“Really?” The appreciation was clear in Stone’s blue eyes. It was obvious to anyone who had eyes that the fucker was not feeling good. He might topple over halfway there. Or worse, get everyone we had on payroll sick, and then who would clean?
“Yeah, why not?” I shrugged. “How hard can it be to talk about being discreet? It’s not like I had any plans anyhow. Just tell me what you want me to say.”
Hours later, I’d simultaneously regret and appreciate offering to help him out.
2MARTINA ‘MARTY’ GOMEZ
My back was killing me, and my feet had their own damn pulse.
All that, and I hadn’t even started my workday.
It was going day. I could feel it in my bones. Bones that felt a lot older than my twenty-eight. I waved at some of the girls I worked with as I rushed into the locker room, where housekeeping dressed and got ready for their day. Opening the door, I shoved my purse in and started to get undressed when I heard the clip-clapping of all-too familiar heels.
“Gomez, you’re late.” I winced at the sound of my manager behind me. Mary Morales was pretty chill as long as you were punctual and kept your head down.
Coincidently, the two things I was not.
“Sorry, boss!” I called out over my shoulder. “The traffic was insane,” I used as an excuse, but we both knew it was just that. An excuse.
“Hmm,” she grunted and sighed. I glanced at her and watched as she took a seat on the benches that faced the lockers. I wasn’t fazed by this. It was just her way. The woman probably walked about thirty thousand steps a day working here, so I just kept getting dressed.
“I have you back in the VIP rooms,” she said, breaking the silence just as I buttoned up the top of the uniform dress. My fingers lingered on the top button.
“Mary.” I took in a deep breath and turned around. “You know that Pope isn’t going to want me back there after?—“
“That member was handled,” she cut me off with a no-nonsense tone she was great at. I swallowed and stared down at the woman just a couple of years older than me.
“Mary.”
“He won’t be an issue,” she repeated, her back a little straighter than before. My lips pursed as I wondered if she even believed that.
“I know, but even if he isn’t there and was… handled, there are still the men he works with.”
“Those members have been warned. By Pope himself.” I blinked at her. “They won’t be an issue.”
“Okay.” I rolled my shoulders and started to pull my long dark wavy hair in a ponytail so I could pin it into a tight bun. If I was going back to the hotel area of the casino instead of the clubhouse, I’d need to have it up and out of my face.
“One more thing,” she said, and when I looked at her, I knew I wasn’t going to like what she was going to say.
“What’s up?” I braced myself. There was something in Mary’s dark eyes that made me feel like I was holding my breath.
“They’re going to have Stone come in and talk to us. About being more… discreet.” I could tell by the look on her face she was trying not to wince.
“Discreet?” I gaffed. “Wait, they want us to be discreet when it comes to things like what happened—“ The look Mary gave me made whatever other words I was going to say die on my tongue.
The knots in my belly tightened.
It’d been four days since the night a member had cornered me, and I’d kicked him in the balls. Anger heated my veins. I’dknown the casino was run by the Steel Sinners, a motorcycle club with their hands in all sorts of things. Some good and some not so great.
And while they weren’t squeaky clean, I’d always thought they were good guys. Stand-up men who wouldn’t stand for assholes being assholes with women. But now I wasn’t so sure. Especially after what Mr. Monopoly, as we liked to call him, had said to me.
“I guess when what happened, happened, one of Mr. Monopoly’s associates found out and must have leaked the story. No press picked it up, of course, but… other members heard.”
“From us?”
“No, but now the members worry things aren’t as discreet and quiet as they’d like.”
“But they want us to keep our mouths shut and what? Just stand there and let one of their overly privileged members think it’s okay to?—“
