Art of War (A Stern Family Saga Book 3) Read online

  I look over to Red, seeing that I get the reaction I was waiting for as she starts in on him.

  “Wife and kids? You’re married with children?!” She stands up. “You son of a bitch.” She slaps him across the face, making a scene. I watch as embarrassment hits her hard. She lowers her voice and tells him, “You fucking liar, I never want to see you again.” She then turns to me. “That goes for you, too.”

  She grabs her purse and heads for the door. I’m left standing there with a big smile, looking at Mark’s red face.

  “She slaps hard, doesn’t she?”

  Mark looks back at me. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Oh my God, you want her, too, don’t you?”

  I don’t know why I say this, but my rage is high as I tell him, “I already have her.”

  He takes a swing at me, and I dodge it. I come back up to punch him square in the jaw, knocking him on his ass.

  “If you know what’s good for you, Mark, you’ll stay down till I’m gone, then carry your sorry ass back to your wife.”

  He decides to listen because he doesn’t move. As I make my way out, I slip the hostess another hundred. “Sorry for not taking out my trash.”

  I walk outside and look for Red, but I don’t see her anywhere. Shit, the valet comes up, asking if I’m ready for my car. “Yes, did you see where a redhead went? She was supposed to be out here.”

  “Oh, man, you mean the lady with the…”

  “Yeah, kid, the lady with the parts. Where’d she’d go?”

  “She got into a taxi that was waiting.”

  Damn, she took a fucking taxi, those are hard to track. But not to worry, I have an idea. I call the hotel manager and tell him to call me the minute she gets there, and then I call Tom Williams, telling him the same. I’m pretty sure she’ll be at either one in a little while.

  About half an hour later, I get the call that she’s at her casino. So, with bags ready, I head that way. Once I’m there, I text Tom to let me in through the back. He does, and I enter with one thing on my mind, Red.

  I open her office door, she looks up, and for a minute I stop to stare; she is a beauty.

  “What are you doing here, Zander?”

  I show her the bags and close the door. “I figured since I ruined your dinner, I would replace it. I brought you Italian. I have some for Kyle, too. Where is he?”

  I sit down, and she asks, “Hold up, big boy, how did you know I was here? And how do you keep getting back here?”

  “Like you said, the old-fashioned way, money.”

  She glances at me, still pissed off. “Which one?”

  “What?”

  “Which one of my employees are you paying to keep tabs on me? And which one keeps letting you in?”

  I lean back in the chair, trying to decide if I’m going to tell her or not. But I decide to; he’s a slimeball anyway. She shouldn’t have him around if someone is threatening her life.

  “It’s Tom Williams.”

  She smiles and makes a call. Someone answers, and she says, “Tom, I would like you and…oh hell, I can’t remember his name, the man under you in security, in my office now!”

  I answer for her, “Craig Crochet.”

  She looks at me, bewildered as to how I knew that and hangs up the phone, or it could be the fact that I’m opening the bags and laying out all the food I brought. I start to lay out the silverware when I hear her hang the phone up.

  “So, what about Craig? Is he on your payroll, too?”

  I continue with what I’m doing and smile at her. “No, Craig’s a good guy. I tried once, but he turned me down. He should be loyal to you.”

  “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

  “Because, sweetheart, if I want to get to you, no Tom, Craig, Dick or Harry could stop me. Ask around about me, you’ll see. Or better yet, ask Mark; once they relocate his jaw, he should be able to tell you all about me.”

  There’s a knock on the door, and here comes trouble. Tom and Craig walk in, and they close the door. I sarcastically say, “Hello, boys.”

  They nod their heads to me, and I sit back to watch the show.

  Murphy stands up and says. “Tom, you’re fired. I want you out now! Craig, please take his keys and escort Mr. Williams off the property.”

  “I don’t understand, Ms. Larussa, what did I do?”

  “This is the second time you let someone walk straight into my office where no one should be but personnel.”

  I put my two cents in because I just can’t help myself. “Oh, and he let me in through the employee entrances.”

  Murphy looks down at me and says, “Great, anything else I should know?”

  I smile back at her and say, “Nope, that about covers it.”

  She continues. “Craig, you’re head of security now. Do we have an issue?”

  Craig shakes his head. “No, ma’am. Come on, Tom, let’s go.”

  They leave, and Murphy sits back down, looking at the spread I prepared with the food and a nice bottle of wine.

  “I never agreed to eat with you.”

  “You’re hungry, and according to Kyle, you love Italian, so start eating. I’ll pour the wine.”

  She starts to say something to argue with me, but I give her a look that she understands, so she stops and says, “Well, I am hungry.”

  “That’s right, just eat and enjoy.”

  She ponders it, then says, “You know this isn’t a date, right?”

  “I guess. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been on a real date.”

  She looks surprised. “Never?”

  “Nope, I never had to or wanted to.”

  “Well, just as long as you know this isn’t your first.”

  “Fine with me. I just thought you might be hungry after the fiasco at the restaurant.”

  “How did you know I was there with Mark?”

  “I watched the security video at the club and then put a lookout for Mark.”

  “Clever.”

  “See, Red, I’m more than a pretty face. I have a big…”

  She stops me mid-sentence, “Don’t you say it.”

  “I was just going to say I have a big brain, but yeah, I have a big cock, too. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  She starts laughing, and right then I’m taken by surprise, wishing I could keep hearing that sound forever. I shake the thought, and we start eating.

  A few minutes later, we’re interrupted by the phone ringing. She puts it on speaker because her mouth is filled with pasta, and I love how cute she looks sucking it in like a child. She finally gets it all in and answers, “Yes.”

  “Ma’am, it’s Craig. I wanted to let you know that Mr. Williams is off the property, and I would like to thank you for promoting me.”

  “Thank you, Craig. I’m sure you’ll do fine. Goodbye. Why do they keep calling me, ma’am?”

  “It’s the south, Red. You’re in charge, so they should call you the boss or Ms. Larussa; if not, then we say ‘ma’am’. If they didn’t, it would be a sign of disrespect.”

  “Do all southern boys respect their elders and women?”

  “If their mamas raised them right, they do.”

  “So, did your mama raise you right?”

  I start laughing. She has no idea who my mom is.

  “Of course she did. I always show respect to all women.”

  “Like you did that stripper on your lap?”

  “Yes. I’ll have you know that Alice, that’s her real name, not her stage name, is a single mother with a son. I help her out as much as I can.”

  “So, you’ve slept with her?”

  I drop my fork, looking at her directly. “No, I’ve never slept with Alice, but I guess now I know why. If you’re asking if I’ve slept with any of the girls, then yes, I have. I’m single, those women and I have enjoyed each other’s company before.”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation.”

  “I wasn’t giving you one. Look, all I’m saying is I’m a
healthy American man who likes women, and besides, you weren’t a virgin.”

  I see the scorned look on her face, so I apologize. “I’m sorry, that was rude. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “No, it’s fine. But I want you to know that I never did anything like that before.”

  I turn the tables on her now. “Never?”

  “No, I’ve only ever slept with someone who I was in a relationship with.”

  “So then why me?”

  “Do you think you really gave me a choice?”

  “Of course I did. I didn’t push myself up on you. I waited for permission.”

  She twirls her pasta and says, “Now I’m the one who’s sorry. You did, you were very gentlemanly about it. I don’t know what happened. I’ve been through so much lately, and it has been a long time since I’ve had a man, I just went with it.”

  I see the sadness and regret on her face. I grab her hand and tell her, “There was nothing wrong with what we did, Red. In fact, I would love for it to happen again.”

  She pulls her hand away and says, “I’m sure you would, but that’s not happening.”

  Before I can ask why, her personal phone rings. She looks at the screen but ignores it.

  I ask, “Was it important?”

  “No, it’s my mother, I’ll call her back.”

  “Cherry, right?”

  She looks up at me and says, “Yes, how did you know?’

  “Theo, he saw you, and when I told him you were Murphy’s daughter, he said it all made sense. He thought you looked familiar. He said your mother was something else.”

  “Yes, she still is. Who’s Theo?”

  I continue to eat, trying to figure out how or what should I say about Theo.

  “His name is Theo Trahan. He owns the club we were in and a lot of other side businesses.”

  “You mean he’s a boss?”

  I lay my fork down and ask, “What do you know about bosses?”

  She leans into the desk and says, “I was raised in New Jersey, I know a lot. I run my mom’s strip club, and we deal with a lot of bosses from our area.” She goes back to twirling her fork in her pasta then asks, “Do you think Theo and my mom, you know?” She’s asking as she wiggles her eyebrows and all I can think of is how damn cute it makes her look.

  I smile and shake my head. “No, according to Theo, your father had your mom on lockdown. Men could look but not touch.”

  She settles back into her chair and says, “I hear your mom runs your family. I’ve never met a mob family run by a woman before.”

  I wipe my face and lay my napkin down. “Mob family, my mother hates that terminology. Let’s just say we are an organized family. It has a better ring to it. As far as my mom goes, she is a special woman. Most women don’t have what it takes to be the head of a family. My mom has it all, beauty, brains, power, and the balls to scare anyone where they stand. She’s the top dog in this state and is feared by most of the others.”

  22

  Murphy

  I’m beginning to understand that I might be in more trouble than I thought.

  “All right, Zander, give it to me straight. How bad is it?”

  He looks around the room before answering. “It’s bad, Murphy. Mom and my brother Gabriel bought all your father’s debt. We agreed not to bother him with the payments, since my mom and your father went way back. The loan was signed with the agreement that whoever inherited the casino would have to pay off the debt in a timely manner or be removed if not met.”

  “I can’t find an exact amount of what the debt is. How bad are we talking?”

  “The debts plus interest add up to you owing our family right under twenty million.”

  Oh my God, oh my God. My breath catches, and I almost choke on the words, “I don’t have that kind of money. I don’t even know why he borrowed so much? I mean, the casino is not in the best of shape. But it’s staying afloat.”

  “How bad is it, Murphy?”

  “Like I said, we’re staying afloat. The casino needs an overhaul, though. I guess as time went by, Dad got less interested in putting more money into it. But with no renovations done, I don’t know what he needed the money for. I don’t even know why your mom was willing to invest that much money into this casino.”

  “Because of the location. It’s prime real estate.”

  “I agree. Maybe I can get a loan or something. Maybe I can work out a deal with your mom. I have all kinds of ideas I would like to implement, but they can wait until I get the debt paid.”

  Zander stands and walks around the office, looking at the pictures on the wall. Then he says, “Honestly, Red, I don’t think that would help.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “No one is going to loan you money for a business that owes money to Catherine Stern. And if you did find someone, I don’t think it would help. Mom has her mind set on this casino. I don’t know if she would release her holdings.”

  Now I’m getting pissed. I don’t have the money, and if I did, he’s telling me she might not accept it. I pretty much have no options. I need to know where I lie with Zander. What is his purpose in all this?

  “Are you the one they send after people who owe the family?”

  Ignoring my question, Zander says, “Look, I asked my mom to give you time. Maybe she would be willing to come to some kind of agreement. I’m just trying to warn you, it’s going to be hard.”

  I start throwing our food in the trash while Zander leans back against the wall.

  “Murphy, tell me about the threats.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to know what’s going on.”

  “I told you, I thought they were coming from you and your family. It could be my father’s wife, but she must know this casino isn’t worth it. So, I have no idea who wants me gone.”

  “You said ‘they’. How many threats have you received?”

  I don’t want to answer any more questions, so I turn it around on him. “Zander, you said that you told your family I was off limits. Why?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess because I like you.”

  I guffawed at that. “You like me? Zander, it will never happen between me and you. The other night was a fluke, nothing more.”

  “Why? It doesn’t have to be that way.”

  “I’m afraid so, Zander. You’re a Stern, and your family is taking my business away from me.”

  “We’re not thieves, Murphy. We bought it from your father fair and square.”

  “That’s a difference of opinion. Your family bought the debt from a sick man with the intention of taking over his business upon his death. Your family are practically grave robbers.”

  I press a button on the side of the desk, letting Craig know I need him here. “I’m going to ask again, Zander: are you the collector?”

  “Yes, amongst some other things.”

  Now I’m really pissed. He wants to sit here and have dinner with me when he knew the whole time he’ll be the one to get rid of me if I can’t make good on the debt. He was asking about the threats because he just wants to know if he has any competition.

  “How long do I have to come up with the money?”

  “I don’t know. Gabriel allowed your father to pass in peace, so they have been waiting a long time. I asked my mother to give you more time, but she never gave me a deadline.”

  “You need to leave now, Zander. Until the day you come here to physically hurt me, I don’t want to see you again. I may not find a way to beat this, but I will not go down without a fight. So, if you think I’m going to continue this mind game you’re playing with me, you’re crazy.”

  “Wait, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Really, Zander? I know enough mob families to know what each job entails.”

  “I told you I would never hurt you, Murphy, and I meant it.”

  “Then you better tell Mommy Dearest that she’d better send someone else to do her dirty work because you’re going
to have to kill me before I leave.”

  The door opens, and in comes Craig. “Yes, ma’am, how can I help you?”

  I tell him, “Craig, I would like for you to escort Mr. Stern out of the casino, please.”

  Zander looks at Craig, then me. Then Craig says, “Ma’am, I don’t think I…”

  Zander jumps in and tells him, “Don’t worry about it, Craig, I was just leaving. You have a good night, Ms. Larussa.”

  On his way out the door, he turns back and says, “Make sure Kyle gets his food, and tell him I’m sorry I missed him.” With that, he leaves.

  Now I have to figure out how the hell to get out from under this, or at least figure out why Dad risked the casino.

  I go home to the hotel, to an excited Kyle. He tells me all about his night. I wish my night would have gone so good.

  While I’m changing, Kyle sees the bag I brought and yells out, “Is that Italian food I smell?”

  Shit! I don’t know why I brought it. It was just an unconscious decision. “Yeah, sorry, I forgot. I bought that for you earlier, thinking you might be hungry when I got home.”

  I’m taking off my makeup when he walks in the room. “Really? Then why does the bag have Zander’s name on it?”

  I throw my arms down in defeat. “Fine. Zander stopped by earlier to eat, and he brought you a plate, too, thinking you would be there.”

  “Isn’t he nice?”

  “Not really.” I proceed to tell him about the whole night, all of it. Mark, the club, Zander, and the part where I found out that Zander is the muscle for his family.

  “Oh my God, Murph, that’s some night.”

  “Yeah, I guess you can say that.”

  “What are you going to do about Zander, then?”

  “Nothing, I’m done with him for sure.”

  “But Murphy –”

  “No, Kyle, that’s it, I’m done. Goodnight.”

  I’m so tired that I don’t want to talk anymore. I go to bed, leaving Kyle to eat his late-night supper.

  The next day, I send Kyle to the office and start going to banks to find someone to loan me the money I need. I’ll still be in debt, but it won’t be to the mob.