Titan (Dark Kings 1)

“Love it,” I say, trying to calm my nerves. It’s too late to go back, and I’m not about to look like a scared little girl in front of Titan.

The guy smiles at me, showing off a set of pearly whites. He has dark green eyes, a square chin, and a kind smile. He looks to be around forty. Much younger than I thought. All I was given was a name. I googled him, but I didn’t find any pictures. He stays pretty hidden when it comes to the media. But I expected him to be older with the information I had found.

“Shall we?” He gestures to the double doors he had just entered.

“Yes, sir.” I smile.

He chuckles. “Please, call me Jacob.”

“Jacob.” I nod, and he slaps Titan on the back.

“Tell me, how long have you lived in Vegas?” he asks, spinning us both around to head toward the doors.

“All my life,” I say, looking over my shoulder to see Titan still standing in the same spot watching us leave. His eyes drop to where Jacob places his hand on the small of my back, and my heart starts to race at the way his jaw clenches.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

TITAN

I ENTER THE meat locker that’s underground. The room where we dish out our beatings in. Grave stands off to the far corner with his phone in his hands, typing away. Cross sits in a chair to the left, flipping his Zippo open and closed. Bones isn’t here. He left earlier this morning for New York. I’m not sure if it was to see Mr. Bianchi, Luca’s father, or his fuck.

“What do we have?” I snap, popping my knuckles.

Why did I let her words affect me? I don’t give a fuck who she spreads her legs for. I’m not sure which is worse—the fact that he’s paying her for sex, or that she would willingly give it up.

I want her.

You had her mouth, my mind screams, but that wasn’t enough. I thought it would be, but it’s all I’ve thought about.

“Robert Jenkins,” Grave says, pocketing his phone and pushing off the wall. “Card counter. Cleared almost a hundred grand this month alone.”

I look over at the guy sitting at the table in the middle of the room. His head is down, and his arms are restrained behind his back. He’s young, maybe twenty-five. I’ve seen the kid on the security cameras. He’s known on the Strip because he hits casino after casino, but he’s not really on the radar. There are thieves out here that clear more, but I’m in a mood tonight. Too bad for him. “Untie him,” I order.

Grave undoes the rope, and Robert rubs his sore wrists. I pull up a chair and spin it around across from him at the table. I sit on it backward, straddling the chair. “Can I get you anything? A water? A beer?”

He looks up at me, his blue eyes shooting from mine to Cross, who still sits in his chair behind me. “I …”

“A room for the night?” I go on.

He tilts his head to the side, his confusion deepening. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.” He holds up his hands in surrender.

No doubt he’s heard about us. “What is it you want me to do?” I cross my arms on the back of the chair. His eyes scan my tattoos before they land back on mine. “Allow you to keep the money and walk out the front door?”

“It wasn’t that much,” he argues.

Grave throws a handful of Kingdom chips onto the table. Some roll off to the floor. Bending down, I pick one up and run my fingers over it. It’s a thousand-dollar chip. Black and gold. Kingdom is written across it along with a crown. “Is this all of it?” I ask Grave.

“Yep. Stopped him as he was trying to cash out.”

“I’ll leave,” Robert says. “You can have it all.”

I smirk, rolling the chip between my fingers. “How thoughtful.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“To steal from us,” I interrupt him, my eyes meeting his.

He swallows nervously, and sweat beads across his forehead. I watch his hands shake when he runs them down his face. “Counting cards isn’t illegal,” he finally says.

I throw my head back and laugh. The sound filling the room. Grave and Cross do the same.

Robert begins to follow, but he sounds unsure of what is going on.

“What if I shove these chips up your ass? Is that illegal?” I ask, holding it out in front of his face.

His laughter immediately dies. “Is … is that a trick question?”

I smirk and stand, shoving the chair to the side. He sits up straighter, eyes darting around the room.

“This is illegal!” He slaps the table as his fear gets the best of him. “You’re keeping me against my will.” He jumps to his feet.