Page 31 of King of the Bronx

“Just go, Enzo. I have things to do.”

She slammed the door in my face before I could even defend myself. It would be easy to pick the lock and let myself in, but that would only piss her off more. I ground my molars together. Why the fuck had she been listening to our conversation? I should just let it go. It was stupid for me to keep sleeping with her anyway. It’s not like I could actually offer her anything besides money. I couldn’t be someone’s husband who was home every night for dinner. That just wasn’t the reality of the world I lived in. My phone vibrated again. I pulled it out and answered.

“There’s something you need to see, here at the underground,” Gunner said. I looked at the Raven’s apartment door one more time before letting out a sigh.

“I’ll be right there.”

Walking into the underground was like going from day to night. There was no sense of time down here. That’s probably why people stayed so long, not even realizing the whole day had passed them by. It wasn’t busy at this time. Despite their gambling problems, most of the men had day jobs they were trying desperately to maintain, even if it was just so they made enough to come back here each night. I looked around for Gunner but didn’t see him anywhere on the floor. I passed the tables and bar, heading toward the back room. I never spent much time in here. It was a small space with only a couple chairs and a wall full of monitors showing everything happening on the gambling floor. Gunner was seated in the chair, dressed in a suit. He looked uncomfortable in the small chair. He was a big motherfucker with dark, cold eyes. He’d been an enforcer for Cosa Nostra for a long-ass time and had killed more people than I can count.

“What’s going on?” I asked before closing the door and taking the empty office chair next to him.

“You aren’t going to like this,” he said, giving him a hard look.

“Just show me. I have to go by the club to pick up some blow from Tommy in a few."

Gunner turned back to the screens and typed a few things on the keyboard until they all showed the same camera. It was dated a few weeks ago. He pressed play and sat back in the chair.

I watched the screen for a while. It was a busy night, and almost all the tables were filled. I spotted myself at the bar.

“What the fuck am I looking at?” I asked.

“Your girl.”

It only took a minute to spot her at the blackjack table. Gunner pressed a few buttons on the keyboard to zoom in on her. She was dressed in a tight black dress that gave me the perfect view of her cleavage. I watched for a few minutes as she played, thought I didn’t see anything out of ordinary. I was about to tell Gunner to stop wasting my time when I noticed her hand. It moved from the top of the table to underneath. I leaned closer to the screen. Her fingers were moving. She was counting on her fingers like a child would do. Her eyes scanned the cards in front of her opponents as she continued to count.

"She's counting," I said.

Gunner nodded. "She's gotten a lot better since that night. I think she was practicing.”

I ground my teeth together, trying to stay in control of my anger.

She played me. She's been playing me like a fool.

"Then why hasn't she won anything?" I gritted out as my fists clenched until my knuckles turned white.

Gunner shrugged. "Maybe she's saving up for a big win?"

Why would she need a big win? She had an entire brothel at her fingertips. Something wasn't adding up, but either way, she had me right where she wanted me. I’d underestimated her. It was stupid of me not to ask more questions. Air came hissing through my nose like an angry bull.

I had to take care of this before it got out of hand. If I let her get away with stealing from me, I’d look weak. I’d lose all the respect I spent years building. I wasn't as harsh as some of the men, like Giovanni, but when you were in the mob, there were things you had to do to keep your respect, whether you liked it or not. If she was a man, I wouldn't bat an eyelash at killing him. I’d hunt him down right now. But I’d stupidly let her crawl into my bed. And damn was she good in bed.

"What are you going to do, Boss?" Gunner asked.

---