Devil's Gamble

by Michele Arris

  “It was off the charts,” he breathed and gave her left butt cheek a good smack. “Hand me the remote. Let’s see what the weather will be like tomorrow.

  “Have you finished packing? The plane is scheduled to depart at 6:35 in the morning.”

  “I guess I’m as packed as I’m ever going to be. I’ve always wanted to visit Barcelona.”

  “We’re not just going to Barcelona. I’m taking you on the full Spain experience, Mrs. Crane,” he said while aiming the remote at the TV.

  Mrs. Crane. She loved the sound of that. “I’m looking forward to it.

  “It was nice of Sean to let us use his plane for our honeymoon. He’s a really great guy. Maybe we can have him over for dinner when we get back as a small token to say thanks. By the way, he’s a hottie. Is he seeing anyone?” She smirked at his wide-eye stare, then he cut her a grin, showing he wasn’t at all bothered by the hottie comment.

  “That’s a plan, and I got your hottie.” A firm hand slapped her backside again, the sting reigniting a burst of sexual arousal.

  “Sean’s got his eye on a lady, but I doubt anything will come of it.”

  “Why is that?” Sienna snuggled her nude body against his with a sigh of contentment. He switched the remote from his right hand to his left and brought his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into the security of his sweet embrace.

  “The woman’s sort of seeing someone.”

  “Oh. Well, he’s sexy and sweet . . . and stinking rich, not too many of those with that combination out there. I’m sure he won’t have any trouble meeting someone.”

  “You’d be surprised. Enough talk about my buddy that you apparently find sexy and hot.” He rolled over on top of her and settled in between her legs. “Like I said, I got your hot right here.”

  “You most certainly do.” She moaned as he sank his hard shaft deep inside her once more, taking her to exquisite, sexual paradise. Hours after he’d finally gotten his fill, completely spent, sleep crashed down hard upon her. He woke her a short time later. They had a flight to catch.

  Chapter Forty-one

  Stretched out beneath the covers of her big comfy bed, Sienna could barely keep her eyes open. She and Gavin had returned from their honeymoon in Spain just under three hours ago. An uncontainable smile broke out. Best honeymoon ever! Not that she had another to compare it to, but it had to be up there among the top ten many girls dreamed about.

  They’d taken the AVE train from Barcelona to Madrid and spent a couple of days there sightseeing. Gavin had been determined to show her every nook and cranny of the beautiful city. He’d visited many times before and said it had been one of his favorite vacation spots.

  Three days before had been spent in Lisbon, Portugal. They’d enjoyed a private wine pairing lunch in the vineyards of Requengos de Monsaraz. They visited Seville or what Gavin had called old town with its brightly colored stone structures and cobbled streets. He’d taken her on a moonlit canoe ride along Maria Luisa Park. They explored the Triana Market and visited the antique shops of the Santa Cruz Quarter, and ended their three-day stay there with a tour of the Alcázar Palace. From there, they made a three-day stop in Granada simply because she’d mentioned that she’d always wanted to sketch the 16th century Cartuja Monastery.

  “Your wish is my command,” he’d said. That had been no joke. She carried her sketch pad everywhere they went, capturing details of the scenery with her chalks that she felt could not be conveyed in a smartphone snapshot. Throughout their many destinations, they’d made love virtually every single night . . . and even snuck in a quickie sexcapade in the cramped confines of the railway’s bathroom on their way back to Lisbon. Gavin was such a feral, sexual male, and she had no complaints. It had been a honeymoon like none she’d ever dreamed of, all thanks to the beautiful, magnificent man she’d married.

  Now back home, after a quiet dinner, she relaxed beneath comfy sheets and aimlessly clicked through the TV channels as she waited for Gavin to join her. Each night she looked forward to curling up in his arms as they drifted off to sleep. It had become a bedtime ritual with them.

  She released a yawn. “Babe, I’m going to fall asleep if you don’t hurry it up.”

  He stuck his head out of the bathroom and garbled around the sonic toothbrush, “You had better not.”

  Through another stretching yawn, Sienna continued to whiz through the channels. She tensed up sharply, coming straight up in bed upon seeing the face of Murtagh Kavanagh displayed on the news reel. The picture switched to images of bodies sprawled out beneath white sheets that were stained in blood. Dear god! The TV now showed a split screen of the carnage—the left, Florida—the right, Nevada. Smoke billowed from the rooftops of two estate homes. Her mind flashed briefly back to how Abela’s parents had died. Her hand flew to her throat. “Gavin?” she called as she stared at the images.

  Gavin stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hands on a wash cloth. “Hey, I was thinking we should—”

  “Look.” She pointed at the TV. “There was a shooting a few days ago when we were away. They’re speculating that your father’s alleged,” she air quoted, “organization was behind the death of several people down in Florida as well as Nevada, but no concrete evidence has been found to connect him. They mentioned something about a faction in Ireland that is somehow linked to all of it as well. A turf war, sources called it.”

  Staring at the TV, Gavin sat down on the edge of the bed, distress knotting his features.

  “Have you heard from Dylan, from anyone?”

  “No, they’re not allowed to talk to me. I’m considered dead to them. Basically, I have no family.”

  “What about Lucas . . . Sean or Dax? They must have heard something. And Bailey hasn’t called me. That’s odd.”

  Gavin snatched his phone from the nightstand, scrolled, and tapped the phone, then brought it to his ear.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Lucas. Hey,” he said when it connected, “did you know about the shooting? I know, but . . . yes, I appreciate that.”

  “What is he saying?” Sienna whispered.

  Gavin turned to her. “He said he knew, but once it had been made clear that no one from the Kavanagh family had been injured, he, Sean, and Dax as well as Bailey made the decision not to tell us. They didn’t want to ruin our honeymoon and hoped we didn’t catch any of it on the international news while we were away.” Gavin exchanged a few more words with Lucas and then ended the call.

  Watching the horrific scene on the news, Sienna was glad he was no longer connected to his family. Still, her heart ached for him. Though the Kavanaghs were straight-up criminals, this was his blood. He loved his brothers and sister . . . and Abela a little too much at one point. He even cared about his domineering, mob boss, bully of a father. She understood his feelings.

  One might wonder why she’d taken care of her mother financially when the woman had hardly looked after her when she was a child. She’d done it because it was a stark reminder to always be better, do better, that’s why.

  Sienna gave a light tug at his shoulders from behind. “Babe, lie down.” She slid over. He set his phone on the nightstand, got underneath the covers, and stared up at the ceiling, his fingers raking back through his hair, his features somber. She came up on an elbow, palmed his left cheek, and pressed a light kiss on his lips. “The Kavanaghs will always be your family. After everything settles down, maybe your father will come around, lift his stupid ban.”

  “You don’t know my pop. His word is law. The only way he’ll lift my banishment is if I agree to come into his organization.”

  That’s not happening. “Try calling or text Dylan to see for yourself that everyone is okay. He might respond.” Sienna reached across him to grab his phone from the nightstand and handed it over. “It’ll at least give you peace of mind.”

  As he scrolled through his contacts, his cell phone rang in his hand. Seeing Eddie’s name on the display, startled, they stared at one another
. “It’s Eddie.”

  She chuckled, stroking a hand across the broad plane of his bare chest. “I can see that. Answer it.”

  He tapped the phone and put it on speaker. “Hey, Eddie.”

  “Gav, glad I got you. I called Dax last week or so and heard you got hitched Vegas style and have been in Spain for like a month. Cool. I tried calling you several times, but the line kept falling off. Shouldn’t those fancy hotels over there have decent wi-fi or some shit so that doesn’t happen?”

  “We got back home a few hours ago. Sienna’s here. I have you on speaker.”

  “Oh. Cool. Hey, Sie . . . I can call you Sie, right? I mean since we’re fam now. And I can say you have great legs without Gav going ape-shit and threatening to kick my ass, right?”

  “It wasn’t a threat, Eddie, believe that,” Gavin groused.

  Sienna grinned at the crinkled brow her husband now displayed. Apparently, Eddie could make his brother anxious, smile, and glower in the same breath. The young man was in a deck all his own. “Sure, Eddie, you can call me Sie if you want.”

  “Cool.”

  “I saw the news,” Gavin said.

  “Bro, that was some precision.”

  “How’s the family?” Gavin cut in, abruptly clamping off any spew of the details.

  “Oh right,” Eddie was surprisingly quick to understand his near misstep. “Yeah, everyone’s cool. Hey, can I come by? I’m not that far from you right now. I need to discuss some things if you know what I mean.”

  Sienna met Gavin’s questioning look, and she nodded.

  “It’s been a long day,” he whispered to her.

  “I’m good.” She then spoke into the phone. “Sure, Eddie, we’re up. I’ll put some coffee on.”

  “Cool. I’ll be there in fifteen.”

  Gavin ended the call. “Sweetness, you really should get some sleep. It was a long flight and a long day.”

  “Just hear what he has to say.” She climbed out of bed and slipped on her robe from the chair, then pinned a hand down firmly on her hip. “If he starts talking about you joining in on whatever is going on—”

  “Eddie knows better.”

  “Good.”

  Chapter Forty-two

  “I’m sure Pop doesn’t know you’re in touch with me.” Gavin took a seat on the barstool next to Eddie.

  “Nah, he’s got his hands full with what’s going on, you know making sure there isn’t any sort of retaliatory fallback. I’m not on his radar at the moment. That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

  “Babe?”

  Gavin met Sienna’s stern stare as she set cups of coffee before him and Eddie. Exchanging a quiet understanding with her, he turned his head back to his brother. “What is it you want from me?”

  “Pop has given everyone tasks, except me. Even Miser’s crazy ass has been put in charge of shit. But Pop won’t give me any assignments, says he wants me to see to the home front, make sure everyone has what they need. Basically, I’m like a goddamn secretary. No, worse than that, I’m a fuc . . . ” His eyes met Sienna’s across the kitchen island. “I’m a gofer.” He frowned. “Hey, should she be listening to any of this?”

  Gavin extended his hand out to his wife. She rounded the island and came in between his legs, her back against his chest. He secured his arms around her waist, drawing her in even closer, and looked at Eddie. “We have no secrets.”

  Eddie shrugged. “Okay, whatever. Pop wouldn’t like it, but your shit’s your shit. Anyway, I need you to talk to Dylan, convince him that I’m ready to take on assignments. That way he’ll speak to Pop. Dylan would listen to you. Pop would listen to you, too, if you weren’t banished, that is.”

  Gavin read the eagerness in his baby brother’s eyes. The young man really wanted to be part of the clan. No reservation. A small part of Gavin admired Eddie’s level of devotion to their father and his organization.

  Eddie had been given a chance away from the Kavanaghs’ lifestyle by living with their mother half the year. But the young man had evidently chosen a side.

  “Well, Gav, how about it? Will you talk to Dylan?”

  His objection could mean Eddie would be spared that life for at least a little while longer. He looked at Sienna half-seated on his lap, quietly taking it all in, her expression showing no condemnation or approval of Eddie’s request.

  “You recently received your BA. Why not try to look for a job? You could move back to Ireland and manage the family’s whiskey distilleries. Or I could have you come on with me over at MVC and—”

  “Eh.” A dismissing wave. “I had to finish school. That was one of the divorce conditions Ma put on Pop if I wanted to live here instead of Ireland, you know that. My degree would actually help me in Pop’s organization. As for the distilleries, not for me, bro. And why should I go work for someone else when I could keep it in the fam? Come on, Gav, help me out here?”

  Gavin could see there was no reasoning with him. His mind was made up on the direction he wanted to take with his life, that young eagerness for big shiny things. “I’ll speak with Dylan.”

  Eddie’s grin lit up the room. “Thanks, bro. I—”

  Gavin brought up a hand as he came to his feet and Sienna moved to his side. “This is serious shit you want to get into. There are things I’m sure Pop has kept you out of, things that go a lot deeper than what you could imagine.”

  “Bro, I’m telling you I can handle it.”

  Gavin nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Chapter Forty-three

  “Thanks for agreeing to meet. I know Pop would be pissed if he knew you were seeing me.”

  Dylan swallowed his iced tea. “With all the shit he’s got going, trust me, my whereabouts are the least of his concerns.”

  “You sound like Eddie.

  “Speaking of, why don’t you try to convince him to step away from all of it?” With a look at Dylan seated across from him, Gavin took a bite out of his double-crab-cake sandwich. “Uncle Niall’s son, Cousin Remmy, could take over the territory, allowing you to step away as well,” he said as he chewed.

  Dylan stuck a cluster of fries in his mouth and washed it down with his drink. “Nah, since Pop has agreed to let me manage the southeast, I’ve convinced him to let me mentor Eddie. Then, in time, when I feel Eddie’s ready, I’ll step down and hand it over to him.”

  Gavin frowned. Guilt welled tight in his chest. Dylan wouldn’t have to do any of this if only Gavin had stepped up like his father wanted. Now the guy and his wife were moving down to Miami so he could reign over McCrae’s territory. This wasn’t something his brother wanted, Gavin knew that.

  “Dude, it’s all good.”

  Gavin blinked, pulled back to the here and now. “What?”

  “I know what you’re thinking. No worries, bro. You keep doing what you’re doing. You have a beautiful wife, and maybe a kid someday, it makes me happy to see you get the life you’ve always wanted.”

  “You deserve it just as much as I do, if not more.” Thinking back to the woman at the bar, Gavin said, “Dyl, you’ve had to sacrifice so damn much. You were in love with Cailin, and Pop made you give her up.”

  “Cailin is my past. And you don’t know the whole story.”

  Gavin cocked his head. “Are we about to play a guessing game or something?”

  Dylan chuckled, then quickly sobered. “Pop wanted me to stop seeing Cailin, but I refused. He said he’d put out an order on her if I didn’t. So, I threatened him, said that I’d leave the family, be banished.”

  Gavin sat back in his chair, stunned. “No shit?”

  “Pop came back with a challenge of his own. He’d said if he offered Cailin money to fix up her bar, in exchange that she cut ties with me, she’d choose the bar.”

  “She chose the bar,” Gavin said, and his brother nodded. “I’d hate to see what that hole in the wall looked like before she supposedly fixed it up,” he muttered.

  “I didn’t hold it against Cailin. That bar was
all her father had left to give her when he died. And she didn’t take the money, not one red cent, but still walked away from me to prevent me from turning away from the family.”

  Gavin shook his head. “Damn. Sorry, bro.” He felt even more to blame for his brother’s ill fate. “I’m really sorry that—” Getting a dismissing wave, he asked, “Why didn’t she check out with Pop? What did he find out about her that he didn’t approve of?”

  “Oh, she’s the niece of Ennis Whelan, the Midwest head.”

  Gavin flinched. “Pop’s sworn enemy. So that’s what he meant when he’d said she would have been a plant, a mole.”

  “Yep. Anyway, it was a long time ago. I met Angie, and she’s perfect. I didn’t have to worry about her not checking out with Pop because she grew up in foster care her entire life. Though I know how much she wants a baby, with all that’s going on right now, it may be a blessing that she hasn’t gotten pregnant. She’s been cool about everything.” He stretched his arms outward, cracking muscles, unknotting the tension in his shoulders. “Anyway, I got this. I’ll take care of the southeast and Eddie. You focus on your wife, your family.” Dylan grinned. “I couldn’t be happier and more proud of you, bro.”

  Gavin swallowed down the sudden lump that tightened his throat. “Thanks.” Yet, his guilt over all his brother had sacrificed remained.

  Epilogue

  “I can see he’s going to look like his dad.” Bailey cooed at the baby nestled in her arms.

  “Don’t condemn the child,” Dax teased as he scooped the baby from her.

  “Dax, I won’t curse around my son, so I’ll just offer you this.” Seated in the chair beside the hospital bed, Gavin gave him his customary double salute of his middle fingers.

  Sean stepped forward and took the baby from Dax. “He’s big, no doubt.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know. I pushed him out.” Sienna grinned happily. “I still can’t believe he was nearly twelve pounds.”