Page 4 of Dane

CHAPTER 3

DANE

Even though we’d only spent one night together five years ago, I thought of Aurora often. Those dark eyes and that luscious body of hers no man could resist.

****

I was in a private room at a dance club called The Paragon, across the street from the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. I had to smack around one of my stupid, young capos who couldn’t keep his soldiers in line. It reflected on me, and if I didn’t set him straight, I would lose the respect of the other bosses in New Jersey. The night was still young as people started packing into the club. I was bored out of my mind. I rolled up my shirt sleeves and left the private room with one of my other capos, Carlo Banetti, and a few of his soldiers. I wanted to disappear into the packed club, get swallowed up by all the people dancing and enjoying themselves

Aurora collided right into me; I caught her by the arms before she fell back. The pounding beat of the music, the swirling lights from the disco ball over the dance floor made the dark club deafening.

I looked at her, and she was clearly upset. Tears were running down her cheeks. I looked up behind her to see a man weaving through the crowd coming after her. She suddenly wrapped her arms around my shoulders and planted her soft lips right on mine.

The man stopped only a few yards away, and I saw his eyes go wide when Aurora kissed me. I played along, of course, and wrapped my arms around her petite waist. I closed my eyes, deepening the kiss, sliding my tongue into her mouth. I could still remember how good she tasted – something sweet she drank mingled along with cigarettes.

She moaned when she tasted my tongue, then she pulled away.

I laughed. “He’s gone.”

She stepped back, slinging her purse back on her shoulder. “Thanks.”

When she tried to step around me, I blocked her. “Whoa. I should at least get your name for helping you out with whatever that was.”

She shook her head and smiled, offering her hand. “My name is Aurora.”

“Dane Neri,” I replied, taking her hand in mine.

She released my hand. “We’ve never met, but I know who you are. I’m so very sorry for what I just did.”

“No apology needed. I don’t mind saving a pretty damsel in distress. I thoroughly enjoyed that kiss.”

Her eyes darted to Carlo standing behind me. “Well, I should be going.”

“Wait. I’m having the same kind of night as you, it seems. How about I buy you a drink? Don’t worry about Carlo and my men. I’m not Scarface. They won’t pull out guns and shoot up the place.”

She smiled, “Sure, why the hell not.”

I just met the woman, but when she turned around, and I placed a hand on the small of her back, it just felt natural. I followed her up the stairs to the second level bar, and my eyes stared right at her curvy figure in a tight, shimmering, gold dress.

We sat in a cozy booth while Carlo got us both a drink, and we talked for hours. I learned that the man that followed after Aurora was her boyfriend. He was some wealthy business lawyer living in Trenton, New Jersey, named Evan Talbot. She caught the douche bag kissing some woman that night. By the third or fourth drink, she wanted me to call her Rory. I spent the rest of the night and into the morning with her, and it was unforgettable.

We spent the night together in a room at the Ocean Casino Resort with a view of the Atlantic Ocean. Rory’s lips and tongue were intoxicating, and her soft curvy body had me rock hard. I couldn’t get enough of her, and we were together for only one night.

****

No matter how gorgeous Aurora was, she was still the enemy. She worked with the Carusos and was never to be trusted. Nolan gave me a flash drive before he got on Mr. Takata’s plane with Gina and flew to Maui for their honeymoon. Nolan had valuable resources in the federal arena and paid these men very well. The flash drive contained intel gathered on Aurora.

Aurora Owens notorious Maryland Madam. She employed four or five women as high-dollar escorts and ran her business out of a multi-million-dollar mansion in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was just an upscale brothel for the filthy rich businessmen and politicians. Aurora ran it all by herself, employing maids, cooks, catering, and bartending staff, and hosted private parties by invitation only.

Ten years before, she was married to a wealthy business tycoon named Carter Owens. Not long after they were married, Carter was killed, shot in the face at point-blank range in a bathroom at the newly built Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. His murder was a message to other enemy capos and underbosses of the dirty city.

How strong were Aurora’s ties to the Carusos? Was she giving them a cut of her profits from her escort business? Did they hold something over her? Threaten her with something? I would get answers out of Aurora even if I had to beat them out of her.

I brought Rocky along, having him drive us both back to Maryland a few days later. We met Aurora at her Georgetown mansion that afternoon. She left the front door unlocked, and we walked in. I found her in the living room - red velvet furniture, with gold and silver trimmings for the décor. It looked like a tacky bordello. She sat in a chair, with her chin up and straight-lipped as she smoked a cigarette. She smashed it in the ashtray on the table next to her and exhaled the last drag. “You’ve come to check out this nice chunk of real estate you’re stealing from me, Dane Neri?”

I stood in front of her and rubbed my temples that throbbed. “Spoils of war, sweetheart.”

She left the chair and walked over to the elaborate gold curtains at the bay window. “The war isn’t over yet, and who knows if you’ll come out of this alive.” She turned around and looked at Rocky. “You turned on the Carusos. You’re a rat Rocky and just as much a target as Dane is.”

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