Page 9 of Casino King

I always wanted AC as my own. When I turned eighteen, I came to live at The Aces with my uncle Sal. He showed me how to run the business, and when he and my father were both murdered outside of one of our restaurants in Brooklyn, Leo and I stepped into our roles even though we hadn’t foreseen doing so until we were much older.

In the five years we’ve ruled together, we’ve doubled our family’s profits. With that, though, comes enemies and targets on our backs, which is why I’ve tried to stay away from Tessa. But she’s not a woman I could ever stay away from for long.

My phone starts buzzing in my pocket, and I see the screen on my car’s dashboard show that Enzo is calling me again. Hitting accept, I bark out, “What?” I’m already pissed at him.

“She’s refusing to come with me because she doesn’t know either of us.”

“Put her on,” I tell him. There’s no fucking way I’m letting her escape me now.

I hear the phone exchange hands, and I know she’s there, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Tessa,” I say low, not wanting to scare her. “Go with Enzo and let the doctor check you out.”

“I’m fine,” she says softly, but I hear the hitch in her voice that tells me she’s not.

“You’re not,” I say hard, keeping my voice under control. I don’t want her to hear my anger. Not at her, but at the situation. “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.”

Growling, I wring my hands on the steering wheel. “I need you to go with him, Tessa. We’ll talk when I get there.”

I need her to not be difficult on this.

“Okay,” she finally agrees, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“See you soon.” Ending the call, I press my foot down on the gas. Her voice…it does something to me. Delicate, yet strong. It makes me wish I was there with her to see her eyes. To see for myself if she’s okay.

The night I’m not there is the night she needs me.

Once I hit Jersey, I fly down the highways, no law enforcement agency daring to pull me over. I own their asses, and they know I can get them fired with a single phone call.

Hitting 100mph, I weave through the cars on the Parkway with only one thing on my mind. Tessa.

When I get to The Aces, I pull right into my private level of the garage and nod at one of my men standing guard at the elevator. Placing my hand on the pad, the laser scans my eye, and the doors open for me.

I’m big on security, and when I took over, I made sure the entirety of The Aces was updated so I always have control and can monitor who accesses what and when.

Going through the process of giving my handprint, retinal scan, and number sequence in the keypad at my penthouse door, I walk inside my home, my eyes landing on Tessa straight away. She’s leaning back against the couch with an icepack held firmly to her left eye, and my anger flares again, burning deep inside of me.

Her long legs are stretched out in front of her and she looks small and fragile. I know she’s not, though. A woman who is, could never handle being with a man like me. Tessa’s strong. She knows loss. She knows pain. She knows independence. She knows how to survive.

Facing Enzo, I give him a look that makes his eyes immediately fall to the floor. He knows he’ll pay for letting my woman get hurt on his watch.

In a few long strides, I’m beside Tessa. Looking at her, my anger wanes slightly at seeing that she’s asleep. She was comfortable enough in my home to let herself fall asleep. I don’t know why that fact means something to me, but it does.

I sit in the leather chair beside her and place my hand on her leg. Her eyes flash open in an instant, darting all around before settling on me.

Her hazel eyes are like rare jewels – a swirl of green and brown that comes together to form a unique color all her own. Mesmerizing. They hold my gaze for a long moment before they wander over my face and body. I stay silent, letting her take me in. When her eyes meet mine again, they have something in them that I can’t read.

“What’s your name?” Those are the first words she says, and her voice cuts me deep, shooting straight to my dick.

Jesus fucking Christ. It’s even better in person.

Her hand holding the icepack against her face falls to her side and my hands clench in fists.

Reaching out, I grip her chin lightly, and turn her face so I can get a better look at the swollen area around her eye and the bruise that’s forming.

My jaw clenches as I try and keep my anger at bay while my eyes sweep over her face before locking with hers. It’s a straight shot to my dick once again. Her eyes hold so much strength and power, mixed with a little fear that I know is because of me.

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