ACE:Las Vegas Bad Boys(34)

Frank walks away, his eyes on me. He just had a fucking PI murdered as a message for me to back the fuck off.

He says he has shit on me, on my family, and fuck, yeah, it scares me. Scares the shit out of me.

I know I'm not supposed to say that. Not supposed to show my fear—but I don't want to go back to where I came from, and it seems Grotto is fucking hell-bent on trying to make me.

“It's bullshit,” Jack says, scanning the club as it empties out. “He can't fucking walk in here like that. Threaten you. You're fucking Ace Royalle.”

That's what he thinks.

Jack, Landon, and McQueen think I'm some orphan with a trust-fund. Sure, there have been rumors about where I come from, but nothing concrete. Nothing that’s caused these guys with me now to ask the questions I'm not prepared to answer.

The truth is, I am Adrian Genova the Fourth. Son of mafia boss Adrian Genova the Third. Last living heir to the dynasty.

But after my father was murdered, I made a break for it. And yeah, some people might call me a pussy for not holding onto the family name—but family names are fucking pieces of shit when they only represent something demented. Something twisted.

I'm looking for power now, but I don't want anyone to die while I climb my way up. And what Frank Grotto did tonight has left something vile in the air. Something I don't want to touch. He’s forced me into something I want no part of.

And I fucking hate him for that.

No one forces me to do anything.

“Dude, you look like you're gonna kill someone,” McQueen says. When I don't answer, he speaks up again. “Fuck, do you need us to kill someone? Because bro, we got your back.”

Landon keeps his mouth shut; I know he gambles at my tables, but this is something else. He saw the picture on Grotto's phone—this gamble could become life or death.

Still, he steps up, and when he does I know he’s solid. “We have connections all over this town, Ace. We can get Grotto off your back. Do you know what he's after?”

My jaw is tight, my chest burns. I want to kill that man. I haven't had this kind of intensity run through me since I heard about my Pops’ head getting blown off.

I ran because I didn't want what he built.

But this time, if I run I'm running from my own empire.

I'm not going down that easy.

“I know exactly what he wants and we need to shut that motherfucker down,” I tell them. “We need to talk, all four of us, but not here.”

“Your penthouse?” Jack asks. “It's already four in the morning.”

“Right,” I say, running my hand over my jaw. “Tomorrow, then. Noon. Don't tell anyone where you're going.”

“Okay boss-man,” Landon says.

The words boss-man cause my head to swivel around looking for her. The club has cleared out. The girls who dangled themselves in front of us all night have been escorted away.

“Where did Emmy go?” I ask.

“A bouncer must have told her to leave.” Jack strains his head as if trying to find her. “None of her friends are here, either. This place is empty.”

“Fuck,” I say, punching the wall next to me. I've lost my cool in front of my bros. but also in front the security who stands around making sure the place is empty. Ace Royalle doesn't fucking lose his cool. Especially not over a woman.

But Emmy Rose is not just some woman.

She’s my woman.

And she knows it. She felt it when I poured my come all over her tonight. It's not something you can forget.

Not something she could forget if she tried.





EMMY


My eyes burn with tears. I don't even see where I am going.

I can't fucking believe it. I honestly can't. I never, ever let my guard down. Not since I was teenager and ran with a rough crowd.

Once my parents died I gave that shit up. I made a life for myself, I scrimped and I saved. I found every shred of decency that I could muster within me, and I swore I'd never let a man who was shady get close to me again.

But Ace isn't just shady. He’s a fucking monster.

And what does it say about me that I fucking loved having his hands all over me? His mouth devouring me? His heart next to mine—making me feel more alive with each beat.

I want to run and hide from Ace. And, in the same breath, I want to fucking push him against a wall.

But I also don't trust myself to get close to him. If I pinned him against a wall, I know exactly what my body would require of me.

My head knows I can't do that.

“What the fuck is going on?” Claire asks.

I stop in my stilettos, turn around.

Claire and Tess are here. They're with me.

Fuck. I look around and realize I've led us out of Stacked, out of Spades Royalle, and we’re standing on the sidewalk on the strip.

“Sorry.” I blink back tears and embarrassment. I blink back the shame of not reining myself in. I blink back the realization that: holy effing cow, Ace Royalle should be in handcuffs right now.