Page 10 of Lethal Enforcer

And it was true that the casino was a considerable improvement over Kira’s previous job. She had been languishing in the dead night shift of a grimy restaurant when she met Katja. The older woman had come into the greasy spoon several nights in a row leading up to that evening, but barely interacted with Kira directly. She always chose a corner booth with a series of dark, devilishly handsome men. They kept to themselves and whispered together. Katja always ordered the same thing: black coffee and a slice of whatever dry, stale cake they had in the glass case up front. She never ate a single bite of the cake, but left a hefty tip each time. That alone made her a notable patron in Kira’s mind.

One night, as the sun was starting to peek through the nighttime mist, Katja came into the diner as it was closing. Kira was exhausted from night after night of waiting tables, wiping down counters, and counting her extremely meager tips. She had been slumped at the front counter, worrying intensely about whether or not she could pay her bills and her parents’ bills on her low wages. The tips were not flowing. The clientele she handled at that restaurant could barely afford the cheap food, let alone a tip for their gorgeous, attentive waitress.

Katja came alone that night. She walked into the empty restaurant and marched straight up to the counter. She asked for her typical order, and when Kira brought it to her, Katja slid her a hundred-dollar bill and a handwritten note.

All she said was, “You could make a lot more money somewhere else, you know. Give it a chance. Oh, and keep the change, dear.”

Kira was dumbfounded as she watched the older woman walk right back out and drive away. She had unfurled the note to see that it had an address, a date, and a time on it. When she got home that night, Kira had searched for the address on the Internet and found that it correlated to the Shining Star Casino. The very next day, she showed up at the casino at the written time, and Katja was there to meet her. Kira was led straight into an interview with Katja and one of the staff supervisors. That same day, they offered her the cocktail waitress position and she accepted.

The rest was history.

Kira filled her tray with cocktail glasses and hoisted it carefully over her head. She turned to walk out onto the casino floor. As she was heading back to refill her tray, she did a double take. There was a dark, handsome man strutting across the casino with a big, world-stopping grin on his face.

Kira’s heart thumped wildly. It was Mr. Muscles!

CHAPTER5

LUKA

The casino wasa sharp contrast to the dusty, abandoned ghost town Luka had just left. After a long shift out in the empty desert, it felt good to walk back into reality. Roach was filled with shadows and echoes of another time. It was eerie, walking among the abandoned buildings and railroad equipment. It was forgotten, a victim of time and progress.

But the Shining Star Casino was the very portrait of modern life. He felt a rush of comfort being surrounded by the flashing lights and never-ending party atmosphere. Even in the dead of night, it was humming with activity. At the front entrance, he confidently strode right past the long line of wannabe clubbers waiting to get in. A couple times, he would pass by a big, muscled man and draw his attention, only for the guy to back down once he got a look at Luka. He didn’t need to wear a skin-tight muscle shirt and painted-on jeans to show off his intimidating physique. Luka’s prowess was immediately evident, not just from his bulky body but from the way he carried himself. It was a soul-deep swagger that no other man could compete with. They simply let him pass, knowing there was no point in striking up trouble with him. Not if they wanted to enter the casino with all their limbs intact.

At the door, the security guy gave Luka a big, knowing grin. They bumped fists and the doorman stepped aside, ushering Luka into the casino. He was met with a rush of sensory information: the pounding bass beat that thumped underfoot and the jazzy music emanating from the high-tech sound system. Neon lights and flickering sconces illuminated his path as he made his way onto the main floor. His eyes were drawn as always to the brightly colored and patterned carpet, which coordinated with the furnishings and wallpaper. Every aspect of the casino was carefully devised with business success in mind.

Luka breathed in the scent of booze, hors d’oeuvres, and a particular blend of aromas designed specifically to draw in crowds of casino-goers and keep them happy at their slot machines. It was no big secret that many of the greatest, most popular casinos and clubs around town utilized aromatherapy in their establishments. The Bellagio famously had its own specific scent called Blue Ice, which they pumped through the ritzy building like a well-kept woman spritzing her decolletage with a French fragrance.

The Shining Star had its own aroma, as well, developed from months of research and testing. There were notes of smoky cognac, earthy musk, and some delicate floral notes like lavender and water lily. After taking over leadership of the Vegas bratva following his father Vasili’s death, Mikhail had poured tons of money and effort into bolstering every aspect of his business holdings. He’d tightened security, patched up any weaknesses, and introduced new levels of luxury. The Shining Star catered to its clientele’s taste already by providing insanely high-quality alcohol and a culinary staff to rival any major restaurant in the area. Now, the signature Shining Star scent, which Mikhail had lovingly named Starlight, pumped throughout the ventilation system of the casino, too. People breathed in the heavenly aromas as they played blackjack and hit the slots. It was all another tactic to keep customers coming back for more—their brains would unwittingly associate the pleasant smell with fond memories of the casino, and when they returned, that familiarity would wrap around them like a warm hug.

To Luka, it almost smelled a bit like home.

The Shining Star was his territory, even if he didn’t officially work there. It was yet another property owned and operated by the Sokolov crime family, and almost nothing could happen here at the casino without Luka and the others knowing about it. Luka liked to keep himself in the loop. After all, if something undesirable went down at the casino or any other Sokolov property, there was a good chance Luka would be part of the team called in to remedy it anyway. He had carried out some truly grisly interrogations on the behalf of the Shining Star. Luka enjoyed the process of culling the bad and supporting the good, showing up to make an appearance and remind the staff who he worked for.

It was also an effective way to remind them whotheyworked for. Even though the casino was open to the public, of course, and functioned in all ways like a typical establishment, there was more going on behind the curtain. A huge majority of the people hired at the casino were associated with the mafia in one way or another. They were recruited from other missions and Sokolov-controlled properties. They were often relatives or associates of bratva members, people who were in on the big secret, but still oblivious to the details. This was a happy medium, Luka thought. They knew just enough about the mafia to let things slide and keep their mouths shut without stumbling into situations beyond their pay grade. They understood how to balance truth and lies, showing their clientele only the shiny, bright side of the casino while hiding the less-savory shenanigans that went on there, mostly behind closed doors. The staff were all well-acquainted with Luka, as well as his fellow team members. They recognized him as Mikhail’s enforcer and stayed out of his way. He was there to protect them, in a way, but he didn’t answer to the casino management. He answered to the Pakhan alone.

Still, despite his threatening appearance, there were plenty of bright smiles to greet him. He nodded to a pair of pit clerks as they wove their meandering but all-too-pragmatic path around the various card tables. They were dressed in sleek black uniforms like the security staff, but with a splash of scarlet finery on their lapels to set them apart in a subtle way. Their job was to keep an eye on the players at the blackjack, craps, and poker tables. Inside their jackets, they carried walkie-talkies, which they used to quietly keep in touch with security, if anyone should try to cause a scene. Usually, the casino was filled with upbeat energy, but occasionally there was a rowdy group or incensed gambler, angry about the money he had lost and ready to make someone else pay for his failure. Luka knew the security staff members by name. They were each selected precisely for their particular role, much like Mikhail’s own inner circle. They were a tight-knit team who worked quickly and efficiently. They knew how to remove a threat before anyone even noticed they were gone. Luka had trained several of them himself in the field and made sure they could handle anything, plus he was the one to swoop in if they needed auxiliary assistance. This made him a popular face around the casino.

Of course, the female staff were all quite intrigued by him. A bartender winked and waggled her fingers at him in a flirtatious wave. A slot attendant bit her lip and gave him a thorough look up and down. A cocktail waitress named Lily lit up like a lamp at the sight of him. She swished close to him, making an intentional loop around the slot machines to brush by him and whisper, “Good to see you.”

Luka gave her a polite nod. “Same,” he said simply.

“Katja’s here tonight; she’s by the service station if you’re looking for her,” she informed him. “Oh, and your favorite is working tonight, too.”

Luka felt an odd flutter in his chest. He perked up instantly, even though he remained stoic on the outside. “Kira’s here?” he questioned in an undertone.

Lily nodded excitedly. “You know, you’re going to have to make a move on her eventually. We’re all waiting for it,” she remarked.

Luka held up one hand to silence her, which made her giggle even as she dutifully pretended to zip her mouth shut. She flounced away to a table of tipsy girls in the corner, while Luka made a beeline for the serving station.

He saw Katja hanging out there, dressed in a stylish flowy pantsuit and carrying a designer handbag, all in neutral colors. Her hair, naturally streaked with steely gray, had been recently dyed black. She looked very chic and put-together. Luka smirked. Almost no one would ever look at Katja and assume she was the madame of a brothel. She looked for all the world like a classy businesswoman, which was quite accurate these days. Katja had risen up through the lower ranks of the Sokolov crime family, starting when she was a young woman struggling to make ends meet and under pressure from the local police. Rather than face jail time for prostitution, she had been rescued by Vasili, who had seen potential in her. From that day onward, she was swept into the mafia world, and the rest was history. She was a powerful, clever, pragmatic woman who oversaw the operations at two brothels owned by the Sokolovs. Her home base was lovingly named Katja’s Cathouse, located on the outskirts of Vegas in a rural area surrounded by desert. She was a mother figure to the young women who worked there, as well as a recruiter. Just as she had been saved from the streets and inducted into the mafia’s embrace, she had an eye for plucking young women out of thin air and turning them into perfect sex workers, waitresses, dancers; whatever the Sokolovs needed, she could deliver.

“Luka!” Katja greeted him warmly, arms wide.

Luka gave her a quick, cordial hug, then stepped back. Katja beamed at him.

“You look good, but a little tired, my friend. How’s life treating you? If you’re here at this hour, I assume you’ve been out in the field tonight,” she surmised correctly.

“Just got off the clock,” he replied, looking around. “How are things at the casino?”

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