But there they were. Eight frat boys scuffling around on the floor like frat idiots. Reno grabbed up three of them by himself and hurried them out of a back emergency exit that led outside, while his pit bosses gathered up the other five.
As soon as Reno made it outside, he threw the three he held so hard away from him that they stumbled and fell. “You cocksuckers think you gonna come in my casino,my casino, and pull this bullshit? Are you out of yourgotdamn minds?”
“They started it!” One of the young men on the ground yelled at Reno as his pit bosses tossed out the other frat boys. “We were minding our own business and they came for us!”
“You think I give a flying fuck who started it? You don’t pull that shit in my establishment ever!”
“I told them, sir,” said another one who realized they were being put out of their enjoyable Friday night. “I told them you don’t mess with Mafia. I told them!”
Reno frowned. “What mafia? I should kick your ass for general stupidity alone. You trying to get me shut down? Ain’t no mafia up in here.”
The frat boys looked doubtful as they looked at a man who looked like the epitome of a mob boss. It was Vegas and they knew the history of that town. They knew Reno Gabrini once ran his old man’s outfit even while he was a casino mogul, and that he still had mob all over his family tree. But he was acting as if the mob was as foreign to him as Mandarin Chinese. “We meant nothing by it, sir,” said another hothead. “It won’t happen again, sir, we promise you. It won’t happen again.”
“Oh I know it won’t happen again because your asses will never step foot in my casino again.”
“I told them you don’t play that, Mr. Gabrini,” said a third one. “I told them!”
“Any of you staying at the PaLargio?”
They all reluctantly raised their hands.
Reno looked at his pit bosses. “Get security to escort them to their rooms so they can get their shit, and then I want them to kick their asses out of my hotel too. Make sure you put them on the list. They’re never coming back,” he added as he looked disgustedly at them, and walked back inside.
He could hear the young men begging him for a second chance and crying about how he was ruining their weekend, but Reno didn’t give second chances to assholes who disturbed the enjoyment of his casino for everybody else because they couldn’t control themselves. He never gave second chances when his business was at risk. Although, he also knew, he was looking to get chance number a thousand from Trina.
Katrina, he thought as he walked back across his casino. Like that hurricane bearing the same name, she was a force of nature too. And she was acting as if he’d done it this time all because he couldn’t make it to some dinner date. As if he’d stood her up for the final time and she was done with his ass.
But he knew better than that.
There was no way he was losing Tree.
A sudden pop sound startled him. He turned quickly to the sound only to see a guest opening a bottle of champagne as a group sang happy birthday to him. But when he turned back around to keep walking, he turned right smack into a voluptuous beauty whom he nearly knocked backwards when he turned into her. He grabbed her by the waist to stop her from falling. “Are you alright?”
“I will be,” she said politely as he helped her stand back upright. Which put them face to face within an inch of each other. Which caused Reno’s memory to activate. “Wait a minute. Do I know you?”
The woman was staring at him too, but she seemed devoid of any memory of him. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not that I can recall.” Then she smiled and extended her hand. “I’m Deborah, by the way.”
He shook her hand. “Reno.”
But that spark of memory didn’t leave him. It was deep-down, as if it was just a cursory meeting if they did once meet, but it was there. Even her smile seemed familiar.
“Nice meeting you, Reno. Have a great day,” she said with a big but polite smile, and kept on walking. Reno watched her leave.
“Haven’t you had enough of that?”
It was the voice of his oldest son Jimmy. He turned to the sound. “Enough of what?”
Jimmy didn’t respond. He knew what.
Reno gave up long ago trying to convince even his children that their image of him as a man up to all sorts of bad behavior wasn’t true. “Have you seen Tree?”
Jimmy hesitated. “No, I haven’t. You?”
“Earlier. She went to dinner with Sal and Gemma, but I thought she’d come by the casino when she got back.”
“Were you supposed to have gone with her to dinner?”
Reno didn’t want to answer that.
