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LORENZO
As soon as I step off the elevator and turn the corner toward my office, I know something is wrong. Joe and Anthony stand by the door like they’ve been waiting for me, and they exchange a look as soon as I come in.
I haven’t seen Anthony since the night of the party, so I know this must be bad. He’s been avoiding me. He hasn’t bothered to return my calls.
“What?” I ask, walking up to them. They’re both nervous about something. I can see it in the way they fidget and Anthony’s hands tucked in his pockets. He does it to hide the tapping he does when something is wrong.
Joe glances at Anthony with his mouth open, and when he turns to me, he’s the first to speak. “We have a situation.”
“What is it?”
Anthony clears his throat. “Have you talked to the police yet?”
I raise a brow and don’t respond.
I turn my gaze to Joe. “Spit it out. Now.”
“Someone poured blood on the lion statues sometime last night or early this morning. It was human.”
I close my eyes and sigh.
“Someone called it in about an hour ago, and the casino has to be shut down while it’s a crime scene.”
“They’re going to want to talk with you,” Anthony pipes in. “I’ve already spoken with them, and right now, you aren’t a suspect. They know you wouldn’t do this to your own casino, but they’re going to want to find out what you know. What enemies you have.” He shrugs. “Obviously, they don’t expect you to say anything, but it’s a formality.”
I open my eyes and nod. “All right, set it up. Let them know I’ll be at the station in a couple hours.”
Joe blows out a breath and rubs his forehead.
I narrow my eyes. “Is theremore?”
“They have a police officer missing, and it’s a guy on our payroll. They’re trying to match the DNA now… We’ll take care of it, but there’s always that detective who wants to be a hero. They’ll make the connection to us if they look hard enough.”
“The real issue is,” Anthony says, “they might be around for a while, and the best course of action is to lay low. We’ll lose profits from the casino and other avenues until it’s blown over, but in the meantime, we need to be thinking about what to do about Valentine.”
I nod and swipe my tongue over my teeth. Well, I have to hand it to the guy. This is much more direct.
“Delay the resort’s development. We’ll start with that. If he’s willing to go after our money, we’ll do the same. By the time we’re finished, I don’t want Valentine to have anything left.”
Anthony nods. “Okay, I’ll talk to Colter this afternoon.”
“I’m having your place bleached right away,” Joe says. “In case they do end up with a warrant. The lion den too. And the offices. There won’t be anything for them to find.”
“Except,” I say, dragging out the word. “Kitty.”
Anthony and Joe exchange a look and then both focus their eyes on me. A seriousness hardens them both. Anthony is the one to speak.
“You can’t keep her anymore, Lorenzo. You had your fun, but it’s over now. She’s a liability, and one we can’t afford.”
“Hmm.” I lean against the wall and put one ankle over the other. “Odd of you to think that’s your decision.”
“It’s not.” Anthony shakes his head. “It’s Settimo’s.”
The calm leaves my expression until it’s set in an angry mask. My teeth grit, and I stare Anthony down. “What?” I snap.
Settimo is underboss. His authority outweighs mine, and it always has, but never once has he gone against me on something so personal.
Something mine.
