“I think Kian is a good man,” I tell him.
His blue eyes darken a shade as his jaw flexes. “Men like me and Kian aren’t good, Lacey.”
Closing my eyes, I let out a long exhale. “You’re one of the best men I’ve ever known. And he reminds me so much of you.”
Luciano swallows but doesn’t say anything, and a few minutes later, he shifts slightly and then lays one of my throw blankets over me. “Sleep,Tesoro.”
The nickname my father used to call me.
A soft smile spreads over my lips as my exhaustion pulls me under once again.
CHAPTER 24
Kian
I slept outside,by my in-ground pool, last night on one of the lounge beds. When I got home from Ace’s house, I skipped going to my room to change or shower. Instead, I came out here, and now, I’m waking up with a sore back and a foul mood.
When I stumble inside, my housekeeper is already here. Thank God she loves me because there’s already coffee made.
“In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you sleep outside. Who is she?” Gretta asks.
At the coffee machine, I grunt, pour myself a cup, and then turn around to face her. “I don’t know what you mean. I was tired last night and fell asleep by the pool.”
She uses a sponge to scrub a spot on the kitchen island, and my cock twitches, knowing exactly what happened on that counter just a couple of nights ago.
“And all the glitter in the house is a new fashion statement?” she asks.
Goddamn Ace and her fucking glitter.
It’severywhere. She leaves a little trail wherever she goes. Reminding me that she was here, in my space, where I’ve never brought anyone other than my brothers before. And I didn’teven think twice about allowing Ace into my home. Iwantedher here. Marking everything with her beautiful sparkle.
“I have to get ready for work,” I say, taking my coffee with me. “Have a good day, Gretta.”
“You too, dear. Sparkle bright like a diamond,” she calls out, then cackles so loud that I find myself smiling as I close my bedroom door.
God, the people in my life think they are comedians.
“Hey,Mr. Savage. Here are the reports for the last twenty-four hours. There was a two-million-dollar win on blackjack here at Royal Aces at about four this morning. The player is staying in room sixteen-twelve. He checked in after he was done. The surveillance footage is already in your email,” our gaming manager says as he lowers the stack of papers onto my desk.
Without looking up from my computer, I nod. “Thanks.”
As soon as he leaves, I sit back in my chair and sigh. I am not in the fucking mood for work. Normally, my days fly by because I’m so lost in all the numbers and operations stuff that I don’t have time to think about anything else. Yet, the only thing on my mind right now is Ace. And her asshole cousin.
Luciano is active in the mafia. He’s the second-in-command. But where does Ace land in all of this? Is she safe? Why does she not have around-the-clock security? If she were mine, she’d go nowhere alone. Not even the bathroom.
Irritated, I hit the space bar on my keyboard harder than I mean to and navigate to my email, then open the top report with a red circle on the front page. I’ve got to get somethingdone today. None of my brothers are showing as online in the messenger on our computers, so I assume none of them are working. Per usual.
I read over the report and stare at the two-million-dollar win from early this morning, then look for the email from the security team with the footage. It’s not unheard of for someone to win that amount of money, especially in a casino in Vegas, but any win over fifty grand, we review. Just in case. It’s how Xander figured out Cassian Black was cheating at poker. And it’s how we’ve caught others thinking they could steal from us and get away with it. Cassian Black is the only one who has ever gotten away with it. The rest of the people who tried to fuck with our money are six feet under, somewhere in the desert.
Once I press play on the surveillance video, I sit back and watch for several minutes until a circle appears around the player, so I know who it is. From the top, it’s hard to see the man’s face as he sits down at the table. A second later, the view swaps to the table view, and I grind my molars together when I recognize the face on the screen.
That bastard.
As if he knows exactly what he’s doing, Luciano looks right at the camera and smirks as he pulls out stacks of money.
Only a few minutes into the video, I lean forward, watching as Luciano Ricci counts cards. “That motherfucker.”
After opening my top drawer, I grab one of the universal door keys and storm through the casino toward the elevators, punching the sixteenth-floor button.
