Lifting my hand to my cheek, I wince, and my suit-clad rescuer looks me over, his eyes surveying my face in the dim parking lot light.
“I have to make a call.” Pulling out his phone, he dials quickly, not having to wait long before someone on the other end answers. “There’s been an incident,” is all he says as an opening. “She was attacked at her car.” He looks at me and then toes the man on the ground.
I only have his one-sided conversation to listen to, but he’s speaking as if he and the person on the other end of the line know me, when I have no idea how that’s possible. I don’t know him. I would remember meeting someone like him.
“He hit her,” he says low, rubbing his forehead as he pulls the phone a few inches from his ear like the person on the other end is yelling. “What should I do? … Got it. See you then.” Slipping his phone back into the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket, he looks at me with guarded eyes.
“Who was that?” I whisper. “Who are you?”
“You’re coming with me to have the doctor look you over.”
“What? No. I’m not going anywhere with you. Thank you for helping me, but I’m okay to go home on my own.”
“I can’t let you do that. I have orders, and he’s going to expect you to be there when he gets back from the city.”
“That still doesn’t make me miraculously know who you are, or who he is.”
“The diamonds and flowers in your bag say otherwise.”
“What?” I breathe, the air vanishing from my lungs in a single breath.
“He’s had me watching you, but after tonight, I’ll be lucky if I see another day for letting this fucker touch you.” He toes the guy on the ground again, and he groans.
“You’ve been watching me?” I ask in a small voice, completely caught off guard by that. “For how long?”
“About a month.”
“Why?”
“You can ask him that yourself later. I have to make another call before we head up.”
Head up? Head up where? I’m so thrown by what’s happening that I just lean back against my car and tighten my grip on my gym bag, my mind trying to play catch up.
“Come to the employee lot, I have a package that needs delivered to the basement,” my rescuer says into the phone and then hangs up, turning back to me. “Grab whatever you need from your car.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re coming with me.”
“I never agreed to that. I don’t even know your name.”
“Lorenzo. But you can call me Enzo.”
“And the man you first called?” I want to know the name of my mysterious A.
He just smirks and gives me a small shake of his head. “You can ask him that later, too.”
“Wow, you’re just full of information,” I say sarcastically, my resolve starting to come back.
Another impeccably dressed man emerges from between the cars and my grip on my gym bag tightens as I take a small step to the side. He’s much scarier than Enzo, who I can tell has a lighter side beneath his tough exterior. But not this man. He’s all muscle beneath his suit, with a hollow look to his eyes that chills me to the bone when he gives me a once over.
He doesn’t say a word as he hoists the man who attacked me off the ground and pushes him towards the back door I came out of just minutes ago.
“Where’s he taking him?” I whisper.
“The basement.”
“What’s in the basement?”
“Nothing for you to worry about. Grab what you need and let’s go, the doctor should be here soon.”
“I don’t need a doctor, and I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Not your call. Boss says he wants you safe and in his place.”
“I don’t know your boss,” I reiterate, feeling like a broken record. “I’m not just going to let you take me up to his place.”
Yes, I want to know the man in the shadows who’s been on my mind day and night for over a month, but I also have enough self-preservation to not just go with this stranger because he saved me.
“One second,” is all he says, pulling his phone out again and dialing a number. “She’s refusing to come with me because she doesn’t know either of us.” He pauses, listening to the man on the other end and then nods, handing me the phone. “Here.”
“What?” My voice is barely above a whisper.
“He wants to talk to you.”
With a trembling hand, I reach for the phone and take a deep breath to ensure I’ll be able to speak.
“Tessa.” His smooth, deep voice floats through the phone and into me, my hand curling around the phone a little tighter. My name sounds like a caress coming from him and I feel it coat my insides like warm, raw honey – sugary sweet with a touch of roughness.
My breath leaves my lungs and I angle away from Enzo so he can’t see my reaction.
“Go with Enzo and let the doctor check you out.”
Again, his voice does something to me that I’m not used to. My stomach knots and my heart starts beating a little faster.
“I’m fine,” I tell him softly, but wince internally at the lie. The truth is, my face is starting to throb, and my arm is sore from where he grabbed me.
“You’re not,” he says firmly, his voice dropping an octave. “He hit you. I’m leaving the city now and I’ll deal with him when I get back in a couple of hours, but I want you safe.”
“I’ll be safe at my apartment.”
A low growl comes through the phone at my response. I have a feeling he must be used to getting what he wants from everyone around him when he commands they do something. But I’m not like that. I’ve been on my own for a long time now and only know how to rely on myself. No one else.
“I need you to go with him, Tessa. We’ll talk when I get there.”
I think about the prospect of going back to my dark, empty apartment, knowing I’ll be up all night thinking about him anyway, and decide that finally being able to meet him, and see him, is a much more desirable option.
“Okay.”
“See you soon,” he says, his voice holding a little less edge, and hangs up.
Sighing, I hand Enzo back his phone and he doesn’t say anything as I fall in step beside him, heading back inside. You need a pass card to re-enter, but Enzo has one.
Walking through the cement hallways, I start to feel the fatigue of the day catch up with me, and my face throbs even more where that asshole hit me. Reaching up, I press the pads of my fingers to my cheek bone and area around my eye, and suck in a sharp breath.
Luckily, Enzo doesn’t say anything since I was so adamant about being fine, but he looks down at me with concern in his eyes. He guides me around what has to be the entire perimeter of the building to an elevator that requires his handprint and retinal scan to open.
“Pretty tight security I see,” I comment casually as I step into the sleek grey elevator car.
“This elevator goes to the penthouse. Very few people have direct access.”
Leaning against the cold metal wall, I lower my bag to my feet but keep ahold of the strap.
So, we’re going to the penthouse. My mystery man must be a very important man if he has the penthouse at The Aces – the best hotel and casino in Atlantic City. And Enzo must be pretty trustworthy if he’s one of the few allowed access to his home.
The ride to the top is long, but when the doors slide open, I muster the strength to lift my bag back onto my shoulder and step out into a small hallway with only one door ahead of us. With this door, in addition to a handprint and retinal scan, it requires a keypad entry code.
Enzo holds the door open for me, and the second I step through, my eyes widen. This place is huge. He must have the entire top floor to himself.
The living room in front of me has floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the entire length of the room, giving me an uninterrupted view of the city, boardwalk, and ocean. The bright lights from the other casinos and hotels reflect off the dar
k water crashing against the shore. It’s beautiful.
I was right in that my mystery man loves black. Everywhere I look, it’s the predominant color, with splashes of grey, white, and red.
A massive chandelier hangs in the middle of the living room that’s dripping with crystals, the light dancing off of it casting beautiful shadows across the ceiling. A big leather couch and two chairs face a fireplace half-wall that divides the left and right side of the room, with a large flatscreen TV hanging above the mantel.
The other side of the fireplace wall is a smaller living room library area, with a wall of floor-to-ceiling mahogany bookshelves and two leather chairs facing the fireplace.
To my left is a massive kitchen and dining room that has me dreaming of cooking something just so I could use the beautiful equipment.
I’ve never seen a place like this. It screams money, power, and status, and I feel out of place in my plain clothes and modest upbringing. I don’t know this kind of wealth.
“Take a seat,” Enzo instructs. “The doctor is on his way up.”
Nodding, I don’t bother commenting that all I need is an icepack and an aspirin because I know he’ll just say it’s not my call and I’ll have wasted my breath. So, I take a seat at the end of the plush leather couch and place my bag tightly by my side – a small comfort to keep me grounded.
I’m staring out the large windows next to me when the door opens a few minutes later, and I turn to see another man in a suit walk in. He’s older, maybe in his mid to late forties, with salt and pepper hair around his temples, and carrying a leather doctor’s bag.
“Tessa, I presume?” he asks me, walking right over to take a seat in the chair next to me.
“Yes.” I nod.
“I’m Joe. Can you tell me what happened?”
Swallowing, I look down at my hands in my lap and play with the ring on my right middle finger. “I was about to get in my car after work when a man came out of nowhere and grabbed my arm.” I lift my right arm to show him, and frown when I see a large handprint has started to form. “He spun me around and pinned me to my car with his hand over my mouth.” My stomach rolls at the memory of his taste. “I tried to break free, but he was much stronger than me. And when he removed his hand, I yelled, which is when he backhanded me across my face. Twice.” I turn my head so he can see. “And then Enzo came and tore the guy off of me.”
“It’s a good thing he was there.”
“Yeah, it was.” I don’t like the fact that I had a man following me for a month and I had no idea, but I’m also glad he was there tonight. I know things would have gone completely different if he wasn’t.
“Do you mind if I look at your injuries?”
“No, it’s fine.” I don’t really have a choice anyhow, I add silently.
Joe lifts my arm and gently runs his hands over the finger bruises, making me wince slightly – a movement he doesn’t miss. I’ve always bruised easily.
“I’m sorry. Can you turn your head?” With the same gentle touch, he presses down on the area around my eye and along my cheek bone, all of which makes me cringe and bite my lower lip to hold back from whimpering.
It hurts, but not enough so that I think anything is actually fractured. He was stronger than he looked, and I think he had a ring on too, making it worse.
“You’re a strong woman. If he had hit you any closer to your eye, then you’d have a lot more bruising that would take a lot longer to heal than what you have here.”
“How do you know?” I ask out of pure curiosity, and he gives me a small smile.
“I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve seen every injury you could possibly imagine. You just need to ice it and take a few aspirin.”
Just as I suspected. “Thank you.”
“Here.” Enzo hands me an icepack wrapped in a towel, a few white pills, and a glass of water. Wow, he’s quick.
“Thank you.”
Nodding, he goes back over to the door where he’s been standing guard. I don’t see the need when the only people who could even get in here have to pass a three-tier security system, but I’m guessing he just does as he’s told.
Swallowing the pills, I press the icepack to my cheek and lean back into the couch as the doctor gathers his bag and stands.
“It was nice meeting you, Tessa.”
“You too, Joe. I’m sorry you were called here for this.”
“It’s my job. Goodnight.” He nods, and Enzo opens the door for him.
Once again, I’m struck with how tired I am, and this time, I let my eyes fall closed.
Chapter 3
Alec
My older brother, Leo, leans back in his leather chair and interlocks his fingers across his stomach. “Business good, Alec?”
“Better than good.” I nod, taking my seat at the table next to my younger brother, Luca.
Once a month, we have our family meeting in Manhattan, and all of the family branches come together, including myself and our cousins from Miami.
Leo made these meetings more frequent since he took over from our father in order to keep a tighter hold on all of our business dealings and make sure we’re all always on the same page.
Today is Friday though, so that means I’m missing Tessa dance.
Tessa Lyons. My obsession.
I’ve had one of my men following her since the first night I saw her in order to gain all the information I could find out while also keeping her safe.
She makes me crazy, and I can’t afford to be crazy when I need a level head to be who I am.
I want her, but I can’t have her. She’s too good. Too pure. That hasn’t stopped me from wanting her with every fiber of my being, though. I’ve held back from going to her, but I don’t know how much longer that will last when I can’t seem to keep away from watching her dance every week.
She’s a fucking goddess on stage.
“Alec?” Leo calls my name, and I snap out of my visions of Tessa in one of her little dancer outfits and heels walking towards me before I grab her and throw her down on my bed, spreading her out for me to see and feast on before she wraps those sexy long legs of hers around my hips.
“Alec,” Leo says again, his voice harsher. “What the fuck is going on? Are you listening?”
“Yes, I am.” The table has filled up with every high member of our family now, with Leo sitting at the head, his relaxed posture I know to be a false bravado he wears. He’s wound tighter than a coil wrapped around a spring, always on the verge of exploding.
“You sure?”
“Yes.” The word comes out harsher than I meant it to, and he levels me with a stare that would make most men piss themselves, and has.
Sitting up straighter, I push Tessa out of my head so I can focus on the rest of the meeting. The Albanians are trying to encroach on our territory, but that shit is not going to happen.
When my phone starts buzzing inside of my suit jacket pocket, I’m struck with a bad feeling. My men know of tonight’s meeting, and they know that Vinny is taking care of business while I’m here. I’m not to be interrupted unless it’s serious.
Discretely, I check who’s calling, and when I see Enzo’s name, my blood turns to ice. He wouldn’t be calling me unless something happened with Tessa.
Standing in a rush, I disregard the glare from Leo burning into my back and hold the phone to my ear.
“What happened?” I ask straight away, fisting my hand in my pocket so no one sees how tense I am. Every muscle in me is tight and ready to attack.
“There’s been an incident. She was attacked at her car.”
“WHAT?! What did he do to her?”
“He hit her,” Enzo says, and I explode, feeling my anger rolling off of me in waves as my blood goes from ice to boiling.
“Where the fuck were you?” I growl out. “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING HER!” I explode, pacing the small space by the window.
“What should I do?”
“Take her to up to my place a
nd call Doc. I’ll be there as soon I can to deal with him. And you,” I make sure to add.
“Got it. See you then.”
Hanging up, I clench my phone so tight I think it might break, but hold back from throwing it across the room so I can call for an update on Tessa.
“Alec!” Leo barks. “What the fuck is going on?”
My eyes scan the room and I see everyone looking at me with questions in their eyes.
“I have to go.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s mine,” I tell him, and his eyes widen, then narrow. “And she was attacked after work today.”
“Who did you have on her?”
“Enzo,” I say through a clenched jaw.
“Go. I’ll discuss this with you later.” Nodding, I leave the conference room in an angered haze. I need to make sure Tessa is okay.
Taking the streets of Manhattan as fast as I can, it takes every ounce of control I have to not fucking punch everything surrounding me.
My grip on the steering wheel is so tight, my knuckles are turning white from loss of blood flow. But it’s the only thing I have to focus on without snapping the wheel in my hands.
Enzo is one of my most trusted soldiers, and I gave him the task of watching over Tessa this past month. He’ll have to pay for letting anyone touch her.
I rarely, if ever, go to the shows in my casino, but last month I needed a break from the shit I have going on with the Triads, and I found myself using the table I always have reserved for me or my associates. I wanted to get lost in beautiful women dressed in outfits that leave little to the imagination, and what I found was Tessa.
Every Friday night since, I’ve sat at that same table and watched her, my mind coming up with a thousand different ways I want to take her.
She’s beautiful beyond belief, and when she’s dancing, I’m mesmerized. My mind is on nothing but her. She’s an angel dressed like the devil, tempting me with the way she moves.
The moment I saw her, all I thought was mine.
I’ve kept my distance, though. I’ve sent her flowers and jewelry after every show, but I’ve remained anonymous. When she wore the earrings and necklace for me last week…it made me so fucking hard, I could barely walk out of the show without going to her. It was like she was wearing me, and I wanted to finally claim what I’ve known is mine for weeks.
Casino King: A Dark Mafia Romance (Carfano Crime Family Book 1) Page 2
