Page 5 of Risking it All

“That’s why I have so many of you down here watching every movement that’s made in here. We have to be proactive, not reactive. Catch shit before it gets out of hand.”

“We got it.” Chris spoke up.

“I’ll be in my office. Have someone bring him to me.”

One of the men nodded and headed for the door. The rest of the security team went back to work monitoring their screens as I stood and headed out. I had a good team. I just hated when things got past us. It was a bad look.

I lived in my suite at Cashville more than I was at my own home, because I knew I needed to make sure things were running like they should. I hated that I had to micromanage my staff. Every time I took my eyes off the ball, something went down. I moved down the hall, heading toward the executive elevator bank. After I scanned my index finger, the door dinged and slid open for me to step on.

I adjusted the collar of my shirt to let some of the steam out. There probably wasn’t really steam, but I was so heated that I thought I would burst into flames. I prided myself on the privacy, discretion, and security we provided guests and customers of the hotel and casino. If I couldn’t provide my guests with security, then what the hell was I even doing? I marched down the hall to my office. Before my hand landed on the doorknob, my phone rang. Of course it was my brother. I answered and put the phone to my ear.

“Yeah?”

“Is that how you answer the damn phone?”

“I’m working, Seth. What’s up?”

“You always working.”

“Is that what you called to tell me, because I already knew that?”

“I called because Ma wants to know if you can make it out to visit for Sunday dinner for a change.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“That’s what you been saying for the past few weeks.”

“And that’s what I’ll continue to say. I can’t make any promises. I never know what might come up at the casino.”

“You’re part owner of that place. You mean to tell me you don’t have a flunky that can take care of shit while you have dinner with your family?”

“If it was a flunky, I wouldn’t trust them to do that job.”

“You know what I mean, man. Bring your mean ass home so your mama will stop aggravating the hell out of me.”

“I’ll try, but you know I have to work. I’m dealing with a crisis as we speak.”

“What happened?”

“You know I can’t go into all that.”

“Can’t or won’t?” he asked.

“Both.”

“So are you coming Sunday?”

“No,” I said, finally coming out and saying it.

“Ugh, I wish your old grumpy ass would come out here so you have to listen to all that when you gon’ sit down and get married shit right along with me. Take up some of that slack.”

“I thought you and that chick that worked at that restaurant were getting serious.”

“She alright, but that don’t mean I’m ready to wife her. Tell me why you ain’t seeing nobody. Let me guess, you work too much,” he said.

“Why did you ask if you already knew the answer to the question?”

“When you gon’ tell mama you don’t like women?” he asked.