The Courthouse, Las Vegas, Nevada....
Rae couldn't believe her eyes as she looked down at her hand for the umpteenth time as Duke bid farewell to the old Judge and they made their way out of the court building. She was now wearing a silver wedding band that matched the one on Duke's finger courtesy of Judge McCormick and her drunkard of a father. While she and Duko had their fair share of intimate moments, when Judge McCormick announced that it was time to "kiss" the bride, it had been the first time they had shared a kiss let alone one that had been filled with such an unbridled intensity. Rae didn't think much of marriage before she met Duke and it was largely due to the fact that her parents didn't seem to think all that much about it themselves.
All she'd ever known was how selfish a person could be despite their obligations to another be it their spouse or child. She swore to herself that if she ever did have a child of her own, she wouldn't be the kind of mother her's had been to her. It was the same for the kind of husband she wanted he would be nothing like Ed Earl.
Duke scooped her up into his arms the moment they walked out of the court building. It wasn't a conventional wedding with relatives and a large guest list, but it was something that let her know that man she was with had truly loved her and he'd do anything to keep them together.
Rae wrapped her arms around Duke's neck as he held her with ease via her slender waist with both his large hands. He seemed delighted that everything had gone to plan and she was now his wife. They shared another intensely passionate kiss and he walked her toward his bike.
She didn't know what to think after walking out of the court building as Mrs. Channon Lovell. It was an odd and surreal feeling as when she thought back to the last time she left her home this was the last thing she thought was going to happen to her.
She hated the name Hadley as it had everything to do with Ed Earl and his sickness, but here she was no longer bound to that bastard even in name as she'd been Raelynn Lovell now.
Duke climbed onto the motorcycle and she joined him. It was getting to be late in the day and neither of them had eaten anything since they left Oregon. He decided it was best to find somewhere for them to turn in for the night and guessed his new wife was probably exhausted after all the excitement and the long trip.
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The Silverwire Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada....
Rae couldn't believe her eyes as she noticed the glow of neon from the various buildings and casinos they passed along the vegas strip. It was like a glowing beacon in a vast desert as they headed toward one of the casinos Duko had chosen at random. Even it was a spectacular place as tall as the eye could see with big silver colored letters flashing due to the white hot lights of the glowing bulbs that spelled out it's name. There were various scents in the air of food, perfume, air freshener, leather from clothing items and the lingering scent of mint to cover up the scent of alcohol from various visitors. There were women and children around but it seemed more like they were being herded inside due to the fast approaching nightfall. People wore styles of all sorts including three piece suits, elegant gowns and casual but very clean attire.
It seemed to Rae that Las Vegas was the place to be despite not knowing much about it. As far as she knew, Duke had brought her here strictly for their nuptials which a lot of the incoming traffickers had been here for the same thing while others were into the gambling scene. There was a no doubt seedy element to this place and Duko had been well aware of it as he'd spent much of his time wallowing in it.
Duko had a lot of self destructive tendencies during his late teens and post war return. He'd been alone much of his life despite meeting people whom he had affected in a more positive aspect like The McCormicks, but there was also the issue with his affliction that kept him from interacting much.
Survivors guilt had also been a part of his overall course for self destruction due to his mother having been killed while giving birth to him. It only intensified during the war following his being hit with two explosive devices that killed anyone else that came into contact with them, but he remained alive and healed as if it never occured.
Rae continued to squeeze Duko's waist as he pulled up to The Silverwire Casino. He parked his bike and she followed him inside. This was another place in Vegas where Duke was something of a commodity. Most of his past underground fights were through this place and the owner had made a good deal of money off his prowess. The moment they entered the casino, the air conditioning had been blazing and immediately made Rae forget about the slightly heated temperature outside.
The bright lights of various colors were just as flashy and fancy inside as they were on the outside. Rae was so caught up in the sights that she didn't notice the suit clad security guard that approached them. Duke seemed quite at ease as the guard treated him to a smile and shook his hand.
"If it isn't Duke Lovell." he said apparently pleased to see an old acquaintance. "The Boss has been going on and on about you and asked me to bring you to his office if you ever decided to show up."
Duke nodded in response to being taken to the office and placed an arm around Rae's waist as he instructed her via his body language to follow them to the main office. They headed to the elevator without a word as Rae took note of the white marble flooring and the sound of the guard's shoes clicking against the surface. She thought it an odd sound but found it wasn't unpleasant. The elevator was a bright silver color and just as cold as the main floor when they stepped inside. The scent of faded lemon polish, the cologne from the guard and the familiar musk that radiated off Duke was evident even to her not so keen sense of smell.
There was only silence and a bit of mutual quiet posturing between Duke and the guard as the elevator trailed all the way to the top floor of the casino with the number pad reflecting large red digital numbers indicating each floor they passed. Despite having quite a few questions for her new husband, Rae thought it best to remain silent and see what this strangeness was all about.
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The Top Floor, The Silverwire Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.....
The elevator finally came to a stop a the very top floor of the casino as both the security guard and Duke motioned for Rae to step out into the hall. She took note of the black marble flooring and the brightness of the lights as well as the many windows that allowed one to see almost everything below in Las Vegas that happened outside the casino. Duke didn't seem all that impressed by the view or Las Vegas in general as he moved along with the security guard toward the large silver doors that up came at the middle of the hall.
The large doors opened into a luxury office with complete with a private jacuzzi in the center of it where a man with slick black hair and giddy brown eyes stood at an average height wearing a gray suit while smoking on a cigar. Duko had known it to cuban from the smell and knew the man quite well it seemed. He gave Rae a look that indicated he wanted her to stay close to him at all costs and not to say a word. Rae seemed to pick up on it immediately and did just that.
"Well if it isn't Duke Lovell." said the average looking man in the gray suit.
He seemed pleased to see Duke despite him not liking the summons to his office.
"It's been a while old friend, how have you been?" said the average looking man patting Duke on the shoulder as if they were chummy. "Life seems to have been treating you good because you look great Duke my boy, like you ain't aged a day in all the time that passed."
"There's been some improvements." Duke replied casually as he stood behind Rae and pulled her close to him. She seemed to feel much more relaxed as she leaned back against his chest. "Just got married."
The average looking man appeared quite shocked.
"Damn, wish I'd known I would have been there." he said with a smile. "Best man and everything."
Duke seemed amused by this.
"Welcome home Duko." said the average looking man in the gray suit.
While Rae had not been privy to his identify, Duko knew him all too well as the owner of The Silverwire Casino and his former partner when it came to their fight club tournaments, Dan Costa whom fancied himself a "king of Vegas" when he only had control over what happened in his casino.
Dan turned his attention to Rae catching her confusion and the silver band on her hand that matched the one Duke had been wearing. He was as charismatic as he was observant and it's kept him ahead of his enemies in this cutthroat town for quite some time and smiled as he continued puffing on his cigar.
"Got yourself a young one eh Duko?" he asked with a smirk. "Tell you what since I didn't make it to the wedding you go on and have your honeymoon here at The Silverwire and I'll even throw in a complementary Penthouse suite a few chips and whatever you need for the duration of your stay on my tab."
Rae thought the man crazy offering such a thing despite the fact that she hardly knew him. It was clear that her new husband had quite a life before meeting her and that he apparently had friends in particularly beneficial places.
Duke smirked knowing that Dan was simply after his services for a few favors while he'd been in town and accepted only because he wished to give his new wife the honeymoon experience she deserved following the mediocre courthouse wedding.
"Done." he said agreeing to the deal without tipping Rae off to any nefarious activity between them.
Dan smiled and handed Duke a cigar.
"That's a good man, now go and unwind, enjoy your night and we'll catch up soon alright." he urged his old acquaintance.
Duke took the cigar nodded as Dan snapped his fingers instructing one of his workers to accompany them and show them to their newly acquired Penthouse suite. Rae was shocked that place had been so big as they headed back to the elevator but only went down one floor before arriving at the hall where many suites had been for the V.I.P rollers at the casino.
Dan had instructed the casino employees that Duke and Rae were given V.I.P. status despite Rae not being old enough to enjoy the full benefits she was to receive whatever she liked however she liked it in terms of food or shopping everything was on the house.
Rae couldn't believe her eyes when they entered the suite the luxurious surroundings were only something she'd seen in her fantasies as a child wishing for a better life than the existence she had back in Trenton County. She felt like something of a princess in a story despite never believing in fairy tales.
Once the attendant left it was just her and her new husband alone in the enormous room that had been more like a full on apartment in the sky.
"I take it that this is to your liking, Mrs. Lovell?" asked Duke with an arrogant smirk filed across his handsome face.
Rae treated him to a pleasant smile in return loving that he referred to her via her new last name.