Rise of the Notorious (9 page)

“I love you,” she whispered the words as she kissed him, her hands grasping at his suit jacket. She repeated them again and again as he dragged her into his office and hastily shut the door.

I
t had been a week since she received the threat. She looked at it now, her eyes skimming over the words as she let her fury flood out the fear that came with instinct. The fear that was natural, but in no way useful to her now.

When empires fall, what becomes of the Queen? Everything will burn, and so will she.

The simple typewritten note felt light in Madison’s hands but weighed heavily upon her mind, burrowing deep within her and finding home among the things she feared most in this world. Death of a family member. Failure. Exposure. Shame. This threat hit her on all levels, and it was for that reason alone she knew she had to keep it hidden. It would only make it worse for her brothers to find out, to see the outrage and alarm in their eyes as they tried to fathom why anyone would send her such a thing. She couldn’t force them to bear this burden with her, not when it was likely to be nothing more than a petty, meaningless act of intimidation.

As someone in the public eye, she had received letters from strangers before. Though none had been this ominous. Yet, as she had decided when it first arrived, she simply did not have time for it. She tucked the letter inside her desk drawer once more, locking it and returning to the paperwork before her.

The lawyers had given her the necessary documents to begin the incorporation of the company, and she perused over the forms, charts, and statistics with tired determination. It wouldn’t be an easy change. It would take time and resources to make it happen, coupled with a smart and concise marketing strategy that would hopefully attract investors.

She had to find a way to sell her family’s company as a business not built on lies and murder, but one of integrity, respectability, and a commitment to excellence unrivaled by their competitors. That had been the Vasser reputation
before
the scandal, and somehow she would need to find out how to make it that way again.

Despite the outrage from her cousins, she knew that chopping off a few of the greedy hands that frequented the family money jar would be a step in the right direction. The last thing she needed was the burden of a family member who did not want to pull their own weight.

It was merely a matter of deciding who had to go and who could stay. She knew some members of the family would jump at the chance to be bought out with a big cash sum, while others would fight her to the death to protect their own selfish interests. But that was just the nature of the game, and Cyrus would not have requested it of her if he hadn’t thought she could make it happen.

Perhaps Duke was right in his prediction that she would make enemies with this list. Except, of course, he didn’t know that it appeared she already had. Both within her own family and in the form of a mysterious stranger who enjoyed sending written threats…

Kennedy’s face suddenly flashed in her mind, and she wondered just what role her younger sister wanted to play when she finished college. Presuming she wanted to play a role at all—Kennedy might prefer to take the cash and run off to Cancun or the south of France and party for the summer.

Madison had always known just how different she was from her sister. When she was nineteen, she worked in the restaurants at her family’s casino in Las Vegas. She put in sixteen hour days learning the business and revamping the department to run more efficiently, the way she wanted.

Madison started her rise to the top at nineteen, but what was Kennedy doing?

That was the fundamental reason Madison knew she would never understand her sister. They were as dramatically different in personality as any two people could be. It was a shame, but she knew that reality was often hard to swallow. That didn’t make it any less real.

Because she knew thinking of Las Vegas would only put her in a bad mood, she tried to push it out of her mind as she went back to reading through the documents.

Then she remembered what Wyatt had told her the day before. If he hadn’t been lying to her, then he had checked into the hotel that very morning.

She grimaced, a darkness settling over her as she realized just what that meant.

The last time Wyatt Bailey had arrived at one of the Vasser Hotels, her life was turned upside down. She knew, just as surely as she knew her heart beat red with blood, that the same was about to occur to her now.

The first thing Madison understood perfectly the moment she set foot in Las Vegas was that the City of Sin could make the Devil feel right at home.

It wasn’t because of the scorching, mind-numbing heat, though there was plenty of that to go around. Or the inherent fear of dying in the hot desert sand, helplessly alone in miles and miles of empty wasteland. No, it was the sin that drew the Devil, the sin that burrowed deep within the roots of the city itself and lit up the night sky with vibrant neon lights. It was all around her, everywhere she looked—the booze and the gambling, the easy sex and the drugs, the impulsive violence…oh, what a city it was.

She was ready to take it head on and make Vegas hers before she was through.

Ascending the steps to the glorious Vasser Hotel and Casino was a monumental experience for her. It was her first time visiting, though she already knew so much about the place. She knew the precise number of rooms, the names of the chefs in the hotel kitchen, and the different job titles of the employees who ran the casino. She had extensively researched everything before making the decision to move there.

Thanks to her Uncle Duke, she was being given the chance to prove her worth to the family, to show them what she was capable of. Although her grandfather already knew it, she appreciated the opportunity to succeed on her own terms.

As she approached the glamorous entrance to the casino, its glass doors emblazoned with a giant gold “V” opening to greet her, she felt a satisfied smile bloom over her face.

It was spectacular in every sense of the word.

The carpet was a rich navy blue with bold yellow floral designs weaving throughout, giving the perception of walking on a lake scattered with autumn leaves. A walkway made of splendid travertine in beiges and yellows snaked its way throughout the casino, leading guests through the blackjack, poker and craps tables, beyond the slot machines and directly to the restaurants and bars that flanked the outer edges.

There were people everywhere, excited tourists and habitual gamblers, long-legged women and short, bald men. Money exchanged hands or was shoved into machines left and right, and the joyful ring of change pouring out of slots sang out into the air, joined by laughter, anguished groans, and endless chatter. The music playing in the background was something upbeat and exciting, the kind of music that made guests tap their feet or nod their heads subconsciously to its rhythm.

Her eyes drifted from the crowds to the ceiling. The atrium was a lofty dome in the style of timeless European cathedrals with engraved gold and lustrous bronze. Beyond, the casino ceiling reflected the French roots of her family, coffered with Baroque detailing, spotted throughout with recessed lighting and security cameras.

Impressed, she wandered through the casino, admiring the brilliant gold of the slot machines and the spotless poker tables filled with colored chips and crisp white cards. Beautiful women adorned in dazzling, sapphire blue dresses roamed around her, serving drinks to patrons and smiling at every turn.

She passed by one of the blackjack tables, her eyes on the table itself as she watched the dealer pass out cards and accept cash bets, tucking the bills neatly into a slot in the table where they disappeared underneath. Fascinated, she paused a few feet away and took in the entire game as it was played, her eyes following every movement made by the players, but most importantly by the dealer.

He had efficient hands, quick and deft with cards, cash, and chips. It amazed her to see the way he moved, the gold cufflinks on his crisp white dress shirt sparkling in the light that illuminated the table.

She smiled as her gaze drifted upward, eager to take in the rest of this man, to study him further. The way he moved…it was the most incredible thing she had ever witnessed. As her eyes rose to his face, a jolt went through her as she noted he was staring at her as well. Those eyes of molten steel, intense and fearless, caught her own and held. A trickster’s grin played over his lips as he turned his attention back to the players. Her heart that had momentarily stopped began to suddenly beat again.

Centering herself with a deep, controlled breath, she continued on, though her eyes stayed locked on the dealer. When he looked up to watch her again, she made sure to be the one who turned away. But not before sending him a smoldering look she knew could stop a man’s heart at twenty paces. She didn’t wait around to see his reaction, but instead moved on and nearly ran straight into her cousin.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.” Duke smiled warmly, holding his arms out in greeting. She embraced him, pleasure in her eyes as she pulled away.

“I see you’ve been dancing with the Devil down here in Vegas, cousin,” she mused, one eyebrow raised teasingly. “I can already tell I’m going to fit right in.”

“Yes, they don’t call it the Devil’s playground for nothing.” He chuckled, draping an arm over her shoulders companionably. “Let me show you around, honey. I’ll show you how we do things here in the southwest.”

“I can hardly wait.” She looked up at her cousin, admiring his intelligent blue eyes and handsomely tanned face, framed by meticulously styled dark waves of hair. He reminded her, in many ways, of her brother Linc with his limitless charm and sociable nature. The only difference she could see was that, by contrast with her jeans-wearing, beer-drinking brother, Duke had undeniable class. From his expensive designer shoes to his perfectly pressed black slacks, he exuded importance. With the several hundred dollar watch on his wrist and the crisp, sky blue dress shirt he wore, he demanded attention.

While she could admire the end result, she found the superficiality of it too shallow for her taste. Having been raised by men of substance, it would be interesting to go head-to-head with a man who clearly prioritized his appearance over his job. Then again, he was forty years old with a new wife. Perhaps married life would weed out the bad parts of his nature.

“As you know, our grandfather had this casino first commissioned in 1974,” Duke began, admiring their surroundings proudly. “The hotel has undergone three renovations since then, the most recent just two years ago when we expanded into an all inclusive resort. Cyrus demanded that we be the biggest, tallest, and most luxurious casino on the Strip. And so it was done.”