Lady of the Night (Downworlder Series, #3)

Chapter Three: A Gambling Man

"You little fuck." My opponent tossed his cards onto the table in frustration.

"There is nothing little about me, Ace." I remarked coolly. The blonde hanging from his arm lifting her gaze over me in appraisal, lips perking up into a seductive grin at my words. I gave her a quick pass over as I reached out my arms and swiped my winnings towards my side of the table.

Ace pulled the cigar from his mouth, smoke curling up from the end, "Go get me another drink, pet. Make it a whiskey neat." He relieved the female from her perch with his command. She gave him a tiny frown behind his back, flicking her hair over her shoulder with a little attitude before walking away from the table. Her hips swaying gently to the rhythmic click of her heels on the tiled floor. I forced my eyes to stay off of her. Despite the fact she looked sinful as all fucking helI, I couldn't get involved with that. My grandmother had taught me well.

No cagar donde se come.

Don't shit where you eat. I knew better than to get involved with Ace's girls, no matter how long it had been since I last rolled a female out of my bed. And it had been a long time.

"I thought you said you never played this game before." Ace grumbled under his breath as the dealer, collected our old cards. He took another puff from his cigar, staring across the table at me, "Are you trying to cheat me in my own house, mongrel? Because if so that would be a very bad move on your part." I could sense the shifting in the small room. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, turning my face to see his men watching us from the edges of the room. They were trying to be discreet as they hedged in closer but they were as discreet as the fucking sun in the sky.

I remained at ease in my chair but I crossed my arms over my chest. Discreetly making sure I could reach for the gun holstered under my arm. "El ladron que roba a otro ladron tiene cien años de perdon." I gave Ace a quick smirk. I could card shark and I felt no pity for a man who couldn't keep his marks. "I haven't played this type of game before, Ace. I'm a street mongrel. We never play this high end fancy shit." I stretched out my legs, letting my beast figure out the noises of who was coming closer. "Beginner's luck and all that shit. Besides maybe your mujer is distracting you." I gestured my head towards the female he had sent to retrieve his drink.

His face went red at the comment. He reached up and popped the cigar from his mouth, pointing it at me as if it was an extension of his hand, "Now, listen here you little shit..." I watched as his other hand slipped down out of view, and under the table. I narrowed my eyes as I crossed my arms tighter over my chest, fingers inching toward my gun. My beast was on high alert, carefully watching my peripherals and my back. I trusted in him completely as he trusted in me. We had a very symbiotic relationship, or whatever the hell you wanted to call it.

"I'm the best in house. Nobody beats me, nobody. And no bitch is enough to distract me." He popped his cigar back between his lips, "So, I know you're cheatin' I just haven't figured out what game you're runnin'. Either way you're not leaving here with any of my marks." The words were hissed passed Ace's clenched teeth, spit lining his lip as he tried to keep himself from completely losing it.

I stared across the table at the red face Ace, his jowls shaking slightly at his contained rage. Clearly, someone was a poor loser. I gave his men a side glance, making sure I knew exactly where everyone in the room was stationed in proximity to me. I hadn't wandered into this gambling den by accident. I hadn't sat at this particular table by accident. I had been paid to deal with Ace, the fat fuck had been supplying weapons under the table some pureblood supremacist assholes, and someone had noticed and wanted it stopped. That was where I came in. I dealt with the trash and scum of the city, it's where my street tag Dos came from. Department of fucking Sanitation.