Page 15 of Russian Roulette
“You have billboards?” Jade whirls back around to face Seven. “Are you famous? Who are you?”
“I’m someone who is running very late,” Seven says. “That’s all. Kit, are you ready to head back to Vegas?”
“Wait! Hold up, guys!” I jump up from the table. “Where the hell are you going? We just got here and now you’re leaving. This wasn’t the plan.”
“We’re going back to Vegas,” Seven says. “It’s obvious the Russians are still after her, regardless of what she says. You’ve got her for the night, Vulcan. You’re the only one that’s free.”
“Who said I’m free?” I argue. “I’m not free, I’m never free. I’ve got plenty of shit to do. I didn’t sign up for babysitting some chick we just met. You’re not putting this on me.”
“I’ll rephrase it then,” he says. “You’re the only one of us not under a fucking contract to work tonight.”
“Dammit! No way. You’re not ditching her here with me. I need my space. And this was your idea, not mine. Take her with you if she needs watching after.”
“He’s right,” Kit chimes in after a moment. “Leaving her here alone with him isn’t a good idea, for many reasons I won’t go into. What about you, Leroy? Can you stay here with her tonight?”
“Hell, no!” Leroy exclaims with a loud snort. “Don’t you dare include me in your crazy plans. Whatever the three of you cook up is on you, not me. I’m a bodyguard and a driver, that’s it. I’m not in your little circle jerk of insanity. How many times do I need to remind you of that? I’m heading to the car while the rest of you figure out what you’re going to do. Leave me out of this shit. I did my part by getting her out of the casino. That’s it for me.”
As Leroy passes Jade on his way to the car, he leans in to speak with her. “Listen, ma’am. I’m sorry for my part in all this. If I may give you one piece of advice, before I go. Don’t fuck with Vulcan. I’m not joking. He’s not someone you want to mess with.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Jade replies, throwing me a curious glance. “By the way, Leroy, how are your balls?”
“Still hurting like a motherfucker,” he replies.
“What did you expect?” She tries to hide a grin and fails. “That I would get into the car and go with you willingly?”
“My mind wasn’t that far ahead,” he says. “Just to be safe, if I ever meet you again, I’ll be wearing a jockstrap and watching out for my junk. Remember what I said.”
She flicks her eyes over at me again and nods. Leroy walks to the SUV, followed by Kit and Seven. I quickly move in front of them to block the passenger door with my arm.
“I’m not comfortable with this,” I say, lowering my voice so Jade can’t hear. “What am I supposed to do with her all night? There’s barely enough room in the RV for one person, much less two. There’s never been a woman out here with me.Ever.I hate strangers in my personal space.”
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” Seven replies. “What the hell is wrong with you? I’ve never seen you this worked up over a girl. We need to keep her hidden until we learn the real story with the Russian mob. If Giovanni believes the Russian mob is after her, then you can bet your ass they are. He’s searching for her too, so she can’t return to the casino. There are security cameras everywhere. We might as well feed her straight to him.”
“What the hell did she do to make the two most dangerous groups in Vegas go after her?” Kit asks.
“No idea,” Seven says. “All I know is that she’s in grave danger. Far more than she realizes. She might be safer with the Russians than Giovanni. His family history in Sicily is brutal. We can’t let him get his hands on her. He’s a monster dressed in a tailored suit.”
“I agree,” Kit says. “Do you believe her story about the Russians trying to kill her?”
Seven and I both nod. “Her story sounded real to me. Why can’t Kit’s place work?” I ask. “The ranch is massive and protected with layers of security.”
“I’m working tonight, too,” Kit says. “And I’m not leaving her there alone. For now, it’s all on you, buddy. I don’t like it either, knowing how batshit crazy you can be. Try to keep your hands off her and bring her to my place tomorrow morning. You can handle one night. It’s your turn to take one for the team.”
“You’re a bunch of fucking assholes!” I angrily slam my hand on the hood of the car in frustration. “Don’t blame me if this doesn’t turn out well. I mean it. Not one fucking word from any of you.”
Turning around, I stomp back to the picnic table where Jade is sitting calmly, observing us. What am I going to do with her?
This will be a night from hell.
7
JADE
“What’s the verdict?” I ask when Vulcan storms back my way with a clenched jaw and furrowed brow. “Am I stuck here alone with you or not?” Being alone with Vulcan makes me more uncomfortable than I want to admit. For a million different reasons.
“There goes your answer.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder at the SUV, pulling quickly away with clouds of dust floating up behind it. “Those bastards dumped you on me.”
I raise my eyebrows at him. “Dump is a strong word, considering you’re the one who kidnapped me and brought me here by force. Remember tying me up and throwing me into the car? You did that, not them. I was close to getting away from those two until you stepped in. I take it things aren’t going as planned?”
