“Lead the way,” Oakley said.
The constant ringing of the slot machines, the soft fanning of the cards, and the steady rumble of the voices at the card tables were the constant background music to Tony’s life. As he walked the floor of the casino, nodding to regulars, greeting new customers, and reminding employees of rules that were never to be broken, he felt the fire in his blood begin to ease. This was something that was familiar to him, something that he knew and enjoyed. For the moment there wasn’t someone trying to kill someone else over that blasted drink, and there was no one crying desperately at the bar for an extension on their tab. For now, things were as they should be. Money was being put in the machines, chips were being exchanged with the dealers, and regular drinks were being consumed thanks to his executive decision to have a Rapture free happy hour. If that wasn’t ironic, he didn’t know what was.
He had tried to get in touch with the top dogs, but none of Lorsan’s elves were returning his calls, and he couldn’t even get in touch with Trik. With the risk of his casino being destroyed and his employees quitting, he had decided to close the bar to Rapture in the early evenings. He would love to do it later in the evening as well, but he knew that it would never fly. Lorsan would come down on him with an iron fist.
Just as he rounded the last row of penny slot machines, he came face to face with the front doors of the casino and with a group of people that he knew immediately were not there to gamble. He saw one of his security guys heading towards them, no doubt going to card the youngest one decked out in black. She might be twenty-one, but only just. These days it was so hard to tell age based on looks alone. He caught the security guard’s eye and shook his head, indicating that he would handle this himself.
“Hello,” he said walking up to the tallest male of the group. Tony was immediately on guard when the male turned to look at him and he saw his face for the first time. His unearthly beauty clearly marked him as not human. “Something tells me that you aren’t here to spend money,” he continued in his most charming voice.
The girl all in black stepped around the tall, stoic male and held her hand out to him. “We’re actually looking for the owner of this fine, upstanding establishment.” Tony instinctually reached out to shake her hand and was quickly reminded of why he usually made it a policy not to touch women in any way in his casino, ever, because you never know when there’s a pissed off elf on the other end of that woman. The girl gasped as the large male grabbed her waist and put her behind him, moving with a quickness and grace that was innate among the elfin race.
Tony held up his hands in a peace offering gesture and took a step back. “I meant no disrespect. I’m Tony, and I’m the manager of Iniquity.” Suddenly, behind him there was a loud crash and then a male voice yelled out. Tony turned to see one of his security guys pulling down a man who was attempting to climb over the bar.
“Let me guess,” the voice of the young female spoke up. He turned back around to see her peeking around the side of the large male. Her wide purple eyes shone back at him and she held a sardonic smile in place. “You have an ugly infestation of a little problem called Rapture?”
If he thought his life couldn’t get any more messed up, he was wrong, so very, very wrong.
“I think we should probably take this conversation to my office.” He motioned them to follow.
“That would probably be best,” the other female spoke up this time and he could tell that she was much older than the younger one, and possibly even related.
Elora’s eyes widened as they walked deeper into the casino, passing the struggling man that the security guards were attempting to subdue. She must have been drifting too close to the action because Cush, her fearless protector, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. They continued to follow the man who had introduced himself as Tony, and she tried to ignore the restless itch that had started the moment they landed and had been growing worse with every passing minute.
Once they were all herded into a spacious mahogany–paneled office, Tony motioned for them to take seats. Cush and Rin didn’t, so she didn’t either. She always hated being the only one sitting among a group of standing people.
“You’re an elf,” Tony said bluntly to Cush.
“What gave it away?” Elora asked him. “The incredible skin, unusual eyes, ridiculously luscious hair, or the catlike grace?”
Tony laughed. “Yes,” he answered simply.
“I am Nedhudir, light-elf warrior, and this is my comrade, Rincavornon.”
“FYI, they answer to Cush and Rin,” Elora added helpfully. “Because let’s just face it, those names are as ridiculous as their lush hair. I’m Elora and that’s my mom, Lisa, and my brother, Oakley.”
“I would like to say that it’s nice to meet you, Nedhudir and Rincavornon,” replied Tony, bowing his head slightly and without so much as a hesitation, “but, honestly, you’ve caught me at a bad time. The fact that you all show up here at the same time that I have customers trying to kill each other over a drug concocted by your people…” he pointed to Cush, “doesn’t really bode well for me.”
“My people,” Cush gritted out, “had nothing to do with Rapture.”
Elora felt the tension in the room jump a couple notches as the two men faced off. She waited a beat before stepping in between the two because she had to admit Tony was hot, and her man was hot. And, really, who was she to come between two hot males who want to duke it out? But then Tony took a step forward and Cush tensed and Elora decided that she would have to put her fetish aside for the greater good. Ugh, the things I give up in the name of peace, she grumbled inwardly as she stepped up and put a hand on Tony’s chest to keep him from coming closer. Looking back, that probably wasn’t the best thing she could have done.
“I really think that the dark elves trying to take over the human race is more than enough war for both our people right now, without adding you two to the mix, don’t you?” Elora asked as she looked between the two men.
“Little Raven, do you wish the human to die?” Elora heard Cush’s voice in her mind and her eyes snapped down to the wrist he now held in his large hand.
“Not really into homicide; it just doesn’t do it for me,” she told him calmly.
“Then you would be wise to remove your hand from his chest.”