Write at the Merge- Dangerous Desires

I used two different writing prompts for this scene. I'm actually going to use this scene as part of my next book in the Mafia Hearts series. Enjoy! 

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Sebastian grabbed Mia’s hand and guided her down the sidewalk under the dreary evening clouds. They tried to stick to the shadows looming between the tall buildings where alleys started their own pathways, but that wasn’t always plausible. She patted her 9mm for the fifth time since climbing out of Sebastian’s black Sedan. The cold steel in the waistband of her jeans and Sebastian’s large frame towering over her gave her a sense of security while away from the bright lights of the Vegas strip. Sebastian was taking her on her first real mafia job. And she didn’t know if she should be excited or scared. Maybe a little bit of both, she supposed.

“One thing to remember,” Sebastian said with a wave of his hand as if they were talking about the weather instead of serving as mafia enforcers, “Sometimes legends make reality. Our boss, Enrico, made this reality for us. He is our legend. As long as you remember that, you’ll do well in the biz.”

 The dimly lit “open” sign flickered against the dirty window up ahead. A sign announcing Las Vegas’ best massages hung above the door. No business name. None was needed here. Everyone knew you went in, picked your woman, paid for a massage, and ended happy. Simple as that. Even the cops knew. What people didn’t know was that the Medini crime family had a hand in this particular business and Mia came for payment.

Her hand trembled as she reached up to twist a strand of her straight ponytail around her finger. Sebastian pushed her hand back down to her side. “Don’t be nervous,” he hissed. “If you are not tough they’ll walk all over you.”  

               

“Sorry,” she mumbled as he reached for the nod. Before turning it he paused and then stepped back.

 “You go first. I want to see how well you do with introductions.”

               

She pushed the door open and stepped inside, trying not to gag on the mildew laden air. A row of empty chairs lined one wall. A desk in the center of the room. One painting, as dingy as the front window, hung on the far wall. A string of bells hanging from door handle banged against the wood when the door swung shut behind them. A scrawny man, who appeared to have taken one too many hits on a meth pipe, scurried into the lobby.

                

“You lookin’ for work, sugar?” He offered a broad grin while he kept his fingers busy by running them through his greasy hair.

                

“Not hardly,” Mia said, a frown etching the corner of her lips. 

               

He snapped his fingers, signaling five females to file one-by-one into the room. “Take your pick then. I have everything you want.” 

                
She held out her hand. Upon contact she pulled up the hem of her shirt, revealing her gun. “The name’s Mia. I came to collect the rent.” Before the man could get a word out, she twisted his wrist, turned him around, and shoved his face against the cheap desk. “Do you have what I came for?”

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Want to start the series from the beginning? You can find the first book here: Dangerous Flames, book 1