STEAM & SMOKE | 18+

CHAPTER | 16 |

I LOOKED at my reflection in horror. My wavy hair was a honey brown color and I pulled at the gold tassel dress that barely reached mid-thigh. I felt exposed and knew this would draw unwanted attention to myself.

"They can't be serious," I complained as I finished putting on the strap on my heels that Ghost had sent to my room. "Eight hours of holding drinks for old men."

I had texted Harry my new location and informed him what I found out which to be honest, wasn't a lot. I stared at my reflection one more time and left, placing my keycard in the hidden pocket in my dress. I went to the back and met the manager who was a woman that looked impeccable.

She explained my job, that I shouldn't agree to any activities offered the people in the casino as 'this isn't a strip club'. Then a tray was placed in my hands and I was thrown into the role. I placed a fake smile on my face and walked around. I didn't have to say anything as you could barely hear voices above the music and people grabbed the drinks.

By midnight, I was exhausted and went to the staff room at the back. A pretty girl around the same age as me was there, sipping on water.

"Hey," I said, sitting down finally.

"Hello. Are you the new girl?"

"Yeah. I started today. I'm Milan."

"I'm Lucy."

"How long have you been here?"

She thought about it for a second. "Like two weeks. The pay is good so I might stay for a while. Why are you working here?"

"I'm just passing through," I lied.

"Do you travel a lot then?"

"Yeah." She could create her own story in her head and I wasn't going to correct her. I grabbed a bottle of water on the table. "Is it normally this busy?"

She paused in thought before replying. "Yeah. It gets worse from now. All the businessmen arrive to blow off steam."

"Really?"

This was the best time for me to find out information on Sinners. Harry wasn't able to find anything about Clayton or the men Ghost killed which meant I had to do it myself. Stretching, I prepared to go back to working and picked up my tray.

"The men are very flirty," Lucy warned. "Apparently, they pay you for sex."

"I don't plan on accepting."

"But it can be up to a thousand dollars," she emphasized, eyes wide. "The guys here are loaded.

"I'd rather just work for money."

"Well, if you see anyone send them my way. I'll happily get a thousand dollars."

"I'll see what I can do," I lied and entered the casino. I walked around with drinks in one hand, listening to conversations until one piped my interest.

"Fifty bucks? That's ridiculous..."

"...And that's when I fired her..."

"Money was taken from me and I bet it had something to do with Clayton."

I stopped and looked around, trying to find the owner of the voice. It was a handsome man in his forties sat at one of the tables surrounded by women and men, playing with a red poker chip from the large pile in front of him.

"I heard Marshel and a few others experienced the same thing," another man answered with a Southern drawl.

"Clayton hasn't been responding, that b*stard. He's run off with my money."

"Maybe he's hiding. Didn't you hear what happened to Kroft? Bullets in the f*cking head."

"Who do you think did it?"

"Ghost, no doubt. Isiah's little group have been p*ssing off Sinners. Santan's not happy."

"He's never happy."

"That's true." The men laughed. "Especially since De Vil is active again."

"The man is mad. He needs to give up his company and focus on paying back Sinners."

"They're allies. Why would they make him pay?"

I frowned, hovering around the table. Sinners and De Vil were allies? I needed more but a man bumped into me as he passed by, spilling alcohol on my dress. The tray fell to the floor and I looked down, irritated. The man raised his hands apologetically but walked away without bothering to help. I picked up the glasses, swearing under my breath.

"Do you need a hand?"

I glanced up to see a gorgeous man looking down at me with icy blue eyes with hair that was almost white. Graciously, I took his hand and stood up.

"Thank you," I said.

"Be careful, next time," he answered before going to the table with the men who were gossiping earlier.

"Santan!" They greeted, patting him on the back and pulling out a chair.

Santan? Slowly, I started putting things together but not getting an answer. Ghost worked for Santan and is part of Sinners. Isiah, Kroft and Clayton were in a smaller group and Santan isn't happy with them or De Vil who is an ally for Sinners. In conclusion, I was confused. I sighed and went in the direction of the restroom after leaving the glasses at the bar.

Once I had finished attempting to wipe off the alcohol, I stepped into the hallway to see Santan leaning against the wall. He glanced up at me, a smirk on his face.

"Hello, lovely."

Despite his looks, there was something cold about him. "Hey."

"You're new here?"

"Yeah," I told him, watching him closely.

He stepped up to me and brushed a hand across my cheek. "You want to make some quick cash?" He asked then leaned to my ear and whispered, "Just a few hours of your time upstairs."

"No, thanks. I'm not supposed to."

Santan stepped back and shrugged. "Your loss."

I caught Lucy walking towards us, smiling tightly. "Hey, Milan. What are you doing?" Jealousy leaked into her voice as she eyed Santan.

"She was going to introduce me to you, gorgeous," he said to her, flirting immediately.

"I'm Lucy."

"Are you busy, Lucy?"

She battered her eyelashes. "I'm done for tonight."

He slid an arm around her waist. "Spare a few hours for me then."

I was invisible at this stage and I wanted to leave. They didn't notice as I went back to the casino. "F*ck," I cursed. Drawing attention to myself was never good especially since I had no clue who Santan was but luckily for me, Lucy came, diverting it off me.

I continued working until the early hours of the morning without hearing anything worth investigating. By the time I got to my room, I was ready to sleep and somehow found my way to my bed. Clumsily, I removed my shoes and dress, feeling the stick material. I groaned, deciding to have a shower and like a zombie entered the bathroom.

An hour later, I was in my bed exhausted then I felt my phone vibrate. I squinted at the screen.

UNKNOWN: I'll see you tomorrow x G

"Why?" I groaned before rolling over and drifting asleep without replying.