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Her eyes go wide, and she lets out a shaky breath. All of her seems shaky, in fact. She's hugging herself and is altogether too pale and frightened-looking. I remind myself it's probably a ploy—she must have come in here determined to seem innocent, and I can't be swayed by her vulnerable appearance, no matter how much it makes my chest pinch.
"Fired?" she repeats, brow furrowing. "But why—"
"Next time you willingly associate yourself with a group of lowly criminals, you will need to do so outside of Vegas because you will not find work in this city again," I inform her, turning away so that there is less chance of her shaken appearance softening the anger in my chest. "You have five minutes to gather your things from the security room and get out. Once again, Miss Rally, never return to my casino. And if I find you've given that group any edge on my security, I will track you down and make you pay in ways the Wild Seven could never dream up."
It's quiet for a long moment. I know, Loren. Normally, her temper would flare, and she would use her smart mouth to deliver hell if she felt she was being unjustly treated. But her silence tells me she isn't arguing with how I've read this situation. Surely that's what it must mean.
Loren says nothing before I sense her leave the room and hear the door click as it shuts again.
Big Luck sounds uneasy. "Should we… triple-check security? See if she's made some kind of adjustments for the Wild Seven to get into our systems?"
"I already told the security room to run a thorough check," I mutter.
I didn't tell them it had anything to do with Loren. If I tipped them off about her in any way, they might decide it necessary to look further into her past and uncover her illegal hacking. Despite my threat to her just now, I don't want her life any more difficult than it appears to be for her.
That doesn't mean I'm not still upset.
Beyond upset. I feel betrayed and irritated. The least she could have done was tell me precisely what she was doing with the Wild Seven. Was she threatened by them after all? Will she get heat from them because of this?
That thought has my running hands through my hair, squeezing my eyes shut. "How did you get her away from them, Luck? Did they drop her off on a street corner?"
"Ah…right. About that. I sort of totaled that family car I've been riding around in lately to get her away from that group of motherfuckers."
I blink open to stare at him. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, I know it's a pain in the ass, but it was an old car, and I figured—"
"I don't give a fuck about the car. You said you totaled it to get her away from them. Did you—"I break off and turn to face him, the scald in my voice making my largely built friend hunch his shoulders. "Did you fuckingcrashinto the woman I've been having you protect?"
He grimaces. "Look, Boss, they weren't stopping with her. I wasn't about to let them slip out of traffic and disappear like they always do when they had your girl in there, and she could have been giving out all our security secrets like free candy."
I try to calm my breathing, but it doesn't work. "Was she hurt?"
"Don't think so."
"You don'tthinkshe was hurt? Didn't you check?"
God, she was so shaky. Did she hit her head again? What if she was in pain, and I fired her right when she needed to visit the doctor? Not waiting for Big Luck's reply, I growl and leave my suite to go after the hacker I just can't stay away from, no matter how hard I try.
Chapter 15
Loren
I feel broken.
Not physically. I have nothing to stitch up again, no broken femur, no physical injuries. The car crash rattled me, but it didn't really affect me more than my close call with the Wild Seven—and certainly not more than being fired outright by Domenic like that.
He was so furious. So cold again, just like he was the morning he kicked me out of the hotel three years ago.
Next time you willingly associate yourself with a group of lowly criminals, you will need to do so outside of Vegas because you will not find work in this city again. Never return to my casino.
Does he know about my past with them, then? Or was he just angry that I got in that car in the first place? I didn't know, and I didn't want to ask. When it comes down to the bottom line, he's not wrong to fire me. Sure, I protected his security from the virus, and I've gotten close to pinpointing the elusive hacker hanging out at his casino, but none of that makes up for my shameful past.
I'm a failure. After living big working with the Wild Seven, I'm going to keep paying the price for my actions for the rest of my probably-short life. God, I just wish I could do more for my mom and Evelyn.
And I really wish my chest didn't ache so severely remembering Domenic's furious, dark eyes.
It was just a fling, the two nights we spent together. Three, counting the one three years ago. He and I were consenting, attracted adults, despite our slight age gap, and there was nothing else to it. So I shouldn't keep thinking about how he whispered that I should stay with him, or how he calls mecherry blossom, or the way the corner of his lips twitch whenever he doesn't want to find whatever is coming out of my loud mouth amusing.
