Page 37 of Brutal Knight

"Knight?" She plastered on a smile. "Tatiana warned me someone was outside, but I had no idea it was you."

I didn’t honor her lie with a response. "We need to talk."

"Of course," she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears. The look was sweet and simple, yet captivating. She’d managed to figure out how to appear both innocent and seductive at the same time. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the smile that had gotten Benny in trouble.

"Would you like something to drink?"

She walked off, not waiting for me to answer, and I shook my head in disbelief as I shut her door, then followed after her. We entered a large, two story living room, with a wall-to-wall TV screen, playing a muted reality show.

I sat down on a light pink, velvet sofa, shoving aside a fuzzy purple pillow, and made myself comfortable. She stood at the white marble mini bar and pulled out two glasses. "Is vodka okay?"

“Yes.”

It took her longer than usual, and when she returned, I sat the glass down on the glass coffee table without drinking it.

She sat across from me, grabbing the pillow I’d discarded to cradle it against her chest. She took a sip of her drink, studying me, a finger tracing over her collarbone. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Everything.” I leaned forward. “You’re going to tell me everything.”

EIGHT

As soon asI was outside the gates to Poppy's neighborhood, I shot off a text, then sped down the road, headed towards downtown Las Vegas. Rook had been unexpectedly invited out of town—a summons he couldn’t turn down, and so I only had a short window of time to take care of this.

He’d instructed me to wait until he returned, but I needed something that I hadn’t told him about.

I was doing that more and more lately: keeping secrets from him. I didn’t like it, but it was necessary.

Rook didn’t need to know the things I kept hidden inside, even things I didn’t want to admit to myself.

Besides, after Knight’s revelations in the shower, Rook was keeping his own secrets.

I blew down the freeway, receiving the confirmation text as soon as I got off and headed towards the west part of the town.

The streets were jam packed, the city alive in the middle of the night. I crept along until I arrived at the Elite Majesty Resort. It was right over the border into cartel territory, and one of their busiest hotel and casinos.

I pulled up to the valet and handed my keys to Julius with a fifty dollar tip, a kiss on the cheek, and instructions to keep it safe.

As I walked towards the entrance, I felt eyes on me as I made my way through the lobby. I was used to the sensation; men watched me everywhere I went. But tonight, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled with awareness—something was off.

Teresa, dressed in a black corset, a short, tight leather skirt, and fishnet stockings—her work uniform—passed by me, a tray of empty glasses in her hand, headed towards the bar.

She met my gaze, winking, and I nodded, indicating that I would find her later, then stepped onto the casino floor. The sounds and smells flooded my senses and I inhaled a deep breath, taking it all in.

When Rook first brought me here, I’d been bedazzled by all the flashing lights and chaos of these places. They were much more fancy and glitzy than what I'd been used to back in Cuba. But now, the bright lights didn't faze me.

After procuring chips, I leisurely made my way to the blackjack tables, wading through them until I found the dealer I was looking for. A jack of spades was tattooed on his left hand and his name tag revealed ‘El Brujo’.

I sat down, and immediately his eyes went to me. They were sharp, taking only seconds to assess me before they moved back to the man sitting next to me, then the three girls after that.

I was immediately offered a drink. Glancing upwards, I smiled at Teresa, glancing at her hands. She had three fingers wrapped around the edge of the glass, and I nodded, taking the glass she offered me. I would rely on her for the rest of the night to offer me drinks with the least amount of alcohol.

“Thanks,” I took a sip.

“I see she didn’t have to pay for that.” The man next to me grumbled.

“That’s because she’s beautiful,” Teresa gave him a cool look, “she’ll keep you here, spending at the table.”

The man smirked, glancing towards me. He did a double take, his gaze burning into me as he took in my face. Then he gave me a lazy smile, speaking to Teresa. “I’ll take what she’s having.” Dirty blond, ruffled hair, with white, straight teeth, the man was handsome. He was wearing an expensive suit, showcasing an athlete’s body.

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