Page 14 of Wild Card (Advantage Play 1)

When the doors slide open a few seconds later, the big gorilla loses a bit of his chivalry and shoves me inside. After a stumble, I glare over my shoulder but don’t say anything.

Other than the boring elevator music, a heavy silence encompasses the small space as I dig my teeth into my lower lip, chewing the flesh anxiously.

Shit, shit, shit, I repeat in my head over and over again. It’s kind of my mantra when I’m in crappy situations, and boy are the warning bells ringing right now.

This is all my fault. I’d completely discarded Rule #2 as soon as I entered the Charlette. I was comfortable. Too comfortable. I should’ve seen this coming. I know better than this.

I have my damn rules for a reason!

When the door slides open, I find myself being dragged down a long, dark, windowless hallway with closed doors lining each side. The fluorescent lights cast shadows along the blank, gray walls, and I feel like I’ve just stepped into a horror movie. The likelihood of me getting out of this situation without a few bruises is slim to none, and my mind scrambles for options.

Unfortunately, I doubt any of them will help me.

“Look, you have no legal right to detain me,” I argue. “Let me cash out my chips, and I’ll leave, okay?”

With his heavy hand on my shoulder, he chuckles behind me. His pudgy fingers dig into my collarbone. “You do know whose casino you’re in, right?”

A lump the size of a golf ball lodges in my throat, so I don’t respond.

I’m so screwed.

“That’s what I thought.” He stops me in front of a door on the right before opening it and roughly pushing me inside. Other than a folding chair in the center of the room, it’s empty.

I turn around as soon as he releases me, only to be greeted with the back of his hand.

With the force of a wrecking ball, my head swings to the side.

“Fuuuck,” I mutter to myself, gingerly touching the side of my face to find the skin already hot and angry.

Shit, that hurt.

Ears ringing, I struggle to find the willpower to focus on my attacker, but I know that if I curl up into a ball like I want to, I’ll be screwed.

“Enough!” a gruff voice barks from the doorway. The sound is almost muffled, but I search for its owner anyway. When my gaze connects with the stranger, I nearly swallow my tongue.

“Fuuuuck,” I repeat on a breath. The guy looks pissed. Sexy as hell, yes. But pissed.

The pit boss must feel the same anger radiating off him because he takes a cautious step away from me before tucking his hands into the front pockets of his charcoal slacks.

“Sir—”

“Out,” the stranger growls, cutting him off while striding over the threshold and into the room. The room that feels like it’s shrinking with each of his steps. My heart rate spikes.

I feel like I’m made of granite as he comes closer to me. Even if I wanted to, I’d be unable to move a muscle. Not a damn one.

With hurried steps, the asshole who hit me disappears through the door, leaving me alone with…him.

I’ve only seen him once or twice on the upper floor of the casino. But with the power he exudes, it’s hard to miss him. No matter how hard he tries to blend in with the crowds, it’s impossible. I’ve never bothered to find out his name, but I’m really wishing I had done my research now that I’m alone in a room with him in the basement of a casino.

I’m so screwed.

My attention is glued to the stranger as he relaxes right before my eyes. His broad shoulders soften. His clenched fists release. But his pinched brows stay in place, making the uneasiness in my lower gut flair in anticipation. I’m positive he can hear my heart pounding in my chest as he assesses me.

Still frozen, I watch him circle me like a shark, and a single thought whispers through my mind. I’m about to get eaten alive.

“Do you know who I am?” his low voice rumbles.

I hold my breath, but don’t respond.

---