Page 12 of The Gambler

“What are you doing here, Tess?” He could be just as manipulative. Playing hard to get had once been his business motto.

“Don’t you ‘what are you doing here’ me. I’ve had it with you condescending men today.” She gave him a dubious look. “By the way, wasn’t that your ex-fiancée, Natasha Vanderbilt? The one who dumped you the second you got locked up? And isn’t she married?”

Was she for real? Had women changed that much since he’d been inside? Didn’t they have a filter anymore?

“Why are you here?” he repeated. “I kept up my part of the deal. Go away.”

Never show too eager to close a deal.

She waved two leather-clad fingers in his face. “No, the deal was for you to keep Mick the Dick off my back. I just had to pay him last night. Again. How is this keeping up your side of the deal?”

Ah, yes, the little issue with Irish Brian’s enforcer. An issue he hadn’t taken care of indeed. “Did or didn’t I pay you twenty thousand dollars last week?”

“You did, but—”

“Did or didn’t you pay off Mick with that money?”

“I did, but—”

“There’s no buts if one party keeps his part of the deal. I pay you, and he stays off your back. It’s a win-win.”

“Maybe for you, but not me. I don’t ever want to see that creep’s face again. And FYI, I paid him ten thousand the first time. Then he upped the ante in a week. And guess what? He did it again yesterday. Now he wants thirty thousand. See where I’m going with this?”

Right into my web.

“You want more money.” Which presented him with a brilliant opportunity. A chance to transfer her debt from Mick over to him. And he wouldn’t even have to threaten her to help him.

The girl blinked. “No, you moron. I don’t want more money. Didn’t you hear a word of what I just said? I want Mick off my back. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you. Don’t you come from a line of Italian mobsters? Honor that proud tradition. When I say, get someone off my back, I mean get him the hell away from me, permanently. Not in the ‘make him sleep with the fishes’ kind of permanently,” she added hastily. “There’s no need for such violence. But put on the screws. Tell him off, I don’t know.You’resupposed to be the badass mobster progeny, not me.” She gave an exasperated sigh. “How is it that I have to explain your job to you?”

Luca found himself having one of the strangest conversations in his life… ever.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I was merely a toddler when my proud Italian mobster dad died on me. I grew up in private boarding schools, not on the set ofThe Godfather.”

The look she gave him almost made him feel inadequate as a man.

“That’s a shame, not-so-lucky Lucky Luciano. If youhadknown anything about mobster circles, your ex probably wouldn’t have had the balls to screw you over.”

That stung. “I don’t have time for this. My time is too precious for that. You want me to get rid of Mick permanently, it’s gonna cost you. Nothing in life comes for free.”

Her eyes flashed. “You slimy space slug. I’ve had it with men screwing me over.” Then she inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Stay cool Tess,” she murmured.

“Do you always talk to yourself?”

“Yes, in fact, I do. Another thing I do sometimes is come bearing gifts,” she said sweetly.

He cocked a brow, not impressed in the least. “And what kind of gift would that be? Empty air?” They both knew she had nothing to back up her threat with. It was only a matter of time before she would knuckle under.

“Nope. It should arrive any minute now. Consider it a… taste of what is yet to come if you don’t keep your promise.”

She’d just turned around when she stopped dead in her tracks. He followed her gaze to the still open front door. Two blond identical-looking men were standing there. One with a scowl on his face, the other with a smirk.

Shit. It had only been a matter of time before they would find him.

“Angel. Damon.”

CHAPTER 7

TESS

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