53. Jezebel

CHAPTER 53

JEZEBEL

“ B raxton Vale. Good to meet you.”

Brax offered a hand, and Cole shook it.

“Cole Gallagher.”

“And I’m Indi.”

The vacation lasted three days. Barbie and Dice were needed for jobs, but I had a reprieve until my hospital checkup, which was scheduled for next week because Doc Martinsson was in Hawaii. Our first night back in Vegas found Cole and me in a private dining room at the Black Diamond—not quite what I’d planned to be doing on my return to the country, but Brax and Indi were flying to Europe tomorrow morning for a belated honeymoon. Which meant we could have this meeting now or much later, and patience wasn’t my strongest suit. So I’d booked a dining room, put on a dress and heels, and steeled myself for an evening with my sort-of-ex. Indi was sweet, though. Maybe Brax hadn’t been a total idiot to marry her.

A waiter fussed around pouring glasses of wine and water while Cole fidgeted, and I put my hand on his thigh to stop it from bouncing. Brax wasn’t fidgeting. Brax was smooth. He’d always been smooth, sometimes to the point of slippery—it was how he’d made so much money.

“I take it this isn’t a social occasion,” he said, eyes on me.

“It isn’t not a social occasion. We have wine and food.”

“It’s about the Galaxy.”

This was Brax. I’d have been more surprised if he hadn’t done his homework.

“Of course it’s about the Galaxy.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure yet. But as of right now, the resort is in the toilet, and the bank is getting ready to flush. Cole inherited the place from his uncle, but his uncle wasn’t much of a businessman, it seems. Didn’t move with the times. The Galaxy has been losing money for years. It’s old, it’s tired, and it desperately needs a refurb, but there’s no money in the kitty.”

Brax sighed. “How much do you need?”

He owed me. He knew he owed me. Not only had I saved his girlfriend from a particularly nasty fate, but I’d also stopped his ex-wife from taking most of his money.

“I’m not asking for a gift. I’m asking for a loan and your excellent business acumen.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, my darling.”

“Yes, I know. Flattery and firearms—a winning combination.”

Brax swirled wine in his glass before tasting it, then rested his elbows on the table and turned to Cole. “Tell me about the Galaxy.”

Through the appetiser and the entrée, Cole laid out all he’d learned about the failing resort. The money troubles, the low room-occupancy rates, the mystery loan, the fabric of the building, the loyalty of the staff.

When he was done, Brax put down his fork. “Do you want me to be candid? ”

“Yes, sir.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t call him ‘sir.’ It’ll go to his head.” And to Brax, “Tell it like it is.”

Brax nodded once. “So, the location. It’s the one thing we can’t change. It’s on the Strip, but it’s hardly the Bellagio. The quieter position reduces footfall, but works well for guests who aren’t fond of crowds. I actually like the building. I dropped by for lunch with Indi.” He flashed a smile. “We might have booked a room for a few hours. It was clean, but the thermostat didn’t work properly.”

“Sorry about that.”

“The Galaxy is a turnaround project, and I can turn it around.”

“You can?” Cole’s leg began bouncing again. He’d never make a poker player. “What’s the catch?”

“I wouldn’t call it a catch, but we’re talking more than a simple refurb here. You’re catering to the wrong market, trying to be all things to all people. Families with kids, women holding bachelorette parties, businessmen attending conferences. The place is too small for that. You need to focus on one market, and do it well.”

“Which market?”

“Adults. Wealthy adults. Use the intimate size of the building as a strength and turn it into a luxurious boutique hotel.” I remembered that cocky little smirk on Brax’s face all too well. “Make it a little bit dirty.”

“Dirty?” Cole didn’t sound certain. “That’s a big change.”

“It is, and it’s necessary. The Galaxy’s theatre is a great asset, but so far this year, you’ve hosted performances from a country-and-western singer, a children’s entertainer, a stand-up comedian, a hypnotist, and a self-styled business guru. There’s no consistency. Switch the variety for showgirls and burlesque, and make the shows an extension of the hotel. Invite special guests, but make sure they truly are special. Singers who can fill the hotel based on their name alone.”

“What about returning guests? Families who’ve stayed with us before? They won’t like it if they arrive and find the kids’ club has been turned into a speakeasy.”

“A speakeasy? That’s an excellent idea. And I’m talking a whole rebrand here. A fresh name, a fresh start.”

“So it wouldn’t be called the Galaxy anymore?”

“No, it wouldn’t.”

Cole bit his lip. He wasn’t fond of change, and yet he’d coped remarkably well considering his whole life had been thrown into a blender in the past year.

“What about the staff?” he asked.

“You said they were loyal, and that’s a trait I admire. We’ll keep as many of them as possible on, but not necessarily in the same roles. Take your general manager, for example. Perry? When Indi and I were at the hotel earlier, he was flapping in the restaurant while a parent complained that the ice cream was ‘too melty.’ Firstly, other staff should be able to handle that situation, and secondly, Perry has no backbone. He’s a follower, not a leader.”

“I know that—he was catapulted into the position when Uncle Mike died, and I’m just grateful he hasn’t quit.”

“So you think he’d be happier in a different position?”

Cole nodded.

“Good. You need someone in the role who has an eye for quality and excellent knowledge of the leisure industry.”

“Can you recommend anybody like that?”

“Actually, I can. The manager of my club in San Francisco is looking for a new challenge.”

“One of your private members’ clubs?”

“Exactly that. A private members’ club,” Brax told him at the same time as I coughed and said, “Sex club. ”

Indi giggled. Apparently, she knew all about Brax’s dark side.

Cole didn’t laugh. “Is a sex club even legal?”

“We’re not selling sex. We’re providing a place for like-minded people to socialise, along with the choice of amenities you’d expect from a five-star establishment. The San Francisco location has eighty-seven rooms, so it is in essence a small hotel, and our members are what Las Vegas would class as high-rollers.”

“So you’d want to run the Galaxy as one of these ‘socialisation spaces’?”

“No, I want to diversify my portfolio. Still adult-oriented, but minus the spanking benches. The new Galaxy would also be run to the same standards as my other businesses—with attention to detail, a high staff-to-guest ratio, and an emphasis on quality rather than cost.”

I could see Cole was wavering, and I knew that was a mistake.

“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t trust Brax,” I told him. “He has both the capital and the connections to turn the Galaxy around. You honestly won’t get a better offer.”

“And I trust Jerry,” Brax said. “That’s the only reason I’m here. I won’t lie—the land the Galaxy stands on is worth more than the business as a going concern, thanks to the debt involved. If this was a regular deal, that’s what I’d be pushing for: the land. Sending the company into bankruptcy and selling off the assets. But I owe Jerry a favour.”

And there was the other side of Brax. He was a good man to have as a friend, but absolutely ruthless when it came to business. In the past, he’d focused on work at a cost to his personal life. That led to him marrying a total bitch because he didn’t see her for what she was, but I was hopeful that he’d turned a corner now with Indi. She wasn’t a parasite the way Carissa had been. Indi had her own career in medicine, and money didn’t seem to be her primary driver. Helping people was her goal in life. In a way, we had the same aim—our executions were just very different.

“Must be a pretty big favour,” Cole said.

“It is. Maybe she’ll tell you the details someday, but I’ll leave that up to her.”

“I see.” Cole took a sip of wine. “How would things work if we rebrand? The logistics, I mean. What about the guests? The staff?”

“Planning is key, and we’d carry out the work with minimum business interruption. Any bookings during the transition period would be shuffled to other hotels, and guests with later reservations would be given the option to keep their room at the same rate or receive a full refund. In the interim, we’d retrain any staff who want to stay, and then we’d open with a bang.”

I snorted at that, and Brax gave me a sideways glance.

“I was thinking of fireworks, but you’re right. Anyhow, I heard the Neptune has suffered some problems recently? That opens up the market.”

“The Neptune’s problem is Alexa,” I told him. “I’m not sure of the exact reasons, but someone there rubbed her the wrong way.”

Cole picked at his dessert for a moment, but he was just stalling for time. I hoped he took Brax’s offer. He wouldn’t get a better one.

“What role would I play in the future?”

“The transition would be relatively hands-on for both of us, but when everything is up and running, we can take a step back. And if things work out as we hope, I’d be willing to take a larger stake in the business if you want to realise your investment. ”

“And what about the finances? The bank won’t lend any more.”

“I’d pay off the debts in return for an equity stake in the company and then provide a line of credit for the refurbishment.”

“You haven’t even asked how much the debts are.”

“I already know.”

“How—” Cole started, but then he sighed. “Your friend?”

“She has boundary issues,” I explained.

Brax’s turn to snort. “She went no-contact with me for years, then emailed me out of the blue to tell me that one of my staff had a gambling habit, and he was stealing from me to finance it. The amounts were reasonably small, and I have no idea how she even found out, but she was right.”

“Can I sleep on it?” Cole asked. “Is there a deadline for the offer?”

“Diversification is always at the back of my mind, but I’m not actively considering any other propositions at this point in time. So no, there isn’t any particular deadline, but if another acceptable deal falls into my lap, I won’t turn it down. Feel free to get in touch if you need any general advice in the meantime—Jerry has my number, and I’m only at the end of the phone.”

“I appreciate that.”

Cole finally ate a mouthful of cheesecake, and I squeezed his thigh under the table. It was a big decision, huge, and understandable that he’d want to think things through. He didn’t know Brax the way I did.

Brax’s phone rang—yes, he’d left it on the table—and he glanced at the screen. Raised an eyebrow. I could read too, even upside down. Nolan? Nolan de Luca? He was another of our old roommates from Blackstone House. Another person whose life had almost been ruined by false allegations .

“Braxton Vale.”

Why did Brax always answer the phone that way? Nolan already knew who he was.

“Can’t you just add the email account to another computer? … Do you have backups? … Okay, I’ll resend it. A delay doesn’t matter for most of the orders, but it’s Crystal’s birthday next week, so hers needs to arrive on time.” A pause. “No, I don’t think turning it on is a good idea. You should take it to a repair shop. … Good luck.”

Brax hung up and sighed. “Nolan hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still scatterbrained and technologically inept.”

“What happened?”

“It seems he’s been running his entire business off one laptop, and now the laptop is broken.”

“Broken how? Did he try turning it off and turning it on again?”

“He said a message popped up and told him to send someone Bitcoin if he wanted to see his data again.”

A ransomware attack? “So what did he do?”

“Panicked and held the power button down until the machine turned off. I’m not sure he even knows what Bitcoin is.”

“Turning it off was the right thing to do.” I’d learned that much from Echo. Disconnect from the internet and turn off the device. Data encryption was a process; it didn’t happen in one go, and shutting down could prevent further damage. “Does he have backups?”

“What do you think?”

I thought it was highly unlikely. Nolan de Luca ran a vineyard in California, an award-winning one, no less, but Brax was right—technology was not his forte. He was good with his hands, though. Blackstone House had been a renovation project when we all moved in, and Nolan had quickly proven his worth with his carpentry skills. He and Alexa had lived in the same house, but they were a great example of how different two people could be. Alexa had hacked the NSA. Nolan once spent two hours trying to send a document to print on a printer we didn’t even own anymore.

But that gave me an idea…

“Call Nolan back. Make sure he doesn’t, under any circumstances, try turning on that laptop. And tell him Alexa will come and fix it.”

“Tell him Alexa will go to his home in California?” Brax looked doubtful, and with good reason.

“Yes.”

I had a plan. A way to pay Echo back for her meddling. Yes, everything had worked out with Cole in the end, but I still didn’t appreciate her going behind my back.

“Alexa won’t do that,” Brax said. “She hasn’t spoken to Nolan once since she left Blackstone House, and we all know she avoids him for her own weird Alexa reasons. I think he’s actually quite hurt by it.”

“I’ll make sure she goes. Just tell him, okay?”

I’d worked out roughly where she was now. When I called to ask her to send the financials to Brax, she’d been down some rabbit hole or another, and my call had been diverted to Chase. And while we were speaking, I’d heard a metro announcement in the background. Chase was in Paris. Which meant Echo was also in Paris.

“Nolan will be disappointed if she doesn’t show up.”

“Yes, I know.” I was counting on it. “She’ll be there, I promise.”

What was a little blackmail between friends? Brax picked up the phone.

“Nolan? It’s Brax.” He did realise that in the twenty-first century, we had these things called smartphones? And they told us who was calling? “I had a think about your computer issue, and I’m sure Alexa will be able to fix it.” A pause. “Yes, yes, that Alexa. I’ll give her a call. ”

I gave him a thumbs-up.

“She’ll come, I’m sure of it. A friend in need and all that. You have my word. Just don’t turn the laptop on—that could make the situation a hundred times worse.” Brax hung up and grimaced. “You’d better pull this off.”

“I will.”

“You didn’t hear the hope in Nolan’s voice.”

“I said I’ll handle it. When have I ever not fucking handled it?”

Indi gave a nervous giggle. “Does anyone want coffee?”

I forced a smile. “Why not?”

We were nibbling on petits fours when Cole suddenly put down his coffee cup.

“I’ll do it,” he said. “I mean, I’ll take it. I’ll take the offer.”

Thank fuck for that.

“What happened to sleeping on it?” I asked.

“I can’t sleep. I haven’t slept properly for months. Every night, I lie awake waiting for another phone call telling me something’s gone wrong. And you’re right—you handle everything. You brought me here, and you’re telling me it’s a good deal, which means it is. What do we do now? Shake on it? I’ve never made an agreement like this one.”

Brax glanced at me and chuckled. “Normally there would be corporate due diligence involved, and a considerable amount of legal work, but this isn’t a regular transaction.” No, this was more like Brax throwing millions into a black hole and praying, and he was doing it for me. “I’ll instruct my lawyers in the morning. What’s your lawyer’s number?”

“I don’t have a lawyer.”

I slipped my arm around his waist. “Well, I have a lawyer. Not sure he does corporate stuff, but I’ll ask him for a recommendation.”

“You have a lawyer? ”

“For investments and stuff.” I had a small property portfolio, plus some equity stakes in companies whose ethos I liked. And I’d need to get a new will drawn up. At the moment, my entire estate would go to the Helping Paws Animal Shelter when I died—which was likely to be sooner rather than later, given my line of work—but Cole should probably be in there somewhere. “We’ll figure it out.”

Brax paid the bill, and as we were leaving, he leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. “Cole looks good on you,” he whispered, and then he examined my necklace, holding it between a finger and thumb. The gleam in his eye told me he knew exactly what it was for. “So does this.”

Indi was blissfully oblivious as she gave me a stiff hug. Neither of us were touchy-feely people, but we were growing into a tentative friendship. This new life was weird, but not as awful as I’d once imagined. A car was waiting outside the Black Diamond to take Cole and me back to Uncle Mike’s house, and I curled against him in the back seat.

“How do you feel about a quick trip to Paris?” I asked.

“Like a vacation? I just took a vacation. I’m not sure Perry will cope if I take another one.”

“One night, maybe two. Jet lag, macarons, a romantic walk beside the River Seine.”

“A romantic walk?” He regarded me dubiously. “Are you planning to do anything illegal?”

“No, I swear.”

Not unless I had to hogtie Echo and stuff her into an airplane.

Cole chewed his lip as he considered. “I guess the pressure is off with regard to the Galaxy now. You got any idea what’s happening with that Bitcoin loan? Brax didn’t mention it.”

“I’m hoping to get some answers in Paris. ”

“Care to elaborate on that?”

“Not really.” But then I sighed. Relationships were tricky. “Alexa is in Paris, and she has the answers.”

“Then I guess I’ll pack a bag.” Cole kissed my temple. “I love you.”

I was finally ready to say it back. “I love you too.”