Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“Love you, Mama.”
“Love you, son.” I hang up my phone and take in ten deep breaths.
One.
Two.
The car rolls to a stop at a red light, but I keep my eyes closed, calming my racing heart. It only beats for Wolf and my family, and those people are not who I’m going to see tonight.
Three.
Four.
A loud rumble of bikes rolls to a stop beside us, and if they weren’t so fucking loud, I probably would have continued my counting. My eyes open and I turn out the window to see who, or what, dickwad is using his big, loud engine as compensation for his little dick, when I see around ten men, all idling beside me. The one closest to my mirror has a large body and tight rippled muscles as arms. His fingers flex around his higher handlebars and I read the patch on his back.
“That must be the patch over that’s happening tonight,” Val says with a grin.
“Patch over?” I ask Val, unable to remove my eyes from the bike beside me. His bike is glossy white. The loud pipes that shake my car hook to the back near his tire. “I didn’t know about any patch over?”
“You wouldn’t and don’t because it’s fine. It’s civil, and they know that if it gets out of hand that you will have something to say about it.”
“Hmmm… and how do you know?” I ask, glaring at Val in the rearview mirror.
“Because my best friend from childhood rides with them. He’s patched in and is moving here with their new president.”
“Well…” I whisper. “Thank God for that because their last one here sucked.” The light turns green, and just as we pull away from them, I turn to maybe get a look of the beast that sits on the bike beside my window, but as soon as I get a view, my hopes are crushed by the fact that half of his face is covered by a skull bandana and the other half a helmet.
“Damn. Could bet my money he was fucking hot.”
“And how would you know?” Tony asks, joking. Tony. Sweet, sweet Tony.
“My nipples never lie.”
Val bursts out laughing and we sit in silence for the remainder of the trip. Twenty minutes later, we pull into the entrance of the casino. It’s well known within circles, because well, I own it. Honey Death was purchased before Papa died but was definitely done with his direction.
I slip out of the back seat and the valet takes the key from Tony as we enter the glitzy entrance. Crystal chandeliers hang from the high ceilings, the decor black and glitter. The reception desk is to the side, where black marble meets white stone, and instead of walls there are mirrors throughout. People say that mirrors are the first sign of vanity. That if you have more than one mirror in your room, you are vain. So I filled the whole fucking hotel with them.
We move our way through to the back, bypassing the elevators to the hotel rooms on the upper level and going straight for the escalators that take you down into the heart of the casino. Cigarettes and alcohol fill the air as soon as we step off and make our way through. It’s a busy night, since it’s a Friday, and not just any Friday, but Friday the thirteenth, so my head of promotions thought it would be good to host a haunted style casino night. Everyone is dressed up in some kind of weird, dark attire, and honestly, a few years ago I would have eaten this up. I always wanted Honey Death to be a cross between what younger people want in a casino, but without it being tacky. So far, so good.
Passing the roulette tables, I ignore the stares like I always do, as we reach the back room, where two security guards stand with weapons strapped across their chests. They both bow their heads, opening the doors. “Mrs. Lala.”
“Miss,” I correct. “For now.”
As soon as the back doors close, I breathe out a sigh and make my way through to the boardroom. This area is purposely for business meetings that I, one, need to make sure no one loses their shit and starts killing people, and two, is away from my family.
I push through the opening doors to the boardroom and smile when I see Camitro and his right hand on one side of the table, and Billy on the left side of the table with his two most prized men.
“Wow. I could smell the testosterone from upstairs.”
“You’re late, principessa…” Camitro scolds jokingly, a slight smile on his wrinkly face. “Should we be worried of why you’re late?”
I lower myself down onto the seat at the head of the table, rolling my lips beneath my teeth. Why yes, yes, you probably should be. “No. Not at all. Now, how can I help you both? I’d really love to get home to my kid before sunrise if that’s okay with you all.”