Arranged love

TITAN

I SIT UP in my office with the blinds closed. It’s a little after nine a. m., and it feels like it’s midnight. I’ve been pissy ever since Emilee walked out of our hotel in New York a week ago.

The Kings have stayed clear of me. Grave is out doing what Grave always does-getting high and in trouble. Cross is right there with him. Bones has been burying his head into Kingdom. He’s picking up the slack for his brother.

I haven’t seen Luca or heard anything about George. At this point, it’s no longer my problem. She’s gone. Her father can figure it out now. I’ve written off the five hundred thousand he owes us.

My door opens, and Nigel enters. “Sir, we have a problem in the high stakes room.”

“What is it?” I growl.

“Robert Jenkins is back. He’s currently up ninety thousand.”Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

“Thank you, Nigel,” I say and stand. Ninety thousand isn’t fucking nothing, but I’ve been itching to beat the shit out of someone since I left New York. I’ve already threatened the kid with his life, and he obviously didn’t take me seriously.

I pick up my cell from my desk and exit my office. I make my way down in the elevator to the second floor. Then across tower one to tower two. Each one holds a high stakes room, but tower two is the biggest. That’s where all the whales play. It’s where big spenders lose their beach homes and others win their private jets. Some tables start buy-ins at a hundred grand.

I approach the black columns that are on either side of the high stakes room entrance with gold lights wrapped around them. Entering the room, I scan the tables for him. I find him at the very last one, tucked in the back. He has his head down and a black hat on his head. He thinks he’s hiding from my security cameras.

This is why we pay Nigel so much. He is always looking out for our casino. He can spot a needle in a haystack.

I march my way back to him, and without any warning, I knock his hat off his head.

“What the …?”

I grip the back of his neck and slam his head into the green felt as hard as I can, then let go.

He falls out of his chair and onto the black and gold carpet.

The room falls silent. I look up, and everyone quickly resumes what they were doing. “Call for Nigel,” I tell the poker dealer. He nods quickly. “Tell him to deliver the son of a bitch to tower one.” With that, I walk back through the room.

Just as I get back to tower one, my cell beeps in my pocket. I pull it out to see it’s an email. I pull it up and my teeth grind.

It’s a client requesting a Queen. And guess who it is? Fucking Em.

Thankfully, I have a guy to take my frustration out on.

EMILEE

I sit on the end of the bed, and my heart is heavy. My father and I returned to Las Vegas a week ago. I thought coming back with him that things would be like old times. They’re not.

He’s on edge. He hasn’t said it, but I can tell. He’s always on his phone trying to get ahold of George, but there’s no answer. I overheard him a couple of days ago speaking to someone, I think it was Luca. He has him doing some kind of search for a phone number, but I don’t think any information has been found yet.

Titan is always on my mind. I feel bad for what I said to him. I was mad, and in the heat of the moment, but I never thought of him to be anything remotely like George. I was attracted to Titan and had wanted him for a long time. I’m not sure if it would have happened any other way. But even so, I shouldn’t have slapped him or walked out on him.

He had a point. My father had lied to me. The question is why? Even now, he won’t tell me that. I don’t know the specifics of why he faked his death, or how long he was going to pretend to be dead. Would he have ever come clean to me?

Every time I try to talk to him, he pushes me away. He says he has it taken care of and not to worry. He’s treating me like a child. Like I can’t handle the truth.

It’s making me nervous. He has something planned, but I just don’t know what it is. And I have a feeling I won’t like it.

My cell beeps on my bed, and I pick it up to check it. I figure it’s Haven or Jasmine. We haven’t seen each other since we returned. I miss them so much.

Opening up the email, it’s from my Queens app. It’s a date for tonight with the same guy I had last time.

I bite my bottom lip, looking it over. He wants to take me to dinner again. Same place. Same time. And wants to pay me five thousand dollars. He’s requesting I wear a red dress and my hair down. No limit on drinks this time. Maybe he realized I can handle my liquor.

I shouldn’t …

“What are you doing, sweetie?” My father enters my room.

I look up at him and sigh. “I just got a request for a date tonight.”

He frowns, confused.

“I’m a Queen,” I remind him. He knows what I’ve done ever since he decided to fake his death. Even though he won’t talk to me, I laid everything out to him on our flight back to Vegas from New York.

“How much?” he surprises me by asking.

“Five thousand,” I answer. “But I’m not going to do it.” I exit out of the app.

He runs a hand through his hair nervously.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Well …” He comes to sit down beside me. “I … just … It’s …”

“Just spit it out, Dad.” I say, tired of his rambling. We’re both adults here.

“I got myself into trouble, Emilee. And I need help getting out.”

“How much do you owe?” I ask, ducking my head. It can’t be easy for him to admit this.

“A million dollars.”

“What?” I gasp like I’m surprised. I just wanted to see if he would lie to me again.

“It wasn’t all my fault.” He gets defensive. “George made a deal. But my name was on that contract too. Now he’s skipped town, and I’m stuck with nothing.”

“Why didn’t they go after him? Why didn’t he fake his death?” I ask.

“Because he didn’t have the life insurance policies that I did. And it would look suspicious for him to get them, and he turn up dead. We needed to avoid any investigation.”

I nod in understanding.

“I had money hidden in the houses,” he says softly.

My chest tightens. “No?”

He nods once. “It was in the master suite. I had a hidden safe in the closet …”

“I didn’t know.” Tears prick my eyes. “Maybe it’s still there …”

“No. The night we returned from New York, I snuck off to the house once you went to sleep, and there was nothing left of it.”

I burned it all. In order to keep it from George, I destroyed something that my father needed. “How much?” I clear my throat.

“Five hundred thousand.”

My stomach knots. “I’m so sorry,” I cry.

“Hey.” He pulls me into his side. “You didn’t know. No one did. Not even your mother or George. It was my secret stash.” He kisses my forehead. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll get through this. I’ll figure something out.” With that, he stands and exits my room.

I wipe my teary eyes and pick up my phone. I accept the date, knowing I have to help my father. Without knowing it, I’ve managed to ruin everything.