Prologue
It’s cold as hell and the slush under my boots is doing more damage to my pride than the man at my feet ever could. His body on the wet asphalt shook. His hands raised to his face in a useless attempt to ward off what was coming. It’s almost laughable – pathetic even.
I put a bullet between his eyes. He stops shaking. The greedy snow absorbs the crimson liquid like a rich woman savoring the most expensive glass of wine. I pocket the piece of gold metal within the inner lining of my trench coat and step over his outstretched arm. As I crouch down, the strong scent of alcohol rises from his clothes. Tasha and her generous pours—something I’ll have to deal with.
I stick my gloved hand into his pocket, feeling around for the wallet, searching for the money he owed me, when I hear the steel door creak open behind me.
“Is it done?”
Jeremy, my security guard. He’s young, probably mid-twenties—not much younger than me, but his cherubic face makes him look like he’s still in high school.
I fish around in the opposite pocket and retrieve the wallet, pulling out all the cash he had in it and counting it.
Motherfucker.
“Clean this up.” I stand and toss the wallet onto the corpse’s chest, the ID and cash between my fingers. I take a final look at those dead eyes, staring blankly at the flickering street lamp above us. Even in death, he still shorted me.
I turn, the blonde boy skittering past me as I reach the door and into the velvet innards of The Velvet Room.
