The woman stopped dead in her tracks, looked me up and down, and laughed.
I cut my eyes at Jeremiah, who looked at me with the same mix of confusion and irritation.
“Did boss man get a new mistress?” Al asked as he appeared behind us.
John Valentine definitely had a type when it came to the women he entertained outside of his forty-year marriage.
Box blonde. Body like a winding West Virginia road. Facial features that came out of a syringe. And a complete disinterest in whatever he was doing between the hours of midnight and five a.m., just as long as she got her allowance.
Unfortunately, tonight, I didn’t have the patience to onboard his new flavor of the month.
I was running on very little sleep after dumping a somewhat-alive body at a dead drop on the outskirts of Pennsylvania’s Amish country so that he could become someone else’s problem.
Was having a boring night too much to ask? Just one night where I didn’t have to drive across the fucking state, scrub blood out from under my fingernails, and didn’t have my ears ringing from the sounds of someone’s screams?
The earplugs I kept on hand hadn’t helped in the slightest.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Ma’am, you can’t be here yet. The casino opens at seven today.”
She looked me up and down. “Must be a shitty casino if it doesn’t open until seven.”
“It is,” I deadpanned.
Her lip curled in amusement. It was the only part of her face that showed any expression. “Well then. Allow me to change that.” She stuck out her hand. “Jolie. I’m the new dealer.”
My hands stayed firmly planted by my side, but she didn’t seem all that bothered by it.
Jolie raised her extended hand in a silent statement of surrender. “I get it. It’s a boys’ club. I’ve worked at plenty of those.” Her lashes were as fake as her demeanor. They flicked up and down. “Let me guess . . . Security?”
“Something like that.”
Amusement danced in her eyes. “Well. Don’t let me stop you from . . .” She looked around. “Securing an empty room.”
I glanced at Jeremiah and cocked my head, giving a silent order for him to show Jolie to the back, where everyone clocked in, and the row of decrepit lockers where everyone kept their shit.
I hadn’t used my locker since my first day, choosing to come and go with nothing but my car keys and phone.
“Dealer, huh?” Al said as he watched Jolie strut across the casino.
Well, as he watched her ass before turning to me.
I glared at him. “What are you looking at me for? Do I look like I’m in charge of hiring around here?”
Al reared back. “Someone’s grumpy today. You need to get laid.”
I needed much more than getting laid, but honestly, that would be a good start. My bed had been cold for half a decade. For a few years, the celibacy hadn’t bothered me. I didn’t want to answer questions about why I was gone all hours of the night or why I barely slept when I was home.
I needed a vacation. Getting laid would be nice too. Maybe both.
One was a long shot, the other was a pipe dream. Both together? Inconceivable.
But those few stolen moments sitting beside Amelia on the beach felt like a vacation. Honestly, talking to her felt better than sex.
It felt like I could breathe.
But Amelia was the one person I didn’t want to see here tonight.
Thankfully, the ritualistic security checks, money counts, and reviews of the banned patron list offered a mental reprieve.
