Page 11 of Reckless Roulette

“We could battle it out…”—I whip out my Nintendo Switch—“with a game ofMario Kart.”

“And then you say something like that… and it makes me like you even less.”

I laugh as I drop my hand and tuck my Switch back into my hoodie. “See ya around… or not if you get…”—I draw a line over my neck—“dead, ya know?”

Pleased with myself, I head over to the elevator before staring at the disgusting thing. Oh, fuck. Why did I even come down here? What did I solve? I got to see Kade’s beat-up face… I guess that was fun.

Fuck.

* * *

KADE

Why does he do this to me? Why is it that even when I’m merely enjoying a drink he comes in and rains on that parade as well?

But if Harker is right, I need to swallow my pride and get him to work for me. So I toss a bill on the counter that will more than cover my tab and tip, then head over to the elevator, slipping inside before the door shuts.

I open my mouth, planning on telling him exactly how irritating he is, when I get a look at his face. He’s pressed back in the corner of the elevator, hands clenching so tightly onto the railing that his knuckles are white. His eyes are closed, but the moment he hears me, he opens them and quickly looks away.

The concierge turns to me, paying no mind to the man who seems to be having issues in the corner as he gives me a smile.

“Floor?”

“Lobby,” I say since I see that one is already lit up and assume that’s where Len is going. All of the snippy comments I’d had stored up to deliver to him leave me as I awkwardly stand in the elevator. Even though it was a short ride down, I feel like time has stopped on the way up, drawing it out and making the silence extremely uncomfortable. When the door finally opens, Len slips out and hurries through the hotel.

My guards are waiting in the lobby and rush after me, but I’m fixated on Len now. When I reach the door leading out, he turns to look at me.

“If I didn’t know any better, Kade, I’d say you were stalking me,” he teases, like the events in the elevator didn’t even happen.

“Do you know how long I’ve been going to that club for?” I ask. I was first invited back when I was helping my father with far too much illegal shit. And now that I have the casino running, I’m one of the most influential men of the city, so no one second-guesses my presence there.

Len doesn’t respond, so I continue. “How much money do you want?”

“Is ityourmoney or someone else’s? If it’s yours, I’d want a lot of it, if I’m being honest,” Len says.

I grit my teeth. “How much money do you want to do what I’m asking?” I say, not wanting to spell it out in case there’s anyone listening.

He turns around and walks up to me before reaching out and cupping my face between his hands. The gesture is overly familiar and all four of my guards gawk at the kid who has the balls to do such a thing.

Then he uses his hands to physically shake my head, which makes me growl as I smack his hands away. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Seeing if it rattles when I shake it. No rattle… whichcouldmean it’s empty.”

“This is a joke. You’re a joke. Do you evenowna gun?” I ask as I grab for him and yank his hoodie up to see what he’s even carrying. Sometimes seeing a gun is enough to tell how skilled the wielder is… or how cocky. “You don’t even have a gun on you.”

“Don’t I? Maybe it’s somewhere else. Wanna see if you can find it?” he asks with a wink.

“Guards, let’s take this man back with us to the casino… I want to talk to him,” I say as I start toward my car.

Len starts to hurry off toward his own car until one of my guards, a man named Jerry, grabs Len’s wrist.

Len stares down at his wrist then looks at me. “Am I being kidnapped?”

“Get in the car,” I say.

Len puts on the brakes, forcing my other three guards to help with the situation. “I’m being kidnapped! Help! Help! Someone!”

I glance around at all the people immediately looking at us as my guards try to force Len’s rigid body into the back of the car. “Knock it off,” I hiss, hoping he quiets down.

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