Page 37 of Russian Roulette
“I believe Giovanni is a bad guy,” I say. “This much is perfectly clear. The question is, why is he interested in me? I have done nothing to him. I’ve barely been in Vegas two days.”
“For one thing, the Russian mob wants to kill you,” Seven replies. “That’s enough to draw Giovanni’s interest in you. Don’t try to figure out how he knows what. He has feelers everywhere in all major cities. Nothing goes on in the underground without his knowledge.”
I frown at Seven. “How do you know he’s interested in me in the first place? You never told me.”
“I eavesdropped on a phone conversation he was having in his office. After hearing what he said and after spotting you twice in the casino, I put two-and-two together. He’s after you. That’s no longer in doubt. The only reason we could grab you first is because he wasn’t searching for you yet.”
“That’s right,” Leroy adds. “Since I’m Seven’s bodyguard, all the casino security alerts come across my phone. Right after we grabbed you, they sent out a text message to be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior by a young woman in the casinos.”
“Is the alert still on your phone?” I ask.
“Sure, want to read it?” He pulls out his phone and I walk over to peek over his shoulder at it. “Hang on a second,” he says, flipping through his screen full of notifications. “It might take me a minute to find it. I need to organize my phone better.” While he’s scrolling, a text message from a woman named Deedra pops up, along with a photo of her huge, bare breasts.
“FREE TONIGHT?” the text reads.
“Whoa! Who is that?” I ask, pointing to the photo. “Your girlfriend?”
“Nah,” he says. “Just some girl who got hold of my number. Seven’s popular with the ladies. I pick up his overflow. It’s a perk of my job.”
My eyes swing over to Seven. “Is that right? You’re popular with the ladies, huh? Why doesn’t that surprise me? I remember how you tried to charm my pants off in the casino, then dropped a snake into my hand. Does that trick work for all the women?”
Seven glares at Leroy. “Thanks a lot! Can you ever keep your big mouth shut? I’m not a man whore, if that’s what you’re wondering. Leroy is the only one in this room who fits that definition. The rest of us spend too much time working our asses off for Giovanni to chase women.”
“Here it is!” Leroy says triumphantly. He holds the phone out to me. Surprisingly, they weren’t lying. The security alert appears to be authentic.
“The alert is very vague,” I say after reading it. “It could be for any woman visiting the casinos. I’m not worried because I wasn’t planning on hanging around Vegas. Once you turn me loose, I’m headed to the East Coast. I’ve always wanted to visit New York City around Christmas.”
“Really? Me too!” Leroy says. “I’ve always wanted to go ice-skating in front of that big lighted Christmas tree and eat roasted chestnuts cooked right on the street. Sounds like a good idea to me. You should get the fuck out of here as soon as you can. If I were you, that’s what I would do.”
“Leroy!” Seven snaps. “For fuck’s sake! What are you saying? Whose side are you on? If Giovanni wants Jade, he’ll find her wherever she is. Please don’t talk her into leaving. If she goes to New York City, we can’t help her there. Have you all lost your fucking minds?”
“All you’ve done is convince me I’m not safe here in Vegas,” I tell him. “I believe everything you’ve said concerning Giovanni. I’m not hanging around to find out what he wants with me. The best way to keep me safe is to let me go now. I know better than anyone how to become invisible and keep below his radar. I’m good at disappearing.”
“Maybe she’s right,” Kit says reluctantly. “She might need to put space between her and Giovanni. Get as far away from him as she can. The East Coast would be safer than here.”
Seven glares at him. “Not you too, Kit. Where were you when Giovanni sent one of his men to ask you to come work for him?”
“In a cornfield in backwoods Iowa,” Kit replies. “The locals had turned the field into a fairground.”
“If he could find you there, don’t you think he could find Jade anywhere? We need to keep her with us until we figure out exactly what is going on. Unless you want Giovanni pulling her into his web?”
Kit shakes his head slowly and averts his eyes from me. “No, we can’t take that chance. She doesn’t know him like we do.”
“Right,” Seven says, turning back to me. “We’ve already established the fact that he wants you. The big question is why. It’s time you told us the real reason you’re here in Vegas. We need to find out why he’s after you. What did you do? Don’t you realize we’re putting ourselves at risk by hiding you? You can’t expect us to free you if you’re not willing to give us more information.”
“Oh, so now you’re calling it hiding me?” I say sarcastically. “Because I still call it kidnapping.” I drop my head into my hands. Finding out the Vegas mob is now after me too is disturbing. More than I want to admit to the guys. I need time to process all this. It’s hard to concentrate and focus when three gorgeous men are staring at me and watching my every move.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I tell them. “I’m going to the bathroom to catch my breath. This news has been overwhelming, to say the least. Knowing the Russians were after me was one thing. Now the Vegas mob, too? I need to clear my head.”
“Are you okay?” Kit asks with concern, getting up to follow me. “You’re not feeling sick, are you? You gulped the pizza awfully fast. Next time, try to eat a little slower. I’m sorry for starving you today. I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“I’ll be okay,” I reply, softly brushing his shoulder as I squeeze past him out of the kitchen. His concern is touching, if it’s real.
I hurry to the bathroom in my guest suite and lean over the sink. I wasn’t kidding about needing a moment to splash water on my face and clear my head. The information the guys shared has left me rattled.
They appear genuinely concerned about my welfare. I’m not sure if it’s because they’re truly worried about a woman they just met or if they are using me to stick it to a man they hate. Either way, they’re on my side for now.
I wish I could trust them. I’d give anything if I could.