Page 45 of Savage Proposal

Just under an hour later, I was standing in the foyer, dressed in one of my nicer suits, when Isabella started down the stairs.Damn, I should have suggested this before. The dress looked even better than I had imagined it would. Its neckline plunged just a little, and the red fabric clung to her, emphasizing her shape.

I expected her to ask if she looked all right—Sienna liked to be told—but Isabella simply held up her hand in ata-da!gesture. “Are we waiting for Elio or Damian?”

I shook my head. “It’ll be just us.”

Isabella blinked, obviously surprised, but she kept whatever thought she had to herself. A part of me wanted to pry, to demand that she say whatever came to her mind, but I also appreciated her lack of chatter. When she wasn’t being an absolute menace, Isabella could be very introspective.

The ride into the city was a quiet one, but as we got closer to the warehouse district that housed the Vitali casino, she glanced at me. “Is this a date?”

I nearly said no. I hadn’t been on a date in years. I hadn’twantedto. There had been women after Sienna passed, but they were fleeting things to satisfy my urges. But I couldn’t deny that this was different. “I’m going into the casino for work,” I finally settled on. “I figured that you would appreciate getting out of the house. If that’s not the case, I can take you back.”

Isabella’s shoulders drooped slightly. Was she disappointed? “I do appreciate it,” she said. “I guess I thought…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad to get some fresh air.”

She wanted this to be a date, that was clear. I didn’t want to begin trying to unpack that, so I let the subject drop and ignored the near-tangible tension that grew between us. Instead, I focused on getting us to the casino.

For a Wednesday night, the parking garage was already packed. I wound around the parking spots, going higher and higher, until I saw my personal spot and pulled in. I got out, intent on going around to let Isabella out, but she opened her own door and was standing on the pavement by the time I came around. I ground my teeth together. Sienna would have waited for me. It felt wrong not to open her door, like I wasn’t doing my job.

We walked to the private elevator, and I stood too close on purpose. I put my hand on the small of her back and watched her throat bob when she swallowed hard. What was I doing? Torturing her? Foreplay? I couldn’t decide. With my free hand, I pulled a plastic card from my pocket and held it up. “You can play any game you like with this,” I told her. “No charge.”

Isabella pursed her lips into a line, and then she shook her head. “No,” she said. “Thank you.”

It clicked a second too late.Goddamnit. I brought her to the place where her father essentially ruined her life. This was a mistake; I shouldn’t have brought her here. I turned and steered her to the bar that stretched along the far wall. “Here.” I helped her onto a stool on the side. “Order whatever you like. I have a few things I need to deal with.”

Isabella blinked a few times, like she was actively working to not say something bratty, and then she nodded. “Okay. I’ll just…be here when you’re done, I guess.”

I hummed and made eye contact with the bartender. He was young, Elio’s age at the very most, and he looked terrified.Good. “Keep an eye on her,” I said.

“I will, boss.”

I did a preliminary check-in with my pit bosses and managers, and they all said the same thing. There had been more fights and disruptive behavior in the last week, and it seemed to be steadily getting worse. But they couldn’t explain why. “It’s never the same type of people,” Guiseppe, the lead pit boss, said. “Never the same age group or situation. It’s like everyone has just gone crazy.”

I didn’t believe in coincidences. Violence happened at times; it was inevitable in a place like this. Tension coupled with alcohol and drugs, fights could break out in an instant. But I had put reliable men in place to keep things running smoothly. If they were having problems, then it was serious.

“We’ll figure it out,” I promised them. “Can someone get me the security vids for the last week? I’ll review them in my office.”

I looked toward the bar where Isabella was sipping at something obnoxiously colorful and then headed to my office. Looking through the footage, I agreed with Giuseppe. There was no rhyme or reason to the disruptions.

But I did see one thing that each incident had in common. They were all started by someone who didn’t stick around for the fight. This confirmed my assumption that the increase in violence was deliberate.

I was reaching for my phone to call Damian when the office door swung open. I could hear the commotion even before thesecurity guard yelled for me to come. I took the 9mm from the desk drawer and clicked off the safety.

The casino had devolved into chaos. A handful of men were duking it out in the middle of the blackjack tables, vicious and intending to do real damage to themselves and to my casino. I would let the security guards handle it, but I could see Isabella from the corner of my eye, ducking behind the bar now.

I aimed the gun in my hand upward and fired twice. A few of the cocktail waitresses screamed, but the noise effectively put an end to the fighting. Heads turned toward me, and a few people, red-faced and angry, blanched when they saw who had fired the gun. There were two men on the ground.

“If you can walk without assistance, it’s time to leave,” I announced, pitching my voice loud enough that it carried through the room. “Now.”

There was a slight surge as people went for the exits. Security slowed a few up so that there wasn’t a rush, and I let them handle getting everyone out. My focus shifted to the bar. Isabella was standing up now, eyes wide and round.

I walked to her. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes drifted to me, and although she was shaking, she nodded. “Those men are hurt,” she said.

“I’m not worried about?—”

“Is there some kind of med kit?” she asked. “I’m assuming you can’t just call 911.”

I looked at the bartender. “Get her the first aid kit.” The young man went running, and, very quickly, he came back with thewhite box. Isabella took it from him, and I went with her to where the two men were on the ground, groaning in pain.

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