The casino was finally calming down, and the midnight crowds were tapering down to a few stragglers. Memphis, Creed, and I were posted at the front entrance like we owned the damn place. I was more than ready to call it a night and seeing Deen’s smug expression was getting on my last nerve. “Don’t see why he couldn’t have hired someone with a little personality.”
“Missing Bog again?” Creed teased.
And yeah, it stung a little.
Not just for me, but for all of us.
Bog had been a beast, too, but he had a way about him. He didn’t have to stomp around like he was waiting for trouble to tap him on the shoulder. He was quiet and loyal, and he was as fierce as they came. You could tell that by the way he carried himself and the way he spoke.
He would’ve given his life for any one of us, and he did.
Sergei had taken in Alina, and he was doing everything he could to protect her from her asshole ex. It wasn’t easy. She had heavy connections to the Russian mafia. It was a life Sergei had fought hard to walk away from, but with Bog's help and ours, he’d managed to forge a life of his own. Alina was a threat to his new life, but the old softy couldn’t turn her away.
In no time, he fell for her, and I’m pretty sure Bog did, too. It would’ve been hard not to. He was with her day in and day out, and when they came for her, he put up a hell of a fight. Unfortunately, they got the best of him, and we lost him.
I’d gone over that night a million times, but there was nothing any of us could’ve done to stop it. Regardless, it was a shame to lose him. “Bog had style. This Deen character is just a dick.”
“Admit it.” Memphis elbowed me. “You’re jealous.”
“Why the hell would I be jealous?”
“He’s prettier.”
Creed choked on his own spit, and Memphis started rolling with laughter. Deen glanced over at us, giving us a scolding look, and I wanted nothing more than to punch the asshole right in the nose. “Prettier, my ass. The man looks like he wrestles grizzly bears for foreplay.”
“Maybe so but look at that jawline.” Memphis cocked his brow. “While you got…”
“Say it.”
“Personality.”
Creed burst out laughing again. I didn’t flinch. I was used to their bullshit. It came with the brotherhood—unprovoked disrespect at all hours of the day. I shook my head and grumbled, “I hate you both.”
“No, you don’t.” Memphis threw his arm over my shoulder, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “You’re just mad that Deen’s out-Goosing you.”
“Not possible.” I brushed him off. “There’s only one Goose around here.”
“Thank God for that,” Creed scoffed.
I flipped them both off, then turned my attention back to the door. The crowd had trickled down to nothing, and the lights had dimmed. It was a good feeling. It wouldn’t be long before we’d all head out to the parking lot and make our way home. I was thinking about how good it would be to have a cold beer and a hot shower when Creed announced, “You know, I think our time here is about done.”
“What the fuck you talking about, brother?”
Creed shrugged like he hadn’t just tossed a bomb on us. “We were brought in to keep the trouble off Sergei’s back and keep the locals from causing bullshit. We’ve done that. Things are smooth now. Have been for months.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Other than the bit with Alina, things had been good. Damn good.
That didn’t mean I liked where this was headed. Memphis didn’t either. His brows furrowed. “So what? Things are going good, so Sergei’s gonna cut us loose?”
“No. We’d be cutting ourselves loose.”
“Prez know about this?”
“Yeah, he’s the one who mentioned it to me.” Creed kept his voice low and steady as he explained, “It’s time we either buy in, and I mean, really buy in. We get a say and a stake, or we walkaway and let Sergei and his brothers take back the reins and run the place their way. They’ve earned that.”
I let out a deep breath.
