myself become the kind of person with a soul so filthy, I’d feel like I was contaminating Lilly every time I touched her…
Well, there still needs to be consequences, I decide. I slip the brass knuckles out of my pocket and put them on my right hand.
Bobby is still screaming. I’ll start there. I take a step towards him and then reel back, shifting my weight onto my back foot so that when I punch him, I follow through with my body. The punch lands square on his jaw. The force sends his chair tipping over backwards and he cracks his head, hard, on the floor. But at least he shuts up.
“Your idiot friend still has his hand.” I tell him, standing over him. “If you were man enough to keep your eyes open, you’d know that.”
Tony sniffles quietly.
“That true, Tony?” Bobby asks quietly.
“Yeah, Bobby. Still got it.”
“Get him up.” I nod at Bobby. Mike quickly puts his chair back upright. “Now. Look at me. Both of you.” Bobby, docile as a puppy, looks up at me. Blood is streaming down his face from his mouth. Tony avoids my gaze, however.
“I said look at me.” I advance on Tony and give him a hit in the gut. He doubles over in pain, a whoosh of strangled air coming out of his chest. I wait for him to straighten up and then give him one in the face. A small splatter of blood spews from his nose and onto my shirt.
I step back. The men are looking at me now, attentively. “I’m feeling unusually charitable today.” I pause and clear my throat. “You can keep the money you won earlier tonight, but in that case I’ll be keeping a right hand…from both of you. Or you can leave the money. And leave town. And leave Vegas. Forever. Don’t ever come back.”
“We’ll go, we’ll go,” Bobby responds immediately, “Right, Tony? We’ll get outta here.”
“Fine,” Tony says shortly. “But you betta know that Mickey is gonna hear about this.”
I shrug, slipping the brass knuckles off my hands and letting them drop to the floor with a clatter. “If you want to tattle, go right ahead.” I look to Ben and Mike. “Get them cleaned up enough so that they don’t attract attention. And then get them outta here. The back way. Tell Terry when it’s done. I’m turning in for the night.”
“What ya gotta go see yer girlfriend?” Tony mutters under his breath but still loud enough for me to hear.
“What was that?” I step towards him and bend over so we’re on eye level. “I don’t think I heard you.”
“I asked if you was gonna go see that slut who was waving her tits around earlier,” Tony says, lifting his chin and staring at me dead eyed. Jesus, this guy’s got balls. Without another word, I reel back and punch him again in the face, one, two, three times. Bare knuckled. It hurts like hell.
When I’m done, his face is bloodied and bruises are already forming. He’ll be swollen beyond recognition tomorrow.
“I’m going to say this once and say it so you understand me,” I tell him. “That ‘slut’ is the only fucking reason you’re alive right now.” I notice Ben and Mike exchange a glance as I say this but I don’t pay them any mind. I’m pissed. And if I don’t get out of here now, I will kills these guys. “Take care of them,” I tell Ben and Mike. And then I leave, panting with rage. I scoop up my suit jacket as I go, slipping it on to conceal my bloodied shirt.
***
By the time I make it back to the penthouse, I’m already regretting my decision. Was it wise to let two men like Tony and Bobby back out onto the streets? These men aren’t just dangerous, they’re also dumb as a ton of fucking bricks. It’s a terrible combination.
As the elevator doors to the penthouse open, my doubts leave me. Lilly is standing in the front hall, waiting on me. Her face is streaked with tears and her hair is a mess. She’s still wearing the dress I picked out for her but has kicked off her heels, which are lying sloppily by the entryway.
“David!” She rushes over to me the second I step inside, her eyes wet with tears and wide with worry. “What happened? What did you do to those men?” She pounds on my chest in frustration, looking up at me with a face