Page 21 of Lord of Vice
“Absolutely, sir. One of the biggest and in my opinion the best in the country. What do you need?”
“Well, um. Everything.” I laughed.
“I think I understand. For that cute baby you took with you to your suite.”
“The very one.”
Chastity was obviously happy to help. “I’ll make certain a selection of toys is purchased. What about food?”
“The very best.”
“Yes, sir. Anything for your other guest?”
I thought about what she might like and sighed. “Some lovely dresses and other items.”
“Her size?”
“I’d say an eight.” I only hoped I had a fucking clue. I’d found it next to impossible to take my eyes off her, even while wearing blood and brains, but that didn’t mean I knew enough about the woman. My God. What had I gotten myself in the middle of with her?
“I’ll take care of everything, sir, and have the items brought to your room.”
“Excellent.” I ended the call, immediately hitting the single button for Konstantin’s phone. He answered on the first ring.
“I thought you’d be calling. I checked over our killer after I placed him in the cooler. No identification but he had a brand carved into his skin like he was a gang member. Clueless as to which gang.”
“It wasn’t a gang given the expensive clothes he was wearing.” Which was another red flag I didn’t like.
My counselor laughed. “Yeah, you’re right but the goddamn thing wasn’t crude. It took some time and I can’t imagine the pain the dude went through. Anyway, I did take a picture. I’m currently loading it into one of our databases. So far, no direct affiliation to anyone. You’re right in that the suit wasn’t off the rack, but there were no labels anywhere. He had no keys in his pocket and was wearing no jewelry.”
“That doesn’t sound like something the Morelli boys would do.” They were garish with everything, including gold chains hanging around their necks. They’d obviously watched one too many Stallone movies. Even their friends were like that. Disgusting.
“No. They’re not that sophisticated.”
“Interesting,” I said as I pulled my glass of bourbon to my lips. “Did you get the make or model of the vehicle he was riding in with his buddies?”
“No, other than it was a dark sedan. Typical. But I didn’t see a plate.”
I rolled the glass over my head even though it didn’t help my headache to any degree. “Send me the picture and get two other men watching my estate. With Vissarian there, I don’t want my family to be picked off one at a time.”
“Will do. Incidentally, I might have a lead on David. He was seen by one of our informants at a convenience store with his girlfriend. Although it would appear they’re taking their… winnings and heading out of town.”
“Oh, really? The kid isn’t that bright.” Or as I’d heard my own father say about dozens of people while he was alive, the kid has gusto but zero intelligence.
Dense in the head.
Granted, if he was on the run, it could mean he’d been told to leave.
“Keep me abreast of what you discover. Fucking find the asshole, Konstantin. I can’t let this ride. However, it would appear tonight I’ll be unexpectedly busy.”
“Don’t worry. You know how the vermin in this town talk,” he chortled. “I must admit, boss. I’m a little surprised you took her to your hotel.” My Sovietnik scratched his head. Shit. Why had I resorted to thinking about my organization as old-style Bratva all of a sudden? Maybe because it was possible I needed to… break bad on a few people to keep everyone else in line. Just like I had six months before. There were days I hated my job.
“Where else was I supposed to take her? She was seen. I have no doubt about it. That means the assholes who arrived with the fuckhead know she was responsible for saving my life. They will want her dead just to teach her a lesson if nothing more. Plus, I owe her.”
“Yeah, I just don’t like it.”
“Go ahead and do a deep dive. Penny Valentine. Supposedly out of Roanoke, although I have no clue what state that might be.” I knew she’d told me, but I hadn’t been paying any attention.
He chuckled. “You need to get away from Vegas and explore the country. Virginia? She mentioned it.”