Page 7 of Her Guardian
“Got it,” he says. “Alright, you got two options. Boss said to tell you some stories, like the ones you’d overhear in Rafferty’s. We can go into this bar, have a few drinks, and talk. Or we can go to Rafferty’s, and you can just see what you can overhear on your own. Your choice.”
Both options are tempting, but I need a little more information. Plus, I don’t know if Boyd will be very forthcoming. I might not get much content at all if it all has to come directly from him.
“What is Rafferty’s, exactly?” I ask.
“A place people hang out,” Boyd says. “Not just the Morandi family. We run Las Vegas, but we don’t micromanage it. Rafferty’s is neutral ground. No violence inside. You break that truce, and your own family will turn against you.”
“And the guys just talk about stuff there?” I raise my brow. “Openly?”
“Well, they’re not going to own up to murders or talk about where the bodies are buried, but you’ll hear some stuff if you listen,” he answers. “It’s a rough atmosphere, though, and not really a place for little girls.”
“I’m not a little girl,” I fire back for the second time, taking a quick puff of my vape. I haven’t been alittle girlfor a long time. I’m not even that short—unless I’m standing next to Boyd. “Besides, I don’t think anyone is going to mess with me if there’s no violence allowed.”
Especially if I’m with this giant of a man. He looks like he could take out an army without breaking a sweat.
“Nobody will mess with you,” he says confidently, shaking his head as he opens the door. “Let’s go then. Rafferty’s is across the street.”
I glance at the bar we’re in front of and across the street. Rafferty’s is much fancier. The front looks more like a restaurant than a bar. That could be a good thing. I’m a little hungry. I skipped lunch because I wanted to see Massimo.
Boyd walks to the corner and I follow him. The intersection isn’t very busy, and Boyd starts walking before the light says we can, so I scurry behind him. I’ve explored Las Vegas a little since I started coming here, but I’ve never been to this part of town. Rafferty’s is well-maintained, but everything around it looks fairly rundown.
Boyd reaches the other side of the street ahead of me by what feels like a mile, so I hasten my steps. I’m still catching up when we get to the front door of Rafferty’s. There are two guys standing there, both wearing black suits with red ties. They’d be intimidating as hell if I wasn’t standing next to the human embodiment of a mountain.
“Morandi,” Boyd growls. “Boyd Sagona.”
Sagona? Is that his last name? That’s very unusual.
“And her?” the guy on the right asks, motioning to me.
“She’s with me,” Boyd says.
The man on the right nods to the man on the left, and he opens the door. Boyd leads me inside, and I’m nearly knocked off my feet by the strong smell of smoke. Thick cigar smoke. I look around in confusion, and then I realize what kind of place Rafferty’s is.
“This is a cigar bar?” I ask, doing my best not to gag.
“Yep,” Boyd confirms, straightening his jacket. “I told you it wasn’t a place for little girls.”
“I’m not…” I start, then bite my tongue and breathe through my mouth instead of my nose. “It’s fine. I’ll manage. Do we get a table, or what?”
Why does he keep calling me that?
Why am I starting tolikeit?
“Follow me,” Boyd grunts.
Food is out of the question. I don’t think they serve it, and even if they did, I don’t think I could eat it here. Breathing through my mouth is working. It’s like that time I went to the city and the smog was really bad.
I finally test a few lighter inhales through my nose and it’s not entirely unpleasant. Just a big cloud of earthy-cherry-vanilla and a few other things blending together once I get used to it.
I follow Boyd to a table that is located close to the right wall. Boyd takes the seat closest to the wall, which is a good thing, because he’d block the aisle. I don’t have that problem. Plus, this puts me closer to the conversations happening behind me.
“Do you want a cigar or just a drink?” he asks sarcastically.
The cigarette was a mistake, so I think I’ll stick with strawberries and cream.
“A drink is fine,” I say, looking around. “I guess I can vape in here?”
“Yes,” he says. “You could have sex in here if you wanted to.”
