Page 16 of Reluctant Surrender

“You think you can sell that much in one night?”

He laughed again. “Man, I can move that much in a few hours. Your club is starting to get bigger and bigger now that you’re in charge. On a night you have a full house, I can probably move half a million.”

“And when the feds catch up with you?”

“Always a risk, you know that.” He nodded. He was right. No matter how well we hid, how deep underground we worked, there was always a chance some department would start sniffing around us.

“Give me a few days to think it over,” I said.

“You got it, man.” He jumped up to his feet. Johnny always had more energy than anyone should without the help of his products, but he swore he never touched them.

He paused as his gaze caught the family photograph on the corner of my desk. A gift from my sister-in-law.

“You know Mags?” he asked, picking up the photo of Christian, his wife, myself, and Maggie taken at my brother’s wedding reception in New York.

“Mags?” I moved to my feet, already feeling my jaw tighten.

“Margaret. I call her Mags.” He pointed at her image in the photo. Her blonde hair had been swept up into one of those twist things. White and pink flowers were pinned into the hairdo, but it was the light pink gown she’d worn that night that had my eyes glued to her. It wasn’t overly tight, but it fit her perfectly in every spot I wanted to get my hands.

“How do you know her?” I asked, casually taking the photo away from him and putting it back on the desk.

“Poker.” He slid his hands into his pants. “We play at the same games sometimes. Actually,” he frowned while scratching the back of his neck. “She’s got herself in some hot water.”

“What hot water?” I demanded.

Johnny’s eyebrows shot up. “You two a thing?”

“What happened?” Our lack of relationship wouldn’t stop me from smacking this asshole in the face if he didn’t start talking. If Maggie was in trouble, and something in my gut screamed she was, I needed to know about it right away.

“Last night we were at a game hosted by Sammy Bertonelli.” Already my stomach twisted into a tight knot. “A guy, one of his own, was screwing with the game. I left just as Sammy caught him, but from what I heard, the guy was taken care of.”

Taken care of in my world only meant one thing.

“And Maggie?” I pressed. Those cards weren’t innocent decks in her apartment. Nothing about her was innocent if what he was telling me was the truth. Maggie knew how to fix a game; she knew precisely how to get the pot higher and higher before wiping out everyone around the table. And most guys didn’t even know she’d done it.

“Last I heard, Sammy was looking for her.” Johnny shrugged. “He hasn’t asked me anything yet, and I’m hoping it stays that way. Other than her cell number, I have nothing for him. But you know what a hothead that Italian bastard can be.”

Hothead didn’t begin to describe Sammy Bertonelli. I never considered myself a man with a strong moral compass, but at least I possessed one. Sammy Bertonelli had thrown his down and squashed it until it didn’t exist anymore. He would as soon as rip out Maggie’s heart than allow anyone to believe she bested him or his men at a game of cards.

“He thinks she had something to do with it? His man cheating?” If she was there, then sure as shit she had everything to do with it.

“I guess. I tried calling her this morning, but she didn’t answer.”

Nausea rolled through my stomach.

“I’m sure she’s just sleeping off last night,” I said with a tightness in my chest. “I’ll get back to you about the club.”

“Great.” He flashed me a grin and whistled his way out of my office.

The moment the door shut, I snagged my phone and dialed Maggie. Three rings, then four, then voicemail.

“Fuck.”

“What do you need?” Andrezj asked, stepping up to my desk.

“Who’s in the area?” I asked him, while reverently typing out a text to Maggie.

“Janusz and Frederick are out that way.”

---