Chapter Nineteen

France was an eye opener for Ness, mostly because he felt he was finally seeing Cyrus in his element. Cyrus had suggested that they do a random spot check on his casinos in New York and France, and then they could go onto Ness’s candy factory before making their way back to Arrowtown to oversee the saltwater pool project.

Rather than upset Blade, Ness got in touch with Hal via email to find out what company they had used for their new pool, and Hal was happy to forward the contact details along with a little note saying Blade was “processing but seeing things in a more positive light,” which was a step in the right direction.

In the meantime, the men had places to be. Ness had always enjoyed New York, but he’d never stayed at Cyrus’s casino. Cyrus said his apartment was a lot more private, but as that was still in use, they used his suite at the hotel. Ness truly didn’t mind another penthouse suite that came with room service at any time of the day or night. After losing a couple of hundred dollars at the slot machines, which was the only form of gambling Ness would do in public, they’d had a thigh-trembling night in the suite together before flying out to France the next morning.

The casino Cyrus had set up in France was just outside of Paris, set in the grounds of a large chateau. “This place is beautiful,” Ness said, completely stunned on the drive up to the main house. “You so rarely see a place with a functional moat anymore. It must cost you a fortune to maintain.”

“It’s worth every cent. This place is a classic example of a giant fuck you.” Cyrus showed his teeth. “In case you didn’t guess, there’s a bit of a story about this chateau.” He was dressed in another sharp gray suit and with his hair slicked back and his facial hair trimmed, he ticked all of Ness’s boxes.

“Tell me about it.” Ness stroked the fine material on Cyrus’s trouser leg. “How did it come about that you own this fine chateau? I have a feeling it’s a bit more involved than you just going to a realtor and asking to see their most extravagant listings.”

Cyrus parked the car in a spot that was marked with a small crown right by the steps to the entrance. Turning off the engine, he turned to face Ness, the smirk on his face totally mischievous. “Think back to the eighteen hundreds,” he said. “Lords and ladies running amuck all over Europe, not content with just upsetting the regular folk in their own areas. One of them was particularly cruel – he totally believed that his money and title meant he basically owned the people around him, and he wasn’t someone who played nicely with his toys. I disagreed with his point of view.” Cyrus shrugged.

“I didn’t kill him,” Cyrus added as his grin widened. “You’d have been so proud of me that I didn’t kill him. But let’s just say the man was useless at cards, and I won this beauty here after I’d stripped him of everything else.”

Cyrus sighed. “Happy days. I didn’t want anything to do with the estate at first. It was enough for me that the arrogant ass was reduced to begging from his friends who wouldn’t have anything to do with him once it was known how much he’d lost. I mean, a man’s home is his castle, and the chateau had been in his family for hundreds of years. So he was shunned, and that was all the payback I needed, although I did right by the staff and paid them off. It wasn’t their fault their lord and master was a complete asshole.”

Looking up at the well maintained building it was now, Cyrus smiled fondly. “This pile of bricks and stones probably would’ve stayed a crumbling wreck forevermore and I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But once paranormals came out, the European Paranormal Council approached me and asked me if I’d consider doing something with it. I suggested a casino, because that’s what I do, and they were more than helpful with the necessary permits and what have you.”

“Seems fitting that you won the place playing cards and have continued to make money from it even now.”

“I have to. I want to keep my darlin’ in diamonds and fancy suits.”

Ness cracked up laughing, looking down at his own more casual suit pants that he’d teamed up with a dark gray henley. “You can commission my beastie a fancy tiara or something if you absolutely have to splurge with your money,” he said, still chuckling, “but don’t ever expect me to wear anything flashy.”

“What an awesome idea. One with gems of every color to match your lovely beastie’s skin.” Cyrus’s eyes gleamed. “But come along my darlin’. Let me show you what I’ve done with the chateau.”

Ness had been through many historical buildings in his time – he’d lived in some at various points in his life. He agreed that Cyrus had kept a lot of the elegance and glamour of the French design elements, creating a very lush and expensive looking environment that was clearly popular with the patrons. Unlike the grays and silver of Cyrus’s Las Vegas and New York casinos, the décor was all in golds and red with splashes of black to accentuate the opulence of every room.

But it was Cyrus’s behavior that fascinated Ness the most. He cut through the crowds, like the shark he was, and more than one person fell back when they realized he was approaching. With his half-smile, as if he found the whole thing so amusing, Cyrus accepted nods as his due, and occasionally greeted someone by name as he kept moving. The receptionist’s face went white when she saw Cyrus move through, her hand reaching for the phone, making Cyrus laugh out loud.

“Can you feel it?” he whispered, nudging Ness’s arm as they made their way to the first of what seemed to be four gaming rooms that were well signposted. “That wave of realization that their boss is in the building.”

“There’s definitely a vibe in the room.” Looking around, Ness added, “I’m surprised there’re so many paranormals here. In your other casinos they were more of a rarity.”

“That’s because we’re in Europe, darlin’.” Cyrus waved his hand, indicating the crowds. “When paranormals came out in North America, people were scared and reached for their knives and guns. In Europe, it was as if the entire continent gave a collective shrug and said, ‘meh, tell us something we don’t know.’

“European folklore is full of monsters and things that go bump in the night. The people here genuinely weren’t surprised. You won’t find a shifter town anywhere in Europe for that reason. They’re just accepted everywhere. Shifters can go to town in their furry form, and no one gets upset about it, and vampires have their own blood bars and clubs.”

“Vampires had them before paranormals came out,” Ness murmured.

“Ah yes, but they used to be private, all very hush-hush. Now they have membership cards, promotional events, and happy hours.” Cyrus stilled as a tall man in a suit came hurrying over.

“Mr. Marinus,” the man said in French-accented English. “We were not expecting to see you today. I thought you were visiting us next month.”

“Plans change, Charles, and it’s only a short visit, nothing to fret about. This is my fated mate, Farness Duncan. He will be accorded every courtesy during our stay.”

“Congratulations to you both.” Charles clasped his hands over his heart and bowed briefly, but Ness could tell the actions and the words didn’t match the emotion behind the voice. “I’ll let the chef know to prepare a sumptuous and romantic meal for you this afternoon and have it brought to your suite. If you need anything else…”

“We’ll let the front desk know if we need anything.” Cyrus patted Charles’s arm. “My mate and I are going to have a wander through the game rooms, and see what’s going on…”

“There’s been no trouble here,” Charles protested, rather unnecessarily in Ness’s opinion, but perhaps that was part of Charles’s nature. “Everything is running just as it should.”

“Hmm, I’d be inclined to believe you, however I see two of the table cameras have been disconnected.” Cyrus pointed to the far edge of the room. “Tables four and six. The camera lights aren’t on.”

Charles’s eyes widened and then he quickly regained his composure. “Those tables were booked by private parties, sir. They requested they be allowed to play in private, which I’m sure you’ll understand. Providing our clients a discreet and private place to play is what makes this place so popular.”

Cyrus didn’t need to stand any taller, or really do anything at all, but Ness could feel a sudden menace fill the air. Charles definitely felt it and a couple of people who were sauntering past suddenly quickened their steps. “What is the main rule of this establishment, Charles?”

“I totally understand the need to protect the establishment, Mr. Marinus, sir, but it’s Count Vanely’s party at table four, and Lord and Lady Partridge are hosting a private party at table six.”

“Did they suddenly become shareholders of my establishment in my absence, Charles?”

“Not to my knowledge, Mr. Marinus, no.” Charles was starting to sweat and Ness amused himself watching the tables under discussion.

“Then what gave them the right to come in here and cheat. Or perhaps I should say who gave them that right?”

“It’s blatantly obvious, too,” Ness murmured as he watched one of the players on table six swap out a card from one he likely had on his lap. The uniformed dealer, clearly one of Cyrus’s employees had to have noticed but just kept dealing, keeping his eyes down.

“There, you see?” Cyrus flung out his arm. “My own mate can see it as plain as day, which means anyone else in that vicinity can too.”

“They wouldn’t cheat, Mr. Marinus. They’re respectable people who…”

“Call your security, Cy,” Ness said, keeping his voice low as the one who’d blatantly cheated cheered as he clearly had a winning hand. “Lord and Lady Partridge are passing acquaintances of mine. I’ll just go over and say hello, shall I? See how often they come here.”

“Oh, see, Mr. Marinus? If your mate knows them then I’m sure he’ll vouch for them being here, having their privacy respected.” Charles looked relieved, but it was short lived.

“That’s not what I said, Charles. Call security, Cy.” Ness stormed off in the direction of the tables. He was not a confrontational person. He hated conflict of any kind. But in that moment, watching someone blatantly steal from his mate’s establishment, Ness was wishing he had a flame thrower so he could blast some fire up an entitled person’s ass.

Walking around the back of the chair, where Percival Partridge was laughing in that annoying bray of his, Ness leaned his hands on the back of the chair. “Having fun, Percy? I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Farness Duncan, as I live and breathe. I never expected to see you in a place like this either.” No, when the man laughed he didn’t sound like a horse, but that was possibly the effect he was going for.

“I had some business here.” Ness nodded at the pile of chips stacked on the table in front of where Percival was sitting. “Had a winning day?”

“Percy always win when we come here,” another man at the table said with a laugh that was just as annoying. “We all do, it’s why we come here.”

“Sounds a bit more than luck at play then.” Ness smiled as if he was in on the joke, well aware that Percival couldn’t keep a secret to save himself.

“It’s classic. Honestly, the guy who owns this place is some gangster from god knows where, but he’s so busy fleecing the gamblers over in Vegas, he doesn’t realize that his head guy here in the penguin suit is charging a hundred bucks an hour per table to have the cameras turned off, letting us play by our own rules. Wink. Wink.”

“That can’t be fair on the other employees.” Ness flicked a glance at the poor dealer whose face was bright red, although he kept his eyes down.

“They get tipped enough and if they complain they get fired.” Percival and the other man at the table burst out laughing again, although Lady Fiona tapped the table with her cards.

“Shut up, Percy, honestly. We have to keep playing or I’ll never be able to afford that new Rolls I have on order.”

“You should pull up a chair, Farness,” Percival said. “A couple of hands here and you’ll have paid for your trip.”

“Not this time.” Ness straightened, looking straight into Cyrus’s eyes. “But maybe another time. How often do you play here?”

“Every damn week.” Percival was acting like he’d made a new friend, when Ness had never had anything but a passing acquaintance with him, for good reason. “Honestly, it’s the easiest way to make money short of robbing a bank.” He noticed Cyrus for the first time. “Hey, who are you? This is a private party, didn’t Charles tell you? No spectators allowed.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t know who this person is, considering you come here every week. Allow me to introduce Cyrus Marinus from Sicily and more recently Las Vegas. The man who signs Charle’s paycheck,” Ness said calmly. “He’s also my fated mate, and in case you didn’t get the reference, he is the owner of this establishment. If you recall, the one you called a gangster and a thief because of his business dealings in Vegas. The one you’ve been stealing from to fund your new Rolls Royce.”

Percival wasn’t a tanned man, but in that moment his skin went so white he could’ve been mistaken for a ghost. “It was all Charles,” he said quickly. “Charles will tell you…”

“Charles has been detained and is currently unavailable for comment.” Cyrus glowered. “I think it’s time we all had a nice friendly chat in my office, don’t you? After all, theft is a criminal offense even if it is just you trying to pull one over on a gangster.”

“I’d call your Rolls Royce dealership, too, Fiona,” Ness added with a bite in his tone. “Your order is going to have to be canceled. Leave the chips on the table. They do not belong to you.”