Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) (31 page)

“Not at all, cara mia. I fell in love with you before all of that, didn’t I? But you don’t look the same as when you go out with me for the evening. Which is what I want right now.”

“How long will we need to stay hidden?”

“You will stay in until this whole affair is over. I will have to go out for some reconnaissance later this week. It will be finished in not more than two weeks, cara.”

“Two more weeks?” she asked.

“At the most. Sooner if I can arrange things safely, to my satisfaction. I will take no more risk than I must.”

“Dam, I’ll go stir-crazy. Do we have to stay in for the whole time? Besides, it seems to me, if we waited a few days, and then made an appearance, it would rattle whoever is behind this more than us just disappearing.”

He looked at her for a few moments, thinking. “Cara, I will not risk your life in this venture. The game was in progress before we met and it was too late to change the plans. If you had been my wife before this all began, I would have gone about it in a different way.”

“Dam, I don’t understand. Is someone trying to push you out of business, or trying to steal business from you? Some sort of takeover bid?”

“Kari, as I’ve told you, now is not the time to explain. I have made some decisions, taken some actions, which are not appreciated by my competitors. They have decided to change my mind or take me out of the game, either way.”

“I know your business is competitive, Dam, but really. Is it worth killing each other?”

“Cara mia, I am not the one who is hunting. The other side started down that road. I am merely protecting my own. When they come onto my property, and attack me and my family, it becomes self-defense.”

“I know. I’m just worried about you. I would still like to get out later this week, though. And that reminds me. Will Carl be coming over for my training while all this is going on?”

“I’ll have to think about it, Kara, about Carl. About going out later, let me think about it and talk to Marco and Paolo.”

During the next two days they slept in, played games, read, and relaxed while Damiano finished healing. They ordered meals in from places other than the hotel restaurant, picked up and delivered by one of Damiano’s people.

The third day, while they had their morning coffee, Karianna noticed Dam’s fidgeting. “What’s wrong, lover?” she asked.

With a deep sigh, he answered. “You are right about the stir-crazy. Most of our trip to the mountains was restful, barring that last day. Now that we’re back, I feel it’s time for action, to get back into the office and see to my business.”

“Can’t you check on things from here, online?”

“It’s not the same. I feel like I’m in a cage.”

“Pretty comfy cage,” she answered with a grin.

“It seems to me you complained about your ‘comfy cage’ when we first met.”

“Well, that was different.”

“How?”

“You’ve put yourself in this cage and you have the key. I was imprisoned by an unknown madman.”

“Oh, Topolina, you walk a fine line,” he said, eyes smoldering.

“Yeah? You think?”

“Definitely. I may have to chase a little mouse around the suite, for amusement.”

“Beats boredom, doesn’t it?” And the game was on.

Later in the afternoon, Marco and Paolo came over to discuss matters with Dam. Karianna was not invited to the meeting, so she went in to practice her healing techniques and meditations while they talked.

Still in meditation, she heard Damiano calling her. Counting back up to full alertness, she answered the door to the exercise room.

“How would you like to go out for dinner this evening?” he asked. “I need to get out.”

“I’d love it!”

“It won’t be here at the hotel, but there are a couple little places, off the main track, which have decent food. It would be better to dress casually, I think.”

While they got ready for dinner, she asked, “I guess you guys sorted out a few things?”

“Some. I’m not ready to come out in the open yet. But I know you’re ready for a change of scenery. Maybe this weekend.”

“Has their reconnaissance brought you anything?”

“Don’t worry about it, cara amante. You’ll get worry lines.”

Their meal was delicious. Not up to the Stella d’Oro perhaps, but better than the takeaway meals they’d had since their return. Marco and Paolo were not in evidence, though.

“That would rather give it away, cara,” he told her. “If the watchers see the two of them, they will begin to look for me. There are others here, not so well known, and not obviously on guard. Don’t worry.”

She couldn’t help but worry. Since the very first time her food was doctored, she’d felt they were under constant surveillance or attack. The last round, up at the lodge, had been out-and-out war. What would they try next?

Once they were back in their suite, she changed for bed and assumed Damiano would do the same. Instead, he dressed in his black turtleneck and trousers, soft-soled shoes, and black gloves.

“Dam, what are you doing?”

“Get some rest, Kari. I have to go out for a little while, make sure of a few things. I shouldn’t be too long.” With a kiss, he was out the door and into the shadows.

The next morning, about two hours before lunchtime, Carl came over to get her started on her workouts again.

“So you’ve finally returned to civilization?” he teased.

“Yes, and though we had a wonderful time skiing, I probably need the workout, just to recover.”

It wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. Of course, she’d done much more skiing this time than the first time she’d taken to the slopes.

“Just a few stiff muscles,” Carl said, nodding. “Have you been working on your healing techniques?”

She decided he didn’t need to know the full extent of that. “Yes, whenever I had a little time back at the lodge.”

“Good! I’m sure Master Kwan will be happy. Do you know when you’ll be ready for him to come over for lessons?”

“I have no idea. Check with Damiano and see what our plans are going to be. I know he’s got some meetings and things going on, but I’m not sure what he’s got for me just now.”

“I’ll talk to him, then, and see what we can schedule. You have a real talent for the healing arts. I’d hate to see you stop training.”

“Oh, no, I’m not going to quit on you. Our schedules are just kind of in the air right now. Everything should be sorted soon.”

When she talked to Damiano later, he said Carl had called to ask about her training. “I told him it might be another week or two. I don’t want too many people coming over here until this is finished.”

“Are you making any progress?”

“I think we have everything in place now. It’s just a matter of timing. Once we go public again, I expect things to build rapidly.”

“When will that be, honey?” she asked nervously.

“Soon. I have to have confirmation of one more thing before I push this boulder down the mountain.”

“Push the boulder down the mountain?” she asked.

“Yes. Once you push the boulder downhill, you can’t stop it. It goes until it runs out of energy, or runs into something. Just like this business of mine. Once the final nudge is given, and everything is in motion, I won’t be able to stop it until it is done.”

“Dam…”

“Shh…Don’t worry, cara. Everything will be alright.”

* * * *

The weekend arrived and Karianna was nearly as nervous as she’d been the first time she’d gone out with Damiano. Checking once again that her makeup and hair were as near to perfection as possible, they went down to the gaming rooms and restaurant.

Nobody had been informed as to who was staying in the executive suite. Damiano had explained to her that, since he rarely stayed here, it was available for anyone who had the money. So when he’d had Marco register them, it had been under an assumed name. The maître d’hôtel told them their table would be ready in a few minutes, so they waited impatiently.

It may have taken three minutes before they were recognized and word got back to the manager. His welcome was effusive and nervous as he apologized for the inattention to their reservation. Their table would be ready immediately.

“Our reservations?” Karianna asked.

“I called down from the suite to make reservations for the party in our suite, no names. I didn’t want to give anyone advance warning.”

As soon as word got around, they were subject to the stares of most people in the room. Damiano ignored it completely, at least on the surface. Karianna tried to follow his example, but her stomach was in a knot.

The manager arrived with their waiter, again apologizing for not being ready. “If I’d known you were here, Signor, I could have had everything arranged.”

“I called this afternoon to make the reservation. You should have had plenty of time.”

“But it was not made in your name, Signor. How was I to know?”

“Why does it make a difference? A reservation was made from the executive floor. That should have been enough. Maybe I don’t check up on this establishment often enough, if this is the way you treat my guests. You are dismissed.”

Their meal was excellent, well up to Damiano’s standards. The bits of conversation they could hear hinted at rumors they had been killed in an accident on the mountain. They asked their waiter about the rumors.

“Yes, Signor, there have been rumors for about a week. You had gone away unexpectedly. Nobody seemed to know where. Rumor then suggested you had gone to your lodge. Just after that, everyone expected you to return, as you are usually gone for only a week or two.”

‘Hmmm…I’ll have to watch that,” Damiano murmured to himself. “And when did the rumors of our accident first appear?”

“Well, it must have been earlier in the week. Just after last weekend. The last anyone knew, you were at your lodge, and then you disappeared. About the same time, there was some accident up near the lodge. Several bodies were found.”

“Ours weren’t found, obviously,” Damiano said hotly.

“No, Signor, but it was reported that several people, including you and the Signora, were missing. So it was assumed you’d been killed.”

After their waiter left rather hurriedly, Karianna turned to Damiano. “Why would anyone assume we were dead?”

“They didn’t. They were fishing for information. After the events of the evening, they couldn’t be sure what had happened, only that their people were out of the action. But they couldn’t tell about mine.”

“But it was reported on the news?”

“Yes, as an accident, to see if I would rise to the bait.”

“And…”

“I haven’t. I’m not here to deny or confirm anyone’s rumors. We’ve just returned, after our vacation. We took a little side trip on our way home.”

“What happens next?” she asked.

“What happens next is none of your concern, cara mia. I’ve made my point and thrown down the challenge. My position is now evident and strengthens my power. It will also shift the balance of power within my sphere of influence.”

“How far does that extend?” she asked.

“Far enough.”

After dinner, Damiano took his usual tour of the tables, and they danced and had drinks. Marco and Paolo were not in evidence. She caught sight of Dante once or twice. He was sticking to the shadows, rather than in obvious view, as part of the security team.

Their tour took nearly two hours, Damiano strolling leisurely through the casino, placing a small bet here and there. If she hadn’t known him so well, she would never have noticed the tiny indicators of how nervous he really was, out here in the open.

Late in the evening, they made their way back up to their suite. “Did you enjoy yourself, cara?” he asked.

“Yes, it was a breath of fresh air, so to speak,” she answered, nodding her head and snuggling a little close as they walked to the lift. “I noticed you were kind of nervous, though. Still worried about what happened at the lodge?”

“Yes. Though I’m certain who is behind it, I can’t accuse him publicly without evidence to back it up,” he explained. “And waiting for proof of his actions gives him more time to find us, and act once again.”

“Won’t this draw him out, lover?” she asked.

“It will announce that I have survived and that I’m not afraid of him. It should make him hesitate.”

“Won’t that help?” she asked.

“It should give me the leverage I need to demand a meeting. With everything else in place, I can now move forward. This is the first step—showing that I’m still alive and well.”

“Did you ever find out who the informant was at Stella d’Oro?”

“Yes, cara. A personal assistant to one of our trusted employees—our trainer, Carl—had found a way to open his private planner. He found when our sessions were cancelled and watched for our movements.”

“Carl?”

“No, no, cara. He has been with me for a long time, and has earned my trust. No, it was a PA he’d had for only two years, planted by the opposition to spy on me. Don’t worry. Carl is fine, though upset. As for the PA, he’ll be no more trouble.”

As she drifted off to sleep later, Karianna wondered what the near future held for them, what it held for her.

In the morning, they moved back to the Stella d’Oro, the second one they’d lived in, with the view from the top floor. “As this is more central to my affairs, since we’ve announced our return, it will make things easier to coordinate,” Damiano told her.

“That’s fine, honey. I like it here. All the comforts of home”—she grinned—“plus a great view.”

“And you can get back to the training you love so much.” He chuckled.

She stuck out her tongue at him and added, “I have to stay slim enough to fit in my clothes. Three pounds would be about too much.”

“Will you train again tomorrow?” he asked. “If you will, I’ll call Carl and let him know where we are. I’d rather you waited on the healing for now.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I’d rather not let too many people have access to our suite. It’s not that I don’t trust Master Kwan. But the fewer people who come here, the fewer opportunities there are for mischief.”

“Will we be going down for dinner later?” she asked. “Or do you want to stay in tonight?”