"What's the matter?" I ask him as I sit on the end of his bed.
He runs over to me and hugs me. Wrapping my arms around him I pull him in tight, letting him know I’m here for him and that nothing will ever harm him. Nothing. I won’t allow it.
My thoughts flash back to my ex-wife Margaret and the few times that she showed fleeting glimpses of interest in his life when she tried to care for him, or more accurately to silence him so she could get back to her own life and not be annoyed by her very own child, whom she always considered a mistake in every way possible.
As I'm calming Luca down my phone rings, the screen displaying my right-hand man Michael’s name. To the world, we run a casino. In my world, we run different types of businesses. "If you’re callin’ me at this time it ain't good,” I say immediately after taking the call, no time ever wasted on pleasantries.
"There's that psychic ability that you have as the boss."
"Cut to it."
"Henderson. The guy with the PS5s, he doesn't have the shipment."
"What do you mean?"
"There's no—"
"I know what you mean you fuckin idiot. What I'm asking you is, what are you going to do about it?"
"Believe me, boss, me and Jimmy have done everything. We've thrown every tactic in the book at this guy and I really don't think he's got the shipment, but I can't just let him walk."
I shake my head while looking at Luca. There's nothing more that I want than to leave the life that I'm living behind. But that day hasn’t arrived yet.
"Alright, I'll come down there." I hang up.
There's no one to watch my kid. I've been bothering my mother day in and day out to watch him since firing the nanny. It’s too much to ask of her right now, and I refuse to wake her up at this hour. Sitting on the edge of my son's bed holding my phone in my hand I know what Icando, but I sure as hell don’t want to because I shouldn’t.
Shouldn’t do and want to do are often two very different ends of the same candle…just depends on which side burns the brightest, and in this case…hottest. And right now it’s the one driven by instinct, not logic and reason.
It's dialing.
"Cassandra. Have you thought about the job?"
"It's a little weird for you to be calling me this late, wouldn’t you say?"
"Time is relative. Have you given it a second thought?" I press forward.
A long pause ensues. I don't think that she's going to take the job. But I'm hoping that I'm wrong.
"I'm going to take the job. But I don't want to be around guns. Or any craziness." Her voice is nervous and I wonder why she's taking the job when she's afraid. I guess she's brave after all.
"Deal," I say even though I can't keep that promise. "I need you tonight. I have to run out of the house for an emergency."
Another long pause ensues.
"I have school tomorrow."
"You have school tomorrow, not tonight. I'll pay you double."
A third long pause. "Okay."
I smile. I may have a pain in the ass job to take care of, but I’m excited as hell to see her again.
When she arrives at the house she's got pajama pants on and a tank top, with her bra straps visible at the ends of her feminine shoulders. When she turns around to close the door, I catch a glimpse of the perfect outline of her ass as well. My eyes narrow and my nostrils flare as my heat slams into my chest. The primal instincts inside of me are firing on all cylinders instantly, wanting nothing more than to rip those thin pants off her and bury my face between her legs.
"Sorry if I'm dressed like a bum."
“Not important. What is, is that you’re here. Thank you. Now…I have some business to take care of."