chapter 6

It was for a server at Lima II, one of the many luxurious casinos that was owned by Lima Enterprises and he highly doubted that he would ever get a job there but he knew it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

Imagine his surprise when he got the job after he felt he had ruined his in-person interview. He had almost decided not to go to work tonight but was glad that he had changed his mind after his little war of words with Rosie.

He had always wanted to see what Halo's reaction would be if he had told her that he had gotten a job and had hated that when she even looked genuinely glad to hear the news he still thought that she didn't mean it. Why did she look so surprised anyway? did she think that he wasn't good enough to even get a job as a server in some fancy establishment?

The arrival of the bus had disrupted his train of thought and internal questioning. He pushed himself off the bench and stepped through its open doors and into the bus. He scanned the interior of the vehicle and noted that it was not as packed as he had expected it to be.

An old woman was picking at her nails and mumbling to herself, A girl with blonde hair, probably fifteen years old was reading a book, and a boy around the same age as the girl was playing games on his phone. Dominic walked over to an empty seat and sat down. He thought of his parents; they would have known how to handle life. He felt lost and had no idea how to handle being an older brother to a young woman.

How was he supposed to act as a role model when he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing with his life? How was he supposed to do anything at all with his head so messed up? He just wanted to give his sister and himself a better life and working as a server at a casino made that dream look bleak.

He rested his head on the headrest of his seat and cast his gaze out the window. He was not in his neighborhood anymore judging from the bright lights, sturdy buildings without half-peeled paint, and stores that he couldn't afford to shop at.

The bus would pull up at the stop closest to where he worked and he would have to walk the rest of the way. He glanced at his watch, the bus would get to the stop in a few minutes. Maybe ten.

He let his mind wander in the meantime and only had to rein it in when he found himself thinking a little too much about Rosie. He hated it when that happened. She hated him and he hated her and he hated that he didn't hate her enough to not think that she was beautiful tonight even when she looked at him like he was trash.

The bus came to a stop where he was meant to get off. He got up and began to walk out the door, a few college kids got into the bus all of them drunk. Dominic handed a dollar bill to the driver, mumbled goodnight, and stepped out.

He liked this part of the state. If he had his way, he would have preferred he and Halo live here. At least he would not have to worry about her coming in contact with a thug or getting caught in the crossfire between two rival gangs. For someone who had no idea how to be a proper guardian, he sure did know how to worry like one.

He pulled his jacket over his neck and began to walk toward the casino. He remembered how he was lost for words the first time that he had stepped into the premises. It was large and luxurious. A lot of money was spent on the interior design and Dominic could only imagine how much it took to build the other Lima buildings. He also found himself feeling bitter at the thought that some people lived in so much affluence and others had to scrape to get by.

The lights from the casino were almost blinding and as he neared the entrance Dominic could feel himself growing a little intimidated and proud that he had managed to work in such a fancy establishment. He was let in by the security men after he had shown his staff ID and they had confirmed his identity on the system.

He took off his jacket and was on his way to his workstation when he felt a hand tap his shoulder. Dominic turned and came face to face with a large man in an expensive tailored suit.

"Hey, you. Go with my men and get a drink from my uncle's office"