Page 83 of My Mafia King

“I can do that,” she says in a breath, and my heart hurts.

“You won’t miss your friends?”

“What friends, Car? Tell me… What friends?”

The sadness in her voice overwhelms me.

She’s right again. There are no friends. Not the kinds you want to spend a lot of time with.

“I can go to any school. I don’t care where I go as long as I’m with you.”

Her desperation breaks my soul.

“We’ll find something. I don’t know how these things work. I don’t think he’ll just let you come here and stay with me. For sure, he wouldn’t. So we’ll need to start a new life someplace else. And for that to happen, I need a little bit more money. I don’t have much now. But I’ll make more money. I promise you that. This job pays well. Extremely well. It’s more than I’ve made at the other job, so I hope we’ll have a nice amount of money in a few weeks to get this new life started.”

“A few weeks?”

She goes silent.

“So many things could happen in a few weeks,” she says, disappointed, more crippling desperation soaring through her voice.

“Don’t worry about this, Tin-Tin. I’ll take care of it. Somehow, we’ll get away from him and live a better life. You just focus on school. All right?”

It takes her a few seconds to murmur words again.

“All right,” she says softly.

A lump forms in my throat, and that bad feeling rams through me again, but I crush it because that’s what I’ve heard real adults do. They always try to keep things in balance and solve problems. And I’ll need to solve this problem too.

The best I can, anyway.

“I love you, Tin-Tin.”

“I love you too, Car.”

With that, I end the call, and I still have my phone clutched in my hand while running my fingers below my eyes to wipe away my tears.

15

CARMINA

The club isspectacular at night.

I saw it when I toured the place today with the rest of the new hires, and it didn’t look like now.

Aerial dancers perform, flashing their limber bodies, supple muscles, and sequined costumes.

A huge dance floor spreads out in the middle, and mirrored walls reflect the lights, tables, two packed bars in the back, and exotic dancers on the platforms.

The lights alone are a show in itself, and the bursts of confetti make everything look like a joyful celebration.

But what is Las Vegas, if not that?

Impressive bouncers keep a tight eye on the crowd and everything under control, whether it’s the people approaching the entrance or the patrons inside.

I get the hang of it quickly, taking orders, bringing the food to the table, and pocketing the tips. Around eleven, my direct boss signals me to go in the back.

Those rooms are less noisy and more private, and people gamble over there, so the vibe is different.

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