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I see my two queens, plus a king and jack from Carlos. Not bad. I glance at the community cards and notice an eight, ten, and five. We both have the option of a straight. Waiting for the dealer to turn the fourth card, I notice the fidgeting is getting worse for Carlos. To be honest, I’m worried he may walk. If it comes down to that, the next step of my plan won’t work.
A ten is dealt—which gives me two pair. He has no chance of winning. The dealer lays the river card down, sealing his fate. Carlos sits there, clearly realizing what this means for him.
“You must pay in full the notes on the table before you leave,” I demand as I stand up. Carlos gets up and the frantic look on his face is hilarious. Had he won, he would have won a little under twelve million. This would have paid off most of his debt and he would be walking away here unharmed.
“I’ll need twenty-four hours to come up with that kind of money.”
The dealer leaves the two of us as my enforcers walk into the room.
“You knew the deal the moment you signed up for the tournament. Every player must pay up at the final table. The buy-in you used is deducted from the total amount due. Don’t tell me you came here with no money…?”
As the cocky look in his eyes clears out, dread settles in them. “I’ll have to go to the bank. I honestly didn’t think I’d lose.”
The sunglasses on Carlos’s nose slip from all the sweating he’s doing. “Well, this is unfortunate. You hustled millions from the casinos around here. The last straw was when you tried to do it here—at my casino. It looks like you were trying to do another swindle here.”
I walk around to where he’s sitting and stand above him. “Give me one good reason not to kill you.”
“Wh-what?” Oh, he didn’t think I would get rough with him. Stupid on his part. “Look, I…” His head swivels around, trying to find the exits. There is no way out for him. “I was overconfident. It was a mistake. There’s no need for all of this.”
Sighing heavily, I pull my nine-millimeter gun out and point it at his head. “That’s too bad because this ends tonight, Carlos.” To prove my point, I cock the hammer on the gun, and he shakes.
“Wait. Wait!” he screams as my finger touches the trigger. His hands are up, and the wet sheen over his forehead makes him look deathly ill.
“This is your one chance, Carlos. It better be good.”
He gulps, looking guilty. What the fuck? “My sister. I will trade my sister for my life.”
The other casino owners said he would do it. He would give his sister's life in exchange for his own. Sick bastard. My anger boils over to the point where I don’t stop my itching trigger finger. I shoot him in the forehead.
“I hate being wrong,” I growl into the silent room. Looking at my men, I wave my gun in a dismissive way. “Get rid of this piece of shit.”
Chapter One
Aribella
Five in the morning comes early around here. My brother must still be asleep. Yawning and stretching, I get out of bed and shiver as the cold wooden floor makes my toes icy. I reach for my hair tie and mess with it until I have a messy bun. Looking in the mirror, I notice the dark circles under my eyes. Working the graveyard shift at the diner four nights a week, going to college, and trying to take care of this farm is taking its toll.
“Carlos?” I call out as I stand in front of his door. “Big brother, you have an appointment at eight. We need to get the hay in for the cows.” Music blares in his room, and I bang on his door. “Come on, don’t make me come in. Your room is a mess.”
He’ll get up soon enough. I trudge down the stairs and wonder why it’s so cold here. The heat is on, I hear it running. Looking at the thermostat next to the kitchen entryway, I notice it’s ten degrees colder than what I set the heat on. “Ugh, another thing to fix.”
Irritated, I walk into the kitchen and start the coffee. It’s definitely going to be a two-pot day. Why my brother moved us to this farm, I will never know. It’s been one problem after another to fix. It’s been a year, and we have sunk every dime our father left us into this heap.
The sound of gravel crunching causes me to frown. Is Carlos just now getting home? Or maybe he is home. Ugh. I hope it isn’t Brayden. He keeps trying to get my brother to partner with him in some kind of land deal. It would be a mistake. There are rumors about Brayden and how he killed his last business partner.
Siding with caution, I pick up the shotgun by the back door and check the chamber.Loaded.Exactly how I left it. After sneaking out the back door, I walk around the east side of the house and see four large black vehicles parked in a row.
“I don’t know who you are, but you have five seconds before I shoot.”
My nerves are going haywire. A door from the middle vehicle opens, and I aim the barrel toward that area. I’ll either hit the person or make the windshield my new practice target. Heck, I’ve never shot a single thing in my life, but now's as good of a time as any.
I can only describe the man that steps out of the vehicle in one way. Gorgeous. Spiked black hair that’s coiffed perfectly. Not a single errant strand. His nose is straight, and those white teeth are a stark contrast to his dark skin.
“Are you Aribella Tremaine?” He buttons his jacket as he takes a step closer to me.
“Why are you asking?” I snarl. The man standing before me is someone well-known around town, but I’ve never seen him this close before.
“As the man that owns this land, I’d like to know who is in my house.” He gives me a pearly white smirk and steps closer once more.
