The night was young and at Devil's Roulette there was a lull in new patrons lining up outside the front door. The line had nearly died down and most of the faces he was familiar with, at the least. What was left in the line were frequent patrons that Alexei didn't have much concern over when it came to carding, or seeing whether or not they had weapons or contraband on their person.
Alexei had settled himself in a chair that was propped outside the front door, the lantern that hung above the door casting a dark shadow over him, golden eyes illuminating the otherwise shadowed doorstep, carefully keeping an eye on each person as they walked into the brothel. Some enjoyed the bottom most floor for gambling at the tables, others for the drinks and company, some he knew were there as per their personal schedule of habits. For example, he recognized a middle-aged woman not too far down into the line that liked her Monday evening's young and nimble. She also happened to be a face that Alexei was familiar with through his day job. But she didn't need to know that he knew that. She tipped her attendants well, didn't mistreat them, and was all in all a fairly reliable customer.
The phone that was carefully tucked away in the inside pocket of his jacket vibrated. Alexei's eyebrows furrowed, knowing that his phone was only set to alert of him of a select few occurrences during Roulette hours. None of them were to be desired.
Alexei reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone, swiftly entering a complex password. There was a single alert that had appeared on his screen and it was not one he enjoyed seeing. security alert - room 8. Somebody had uttered the code phrase. One that they were only instructed to use in the case that they were fearful for their life.
Alexei immediately got to his feet and brushed passed the people who had cued up beside the door, uttering an apology or two as he wove through the crowd inside, making a beeline for the elevator in the back. It was a short ride up to the second floor, and Alexei pulled aside the receptionist, Sloan, who was signing papers with a presumably new patron.
Sloan, slightly miffed at first caught a glance at Alexei's eyes and paused, mouth open and on a quick runway to a retort. Before she could get started Alexei lifted a finger and tapped it atop her lips. "Hush up; who's in Red 8?"
"...Miles, why?" She asked tipping her head to the side, yanking her shoulder out from under Alexei's hand.
Alexei's eyes narrowed and showed her the alert on his phone. Her eyes widened and Alexei pocketed the phone, turning to leave her as he went down the hallway. He arrived at the door in question, and tried at the doorknob. Locked. Lovely. Another door he'd have to replace, seeing as there wasn't exactly any time to fetch the proper keys.
Alexei took a step back and lifted a leg, kicking out at the door just below the doorknob. The door gave the sound of splintering wood reached his ears as it swung inward.
Miles was crouched on the floor in a somewhat lazed state, as if he had little control over his body. The way his body lay suggested that he had been knocked to the ground, and judging by the way his cheek was starting to red, and by the way the customer had positioned himself over Milo, he only guessed that the violence and ill intent in his mind had only just begun to surface. Who knew how much he had already dished on Milo.
Teeth grinding and embers smoldering in his mouth, Alexei entered the room and laid a hand on the attacker, swinging him toward himself, and in a heavy swing, Alexei slammed a fist into the man's face, the force of the blow throwing the man back and throw the glass surface of the coffee table. The surface shattered with the impact, and the man's face was bloodied. Alexei had no doubt that he'd probably broken his nose. Served him right. The man groaned about on the floor, his eyes in a dazed state. Alexei doubted he'd be going anywhere in the coming minutes. He'd hardly gotten started.
Alexei turned towards Milo and scooped his arms underneath the younger man's, lifting him to sit him up in the chair. He lifted a throw blanket that was draped across a couch and folded it over Mile's shoulders. "You alright, kid?" Alexei asked, looking into his eyes. They seemed less than focus and judging by the grand scheme of things, he knew something wasn't right.
"Listen hey, I need you to stay here okay? ...Imma take care this creep, and Sloan will come stay with you while I'm gone alright? I'll be right back." Alexei said, keeping his voice soft and level. Alexei stood up and crossed the room over to the man, who was still grovelling on the carpet. Alexei's shoes crunched in the glass shards, and he reached down to lay another strike with a fist across the man's face. His head fell back to the ground with a thud. Reaching down, Alexei grabbed a hold of the man's shirt at the collar, and set about dragging him out of the room. He paused on the way to the elevator, and quickly told Sloan to blacklist the man from Roulette, and then sent her back to stay with Miles for supervision's sake. After that, it was quick work dragging the man outside, straight through the parlor downstairs, where people parted like the red-sea, out the door, and into an alleyway not too far from Roulette.
By the time they reached the alley way, the man was starting to come back to consciousness groggily. Alexei dragged him to a pile of crates and threw him down on the slabs of wood. "Make no mistake, bub, you're still paying for tonight, plus extra for the damage you dolled out on one of my people." Alexei reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He blew some burning embers onto the stick, lighting it up. He took a long drag and knelt down to the man.
"You'll never be welcome at Roulette again. ...And don't be surprised if other things start going sour for you. I'm sure you've heard about the bad things that happen to people that try to cheat Roulette." He gave the man a devilish grin and patted his shoulder. "Wish you the best." He took another drag of the cigarette before taking a look at it thoughtfully. "Here," he said, reaching out to wedge it between the other man's teeth, one of which looked dangerously close to falling out. Whoops.
"You can have this. You might also want to phone up a taxi cab or something. Hospital might do you good," Alexei said, pushing up to his feet. He dusted off his pants and made his way back to Roulette.
Upstairs, he made his way back towards Red 8, where Sloan had plopped down on a couch cushion, paying attention to a laptop where he assumed she was taking the proper steps to blacklist the fellow. He'd have to get a copy of his information from her at some point. When he walked in, he nodded towards Sloan and she hopped out of the room.
"Alrighty, that man is certainly never coming back." Alexei said, washing his hands in the sink at the mini mar. Once they were dry, he picked up a clean glass and filled it with some water. "Here, drink up." He handed it to Miles and knelt down to a knee to level out their eyesight. "You doing okay?"
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