Pure Vengeance

Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Anton

Daniel Barton, a middle-aged, middle-management type stands in my office staring at the painting my mother brought over from Italy after her and my father’s anniversary trip years ago.

He turns to us when the door clicks closed behind us.

“Mr. DeMarci.” He walks over to me with determined steps.

“Daniel.” I give him a curt nod. “Thank you for coming over this morning.” I turn halfway to Claire. “This is Clare Montecelli. Her brother Michael used to work for me.”

He eyes her and gives a silent nod.

“Michael, yes. I remember him.” He frowns, turning his gaze back to me.

“He was killed shortly after he was let go from the casino,” I explain, but the firmness of his expression tells me he already knows.

“I had heard of his passing. I am so sorry.” He bows a little toward Claire. “How can I help you?”

“I want to know what happened; how did he get fired?” I press him.

“Oh.” He clears his throat. “A player, Salvatore Luparo, was caught cheating at Michael’s poker table. We’d been watching Salvatore for a while; he’d been a big winner lately and came to the casino almost nightly for several weeks. When he was questioned, he gave up Michael. He said they had a deal going, that Michael would do what’s called false shuffling, meaning he would keep cards set aside for Salvatore and shuffle the rest, assuring Salvatore was getting the best hand.”

“Michael wouldn’t do something like that,” Claire interjects.

“I didn’t think so either.” Daniel’s frown intensifies. “He was one of the best dealers we had. Never had any trouble with him before. But we went back to the tapes, it was hard to see, but my security team was certain they’d seen it.”

“Certain? How certain?” I ask. “Unless he was some great magician, I don’t see how you could not see it.”

“My security team assured me they were certain. I had to let him go.” Daniel looks like he wants to say more, but he hesitates.

“What is it?” I push. “What aren’t you saying?”

“Later, we found Salvatore Luparo had been working with a team. There were four of them in all.”

“And no other dealers?” I ask.

He nods.

“And they were continuing after you banned Luparo from the casino?”

“Yes, sir.” He licks his lips. “It is possible that Michael didn’t have anything to do with them. By the time I realized it, though, Michael had already passed.” He swivels his gaze to Claire. “I’m sorry about what happened to him. He was a good guy.”

“So, did he or did he not help this Salvatore cheat?” I ask harder.

He draws in a deep breath. “At the time, I believed so. Now? I don’t.”

“But why did Michael go to see Anton about getting his job back? Why didn’t he go to you?” Claire asks.

“He wouldn’t have gone to Anton.” Daniel looks confused. “He doesn’t deal with the day-to-day operations. Most of the staff doesn’t even know what he looks like.”

“Did he come to you?” she implores him.

“No.” Daniel shakes his head. “He said he hadn’t done it, but he never came back to ask for his job back.”

“Did you tell him that Salvatore had given him up?” I ask.

He thinks about it a moment. “Yes, I believe I did tell him. He kept insisting he hadn’t done anything wrong. I told him Salvatore had confessed to it and named him as his helper. Then I mentioned the tape. He stopped arguing then. I assumed it was because he figured he’d been caught. But now, I think he just realized there wasn’t any point. I wasn’t going to keep him on staff.”

Not the fighter his sister is, apparently.

Claire’s shoulders fall.

“Thank you.” I give a nod toward the door, signally Daniel can go.

“Yes. Thanks.” Claire folds her arms over her stomach. The fire burning in her only minutes before in the dining room seems dimmer now.

Daniel leaves, quietly shutting the door on his way out.

“Do you know this Salvatore Luparo?” she asks while staring out the window into the back gardens.

“I’ve heard the name,” I answer.

“Do you think he could have…” Her shoulders raise then fall as though she’s taking slow deep breaths. “He could have killed Michael to keep him quiet? If Michael knew he had other men on his team?”

“It’s possible.” I slide my hands into my pockets.

“If I swear that I won’t ever try to hurt you again, will you let me go?”

“So, you can go after Salvatore?” I almost smile at the bravado of this woman, but there’s pain in her voice. She’s lost the only family she had, who am I to get in the way of her finding her revenge?

She turns back to me; fresh rage fills her eyes. “Yes.”

“No.” I put a hand up to stop the argument already brewing on her pretty lips. “I will find him, and we will talk to him, but no, you aren’t going on your own.”

“Because you won’t let me leave?”

“Because I won’t let you get yourself killed trying to solve this,” I shoot back at her.

“Why would you care? I tried to kill you, remember? I’m your enemy.”

I laugh.

“No, Claire. Somewhere between the bullet striking me and you falling apart in my arms last night, you stopped being my enemy.” I lift a shoulder, barely feeling the tightness of the wound now. “Now you’re just mine.”

“You’re such an asshole.” She flings herself into an armchair and the pout on her lips makes me want to bend her over the couch and teach her a lesson on temper tantrums.

“I’ve been called worse.”

“I hate you,” she mutters. “I really fucking hate you.”

“I don’t think that’s true, but you can keep thinking it if it helps you.”

“Helps me what? My brother’s dead, you’re holding me hostage, and everything in my life has been taken from me.” She shoves up to her feet, anger boils just below the surface. It’s not at me, not all of it, but I don’t think she knows it.

“Claire, think before you do something you’re going to regret,” I warn as she moves toward me. I ready myself, thinking she’s going to throw her body into mine and try to hurt me. But at the last moment, she dodges me and bolts for the door.

I sigh as the door flings open and she takes off.

Poor girl.

Actually thinking she’s going to get out of this house before she’s caught.

I take my time, walking down the hall toward the front door. Already, she’s screaming.

Dimitri has her.

Silly girl.

“Let me go! Now!” Her rage echoes off the walls.

“Dmitri.” I step into the foyer. He’s got her by the arm, looking at me with an expression that would make me laugh if it weren’t for the hellcat of a woman pummeling him with her fists. He won’t touch her other than to hold her, else he risks losing a finger.

“I’ll take it from here.” I give him a little nod and he lets her go. All of her squirming makes her fumble backward until she trips over her own foot and falls ass first to the ground.

Dmitri steps around her and disappears down the hallway.

She’s not done yet.

She scrambles to her feet and grabs hold of the doorknob. I’m almost tempted to let her make it to the gates before I catch her, but she’s going to hurt herself if she keeps this up much longer.

Anchoring my arm around her waist, I easily pick her up off the floor. She holds onto the doorknob as though it’s some lifeline that will save her.

Silly girl.

Nothing will save her.

Not from me.

“If you don’t let go, I’ll give you your punishment right here in the foyer. My staff will hear. My men will hear, maybe a few will see when they come running at the sound of your screams.” I simply hold her; I don’t need to tug. She’ll either obey, or she won’t.

The consequence of that will be hers to bear.

With a huff, she drops her grip.

“Good girl.” I put her back on her feet. “Back to the office.” I point to the hall.

“No.” She shakes her head. “You can just fuck off with all that.”

“Oh?” I laugh. Her fire is back, burning brighter than ever. It’s all aimed at me, and that’s fine. I don’t like that dimness I witnessed in the office. I’ll take the fire and brimstone any time.

“Fine, we’ll do this your way.” I grab hold of her hair, sinking my hand up beneath the bun and fisting at the roots. She howls, but I don’t give a fuck.

She chose this.

“Like I said.” I shove her down until she’s bent over. “Back to the office.”

She fights me, trying to hit me, but she moves her feet.

And I walk my little assassin down the hall.

I’m almost grateful.

In a moment, I’m going to get to see her bare ass again.

I doubt she’s going to be so happy, though.