Vegas Heat (6 page)

“Dad and Birch won’t be able to work in the gaming business if...”

“I know. How are you feeling, Sunny?”

“Tired at times, other times I feel like scrubbing walls and floors. Mom, aside from all of this, is there something else bothering you? You don’t look right to me.”

“Your father said some very ugly things. I just have to come to terms with it all. I guess I’m tired, too. I have a hundred things I have to do. Why don’t you and Tyler come up to Sunrise over the weekend?”

“Can’t. I have a mountain of things to do before the championship. With Birch gone, Dad piled it all on me. I’m not complaining. I’d rather be busy than just sitting here. Is there anything I can do?”

“If there is, I’ll call you. You might want to take Birch aside when he comes back and present a clear, concise account of what’s going on. Your father’s version won’t ... be as accurate. It’s up to you, though. If you don’t want to get involved, I understand.”

“I’ll talk to him. I think he’ll be back in the morning.”

When the door closed behind her mother, Sunny sighed deeply. Who was that cold-eyed person who just walked out of her office? Certainly not the mother she knew and loved. Did she dare walk down the hall to her father’s offices? And say what? Hey, I heard you’re going to jail. She rummaged through the mess of papers and schedules on her desk for the number Birch had given her when he left. In case of an emergency. What could be more of an emergency than this? She dialed the operator and placed a person-to-person call. Birch’s harried voice came over the wire. Sunny started to babble the moment she heard her brother.

“Jail, Birch. Bars, striped suits, the whole works. Did you hear what I just said?”

“Mom won’t let that happen,” Birch said.

“Perchance are you talking about the mom you turned your back on? You could never take that one to the bank. In the old days it might have been true. Not this time, Birch. You need to come back. What’s the point in staying there? It’s all falling apart anyway. This is going to be one of those snowball things,” Sunny said in a jittery-sounding voice.

Not this time
. Sage had said those same words to him just days ago. “Okay, I’ll get the next plane out.”

It was six-thirty when Sunny cleared her desk in preparation to leaving the casino. She sensed him before she actually saw him. “Lock the door,” she ordered.

Birch locked the door, his face full of questions. “He’s acting like a one-man Gestapo unit. He’s fired seven people in the past few hours. Twenty others have threatened to quit. The kitchen is in an uproar. The pool overflowed around three o’clock and five ceilings are ruined. Some high roller out of Cincinnati and his retinue says he’s pulling out of the tournament and he wants his money back because we didn’t come through with the satin sheets his girlfriend requested. The phones aren’t working on the seventh floor. There’s some shady parasite hanging out in the garage who insists on talking to Dad, and Dad won’t go to the garage. The gears on the hydraulic lift in the counting room are stuck. Some guy walked out of here with $96,000 of our money. A pretty routine day if you ask me. What the hell were you thinking of to sign those loan applications, Birch? You know Mom has to sign off on everything.”

“Dad said things switched up. I just figured she was so caught up in Uncle Simon she didn’t want to be bothered with the casino since it was doing so well. Maybe I should have questioned it, but I didn’t. Jesus, it never occurred to me that Dad would lie about something so important. I swear to God, Sunny, I didn’t know.”

“If Dad backs up your story, then I guess you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“What do you mean,
if
?
I’m telling you the truth. Where is he?”

“Today he’s like a spook. He’s everywhere. I’m going home. This isn’t my problem.”

“I could use a little help here, Sunny.”

Sunny ignored the pleading tone in her brother’s voice. “From me and my big belly? When I could have used a little brotherly intervention with
him,
a few kind words, where the hell were you? Not this time, big brother.”

“Sunny, it wasn’t like that.”

“The hell it wasn’t. What you need right now is a Popsicle. The only problem is, Mom isn’t here to give you the magic cure-all. I bet she installs those iron gates at Sunrise again to keep us out. See you tomorrow.”

Rage, unlike anything he’d ever experienced, coursed through Birch. The moment his body ceased to shake, he headed for his office, where he sucked down two long swallows of his father’s favorite whiskey. His eyes murderous, he then headed for the floor, his eyes raking the happy throngs of people parting with their money. The moment he spotted his father, he weaved his way through the narrow lanes of slot machines and the merry sound of coins dropping into the trays.

A tight smile on his face for the benefit of the customers, Birch leaned over and whispered in his father’s ear. “Put the goddamn thing in gear or they’ll be peeling you off the ceiling.”

In Ash’s office with the door closed and locked, Birch swung the wheelchair around until his father was facing him. He snorted in disgust at his father’s glassy eyes. “You fucking lied to me. You said things switched up. I should have checked, but I didn’t think my own father would lie to me. Damn you, why?”

“Why? That’s a pretty stupid question. I’m sick of the way your mother handles things. She doesn’t know anything about this business. We could make a fortune off those riverboats. She’s not going to do anything. Fanny’s all talk. She’s got this thing about families sticking together. Do you think for one minute she’ll let our asses go to jail? Come on, Birch, get real.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what she’s going to do. Guess what, I’m not going to jail, not for you, not for anyone. I believed you, I trusted you because you’re my father, and you fucking screwed me over the way you screw everyone over. It will be up to Mom who she believes, and I don’t think it’s going to be you. If I were you, I’d give some real serious thought to what you’re going to do.”

Ash stared at his son. “Come on, Birch, we’re talking business here. You gotta do a lot of things that are stomach-turning, but in the end it works out. We can pull this off. I know how to deal with Fanny. I’m counting on you, Birch.”

“Not this time.”

Ash stared at the door for a long time before he swallowed his second handful of pills in an hour. When his body grew lax, he slipped from his chair, whimpering and mewling like a kitten.

Fanny stared at the stack of legal documents piled up next to one of the big red chairs in her study. Her gaze swept sideways to the family picture on the table between the red chairs. Tears puddled in her eyes. A family divided.

Four months of legal hassles, bills, ugly phone calls from her ex-husband, and pleas from her son Birch to make it all come out right. As if she had magic in her fingertips. Legally, Birch was out of the woods, but Ash was swinging in the wind, cutting his own deals with the bank and the Gaming Commission. The money had been put back into her account and then transferred to her new bank. It was business as usual now. She absolutely refused to think about where Ash had managed to get another sixteen million dollars.

Fanny sighed. She had her own business problems to contend with, plus worrying about Sunny. And always, her thoughts were on Simon. Where was he? What was he doing? Did he think of her the way she thought of him? Had he been in touch with Jerry? Fanny shifted her thoughts to her corporate books. A headache started to hammer behind her eyes. With money so tight, everyone was jittery. They were overextended at the bank, their mortgage payments were late, and no one was drawing a salary. Even Bess had agreed, saying, when it’s there, you’ll pay me. I can wait. They were all waiting for Billie Coleman to make a payment on the monies that had been loaned to Coleman Aviation.

She would never, ever, believe she’d made a mistake in lending Billie the money Somehow, she’d find a way to keep the businesses going. If she had to sell Sunrise, she’d do it. Sunrise was a place-wood, brick, mortar. People, family, meant more than a structure. If she sold the Thornton family home, she could stay afloat a little while longer. Perhaps the new owner would lease space to her. If not, they had to set up operations in Bess’s three-car garage. “I’m sorry, Sallie, I have no other choice,” she muttered. Fanny dropped her head into her hands. She really had to stop talking to her mother-in-law as though she were alive.

The phone rang just as she was about to dial the real estate agent’s number. “Billie, Billie, slow down. What do you mean you’re in Japan? Why? You have a grandson! A grandson you never knew about! Slow, Billie, slow down, the connection is bad as it is. Yes, yes, Moss knew about your grandson but because he was half-Japanese, he never told you? My God, what kind of man would do a thing like that? And a daughter-in-law! I’m sure she’s wonderful if your son married her. I am so happy for you, Billie. Who’s giving you all the money you need? Ah, I see.” Fanny listened, her heart thundering in her chest when Billie told her a payment would be on the way to Nevada the minute she returned to Texas.

“I’m bringing my grandson back with me for a visit. His mother Otami, too, if she’s willing to come. Sawyer wants to move everything over here. It’s just so hard for me to believe my granddaughter is this
wunderkind
aeronautical engineer. Moss would be so proud of her even though he didn’t have much use for women. She’s going to get his dream plane off the ground and flying. To say she’s the marvel in marvelous is an understatement. We’re contemplating the move here to Japan and weighing the cost. Fanny, we could never have gotten this far if it wasn’t for you. We all owe you our lives for your kindness and generosity. You are the only one who understood what getting Moss’s plane in the air means to me. I’ll never be able to thank you. Would you listen to me babble on? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving, it happened so suddenly. Tell me what’s going on. Have you heard from Simon?”

They talked for a long time, two old friends who shared the same values, the same commitment to family. “Say hello to your family, Fanny. Never give up, Fanny, never. When things are the darkest, when all the doors seemed closed, you’ll find a light. I’m the living proof.”

Fanny smiled. She wanted to say she’d just seen the light with Billie’s promise of a payback. Instead she said, “I can’t wait to meet your new grandson and daughter-in-law. Call me as soon as you get back to Texas.”

Fanny took a deep breath as she gathered up the corporate books and stack of bills. She stared at Daisy for a full minute before she tossed the papers in the air. “C’mon, Daisy, we’re going for a walk. I need to say a few thank-yous.”

She was a pretty young woman, plainly but neatly dressed. She could have been anybody; no one paid attention to her as she walked about the casino floor, her eyes taking in the furious whirring of the slot machines, the drink girls, the money changers with their carts, and the excited squeals of winning customers and the groans and moans of the losers. Suddenly she felt conspicuous and didn’t know why. Maybe if she put some money in the machines, she’d feel like she had a right to be here. She dropped a dollar in the slot and pulled the handle. Twenty silver dollars dropped into the tray at the bottom of the machine. She blinked as she dropped in a second dollar. Fifteen silver dollars dropped to the tray. She blinked again.

“Would you like to trade in the silver for paper money, Miss?” one of the money changers asked.

“Yes, thank you. Can you tell me where the office is or where I can find Mrs. Thornton?”

“We don’t have a Mrs. Thornton. We have a Mr. Thornton senior and a Mr. Thornton junior. You can’t go to the offices, but I can call and have someone come out here to talk to you.”

“Would you do that please?”

“Which one do you want, the older or younger one? Who should I say wants to see him?”

“My name is Lily Bell and I think I’d like to speak with ... the young Mr. Thornton.”

“You wait right here, Miss. It might take ten minutes or so.”

In his office, Birch picked up the phone. “Did you tell her my mother doesn’t work here? Did she say what she wanted? Where is she exactly? Okay, I’ll be out in five minutes.” He finished what he was doing, buzzed Sunny to tell her he was going out to the floor.

He saw her from a distance and knew in his gut that she wasn’t a customer. He stared a moment longer. She was dressed simply in a plum-colored dress with a matching handbag. Her hair was a cluster of dark curls that capped a face almost devoid of makeup. He could see small pearls in her ears but no rings on her fingers. He drew a deep breath when he saw her smile at someone who spoke to her. In the time it took his heart to beat twice, Birch Thornton knew he wanted to get to know this young woman better.

Up close, he was surprised to see how tall she was. Incredible dark eyes behind heavily fringed lashes stared at him. He was right about the makeup. She didn’t need it. “I’m Birch Thornton, can I help you?”

“I hope so, Mr. Thornton. I’m Lily Bell,” she said extending her hand. “Is there somewhere we could talk? What I want to discuss is a personal matter.”

Birch hesitated for a bare second. Her serious expression said this is important. “How about some coffee in our private dining room? No one will bother us there.”

Lily nodded as she walked alongside the tall, immaculately dressed man. He smiled at her as he ushered her into the small, elegant dining room reserved for family and the chosen few who were invited from time to time. “Please, sit down. I’ll call the kitchen for the coffee. It won’t take long. I also have to let my sister know where I am so I can be paged if necessary.

“It’s very good coffee,” Birch said, his tone light, his eyes twinkling.

“I’m sure it is. I’m just nervous. I’m not sure I should be here. Sometimes I do things without thinking them through. What that means is, I reacted to ... something. I was sure I had thought it through, but maybe I didn’t. I really wanted to see Mrs. Thornton.”

“Mrs. Thornton is my mother. She rarely comes to the casino. Can you tell me what this is about? We can always call her.”

“I would rather see her in person.”

“You’re making this sound very mysterious. Why don’t you start at the beginning? I’m a very good listener.”

Lily rummaged in her purse and withdrew a snapshot. She slid it across the table toward Birch. “Do you recognize the woman in the picture? Study it very carefully.”

Birch reached for the picture and studied it as Lily requested. “She looks familiar, but no, I don’t know her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her.”

“Does she remind you of anyone?”

“Sort of. Who is she?”

“My father’s second wife. My ... stepmother. She’s very ill.”

“I’m sorry, but what does that have to do with my mother? Do you think she knows her?”

“I think she’s your grandmother, your mother’s mother. Look at the picture again and tell me if that’s who she reminds you of now.”

“There seems to be a resemblance. My mother’s mother abandoned her family. My grandfather raised my mother and her brothers all by himself. He did a good job of it, too. No one ever heard from her. My mother tried to find her, she hired detectives, but she was unable to locate her. What kind of woman does something like that? What is it that you want exactly?”

“To reunite mother and daughter. I told you I don’t know if coming here was right or wrong. I did what I felt was right. If this is your grandmother, your mother is the one who has to make the decision. I saw a picture of your mother and your other grandmother a long time ago, in one of those Sunday family sections. I just happened to be watching my stepmother when she saw it, and she burst into tears. It said your mother’s maiden name was Logan and she came from Shamrock, Pennsylvania. That’s where my stepmother was from. We live in Bakersfield, California. She was very good to me. I have a half brother and sister, Paul and Anna. And before you can ask, we don’t want anything from your family. Paul and Anna didn’t want me to come here. They wanted to let things be. I’m not like that. I think families should stick together. When my own mother died, my father really was mother and father to me. When Harriet came along, she treated me like her own child.”

Birch leaned back in his chair, his eyes speculative. “What do you want me to do?”

“Arrange a meeting with your mother. I want to talk to her. In the end, Mr. Thornton, it will be her decision. She has a right to know. If for some reason you don’t want to arrange a meeting, I’ll have to find another way to meet her. I’ve come too far now to back down.”

“Do you want to go now or will later on or tomorrow do?”

“Time is of the essence. Harriet doesn’t have long.”

“Let me clear my decks. Drink your coffee, have another cup, and we’ll leave. There’s a lavatory at the end of the room in the corner in case you want to use it. I won’t be long. It’s a forty-five-minute ride up the mountain. I think, Miss Bell, you did the right thing.”

“Do you really, Mr. Thornton?” Lily smiled. It was a smile that wrapped itself around Birch, the kind of smile that tugged at his heart.

“Yes, I do.” He returned her smile. Lily grew light-headed and thought about things like moonlight, stardust, and then more earthy things like holding hands and walking through flower-scented meadows. With someone like Birch Thornton.

His stomach churning, Birch strode through the casino, unaware of the admiring glances following him. Somebody was watching over him. Lily Bell had given him the reason he needed to go to Sunrise to see his mother. He’d apologized for the fiasco at the bank, grateful to his father for backing up his denial. He’d taken his lumps by accepting his mother’s stern, cold attitude, somehow managing to slink off with his head bowed, his heart quivering in his chest. Now, he had the one thing his mother craved more than anything in the world: entrance into his grandmother’s world, a world denied his mother since birth.

Birch slowed his footsteps as he approached the door to his sister’s office. He loved Sunny From the time they were little he’d been her staunchest supporter. He hated seeing the disappointment in her eyes where he was concerned. He’d apologized to her, too, and all she’d done was nod her head. She’d cut herself off from him and his father, doing her job, staying out of sight, crying quietly when she thought no one was around. Sunny had the same kind of guts Sage had, the kind that counted. He listened for a moment before he tapped lightly on the door. The faint sound of the computer keys stopped. “Come in.”

“Sunny, do you have a minute?”

“I have lots of minutes, Birch. Sit down.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Is that one of those polite questions to make conversation or do you care?”

“Jesus, Sunny, every time I talk to you you have a burr in your undies. I care, or I wouldn’t have asked.”

“I feel like a pregnant woman. You didn’t stop in here to ask me how I am. What’s up?”

Birch told her.

“Wow! Where is she?”

“In the private dining room. Do you want to meet her?”

“Surely you jest. One minute you want me to stay hidden because of my big belly and the next you want me to walk out on the floor where customers can actually SEE me. Or do you want me to go down through the garage and come up by the service elevator? If Dad sees me on the floor in the monitor, this place will be in flux for three days.” This last was said so bitterly, Birch cringed. He pretended not to see the tears in his sister’s eyes.

“I want you to walk with me. That means at my side. I don’t much care what Dad does or says these days. I’m doing my job just the way you’re doing yours. God, Sunny, how did you handle your estrangement from Mom when you two went at it? It’s killing me.”

“You were wrong, Birch, just the way I was wrong. Mom taught us to take responsibility for our actions. That was the hardest lesson I ever learned. I chipped away a part of her heart. I don’t think I can ever repair the damage I did to her. I hold back now because I don’t ever want to see that awful look in her eyes again. You sold out, Birch.”

“I didn’t know, Sunny. Dad lied to me.”

“That was my excuse, too. It isn’t good enough. Have you spoken to Sage or Billie?”

“I call, but they don’t call back. I’m not going to force myself on them.”

“Do what I do, get in their face and go on from there. Refuse to accept their attitude, and if that doesn’t work, beat the shit out of Sage.”

Birch snorted. “Jesus, Sunny, you have to stop talking like a truck driver. Sage would deck me. Billie would kick my ass all the way down the mountain.”