Page 31 of Sin City Obsession

She tipped her head up and leaned closer to Rocco to whisper, “I didn’t realize Emanuele had that kind of sense of humor.”

Rocco was still rumbling with amusement. “He must be in a good mood. We better get in there before he takes all the fun.” He nudged her forward, never removing his hand from her back.

Alessa drew a steadying breath and stepped up, into the darkly decorated, backlit lobby. She heard the door swingclosed behind her, though Rocco’s presence never disappeared, and she realized that the distraction of Emanuele’s stunt had helped draw her focus. Whatever happened after this job was done was whatever would happen. But for the moment, she knew what was expected of her, and she had every intention of seeing it through.

“—fuck do you think you are?” Lou was snarling, standing right up in Emanuele’s space and looking for all the world like an irate, over-puffed bulldog growling up at a bullmastiff. Which was probably an unfair comparison, because technically the men looked to be the same height. Lou simply didn’t project the same sense of strength and assuredness.

Behind Lou, two women in similar outfits had gathered against the wall. Alessa recognized one as the same woman she had spoken to the previous day. At first glance, the pair were huddling up, their eyes glued to the scene in front of them with something akin to fear. But a closer look revealed they were, in fact, slinking slowly closer to the Employees’ door.

“You’re not FBI,” Lou snapped, still aiming his words at Emanuele.

“You’re right,” Emanuele replied, his tone smug. “I’ve just always wanted to bust into a building and shout that.”

Alessa watched Lou for another beat, but while she’d enjoyed poking at him the day before, the man she really wanted was still hiding away further in.He was probably here yesterday, too.It kind of irked her that she might have lost that opportunity, despite that the hours since had given them a chance to dig. To learn.

So she stepped around the two large men and started for the women, who were almost within arms’ reach of their goal. “Hi, there.”

“Hey, bitch—”

The women’s eyes got a little wider, their mutual stares snapping past her, but Lou’s angry words cut off.

Alessa brought herself to just inside the social standard of personal space, let her arms hang at her sides, and plastered on her professional smile. “I can see you’re not as scared as you’re pretending to be. And you obviously didn’t trip the silent alarm Iassumeyou have rigged to your desk, because you don’t really want the police sticking their noses into things around here. Am I right so far?”

The bottle-blonde, who Alessa was pretty sure had also been working the previous day, looked over to her colleague and stage-whispered, “What the bleep is going on?”

Alessa blinked. She felt her head lilt slightly to one side.

The other woman, whom Alessa had spoken directly to the previous day, narrowed perfectly trimmed brows. “Obviously, they’re here to rob us. And I’m not dying over dirty money.”

Okay…There was a lot to unpack there, actually. But Alessa couldn’t quite let one thing go. “I’m sorry,” she said, finding herself lowering her voice. “Did you saybleep?”

The blonde curled in on herself like a turtle. “I’m really freaking upset, okay? So, yes, I said bleep!”

I had no idea I would find someone like this in Las Vegas.

Both women suddenly threw themselves flat against the wall, the blonde letting out a shrill yell, and a rush of air tickled the side of Alessa’s jaw, grazing over her shoulder. That rushwas followed by a quick series of heavy, smacking thuds and male grunting noises that could only mean the glaring and insults had transitioned into the inevitable violence.

Alessa glanced over and saw Lou on his knees, shoulders hunched forward, one arm twisted terribly backward and held firm in Rocco’s grip. Droplets of blood dotted the floor, continuing to fall from Lou’s busted nose.

She had to assume Lou had made a move on her while her back was turned. And that assumption led to the obvious explanation that Rocco, and possibly also Emanuele, who was in the process of drawing shades over the exterior glass, had intercepted. Violently.

Comfortable continuing to leave them at her back, Alessa faced the women again as the dark-haired one got her fingers around the doorknob. “By the way,” she called to them, taking another step closer, “we’re not here to rob you. In fact, I have no business with either of you, if you could point me in the direction of Gwathney’s office, you can disappear without a worry. I’d recommend a safer line of work.”

Dark-hair glared out at her. “We’re not stupid,” she snapped. “Why would we fall for that?”

The blonde twisted her hands together and heaved an anxious breath. Then another. “M-Mr. Gwathney has … associates,” she said slowly.

“Shut up,” her colleague hissed.

Alessa reached past them and took hold of the doorknob. “Gwathney and his associates won’t be cause for concern much longer, okay? Just keep your heads down and your mouths shut. Move forward. Learn. You’ll be fine.” She foundherself hoping they’d take her advice. It was a rare day when she wasn’t obligated to silence every witness in her path.

The women reared back, pulling away from her and away from the door. One looked skeptical, one was a textbook definition of a deer in the headlights.

Alessa offered them nothing more before pushing open the door and striding through. Whether they took her advice or not, those two were not her job. If they caused problems, they would become her job—or someone else’s. If they were smart, if they had any survival instincts, they would put all of Las Vegas behind them.

In the meantime, she had a different goal, and it was literally in her sights. “There you are, Mr. Gwathney.”

Chapter ten

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