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He emerged from behind a cluster of middle-aged casino-goers with a ferocious glare. The man’s eyes went round and the redness drained from his face as soon as he saw Luka. The man darted away, pushing through the crowds to get to the men’s restroom.
Luka was instantly reminded of Kira, how she had hidden from him in the bathroom, too. He hated to think that guys like this one had been coming in to pester her all week. Luka wished he had been there to help.
But he was here now.
He told the bartender, “Tell customers the bathroom is out of order. They can use the restroom on another floor. I’ll make this quick.”
“Yes, sir,” the bartender agreed.
Luka stormed across the casino to the bathroom. He heard the man fumbling to lock the door, but Luka was too quick. He pushed the door open so that it slammed loudly against the wall, causing the guy to stumble backward into a urinal, looking petrified. Luka shut and locked the door, then advanced on him with both hands balled into fists. He realized as he loomed over him that he was one of the guys from Saturday night, one of the ones who’d sat quietly in the back while his leader manhandled Kira.
“I thought I’d already taken out the trash, but it appears you’ve dragged yourself back in,” Luka growled at him. “What are you doing here? What do you want with Kira?”
“My boss sent me! I’m just trying to apologize to her! For how we acted the other night!” The man quivered.
“Bullshit,” Luka spat. “Try again.”
“Seriously, my boss just wants to know that she’s okay!”
“How polite of him. Who is your boss?” Luka demanded.
“I-I don’t know his real name. We just call him ‘boss,’” the guy said.
Luka grabbed him by the collar, lifting him out of the urinal and off his feet.
“You and your little friends had better stay the hell out of the casino. Next time you show your face here, you’ll leave in a fucking body bag. Got it?” Luka threatened.
“Yeah, man. I got it! Don’t hurt me!” he pleaded.
Luka threw him down on the hard, cold tile. He glared down at him in disgust. The guy was clearly just a pawn. Too stupid to be worth Luka’s time. The guy didn’t know shit. Luka stepped out of the bathroom, gestured to the security guy, and went back to the serving station. He and Lily watched security throw the man out of the casino.
“Thank god. He was getting on my last nerve,” Lily groaned.
“Those guys have been coming here all week?” Luka asked.
“Yeah. Every damn day a different guy comes in to ask about her,” she said. “As if I’m just hiding her under the counter somewhere.”
Luka raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Kira isn’t here? She usually works Friday nights, doesn’t she?”
Lily cocked her head to one side. “Oh, didn’t you know? Kira quit.”
Luka’s heart skipped. “What do you mean, ‘quit’? I saw her on Saturday.”
“Uh-huh. She quit that night, like, right after you left,” she answered. “I tried to ask her what was wrong, but I guess those guys just had her so freaked out, she couldn’t do it anymore.”
“Where is she now? Is she okay?” Luka demanded.
The waitress shrugged. “I wish I knew. She won’t answer my calls. In fact, she’s been ignoring everybody who works here. Barry, you’ve tried to call her, too, right?”
The floor manager who was standing just a few feet away nodded. “I tried to reach out about her final paycheck, but she’s ghosted us all.”
“I’ll take the paycheck to her,” offered Luka. “I just need her address. And a phone number would help, too.”
Barry looked a little nervous. “I-I’m not usually supposed to give out employees’ personal information like that,” he hedged.
“Well, she quit, so she’s not an employee anymore,” Luka reasoned. “You know who I work for, Barry. I’ll look out for her. I promise.”
The manager relented and gestured for Luka to follow him to a back office. There, he pulled a folder from a filing cabinet. Luka took a photo of Kira’s information, thanked the manager, and headed straight back out to his car with Kira’s paycheck in hand. He slid behind the wheel, already feeling a little hyped up as he drove to her house. He called her on the way, but she didn’t answer. Luka had expected that. Either way, he was closing in on her now.
