Page 25 of The Mafia's Property

I couldn’t deny it. She was not suspicious in the way Rico was describing her, but she was different that the women I was used to. She was very observant and seemed to be a listener than a talker. Which, as far as traits go, is not a bad one. How Dante and Rico and leaped to ‘must be working to steal a jewel few people know to exist’ was what’s not making sense here.

“All I know is that she’s not a jewel thief.”

“Whatever. Be careful.”

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. A few moments later, four men in work suits were assembling my desk next to Rico’s. I wondered if I will ever use it. Office work was more Rico’s arena. I preferred being the boss would manage things instead of overseeing them.

“I’m going to the lounge,” I said to Rico. I didn’t wait for his response as I got out of the now stuffy and overcrowded office. Freya was sitting quietly like a school girl outside the principal’s office. She looked so cute in her outfit that I had a hard time squaring the person Rico was sure she was and the person I was seeing. “Do you want to get out of here for a while?” I said, as I took her hand and helped her up.

“We are leaving the casino already? You can’t be done for the day?”

“Not out of the casino, unfortunately. There’s a lounge one floor below.”

She frowned. “Drinks in the morning? Whatever you two were discussing was not good.”

We were talking about you and how you are an international jewel thief. Stealing for some European dude made one and international thief, right? I never understood how those monikers were awarded. “We talked about charts, graphs, and logistics. It makes one want to drink.”

She chuckled. “I never thought of myself as a morning drinker, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

The lounge was closed when we got there. It was too early for a drink, but I enjoyed watching the manager of the lounge squirm when he realized who I was. He had tried to reopen the bar, but making employees work overtime for two people wasn’t my thing, so we ended up wandering in the mall section looking at nothing and everything. It was the laziest and least expensive window shopping I had ever done. Freya never asked for anything or did that not-so-subtle hint that other women did that meant you had to buy something for the woman. She was enjoying the tour as much as I was. She seemed to find every little thing interesting, and I was enjoying her more than I the inane store displays.

“Don’t you want it? I asked when we stopped at a Tiffany store. A gold necklace with black and white pearl bird at the center had taken her fancy.”

“Wouldn’t it be too much?” She asked, as if it was the most odd thing to ask someone. I had enough money to buy the entire store. Hell, I practically owned the building the store was in, and yet she was asking if it would be a lot for me.

“Not really. It would burn a tiny hole in my pocket, but not much else.” For a supposed jewel thief, she was very cautious about money. She only wanted little and never asked for anything, even now when I could tell she really liked the necklace. I took hold of her hand and led her into the shop. “Let’s see if they have it.”

“Nico!” she resisted but only a little as we entered. “It’s not really necessary,” she tried to say.

“Few luxury items are.” The store clerk immediately turned his attention to us. There were a few other customers, but the recognition on his face when he saw me told me he knew who I was. “What brings you here, Mr. Morelli?” he said.

“We were looking for the gold bird necklace on the window display, if you have it.”

“Certainly Mr. Morelli.” The clerk, who I was now sure was the manager, called out to one of his underlings to bring the necklace.

“You really didn’t have to,” Freya said.

“Why are you so afraid of being pampered?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just, I’m not used to this kind of attention coming from a man not coming with strings attached.”

“Why do I find it impossible to believe?” A woman as beautiful as her would have all the men in her life falling over themselves to please her whenever necessary. They would shower her with gifts just to gain her attention.

“Believe or not. Most men I’ve known have, let’s just say, expected something in return. And I guess you will as well.” Ah. She thought this was a give and take.

“I won’t ask you to give me a blowjob as a thank you, if that’s what you think.”

“Of course.”

“I’m being serious. Not only will I not be bothering you with a blow job of any kind, but I will be doing the exact opposite of what you think and instead look at you admiringly while you walk around with a necklace around your neck.” The clerk came back with the necklace. It wasn’t cheap, but it was probably the least expensive thing in that store. The women I knew would have demanded that I at least by the biggest and flashiest diamond necklace. I half expected her to add onto her list of demands, instead she had graciously accepted the necklace, if not with a little embarrassment.

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” she asked as we entered the main floor of the casino. I turned to her. “What makes you think I’m not working? Observation is part of my job.” Slots were ringing all around us as we made our way past the gamblers, trying their luck. You’d think the popularity of the house always wins, saying would be a deterrence for many people from wanting to play, but it seemed like it was a challenge. The machines weren’t rigged, but they were designed to make sure that even if the player wins, they would win only enough to encourage them to play again. And if they hit that jackpot, well, there were plenty of other things in-house that would entice the player from spending those winnings here. As a result, there we a lot of people trying their luck, but as we made our way to the tables, the numbers dwindled. Blackjack was a little popular, but the other games, like roulette and crafts, had few clients. “Like what I’m doing right now.”

Freya looked around her. “Is there anything amiss that you see? It looks like it’s well run.”

“Kinda. Dante is mainly focused on bringing in rich clientele who drop a ton of money in a few days and leave. Those guys did not spend their money here, but at the VIP lounges that were exclusive only to members of the casino and their closest friends. But there was also an opening for the upper middle class who want to be seen as upper class. Those lawyers, Wall Street bros and hen party girls who would come here for a weekend and leave. They could fill these tables if we offered them a more enticing reason. “

“Hmm.”

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