Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Stella sank down onto the couch in the large open living room of the Airbnb they’d rented. “I don’t know a lot about the Mafia families, only the little Sam passed on to me, but if Daniel was in bed with them to get his casino built and somehow Liam’s winning threatened their business in some way, they might have killed him. Daniel had a reputation, and—Vienna, correct me if I’m wrong—the casino was built around the mystique of his ability at cards.”
“That’s true. He was young, handsome and very charming. In those early days he supposedly greeted the patrons of his hotel and walked through the casinos talking to players on the floor, encouraging them.” Vienna now knew he used his voice to encourage high rollers to bet even more.
“Enough people won to keep coming back,” Raine said, once again frowning at the data coming across her screen at a rapid rate. “The northern lights would play above machines during a big win, and at night there would be beautiful displays in the fountains and inside around the sculptures. The sculptures looked so real, as if they were made of ice, and when the lights played through them, no one had seen such beautiful sights before.”
“They’re still amazing and look real,” Vienna confirmed.
“In spite of the fact that the FBI supposedly drove the Mafia out of Vegas,” Stella continued, “it’s very possible that Daniel’s backers retained their share in his casino. My understanding is that many of the families are still very active but low-key, staying under the radar now. Not necessarily in Vegas, but for certain everywhere else. They could still be owners and keeping Daniel in line.”
“It would be awful if Daniel had fallen in love with Miriam and didn’t live with her because he was protecting her in some way from those people,” Zahra ventured.
“You’re such a romantic,” Stella said and blew her a kiss. “But you might actually have a point. I know Sam said the men he works with were always careful not to get involved with anyone because they made so many enemies. If they fell in love with someone, that woman would always be at risk.”
Harlow began to pace. She had long legs and could easily stride across the hardwood floor with its multitude of throw rugs. “Okay. For a minute, let’s suppose Daniel actually fell in love with Miriam and they had a son together. Everything was fine until his backers felt threatened. Or maybe not threatened, but Daniel did something to make them really angry with him. What could have happened to make them feel that way?”
There was silence while they exchanged long looks, each trying to puzzle out the solution. Vienna loved being with the other women in situations such as this one. They were all different and brought distinctive opinions and thoughts to the discussion. All of them were intelligent and willing to listen to the others. They respected one another. She felt very lucky to have found them.
Raine, as usual, turned to her laptop. “The only thing I can find is a rumor that the Northern Lights Hotel and Casino was considering building a second casino.”
Vienna sat up very straight. “That’s odd. I know for a fact that a proposal was made at a business meeting recently for that very thing and Daniel was opposed to the idea.”
“If he was opposed to the idea of a second casino back then, his partners could have retaliated and murdered Miriam,” Shabina pointed out. “He immediately took his son under his care and surrounded him with security, but he lost the woman he loved.”
“If that’s what happened.” Raine was the voice of caution. “Keep in mind this is just theory. Nothing else.”
“Yes, but if that same thing came up, the building of another casino, and Daniel refused to consider the idea, his partners maybe did order a hit on him,” Vienna said. “There have been two attempts on his life. They may think his son, who would inherit Daniel’s shares, would be much easier to manipulate.”
“Then Daniel would really have been warning you, not threatening you,” Shabina said.
Vienna nodded. “I know that a couple of the men on his security team are the ones that came into my room with the intention of killing me. There’s no doubt in my mind that that’s what they were there to do. Fortunately, they didn’t have the time. They also weren’t the ones to put cameras and bugs in my room. They didn’t have the time for that either. I think that was done when Daniel was congratulating me. He kept delaying me leaving and looking at his watch.”
“Why would he put bugs and cameras in your room?” Raine asked. “That doesn’t make him a good guy.”
Stella’s brows drew together. “Could he have been worried someone was going to try to hurt her? If he had security watching in her room, maybe he thought he could protect her better.”