Triple Diamonds (Mystic Nights Book 2) (30 page)

A commotion behind him caught his attention and his finger slipped off the button. He stepped back in shock at the sight that met his eyes. Four men, all in uniform, were barreling down the hall from the stairway in his direction. He turned around.

Too late, the elevator doors had slid shut before he could step inside. A fist came out of nowhere and it connected as his finger dialed a button.

*

“It’s a sting.
We’ve been . . .” Justin heard his panicked cousin say before he heard thumping and grunting. Then the line went dead.

We’ve been . . . We’ve been, what?
Justin was about to run out into the night when he saw four policemen heading towards him from the front doors. That exit was blocked. He turned and saw more security pouring out of the elevators. He was trapped. Set up.

We’ve been . . . Played!
He knew in an instant who had been behind this.
That fucking bitch, Jewel!
She had never liked him. He ducked into the casino and tore through the crowds ignoring the yells and complaints as he stormed through the crowds. The bitch was going to pay was his sole thought as he yanked the gun from the back of his pants. It had been hidden underneath his shirt. If she thought she was getting away with this, taking him and his cousin down, then she really didn’t know him at all.

As he flew through the casino as fast as his legs could carry him, he was totally unaware of the panic he was causing and the dozen men following his every move and blocking his escape routes. He only had one thing on his mind. Get Jewel, and then get away.

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P
anic struck as
Joseph watched the monitors.

“Andreas, Justin’s gotten away. It looks like he is heading in your direction,” Nikko barked into his headpiece.

The moment he said the words, Joseph’s stomach plummeted like he had swallowed a lead weight. He exchanged a look with his brother, and of like minds, they both jumped and ran towards the door. Tawny was right on their heels, and so were the police chief and Nikko. Tom stayed to man the wall of monitors picking up Nikko’s dropped head set.

Instead of taking the elevator, Joseph and Jonathan chose the stairwell running down the two flights to the ground floor in less than a minute. Joseph led the way to the kitchens. There was another entrance from which they could gain access to the kitchens more quickly than passing through the crowded lobby.

*

Andreas acted without
a moment’s hesitation. As soon as he heard his brother’s words, he ran towards Jewel. He wasn’t letting this man get to Jewel. As he approached her, her eyes went round in fright. “What happened?”

Ignoring her question, he told her to stay behind him. He was wearing a bullet proof vest. No sooner had she done that, then the doors from the dining room flew open and all hell broke loose. Plates clattered to the floor and there were several startled reactions from the staff. “Everyone down,” Andreas yelled as soon as he saw the man crash through the doors.

Most of the kitchen staff heard the command and obeyed instantly. Coupled with the man waving a gun at the doors, they immediately hit the tile floor. All, except one waitress who was carrying a massive tray laden with food to be carried out. She was a just a few feet from Justin when he came barreling in.

Seeing he was in big trouble, Justin grabbed the girl’s arm. Her tray clattered to the floor, glass and food flying in all directions. The girl screamed in pain and fear. “I want Jewel and I let this girl go.”

“Let her go,” threatened Andreas keeping Jewel securely out of his view while pointing his gun at the perp. His eyes scanned the room looking for a possibility, a way to get Jewel out safely while also trying to figure out a way to retrieve the girl Justin had grabbed. Just then from the recesses of the kitchen Joseph and his brother, Nikko and the chief of police stormed through the kitchen towards their location.

“Yes, let her go,” repeated Tawny forcefully. She stepped in front of her son even though he tried to hold her back. She wrestled herself form his grip. No one was getting hurt in her casino, she vowed to herself.

“Mother,” Joseph tried to reason with her. He saw Jewel was behind Andreas, and safe for now. His immediate concern was his mother.
What was she thinking?

“Justin,” she spoke firmly making eye contact with the panic stricken man. His back was now to the wall a few feet away from the double doors. He held his gun up against the crying server’s head. The girl’s name was Adele, Tawny remembered. “The girl you are holding is Adele. She is a single mother. She has a two year old son. Please let her go. You can take me instead,” she offered taking a small step forward.

“Don’t do that, Mom,” Jonathan whispered sharply. From the corner of his eye he saw Andreas moving slightly with Jewel still behind him.

“I have to,” she whispered back. Then louder for Justin, “I have my car parked out back. I’ll be able to get you further.”

Justin looked around the expansive kitchen. He really wanted Jewel, but his chance for escape was slim. Having Mrs. Sassacus would give him more leverage. He was trapped otherwise. There were more men than he could count with their guns trained on him. And he couldn’t go the route he had come from. He was sure there were men waiting on the other side of the door. But surely no one would risk Tawny Sassacus’s life. He made his decision. “Everyone put your guns down,” he ordered.

The men began to lower their weapons.

“Go over to the back bay, Mrs. Sassacus.” Tawny began to move in the direction he indicated. He watched everyone as he took the long way around to the door keeping his back against the wall as much as he could and the girl in front of him like a human shield. People scurried and shuffled out of his way when he shook his gun at them. When he reached the back doors where the delivery trucks unloaded, and Tawny was right beside him, he threw the girl forward and then reached for Tawny. But instead she threw herself on the floor on top of the crying girl leaving him exposed.

Shots rang out and someone screamed as Justin slumped to the floor. He was gripping his hand and howling in agony. His gun scattered across the floor toward Andreas who kicked it further away, his own smoking gun in his hand still trained on Justin.

Jonathan and Joseph rushed towards Tawny picking her up from the floor, and the fallen Adele who was still crying and shaking, and thanking Mrs. Sassacus profusely all at the same time. They ushered the two women over to where the chief of police stood with Jewel. He was now shielding her from the scene on the floor, his own gun drawn. Once Joseph was assured his mother was all right, he took Jewel from Chief Grant and clutched her to him. He needed to hold her. His fear began to subside as he know knew both the woman in his life who held his heart were safe.

The kitchen was swarming with police and security. The police were bandaging up the wound on Justin’s wrist using towels from the kitchen. The kid, lie on the floor still, wincing in agony from the flesh wound he had sustained. Andreas was an excellent shot. Joseph nodded over at the man, thanking him silently for not putting Jewel at risk, and saving his mother by taking the shot the moment he did. He had ended the nightmare for them all. He hadn’t hesitated.

Gio approached them, and flanking him on the right was another massive man, his brother Blaze. “Why don’t you head upstairs to your offices? We will coordinate things here. The police will bring Justin to the hospital to take care of the injury. It looks clean and he should be fine.”

Joseph wanted to get the women out of there as soon as he could. Jewel was still crumpled next to his side, and he could feel her shaking. The adrenaline rush they were all experiencing was still taking its toll.

Blaze added, “The police will want statements from everyone. So please stay upstairs until then, but go get yourselves a drink. And relax if you can. We will try to make this quick down here.”

Now Nikko and Tom were there too. “The police are already on the way to the police station with the other three. The kids are already talking. So we have enough information to put Justin, Eddie, and Willie away for a very long time. I’ll come upstairs with all of you, and we’ll let my brothers handle things down here,” he finished.

“I’m staying,” Tawny replied. No one argued.

“I’ll stay with her,” Tom put in getting closer to the matriarch of the casino. Joseph knew his mother enough to know, she wouldn’t leave until the police had escorted Justin away.

“Thank you, Tom. And, I’ll be up as soon as the kitchen is in order.” It was business as usual, but for her it was also about making sure everyone was okay. Her employees, and her people always had her devotion.

Joseph just nodded and began to escort Jewel away. As they left they heard Tawny speaking with Adele, “Why don’t you go upstairs with Jonathan. Once the police get your statement, he will take you home himself, dear.”

As they reached the doors to the dining room, Jonathan and Adele caught up with them. “Mom is something else, isn’t she?” Jonathan murmured right behind him.

“She sure is,” he murmured back. The best, he thought. Fierce, loving, and always looking after her children, her family, and her people. They always came first.

“She is incredible,” Jewel spoke for the first time since the ordeal had occurred. Her voice was quavering. She was still in shock. “You are incredibly lucky to have her.”

Joseph pulled her in tighter. “I’m incredibly lucky to have you.” He placed a kiss atop her head as they walked through the casino towards the elevators. The guests were oblivious as the slot machines continued to chime out their tunes. They had drowned out the noise of what had happened ten minutes earlier and in some places only one hundred yards away. The chance to strike it rich had them glued to their seats.

“I’m the lucky one,” Jewel answered as the elevator opened that would take them to the second floor where their offices were located.

“We are all lucky,” Jonathan spoke those words, and smiled down at the young Adele who nodded up at him.

And Joseph agreed. Tonight had been a nightmare, but thankfully they had all come through unscathed. He was now, more than ever, ready to start his life with the woman who was standing by his side.

July 3
^rd

(The epilogue to Book 2 and the Prologue to Book 3 in the Mystic Nights series – Lucky Strike)

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