Sin City Uniform 02 - Copping an Attitude (4 page)

Valeena appeared uncomfortable again. “Yeah. About that. There’s a couple nights recently where you drank until you passed out.” She locked her gaze on him. “I’ve never seen you do that before.”

“Don’t stress. I’ll ease back.”

She tilted her head as if challenging the truth of his words.

He sighed. “Really. I’m fine.”

A heavy knock on the door interrupted their conversation and scared the crap out of Slade.

“
Mllaya moya
. It’s Samson.”

The Russian accent of the man who’d always reminded Slade of a big bear was distinctive.

Slade regarded her with a puzzled expression. “What did he call you?”

“My sweet.” She batted her eyelashes. “He only speaks the truth.”

When she opened the door then flung herself into Samson’s open arms, Slade averted his eyes and sank further into the cushioned chair, waiting for the two lovers to finish enthusiastically greeting one another. Samson closed the door behind them, his attention still completely focused on Valeena. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick roll of money. He peeled off several bills then pressed them into Valeena’s hands.

“It’s been a week since we’ve done this. Give it to the pig fucker Julio then you’re done for the night.”

Valeena had explained that they had to be careful that she wasn’t with Samson constantly or else it would be like it had turned out with Harold. Julio would start worrying that his merchandise was being lured away. They weren’t completely autonomous when they were out on the streets. Julio always had his goons on the lookout in case there was any funny business going on.

“Thanks, baby, but this had better be the last time until—”

“Shush.”

Samson’s gaze flitted over to Slade. Slade was shocked that Samson was even aware of his presence the way he’d been so wrapped up in Valeena.

“He knows, baby. Don’t worry, he’s like my brother. I told you before—we watch out for each other.”

Samson dipped his chin once in acknowledgment as he regarded Slade. “And for that I am very grateful. Now let’s see what we can do about your recently acquired jewelry, shall we?”

Within minutes, Samson had the cuffs off him and Slade rubbed his chafed wrists. “Thank you so much. I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

“Baby?”

Samson straightened and Slade saw how quickly his face lit up at the sound of Valeena’s voice, how he immediately gave her his complete attention.

“Yes, angel, what is it?”

She pulled him over, whispering to him but occasionally glancing Slade’s way. It was clear what was happening. She had to be asking him to do the same thing he’d done for her. Heat rose up his neck into his face. He knew that Samson would never want anything sexual, that he would do it because he was so obviously in love with Valeena, but it still made him uncomfortable. Acts of kindness confused him.

He jumped at the sound of loud banging on the motel room door.

“Open up, bitches!”

Julio.

Chapter Three

An actual growl rose from Samson’s throat. Valeena laid a warning hand on his arm. If Samson made the wrong move—even in the name of protecting them—everything could go south very quickly. He patted her hand then opened the door. Slade wished he’d had a camera to record the shocked expression on Julio’s face at the sight of the beefy Russian who had to be at least six foot four. Samson’s size was amplified by the fact that Julio was likely no more than five foot seven.

As soon as Julio’s jaw snapped shut he seemed to regain control of himself. “What the fuck is going on in here? Slade, why aren’t you out hustling?”

Two of Julio’s minions pressed in the doorway behind Julio. They both had their hands hidden behind them and Slade felt the blood drain from his face. He hoped that Samson would be cool.

“Ah, Mr. Julio. Greetings. However, I must say I’m somewhat surprised you would interrupt a client on a date. After all, aren’t I a good customer?”

He jostled Julio with his elbow, winking. Julio looked supremely confused, his eyebrows bunching as his gaze darted between Slade and the two lovers.

“The fuck is he doing here? And what’s he doing with those cuffs? Huh?” Julio turned to Slade. “You been fucking arrested, you dumb whore?”

Julio pointed accusingly at him. If Slade could have disappeared right then it would have been glorious.

Samson cleared his throat loudly. “Those are mine, Mr. Julio. They’re part of my…wishes for the evening.”

Julio shook his head as if he needed to clear it out. “I don’t get it.”

“There’s nothing to ‘get’. A man needs a little variety, a bit of spice once in a while, eh, Mr. Julio?” He chuckled deep in his chest, elbowing Julio once more. “I asked this sweet slut of yours who she might suggest, and this pretty thing showed up. I offered him the same rate as this one—” He waved his hand dismissively at Valeena. “And he accepted. Is there a problem? You don’t think he’s worth the extra grand for the night?”

That seemed to grab Julio’s attention. “Oh yeah,
esé
. Fuck yeah. Wait till you ram into that tight hot hole of his.” Julio moved closer to Samson. “You gonna cuff him to the bed while you give it to him from behind? Huh? Make him scream?”

Slade noted the barely veiled look of disgust on Samson’s face and was terrified that Julio would catch on. Instead, he rubbed the heel of his palm into his crotch, licking his lips reflexively. The meth was making him sloppy, stupid. Unfortunately, it also made him more dangerous.

“Sounds tempting. Do you mind, though, Mr. Julio? I’m getting a bit…anxious. If you know what I mean.”

Julio seemingly switched gears, as if he’d morphed into the consummate business professional. “Of course, of course. Whatever you want,
esé
. Just let me know if I can help you out in any way. You have my card, yeah? Tell Rita I said you get the VIP treatment.”

The two men continued to exchange bullshit pleasantries as Samson subtly edged Julio out of the door. Slade was relieved, hopeful, but he wouldn’t exhale fully until Julio was gone. At least he’d have a few hours of respite from the man.

When they were finally alone again, Valeena fell on the bed with a loud groan. Samson sat next to her before gathering her on his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair, gently kissed the side of her neck. She closed her eyes, sighing. Slade felt more than a little awkward. There’d been a few times when he’d been paid to have sex with a group of people, but there hadn’t been the sweet affection that was currently being displayed before him. There hadn’t been love.

With his gaze trained on the carpet, he unexpectedly found his thoughts wandering to the cop who’d almost arrested him earlier. He pictured in his mind what he’d just seen between Samson and Valeena. Only in his imagination it was him sitting on the cop’s lap as he touched Slade with care, with affection. Kissed his skin softly, his only desire to make Slade happy—make him feel good.

He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted the coppery flavor of his own blood. The fantasies had to stop. He was only torturing himself with dumb shit that would never happen.

“Baby, we’re embarrassing Slade.”

“A shy prostitute? How charming.”

She smacked his arm. “Don’t say that to him. And another thing, don’t you
ever
call me a slut again, understand?”

“Angel, it was only for the pig fucker’s benefit. You are my queen, my joy.”

Slade chuckled.

Samson arched his eyebrows. “What is so funny?”

“Pig fucker. You can definitely keep calling him that, dude.”

“I only speak the truth.”

Valeena cuddled into his side. “See? I told you.”

“Well, my darlings.” Samson surveyed the seedy motel room. “I do believe we are to be captive here for the night. How about a pizza, yes?”

Slade grinned as Valeena clapped her hands. It was almost normal, as if they were merely good friends hanging out for the night. He refused to slip into a melancholy mood over how it had been so long since he’d experienced such a simple joy and might never again. For the rest of the night, he would pretend that there was no Julio, no handsome cop who would never be his. He would just relax and have fun even if it was only for a few hours.

“Add anchovies on one half and jalapeños on the other.” Samson pulled his cell from his ear. “Shy Slade, what kind of pizza would you like?”

That was the one. That one simple question almost tore him completely apart. He swallowed hard a few times before he spoke to keep from bawling like an infant. “I, uh, pepperoni would be great. Thank you, Samson.”

“And a large pepperoni. Oh, and can you have the delivery person pick up a deck of cards on his way? There’s a hundred dollar tip in it for him.”

Samson ended the call and considered them both. “What? We need something to do, right?”

Slade laughed, the fear in his chest lightening somewhat. But as predisposed to worry as he was, he couldn’t help but feel bad about one other thing.

“Um, Samson, I don’t know how I can ever repay you—”

“Shush. None of that. I pay much more than that for the other parties I throw. This is a bargain.” He waved his hand around in the air. “Let’s enjoy ourselves, yes?”

Slade nodded. “Thank you, man. I mean it.”

“You’re welcome.” A look passed over Samson’s face as if he wasn’t sure if he should go on. “Shy Slade, I feel I should mention this to you. I have…family members who engage in business pursuits with which I’m not involved.” He shrugged. “I do my thing, they do theirs. It’s an equitable arrangement. However, I sometimes find out about certain…events that are about to transpire. The mutual respect and understanding we have in our family for one another doesn’t allow me to elaborate on such events, but I will say that it is the main reason I’m moving faster to get Valeena away from Julio.” He fixed Slade with a piercing gaze. “It’s too dangerous for you to work for Julio anymore. There are things about to go down that you can’t even begin to imagine.”

So much for relaxing and enjoying myself.

“I know I shouldn’t be working for Julio, that he’s dangerous—”

“No, Slade. You don’t know. You need to get away immediately—more than most of the others he controls—you are at risk.”

“Why? What’s changed?”

“I can’t say any more. If I gave you ten grand, could you get out of town? My only condition is that you would have to wait until Valeena and I have disappeared. We’ll be far away by Friday morning. Can you wait that long?”

“But… How…? I… It’s very generous of you to offer that, but I can’t hide ten grand from Julio, he’d fucking kill me if he found out.”

“I’m not so much generous as I am a captive to love.” He squeezed Valeena tighter to him. “She would not agree to come with me unless she knew you’d be safe.”

The tears spilled from his eyes freely, long black streaks likely forming paths down his cheeks. He sucked in small sobs, his shoulders shaking, unable to control his emotions any longer upon hearing Samson’s words. Valeena disentangled herself from Samson’s grip. She hurried over and crouched down in front of him, grabbing his hands.

“It’s okay, Slade. Everything’s gonna be okay for both of us. We’ll see each other again. Someday when all this fucking shit is over and done with, we’ll meet up somewhere really nice. You’ll see, everything’s gonna turn out all right.”

He sniffed, nodding his head then wiping his eyes. “God, I’m a mess.”

He gave her a hug then rose to get some tissues from the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Could it be real? Would he actually be able to get away from Julio for good? He had no idea what he would do with his freedom, he didn’t even have any of his original identification anymore—Julio had made sure of that.

It doesn’t matter
.

As long as he got away from Julio, that was all that was important. He was scared to believe that it might be real. He didn’t want it to be ripped away from him—it would be too cruel.

After he’d pulled himself together somewhat, he reentered the room to the sight of Valeena and Samson in the middle of a heated make-out session. He cleared his throat. Loudly.

“Sorry!” Valeena giggled.

Slade shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. You guys probably want to be alone.”

He moved toward the door, but Samson moved faster, blocking him.

“We’re having a party, remember? We have spicy fish pizza and cards on the way. And besides, Julio thinks you’re mine tonight. We don’t want him to get suspicious, yes? Not when you and Valeena are about to make the break.”

Valeena rolled her eyes. “He means ‘make your break’.”

Samson waved his hand around again. “What she said. Now please, have a seat.”

Slade returned to the chair he’d been in all evening. “I’m very grateful for your offer, I really am, but I don’t see how it can work. I couldn’t possibly hide ten thousand dollars from Julio until Friday.” He snorted. “I’ve never even been able to hide a twenty dollar tip.”

“I’ll set up a date for you through Rita for Friday night. It will be an all-nighter—that way it gives you time to get away before he figures out you’re gone. One of my personal colleagues will meet with you then give you the cash. Easy as cake.”

Valeena shook her head as if in resignation. “Pie, baby. Pie.”

“You want some pie? I’ll get you some pie.”

He stood and she grabbed his shirtsleeve. “No!”

Slade laughed for the second time in one night. He figured it had to be some sort of record.

Maybe not for much longer.

After Friday night, who knew? He might want to laugh all the time then.

* * * *

Parker leaned over the bed to tuck in the last corner of the newly cleaned bottom sheet around the mattress. Once he’d completed that task, he arranged the rest of the bedding. Brett would be in that night and had asked if he could stay over at Parker’s apartment instead of going to the hotel right away. That had been the norm for his last few visits, but he still asked, which Parker did appreciate. It wouldn’t make things any easier, though.