Master Of Games

by Sienna Snow

  “This place is soothing, don’t you think?” he asked.

  “It is. Hagen created something remarkable. It is easy to get lost in the scents and unique plants. I cannot wait to bring my son here.”

  Shit, why’d I bring Christopher up?

  “You have a son?”

  “I do. He’s the light of my life.”

  “As it should be. I have five sons, fifteen grandsons, and one beautiful granddaughter. Although none of them have seen fit to give me great-grandchildren.”

  I smiled to myself, thinking about the number of times Lana would complain about her family smothering her. When I’d first met her, I hadn’t known who her family was and only knew her as Penny’s feisty lab partner at the University of Nevada. It wasn’t until Penny told me about an incident when she, Lana, and a few friends went away for a weekend in Miami and got in trouble that I’d learned Lana was the infamous Draco Jackson’s beloved granddaughter. Draco had personally decided to escort the girls back to school and had given each of them a lecture on propriety.

  It was crazy to think I was friends with a notorious mobster’s granddaughter, a granddaughter who was as straight-laced as they came, making sure everything and anything she did was always on the right side of the law. Maybe it was her family’s antics that made her run the opposite direction.

  “I bet your granddaughter has you wrapped around her finger.”

  A giant grin covered his face, making him look twenty years younger than his reported seventy-six years. “That she does. If I didn’t love her so much, I wouldn’t have agreed to let her have her wedding in Bora Bora. She’s lucky the Lykaios brothers are agreeable and arranged all the details to make it as worry-free as possible.”

  I bet he twisted Zack’s arm in one way or the other to make Lana’s wedding happen.

  “I’m sure it will be a beautiful wedding. I love Bora Bora. Any wedding there can’t be anything but perfect.” And it was probably my fault Lana wanted her wedding in Tahiti.

  On one of Penny’s trips to visit me, Lana had tagged along. We’d spent a lot of time discussing her engagement, the number of people that had to come because people had their feelings hurt if you didn’t invite them, and venues to hold the crazy amount of guests. That was when I just threw out the thought of having a destination wedding. So only those who really wanted to be there came.

  We hadn’t discussed it again until I received a save-the-date with HPZ Bora Bora as the location of the nuptials.

  “It better be. That girl is probably responsible for more than fifty percent of the gray hairs on my head.” He rubbed his salt-and-pepper-covered scalp. “She is a bit of a free spirit.”

  “I guess with so many men around her she wants to assert her independence.”

  He snorted. “Then she chose the wrong man to marry. Her fiancé is as bad as we are when it comes to her protection. If I wasn’t sure the man loved her, I’d never have chosen him for her.”

  Lana’s fiancé, Travis, gave Lana the space to be herself without smothering her, something her family had never quite managed. Travis was a well-known international financier, with a reputation for liking control and order. The only place he softened, as Lana liked to tell us, was with her. She would joke he was mush in her hands.

  “Sometimes a person who is the exact opposite of oneself is the perfect fit for the other.”

  Pierce and I were so different—exact opposites, actually. Where he was volatile, I was controlled. Where I wanted to let go, he was disciplined. These last few days with him had shown me how much. We balanced each other, in a way I hadn’t realized we’d done when we were teens.

  “True, true. My wife reminds me of our differences often enough.” He laughed. “People think I’m scary when riled. They should see her when she loses her temper.”

  I couldn’t imagine anyone yelling at the notorious Yakuza leader.

  Draco turned his face toward the glass enclosure housing a white orchid with tips that looked as if they were dipped in blood. There was a crease between his brows, and his shoulders slumped as if a sad thought passed through his mind.

  “Is something troubling you?”

  He remained quiet for a few seconds before he said, “You could say that. Have you ever made a decision that you regret?”

  Immediately I thought of Pierce.

  “Yes. We all do.”

  “Not me. You see, I’m the type of man who makes decisions based on analysis and costs. But recently I’ve learned my way of handling things has resulted in consequences I didn’t anticipate.”

  Okay, this was getting weird. Was a man known for not having a conscience dealing with guilt and regret?

  “Want to tell me what happened? My friend is probably lost in her world of plants for at least another thirty minutes.”

  Penny was punctual in every aspect of her life except when it came to her plants and research.

  He tilted his head, his deep onyx eyes taking me in.

  “Many years ago, I came to this country with a dream to be different from what I’d known all my life. I worked hard, followed the rules, and dealt with the world as it appeared. However, my past came back, and instead of fighting to keep the new life that I’d created, I accepted the ways of my family and past. With the help of those in my mother country, I became a very wealthy and powerful man here in Vegas and other parts of the country. Eventually, I married a woman chosen for me and had a family, raising them in the old ways.”

  He paused as if to gather his thoughts. After a few seconds, he sighed and continued his tale.

  “Then one of my associates, a man I trusted with my money and business, defrauded my family and me. His betrayal resulted in losses not only for me but hundreds of others. It forced me to take matters into my own hands and resolve the situation in the ways of my ancestors.

  “My anger was so great at the man that I wanted to hurt anyone and everyone who was associated with him, blaming them for even knowing the man. This included his friends and family. In the process of my retribution, I destroyed countless people’s lives. I viewed it as the cost of betraying me. I can admit that I’m not a very forgiving man.

  “Now, many years later, I am learning my actions have cost me a boy that I think of as my own. A boy who viewed me as the father he never had. A boy who I’d taken as collateral damage against those who stood between me and my vengeance.”

  Dear God. He was talking about Hagen.

  Penny had told me Hagen had cut nearly all ties to Draco, and Draco hadn’t taken it well. She never divulged any real details except that what Hagen, Pierce, and Zack believed had happened with them and Collin wasn’t the truth. It had been all orchestrated by Draco as payment for Collin’s involvement in Draco’s personal business. Now Draco’s words filled in the pieces of the information Penny had given me.

  I also noticed he wasn’t apologetic for taking Hagen, but the consequences of the truth coming out.

  “Is there no hope of reconciliation?”

  “We can only hope. The boy is stubborn, much like his biological father and me.”

  Immediately, my mind filled with so many questions I wanted answered to help me understand Pierce and all he’d been through as a child. But could I ask a man who looked like a sweet old grandpa but was cold-hearted and wielded power like a blade? I wasn’t stupid enough to think of Draco as harmless, no matter how frail and calm he seemed.

  Part of me wanted to demand Draco tell me if he’d forced Collin’s hand when it came to Pierce and me, but the rational part of me knew I couldn’t go there. Besides, deep inside I was positive Draco was the catalyst for all the pain and suffering I’d gone through as an eighteen-year-old.

  Thinking of the past caused a surge of anger to bubble up, but it calmed just as fast as I remembered the beautiful life I’d had with Stavros. Something that wouldn’t have been possible without the events of the past.

  “Do you believe an old man who’s lived his life without apology can redeem himse
lf in the eyes of those he’s hurt?” Draco broke the silence. “Could you forgive a man for changing the course of your life as payment for a crime you didn’t commit?”

  I studied him and swallowed. Was he asking me to forgive him for his part in what had happened with Collin, or was it a general question?

  Fuck, this was not what I’d been expecting when I’d come here. I was going to need at least five drinks to calm my nerves after this conversation.

  That was when I remembered what Stavros had said when I’d finally stopped mourning all that I’d lost with Pierce. “Sweet Amelia, holding on to the hurt and anger of the past only damages you. Let it go, baby. Free yourself.”

  Regret burned the backs of my eyes.

  I never deserved a man like him, but I was so thankful God had seen fit to bring him into my life.

  “I believe if you are sincere, time will heal all wounds. It doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences or that you won’t have to wait awhile, but stay patient. I’m sure things will work out. My late husband taught me that.”

  Draco took my hand in his and squeezed. “The man you married. He was a lucky man.”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m the lucky one. He’s the reason I’m back here in Vegas. He helped me see that we aren’t defined by our past but by how we handle the present and future.”

  “Then we’re all lucky. You do good for an old man’s soul. Maybe one day I’ll get to meet your son.”

  I smiled. “Maybe.” I lifted my gaze and caught sight of Penny in the distance, worry and concern filling her expression as she took in the man sitting next to me.

  “My friend is here.” I stood and leaned down to kiss Draco on the forehead. “Thank you, Mr. Jackson, for keeping me company. Lana is lucky to have you, even if you are a tad overprotective. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  Surprise flashed across his face and then was replaced with a big grin. “You knew who I was the whole time.”

  “I did.”

  “Do me a favor. Keep this between us. I’m technically not supposed to be here. The brothers wouldn’t like it.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Amelia

  * * *

  “Want to tell me what all that was about?” Penny said to me as we made our way to the outdoor lounge near one of the nine pools at the Ida.

  I was surprised she didn’t ream me with questions the second I reached her after leaving Draco. She’d waited a whole five minutes. I understood her concern, but my conversation was more enlightening than I expected. It also added another layer to the twisted tale of my relationship with Pierce.

  Was he aware of what had happened? It also made me wonder how the brothers continued to do business with Draco. But then again, I assumed one didn’t just stop doing business with the mob because they were mad at the boss.

  “I was just killing time in the garden, chatting with a lonely old man. You’re the one who was late because you were too lost in making love to your plants.”

  “Lonely old man, my foot. Do you realize who you were talking to?”

  “I figured it out pretty quickly. You know, with all the scary-ass motherfuckers in suits trying to act like wallflowers but failing miserably.”

  “And?”

  “And what? The conversation helped me understand quite a few things.”

  “I swear to God, Amelia. If I get in trouble with Hagen over this, I am going to kick your ass.”

  I smirked. “I’d like to see you try, Mighty Mouse.”

  It was a running joke between our circle of friends. Penny was the feistiest of us and the most petite. My five-foot-eight height towered over her.

  “Where was your security?”

  “Around, like usual. They’re always with me.”

  “And they didn’t have a problem with it?”

  “If they did, they know better than to step in unless I’m in actual physical danger. You do realize I’m always around athletes whose hands are registered weapons.”

  “I’m serious. Draco is scarier than anything you’ll ever face.”

  “How is it okay for you to be his bud and get him whiskey, but not me?”

  “Things are different now. I’ve made my alliance, and it will always be with Hagen. God, I think I feel a headache coming on. I need a shot or something.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Hell, I’ve barely made amends with Pierce for keeping the knowledge of his fatherhood from him. If he found out you were talking to Draco, he would lose it.”

  “Want to explain why? It’s not like I’m privy to any of the Lykaios brothers’ business dealings.”

  Penny shot me a glare. “Are you or aren’t you fucking Pierce?”

  I winced and glanced around me. “Want to say that a little louder? I’m not sure everyone in the casino heard you.”

  “You deserve it. You’re back together with a man who has ties to Draco’s business dealings. Your safety is a higher priority than it has ever been.”

  “We’re not back together. Well, not officially,” I responded while ignoring the other parts of her statement. “It’s complicated.”

  She shot me an annoyed look as we approached the attendant at the entrance of the bar.

  We followed the leggy blonde to our table.

  “All I’m saying is, Draco doesn’t just linger in the garden. He sought you out. He wanted something from you.”

  “Yeah, advice on if those he’s hurt could ever forgive him,” I muttered, but Penny caught it and paused, turning toward me.

  “Say that again.”

  “You heard me.”

  “What did you say?”

  “Only that he shouldn’t lose hope. That time can heal anything.”

  “Is that something you believe too or just advice you’re dishing out?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? I wouldn’t be in Vegas if I hadn’t forgiven Collin.”

  “I’m not talking about Collin, and you know it. Are you back with Pierce hoping he’ll forgive you?”

  I almost denied that I was back with Pierce again. “Forgiveness isn’t something we discuss. We tend to avoid talking about the past. There is a lot of pain there for us. Besides, we both know the terms of our agreement. It’s the only way to make sure neither of us gets hurt.”

  “If you actually believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you. You two are playing Russian roulette with your hearts. You’re in love with each other and pretending you’re not. Hurt is written all over it.”

  We stopped our conversation as Henna and Anaya jumped up from their spots at a high top overlooking the Vegas Strip.

  “It’s about time you bitches got here.” Anaya engulfed both Penny and me in a tight hug.

  “Woman, in Europe I know it’s legal to drink when you’re under twenty-one but not here. Hagen could get in serious shit if you’re caught.” Penny glared at Anaya and then at Henna. “You condone this?”

  “Pipe down.” Henna handed Anaya a twenty-dollar bill. “Anaya said she could get you riled up and she did. You’re so straight-laced and uptight sometimes.”

  “She’s got you there.” I started laughing. “You must have some crazy bedroom skills to have the man known as the Master of Sin wrapped around your finger.”

  “You’re one to talk,” Penny countered. “What kind of games are you playing with the man known as the Master of Games?”

  “That’s right. I heard rumors that you two had hooked up. Please tell me it’s true.” Anaya folded her arms as if she were praying. “Does that mean you’re into…” She trailed off, wincing, and then shivered. “Never mind, I don’t want an answer to that part.”

  I rolled my eyes and took the vacant seat next to Henna.

  “I do.” Henna sat up in her seat and leaned in my direction. “Are you into the light side of kink, or is it naughtier?”

  A waiter placed a set of drinks in front of Penny and me. I glanced in her direction, lifting a brow, and she shrugged an
d smiled.

  She definitely had the six-foot-five eldest Lykaios brother wrapped around her finger.

  “I’ll share my personal life, if you share yours,” I said to Henna.

  She liked to act like her life was mundane, but I knew better.

  “What personal life?” She picked up her cocktail and sipped. “I work, sleep, and hang out with you gals when I have a free moment. You do realize I have more on my plate since your ass decided to organize a fight in Vegas?”

  “Bullshit,” Penny and Anaya said in unison.

  “Tell me, when was the last time I did anything for fun that didn’t involve hanging out with one of you?”

  “Last night at the poker game with those sharks you like to court,” Penny answered.

  “That was work.” Henna frowned. “I have to woo the whales so the Lykaios brothers don’t get the upper hand.”

  “Not buying it,” I said, knowing what my girl had been up to. “Who was up until four this morning playing against one particular Lykaios brother?”

  “He put a bet on the table. I couldn’t refuse.” Henna’s eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. “How did you…who told you? Oh fuck. Pierce told you. It has to be more serious than bedroom gymnastics if you guys actually talk.”

  One day soon, the fiery chemistry between Zack and her was going to explode. They may be on opposite sides of the world of casino empires, but it wouldn’t stop them from burning up the sheets.

  Anaya smacked the table, bringing my attention back to her. “So you are boning the hot-tempered Master of Games?”

  Henna smirked, knowing the spotlight was back on me.

  I ignored Anaya’s question and said, “For the record, he really hates that title.”

  “The least you could do is indulge my curiosity. I’ll be gone for the next four months. I need some juicy gossip to tide me over until I’m back home.”