Page 6 of Diamonds & Deception

I should have known better than to engage. Even with the one word, it encourages Ryder to carry on. He’s the master of giving us all nicknames. He came up with thedoctorfor me because of my initials, D.R., and because I used to have my sights on getting my Ph.D. in mathematics.

Sealy is an obvious connection to Nolan’s eight years as a SEAL. “At least I don’t have to overcompensate for my small dick by cracking jokes every minute.”

“They don’t call me Ryder Hard because of my lack of skills in the bedroom.”

I rub my temples, trying to ignore the boys while making notes on the spreadsheets.

“No one calls you Ryder Hard except you, Benny.”

Their banter is amusing and sometimes annoying. If I wasn’t rushing to get through the numbers, I’d join in. But Nora will be downstairs in twenty minutes, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.

I make a few more marks, select the better vendor, and slide the folder over to Ryder. “Free Rangeis your best bet. Their reputation is stellar, and their clientele is close to what you see atRed. They’re pricier thanFarm Fresh, but if you make them an offer with these price points”—I point at the numbers I added— “then they’d be stupid to decline. Your business will put them in the black for years to come.”

“Hmm. This is good.” Ryder sticks out his lower lip and nods. “I hadn’t thought of bartering. People are all into the free-range and organic stuff now anyway. Having them as our supplier could potentially pull in more patrons.”

“Not that you need them. I’m having a hard enough time calming down pissed-off, entitled millennials when they can’t get a last-minute reservation. Their tantrums are annoying as shit,” Nolan says.

They may bicker like ten-year-olds, but Ryder and Nolan’s friendship and respect for each other runs deep. It’s why I don’t feel like it’s my place to stop them when they argue. It’s usually nothing too serious. Unless when we’re meeting about the Donahues.

They’re the one topic the four of us don’t see eye-to-eye on. Micky Donahue is the devil incarnate, and the leader of the Irish crime ring in the city. It’s an archaic group that’s been dwindling with time, thank God, but Micky and his asshole son Eddie won’t let go of their old-school ways.

If it wasn’t for his brother Martin, and his son Owen, I’d never allow a Donahue to set foot in Four Aces. Nolan was the hardest one to convince to let the Irish family be elite members and allow them use of our boardrooms and private high-stakes poker rooms.

Trey isn’t a fan of the mob family either, but he doesn’t say why. He’s uncharacteristically quiet for a man who runs a dance club.The Clubhas quickly become the hottest dance spot in Boston, thanks to the way he runs it. He’s business oriented, like me, and doesn’t get caught up in the drama, which tends to come with a hot nightclub.

He doesn’t talk about the past, and I get the sense that he’s got some unwanted connections to the Donahue family, but he keeps it all to himself. I know him better than anyone else, and my knowledge of Trey Baxter, the Bastard, as Ryder likes to call him, is limited. Still, I trust him with my life. With my investments. With the casino. So do Nolan and Ryder.

We’ve kept trouble away from the casino until recently and have been working overtime to make sure the media doesn’t make any connections with the latest round of murders in the city. If they find a connection to Four Aces, we’re doomed.

Even though the initial idea and planning of the casino were mine, my three best friends have worked their asses off over the past five years to make my dream—our dream—a reality. They have their life savings invested in this, and I won’t let them down.

“Anything I should be on the lookout for tonight, Switz?” Nolan asks as he stands, heading toward the door.

Even Nolan uses the stupid nicknames Ryder comes up with. They like to razz me for my rationale and easy-going nature, calling me Switzerland. His nicknaming talent came in handy when we were tossing around name ideas for the casino. He came up with Four Aces and assigned us each with a suit.

I’m the diamond for the shit ton of money I’m going to make us. Ryder’s words, not mine. Nolan, as the head of our security, is the spade. Trey, the club, which he so creatively named his nightclub after. And naturally, Ryder is the heart.

“Just your typical Thursday night in September. It’s the calm before the storm.” Next week starts our six-day Texas Hold’em tournament, which will bring in a bigger crowd than usual. The hotels are at eight-five percent capacity, and the following week, some up-and-coming pop singer is coming, which means another slew of rooms.

It’ll be a weekend of girls gone wild, which I’m not looking forward to. Ryder? Hell, it’s the highlight of his job when we have ladies’ night and concerts that lure the female population in. Even though Nolan groans about the stupid girl fights and unfortunate domestic calls he has to break up, I’m pretty sure he gets laid regularly during those highlights as well.

Maybe not hourly like Ryder, but he knows where every hidey hole is in the building and uses them to his sexual advantage. At least, that’s what he rubs in Ryder’s face. Part of me—most of me—doesn’t believe he does anything inappropriate in our casino.

“I’m saving my energy for Girls Gone Wild weekend.” Ryder closes the folder and tucks it under his arm. “See you in a bit for dinner?”

“Not tonight.”

“Working dinner? I can bring you some steak and potatoes.”

“I’m good. Thanks.”

“Hot date?” Ryder has his hand on the doorknob and pauses when I don’t respond. “You holding out on us?”

“Go do your job, Ryder.”

He laughs and punches Nolan in the shoulder. “The doctor’s keeping his lady friend secret. Why do you think that is?”

Nolan grins. “Because he doesn’t want your ugly mug to scare her away.”

---