Double Lucky (50 page)

“You bet your cheatin' ass I am. Now make up your fuckin' mind. What's it gonna be? Balls or cock?”

“I swear I
will
go to the police, Anthony,” she'd said, panicking. “You can't stop me.”

“Do that, an' I promise you you'll never see your kids again. Or your mother, or your father, 'cause I'll have somebody go to their house an' burn it to the ground. You got no fuckin' clue who you're messin' with, do you?”

The rest of it was a blur. She remembered the knife, she remembered Anthony putting it in her hand. She remembered lifting her arm and attempting to stab him. He'd laughed, snatched it away from her, and handed it to The Grill.

Above all she remembered the expression on Luis's face. Pure terror.

She could still hear his screams.

Later she'd been bundled into a car and taken to the airport where she'd been put on the plane by The Grill. Anthony had boarded the plane after her, and they'd flown to Miami, where he'd picked up his grandmother and his blond mistress.

“You say one fuckin' word to anyone and you're a dead woman, along with your parents,” he'd warned her.

She sat on the plane, dazed, shaking, and numb.

There was nothing she could do about it. Not one damn thing.

 

CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

By the afternoon most of the invited guests had arrived and the Keys was buzzing with activity.

Lucky was running around, greeting family, making sure they were all taken care of, dropping by Venus's rehearsal, and—the best moment of the day—giving Gino a personal tour.

The old man was impressed. “You did it, kiddo,” he said, full of pride. “This place is somethin', an' you made it all happen by yourself.”

“With a little help from my investors—including you,” she said modestly. “Learned everything I know from you.”

“You learned it well.”

“I had to, didn't I? You'd've kicked my ass if I hadn't.”

“You got that right,” he said nodding. “You make me proud, kiddo, you did everythin' for this family a son would've done.”

“Ha!” she said, pouncing triumphantly. “I
knew
you wanted a boy when you had me.”

“Whatever I wanted, you turned out to be a winner. Couldn't've done better than you.”

“Dario would've been a winner if he'd had the chance,” she said softly.

“Yes he would,” Gino agreed, shaking his head as his thoughts turned to the man who'd arranged for the murder of his son. “That dirty bastard Enzio Bonnatti, that two-timing motherfucker—'scuse my French. An' you, Lucky, you took care of him like a true Santangelo. You're my daughter all right, a Santangelo all the way.”

“An eye for an eye,” Lucky said, pushing back her long dark hair. “That's what you taught me, and that's the way I've always lived. Don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you.
Capice?
”

“My daughter. My goddamn pride,” Gino said, cracking a grin. “I came to America over eighty years ago, it's the greatest country on earth. In America you can achieve any dream you want.”

“I know,” she murmured. “You did it all, Gino. Everything.”

“I certainly did. I got you, Lucky,” he said, becoming more prideful by the minute. “I got grandchildren, a wife I love, an' loyal friends. I got it all, an' y'know what, kiddo, if I died tomorrow, I'd die a happy man. All you gotta do is look at me.”

“I am looking, Gino,” she said softly. “And I like what I see.”

“Y'can call me Daddy if you want, you've earned the right.”

“Oh, really?” she said, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “
Finally?
”

“Go ahead,” he said with a magnanimous shrug. “I'm givin' you permission.”

“Gee, thanks, Gino. But it's a little late for me to revert to calling you Daddy.”

“It is?”

Now it was her turn to grin. “Bet on it, old man.”

*   *   *

Just as Venus had predicted, Billy hit the Strip and went gambling, successfully losing back all his winnings from the night before. Since he was by himself—Kev had not yet turned up—he was constantly hassled by adoring fans, until he was finally forced to return to the Keys, where everybody seemed to be somebody, so it was no problem sitting out by the pool without being bothered. The hotel did not open to the general public for another week, so the only guests were VIPs, and civilians willing to pay fifteen hundred bucks for a ticket to Venus's one-night show.

He felt kind of psyched that his girlfriend was the hottest ticket in town. If he could only get over the feeling of coming across as second best in her company, they could be very happy together. Venus might be a superstar, but she was
his
superstar, and he was beginning to realize that in spite of everything, he genuinely loved her. He also regretted cheating on her; it was such a dumb thing to do. A stupid move he could only blame on his youth.

By four o'clock Kev had still not shown up and Billy was starting to worry. Kev was driving his Maserati, and Kev was kind of a reckless driver, so he began imagining all kinds of bizarre accidents.

At four-thirty Kev finally called.

“Where the hell
are
you?” Billy demanded, accepting a piña colada from a statuesque poolside waitress. “This is the kind of event I need you at to run protection.”

“Protection?” Kev snorted. “What am I, a friggin' bodyguard?”

“Yeah, you're supposed t'do everything for me, Kev. That's our deal. I pay, you do.”

“Nice,” Kev said disgustedly. “What happened to friendship?”

“C'
mon,
you know you should be here, so once again—where are you?”

“The truth?”

“No, lie to me.”

“You're gonna get mad…”

“Why's that, Kev?” Billy said, thoroughly fed up with Kev's antics. “'Cause if you tell me you smashed up my Maserati, I'll get so freakin' mad you won't even know what hit you.”

“Your precious car's fine. In fact, we're in it now.”

“Who's we?”

“Ali and me,” Kev said, his voice muffled.

“You brought Ali, huh?”

“Yeah, an' before you go off on a rant, here's the news of the day. We, uh … we got married.”

“You did
what
?” Billy exploded, almost spilling his drink.

“Married. Hitched. Ain't that something?”

“Oh jeez!” Billy exclaimed. “You really are a piece of work.”

*   *   *

“How much money did you invest in this hotel?” Ling asked Alex as they checked in.

“Enough,” he replied, signing his name on the register.

“And how long before your investment pays off?”

“With Lucky in charge, not too long,” he answered, irritated that she felt free to question him.

“Lucky, Lucky, Lucky,” Ling muttered. “You're obsessed with that woman.”

“Stop with the bitching,” Alex groaned. “Otherwise I'll be sorry I brought you along.”

“I'm your girlfriend, Alex,” Ling said. “Of course I should be with you.”

“Then quit making me crazy.”

“Easy. If
you
quit lusting after Lucky Santangelo.”

“Oh, for God's sake!” he muttered.

“This way, Mr. Woods,” said a helpful manager. “I'll be escorting you to your suite.”

*   *   *

“I was thinkin' I could go play tennis, Mom,” Gino Junior said.

“Go ahead,” Lucky said, delighted that her youngest son showed such a passion for sports. Lennie insisted it kept him out of trouble, and Lucky often wished that Max was into sports—it would probably make things a lot less explosive.

“D'you think Bobby'll play?” Gino Junior wanted to know.

“Go ask him. There's eight courts and a championship pro just waiting.”

“I will. And, oh yeah, your hotel rocks, Mom.”

“Yes?”

“Totally.”

Yes,
she thought,
my hotel rocks. And why not? I put my heart and soul into it.

Gino Junior ran off just as she got a call from Max informing her they were minutes away. Lucky wanted to check out this new friend of Max's, so she headed for the front of the hotel to greet them.

*   *   *

After Venus finished rehearsing she returned to the penthouse suite where she was not thrilled to find Kev, some young girl, and Billy, all drinking champagne. Exactly what she
didn't
need.

She'd never really discussed it with Billy, but she considered Kev to be a bad influence. She and Billy's best friend had never warmed to each other—they'd always kept their distance—and she was certain that Kev put her down behind her back. Before she and Billy had become a couple, Kev was always talking about the parade of gorgeous girls Billy had had, and the amazing events, clubs, and parties the two of them had attended on a nightly basis. Obviously Kev did not appreciate her putting a stop to all the partying. Now
she
did not appreciate him lounging around in their suite swigging champagne with a young blonde.

“What's going on?” she asked, shooting Billy a look. “Are we celebrating something?”

“Hi, babe,” Billy said, getting up and giving her a hug. “'S'matter of fact, we are.”

“We are?” she said coolly.

“Yeah, um, this is Ali. Kev and Ali just got married.”

“Wow!” Venus said, quite surprised. “And how long have you known this young lady, Kev?”

“We go way back,” Kev said, a bit sheepishly.

“Actually,” Ali said, quickly joining in, “we only met a couple of weeks ago, but Kev's so great, I feel as if I've known him forever.”

“Yeah,” Kev agreed. “Getting married was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Y'know, bein' in Vegas an' all. I said, ‘Let's do it,' an' Ali was way into it.”

“How nice,” Venus said. “Congratulations to the two of you. I guess that's what the champagne is all about.”

“Have a glass,” Billy said.

“Not right now,” she answered, shooting Billy another look.

“Kev, you should go find your room,” Billy said, catching Venus's disapproving vibe. “We'll get together later and celebrate properly.”

“Sure,” Kev said, getting the hint. “C'mon, Ali, we gotta go.”

Ali was busy staring at Venus, which totally alarmed Billy. Was she about to say something incriminating, such as, “I fucked your boyfriend. Oh yes, and I went down on him too”?

No, she wouldn't do that.

Or would she?

“Okay, guys,” Billy said, hustling them out the door. “Later.”

*   *   *

And somewhere in Vegas, Tucker Bond was busy putting everything in place. Two days earlier he'd driven his large truck into the city and settled himself and his two-woman crew at a convenient motel.

Tucker was a heavyset man in his late forties with weather-beaten skin, sunken eyes, and a thrice-broken nose. Australian by birth, Tucker had lived in America for more than thirty years, although he'd never lost his strong Australian accent. Tucker was a man for hire, and over the years he'd developed quite a reputation for getting things done. Anything.

Tucker didn't care what he did or who he did it for, as long as the price was right.

Destroying the Keys was costing someone a million bucks. Tucker had already made sure the job would take place without a hitch.

Paying for Tucker Bond meant getting the best. Whatever the client wanted, he made sure it happened.

Tucker Bond never failed to deliver.

 

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

“Hi, Mom,” Max said, leaping out of Ace's truck, long dark hair flying, green eyes sparkling.

“Hey, Max,” Lucky said warmly. She'd made up her mind to put Max's bad behavior behind her and try for a stress-free weekend.

“Uh … this is Ace,” Max said, hanging tightly on to his arm, her multiple gold bracelets jangling.

“Nice to meet you, Ace,” Lucky said, immediately realizing that her daughter was suffering from a major crush. And why not? Ace was tall and lanky with an almost surfer-dude look. He had mesmerizing blue eyes that almost matched his light blue denim work shirt, and an appealing cleft in his chin. He was also older than Max by several years. Lucky had to stop herself from asking exactly
how
old he was.

“Your grandfather really wants to see you,” she said. “And don't forget to wish him a happy birthday.”

“Like I would forget,” Max said a tad scornfully.

“Oh, yes,” Lucky added, “and you'd better apologize for not being at his party. You'll find him in the Santangelo Lounge.”

“The
what?
” Max asked, stifling a giggle.

“Don't start with me, Max,” Lucky said, walking them into the lobby of the hotel. “It's called the Santangelo Lounge in honor of Gino.”

“Of course it is,” Max said, shooting Ace a quick look.

“You can go check in at the front desk first,” Lucky said. “Everything's arranged. Max, you're sharing a room with Cookie, and Ace, you're in with Harry.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Golden,” Ace said. He was shell-shocked by Max's mom—a stone-cold fox—not to mention the opulence of the hotel.

“The reception starts at six on the main terrace,” Lucky said. “Try not to be late.”

“Do we get a tour of the hotel?” Max asked, not bothering to mention that Harry wouldn't be coming. “It looks totally awesome!”

“Go find Bobby,” Lucky said. “He'll show you around.”

“Oh great! He's here!” Max exclaimed, turning to Ace. “Bobby's my older brother,” she continued, excited by the thought of seeing him. “Bobby's
major
cool, you'll
so
like him.”