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“You’ve had the appropriate teams deal with the calls from last night?” I asked Sage as I moved toward the door.
“Of course,” she muttered. “I’m not new at this.”
It was a direct jibe at Bianca, but I didn’t bite.
“Good. There are more calls to be answered tonight. Bianca won’t be returning, but there are other messages waiting in the office and no one to man the phones.”
Through my peripheral vision, I saw Sage’s jaw slack, but I didn’t give her an opportunity to question me, my legs carrying me out of the suite and toward the elevators.
I would get by just fine without Bianca. I had for an eternity before she arrived. Besides, I got along just fine after Ilona had died.
It might be difficult, but I was Atlas. I had endured worse than lost passion.
The casino was filled to capacity this night, a sight I always loved to see. More patrons meant more money. More money meant more cash flow and the potential to open more businesses. The cycle continued as long as the economy flowed.
I didn’t care about who ventured through the doors of my buildings. Humans, shifters, mortals, immortals. Their coins all had the same value to me, even if their souls did not. For their part, the humans had very little understanding of the supernatural world and behaved as if we were all the same. Their incapacity to see the shifters, witches, and fae for what they were had long since ceased to surprise me.
But that was the humans for you. Oblivious and self-serving.
To my chagrin, the VIPs that Petyr had called me down for were a group of twenty-something influencer wolf shifters who snapped pictures on their cell phones, speaking in tones way too loud for my liking. More and more, I found the younger generation like humans. Or maybe I was just getting too old for this.
I plastered a smile on my face and forced myself to deal with them.
“Hello, Carter,” I said, ambling toward the leader of the quartet. Carter barely glanced away from his cell phone.
“Hey, look, everyone!” he yelled into the device, as if there were a crowd gathered in front of him. “It’s the head honcho himself. Atlas, wave at my followers!”
I maintained my smile but didn’t wave like a trained monkey.
“Petyr, why don’t you see about getting Carter and his friends some drinks—although, gaging from the comment he just made, I hope he hasn’t already been imbibing too much.”
I eyed the kid meaningfully, and Carter balked, visibly swallowing as he remembered his place.
“Uh… no, sir. Drinks sound good. On the house?”
I didn’t bother to humiliate him and remind him that all of my casinos had free drinks as long as the players were spending money.
“Of course,” I replied, my tone thick with sarcasm. “Only the best for my best customers.”
One of the girls at his side batted her brown eyes at me, and I immediately had a flash of Bianca, the memory making my stomach flip.
Where was she right now? Had she made it back to the compound safely? Was Jesse with her?
I couldn’t allow myself to think about her or anything but my business, despite the throbbing in my pants.
“You let Petyr know if we can make your stay more comfortable,” I told Carter, turning away.
I stalked across the floor, nodding toward the various patrons, but my eyes didn’t register anyone, not really. I couldn’t shake the mounting apprehension about Bianca.
Maybe I should drive by the compound and see if she’s there.
That wouldn’t be crossing any lines. I could remain outside and try to get a glimpse beyond the gate. It was still nighttime, and all I really needed to do was see if I could get a word to Gideon—
A shriek of panic shattered my thinking, forcing my head toward the back of the building. Another shout echoed through the building, and I spun around, head whipping one way and then the other. I blinked once, twice, the billows of smoke confusing me. Was I imagining them?
But the more I stared, the thicker the cloud became, heavy grayness pluming from the slot room as bodies began to scatter, howls growing more frantic as the clinking of heels and breaking glass filled my ears.
“FIRE! FIRE!” someone howled, confounding me more.
