Page 29 of Flames of Ruin

The sun has set behind the building of Vanguard Enterprises as I pack up the three black armored SUVs. I can hear the clicks of heels hitting the cement approaching behind me. I turn around to see the girls walking toward us.

Shado stands by the driver's side of his car and lets out a catcall. “Well hello, ladies!”

He bows in their direction. I whip my head toward him and glare. He throws his hands up in surrender and backs up, chuckling.

Miranda follows Shado around to the passenger side of the SUV as CiCi walks up to me. She will ride with him, and CiCi will ride with Daniil’s men. More moving targets are harder to hit in case this plan goes sideways.

I have to keep my mouth from dropping when I look at CiCi. She is wearing a long black halter dress that hugs her breasts, reminding me of a pin up doll from the fifties. It cinches around her waist and ass with a slit at the top of her left thigh. My eyes graze slowly down her leg to the black strappy stilettos that tie up her leg to the middle of her calf. Her black hair flows in silky waves down her back, her makeup is simple, and the deep red lipstick coloring her lips makes my dick twitch as I imagine her lips wrapped around my cock with her green eyes watering and looking up at me from her knees.

Clearing my throat, I have to adjust the neck of my buttoned up shirt, “W-What are you wearing??”

“Well, you look handsome too.” She giggles, pressing a soft kiss against my lips.

Her eyes move up and down as she takes in my suit. I can see the heat in her gaze and I am dying inside with the need to pin her against the car just so I can see the effect I am having on her.

You can’t get distracted tonight. It’s not safe. For her.

“I’m sorry. That came out wrong. You look breathtaking. I am going to commit murder tonight with you looking the way you do, CiCi.”

I softly take her hand and pull her towards me. Wrapping my arms around her, I can feel the warmth of her bare skin under my hands as I rub them up and down her back.

She runs her hands up the folded flaps of my suit jacket and pulls me to her until her lips are brushing against mine. “You sure know how to win a girl's heart.”

Leaning back, she shoots me a wink.

Daniil clears his throat as he approaches. “I apologize if I am interrupting, but we need to get the girls wired. We’re going to lose our window of time; the game starts in thirty minutes.”

Two of his men round the corner of the car, dressed in suits. One of them looks CiCi up and down with a hungry look in his eyes.

“What are they doing here?” I grit out through clenched teeth.

“We’ve already established that neither of us can go in there with them. It would be…how do you say? Suspicious to my father?” He chuckles, as if sensing my annoyance. “Don’t worry, Draco, your girlfriend will be safe under the protection of my men.”

“If this goes sideways, and she gets so much as a scratch on her…” I snap, holding CiCi close to me, as though if I let her go, I’ll never hold her again.

“Hey,” she croons, “As sexy as this over protective thing is, we will be fine. We’re tougher than we look.”

She pats my chest and smiles, “C’mon, Mr. Bad, we have to go.”

Pulling away from my embrace, she walks around to the passenger side of the first SUV with Daniil’s men, flashing another smile at me as she slides into the back passenger seat.

Another wave of fear washes over me as I watch them drive off heading to Spinners, the tavern that hides the casino rooms in the back.

Something about tonight tells me this is not going to go off without a hitch.

Chapter thirteen

CiCi

The caravan of armored SUVs stops in a single line across the street from Spinners. I always thought this place was a hole in the wall bar; I didn’t realize it was a front for Daniil’s family casino. Gambling in Massachusetts isn’t illegal, but using the casino as a front to launder money is. Spinners has been in operation for as long as I can remember, at least since I was a young child.

After we parked, Drake abandoned his car and came to sit with me in the back passenger seat while we waited for the signal. Leaning over the passenger seat, I can see the worried expression on Drake’s face. There is a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows as he rechecks the wire they placed in my ear, moving my hair to conceal it.

“You’ve checked it like fifteen times since we left Vanguard, and it’s like two blocks away,” I say as I gently grab his hand and give him a comforting squeeze. “I promise we will be fine.”

He lets out a large exhale and shakes his head, “I can’t believe you talked me into using you as bait.”

“Bait?” I giggle, poking his side. “I’m just going to play poker, babe.” I wink.

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