Page 40 of Dangerous Silence
Axe kept me close to his side and didn’t let anyone come near me. Dressed in a short olive cocktail dress, Axe in his blue suit and red tie, we blended in with the crowd. But when we went through the casino, going down a forest green and mud brown carpet, I skirted too much to the side, nearing a blackjack table, and he yanked me back in.
“Stay on the path,” he said.
“Why?”
“You’re eighteen.” He eyed the room, looking at the different security dressed in vests, wearing headsets. He glanced at me, then added, “We can’t mess with that here.”
A warm buzz crawled over my skin; Axe had actually answered my question. That was one of the ways I knew Axe was nice to me. I felt privileged that he wanted to tell me the answers. So I listened, treating him like we were friends. He might have been an objectively bad person, but if I looked at it his way, that there were two sides to everyone, then maybethiswas the good side of him.
After we got clearance from the concierge, we were escorted behind a red rope to a private elevator, which took us up several floors. It opened into a dim lobby with deep blue walls and purple lights in the corners. A woman in a necklace that connected to her gold dress offered us flutes of pink-colored champagne from her tray. Axe lifted a hand, declining her offer. She walked away.
At first, I was disappointed that he hadn’t let me try it, but then I was flush with insecurity. Why couldn’t we mess with security here? What made it so bad for me to be eighteen?
“I’m not supposed to be here,” I whispered in a harsh tone. “They’ll find out I’m not old enough and kick us out.”
He gave one shake of his head and walked to the bar at the center. I followed closely behind. He approached a man with gray hair and light eyes.
“Marshall,” Axe said, shaking the man’s hand. The man’s face lit up. “How’ve you been?”
“Is thatyou, Axel?” He pulled Axe in for a bear hug. Axe let it happen but didn’t hug back. “How’s your family? Your brothers? I heard little Wilhelm got married.”
Wilhelm?Wilwas too old to be called little. Wasn’t he? “Yes, recently,” Axe said.
“And I see you finally found someone too,” the man, Marshall, said, winking at me. Axe put an arm around me, bringing me closer to him. A deep blush covered my face, making me hot.
“Is Zaid around?” Axe asked.
“Can’t say that I’ve seen him,” he said, clearing his throat. He glanced around, as if waiting for someone to sneak up on him. Then he turned back to Axe. “But you know, he sold his company. Last I heard, he doesn’t come around anymore.”
“He still owns a penthouse here,” Axe said.
“Right. But he must rent it out.” The man shrugged. “He might still be a local. Not sure.”
“Where does or did he live?”
“Now, I know I was his client for years,” the man smiled, “But he kept that a secret too. If you go to Sour Times, you might find someone who knows.”
“Jones’s place?”
“I think Zaid used to have a client who worked there part-time.” His eyes lingered over me, hanging onto my breasts, then dripping down to my sex. “Unless you’d like to stay for some fun. I can see how much more I can figure out for you.”
My face went hot, and Axe’s grip tightened on me. “We’ll be on our way,” Axe said, sternly. “Thanks.”
“Gone so soon?”
Axe guided me away, then he whispered, “If he says one more word—” But then he stopped, biting his tongue. What was he leaving out?
We drove back through the city. The flashing lights never stopped, but instead of being proud in the sky, they were shorter, near the ground, as if people couldn’t be bothered to look up that far. A flat building with orangish-pink paint had a sign that saidSour Times Casino. Unlike the Opulence that reeked of decadence, this place made me shiver. It seemed scummy, like the bottom of a shoe.
Axe led me to a corner of the room to a slot machine that had a giant, furry animated cat on top wearing a thick gold chain and slippers. The machine buzzed with a disco tune as soon as I sat down.
“I’ve got to find someone,” he said. “Stay here. Don’t talk to anyone.”
I raised a brow. “You think I want to make friends here?”
“If someone tries to talk to you, tell them you’re with the Adlers.”
“You like holding onto that name, don’t you?” I asked. “We’re not in Sage City anymore.”
