Beauty & The Crime Boss

One

Lucas

"I can't pay you."

From the floor below I could hear the muffled, excited chatter of guests and the automated ringing of machines. This casino and the four others in the cluster used to belong to my father, Charlie, but since his passing four years ago they'd fallen to me. I was twenty-one when that happened and there was a momentary uncertainty that I'd fail him. Charming yet ruthless, my father had run things smoothly until his untimely death. But I liked to believe I'd settled into the role.

The man in front of me, Hector Griffin, looked at his wit's end and it was an expression I'd become all too familiar with. Hector had borrowed a considerable large amount of cash from me and now he had the audacity to sit in front of me and tell me he couldn't repay his debt. I didn't care what his excuse was. He knew the terms when he came to me.

Leaning back in my chair, I surveyed Hector properly. The man looked stressed and tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and several broken capillaries around his nose, and, teamed with his haphazard fair hair, Hector looked like some bedraggled scarecrow. If I had a more caring disposition, I might have felt sorry for him, but I honestly couldn't care less. If the current situation he found himself in caused him anguish, then he should have thought twice before agreeing to business with me.

"That wasn't our arrangement," I reminded him. My voice remained calm. There was no need to scare him just yet.

"I know," Hector started, and I could hear the panic in his words. "But I don't have the money."

Behind me, Michael and Theo both took a step forward and I raised a hand to signal them to stop. I appreciated the loyalty, but I called the shots here and I was not ready to cut this meeting short just yet. I'd humor him and hear what he had to say. Surely, he knew better than to think I'd let him walk away from all of this without consequence.

"What can you offer me?" I asked him, inspecting the fingernails on my left hand. The skin was slightly puckered in places from old scar tissue and I could barely push my two thick, silver rings past the bumps on my knuckles.

"I can pay you in installments?" Hector suggested. "I'll work for you?"

Both of the offers Hector had placed on the table caused me to scoff. He was an old man with a fondness for drink and a gambling problem. He'd be no use in my line of work. If anything, he would be a liability. I didn't expect to babysit those who were in my employment. I already had a hard enough time making sure Dante stayed in line.

"You can pay in installments," I said, contemplating his first offer. "If there is something you can offer as a guarantee. I'm sure you can understand why I'm having trouble trusting your word." I was not willing to have this man make a fool of me for the second time.

"I don't have anything to offer," Hector scrambled.

That was the default statement people reached for. An impulsive response when they felt cornered, but I kept important details close to hand. It was in my best interest to know more about the people I did business with than they would feel comfortable with.

Leaning forward, I propped my elbows on the dark, wooden desk that sat between us and steepled my fingers together.

There was nothing extraordinary about Hector. Construction worker. Widower. One daughter.

How did you hit a man who didn't have a lot to give in the first place?

You took the only thing that made his life worth living.

"Now," I said to him, narrowing my eyes. "That's not quite true."

He gave me a bewildered look and I couldn't help the wicked smile that graced my face.