Page 108 of Forbidden Confessions: Vol. 2
“Not anymore, according to the boss.”
Carboni ignores me. “You fill his head with stupid shit. Now the people we’re keeping alive simply because they have tits and a pussy or an asshole someone wants to poke are going to fill up the fucking empty wing of the hotel. Do you know how much harder they’ll be to keep an eye on up there?”
“Marco agrees with me that the merchandise should be kept in better shape. You don’t like it? Take it up with him.”
“I hate you, you pansy-ass, Ivy League, brown-nosing motherfucker. I’m coming for you.”
I smile Paulie’s way. “Please do.”
Donzelli slashes a glare at both of us as he continues to speak into the phone. “I understand. Thank you for the heads-up. I’ll have it taken care of.”
With a curse, the mafia don stabs his phone to end the call, then looks up with a snarl. “We have a…situation.”
“What? Tell me how I can help.” Maybe I can use it to destroy this fucking organization.
Suddenly, his phone lights up, then he glances at the picture with a grim smile. “Gotcha.”
What the fuck is he talking about? “Boss?”
Now that Paulie, Sal, and Rudy are finally paying attention, Donzelli gives us a tight smile. “Last night we grabbed a girl off the floor for one of our VIP guests. He paid a pretty penny for her, and he’s planning to…introduce himself after he finishes at the craps tables this evening. It hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet since her disappearance, so the police won’t get involved until later tonight. But it appears she has friends and family who aren’t waiting. One of them is down there, stirring up trouble. I want you to find this woman and shut her up quickly.”
Sal and Rudy glance at her image on Donzelli’s phone. The big lug whistles. A dirty smile flits across the short man’s face. “She’s a looker. I’d fuck her. In fact, I think I will. C’mon, Rudy.”
Together they head out, taking the elevator with them.
Finally, the boss turns his phone around to show me a picture of a gorgeous redhead who flips every one of my switches at the same time the blood in my veins freezes.
Unfortunately, I don’t have to guess where Kristi Knolls is anymore. She came to Vegas—and fell pretty ass first into danger.
Fuck.
I go running.
3
Kristi
* * *
Worry gnaws my belly as I shoulder my way through the thick crowd of people, trying not to scream. Why is this casino so crowded? Granted, it’s a Saturday night, but I don’t understand the neon, get-rich-quick attraction. Then again, I’ve never liked gambling. But that doesn’t matter now. My cousin Sammie does. The girl is barely eighteen.
And she went missing last night.
Early this morning, my aunt Tammy called frantically and asked for my help in finding her daughter. Sammie disappeared here, at a concert she came to with friends. It should have been fine. She was in a group. They were in public. But she went to the restroom between bands…and never returned.
Worry knots me. Sammie is young and impulsive, but she’s never been the kind of kid who looks for trouble. Sure, it’s possible she saw another pal or met someone new. But it would be completely out of character for her to ditch her friends without a word. Even more unlike her not to call her mother all night long. When she left the house, her phone battery was full, so it shouldn’t have given out.
With every passing minute, I get more concerned. If I let myself imagine all the things that could befall her in Vegas, I’ll lose my shit. I can’t imagine what my aunt Tammy is going through. Sammie is her only daughter.
But at this point, I’m terrified the worst has happened.
I grab a passing employee’s sleeve, shoving my phone with a picture of Sammie in his face. “Excuse me. Were you working last night? Did you see this girl?”
He glances at the screen, then quickly shakes his head, avoiding my gaze. “Sorry.”
He pushes forward. The crowd swallows him up. I fight to keep my composure.
I’d follow the waiter and demand his help, but he’s the third employee I’ve questioned. Each dismissed—more like dodged—me when I asked about Sammie. What the heck is going on?
