High Stakes (The Kingdom Book 2) (2 page)

He calmly pushes open the door, his face a picture of calm and says passively, “Yes, sir?”

Fuck, now I feel like a dick. Jack is one of my longest standing employees, but he feels like a brother to me. In fact, he’s the closest friend I have. He always comes to family dinners and special occasions. And for me, it feels like that’s where he belongs. But I’m sure it’s different for him, I can see that he does it as part of his job.

“The system is glitching again. Where the fuck is Dom?” I grate out irritably.

“I’ll have him called, sir.”

“I don’t want one of his fucking monkeys. I want
him
here in ten minutes. Any longer, he’s fired. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Jack nods and leaves, closing the door calmly behind him. I don’t even get the chance to say thank you and it makes me feel like a jerk. I don’t mean to bellow at Jack. He really does put up with some shit from me, but he knows the score, he knows what’s at stake for me. He’s worked for The Kingdom for years, at least fifteen. He was my dad’s right hand man, and now he’s mine. I make a mental note to stop being such an asshole around him. I have nothing to prove to him, and I know he wouldn’t take advantage of me, like some of the other employees would.

I sometimes wish I had a regular job punching numbers in an office or pouring shots in a club. All of them would be a damn sight easier than this. But it wouldn’t be worth anything if I didn’t keep this place running.

Honor and pride have a lot to answer for.

It’s really early to be dealing with shit, and far too early to have a drink, even if I do feel like reaching for one while I’m waiting for Dom to arrive. So I take my frustration out on my desktop and I smash my fingers down on the keys of the CCTV system, as if it will magically make it work. It doesn’t.

For a minute, I thought the whole system was down. Right now it looks like it’s just the lobby, and the internal elevator and exits, all the way up.

My cell rings as there is a timid knock at the door, and I flick the cell on silent without even looking at who it is.

“Yes,” I bark.

Dominic gingerly pushes open the door, taking a couple of reluctant steps forward, “You called for me, Mr. King?”

“Yes, Dominic. Come in and sit for a minute.”

I’ve taken a deep breath, restored inner calm for a minute, and thought about my girl. Yes, I would much rather be with her than dealing with this shit. But, she’s busy this morning and if I didn’t have something to occupy myself with, I would be whiling the hours away until she came back. So it’s not fun, not by a long shot, but at least it’s keeping me busy.

Dominic sits in the chair in front of my desk with his legs pressed together and his hands clasped tightly, resting on his knees. He sits with slouched shoulders and there’s just something about him that makes me want to pick him up, shake him and tell him to man up.

“Dominic … Do I, or do I not, pay you well?” I ask. It’s not a trick question.

“Yes sir, you pay me very well.”

I stand and walk slowly around the desk. He fidgets nervously as I perch on the edge to his right. “Then please, would you enlighten me as to why the system I pay you, and a team of four others, to run has had nothing but problems every day for the last week?”

“We are working on it around the clock, Mr. King. There seems to be a bug in the system but so far we’ve been unable to trace it.”

“So, would it be easier to buy and install a whole new system?” I ask impatiently.

“Do you have any idea how much that would cost, sir?”

“You’re answering my question with a question,” I grumble impatiently at his avoidance of my question. “Money isn’t the issue here. I want The Kingdom running like clockwork.”

“Sir, I don’t think that’s the solution. We would need to shut the whole system down completely for quite a time before the new one was up and running. Isn’t it better that we have at least some coverage while we figure it out?”

“Fine. Do you need more men?” I ask, surprising myself at the calm way with which I am now dealing with this situation.

“No, sir.”

“Then get your ass out of my office and get on it. You have two days to get it sorted. Or, I’ll get another team of experts to take your place, got it?”

“Yes, sir,” he answers but still doesn’t move.

“Well …”

“Uh …”

“Get out of here.”

He scrambles to get out of his seat and scurries out of the door.

Useless fucking idiot
.

If he wasn’t the best at what he does, he would have been fired long ago. But the simple fact is, if he can’t fix it, no one can. He just needs a kick in the ass every now and then.

I go back to my desk and check my cell. Two missed calls from Beth.

I connect to her number, and wait for her to answer.

“King. Where the fuck are you?” she asks impatiently and I chuckle.

“Good morning Beth. It’s lovely to hear your voice.” I sit back in my brown leather chair, stretching out with my legs crossed at the ankle.

“Quit it, King. Where is your girl? She was due here a half hour ago, but she’s a no show. Does this have something to do with you? ‘Cause it’s not gonna wash with me if you’re making her late by keeping her in your bedroom …”

I can actually feel the color drain from me as I stand abruptly and start to pace between my desk and the door.

She’s not there? Where could she be? She was so excited about meeting Beth this morning.

“Did you call her cell? Maybe she lost track of time along the strip, you know how easy that is to do …”

“I called. Several times. That’s why I’m calling you. If you find her before I do, can you get her to call me? We have a lot to go over before she starts.”

“Sure. I’ll go check the apartment. Maybe she’s still trying to find something suitable to wear to meet Las Vegas’s best dressed beauty,” I joke, although it doesn’t feel funny. This is why I gave her a cell. So that I, or anyone else for that matter, can get in touch with her whenever.

“You’re smooth, King, but I’m not happy,” she grumbles.

“I know.” I sigh, “I’ll sort it.”

She hangs up without saying goodbye, and I mutter under my breath out of frustration. Beth is not one to tolerate lateness, and this would have really pissed her off. Arianna is gonna have to work hard to get over this false start.

I head up to the penthouse, jabbing impatiently at the elevator buttons. I don’t know why it makes me so agitated that she hasn’t turned up for work. Maybe it’s because I know she was so excited about starting, that wild horses wouldn’t have stopped her. She wouldn’t have missed it, would she? Maybe I don’t know her all that well at all, and she’s a serial latecomer, but even that doesn’t explain her not answering her cell. Or, maybe it’s because I’m so goddamn whipped that I can’t bear the thought of not knowing where she is, and hating the fact that she’s not with me, under me, on top of me, every minute of the day.

Yep, whipped.

I barge into the elevator as soon as the door opens and in my haste, I nearly knock someone flying. He has a briefcase that drops to the floor with a thud.

“Shit,” I curse “Sorry mate,” I offer, clapping the man on the back. I try to pick up his case but he’s there before me, and he grabs it up fast, clutching it to his chest protectively.

“No harm done,” he replies. He seems twitchy, and his dark eyes dart all around, but this is Las Vegas and you never know who you’re going to bump into. If I weren’t in such a hurry, I’d have watched him out on the CCTV, just to be sure what he’s up to, but Arianna is the only thing on my mind right now, and the CCTV probably wouldn’t fucking work anyway.

I head up to the penthouse, finding mine empty. When I cross the hall and look a little closer, the door to Arianna’s suite is open just a fraction. I push it open further and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Something doesn’t feel right.

“Arianna,” I call. “Arianna,” I shout louder but still nothing.

I stride through to the bedroom, and it’s like a wrecking ball hits me in the chest.

Images of my father flash through my head, along with feelings of helplessness and confusion.

My girl. My stunning girl.

She’s on the floor. She’s naked. She’s … is she breathing?

I run to her side, drop to the floor to lift her onto me, cradling her upper body and pushing the tangled mess of her curls away from her face.

“Arianna? Stunner …” I speak to her softly while I inspect her body, trying to work out what the hell has gone on in the short space of time I’ve been gone. She’s breathing, but it’s shallow, and the thought of losing her paralyzes me. I’ve not had her long enough to lose her.

The lump swells in my throat, but I force it down and pull my cell out of my pocket.

“Jack. I need you up here, now,” I bark. “In her apartment, there’s been …fuck, I don’t know what’s happened but she’s unconscious and …”

“I’ll be right there, sir,” Jack answers, in that reassuring, calm voice of his.

“It’s okay, Stunner … We’re going to take you to the ER, and it’ll all be fine,” I murmur to her, but I’m not sure if she can hear me. Maybe the words are to comfort myself.

She looks so small, so helpless. There’s no resistance in her limbs. No strength in her body. No warm affection coming from her soul. Nothing.

What the fuck has happened?

“Fuck,” I hiss. There’s no way I’m having Jack see her like this. I don’t want anyone else seeing her body, no matter what the situation is.

I place her gently back on the floor for just a minute before grabbing a pillow off the bed and placing it under her head. I rummage through her drawer and pull out a pair of those little shorts that make her ass look so damn cute, although there’s nothing remotely sexual about this moment. I slide them up her legs just as I hear the elevator arrive. With no time to cover her top half, I whip off my t-shirt and pull it over her head. By the time Jack has entered the room, she’s covered as best as I can manage.

“I need you to drive us to the ER.”

“Yes, sir,” he says calmly, but is betrayed by the worry in his eyes.

“Call Spike and tell him he’s in charge this afternoon, and he can get me on my cell.”

Jack nods. “You need a hand to help her up?” he asks.

“No,” I snap. No one is touching her in such a vulnerable state. Not even Jack. “I can do it.”

I stubbornly scoop her into my arms, and Jack follows me out of the apartment and downstairs to the waiting car.

A JACKHAMMER POUNDS
in my head as I try to open my eyes.

They’re heavy. So heavy, and the continual thud makes me want to screw my eyes shut and go back to sleep.

Sleep?

Was I asleep?

Where am I?

I flex my fingers. They move slowly, and feel strange. Clumsy.

I turn my head into a soft pillow and deduct that I am in bed. It’s not my bed. It doesn’t smell familiar.

I gingerly crack open my eyes. The light pierces my vision, and I snap them shut immediately, letting out a groan.

A hand touches my forehead softly and I try to lean into the gentle touch.

“Arianna,” a familiar voice murmurs.

I force my eyelids open and allow them to adjust to the soft lighting in the room. It takes a couple of blinks until I can hold them open. My vision is blurry but I can just make out the man sitting next to my bed.

“Denham?” My mouth is dry, my tongue feels difficult to move and I start to panic. My body is not responding as it should and I’m scared.

“Ssshhhh, just relax, rest.”

I take his advice and give in to the overwhelming weight that is pulling my lids shut.

I drift in and out of consciousness for an undeterminable amount of time. Each time I wake, I figure out a little more of my surroundings. I am not in my penthouse. I don’t know where I am, and I’m not lucid enough to figure it out. The curtains are open and the sun streams in. The man that has been there every time I wake up is still here but now with his head resting on the bed next to me.

I feel like I have just enough energy to want to move. I push up, but feel a sharp pain in the back of my hand and let myself rest back on the bed. A hospital bed. Why am I in a hospital? Machines and monitors bleep and whirr all around me. I tentatively lift my hand and rest it on Denham’s head while he sleeps.