King of Diamonds (Vegas Underground 1)

I can’t tell if I’ve won or lost something with Sondra. It appears to be a win, but she’s quiet on the ride to the chapel. She went soft, which is always her gift to me, but who knows what conclusions she’ll draw from what I told her. What decisions she’ll make.

I’ll honor them, whatever they are. Even if it kills me to let her go.

“Nico!” My aunt calls from the parking lot.

I stop and wait for her and two other cousins to arrive. My uncle, her husband, is in jail for life, which is why I took Sal under my wing when I moved here. She and the girls flew out on my plane this morning. “Aunt Perla, this is Sondra. Sondra, this is Sal’s mother, my Aunt Perla, and his little sisters, Genevieve and Kara.”

Leo pulls up and then Sal arrives in his own car, appearing harried and on edge. “Where’s the bride?” I call out.

His head whips around as he scans the parking lot, panic flaring in his eyes until his gaze lands on a red mustang parked up front. “She’s here. She and her girlfriends came early.”

He hugs his mother and sisters, pumps my hand, cheek-kisses Sondra and slaps Leo on the back.

“Sal, this is not a Catholic church,” his mother complains. “I can’t believe you’re getting married in a non-denominational chapel.”

“I know, Ma. This was the best I could get on short notice.”

Aunt Perla sniffs and I hold the door open. The whole lot troops in and we walk through an indoor area to a back courtyard with a set of fake boulders and a waterfall cascading down the center.

“This is pretty,” Sondra murmurs politely.

I think the shape of the rocks kinda looks like butt cheeks, but I keep my mouth shut.

The officiant directs us to take a seat on the plastic folding chairs, dressed up with fabric skirts and canned organ music starts to play. The bride comes in with her two bridesmaids—also strippers, I suspect—and they meet Sal up at the butt cheek waterfall.

Thank fuck the officiant keeps it short and sweet. I hold Sondra’s hand during the ceremony and Aunt Perla even finds the grace to cry a bit.

“And now I’d like to invite you all to a celebration dinner at Scordetto’s Italian Restaurant,” I announce.

“Is that a restaurant at your casino, Nico?” Aunt Perla asks.

I shake my head. “No, Sal doesn’t want to celebrate his wedding at the place he works. I rented out a nice restaurant for the night. Come on, let’s go.”

“That was sweet of you,” Sondra murmurs as I lead her out.

“Least I could do.” I open her car door and help her in. The truth is, I’m already getting itchy about mixing family with Sondra. Later I would think it was my gut warning me, but all I think now is how uneducated and unrefined they must seem to her. It’s shitty of me to be ashamed of my roots, but I guess I’ve pulled myself up pretty far from where I came from. I forget how far until moments like these.

Sondra

Nico seems distracted and uncomfortable when we get to the restaurant, and I totally sympathize. Who doesn’t get squirmy around family gatherings?

I head to the women’s room and when I come out of the stall, I hear Nico’s aunt and Sal talking in the hallway outside.

“So what’s the story with Nico’s girlfriend?”

I freeze, my hand on the door to push it open.

“Yeah, she’s nice. Makes him happy,” Sal answers.

“Yeah, but what about the fiancée? Isn’t he still engaged to Jenna Pachino?”

Jenna Pachino. I knew it!

I go ice cold and hot at the same time. My stomach drops to my feet on the floor.

Oh my fucking God. I knew his story didn’t add up. The way he didn’t introduce me when she showed up at the casino. She’s his fucking fiancée?

This is my pattern. Cheating assholes. Even when I know they’re lying, I still want to believe. And this time? This time I don’t think I’m ever going to recover.

I back away from the door, shaking like someone who’s gone into shock.

Oh yeah. I have gone into shock. Somehow I manage to pull out my phone. “Corey?” Fuck, I’m already crying.

My cousin must hear everything in my voice. “What’s wrong?”

“I need you to pick me up—from Scordetto’s. Please come soon.”

“I’ll be right there. Are you safe? Hurt?”

“I’m okay, I just need to get out of here right away.”

I hear a door slam. “I’m already on my way,” she promises.

I wait with my ear pressed to the door until I’m sure no one’s outside before I slip out. The group is gathered in the back room, ordering drinks, so I’m able to get out the front door without anyone seeing me. I skulk around the side of the building like a criminal and wait. It feels like hours, but probably isn’t more than ten minutes before Corey’s car comes screeching into the parking lot.