Page 18 of Vendetta

A hand lands on his shoulder, and he spins around fast, almost knocking the girl off his lap, but she wraps her arms around his neck for support. He recognizes Colin, another one of ourfriends, and then turns back to the girl, giving her another lazy grin. She wriggles in his lap, and he smiles even wider at her, then leans his head at the back of the chair while she dry humps him in front of us.

Colin takes a seat in a chair next to mine. “Hey, man,” he says, taking my glass and finishing off my whiskey. I nod in response, not offended by his action. I wasn't going to drink it all anyway; the last thing I need is a buzz right now. He looks over my shoulder, searching the room. I notice his gaze lingering on Soraya, something flashing in his eyes before he masks it.

I want to shake my head at him. He’s so predictable.

Colin is a small-time loan shark, though he's always been too nice to actually collect. I met him two years ago when he started working for the Fermi family. After they realized he’s not cut out for it, having lost them more money than he made them, he got the kiss of death. Unfortunately, once you’re in, you’re in, and the only way out is in a coffin. I paid off his debt, but he’s still living on borrowed time.

I know he won't last in this world. It’s just a matter of time until he turns up dead. The thought doesn’t even make me sad. It is what it is.

“How's the old man?” he asks me, eyeing the couple making out in the chair across from him.

“Not old,” I say. Frank is only thirty five.

“Heard about the shipment.” Colin is also a gossip. If anything gets him killed, that will.

“No big deal.” I shrug. One of our own, Digger, turned on us and tipped off the authorities about one of the containers. He admitted to working for Keith. I took care of it personally.

Two bullets to the head, and a whole lot of bribery for the mess he made.

“What happened?” Danny asks, detaching himself from the plaything in his lap for the moment. Colin starts to explain what he heard—most of it wrong, but the gist of it right. I tune them out while they talk about how no one knows who ratted us out.

My cleaner, Saul, took care of that.

I scan the room to find Soraya already sitting in the lap of her next prey, an older man I vaguely recognize from this club. God, she can't be more than eighteen. Her eyes find mine, and she gives me another wink, and then turns back to the older guy, giggling like a schoolgirl. Playing the part, like everyone else.

I want to feel sorry for her, but no one made her come here. Either way, she's better off here than on the streets. We don't take the girls’ money, we make enough on the booze and drugs, and the material we collect for blackmail with their help is more than enough. They’re well taken care of, and we hold them under a contract that’s beneficial for both parties, although a little more beneficial for us.

“Heard about the Moore girl?” Colin’s words catch my attention, his voice squeaking a little with excitement because it’s juicy gossip. Anything about Leighton is. Sometimes it was impossible to avoid her, no matter how hard I tried, because she's always getting herself in some sort of trouble.

I focus my attention on their conversation, but pretend not to listen.

“Sweet, sweet Leighton,” Danny says, his voice suggestive, and I can barely restrain myself from punching his face in. “What about her?”

“She ran off to Ireland after some old guy,” Colin says. “Again.”

I can see why they would think that, although it wouldn’t be with an older guy. She's disappeared before, sometimes for months, only to come back home, and no one held it against her. I understood her in a way. Being her daddy's princess and the only daughter in the family, I’m sure it could get overbearing.

I consider this new bit of information. If Keith is letting this rumor spread, it means he doesn't know where she is. This is good.

“Oh, well.” Danny waves his hand, landing it with asmackon his play toy’s ass. She giggles, and then grinds herself on his lap, throwing her head back with a moan. “Been there, done that.”

No, he didn't. I may think the worst of Leighton, but she would never stoop so low.

“Yeah, we know,” I tell Danny, keeping my voice casual as I lie through my teeth. God knows he's bragged about it before. Many times. Almost as many times as I’ve wanted to pound his head in.

I make a show of looking at my watch, and then stand up. “I'm out,” I tell them. Colin stands up, too, a show of respect. I want to laugh because he shouldn't stand up for me, but I just nod at him. Danny is back to making out with the toy in his lap, making loud smacking noises. He doesn’t acknowledge my leaving and I don’t really care.

I park my car in the garage and make my way inside. Once inside my room, I take off my clothes, which reek of cigars. I take aquick shower to get rid of the smell before lying down, with my hands behind my head.

I allow myself to wonder what she could be doing right now. Probably sleeping, like she did last night when I went into her room.

I force myself to think about something else, like the scene at the club. Soraya, Danny, Colin. Keith.

Leighton.

It's no use.

I sit up, throwing my legs over the edge of the bed, my head in my hands. I'm pulling at my hair so hard I might just rip it all out.

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