“Wait for me to come get you,” I muttered to Bianca before opening the door and handing the valet cash, along with the keys. “Park it as close as you can.” I added another bill to the ones I’d already given him.
“Yes, Sir. May I get your bags first?” he asked, eager to please in hopes of getting an even bigger tip than the one I’d already given him.
“No. I’ll grab the bags,” I assured him as I moved to walk around the front of the car and to Bianca’s door.
I opened her door and held my hand out for her. She took it and expected me to let her go, but I didn't. I pulled her in close to my side and nuzzled her hair as I whispered, “There are cameras, and we’re in love, remember?”
Technically, there was no reason for me to hold her so close; the cameras were just an excuse. Nobody knew where we were or what we were up to. I’d disengaged the GPS in this SUV a few days ago and reported that it needed to be fixed so that I would have an excuse for why they couldn’t track us by the SUV. They would have to track us with the phones, and I’d hacked both to show we were staying down at the Blackwater Crown Casino, which belonged to the D’Angelo family, another Italianfamily that had worked with the Morellis for years. The father died in a car crash years ago, and the son took it over. The father had been a good man, but the son was just as bad as Luca Morelli, so we didn’t trust him as far as we could throw him.
I walked to the back of the SUV and opened it, reaching in for my duffel bag and her hard suitcase. “Did you pack enough?” I winked at her, and she blushed.
“I didn’t know what to wear to my wedding since I don’t have a wedding dress, and we aren’t getting married in a normal way.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I made a promise to myself that one day I would give her the actual wedding she deserved. She should be treated like a princess on her wedding day and not like a dirty little secret.
“You’d look good in a paper sack, Bianca.” I handed her the handle of her rolling case and shouldered my duffel, then reached for her free hand. To the world, we looked like an ordinary couple and not a couple being forced into an impossible position to keep each other safe.
“May I get your bags?” another hotel employee asked as we walked through the automatic doors, our hands linked, our arms and shoulders touching.
“You can take hers if she wants, but I’m good with carrying mine.” I gave the woman a nod of thanks.
“No, thank you.” Bianca smiled politely. “I’m fine.”
The employee walked away to offer assistance to another patron coming in behind us. It was the first time I’d ever been in the casino. The polished navy marble floors with gold veins. Front and center was a large curved reception desk where a few employees were helping guests. The marble from the floor extended onto the desk, but had warm wooden and brass accents and soft gold lights. The logo for the resort was in brass behind the two employees.
There were several couches in the lobby that were long and curved around a massive electric fireplace. They were plush and looked inviting; several guests were sitting and talking as they sipped on drinks that were likely free to encourage the spending of more money.
By the looks of this resort, the Russians were making bank. It made me wonder why they would ever have dirty business on the side.
“Welcome to Obsidian Shores.” The woman behind the desk smiled with genuine warmth as we approached to check in.
“Mr. and Mrs. Reed,” I said, pulling out the clean ID and credit card to match.
“Sure.” She quickly typed the information into the computer and smiled. “I have you down for the Onyx Suite on floor forty-two.” She quickly magnetized the cards to open our room, then stuck them in an envelope. “This is a map of the resort, along with a brochure with all of our amenities. If you need anything at all, just let us know. The number for the front desk, as well as for your floor butler, will be by the phone in your room.”
“Thank you.” Bianca smiled at the woman and accepted the folder as I signed the receipt with an illegible scribble.
“You’re welcome. Do you need assistance with your bags?” she asked, and Bianca giggled and covered her mouth.
“No thanks, we’ve got them.” I gave the woman a small smile and headed toward the bank of elevators that was just off the floor of the casino.
When we stepped away from the front desk, Bianca laughed again, not bothering to hide it. “They really didn’t want us carrying our own bags.”
I smirked, glad she sounded more relaxed than she had in the car. Bianca was stressed over the fact that we were getting married in the morning, and the fact that decisions for her life were being made by everyone but her. I couldn’t say I blamed her, but I would try to ease the burden of it from her shoulders as best as I could. She would have more freedom with me than with the cartel for sure.
“I will say this for Obsidian Shores, if nothing else, they are worried about customers' right to carry.” It was a double entendre for the gun that I had hidden in my duffel. Bianca must have picked up the meaning because she chuckled softly as we entered the elevator hand in hand.
Chapter Seven
Bianca
My stomach twisted in nervous knots as we rode the elevator up to the forty-second floor. Everything about this hotel was luxury and opulence. “This hotel must cost a fortune,” I muttered to myself as I watched the number above the door climb.
“Eight hundred a night,” Lorenzo answered.
“And why do we need to stay three nights again? We could have just taken a day trip down here, gotten married, and driven back.” I bit my lip. Three nights in a hotel room with Lorenzo Vitale. I wasn’t sure my heart, let alone my ovaries, could stand it without combusting.
“We have the license. I have someone ready to marry us in the morning, and we will spend time down here to give the illusion that the marriage has been consummated.”
I could feel my face flame at the word consummated. Sex with Lorenzo. It took everything in me not to fan my face at the mere thought of sleeping with this man. I’d fantasized about him on more than one occasion. Since I didn’t have a life outside of my dance, I read a lot of romance novels.
