Page 57 of Corrupted Pleasure
“I’ll start looking for candidates we can trust,” Quinn announced.
“Thank you.”
I ended the call just as I pulled back into the marina where my boat waited. I’ve had this arrangement going with the marina for as long as Wynter and Juliette had been going to Yale. And tonight it proved very beneficial.
Just as I stepped on the deck, my phone vibrated.
Cassio King: Where the fuck are you?
Me: New Haven. Miss me?
Cassio King: Terribly. So get your ass over here.
Me: Where is here?
Cassio King: My compound. It’s our game night.
Me: Busy.
Nico Morrelli: The fucker forgot. Old age, I assume.
Me: You’re right behind me. Fucker!
It dawned on me that I had been so wrapped up with DiLustro issues and the threat from the Pakhan, I hadn’t been to the game in months. Cassio had his gang, but occasionally I joined them. Alliances were important in my line of business and Nico Morrelli came through more than once for me.
Then it hit me. It was actually perfect timing. Nico might have some hacker recommendations and Cassio might have some guys I could use to tail the women.
Me: I’ll be there.
It didn’t escape me how Davina stiffened when I asked her why they needed the money. She’d lied about the reasoning, and I’d find out why.
One hour later, after a boat and helicopter ride, I was in Cassio’s private compound. Not bad. As soon as I exited the cabin of my helicopter, I headed straight to the side gate where the security guard recognized me and opened the gate.
Since he’d had children, Cassio kept his game nights in a separately built house that wasn’t connected to his mansion. He took the security of his family seriously, not that I blamed him for it.
When I stepped into the room, a loud roar filled the room.
“We had a bet going that you wouldn’t show,” Nico announced as I stepped into the room and took the spot around the table. They were already deep in the poker game.
“I said I’d be here.”
“I didn’t doubt you,” Cassio said. “And thanks to my faith, I got myself a pretty penny tonight.”
Luca, his brother, snickered. “Like you need it.”
“Right on time to lose it to Liam,” Nico snickered. “It has to be something in the Irish waters that feeds his poker skills.”
“More like your poker skills are lame,” Luciano scoffed.
My eyes roamed the room. You never knew who you’d find at Cassio’s table. Sometimes it was the Russian guys that ran Louisiana. Sometimes it was the Canadians. Other times, the Columbians.
We played a round and I won. I had a long lifetime of practice with my father. Wynter was good at the game too. Excellent in fact.
“How is the family?” Nico asked. He was the only one at the table who knew of Aisling and Wynter’s true identities. And his company had a daily schedule for removal of any digital footprint on anything related to my family.
“Good,” I answered tightly. “I hear you’re expanding your family.”
“Fucking again,” Luca muttered. “At this rate, the Morrelli family will run the world.”
