Trapped in his End Game (Series)

There’s a scaffold in front of the dilapidated Worlds Casino sign and workers removing it, preparing to replace it with a more modern sign. Lord knows, the casino could do with a remodeling, but the new owner seems to be sparing no expense. New carpet everywhere, new paint, new everything. She sectioned off several areas of the casino to start the remodeling slowly while keeping it open for business. Smart. It might hurt business for a couple weeks, but at least the place will be updated from all the god-awful 70’s decor.

I climb the steps to the manager offices and flash my badge to security. Recognizing me, they move aside and I walk down the hall, looking for the President’s office. It’s a huge place with tons of hallways, but I remember where the office was.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Her old man’s nameplate is still attached to the door. How interesting. I raise my fist and knock three sharp raps.

A muffled female voice booms out. “Come in.”

I twist the handle and walk inside the brightly lit office, which is kind of a mess. There are papers strewn all over the oak desk and behind the massive pile of papers sits the girl I met the other day. She looks smaller because she’s buried in paperwork and sitting in that massive chair. Her light eyes glance up from the desk and freeze. Something goes through me when our eyes meet. My heart thuds against my chest.

“Oh, it’s you.” A faint blush rises in her cheeks, making her look even prettier. “Mr. DiFiore?”

I step into the room, a smile crossing my face despite myself. Good, she remembers me. “Yeah. It’s just Joe.”

She stands up and moves from behind the desk. Marisa wears a pencil skirt and a white blouse, one where I can see the outline of her bra. Sexy. Her dark blonde hair is swept up in a bun, and I have a sudden desire to see her undo it, to see it fall over her shoulders in a wave and to take a fist of it in my hand and-

Jesus. Calm down, boy.

Marisa shakes my hand and blushes again at the contact. A pleasant, triumphant feeling makes me swallow down a smirk. If she likes me, this might be a lot easier.

“What can I do for you, Joe?”

“Actually, my boss wanted me to come here to help you with the transition. I can answer questions you might have.”

She runs a shaky hand over her head. “Well, I could definitely use the help, but I’m still not sure who you are, though.”

I pinch my hand with my thumb, fighting the unease inside me. This girl doesn’t know who the fuck we are.

“My organization worked with your father for many years.”

She motions for me to sit down and grabs a stack of papers, sitting next to me. “What was it? Black Diamond something?”

“Black Diamond Entertainment.”

Her small hands tremble as she takes the sheet of paper from the pile. I wonder when was the last time she slept.

“Are you all right, hon?”

Marisa’s eyes widen at my tone and I inwardly kick myself for talking to her like she’s just some ordinary girl. She heaves a great sigh. “I’m-I’m fine, thanks. Just a little tired.”

“This must be a very stressful time for you.”

Her eyes quiver as she looks at me, and for one horrifying moment I think that she might burst into tears, but she swallows it all down. “Yeah, it is. I’ve a lot of work to do. I’m just saddled with all this paperwork. It’s crazy.”

“I can help you sort through them.”

She continues on, hardly listening. “The worst part is that my siblings hate me for getting the job over them, especially my brother.” Her cheeks blush magenta and I can see that she immediately regrets opening up to me. “Sorry, I don’t know why I said that. It must be the fatigue. I’m a little overwhelmed, that’s all. There’s not many people I can talk to about this stuff.”

I don’t know what I did to earn her trust, but I’m marking it as a good thing. My first impressions are that she seems lost and a little lonely, a girl that can be easily charmed and swayed. Even though my heart beats hollowly in my chest, there’s a spark I feel between us. It’s barely there, but alive. And I’m going to take advantage of it.

Maybe I’ll even get to fuck her.

God, that’s tempting. Just the thought stirs some life into my cock. I wonder what she’d look like naked, how her tits would feel in my hands.

I don’t know what it is, but Jack made me realize that there were very few fates worse than death. I don’t believe in God or an afterlife. There’s nothing waiting for us but darkness. Emptiness. No conscious thought.

Even though living with this pain feels like it’s killing me, it’s better than never experiencing anything ever again. Like sex, for example.

What would sex with her be like? Is she one of those uptight, missionary only types or would she let me fist her hair and pound her on that desk, her legs wrapped around my waist?

She’s a fine specimen. I glance up her legs to the skirt hugging her hips and the see-through blouse, which reveals a tantalizing hint of flesh and the white bra covering her tits. She looks delectable now, especially with how vulnerable she looks. Her small lips are slightly parted and her eyes are a little wide from fear. I want to slide her onto my lap and tell her that everything’s going to be okay.

I definitely wouldn’t mind taking one for the team.

A smile spreads over my face and Marisa gives me a puzzled look.

Shit. What the fuck were we talking about?

“Sometimes, I feel the same way,” I say hastily. “As for your siblings, they’ll come around.”

“I really hope so.”

She’s still pink in the face, and for a moment we just watch each other. I’m surprised by how much I want her. Lately, I haven’t really felt like fucking anyone. Depression is death to desire, and for some reason I’m not feeling the weight of my sister’s death right now.

It’s really fucking hard not to hit on her right now. The only reason I’m not is because Jack would flip out if I fucked this up.

I gesture towards the paper she holds before she can ask me any questions. “What’s that you have?”

“Oh, um-actually, it’s a list of corporations that we deal with. I’ve just been going through them and I’ve noticed a lot of strange things about them. Some of them don’t have any real addresses, a lot of them are connected to the same people, over and over.” She squints at another list. “Vincent Cesare, Paulie Marziliano, it just goes on and on.”

I stare at her. She’s just listing all the captains in our family.

She hands me the highlighted list and I stare down the names. Most I recognize as Jack’s dummy corporations he uses to launder money, others I’m not familiar with. It’s clear from looking at her tired face that she has no idea her dad was working with the mob.

Well, fuck.

“I’ve actually frozen all transactions with these accounts until I can figure out what’s going on.”

“You what?”

She looks at me wide-eyed, alarmed by the heat in my voice.

Jesus Christ. Jesus fucking Christ.

I struggle to keep my voice even. “Miss Toffoli, believe me, you do not want to do that. Many of these are connected with my employer, and we’ve had a relationship with your father for years.”

“Well, explain it to me then, because I don’t see any evidence that these corporations do any work for us.”

I bite the inside of my lip. “Well, for starters, protection in the VIP rooms-”

“No. I have the names of all of my security companies in my head. Not one of them belongs to any of these.”

Unfortunately for all of us, Marisa is an inconveniently sharp woman. What the fuck can I say? I’m going to have to scare her, and I really didn’t want to have to resort to that. She keeps talking while I think of what to do.

“I cannot find any reason why so much money has been going into these accounts. I have no idea why my dad let this go on for so long, but I’m stopping it now.”

Goddamn it.

“You’re making a big mistake and I don’t think you realize what the consequences will be.”

Marisa gives me a sharp look, no longer looking confused. She looks pissed. “You’re way out of line. I’m the President of this company.”

I get up from my chair and I grab the arms of hers, leaning in until she’s forced to sit back.

“What are y-”

She shuts up when my face is inches from hers. Her pupils shrink into small, round dots and her mouth parts. I can practically smell the fear from her skin.

“No, you’re out of line. You have no idea who you’re dealing with, honey. This is much bigger than you understand.”

Her small face twists with rage as her arms tremble. “I understand perfectly. You’re trying to extort money from me.”

There it is. It’s finally out in the open. I don’t like seeing the way she shrinks in her chair to get away from me. “You’re going to reopen those accounts immediately, or we’re going to have a fucking problem.”

She flinches from the roughness in my voice. “I’m going to call security.” She tries to get up, but I grab her shoulder and shove her back into the chair. Her wide, terrified eyes stare up at me.

“Goddamn it, you stupid girl. I am trying to help you. Don’t make me hurt you.”

My fingers dig into the fine bones of her shoulder, but I’m unable to cause her any real pain. Fuck. Maybe Jack’s right. Maybe I have gone soft.

“Get away from me! Security!”

Stupid bitch!

My hand immediately flattens over her mouth, but it’s too fucking late. Rent-a-cop guards burst in her office, and I let them haul me away from her chair. She springs out of her chair and grabs the phone.

“Get him out of here. I’m calling the police!”

No, no, no, no, NO! You’re doing everything wrong!

She looks up at me under her frazzled hair as they yank my arms back.

A slow grin spreads over my face. “You’ve just made a big fucking mistake. This isn’t over.”

Marisa’s face whitens as she gestures violently towards the door. “Take him out of here!”

Now Jack will think I’ve really lost it.