The Big Blind (Nadia Wolf) (27 page)

I sighed. “Maybe the universe misled me.”

“Come out from under there. Let’s go home and sleep some more. It was a good theory.”

As I slid from under the table my head smashed into the bottom jarring it loose. Bundles of hundred dollar bills tumbled down on me.

“Ow!” I rubbed my head.

Greyson peered at me and the money. He shook his head. “Only you could hurt yourself and have it be a good thing.”

“The whole bottom of the table is fake. Look at this thing. It even has the wires and a metal box.”

“They could stash the money quickly,” Greyson said as he inspected the fake table bottom. “With Caleb knocking out players left and right, it gave them an opening to maneuver under the table without being noticed. We need to transfer this money. I didn’t think to bring a bag.”

“Do you want to find one? I can stay here.”

“No. I’m not letting you or the money out of my sight.”

“Then what’s your plan?”

“To keep you safe, then dispose of this money.”

“Don’t you want to keep the money to give to the police?”

“There’s enough phony money floating around. I don’t need the extra million.”

My cell phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket wondering who the hell could be calling me at this hour. Then again, it’s Las Vegas.

“Hello?”

“Where are you, baby?”

“Why do you want to know?” I mouthed to Greyson, “Dagor”. His back straightened.

“Don’t play games with me. I know you’re not at home. The lights are on but you aren’t there. Funny thing, a man climbed out of your window.”

“I’m working the tables tonight. I have to make a living. I don’t know about the man in my apartment. Though, I wouldn’t think it’s safe to climb out my window.”

“Go home now or say goodbye to your cat. You have exactly thirty minutes.” He hung up.

“I have to go home. Dagor is giving me thirty minutes or he’ll kill Gus.”

Greyson rubbed the back of his neck. “Damn it!”

“I don’t know a way out of this. I have to go.”

“Can you call David to see what he knows?”

I shook my head. “He always has a different phone number. He contacts me.”

“Alright, take my car. Drive as slowly as you can. Use all of the thirty minutes. I’ll get in touch with Remy. We’ll stay close and watch. If there’s any sign of a problem, we’ll come in.”

“Then let’s go. The clock’s ticking.”

He set his keys in my hand and led me to the back door. He gave me a tight hug. I could have stayed in his arms forever, but I needed to save Gus. I pushed him back.

“Be careful,” he said. “Scream or break a window so we know if you’re in trouble.”

I nodded, hopped in his car, and drove off. I kept a little under the speed limit—to the annoyance of the other drivers on the road—to use up the thirty minutes.

I pulled into the chapel parking lot and killed the engine. I took a deep breath before I stepped out of the car and into uncertainty.

I ran upstairs to find my apartment door unlocked. Stepping cautiously into the apartment, I found Dagor and two men—who had more muscles than brains—waiting for me.

“You barely made it in time.” Dagor frowned at my jersey and sweatpants. “You need to pretty yourself. I can’t be seen with you this way.”

“I work the tables all day and night. I have to be comfortable.”

“You don’t work any more.”

“How am I suppose to pay rent?”

“You’ll give up this rat hole apartment and move in with me.”

“And when you tire of me I’ll be out on my ass with nowhere to go.”

“I tie up my loose ends.”

A slithering chill snaked its way through my spine. David told me Dagor’s girls tend to disappear. Was that his way of tying up loose ends?

“Dagor, you know who I am. I’m not the kind of girl who depends on men. There are hundreds of girls who would love to sponge off you and be at your beck and call. That isn’t me.”

“Baby, you came to me. You sought me to help you.”

“Yes, but you won’t help me.”

“I wouldn’t be helping you. I would be helping your lover, Greyson Miller.”

“He’s not my lover.”

Dagor grabbed my arm. “Then why are you wearing his jersey?”

Oh, shit!

He shook me. “Stop fucking lying to me, bitch.”

“I’m not lying. I never slept with him.”

The back of his hand cracked me across my cheekbone so fast and hard there was no time to block or duck.

“Don’t lie to me again. I promise I’ll do a lot more than just hit you.”

I held my face, rubbing the sting away. I didn’t know what to do. There were three men in my apartment and only me to fight them all. It would be a losing battle. I didn’t want to call in reinforcements. Gus would be a goner for sure.

“If I move in with you, Gus will have to stay with me.” I’ll drag out this conversation. There must be a way out. If I keep Dagor talking I might find it. Caleb does it all the time at the poker table. Then again, Caleb is a remarkable bullshitter.

“He’s not staying at my house. He’s as good as dead if you bring him on my property.”

“Where is he now?”

“In a safe place.”

“Are you feeding him?”

“He doesn’t need any food. He could live off his fat for a month.”

My hand clenched into a tight fist. Before I could register what I was doing, my fist had blasted Dagor’s jaw with an upper cut. He staggered back. His two ogres restrained my arms and shoulders.

Dagor rubbed his jaw. “Fucking bitch.”

His hand curled into a fist and hurled towards me. My head snapped back and my eye burst in pain as his fist connected. I lunged at him but was held by the two men. I kicked at Dagor nailing him in the groin. He doubled over in pain. One hand signal from Dagor and the men dragged me out of my apartment. I kicked and screamed. They only tightened their grip. I tried to bite at their hands. One of them hit the back of my neck. I was momentarily dazed as they threw me in the trunk of their car, slamming the trunk closed. I kicked and pushed the trunk to release. Being that it was a tight fit, my range of motion was severely limited.

The car engine roared to life. This wasn’t good. Dagor was already tired of me. I had to escape from the trunk before my coffin became a desert drop off. I pounded, kicked, and screamed at the trunk.

My cell phone rang. I forgot I had my cell phone. I quickly answered.

“Nadia, are you okay? You sound freaked out.”

“Caleb, I’m freaking out because I’m locked in Dagor’s trunk. Hang up so I can call someone to help me.”

“What the hell’s going on?”

The car stopped.

“Shit, the car stopped. Caleb, if I wind up dead it was Dagor.” I quickly turned off my phone shoving it into my pocket.

Meaty hands yanked me out of the trunk. “Get in there.” They shoved me into a small warehouse.

It was dark. From the street light I could tell the warehouse was empty except for a few scattered boxes. One man held me while the other patted me down. He found my phone, dropped it to the floor, and smashed it with his size fourteen shoe. The other man released me with a shove. They slammed the door closed. Taking the light from the street with them, I was left alone in complete darkness.

“Do we need to stay?” One of Dagor’s oafs asked from beyond my prison door.

“She can’t escape. Let’s collect the trash bags for her. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Should we kill her first?”

“No. We’ll wait until she’s in the bag. Less mess.”

I heard the car doors slam and the sound of tires crunching against gravel as they drove away.

I reached out to search for the door with trembling hands. I couldn’t see in front of my face let alone a few feet. It took ten shuffling steps before I made it to the wall and found the door. I shook the door handle. It was undoubtedly locked. I had hoped one of the brain-cell-challenged oafs would have forgotten.

I wasn’t going to stay here and let them kill me. I stepped a few paces back and vaulted myself at the door. The metal door didn’t budge though my arm vibrated from impact. I held my arm, tearing from the pain. I had to escape.

A low growl came from behind me. I froze as I listened to the sound. The growl drew near. I backed into the wall. There was nowhere for me to go. I kicked my foot to deter the animal from coming closer. My foot connected with a chubby fur ball.

“Gus? Oh, God. Gus, are you okay?”

He grunted.

I knelt with stretched arms to find him. He plopped down into my reach.

“Gus, I’m so sorry. If we get out, I’ll give you hotdogs for a week.”

He groaned when I said hotdogs. He bit into my sweatpants and chewed as if they tasted just as yummy as his beloved hotdogs. As I pried my pants out of his mouth, he snapped at my hand. A noise outside the warehouse jarred my attention giving Gus the perfect opportunity to seize my pants again.

“Nadia, are you in there?”

“Greyson?”

“Stand back. Remy’s going to open the door.”

I scooted back, but I wasn’t certain where I was to begin with. I heard a loud thunk. Then another one. The third thunk flung the door open. A flashlight blinded me. I squinted as two shadows closed in. Greyson held my hand and led me outside.

“Don’t forget Gus.”

“Remy has him.”

“We need to buy him something to eat. Dagor was starving him.”

“We’ll pick something up on the way.”

I peered at the Cadillac. “Whose car is this?”

“Remy’s. He had to pick me up from the casino. He’ll drop us off at my house.”

“What about Gus?”

“He can stay with us.”

Greyson hopped in the front seat with Remy. Remy deposited Gus in the backseat with me. Gus zipped over and squeezed in tightly under my arm. A heart string tugged for him. He chewed on my pants the entire ride to Greyson’s. I didn’t have the heart to stop him.

Greyson carried Gus into the house and deposited him on the sofa with a package of convenience store hotdogs.

“I didn’t notice your eye in the dark. What happened?”

I reached up, wincing as I touched my black eye. “Dagor punched me after I kicked him in the nuts. How did you find me?”

“We were following you the whole time. We made sure Dagor left before we freed you. I’ll get some ice for your eye.”

I sank in next to Gus, petting him as he inhaled his food. He snorted with hotdog happiness.

Greyson dropped in next to me with a small baggie of ice. I relaxed into the cushions as he gently pressed the ice to my eye.

“What happened to you?” David asked from the doorway.

“Dagor hit her.”

“What did I miss?”

Greyson relayed the story to David while he continued to pamper my eye with ice.

“Where were you?” He asked David.

“When Dagor showed, I escaped out of Nadia’s apartment and raced over to Dagor’s house. I thought I might be able to find Gus. I found a bunch of nasty evidence against him. He had extortion rings set up and kept handy mementos of his deceased victims. I bagged it and placed a call to the police. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Dagor for a while.”

I nestled into Greyson as David and he continued to talk. Not worrying about Dagor lifted a weight off my shoulders. The deep rhythmic voice coming through Greyson’s chest lulled me into a dreamy stupor. My eyes strained to remain open. They fluttered shut. Greyson moved his arm allowing me to cuddle even more. I strained to stay awake even though my eyes were heavy with sleep. They surrendered and closed.

“You need to let her go before you hurt her.”

“Since when did you become an expert? You hurt your wife when you left.”

“I had no choice. You do.”

“The choice belongs to her.”

“You could stop now before it gets too far.”

“I would never intentionally hurt her.”

“You’d never intentionally hurt anyone, but you do.”

“Why do you care so much about what happens between us?”

“Because I like Nadia.”

Greyson shifted. “What are you saying?”

“Nothing that you’re thinking.”

“I think we’re done.”

Greyson gathered me into his arms. The weight of my arms and legs hung heavy as he carried me to the bedroom. I should have walked the distance to the bedroom but exhaustion took over . . . and it was nice not to have to walk.

He slipped me under the covers and then cuddled in around me. I instantly fell into a deep sleep.

I awoke happy. My skin didn’t hurt, Gus was alive, we found the stolen money, and Dagor would be behind bars soon. My eye hurt but it wouldn’t stop me.

I scooted out of bed realizing I was alone. I poked my way through the house and found Gus on the couch where we left him. He was curled next to his hotdog wrapper and was chewing on a paper scrap.