NERTHUS
“Have you seen this creepy shit?” Danny laughs as I reach him, staring outside agape.
He turns around to the jacket-bodyguard, “Elia, what kind of Mafia code is that?”
“I don’t know this one,” Elia just shrugs annoyed.
I crack up as I halt to stand next to Danny.
There are hundreds of gnomes distributed in the grass, facing the house.
“This isn’t a Mafia code,” I say, hugging him to my side. “It’s an Ohio code.”
Danny looks at me, furrowing his brows. “An Ohio code? What does it mean?”
“I love you,” I grin up at him, before admiring the small army of gnomes. “That’s what it means.”
He scrunches up his face, scoffing. “You guys are so strange.”
Tapping his shoulder, I shake him slightly. “Want to go to the beach?”
“Yes!” Danny says, sprinting out and through the gnomes to reach the beach.
I laugh, watching after him before turning to Elia, who looks at me annoyed. “Concetta just said he wasn’t allowed as he just ate.”
Smiling widely, I shrug, walking after him. “I didn’t know that!”
***
I’m enjoying the sun to the fullest, watching Danny fooling around in the sea.
As I laugh, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand, I spot Arawn walking along the beach.
I take my sweet time ogling him as he is wearing swim shorts and has his shirt already buttoned open, allowing it to wave in the wind, disclosing his delectable abs to me.
He reaches the beach bed next to me and lies down with a chuckle. “Ah, I know you were going to like it.”
“How cocky you are,” I joke, lying back on my bed, closing my eyes.
Arawn hums, propping himself up onto his forearm as he turns to me. “What is he trying to do?”
“I think he saw some fish and is trying to catch them,” I answer with my eyes closed.
I can literally hear the gears turning in his head as he takes his time to form his observation. “But he doesn’t have any net!”
“Yeah…” I just confirm his observation, making him groan. “Let him. Look how happy he is.”
He sighs, lying on his back as he rubs his forearms.
After a few moments of silence, I open an eye, seeing him staring into the sea. “You want to go back, don’t you?”
Turning his head, he flashes me a gorgeous smile, and I push out an exhausted breath. “What about Goldie?”
“I have thought of something,” he says pensively, making me shift on my bed.
“Wanna share, big boy?” I ask, and he sits up, linking his fingers.
He must be waiting to have my full attention as he only starts talking as I turn my head to look at him fully. “We need to know everything about his inner circle first. That’s how my men and maybe some of your friends come in, but we need someone extra too. We need to find out who he really is, from his childhood dreams to his darkest secrets. As soon as we have this, we will start from there.”
“I like that. What would the next steps be?” I ask, sitting up.
Arawn grins, rubbing his hands slowly as he puffed his chest proudly. “I have thought of something. As soon as we have a full insight into his life, we will move accordingly. We will start a campaign that he won’t forget so fast.”
I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up as well. “A campaign?”
“Yes,” he answers with a chuckle. “We start planting rumors, mess with his finances, and pamper the evidence for when the feds will show up.”
I whistle, making him laugh. “Spicy.”
“His paranoia will spread like a virus and it will be then when we will cover up some “rats” in his territory,” he continues, enhancing the word rat with air quotes.
I press my tongue to my teeth as he continues. “As he already feels down, we will cut his funds with specific attacks. We take his last trusted surroundings, making him go insane.”
He grins slyly. “And he will fall deep. Back where he belongs.”
“Oh, my God,” I giggle, holding my hand in front of my lips. “And how are we getting in? Who would the extra be?” I ask excitedly.
“This is where you come into the picture, beautiful,” he answers, turning towards the sea.
With a wave he gets Danny’s attention, who jerks up, caressing his hair out of his face. “Danny! Ready to do some trouble?”
“Hell yes!” Danny shouts back and Arawn settles his gaze back on me.
“You will be the goodie!”
I gasp theatrically, shaking my head. “Oh, I can’t wait.”
***
We landed just a few hours ago, and even if I should be exhausted, I am about to explode at the adrenaline streaming through me.
Taking a drink from a passing waitress in a short and tight dress, I take a small sip before I sit down at a blackjack table.
I know that this casino is actually still in Arawn’s possession but the rats have infiltrated it a long time ago, slowly smuggling huge amounts of money out of it without his knowledge.
This is a problem.
But not really the biggest one.
Setting down my glass and my clutch, I flick back my hair with a broad smile. “Hi, I’m Amber!”
“Hi, Amber, how are you?” the croupier smiles at me as he takes new cards out of his deck for me.
“Fine, thanks.” Leaning in, I giggle, “I usually don’t play.”
The man sitting next to me smiles, taking a sip of his drink. “And you start at a 500-dollar table? You are savage.”
“I don’t think they use the word ‘savage’ anymore,” I say as I get up from my seat slightly. Putting a bundle of cash onto the table for the croupier to change it, I grin at him.
“I think it’s called ‘girlboss’ now.”
He laughs, gesturing to the croupier to give him another card. “Ah, that’s what they call it now.”
We continue to play without actually speaking to each other. From time to time, I cast him a look, checking his tailored suit and his slicked-back blond hair.
He is looking like a gentleman, and totally low-key.
And not stinky at all.
I let a ringing bell catch my attention again, and I bite the nail of my thumb while laughing.
“I love how everyone is having a good time,” I exclaim happily, getting the croupier to smile at me as he deals another card. “Is there a magician show as well?”
The croupier laughs, making the man laugh as well, and he nods. “Yes, ma’am. There is a magician show every night.”
“Awesome,” I squeal, and the man next to me shakes his head.
“A magician, really?” he asks, chuckling.
Turning to him, I lay my elbow onto the table as I grin at him. “Why? Jealous of your own kind, Mikey?”
His face falls, contrasting to the croupier who snickers as he is paid to keep up a good mood, and definitely not able to read the room.
“I heard you were an artist. Finding you at a blackjack table was quite a surprise.”