High Stakes (15 page)

My Italian paramour gives me an amused glance as he tugs at my arm, but I’m glued to the floor. “What’s the matter?” he asks when Paulie walks off.

“Nervous,” I squeak out.

His voice shakes with a chuckle. “I told you.” Then he bends closer to my face, taking my face in his hands so that he’s the only thing I see. He kisses me right in the middle of the room and I know that my face must be on fire, because everyone can see us. His lips caress mine, stroking the inner fire that blazes whenever he’s close to me, until finally he pulls away with a similarly flustered look.

“Is that better?”

My heart’s still racing, but not so much from fear anymore. “Yeah, a bit.”

He wheels me around the room and shows me off like a trophy wife, introducing me to hard-faced men whose smiles look almost artificial on their faces. I meet Nicky again, who I learn will be sitting in my game. I try to bury my nerves with the glasses of champagne floating around. Vince takes a seat and he pulls me onto his lap. My bare shoulder relaxes against the course fabric of his suit. I laugh as his arms wrap around my waist, but a pleasant shiver travels up my back when I feel his lips on my neck. I twist in his arms to face him and he leans in to kiss me like there’s no one else in the room.

“Vince,” I admonish, face burning.

“Can’t help it. You’re too gorgeous.”

Right away, he steals another kiss from me. It’s a little embarrassing, but sweet. He looks so handsome when he smiles.

Finally, he taps my arm. “We’re going to say hello to the boss.”

I’m about to meet Giacomo Vittorio, notorious gangster and leader of the Vittorio crime family.

God help me.

I don’t want to meet him. It’s a little bit too much for me. Only Vince has my affection, and perhaps that’s the only reason why I’m doing this. Because he wants me to.

He steers me into the room with felt tables, a dimly lit den. A man in his seventies sits in a chair around an ordinary looking table, the two men beside him look like bodyguards. I’m walking as slowly as possible, but the man’s head lifts. He has a thick, gray head of hair and two watery blue eyes. His mottled skin and veined hands show proof of his age, but he caries himself with an unyielding confidence that reminds me very much of the man walking beside me. I know I’ll be polite with this man, no matter what he’s done. For my own damn sake.

“Vincenzo, my boy!”

The affectionate way he greets Vincent catches me off guard. Vince steps away from me to say hello, kissing his boss on both cheeks.

“This is Adriana.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.” I extend my hand as Jack looks at me with a fatherly smile. He grasps his hand in mine and shakes it. I inwardly wince when I think about how sweaty my hand must be.

“It’s my pleasure. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time. Vince told me all about you.” He releases my hand and he has the grace not to wipe his hands on his slacks.

“Really?”

“I understand that you’re quite the poker player.”

“Yes, I am.”

A smile twitches on his ancient face. “Where did you learn to play?”

“You know, in school.”

“They teach you how to play card games at that fancy university?”

Vince grasps his shoulder as he shakes with laughter. “Ah, c’mon Jack.”

I smile weakly. “I learned in high school.”

Jack leans in closer. “Vince told me that you caught some cheaters at his card games.”

The smile falls from my face. “Yes.”

“I wanted to thank you. We really appreciate that you’re lookin’ out for us.”

I’m not sure I feel too good about it, to be honest. I nod and give him a thin-lipped smile to avoid being rude.

“I enjoyed meeting you, Adriana.”

“Me too.”

Vince returns to my side, whispering in my ear as Giacomo averts his attention back towards the table. An uneasy feeling swirls in my stomach, like I’ve just spent five minutes being interviewed, when it was only supposed to be a meeting.

“Why don’t you set up your table?” Vince whispers in my ear.

He gives me a quick kiss as I approach my table and start setting it up, only to find that it has already been done for me. I sit down behind it and try to let the gentle murmur of conversation in the other room calm me. Vince looks deep in conversation with Jack, who gives me occasional unhappy looks.

What the hell did I do?

I pick up the fresh deck of cards and shuffle them to ease the tension knotting in my shoulders. The dealers around me have seated themselves. The scantily clad cocktail waitresses float from table to table, but shortly they’re ushered out of the suite.

Men in suits surround my table. I recognize some of the high roller players from previous games. Nicky takes a seat in front of me and I smile at him. So does David, a wealthy businessman I’ve seen before. Another one of Giacomo’s
capos
sits down, along with another Mafioso I don’t recognize. He introduces himself as Silvio.

My first thought is that he looks angry. There’s rage written all over his features, from the deep frown darkening his face to the contemptuous way he slams his chips onto the felt. The heat in his eyes strikes me in a way that makes me feel cold and terrified all over. There’s no other word for it. The man looks evil.

Vince stands like a sentinel near my table, his back against the wall. His lip twitches as he gives me a wink, and some of my anxiety evaporates.

The poker game begins without flair. Nicky and Silvio are the most high-strung of all the players, and I bite my lip hard when they scream out curses.

“Fucking cock-sucking piece of shit!”

They have some of the worst poker faces I’ve ever seen.

“Nicky, who was that broad greasing your pole the other night at the strip club?”

Wincing, I look over at Nicky, who seems puzzled. “What, Gigi?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t she look like this one?”

Who?

“Her.” He nods towards me, leering at me with dead eyes that creep me right the fuck out.

I remind you of a girl who sucked your friend’s cock? Nice.

A sick feeling makes my stomach turn. I’ve never been talked to like that in my life, even at my retail jobs when I used to deal with some of the worst people I’ve ever met.

Nicky’s round face, always smiling, looks at me and shakes his head. “I don’t see it.” His impish face turns back to me. “Sorry, sweetie. I forgot to tell you that he’s an animal.”

“Hey, if she wants to work around us, she’s going to have to get used to it.”

Above him, I’m startled to see Vince’s face contorted with rage as Paulie leans in and whispers something in his ear, his hand on his shoulder.

I want to take a shower to wash away the slime I feel on my skin, just from Silvio’s unapologetic leers. The game wears on and David has a growing heap of chips. Silvio loses twenty grand and his attitude becomes shockingly similar to a viper’s.

“C’mon baby,” he repeats under his breath. I deal out a card to him and he throws it back at me, a two. “What the fuck is this?
Give me another fucking card!
”

My eyes find Vincent’s, who looks at Silvio with thinly veiled contempt.

He snaps his hands rudely under my nose. “Don’t fucking look at him. Exchange my card!”

“Hey, calm the fuck down!” Vince roars.

In the middle of the room, Jack seems to notice the commotion and he ambles nearby.

“Is there a problem?”

At the sight of the New York boss, Silvio relents slightly. The vicious look on his face doesn’t disappear, but his voice lowers. “Nothing.”

I let fly another card towards him, secretly hoping it’s a low value card. His face crumples slightly and my lip twitches. His eyes are like knives, stabbing me. I flinch as they flash towards me.

“What’s so fucking funny? How the fuck can you grin?”

The breath catches in my lungs. I suddenly become aware of how easily he could reach over and strangle my neck. “I—I’m not.”

“
Take
it easy.” Vince looks like he’d love nothing more than to kick Silvio’s ass.

“You’re not down twenty grand,
you
take it fucking easy.”

The energy surrounding the table is the most tense I’ve ever experienced, all stemming from Silvio’s sniping remarks. He loses another ten grand while David’s grows, and his hostility turns towards him.

“That’s right, laugh it up you piece of shit.”

One of Vince’s associates approaches Silvio with a drink. He hangs too long around his elbow and suddenly Silvio whirls on him like a snake. “Who the fuck is this? What are you doing?”

“Just bringing you a drink, sir.”

“Cram it up your sister’s twat.”

The young man disappears, shaking as the table trembles with nervous laughter. My hands are so slick that the cards are beginning to stick to my fingers. I can’t wait for this night to be over.

The betting increases in the pot, David raising the bet and causing the others to drop out.

“What the fuck could you have?”

I deal out the final cards and Silvio takes one look at his. A poisonous look crosses his face.

“You fucking cunt.”

He looks right at me as the room explodes with several choruses of outraged excitement. The insult leaves me breathless. Tears burn in my eyes and I look away. What the hell is his problem?

Everyone is either laughing or yelling in outrage. Vincent lunges towards Silvio, but is quickly tackled by Paulie. Silvio turns around, smirking as Vincent shoves Paulie’s chest.

“Get out of my way,” he snarls.

“Calm down!” Jack raises his arms, looking distressed.

“He’s disrespecting my dealer at one of my games, Jack.”

Vince’s voice, apoplectic with rage, seems to have a hardening effect over Jack Vittorio.

“He’s right, Silvio. If you can’t fucking relax, I’m going to ask you to leave.”

Looking unabashed, Silvio wheels around and gives me a shrug. “Sorry, hon.”

I don’t buy his apology, along with the fake smile on his face.

The rest of the game passes without incident and I see Jack whispering in Vincent’s ear, pulling him back when Silvio makes a disparaging remark. Silvio may have tempered his rage, but Vincent’s is still glowing hot.

I’m about to utter a useless warning to the guard when the game ends and Silvio gathers the remainder of his chips. Vince rips his arm out of Jack’s grasp and shoves Silvio’s jacketed chest. The beefier man extends an arm, pushing Vince away from him.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Let’s go talk outside,” Vince suggests darkly. “Come on.”

“You keep your fucking hands off me, or I’ll kill you.”

Oh my God.

Vincent’s dark smile stretches over his face. He looks beautiful and terrifying at the same time. “Yeah?” Then he grabs Silvio’s jacket with his left hand and his right smashes against Silvio’s face. Silvio’s head rips backwards and I feel a slight swell of satisfaction.

Yeah, take that you asshole.

Paulie and Nicky pounce on Vincent, and others tackle Silvio to keep him from retaliating. Both men scream at each other, their faces red. I’m cowering near the felt table, standing up as a guard unnecessarily stands in front of me.

“Are you outta your fucking mind?” Silvio screams, his oily hair whipping around his face. “I’m a made guy!”

“GO FUCK YOURSELF!”

I’m afraid to speak, to embarrass him by talking him down, so I don’t say anything. My hands twist in my lap as I watch them. My heart beats like it’s running a race. Oh, Christ.

“Vincenzo, I said that’s enough,” Jack’s old voice snaps like a whip.

“Fellas, calm down!” Nicky inserts himself between the two men as Jack wraps an arm around Vincent’s neck, almost forcefully steering him away. His soothing voice attempts to calm him down, but I hear Vince’s sharp retorts.

“Listen, you better get the fuck out of here.” Nicky glares at Silvio, who eye fucks Vince before he leaves.

“Why the fuck can’t I deal with that prick? He insulted my girl, and he disrespected me at this game,” Vincent’s voice explodes the moment Silvio leaves the suite.

“We just made a deal with Jersey, I can’t let you beat the shit out of one of their
capos
, Vince.”

Nicky hovers around me, smiling, trying to distract me. “Come with me, honey. I’ll get you a drink.”

My legs tremble as I rise out of the seat and follow him into the next room while I hear their heated arguments. I collapse into a chair next to the table with cold cuts and cheese, while Nicky makes me a drink. He presses it into my hands and sits down next to me.

“Here you go, hon.”

I take a large gulp without thinking and nearly spit it out. Forcing myself to swallow it down is like gulping down gasoline. He laughs as I set the drink down and cough.

“Good shit, eh?”

“Nicky, who was that guy? Why was he so nasty to me?”

He waves it off like it was nothing. “Silvio just joined us in New York. He’s always been a prick, but he crossed the line tonight.”

An involuntary shiver goes through my body when I think about how frightening his gaze was. “I don’t want to see him again.”

“I don’t think anyone will after tonight.”

“What?”

Nicky only smiles at me like it’s all a big joke.

“Adriana, let’s go.”

I look up towards the source of the gritty voice and see Vincent standing near the exit.

“Bye,” I tell Nicky. “Thanks for the drink.”

He waves goodbye as I join Vince across the room, who looks slightly calmer. I feel safe for the first time this evening when I’m at his side.

“You okay?” he asks in a soft voice.

“Yeah.”

“Good, cause that motherfucker never will be again.”

The heat in his voice startles me as he flashes a grin towards Nicky and pulls me outside.

“What does that mean?” I ask, startled.

“It means exactly what it fucking means.”

The heat from his voice scorches me. I detach from his side and wrap my arms around myself.

“I thought your boss said that you couldn’t touch him,” I say in a slow voice as we enter the elevator.

Vince leans against the wall, glowering. “I cannot let that go, Adriana.”