Page 3 of Wicked Embers

For a moment, the genuine care in their voices threatens to crack my resolve. These two have been more family to me than my father ever was. But I can’t drag them into this mess.

“I appreciate it, really,” I say, injecting as much conviction into my voice as I can muster. “But I’ll be fine.” I’m not so sure about my father, though, especially since he is probably already squandering my money.

Luigi opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off with a quick kiss on the cheek. “I promise I’ll be careful. Now, excuse me, I have a rat to catch.”

As I brush past them, my determination solidifies into something cold and hard in my chest. There will be no mercy tonight for dear old Dad—tonight, he learns what it means to steal from me!

Tony’s hand catches my elbow gently, his touch warm and familiar. “Leigh, wait,” he says, his voice low and urgent. “I know that look in your eyes. Whatever you’re planning, maybe I should go with you.”

I hesitate, caught between my need for independence and the genuine concern radiating from both men. “It’s nothing Ican’t handle,” I repeat, but the words sound hollow even to my own ears. “And I promise if I need bail money, you’re the first people I’ll call.” I try to make a joke, but it’s not that funny when I am actually thinking about the different ways I want to kill my father.

Luigi steps closer, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. “Mia cara, you don’t have to face everything alone. We’re here, always.”

A lump forms in my throat, and I swallow hard. “I know, and I love you both for it. But...”

“Yes, yes, it’s nothing you can’t handle.” Tony sighs, releasing my arm. “At least promise us you’ll call if things go sideways. Day or night, we’ll be there.”

“I’ll bring the shovel,” Luigi smiles and winks.

I nod, feeling a mix of gratitude and frustration. “I promise. Now, I really need to go.”

“I’ll get a cab for you.” Tony steps to the curb and lets out a sharp whistle. A yellow cab screeches to a halt beside us.

“Pop into the bakery in the morning,” Tony says, holding the cab door as I slide into the back seat. “I’ll have a fresh loaf of your favorite bread waiting for you.”

I smile at him, fighting back tears. “You guys are too good to me,” I murmur, hating how my voice wavers.

Before Tony closes the door, Luigi calls out, “Remember, bambina, one phone call!”

I wave, forcing a smile. The warmth of their kindness lingers, a stark contrast to the cold determination settling in my gut. I’m grateful for their support, but a part of me resents needing it at all.

My father’s face flashes in my mind, and my jaw clenches—time to end this once and for all.

“Where to?” The cab driver asks, glancing at me in the mirror.

“The Diamond Hotel and Casino,” I tell him.

The cab’s tires crunch over loose gravel as we pull away from the curb. I lean my head against the cool glass, watching the familiar streets blur past. My fingers tap an anxious rhythm on my thigh as I wonder what the fuck I’m walking into and hope to God I get there before there is not a cent left.

“Why does this always happen?” I mutter under my breath. “I just want to be able to live my life and reach for my dreams.”

The fear of being trapped in Las Vegas makes me shudder.

The cabbie’s eyes flick to the rearview mirror. “You say somethin’, miss?”

I shake my head, forcing a tight smile. “Just talking to myself. Bad habit.”

He shrugs, turning his attention back to the road. I close my eyes as memories of my life flash through my mind of all the times I was forced to play my father’s games.

My stomach churns thinking about how many good people I have duped out of their hard-earned money to avoid disappointing my father. It still makes me cringe at how his eyes could turn from warm to ice cold in a heartbeat if I didn’t do what he asked or get enough money from a mark—he’s little performing monkey keeping the crowd occupied so he could rob them blind.

I don’t know who’s up there looking out for me, but I thank my guardian angels every day for me landing that scholarship to UNLV. It turned my life around and finally showed me my worth. It gave me the courage to say no to my father.

I want a better life and don’t want to end up like him—a worthless grifter. I’m no longer a pawn in his schemes. He’s on his own. I thought he was doing better over the last two years, since he moved into staff quarters at the Diamond hotel, and he started working as a concierge.

I invited him to breakfast yesterday to let him know I was leaving, not to give him an opportunity to rob me and gamble away my dreams.

Two days. That’s all I had left before I was supposed to be on a bus to LA, leaving this cesspool behind. Now here I am, racing towards the very man I’ve been trying to escape, praying I can salvage what’s left of my dreams.

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