Page 84 of Guarded

“Welcome to Verdis. We are honored to have you on our opening night. My name is Cesidio Verde Biondini-”

“Get an extensive background report on this guy,” I whisper to Jasper.

“Already on it.”

The crowd bursts into a round of applause, and Cesidio walks down the stairs past the table where he was sitting. Preston moves to get up in front of me, and Ari removes herself immediately after. I move toward her. Bodyguard duties and whatnot, but my fist clenches at my sides when she raises a hand to me.

“I need to talk to Preston.” She mouths.

I assume privately, so I respect her decision.

Yeah right.

A regular bodyguard would do that, but I’m not a regular bodyguard. We abandoned client-employee etiquette a long time ago. My eyes trail hers, and a minute passes before her absence triggers my obsession.

“Nero,” Jasper says from behind me.

“What?” I ask, turning to face him.

“Keep your head in the game.” He lectures.

“Keep your fucking nose out of my business.”

When I turn around, I’ve lost track of them. There are two options to choose from in the direction they were headed.

One is a dark hallway off to the side of the first dining hall. The other option is the second dining hall behind the massive bar.

I take the second option to be safe walking around the bar. The restaurant is completely packed. I look around for blonde hair and pink sparkles but come up short.

Turning back around, I spot Benji eyeing me from the bar. His eyes shift to the side, calling me to join him.

“What are you doing here?” He whispers harshly when I step up to the stool next to him—an attempt to remain discrete so no one suspects anything.

“I’m making sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to if you want your sister back,” I say, taking the empty stool next to him.

“I’ve got a hunch who is in charge of things, but I’m not completely sure yet. This is not a safe environment for me to disclose anything.” he brings the glass of wine to his lips and keeps his eyes glued in front of him.

“Text me when you have valuable information,” I reply, standing and straightening my suit jacket. “Did you happen to see where Preston Cuevas went?”

A small laugh escapes Benji at the question.

“Knowing him, I’d check the dumpster out back. That’s where he takes most women.”

Anger leads the way. Controlling my forward movement as I search for an exit to the back alley. The images of what I will find propel me to walk straight through the kitchen and out the backdoor. The night air hits my hot face, and I look around for the dumpster Benji mentioned.

The alley is dark and free of any commotion. I listen attentively as I look around the empty space. It’s not long before I hear the sounds from behind the blue dumpster outside Cartas, an elite gambling house next door. My steps are light. The closer I get, I make out a female giggling softly.

Reaching back, I grab my gun from the back of my suit pants. Holding the weapon out in front of me, I take slow, deliberate steps toward the voices.

Three hundred fifty feet stand between me and the murderous thoughts creeping into my mind. I’ve made up my mind. Shoot first and look for an alibi later.

“Nero.” I hear a voice whisper behind me and freeze.

Relief washes over me when I turn to face her.

“Ariella. What the fuck are you doing out here?”

She stares at me with a perplexed look on her face.

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