I nodded. “Well done, Vanessa. Thank you.”
“No problem, Sadie.”
“This presents a more pressing task for you, Calvin.” He tore his gaze from Ava Rose and sent a tired look my way. “I need that surveillance footage before you do anything else. Find it and bring it to me before we corrupt it or destroy it.” I didn’t know much about technology, mostly I left it up to Calvin, but I knew the basics.
Cal stood with a nod, holding Ava Rose close to his chest. “I said I’m on it now.”
He quietly left the dining room, his plate still piled with food. I watched my youngest walk away from dinner, from the table but mostly from me. I knew he was still angry with me, and worse, I knew if he knew the full extent of what happened that night, he would never forgive me. But he was young and also ignorant of the facts, and I planned to keep it that way for as long as I could. For now, I had to focus on damage control. I didn’t want to fight my family while I fought the law.
My son’s anger I could handle. I wasn’t so sure I’d survive his hate.
Calvin will forgive me. He has to. I wanted to believe those words and another glass of Velvet Fire would help make a believer out of me.
For a little while, anyway.
Dinner ended, and I retired to my parlor with a fresh bottle of whiskey and some of the best pot in Nevada.
“Lucky Lopez has been closed for too long,” I told Jasper as soon as he set foot inside my personal space. “I want it open and making money again. Yesterday.”
“It will be open as soon as the cops clear it, Ma. It’s not like the titty bar made us any real money. It’s just to help us clean the money from the guns and the drugs. That’s our real money.”
“I don’t give a shit, Jasper. I want it open sooner rather than later.”
“Dammit, Ma. It’s not like we’re hurting for cash. Emerald Isle and Black Stallion still bring in a ton of cash, not to mention the skin trade.”
Jasper shook his head and poured himself a drink from the bar. “We have money. What’s this really about?”
“It’s about that redheaded bitch gunning for my family and for me in particular. We’ll need as many legal revenue streams as possible to deal with what’s coming, Jas. You know that. What if she decides to shut us down while they investigate?”
He looked at me with steel in his eyes. “Something you should have been worrying about weeks ago, and you probably would have, if you weren’t drunk all the time.”
Kat appeared in the doorway with a smirk on her face that begged to be smacked.
“This is none of your fucking business, Katherine,” I snapped.
She shrugged and pushed off the doorway, taking two short steps inside the parlor. “Maybe not the specifics, but the casino businesses, the other legitimate business are my business, and I don’t want you to fuck it up for the rest of us. Keep drinking like this and that’s exactly what will happen.”
She threw her hands up in frustration. “For fuck’s sake, Ma, get it together. You worked too hard to let it all fall apart like this.”
She looked to Jasper, expecting him to say something. Instead, Jasper refilled his glass and mine, staring back at her in silence.
“Right. Well, fuck it and fuck you too!” Kat stared at me and shook her head before she stomped off.
Ignoring my petulant daughter, I turned to my reliable son. “I want Lucky Lopez back up and running. I have plans for that place, Jasper.”
My eldest son nodded and finished off his drink, slamming the glass down with more force than the act required. “I guess you don’t want to clue me into these plans, huh? I mean, I’m only the one in charge of every fucking thing we do, or did you forget that?” Jasper didn’t wait for me to respond; he just shook his head and walked away.
There was too fucking much walking away from me today, and I was damn tired of it. “What do you want?”
Thomas stopped a few feet inside the parlor and frowned. “I came to see if you needed anything, ma’am.”
“Do I look like I need anything, Thomas?” I snapped. “If I need anything, I’ll let you know. Leave me the hell alone. And don’t call me ma’am.”
He gave a short nod and turned away, leaving me as I requested before I could take the hurtful words back.
Chapter Eight
Thomas
She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid eyes on and the moment she entered my life, I knew I could never have her. She belonged to my boss’ son, Colm. I was the hired help and she belonged to the man who would one day be King.