The Devil’s Plaything

Chapter 8

Gabriel

I tug at the cuffs of my shirt as I walk quickly down the dark hallway of a seedy club in West Las Vegas, one of the most dangerous areas of the city. I usually avoid coming around here, but today I had no other choice.

“Gabriel, don’t be too hard on him,” Xander whispers, hurrying to catch up with me.

Half a dozen men belonging to a private security team I hired to come here follow us. I stop in front of a closed door and take a deep breath.

“Is it here?” My brother runs his fingers through his dark brown hair and nods.

I gesture to one of the men and, after stepping aside, he kicks the door open. I hear the others draw their weapons and let them pass by me. Only when I hear that everything is clear do I step into the room. The place looks like some kind of meeting room, with old furniture, trash on the floor, and dust everywhere. In the center of the room is a table where five men are sitting, one of them being my younger brother, Ren.

“s**t,” he mutters as soon as he sees me walk in.

Xander approaches him and places a hand on his shoulder. I can tell he’s holding himself back from getting into a fistfight with everyone in the room. Xander is quite hot-tempered.

“We’re leaving. Now,” I order.

Ren fixes his gaze on me. I don’t need to shout or express what I’m thinking for him to know I’m pissed off. He huffs loudly and throws the cards he’s holding onto the battered table.

“Sorry, guys, the night’s over for me,” he announces, getting to his feet.

“Hey! Not so fast!” The guy beside him grabs him by the arm and pulls him back down into his seat. “You’re losing. Until the game is over, no one leaves.”

Xander is about to say something, but I silence him with a warning look and glance at my wristwatch. If I don’t finish this right now, I’ll be late, and I hate being late.

“Ren, stand up,” I order.

My younger brother turns pale for a second before the guy who threatened him looks at me with a frown.

“I don’t know who the hell you are, but this is a private party. Get the hell out of here the easy way, or…”

“I prefer the hard way,” I say, taking a couple of steps in his direction.

I watch as he moves his hand and grabs a hunting knife that was lying on the table.

“You don’t look like you’re from around here. Do you know who you’re talking to?” He smiles, showing his yellowish teeth, and I stop myself from grimacing in disgust.

Few things are as repulsive to me as a person who doesn’t take care of their dental hygiene. Is it really that hard to use a toothbrush three times a day? I inhale deeply through my nose and glance at my watch again.

“I don’t care who you are. I only came to get my brother, and I’m already late. We’re leaving, Ren.”

“He came to get his brother!” he exclaims mockingly, and the other guys around the table burst out laughing. “You’ve got some nice clothes, and I bet they’re expensive too. It’s a shame they’re going to end up soaked in blood when I rip your guts out.” He points the tip of the knife at me and laughs again.

I gesture with my chin, and my men aim their weapons at him.

“I won’t say it again. Ren, we’re leaving.”

“Gabriel, you shouldn’t do anything stupid. You’re threatening a very dangerous man.”

I shrug. If I cowered every time some supposed thug threatened me, I wouldn’t have gotten where I am.

“Fine, let’s do this the easy way,” I mutter after clicking my tongue in annoyance. I want to get this damn thing over with once and for all. “How much money did he lose?” I ask.

“Too much,” Yellow Teeth replies.

“Give me a number, and make it quick.”

He narrows his eyes at me and laughs again. He doesn’t seem afraid of the half dozen guns pointed at him. That’s the problem with the scum in this city—they truly believe they’re untouchable, but in reality, they aren’t. These pseudo-mafiosi are nothing more than spoiled, petulant children.

“How much are you willing to pay for your little brother to walk out of here safe and sound? Ten thousand? No, wait… Twenty thousand. I think that’s a fair deal.”

I adjust the knot of my tie and nod.

“Fine. One of my men will give you the money as soon as we leave.”

“Do you think I’m an i***t?!”

“I don’t know. Are you?”

“It just went up to thirty thousand.” He laughs again, and I clench my fists tightly.

“It’s yours.” I look at my brother. “Ren, let’s go.”

He gets to his feet, and just as the guy is about to grab him again, one of my men shoots him in the shoulder. Xander drags Ren toward the door, and the rest of the men who had been taking part in the game stand up with their hands in the air. I approach the table and fix my gaze on Yellow Teeth, who is clutching his bloody shoulder and whimpering.

“You son of a b***h! My father will kill you for this. You’re dead, I swear.”

“I’m a man of my word. You’ll receive your money as soon as we leave.” I straighten up and smooth my jacket with the back of my hand. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

I turn around and head for the exit. Xander is already in the hallway with Ren. As I pass the head of security, I stop.

“What do we do with them, Mr. Sutton?” he asks quietly.

“Kill them, and bury the cocky one with thirty thousand dollars. He earned it.”

“That kid is Franco Zanoli’s son. They say he has ties to the Italian Mafia.”

I stop to think about it for a few seconds. I’m not interested in getting into a war with the Mafia, Italian or otherwise. If I’ve gotten where I am, it’s been by keeping a low profile, but I also can’t allow people to mock me by threatening my family.

“In that case, make it euros. It would be in poor taste to make his family waste time exchanging the money when they find his body.” Before he can respond, I continue walking and leave the room.

I find my brothers in the hallway, and the look I give Ren makes him lower his head.

“I was just playing a game. I thought I’d win,” he says in his defense.

“We’re not discussing this now. I have to go.” I gesture toward Xander with my chin. “Can you make sure he stays out of trouble until I get back? I’ll be gone for a week.”

“I’ll do what I can,” he mutters, gripping our younger brother by the shoulders.

I look at Ren again. I don’t know what else to do to make him start behaving like a real man. He’s twenty-one years old, but he still acts like a rebellious teenager. I’m afraid that, at some point, his actions will lead him to his death—or perhaps to something even worse.

“Don’t leave the hotel until I get back. Understood?”

“Oh, come on! You can’t lock me up like a f*****g prisoner,” he complains. I arch an eyebrow in reprimand at his language, and after letting out a loud huff, he lowers his head again. “Fine. I won’t leave the hotel,” he mutters without looking at me.

“Use this week to reflect, and when I get back, we’ll talk.” I take a deep breath and look at Xander. “Have a good night.”

My brother smiles and shakes his head.

“You too, Stiff.” I ignore him and walk away, but I hear them both making fun of me as I make my way down the hallway toward the exit.

I should have been at the airport ten minutes ago. I can’t stand being late. I hope the jet pilot finds a way to shorten the trip. There’s nothing in the world that could make me want to be late for the hunt.