25. Twenty-Five
25
TWENTY-FIVE
O nly Pearl gave me grief about meeting in my suite. She said she had a date—which was news to me—but I promised this was more important. That was enough to get her to postpone. I made a mental note to figure out who she was dating, then arranged for a huge Chinese banquet to be delivered upstairs.
Rex ushered everybody inside my suite. They were obviously curious, but nobody pushed me when I said I wanted to wait until the food was delivered to get into things. I didn’t want any distractions or interruptions. I didn’t want any eavesdroppers either.
Rex collected the food when it arrived and wheeled it into the kitchen, where he proceeded to set it up on the counter. Then, without me asking, he filled a plate full of my favorites—garlic chicken, sesame chicken, egg rolls, and crab rangoon—and delivered it to me on the couch.
“Good?” he asked, brushing my hair away from my face. My heart seized in my throat when I registered the naked love he was throwing at me. He was an open book these days. It had been a book I was afraid to read—as if it were a Stephen King special or something—but suddenly I realized that I was ready to hear the whole story.
“I’m good,” I replied on a wistful sigh.
“What was that?” he asked, cocking his head.
I recognized all eyes were on us and forced myself to keep my mushy thoughts to myself … at least for the time being. “Nothing. I was just thinking about the egg roll.”
He smirked. “I aim to please.” He dropped a kiss on top of my head, ignoring the curious looks from my family, and returned to the kitchen. “Fill your plates. We have a lot to discuss and you’re going to need the energy to get through it.”
“I’m not going to say no to food.” Zach ushered Livvie in front of him so they were the first into the kitchen. “I am a little nervous about whatever you’ve called us here for.”
“Why would you be nervous?” Rex asked.
“You didn’t like … elope with my sister, did you?” Zach was deadly serious. “You’re going to be in big trouble if you did.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rex snorted. “Didn’t you elope with my sister?”
“That was your idea,” Zach argued. “Also, that wasn’t a denial.” His eyes moved to me. “Mom is going to punish you forever if you eloped.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Zachary,” Mom barked. “Although, he’s not wrong. You’re in big trouble if you eloped. I have plans for your wedding.”
“Mom.” I was exasperated. “I don’t want some big, elaborate deal. Good grief.”
“See, that just proves you’re thinking about marriage.” Mom’s eyes flicked to Rex. “No eloping. I can’t issue a realistic threat against Ruby, but I can against you. I’ll make you work weekends for the rest of your life if you elope.”
I expected Rex to balk, or get tongue tied. Instead, he just laughed. “Nobody is eloping. If you haven’t figured it out already, Ruby needs to be eased into things. You can’t just spring something like a wedding on her and expect her to accept it. She’ll fight just to fight under those circumstances.”
I was pretty certain I’d just been insulted. “Hey!”
Rex blew me an air kiss before turning back to my mother. “I would never ask Ruby to marry me without getting your permission. I mean … only a jerk would marry someone without getting permission from a parent.” He cast a pointed look toward Zach.
“I hate you,” Zach muttered, his disgruntlement obvious. “Like … completely and totally.”
Rex chuckled as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I might not respect Mr. Stone, but I respect you,” he assured Mom. “I promise I won’t propose without giving you a heads-up.”
Mom beamed at him. “I knew I always liked you.” To me, she nodded and pointed. “I told you he was a good one.”
“I don’t actually remember you saying that,” I argued around a mouthful of egg roll. “I’m glad you approve though, since he is going to be the father of your first grandchild.”
“Yes, speaking of that.” Mom paused with her hand halfway to the moo shu pork. “You’re not really going to name my granddaughter Rexanne, are you?”
“No,” I replied on a scowl, shooting a warning look toward Rex. “Stop telling people that.”
“I don’t see why you won’t even consider it,” Rex complained. “We could call her Rexy. It would be adorable.”
“I said no, and I mean it. I’m never backing down on that.”
“Oh, you’re going to come around to my way of thinking. I have faith.”
“You guys are adorable,” Pearl said out of nowhere.
I cast her a suspicious look and waited.
“You’re adorable, but you make me want to puke,” she added. “Can you tell us why you invited us here? I really do have other things I would prefer doing than watching you two verbally copulate.”
“Suck it up,” I challenged. “You’re fine. Although … who are you dating again? I must have missed that announcement.”
“She won’t tell us,” Opal replied. “It’s some big secret. I’m considering hiring a private investigator to follow her around and come up with the goods, though. I can’t torture her appropriately if I don’t have a name.”
“Yes, see what happens if you even try that,” Pearl said sweetly. “You’ll be a strange lump in the desert if you go that route.”
It was the “lump in the desert” reference that jolted me back to reality. “So, we really did invite you here for a reason, and it has nothing to do with us.”
“It’s about Ryder,” Rex supplied as he sat on the couch next to me, making sure our legs were touching as he got comfortable. It was a small show of support, but I appreciated it. “We think we might have figured out his plan.”
Mom’s eyes narrowed. “You mean because he’s pushing the amphitheater so hard? I figured he was just doing that so he could pretend he had important ideas.”
“I thought that at first too,” I acknowledged. “Now, though, I think it’s something else.” I pushed forward in halting terms. “So, remember how Dad used to go to card games at The Chiffon every week?”
Mom’s countenance grew dark. “Yes, and thank you so much for reminding me of that.”
“Sorry.” I meant it. “I have a reason for bringing it up, though. Rex and I were talking about the amphitheater, and how the first thing Dad would have to do would be to find a space for it. It’s not as if we have vacant real estate coming out of our eyeballs on the Strip. An amphitheater is big too.”
Zach was the one who grasped what we were getting at first. “You think Dad wants to take the land that The Chiffon is on,” he guessed.
I nodded.
“That makes no sense, though,” Opal argued on a headshake. “Chet Haskins has turned down every offer that’s been thrown his way for thirty years. He doesn’t want to sell. Most people think that he’ll hold onto the land until he dies—given how much he drinks and smokes, it won’t be long—and then the land will go up for auction.”
“And won’t that be a mess,” Mom mused, shaking her head.
“We understand all of that,” I assured them. “The thing is, there have been rumors for years that the reason Haskins doesn’t want to sell is because he doesn’t have to. He could get a lot of money for that parcel, but instead he runs a flea bag hotel with no casino. Why?”
“Because supposedly he has dirt on a bunch of important people and extorts them,” Zach replied, not missing a beat. He immediately paused when he realized what he’d said. “Oh.”
“Oh,” Rex agreed, bobbing his head.
“Dad was one of the people being extorted.” It wasn’t a question. Zach was resigned to the correct answer. “What a piece of crap,” he complained.
Olivia looked genuinely baffled as she glanced between faces. “Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what’s happening?”
Rex took pity on his sister. “Haskins supposedly brought prostitutes into his weekly card games. He did it for months and it wasn’t a big deal. Eventually, he used the video footage he’d amassed from those encounters to blackmail the other card games members into paying him an exorbitant amount of money every month.”
“Oh.” Olivia’s eyes went wide. “So, basically we’re saying Ryder has a sex tape out there somewhere.”
“Yes,” Mom agreed. “That would be just like him.” She was grim. “Unbelievable,” she said after a few minutes. “Just un-freaking-believable.” She looked angry rather than hurt. Nobody was surprised by Dad’s antics any longer.
“I’m sorry,” I offered all the same. “I know it seems like he can’t possibly embarrass us anymore. Then he always does.”
“He always does,” Mom agreed, her hand going to her forehead. “So, what do we think his plan is?”
“I don’t think he’s gotten past offering the deal to Haskins,” Rex replied.
“Why would he do that, though?” Pearl interjected. “I mean…how does he think this is going to work?”
“Well, since he’s been paying Haskins to keep the recording under wraps and now he no longer has the money to pay…” I trailed off.
“Ooh.” Pearl leaned forward. “I hadn’t even put that together yet. Of course he was paying Haskins to keep it quiet.”
“And he doesn’t want it to get out even now because he’s convinced that he will somehow come back to power,” Zach surmised.
“That’s my feeling,” Rex agreed. He hadn’t touched his dinner yet. “I think he offered the deal to Haskins. As part of it, Haskins will somehow get shares in the company. Haskins has always wanted to run a casino. He can’t because of the background check. I don’t know what he has in his past to stop him, but he’s been turned down by the licensing board multiple times.”
“I’m sure it’s gross whatever it is,” I replied.
“I’ve been wondering why your father has been so gung-ho about this amphitheater when he was lukewarm on the idea when I first brought it up ten years ago,” Mom said. “Now, suddenly, he’s acting as if it’s always been his life’s dream. I thought he was just doing it to needle me.”
“That’s what I thought at first too,” I admitted. “I think it’s way more than that, though.”
“No, it most definitely is,” Mom agreed. “This makes perfect sense.”
“So, what do we do?” Olivia asked when nobody spoke for several seconds. “Do we tell him we know and shut him down?”
“No.” Mom shook her head. “We have to come up with a different plan.”
“We could out him ourselves,” Zach suggested. “That would put an end to all of it.”
“And have the gossips and press knocking down our doors,” Mom said. “We managed to hold things together relatively well with the first scandal. I don’t think they’re going to take it as easy on us a second time around.”
“Okay.” Zach nodded. “So … what do we do?”
“We need to take those shares from your father.”
“Can you do that?” Rex asked. “I mean … he’s never going to willingly volunteer them.”
“No, but he’s desperate to keep Haskins quiet,” I said. “What if we approach Haskins with a deal of our own?”
Rex angled himself to stare at me. “What sort of deal?”
“We could tell him we know what he’s doing and it’s never going to happen.” I thought about how to phrase it correctly. “We could basically wave the red flag and tell him to release the information. It would be a bluff, but I think it’s one that would work because we all know he doesn’t really want to release the information.”
“If he does, he’ll lose all leverage,” Mom agreed. “He likes to fancy himself a power player in the Vegas scene.”
“That’s all he’s ever really cared about,” I agreed. “So, we make him an offer. There will be no partnership for him. If he gives us the leverage against Dad, though, we’ll give him … what? We can’t give him a piece of the casino. Rex is right, he hasn’t passed muster with the licensing board and that will blow back on us.”
“We’ll give him a piece of the parking garage,” Mom said out of nowhere.
I was thrown. “What parking garage?”
“He’s willing to sell that piece of land.” Mom was determined. I could tell by the way she was holding her jaw. “Let’s see if he’ll give it to us. We’ll cut your father out of the deal. It’s something Haskins will enjoy. We’ll buy the land—depending on what he’ll let it go for—and build a parking garage and an amphitheater. He can have a piece of the parking garage.”
“How much money is that going to be, though?” Rex asked.
“You would be surprised. Once the garage is built, he could probably clear ten grand a week with his stake in the parking garage. It will be continuous money, on top of his payout for the property. He’ll also get to screw your father in the process because he’ll have handed over his leverage to us.”
“It might be enough,” Rex agreed. “It might not be enough either, though. You have to be prepared for him to turn you down.”
“I will be.” Mom flashed a wan smile. “It’s going to work, though. I can feel it.”
“Okay.” Rex bobbed his head. “Do you want me to make the offer?”
“No. I’ll put together a team for that. I want it to be official. I also want time to put together a contract that he can’t weasel his way out of. It all needs to be in place before I approach him. That’s the only way I can be certain Ryder won’t find out what’s going on.”
“So, we just pretend like nothing is happening until then?” Zach asked. He didn’t look happy.
“Yup. That’s exactly what we do.”
“Well, that’s boring.”
Mom smirked at him. “Just imagine how much fun we’re going to have when we all get to drop the bomb that he’s failed on him. Plus, if he wants that footage, he’s going to have to turn over his remaining shares in the company.”
Zach perked up. “Oh, you are diabolical.”
“Yes.” Mom looked far too happy with herself. “It’s going to be amazing. Just wait.”
“I hope it all works out.” I meant it. “He’s got a lot of bad karma coming to him.”
“That’s why it’s going to work out,” Mom assured me. “If anybody has earned his comeuppance, it’s your father. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. I, for one, can’t wait.”
She wasn’t the only one. “Yeah. It’s going to be the gift that keeps on giving … forever.”
“Now we just have to put it in action. It won’t be long now. We finally have the upper hand.”
REX HUNG AROUND TO HELP ME CLEAN up after they’d all left. That wasn’t unexpected. When he started for the door to show himself out, though, my heart gave a panicked leap.
“Where are you going?” I blurted.
He glanced over his shoulder. “I figured you would want some time to yourself to think things through. That’s your normal way of doing things.”
My normal way of doing things. I was such a creature of habit that he didn’t think—not for a moment—that I would deviate from my pattern. Well, I was about to show him.
“I want you to stay.” I didn’t wait for him to say it first this time. I needed to be the bold one. It was time.
“You want me to cuddle you?” His smile was roguish.
“No, I want it all.”
He faltered. “What all?” His voice was raspy, as if his mouth had suddenly gone dry.
“Everything you want to give me, I want to take.” I’d been nervous about what I was going to say, and yet everything spilled out topsy-turvy … and I was okay with it. “You said earlier that you wanted me to be certain about us. Well, I am certain. I want you. All of you.”
Hope flared in his eyes, then he tempered it. “Maybe I should let you sleep on it so you’re really sure.”
“I am really sure, Rex.” I wasn’t going to let him get away. Not this time. “You mentioned that you wanted it all, but you needed to wait for me to want it all. The thing is, I do want it all. I always have. I was just afraid.”
“And you’re not afraid now?”
“I guess I have faith. Somewhere along the way, you gave it to me.”
“And you’re sure you’re not going to change your mind?”
“I’m sure. This is what I want. I need you to give it to me.” I recognized what I’d said when it was too late to take it back. “That sounded like something from a dirty movie.”
He laughed as he took a hopeful step toward me. “I won’t hold it against you.”
“What if I want you to hold it against me?” I did my best to be flirty. It was hard given my current state. Given the way his eyes flashed, I managed to somehow hit my mark.
“Be very specific here, Ruby,” he rasped. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to love me … every way that you can.”
He lurched forward and cupped the back of my head. “Done.” I was swinging up into his arms before I registered what was happening. “You have no idea what I’m going to do to you.” He almost tripped over his feet in his haste to get to my bedroom.
“I can’t wait to find out,” I whispered into his neck.
“Then you’d better prepare yourself, because tonight is going to be amazing.”
Finally. I was no longer going to get in my own way.