Page 105 of Vicious Little Games

And since Cole killed two men, my former men, I don’t doubt he would’ve done the same to protect his mother.

“Everyone must be out front,” Eli says as he looks down at his phone. Security is on the way. You’ll need them before we go out there.”

Once four guards show up, we walk outside to where dozens of employees are picketing with their signs in their hands. I stand back and watch Cole work with Eli and the guards staying close to him. He finds the woman in charge of speaking on behalf of the casino workers, and they talk for maybe half an hour before she turns and tells everyone to go back to work, that all their demands will be met.

“Dante isn’t going to be happy with you giving them everything they asked for,” Eli remarks as they walk back over to me. “You’re supposed to negotiate, not cave within minutes. This is going to cost him so damn much.”

“It was my decision to make, right? While he’s gone?” Cole asks, refusing to back down.

“Yes, but–”

“But nothing. I did what I thought was best. Just because giving them the raise and extra days off they asked for is not what Dante would’ve done doesn’t mean it was the wrong thing to do.”

“Guess we’ll see what he says when he’s back,” I remark.

“God, I need a vacation,” Eli groans as he scrubs his hands over his face, and we all head back inside the casino. “Maybe I can try to find Madison while I'm traveling.”

“Why do you think that you can find her when dozens of PIs haven't had any luck?” Cole asks as we wait for the slow ass elevator.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asks looking at Cole like he’s an idiot. “PIs don't use my interrogation techniques.”

“Why haven’t you used your interrogation techniques to find her before now?” I ask him.

“I was hoping Maddi-Madison would turn up before I left a trail of carnage all over the country.”

“It's still weird that you called her Maddie,” Cole points out.

“I can call people any fucking thing I want. And she was mad all the time, so it just made more sense to shorten Madison to—”

“Maddie,” Cole and I both say at the same time we give each other a knowing look.

That’s when a thought suddenly occurs to me. I’ve always assumed that Cole calls me Cassie just to annoy the shit out of me.

But maybe…maybe it’s actually a pet name, like Eli calls Madison Maddie, and my dad calls Vanessa butterfly…

Cole

“Oh, I was thinking that we should each write up the events of the day after each of our shifts, you know, so we’ll both be caught up on everything. And then we can give the reports to Dante when he gets back,” I tell Cass when we’re walking up the stairs to the third floor.

“That’s…a good idea.”

“Thanks,” I reply. “And now we know for certain that Eli is going to be a pain in our asses all week,” I remark when Cass and I are alone in her room once again. “Especially now that he knows we’re fucking.”

“No shit,” she agrees as she starts to undress, and I do the same. Then she asks me the question I’ve been wondering. “Why do you think Eli would give my sister a pet name?”

“No clue.” I smirk while unbuttoning the top of my shirt as the dirtiest thought occurs to me. “Unless Eli was fucking her.” Imagining Madison and Eli together for even five seconds causes my smile to fall. “Hold up.” I gesture with my thumb over my shoulder toward the closed, and now locked door. “Do you think that psycho is the reason Madison ran away?”

“Nah,” Cass immediately responds without even taking a second to think about it. “Madison wanted to be free, to go off to college, and live on her own. She wouldn't have wasted a minute on a man who is infamous for his torture techniques.”

“You wouldn't think so, but everyone has their kinks,” I say with a grin.

“Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“So, what are your kinks, Cole? Other than women pretending to be wives in need of your big, fat cock?”

Strolling proud and naked around her bed, I grab the back of her head, pulling her up against the front of my body, my dick sandwiched between our bare skin. “My kinks? Feisty redheads who can kick my ass and attempt to drown me in pools, obviously.”

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