“You did.”
Raul flicked a glance at the guard standing behind Marshall. At his signal, the woman grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, yanked him up out of his chair, and marched him over to Raul’s desk. His eyes wide with shock that he was being manhandle, Marshall struggled to escape her hold.
“Do you know who I am? Let me go!”
She let him go, but before he could gain his bearings, Raul was on him. He grabbed one arm and twisted it up behind Marshall’s back then slammed his face down to the desk top.
Marshall shouted in pain. He instantly burst into tears, loudly wailing and begging for mercy.
Raul stared down at Marshall. His sobbing reminded Raul that all vampires had strength but not all vampires were tough. And Marshall was no doubt used to being fawned over and treated with kid gloves.
On the other side of the desk, Braelyn cried out in alarm.
“You’re hurting him!”
Raul slid her an exasperated glance. “That’s the point. Troublemakers in my casinos suffer consequences. I don’t care how famous they are.” He looked back at Marshall and wrenched his arm up higher. “You’re a vampire which means you’ll heal pretty quick from a dislocated shoulder. But it’ll hurt like a bitch when I tear your arm out of its socket.” He twisted again, making Marshall do a comical tippy-tap dance on the balls of his feet in an effort to alleviate the pain. “Do you want me to dislocate your shoulder?”
“No!” Marshall yelled.
“Then listen closely. The money you won tonight is forfeit and you’re banned from this casino. Out of the goodness of my heart, I’ll give you a second chance and allow you to return to the main casino under strict supervision. But if you cheat again a ban will be the least of your concerns. Do you understand me?”
Marshall continued his pathetic wailing and didn’t answer.
“I said, do you fucking understand me?” Raul pressed down hard on Marshall’s head, smashing his face against the desk top.
“Yes, Mr. Raul! I understand.”
“Good. Now get out of my sight.”
He released Marshall and stepped back. Marshall pushed himself up with his good arm. A large bruise marred the left cheek of his famously handsome face and his eyes were red-rimmed from crying.
“I’ll show you out, sir,” his guard said.
“Can I stop by the restroom and freshen up first?” Marshall asked while swiping a hand over his face to wipe away the tears. “I can’t let people see me like this.”
“No, you may not. Goodnight.” He didn’t give a shit that Marshall was going to have to cross the casino floor with his normally perfect face blotchy, wet, and swollen.
Marshall finally showed some sense and didn’t protest. Cradling his injured arm, he walked out of the office in between the two guards with his girlfriend at his side.
Once he and Deklan were the only ones left in the room, Raul sighed and sat back down in his chair. “I’m not surprised he couldn’t resist cheating.”
“I might have let it slide if it was small bets on one or two hands,” Deklan said as he moved over to take Marshall’s empty chair. “But he went overboard stacking up a mountain of winnings. And the players at his table were starting to get pissed.”
“You did the right thing pulling him off the floor and calling me.”
“Are you sure allowing him to return to the Grand Colorado was the right move?”
“Yes. He drops lots of money at the tables and the bar and I’m happy to take it. Plus, having him and Braelyn at the Grand is good for business. They post everything on their social media accounts. That’s free promo for us. Their followers will see their posts and want to play where they’ve played. Now that he knows I’m not fucking around with his cheating it shouldn’t be a problem again.”
“Good points.”
Raul nodded before changing the subject. “Since I’m already here, I’ll do the weekly inspection now. Have there been any other issues?”
“No. Other than Marshall, it’s been smooth sailing.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He rose from his chair, Deklan doing the same. They parted ways after leaving his office. Deklan went off to do his job while Raul began his inspection.
Deklan was more than competent as his second in command and the managers were experts at handling the day to day running of the casino. Thanks to their hard work, Raul didn’t have to do more than show his face to the staff, share a drink or cigar with a few of the members, and observe. He did more thorough inspections a few times a year but tonight he finished up in a couple of hours.