Total pages in book: 206
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
Nino was the son of Pop’s former right-hand man and he was married to my Pop’s former partner’s daughter who was like a cousin to me.
I’d filled him and his wife in on who Tia was and I’d filled him in on info I’d just discovered, telling me who her mother was to my family, so I figured he’d be extra vigilant about her. He was eager and had been trustworthy for the past six years he’d worked with us.
And Jimmy, though still working up the ranks, had proven to be a good guy. He’d been a good friend of Dare’s all through school and was good to my sister. These two were the best I could do for the moment from a peace of mind perspective. I had to hope it’d be good enough.
It was like having my eyes off of her for more than a second wasn’t good enough. I had to slow my anxiety. It could be I still wasn’t over the whole Mexico thing. Or maybe it was my gut telling me something else wasn’t right. I was sifting through information from Earl about Pop that I wasn’t okay with, and there was all the shit Greg O’Connor had fed me, too, to contend with. That, coupled with anxiety about Tia’s safety had me off kilter. What I probably needed more than anything was a solid eight hours of sleep.
11
Our suite was luxurious, with three bathrooms (a his, a hers, and another one), separate bedroom and dining slash sitting room, and we had a great view of the Bellagio fountains as well as the Vegas version of the Eiffel Tower.
Tommy left shortly after we arrived, telling me to stay in the room, to order room service if I wanted anything, and just relax for a few hours, but that he’d be back for dinner.
He had Nino and James staying in an attached room that was accessible from the sitting room, to be close in case I needed them. I was given strict orders to not answer the door, only to inform James or Nino if someone knocked on my door who they hadn’t already noticed. Tommy handed me a wad of cash to put in my wallet and told me to simply sign for everything and give out 25% for tips for room service and for if I have someone from the spa come up to give me a massage or manicure.
So, the three of us stayed in our rooms while everyone else in Las Vegas had fun and while Tommy was off doing whatever he was doing.
At 10:00 James knocked, then poked his head in, and asked me if I wanted some pizza. Evidently, they’d given up on having a break to have dinner, too. I accepted a few slices and watched a pay-per-view romantic comedy by myself. I gazed out the floor to ceiling windows and saw that it looked pretty awesome down below. The city looked alive and bustling with activity.
Eventually, I crawled into bed and turned the TV off hoping that tomorrow I’d get to see more of Vegas.
Tommy was gone until 3:07am. I’d been fast asleep in what might’ve been the most comfortable bed in the world when he came in. I spotted the time on the digital clock when woken up because he tripped and almost fell. He staggered a little, getting out of his clothes, and I could smell the alcohol coming off him from the bed. He’d been gone for about ten hours, never texted or called me, and was now staggering into bed, clearly drunk.
He got in beside me and his hand swept up my side from my hip to my ear and then his fingers were in my hair. He murmured something unintelligible against my ear, something about me being lucky, then something about the smell of my hair, and then he was softly snoring.
I woke up early in the morning, and when I lifted his clothes off the floor, I noticed red lipstick on his collar. My heart thundered in my chest. I lay them on the chair before slipping the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door handle so that housekeeping wouldn’t come in while he was still asleep.
At 11:00 I knocked on and then entered the adjoining room. The guys were dressed in suits but had their shoes off, both of them on their respective beds and watching a sports event on TV. I asked them what the plan was today and they’d both shrugged, telling me they were awaiting direction from Tommy and informing me the Do Not Disturb sign was useless; no one would be barging into the suite without their go-ahead.
James said he’d already ordered breakfast up to their room and asked if I wanted him to order for me. I told them I’d do it. Apparently, they had CCTV of the hall outside of our suite.