Page 7 of King of the Bronx

“You in, Boss?” Larry asked.

I nodded, and he went on dealing everyone a new hand of cards. He didn’t need to ask for my money. We’d have a problem if he did.

Up close, the woman was even more beautiful. While she was seated, the dress she wore lifted slightly, revealing her creamy legs, which led up to a flat stomach. Her breasts weren’t huge, but they were perfect for her body shape. Her thick ruby red lips matched the color of her dress. Her face was perfectly heart-shaped, which gave her a youthful look.

“Can I help you?” she snapped, having caught me staring. Everyone at the table froze, but she didn’t seem to realize or care about the mistake she made. I ran the underground, so no one was allowed to talk to me like that.

I smiled at her. “Just admiring your beauty,” I said, throwing her one of my typical lines. It wasn’t hard for me to win over women. Once they got a look at me and realized who I was, it wasn’t long before I took them home.

Her lips twisted into a snare, and she turned away from me to look at her cards. Well, damn.I looked over my cards, bored with the game already. Gambling wasn’t my thing. I preferred to make money, not lose it. Larry dealt to those who wanted another card. Red and I both lost the first hand.

“What’s a pretty woman like you doing in a place like this?” I asked her. She didn’t even bother to turn my way as I spoke.

“Just trying to play the game.”

“Most women stay far away from this place. Most don’t even know about it.” I was digging. She might be beautiful, but this wasn’t a spot you just stumbled upon. I had this place well-hidden for a good reason.

She whipped around to look at me. “Is there something you are trying to ask me?” Her voice sliced through the air like a whip. I could feel the tension coming off the men around us, like they were holding their breath. Her sharp attitude only excited me. I liked that I was getting her riled up. Her skin was turning a soft red color that matched the rest of her. A couple men got up from the table, probably uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Maybe we should start over,” I suggested.

“Maybe we shouldn’t, and you should just let me play my hand.”

It took everything in me not to smile. I rested an elbow on the table and leaned my head on my hand. I’d forgotten about Larry and the rest of the men sitting around the table. “I would, but I own this place, Red, and if I ask someone why they’re here…I want an answer.”

She swallowed as a lump formed in her throat, and I smiled. She should be afraid of me. The Bronx’s underground was a dangerous place I’d created years ago. I was the most dangerous part of it all. She looked away, breaking eye contact. I sensed there was something she was afraid to tell me.

Did she have a gambling problem? She didn’t look like the typical addict. I reached a hand out and grabbed her chin in between two fingers. She jumped. I steered her head around to look at me. Her blue eyes were glossy with unshed tears. My eyebrows drew together as I tried to figure out what was going on. What had made this woman so desperate to put herself in danger to come here?

I opened my mouth to ask when Harris appeared by my side.

“We got a problem, Boss.”

I stared at the women for a moment longer before letting go of her chin and leaving the seat. I walked with Harris until we were out of ear shot.

“What’s up?”

“Charles and Leon are getting into it again next door,” Harris said.

“Fuck.”

I walked out the door and up the stairs to the street above. I owned the bar that was right next door. Harris stayed outside. As soon as I walked in, the sound of loud music filled my ears, but instead of everyone drinking and having a good time, they were staring at the two idiots having a stand-off. Charles had lost his shirt while Leon barely looked capable of standing. Charles saw me first and his eyes widened. He shifted his position so he wasn’t in a fighting stance anymore.

“Don’t back down now, pussy,” Leon spat.

I walked up to Leon and put a hand on his shoulder. I wasn’t much bigger than Leon in size, but that didn’t matter when I was the boss. Respect was the most important element of Cosa Nostra. Without it, there would be chaos.

“Both of you, outside. Now,” I said as calmly as I could. The people at the bar were just regular people. Unlike the underground, they didn’t expect violence. They were just out for a good time.

Leon straightened as if a metal rod had been placed down his spine. I walked out the door and around to the side of the building. Charles rounded the corner first, and I landed a punch to his face. A satisfying crunch filled the air, and blood gushed from his nose.

“Fuck!” he moaned holding the front of his face. Leon was next. As soon as he rounded the corner, I gave him the same treatment.

“What the fuck are you two thinking?” I yelled.

Neither of them answered.

“You can’t even go to the same fucking bar without causing a scene.”

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