Goddess of Vengeance - Jackie Collins [8]
Now Armand was forty-two and becoming restless. He’d conquered the East Coast, and he desired more. His latest plans were to cement a firm position in Las Vegas, a city he’d spent some time in. He was an avid gambler, and the call girls in Vegas were raunchy and used to fulfilling any request – however decadent. Besides, in Vegas he considered that he had family ties. His mother had danced at Caesars Palace, the King had spotted her there and whisked her back to Akramshar. Family ties had to mean something.
His people had done a financial analysis of most of the big hotels. While Steve Wynn’s empire was intriguing and lucrative, and the Palms, the Four Seasons, and the Harrah’s hotel groups were a possibility, the hotel complex he’d finally decided he had to have was The Keys.
Yes, The Keys was perfect. A magnificent structure built to extremely high standards less than two years previously. Not Vegas flashy, but incredibly luxurious and classy. A stunning casino. World-class restaurants and stores. Exquisite gardens, and park-like grounds. A magnificent apartment complex. Multiple swimming pools. Two spas. A manmade lake. A lush golf course. And then there was the hotel itself.
The Keys was it for Armand.
He wanted it, and therefore he would have it.
He had no idea that The Keys was owned by Lucky Santangelo.
And Lucky would never give it up.
Chapter Three
By the time she drove her distinctive red Ferrari down Pico Boulevard and along the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, Lucky had forgotten about Venus and her man-related issues. Her mind was more focused on Max and her imminent departure. Lucky was wise enough to realize that there was no holding her smart, gorgeous, green-eyed daughter back. Max was going out on her own whether she and Lennie liked it or not. And truth was she didn’t like it, but there was nothing she could do. As everyone was quick to point out, she herself had been running wild at sixteen. After ditching her strict Swiss boarding school and taking off to the South of France, her father Gino had tracked her down and hurriedly married her off to the irritating and boring Craven Richmond – Senator Peter Richmond’s son. Craven was a weak loser she hadn’t loved, and even worse, had no respect for. But she’d refused to be trapped. She’d bided her time, and when Gino left the country as a tax exile, she’d broken all ties with the Richmond family and swiftly moved in to take over Gino’s lucrative hotel business. She’d gotten a divorce, and never looked back.
Now Max was ready to fly, but did her only daughter possess the street smarts to survive all the sharks who’d be circling such a major catch? And if Max chose to move to New York, how was Lucky supposed to protect her?
‘You’re not,’ Lennie had informed her, always the voice of reason. ‘You gotta let Max go. She’s ready to make her own mistakes and learn from them.’
Even Gino agreed. ‘Let her loose, kid,’ he’d said. ‘She’ll find her feet just like you did.’
So be it.
Even though it was past midnight, Max was not home.
Determined not to worry, Lucky picked up the phone and called Lennie who was on location in Utah. They talked for a while; he soothed her fears about Max, told her not to obsess, and that he’d see her in Vegas for the birthday party.
Lucky decided that for once she’d listen.
One big Vegas party coming up. And after that she’d send Max on her way with her blessings and hope that everything worked out.
* * *
‘Frankie?’ Max yelled, making a wild dash toward the guy emerging from a Grand Sport convertible Corvette. ‘Is it really you?’
Frankie Romano stopped mid-stride, slowly lowering his mirrored Ray-Bans – an unnecessary accessory because it was dark out and the shades were merely an affectation.
‘Jesus!’ he exclaimed, after scrutinizing her up and down. ‘Little Max?’
‘Not so little any more,’ she answered boldly, remembering the last time she’d seen her brother’s friend, the irascible Frankie Romano. He was thinner than she remembered but his outfit was cool – all leather, retro shades covering his eyes,