Chapter 25

Greyson

I hadn’t even bothered to change into my suit after Skylar left. I was still in my jeans and black T-shirt, and I was finding it difficult to gather the nerve to leave my office. In here, no one could ask me what was wrong if they managed to see through the cracks of my foundation. I never liked to talk to people about personal things, and the hole that had been blown through my heart after Skylar left was definitely not a topic up for conversation with anyone.

Not even Meek.

He had been smart to leave it alone. We had bigger things on our plate at the moment, and he was keeping his focus on the potential arrival of Luccio or one of his paid goons. I was trying to channel that same focus, but thoughts of Skylar were more than distracting.

If I closed my eyes and remained still, I could still feel the softness of her cheek on my chest that morning. I could still remember the way she sounded when she slept. Her soft breaths and content sighs. I ached to have that back, and she had only been gone a few hours.

I had a long day ahead of me.

Meek knocked on my door and let himself in. I greeted him with a nod and stood.

“Come on, boss,” Meek said. “Let’s go for a walk. You shouldn’t wait around all day for that check to show up. He may have been bluffing. Besides, our eyes on the casino floor are better than anyone else’s. We know Luccio’s face and how he moves. We have a better chance of spotting him.”

“You’re right,” I said, walking around my desk. We both made our way out into the hall and caught the freight elevator up to the casino floor.

When we emerged, the ringing of bells echoed in my ears.

The casino was the same as always, despite the impending threat looming over it. I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Perhaps waiting for Luccio was a bad call.

“What’s eating at you, Greyson?” Meek asked as we took up our posts by the casino entrance once more.

I shrugged. “Where should I start?”

“Wherever feels right.”

“This is a disaster, Meek. My casino has the attention of the mob. This is not the kind of business owner I want to be. I’m constantly going back and forth between thinking that we’re right to keep everything under the radar, and thinking we’re wrong and that I should just shut the place down and call the authorities. If someone gets hurt because of me…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Meek nudged my shoulder with his. “No one is going to get hurt. The mob doesn’t want that kind of attention, either. Luccio is an ass, but he’s not stupid. There’s a reason they’re all so wealthy and not in prison.”

That was all true. It still didn’t ease the tension I felt in every square inch of my body. “People make mistakes, Meek. That’s all it would take. Luccio comes in here, and things go sideways, and someone innocent gets caught in the crosshairs.”

“You seem to think you’re in this alone,” Meek said.

I looked over at my friend.

“I have your back, Greyson. It’s not all on you to make sure nothing goes wrong. I want the same things you do. We will keep these people safe. No one will know anything ever happened. We’ll take this as it comes, and if we have to, we will get the police involved.”

I still didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.

“Add this to a broken heart, and you’re having a pretty shitty day, huh?” Meek asked, giving me half a smile.

I looked at the obsidian floors at my feet and shook my head. “Is it that obvious?”

Meek shrugged and looked around the casino. “Obvious enough to a friend.”

As I considered Meek’s words, my eyes were drawn to a man who was making his way toward the entrance to the casino. He was well dressed in a fitted black suit that I knew was worth more than the eight-thousand-dollar ring that flashed on his right thumb. I spotted a tattoo on his knuckle and followed the line of his sleeves up to his throat, where another, paler black tattoo winked at me from beneath the collar of his shirt.

I nudged Meek in the ribs with my elbow, and he followed my stare to look at the man. Meek made a sound in the back of his throat. He and I were on the same page.

The man’s dark brown eyes met mine as he approached. He gave me a crooked grin and came to stand about four feet away from me and Meek.

“Mr. Kline,” the stranger acknowledged, dipping his head in a polite bow. “I was hoping you would be open to sitting down for a drink. There are things the two of us need to discuss.”

Meek took a threatening step forward. “You’ll say what you need to say, and then you’ll get off the property.”

“Meek,” I said, putting a hand on my friend’s chest and pushing him back a step. I looked up at the blonde man with brown eyes. His hands were clasped in front of him, and he was staring back at me like he already knew I was going to accept his offer. “A drink is fine.”

Meek glared at me. “Are you serious?”

“We’re keeping it under the radar, remember? We won’t cause a scene unless we have to. I’ll hear him out. I can handle myself. You stay here and keep an eye out for Luccio.” I was trying to suggest, without saying it plainly in front of Luccio’s man, that the blonde stranger might be a distraction.

The tightness in Meek’s jaw told me he was having a hard time digesting my request. “Stay in my line of sight,” he grated before looking away from me to watch the casino floor.

I didn’t say anything as I turned back to the stranger. “Follow me,” I said, and I led him to the bar above the casino floor. We took a table by the railing so that Meek could see us easily. I ordered us each a rum and coke, and once they arrived, I leaned back in my chair and crossed one leg over the other.

“Let’s not waste our time with niceties. Tell me what you came here for.”

The stranger sipped his drink and smiled at me. “You’re in such a hurry to get to business. Don’t you want to get to know each other first?”

“Not in the least.”

The man chuckled. “Well, there are a few things I want to put on the table first. My name is Roy. I work for Luccio. He will not be coming today with the unsigned check. He has made other arrangements that he felt would pay off more in his favor.”

I stared blankly back at Roy.

“Are you interested in hearing these new arrangements?” Roy asked.

“I am sure you will tell me, regardless of my answer. So go ahead, Roy. What are these arrangements?”

“Well,” Roy started. “It was important that Luccio found the proper leverage to get you to see that denying him was not an option. It took him a bit of time. He didn’t expect you to turn him down the other day when he paid you a visit.”

“Spit it out already,” I growled. I was sick of playing games with these goons.

“You forced his hand, Greyson. Remember that.” Roy reached into his pocket. My heart started hammering in my chest, and I wondered if I had let myself walk right into a terrible trap. He could be pulling anything from his pocket. A knife. A gun.

Instead, he only withdrew his cellphone. He turned the screen on, flipped through a couple screens, and then handed the device to me across the table.

I hesitated to take it from him.

“Take it,” Roy said.

I stared at the phone in his hand. After another brief moment, I took the phone, pulled it to me, and stared down at the screen.

It was a picture.

In the image were three women. Three incredibly familiar women.

The shot had been taken from what I assumed was a security camera mounted in the corner of the room they were in. Renee was sitting beside Nikki on a brown leather sofa. In front of both women was a third. Her long black hair hung down her back as she knelt in front of them.

Skylar.

My grip tightened on the phone as my stomach rolled.

I looked up at Roy. “If you hurt her—”

“The photo was taken less than an hour ago,” he said, cutting me off. “She will not be harmed, and neither will the others, so long as you pay up the hundred thousand. Sorry, hundred and fifty thousand. Your incessant delays have incurred interest. You have until tomorrow at noon.”

White hot anger brewed inside me as I stared down at the picture. Roy held out his hand for me to pass the phone back to him, but I wasn’t willing to yet. I was engrossed in the image, looking for any sign that the women might have been hurt. From what I could see, they looked unharmed. I wished I could see Skylar’s face.

I slapped the phone into Roy’s open palm. Roy tucked it back into his pocket and then poured the rest of his drink down his throat. “I hope you understand that this is all just business, Greyson.”

“Fuck you,” I spat.

Roy’s eyebrows inched up his forehead. “You surprise me. I thought you would be much more professional with your girlfriend’s life at risk.”

“You tell your boss that if he lays a hand on her, I will ruin him. I’ll have his money. I can assure you.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear,” Roy said happily, slapping a hand on the table and drawing the attention of several people around us. “I knew you’d be a good sport, Greyson. You just needed the right motivation to help you see reason. Skylar and her friends will be well taken care of while they are in our company. You’ll receive a text with the address at eleven tomorrow morning. Be there before noon. Come alone.”

“Fine,” I said.

Roy stood and dropped a hundred-dollar bill on the table. “A tip for excellent service.” He winked.

Then he turned and left. I watched him go with a feeling of despair swelling inside me.

Skylar.

How could I have been so blind? Skylar had been such an easy target. The thought that they would have taken her had never crossed my mind. I had been so consumed with protecting my casino, my business, and my staff that I had let her walk right into the line of fire.

I stood and waited a moment for the world to stop spinning. My rage was making me sick. My fear was making everything feel unreal. If anything happened to her, it would be entirely my fault, and I would never forgive myself.

When the world righted itself, I hurried down to the casino floor toward Meek. He wasn’t going to like that I had to go there tomorrow by myself. He would put up a fight.

It wouldn’t be a negotiation. These men had Skylar, and they weren’t messing around. I was not going to take any risks with her safety in jeopardy. I was going to get the money and wait for the text message. Then I would go in alone.

I had to.