𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐃 // 𝐇.𝐒.

42.

"Good. Then use her and ditch her. What's the problem?"

Fuck. I rub my face when speaking out of my ass has dug me into a deeper hole. "But we can't use her anymore. That's where I'm getting at."

"Yeah, yeah... I'm sure we won't. Just bring back the check."

I hang up the phone, dropping it onto the table in front of me out of frustration.

I was never supposed to bring her here in the first place. I was already on my way to Las Vegas for the stupid check Dante wanted. I was never supposed to show up at her apartment either.

I wanted to warn Angel of the things I know.

But of course, the minute I left her alone, danger pursued her.

I dig nails into my palm over a closed fist when my need begins to itch for relief. I groan because no matter how bad I want to get shit-faced, I have a job to complete. I have to remain loyal, but only for the meantime. I have to do what he says until I take down the motherfucker myself.

"Can I get you a drink?" I'm asked by the bartender.

"No."

I walk away after leaning off the bar to approach the floor again with my phone in hand. I'm about to head towards a poker table as a better way to blow off some steam, but then I see her. In her little green dress, she squeezes through the crowd. I start following her, huffing to myself when I remember the little game she started in the bathroom this morning.

God, she's annoying.

She enters the hallway of the restrooms and when I follow her there, she's disappeared. I sigh, leaning my back against the wall across from the women's restroom to wait for her. I begin to wonder where she's been all day.

I had a feeling she wasn't going to come back to the hotel room by the time I gave her.

I cross my arms, going over the abrupt change of plan that now involves her. I wish I could say I shouldn't have gone back to her apartment that night, but I can't. She would've been dead if that was the case.

She walks out of the restroom a few minutes later and with a small grin, I say, "Caught you."

I watch her suck in a breath as if I had startled her. Her eyes then look me up and down when I lean off the wall to step closer. "I- That's my shirt," she points out.

I grin, forgetting I've been walking around in her bright yellow t-shirt a bit too tight on me. Not having a spare t-shirt, I didn't think she would mind letting me borrow it. "No, shit?" I sarcastically remark after looking down at it on my body. "That's kind of sad... That you bought a t-shirt indicating you will die lonely."

Though, they were fitting words for my kind of fate.

She moves, saying something about the t-shirt, but I don't really pay attention. I only hum as we step aside. By the wall again, I lean against my left shoulder as my eyes shift to the same dress she wore the day I asked her to take a walk with me—the day her now-dead friend groped me. "Like that makes it any better," I mumble in response to whatever she said. Her bold red lip almost taunts me the more I stare.

"How'd you find me?"

"I came down to gamble," I say, which had been partly true. I came down to gamble but also to wait for the rigged slot machine to go off after seven. Shifting the attention before she can ask any more questions, with another forming grin I then say, "But I told you I'd find you if you didn't come back to the hotel room. You kept daddy waiting."

Her pretty painted lips turn into a smirk. She closes the space between us by taking a step forward. Her hand touches my chest when she says, "Oh, no... I didn't mean to keep you waiting, daddy. I went to get my nails done. Do you like them?"