by Kimball Lee
She looked up into Bly’s face and it was so filled with love and concern and sorrow for her that it made her dizzy. She knew she should have made a decisive move in the beginning, she wished she had spoken the words to set things straight right from the start. We can be together, I love you both, and we have nothing to lose, only a lifetime of happiness to gain. She should have made it clear that she belonged with them both, just as they belonged with her, nothing should have kept them apart. But… that moment was long gone and their threesome was doomed, soon there would be two left behind… and eventually… only one.
“Go with Finn, watch out for him, will you?” she said, her fingers reaching up to brush the lock of hair off his forehead before she could stop herself.
He caught her fingers and kissed them and then he released them and stepped back forcing his eyes away from her eyes, her lips. Oh how he loved her and how it hurt him to see her suffer. He would easily part with every dollar he owned to live out his life with her in the McCall house or just anywhere as long as he could lift and carry the weight of her burdens. Finn was a good man and he had been a formidable adversary, and Bly truly hated that cancer was putting an end to his life far too soon.
“Hey, how’s my girl?” Finn was standing next to Charlotte and neither she nor Bly had noticed. “Ready to gamble, my love? Look at all this nasty blood-money, we have to get rid of every penny. I’ve already given half of it to the kids and they’ve gone shopping and to see the Blue Man Group or… something. I sent Billy with them in case they want to wander the strip tonight, they need a chaperone and a bodyguard to stay out of trouble. Atti stuffed about a hundred grand into Hadley’s duffle bag and he left the rest of it on the bed. I didn’t want them carrying a half-million bucks, don’t think that wouldn’t be safe. The butler said I should have them lock all this cash away in the casino’s vault, but I told him not to worry because we’re here to blow it all. So, I’m ready to hit the baccarat tables, how about the two of you?”
“I have a migraine just thinking about three kids under twenty-one flashing a truckload of hundred dollar bills in this town. I’m staying in and getting a two hour massage,” Charlotte said, and she could tell that Finn must have been on an “abnormal brain pressure induced rush of energy and elation” that the doctors said they could expect. Of course it might be followed by a low-sad-weepy-shouting-forgetful-off-balance phase, but Finn was not one to be coddled or told to get into bed and mind his health. She’d also heard something unfamiliar in his voice when he said “how about the two of you?” It sounded as if he was not only resigned to the fact that Bly and Charlotte would indeed be left without him, it sounded like he expected them to become a couple.
“Let’s go ahead and have the butler take this down in the private elevator,” Bly said, taking a bulging leather carry-on bag from Finn. “He can have them hold your money in the cashier’s cage and we’ll ask for it a hundred thousand at a time.”
“If it makes you feel better, alright,” Finn said, kissing Charlotte tenderly before he clasped Bly’s shoulder and the two men walked out the door like the best of friends. “But I do intend to bet ten-thousand a hand and I’ve never been any good at cards so it should go relatively fast. Goodnight, my love,” he called to Charlotte before the butler closed the tall, heavy door, “I won’t be gone long, try to relax and find some peace of mind, it isn’t the end of the world, my love.”
Chapter Two
“Okay, where is the mall? I feel the need to spread a little, make that a lot, of cash around,” Hadley said, as they stepped out of the elevator and into the noisy casino. She was full of energy suddenly as a rush of adrenaline shot through her body. She knew it was a defense mechanism, just her brain’s weak attempt at providing a much needed dose of happiness in the midst of the chaos in her heart. Her father was not going to get well, he wasn’t going to see what she would make of her life, he wouldn’t be there to walk her down the aisle or teach her children to cheer for Manchester United. “I really want to feel free for a few hours, don’t you Atti? Like nothing has changed, like we all felt when we were in New Orleans. Damn, where is Skyler when we need her? Call her, Atticus, take Alex’s jet and go get her….”
“Let’s just enjoy tonight, I’m going to New York tomorrow to be with her for a couple of days before she leaves for Paris. Hey Billy, I’m thinking we could all use a drink, except for my sister, she’s just too young and impressionable,” Atticus laughed and put his arm around the older man’s shoulders and Hadley stuck her tongue out at him, proving his point.
“Your father was adamant that if you want to have a couple of drinks I can look the other way, but only when we’re in the suite. I can promise you, the casinos and the Las Vegas police department will not tolerate underage gambling or drinking,” Billy said and by the look on the faces of his three charges he was sure that he had his work cut out for him.
“Billy, do you ever like… drop the ex-SEAL bodyguard bullshit and enjoy yourself?” Holden asked as Hadley wrapped her arms around his neck and he stopped in the middle of the casino to kiss her.
“I want to talk to you about that, Billy,” Atticus said, slapping Holden on the back so that he and Hadley would stop the side-show and keep walking. “I’m not going back to the Academy, I report for Seal training in three days.”
“You’re not serious?” Holden and Hadley said at the same time, forgetting their desire for each other as the news sunk in.
“Atticus, you’ve withdrawn from the Academy and you’re going into training now? I thought we agreed to get through this year, to amp up our studies and graduate early. We were gonna wait ‘til after your dad was… feeling better,” Holden said, forcing himself to look his brother in the eye and horrified at the devastation he saw there.
“Haven’t you heard the news? Finn isn’t going to feel better, ever. I’ve already talked to him about leaving the Academy and he gave me his blessing. We made the call together before we left Houston. It’s done, I’m going to tell Skyler to move on with her life and not to wait for me. I’ll be in Great Lakes, Illinois for five to eight weeks to get the preliminary training over with and then I’ll be moved to Coronado. The Naval Base on Coronado is practically around the corner from home if Dad needs me.”
“If Dad needs you? Do you really think Dad will be alive in two months, Atticus? You selfish bastard, we all need you now!” Hadley was shouting and she attempted to slap some sense into her brother while Holden held her back and Billy Kipling tried to usher them out of the casino.
“Well, if it isn’t my loving son who never has a free minute to spend with his mother,” Maddie said, catching Holden’s arm and smiling up at him. She had been sitting at a freestanding bar in the middle of the Venetian and she staggered when she stood up and raised her glass toward Atticus. “And who’s this gorgeous devil right here? Let me guess, although it’s written across his face and stamped on his body. Ah, the wonders of DNA, this absolutely has to be Alex’s bastard. Love-child, golden-child, an American prince, son of Charlotte the magnificent, no doubt,” Maddie Beck chattered on in her drunken stupor.
“Hello Maddie, nice to see you, oh, what a surprise to find you with a drink in each hand,” Holden said, his voice had turned icy and he drew Hadley close to him.
“You always were a self-righteous little prick just like your father. Now give Mommy a kiss on the cheek and have a drink with me, Holden. All of you have a seat, the drinks are on me,” Maddie slurred, signaling the bartender to pour drinks for them all.
“I’m not twenty-one yet, Mommy Dearest, not a good idea to drink in public, and I really shouldn’t be drinking at all. You, on the other hand, have obviously had a few too many and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t insult my brother. And try to hold your forked-tongue in front of the girl I intend to marry.”
“You’re getting married, Holden, to who? My God, you’re not even old enough to drink or gamble,” she said, effortlessly swallowing a double vodka. “Oh, I recognize
the girl now! This is Hadley Hale the hottest star on the rise according to my husband and my son, Milo. Shouldn’t you be thanking me, my dear, since my husband’s little Indie film has made you a sure-fire contender to take home an Oscar? Now, my boy Milo has such a crush on you he can hardly stand it not to mention that it repulses me. And here you are with Holden, well, I suppose being the son of a billionaire can certainly turn a girls head. I know I was drawn to Alex partly because of the size of his bank account… along with his other sizeable assets.”
“It was nice to see you Maddie, actually it wasn’t, it was grossly unpleasant,” Hadley said, taking Holden’s hand and turning to go. She took a few steps and then stopped and faced the woman who was staring after her with murder in her eyes, “By the way, I love Holden for all the ways he isn’t like you or your husband or that arrogant little kiss-ass drooling dip-shit Milo. And for the record, your suave husband, Spencer Beck, enjoyed watching my love scenes in his “little Indie film” just a bit more than he should have. Just sayin’.”
“Uh! How dare you young lady? I fucking knew you would turn out to be just as much of a prima-donna as that bitch mother of yours. You’d better watch your step, I can ruin your career before it ever gets started….”
“Mrs. Beck, I don’t know if you remember me, I’m Billy Kipling. I need to ask you not to harass Mr. Bly’s sons or Miss Hale. If you cannot stop yourself I’m sure the bartender will back me up in reporting you to security for offering to buy alcoholic beverages for these young people.”
They left Maddie there in the casino bar ranting and raving and guzzling vodka. Holden felt terrible that she’d been so rude to Hadley, but Hadley said to forget it, she wasn’t worth ruining their party over.
*
“Hadley, Hadley Hale! Oh my God! Can we get a picture and an autograph, pleeeezzz?”
Hadley, Holden, Atticus and Billy walked out onto the Las Vegas sidewalk as the sun was setting over the tops of the high-rises and the mountains beyond. It was the end of August and heat rose up off the hot asphalt in a shimmering haze. Hadley stopped to let the group of young women wearing glittering tiaras and microscopic dresses pose with her for pictures.
“We loved your movie and we adore you, come party with us, Hadley!” a girl wearing a ‘Bride to be’ banner squealed and at the same time she flashed a dimpled smile at Holden and Atticus.
“I wish we could but I’m not quite old enough to hang out in the casinos, have fun and be safe,” Hadley hugged each of the girls who were blushing and whispering about the beautiful young star and the two sexy men who were guiding her into the Venetian’s vintage Rolls Royce.
“Hadley give me a smile, please. Are these your boyfriends?” a tabloid photographer appeared out of nowhere and snapped several shots before the car door closed.
Holden asked him to step back from the car but before he could walk away Hadley called out to him and posed for a picture with her cheek against Holden’s. “This man is my true love, the other one is just my brother,” Hadley shouted out the window as the car pulled away. “Hey, I want everyone to know that Hadley Hale is seriously involved with Holden Bly,” she said and Holden held her face in his hands and kissed her until both Atticus and Billy cleared their throats.
“We’d like to do some high-end shopping,” Billy said and the driver nodded his head and sneaked a peek in the rearview mirror at the hot girl whose face he’d seen in movie previews and on the internet.
“I don’t really need a dozen Alexander McQueen dresses or twenty pairs of Jimmy Choo’s,” Hadley said, settling comfortably between Holden and her brother. “My agent gets calls from designers everyday asking if I’ll wear their clothes, why don’t you two go on without me. Seriously, I should spend some time with Mom. Besides, Holden, don’t you want to try and talk Atticus out of going to Iowa or Illinois or wherever it is he’s running off to? And now that I think of it, did I hear you say that you planned to go with him after you graduate early? Ugh! I cannot bear the insane choices of the men in my family any longer. Stop the car and let me out, I’ve had it, I am not kidding. First Dad decides to skip any possibly life-saving cancer treatments, now the two of you are going to play GI Joe or some shit. Ughhhhh, fucking testosterone!”
“Speaking of testosterone, Hads, were you serious when you told Maddie that Spencer Beck was looking at you in an unnatural manner on the set? Because I would like nothing better than to fuck him up, I always had a feeling he was a pervert,” Holden said, his voice heavy with irritation.
“Geez, driver, pull over please I want to get out here,” she said, and she jumped out as soon as the car stopped and told them to spend or gamble the money or give it to Billy. “Don’t worry, I’m taking a cab back to the hotel, I’ve had enough fun for one day.”
*
“Fuck it all, I can’t lose! How much have I won?” Finn asked Bly as he leaned back in the sumptuously comfortable chair at the baccarat table.
“Hmm, I’m not sure but I would imagine you’ve tripled your money by now, and you’ve had plenty to drink, that’s for sure.” Bly signaled for his casino host who hurried over, “Wes, would you cash out Mr. Hale’s chips please and have the money taken to the safe in my suite? Thank you. Let’s go, Finn, you’re drunk and I’m not so sure that’s a good thing with…. With what you’re body’s going through right now.”
“Yeah well I’m dying man, if I want to abuse my body it really isn’t going to make any difference, is it?” Finn said. “Hey, um, Wes? Don’t take the chips just yet. What game in the casino has the absolute worst odds? Where can I lose all this money on a single bet?”
“Well, sir, roulette has the highest house advantage. It’s purely a game of speculation, it pays well but it’s not likely that you would win by choosing a single number.”
“Good, great, I like the sound of that and I need to be the biggest loser. Would you guide me and my chips to your most unlucky roulette table?”
“Finn, why don’t you just give the money to your kids or Charlotte? I’m sure you have your affairs in order but a little extra money is never a bad thing.” Bly said casually and the casino host held his breath and waited to see what was about to happen with more than a million dollars in chips.
“My kids will be fine and so will Charlotte, besides, you’ll take care of her. She’s going to have plenty of mad money as soon as she marries you, Bly. Come on, you can’t argue with that. Hey, casino host, Wes, let’s go,” Finn said and then he laughed at the stunned look on Bly’s face.
“I’ll have to get an okay from upstairs if you intend to bet a million and a half on one spin of the wheel,” Wes said, he was fidgety and sweating profusely and his behavior flipped a switch in Finn’s brain.
Suddenly the casino was the enemy, a foe to be taken down and beaten into submission. Finn felt it in his bones, he knew it in his soul! The neurotransmitters in his brain were in complete disarray sending out conflicting signals and exaggerated feelings of euphoria, dread and invincibility one right after the other.
“Tell your boss or your boss’s boss or your wife, mother and children that I am betting all this money in one bet or three or fifty. Your casino has lost a lot of money to me tonight, if you’re smart you’ll jump at the chance to win it back. I can be across the street giving all that profit to the Mirage in under five minutes,” Finn said and the casino host made a quick phone call and a pair of armed guards arrived to carry his winnings to a roulette table.
“Mr. Hale, you can place three bets of five hundred thousand at this table, but you will have to pick one number only and let it ride. Is that agreeable? You can take any winnings immediately but you must place three consecutive bets of half a million dollars…” Wes rattled off like the lackey he was.
“Right, got it, have a drink Wes, looks like you could use one,” Finn laughed and shook his head as he pushed one third of the chips onto the number twenty. He raised his eyebrows dramatically at Bly and threw several hundred dollar bills on the tray o
f the cocktail server who brought their drinks.
“Number twenty, why? Does it feel particularly unlucky, Finn?” Bly asked, he was ready to go upstairs to bed although he wouldn’t sleep well with Charlotte in a bedroom so close to his. And heaven forbid if Finn’s euphoria continued, hell, he might make wild noisy love to Charlotte and not give a damn who heard.
“The twentieth day of August; that was my supremely lucky day, the luckiest day of my existence. It was the day I met Charlotte and she spoke to me and put her hands on my arms to try and remove me from her dorm room. Of course I had no intention of leaving or ever letting her slip away, but time changes all things.”
“So if twenty is your lucky number why are you betting on it to lose?” Bly asked, although he figured any answer Finn gave would be convoluted at best.
“I’ve decided to win. Here,” he said handing Bly an envelope, “read it if you’d like, but wait until after I’m gone. It’s a letter for you to give Charlotte after a reasonable amount of time has passed. She’ll be sad forever if you don’t rescue her from grief. But she’ll want it to be her decision, not mine, the letter is in case she gets stuck and loses her way. I’m going to win all three of these bets, and then she’ll have so damned much money she’ll be free to choose you without regard for your ridiculous wealth.”
Bly was speechless, he stared down at the envelope in his hand and he knew for sure that Finn was crazy and brilliant. But his words were lost in the roar of the crowd that had gathered to cheer when the roulette ball landed on twenty and Finn won an astronomical amount of money on one spin of the wheel. Finn just shrugged and flashed a crooked smile at Wes who was literally pouring sweat, then he moved his winnings aside and placed two more bets on number twenty. He won each bet, but Charlotte was the real winner, the total win was fifty-two million dollars. After taxes were taken out the casino issued a check to Charlotte Hale for thirty million and change and Finn gave it to Bly to deposit for her since they both knew she was in no mood to consider herself as lucky.
