Page 91 of King of Cruelty

“Nope. The money ran out and even though I’d gotten a job with Mr. Nikitin’s casino, Fast Eddie was already on my tail. I’m telling you this now is because I know you think my father was or is someone of importance, but honestly, I don’t think so. What I believe is that he adored my mother. There’s no way he’d want her to die without seeing her again. Either that meant he was dead, or he’d lied to her all those years. If that was the case, I was determined to hate him. And I managed to do so with flying colors.”

“There is a distinct possibility he was killed.”

“I know. I wanted to believe he was just a normal man who probably had a wife and kids somewhere else, but I don’t think that’s what he was hiding. Whatever it was, it helped put my mama in an early grave. I think he felt guilty about it.”

“Guilt is a powerful tool that is often misunderstood.”

She squeezed my arm. “You did nothing wrong in what happened with Nickolas. You know that, don’t you?”

“We were talking about your mother and father. Remember?”

“We were actually talking about guilt.”

I pulled her fingers to my lips, keeping them there for a few seconds. “I didn’t kill Nickolas, but if I’d been in the room then things would have been different. I knew how to fight and would have protected him. Nickolas was different, intellectual.”

“You were a little boy.”

“You don’t know the kind of training I received as a child.” I couldn’t help my laugh.

“Is that what’s going to happen to our son?”

I shifted so I could look into her eyes. “I meant what I said. I’m not my father, even if my brother insists I am. I plan on ensuring ourdaughterthat she can have the life she wants.” At least my comment made her laugh.

She snuggled even closer, swinging her arm over mine. “My father was Irish, but he only had an accent when he was teasing me. He was a gruff man, or at least seemed to be on the few phone calls I caught him making. I think I did my best to ignore my thoughts that he was a bad man until now.”

“Because of me?”

“If I’d asked him more questions instead of going back and forth from wishing he’d act like my father to hating him then maybe none of this would have occurred.”

“How did you get a job at my casino? You were only seventeen and I have an entire personnel department who makes certain every employee is exactly who they say they are.”

“I know you want me to say it was all my father’s idea, but that would be a partial lie. When I was fifteen, he was in town and took Mama and me to a show at a casino. Along the way, he allowed me to play the slot machine. Trust me, I looked twenty-one and nobody bothered to check IDs. That hooked me on the environment. When I needed to find a job for extra money, I saw an ad for your casino and mentioned it to my mother. The next thing I knew, I had an early birthday gift and somehow, he’d gotten me the job. I didn’t care how because I was a kid and very excited.”

“Interesting.” I wasn’t certain I bought it entirely. Unfortunately, it only added to the mystery. I rubbed her arm, contemplating asking her a few additional questions. Did I believe her? I honestly wasn’t certain. She had every reason to lie to me. Would it serve any purpose? That’s what I wasn’t certain about.

“What about the keycard? How did you get it?”

She narrowed her eyes, obviously trying to remember. “I was handed the tray of drinks and the card, told to go to the room. Do you still believe I knew what I’d find when I walked into that room?”

“No, I don’t. What I think is that there’s someone who betrayed me.”

“I don’t remember who. I’d heard the girls talking that if you were lucky enough to be asked to work on the private floor then you were being promoted. I was excited. Why?”

“The game was shut down. No one was allowed in but a specific bartender.”

“Oh. You’re worried he or she still works for you.”

“It’s possible. What else can you tell me about your father? I believe it’s imperative that I find him, or what happened to him and why.”

When she didn’t answer, all I could do was smile. She’d fallen asleep in my arms, comfortable enough to do so with a monster by her side. I tucked the covers around her and leaned back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. I’d spent so much time avoiding getting close to anyone that I was thunderstruck at the way I felt about her and had been from the beginning. There was no way of denying it or shoving my feelings aside any longer.

If I was capable of love, that’s exactly what I felt. Fuck the issues. To hell with her being a weakness. I’d personally damn anyone who dared try to take her away.

As my cock twitched at her sweet fragrance alone, instead of taking her as I’d done several times before, I turned off the light.

* * *

The sharp knock woke me instantly and on instinct, I reached for my weapon, snapping open my eyes when I realized it wasn’t behind my back.

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