Page 37 of Game of Love
“This is Vinny, Frankie and Freddo.” Armand introduced them respectively.
Vinny had a tattoo of a black panther on his neck, Frankie had a nasty looking knife scar on his cheek, Freddo was clean shaven and seemed to be the youngest.
They all looked at me, assessing me.
“Guys,” I said tipping my head for a curt nod.
“New guy,” Vinny said with raised brows.
“Yup,” I replied straightening up.
Vinny just looked at me. Frankie didn’t say anything. I assumed they were like this for the same reasons Armand had pointed out.
“This is our area. We protect what’s here, all that is inside,” Armand explained pointing to the rows of vault compartments.
“What’s inside?” I asked.
“That’s on a need to know basis,” Frankie answered for him. “That information is classified and if Giovanni sees fit, he will tell you.”
I sensed an edge of anger in his voice.
“He will tell you if the need arises,” Armand added. “The bulk of our time is spent watching over the casino floor by day and the special games that take place at night.”
“What kind of games?”
“High stakes poker games.”
Okay… poker games, the castle with vaults containing secrets I’d be told on a need to know basis. It was clear that the secret I wanted to know was not going to be divulged to me.
So, maybe I didn’t make that big of an impression after all.
I was going to be watching the area though with them so that was something. I’d gotten this far. it was just annoying as fuck that I really was going to have to figure out where the blueprints were being kept.
Shit, that might take forever… and there was no surveillance in this area. Finding the damn prints was looking like it was going to be more harder than I’d anticipated, and what I’d anticipated was already hard.
Armand moved over to the floor to ceiling glass window and I saw it held the view of the casino below on the lower ground floor. It all came full circle and was definitely quite the set up. Two hundred bedrooms in the world class five star hotel, a renowned casino and this space here. It was all very impressive.
We both stared down below at the crowded floor. It wasn’t even ten yet but the place was busy with life.
Busy with life yet the two of us saw the beautiful blond woman at the same time.
Jia walked by the roulette table and stopped to talk to one of the croupiers. She wore another dress that looked like it was made for her. It was a simple black business dress that was supposed to look professional but all I could see was how she made the damn thing look sexy. Her, not the dress.
Feeling eyes boring into me, I looked back to Armand and found him already staring at me.
“Beautiful isn’t she?” he asked in an even tone.
“Yes.” I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to say.
“You can impress the boss all you want. Jump hurdles and do your fancy card tricks, Xander Cage, but be warned to watch yourself when it comes to Jia Marchesi. She belongs to me. Do not go there.” That fake smile filled his face again. Fake and filled with a warning I should heed.
Do not go there…
Yes, I knew that and I thought I deserved an award for my resistance of the beautiful blond who had looked at me like she wanted me on every interaction I’d had with her.
It was only because it was in my best interest not to go there that I was staying away.
“Easy tiger,” I replied and he walked away from me.
