Page 41 of Dangerous Silence
“We own a resort and casino back on the Strip,” he said. Of course they did. His family was part of the mob. I should’ve stopped asking questions by now.
He disappeared through the maze of machines, and I leaned back in the seat. Curiosity made me want to figure out what Axe was doing, but I also knew that if Axe was telling me to do something, that I should listen. I had learned quickly that he rarely spoke, but if he did, he did so with purpose.
Though the indoor smoke was thick, the slot machines themselves were empty, as if ghosts were smoking around me, not actual people. About ten minutes passed when I finally got the nerve to touch the buttons on the machine. There was a chance that I could gamble and no one would notice that an underage adult was using the machines. But I also knew there was a reason for those rules—perhaps a stupid one, but a rule nonetheless. Still—if I pushed a button but there wasn’t any game playing, was that breaking the rules?
And why did it matter if I pushed a button? Was I reallythatworried? After all I had been through, I shouldn’t have cared.
Taking a deep breath, I jabbed a button. Nothing happened. So I went for my wallet.
“Screw it,” I said.
I added a five-dollar bill. The machine lit up, making the cat’s eyes turn bright pink, and I pressed the red button. The wheels spun, and then a picture of a lemon, a seven, and a Siamese cat lined up. I pressed the button again, watching as I wasted away pennies. Fifteen cents per button press.
Right as I was about to use my third to last draw, the machine boomed with an orchestra of meows, and I lurched back in the seat. The screen started an animation of cats lining up for battle, using slingshots with bell toys.
“You here with someone?” a man asked.
I glanced over. The man was in his forties, black shaggy hair at the sides of his head, gold-rimmed sunglasses, his skin pale. I turned back to the machine.
“I said, you here with someone?” the man asked again.
“Piss off,” I muttered. “Leave me alone.”
“What’s that?” the man said, putting his hand on my arm.
I cringed. Why was he touching me? He knew I had heard him.
“I said, leave me alone,” I said in a stern voice.
“But honey, you’re here all alone, aren’t you?” He grinned, his teeth stained yellow, the shade of his sunglasses. “I can see you’re too young to be here. You know what happens when you break the law in Jones’s territory?”
I blinked. What was his problem?
“But I can help you,” he grinned. “All I need is a little gratitude. You know.” He brushed the back of his fingertips down my arm. My skin crawled.
“I’m with the Adlers,” I said. “I’m not alone.”
“Funny you say thatnow,” he laughed. “I don’t give a fuck who you’re with. The Adlers haven’t been here in ages. Too good for us. But not you,” he winked, leaning into the machine. “Not you, little pet.”
Where was Axe? He squeezed my arm and I revolted.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I whispered in a harsh tone.
“That sounds like a threat.”
He grabbed my arm and jerked me out of the chair and I swung my purse, hitting him in the face, which stunned him enough that when I jabbed him in the face, he blinked, rubbing his eye. He glanced to the side, and two other men came out from behind the machines.
“You want to help me with this?” the man asked.
They took steps toward me. One of them grabbed my hands, forcing them behind my back, while the other held my chin, pinching my face.
“This little bitch was breaking the law,” the first man said. “Jonesy wouldn’t like that.”
“Hmm,” one said, then tightened his grip on my chin.
Shit. Where was I supposed to go?
“Police!” I shouted. “Please! Security! Help!”
