife, and if you continue, you will cause issues for your father. Is that what you want?”
She bats her eyelashes and smiles. She really is something else. “Aw, Ben. You’re no fun. You know I’m only teasing.”
“Cut the crap, Anais,” Leo drawls. “No one’s buying it.”
“You should be hanging around kids your own age,” I say, putting my gun away and sitting back down. “And not hitting on men old enough to be your father.”
“He was my fiancé at one time,” she protests.
“I was never your fiancé. You’re a kid, and the last thing I wanted was a child bride. Whatever fantasy you have in your head ends now, Anais,” Ben says. “I mean it. I’m done putting up with your shit. Your father may indulge you, but I most certainly won’t.”
Color blooms on her cheeks, and for a split second, she looks embarrassed. But she recovers fast, and I’ve got to give her kudos for springing back so fast. She shrugs, pushing her shoulders back, as if it’s no big deal. “Alessandro is right,” she says. “You’re way too old anyway.” She peers into his face. “You’ve even got wrinkles. I’m not into creepy old dudes.”
Leo breaks into a coughing fit, attempting to disguise his hilarity. Ben has a face like thunder, and Anais’s mouth is digging her into an even bigger hole. “Girl, quit while you can,” I suggest, gesturing toward the door. At this rate, she’ll be lucky to leave this room alive.
Her eyes glimmer with mischief, and she licks her lips as she blatantly checks me out.
Oh, hell to the no. This shit is not happening. I narrow my eyes at her in warning.
She twirls a lock of her hair as she drills me with a piercing look. “You’re not that much older than me and you’re still single, right?”
“Get lost, Anais,” Ben snaps, losing the tenuous control on his emotions. “Go to your room, and play with your dolls. There’s a good little girl.”
I stuff my hand in my mouth to conceal my laughter when I see the look on her face. Her eyes darken, and a muscle pops in her jaw as she shoots daggers at Ben. I think the infatuation has definitely ended. “There’s no need to be rude.” She flips Ben the bird before spinning on her heel and trotting out of the room, slamming the door behind her for extra dramatic effect.
