Page 4 of Deadly Devotion

Giving him a quick nod of thanks, I adjusted my vest and made my way through the crowd to the black door with the gold star. I feel like I’m about to walk into an alternate universe. Taking a deep breath helps steady my nerves. I push the doorbell button once, and a blue eye peers out of a peephole.

“Name?” he asks in a gravelly voice.

“Talia,” I reply, wishing I felt as confident as I sound. A burly man opens the door, giving me a quick once over. He steps aside to let me through the doorway. “Arms out,” he instructs.

“Oh, okay,” I stutter. I put my arms out as if I’m about to take flight. Starting at my shoulders, he pats his way down my body, feeling for…weapons?What have I gotten myself into?

Seeing the alarm on my face, he gives me a tight smile. “You’re new here.”

“Yes,” I mutter. Stepping away from him, I glance around the room. The walls are velvety black with minute silver specks. They look like tiny jewels sparkling in the night. Four red leather oversized chairs sit on a faux white fur rug in a circular group. A round glass coffee table is set in the middle. A white leather sofa sectional is placed to the right, and a white marble bar is to the left. A hallway runs behind the bar to more rooms.

“Everyone gets patted down,” he states. “Phone,” he demands, holding out his hand. I pull my cell phone out of my back pocket and hand it to him. “I’m Joey. You’ll be serving our VIPs. They’ll be in the poker room down the hall. Tony is behind the bar. He’ll hold your phone until your shift is over.”

I nod in understanding. Joey sits at the bar, sipping on a club soda and watching a football game on the oversized flat screen hung on the wall behind Tony.

“Hi,” Tony greets. He smiles broadly, showcasing a row of sparkling white teeth. “Is this your first night?”

“No, it’s my third,” I reply, trying not to look frazzled. “But I’m not new to this kind of work. I waitressed in San Francisco.”

“The VIPs can be a little intense, but they’re great tippers.”

I’m tempted to ask him if they’re all mobsters, but I bite my tongue instead. “I’m sure I can handle them.”

“That’s the spirit!” Tony praises. “Head down the hallway to the third door on the left. If you need a quick break, there’s a small kitchen on the right just before the office.”

“Thanks, Tony.” Pulling my shoulders back, I adjust my cleavage and begin down the long hallway. To my immediate right are restrooms, and to the left is a small room with a grey leather sofa, a few plush velvet chairs, and a large cigar humidor cabinet flush against the wall.

A few more steps down the hallway, I pass the kitchen and office before stopping in front of the poker room. Glancing toward the end of the hallway, I see it intersecting like a ‘T’ with a more extended hallway. I see an emergency exit to the left and a few rooms to the right. It appears there is another hallway past those rooms. This space is much larger than I thought. I expected a single room for the VIPs, but this is like a second club.

I head back to the poker room and put on my best waitress smile. As I open the door, I’m greeted by a spicy aroma similar to nutmeg with hints of black tea. Five men in tailor-made suits sit around a poker table, three puffing on fat cigars. I nod to the two burly men standing in the room’s corners, then greet the men at the table. “Good evening. My name is Talia, and I’ll be your waitress tonight. Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?”

“Gentlemen?” a fat, balding man laughs. “You must be new around here,” he teases.

“I might be new to this establishment, but I can see you need another glass of whiskey.” I smile politely, picking up his nearly empty glass.

A younger man with dark brown hair and a crooked front tooth narrows his eyes, glancing at me suspiciously. “How did you know he was drinking whiskey?”

All the men turn to look at me. “You have a beer in front of you, and it looks like the man next to you is drinking vodka or gin since it’s a clear liquid. These men don’t have drinks in front of them,” I state, pointing to the two men across the table. “There’s a nearly empty whiskey bottle on the table in the corner of the room. This is the only other glass on the table. It has a small amount of brown liquor, so I assumed it was whiskey.”

“Wow, beautiful and smart,” an older man with silver hair compliments.

“Thank you,” I reply, masking my emotions to hide my insecurity. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Vodka, neat.” He is staring at my breasts and licking his lips like he’s about to have me for dinner.

A younger man with raven-black hair and deep blue eyes sits beside the silver fox. He smiles and asks for a single malt bourbon in a sexy Russian accent. After taking the rest of their orders, I leave the room to get the drinks.

After an hour of delivering drinks to the high rollers, hearing every pick-up line you can imagine, and feeling like I’m the main item on the menu tonight, I need a break.

“Tony, I’m going to take a break.” I wipe down the serving tray and leave it on the end of the bar.

“Sure thing, doll. Take fifteen minutes, and I’ll cover the poker room.” He gives me a wink and a smile, pouring himself a beer. He’s chatting with Joey about the football game they’rewatching as I begin the walk down the hallway toward the restroom.

Pulling my hair back with a black hair tie, I turn down the adjacent hallway. Muffled male voices are coming from a small room to the right of the restroom. It sounds like they are arguing. I slow my steps down as I get closer to the door. I hear one man accusing the other man of stealing money.

I quiet my steps and peek through the doorway, which is cracked open an inch. I don’t recognize a man pointing a gun at the young raven-haired man from the poker room. “We’ve given you enough time,” the man spews. “It’s time to pay up.”

“I’ve given you half. You’ll get the rest next week,” the raven-haired man argues.

---