Page 30 of Maximum Bet

From the corner of my eye, I catch a commotion near the stage in the back of the room. Half listening to Dominic’s conversation with his father, I turn to spot Sadie standing by a dining table and looking frantically around the room as Lucas rushes through a door behind her. When her eyes lock on mine, they widen, and she mouths something I can’t understand.

I tug gently on Dominic’s arm. He pats my hand and gives me a quick smile, remaining focused on discussing plans for the hotel.

“Dominic,” I mutter as I spot Marco entering through the same door Lucas disappeared behind. “Something’s going on.”

Dominic’s demeanor shifts as his body tenses and he laser-focuses on his brother, who is weaving through the crowd with his lips pressed into a grim line.

“Stay here,” Dominic mutters, releasing his hold on me.

Marco meets him within a few steps. They speak in hushed tones with their heads bowed. Vincent joins in, hand placed on Dominic’s shoulder.

“Business,” Cecilia sighs.

I turn to find her sipping her Chardonnay, expression weary as she glances my direction.

Vincent remains in place as Dominic and Marco head toward the back entrance to the ballroom. Dominic adjusts the cuff of his sleeve and cuts his eyes toward me with a silent warning. Stay.

Heart pounding in my chest, I shift in my heels, attempting to ignore my urge to fight whatever threat we’re facing.

I mumble to Cecilia, “I’ll be right back,” then take off to search for the only person in the room who may have answers.

Sadie isn’t far from where I last saw her. Hiding in the shadows of one of the elaborate lighting features, she’s huddled over her phone texting furiously.

Without warning, I rush to her side and wrap my hand around her bicep, a question rolling off my tongue before she has time to register my sudden appearance.

“What do you know?”

Startled, her navy eyes snap to mine as she holds her phone close to her chest, hiding the screen.

“Holy crap, Cassie. You can’t just grab people.”

Ignoring the scolding, I squeeze tighter. “What. Do. You. Know.”

She yanks her arm from my grip but leans close. “Not much. Here, you can read Lucas’s text.” Scrolling up her text thread, she hands me her phone.

We’ve got a situation. Be ready to leave when and if I tell you to.

Her reply of,What???echoes my sentiments.

We spotted people on the property who shouldn’t be here.

Lucas’s texts stop after that, despite a barrage of increasingly panicked questions from Sadie.

“Stop texting him,” I say. “I promise he’s fine. He’s not going to answer while they’re dealing with business.”

“Cassie, what does this even mean?” she asks, retrieving her phone and shaking it in my face. “What people?”

Sucking my lip between my teeth, I scan the partygoers, none the wiser to the chaos building behind the walls.

“If I had to guess,” I whisper to Sadie. “I’d say they’re either members of the Russian Bratva or a Mexican cartel.”

With a gasp, she throws her hand over her mouth.

“But don’t worry too much. The Tariellos have defeated them before. They can do it again.”

Sadie scoffs, a tear threatening to fall. “Yeah, well, one of those battles ended up with both our men suffering from bullet wounds.”

I swallow past a knot in my throat.