Chapter 235: Chapter 19 High Stakes Showdown

Blood Money Games

Dominic’s POV

I gathered with my crew at the Thorne family’s exclusive establishment within the Social Union, ready to back Caleb through his latest catastrophe with Ivy. Sure, she had every right to demand blood after what went down, but loyalty in our world meant standing by your Don even when he’d royally screwed the famiglia. What had me on edge was Jude and Finn’s intelligence that our women were coordinating some kind of calculated retaliation campaign, all thanks to Caleb’s spectacular mess.

Finn dropped the bombshell that Zoe had assembled all the girls under Ivy’s direct orders, and my mind raced wondering where they could be plotting our systematic destruction. In our line of work, when the women started conspiring, bodies usually followed.

"Anyone have intel on their current location?" I pressed, hoping to extract Gemma before whatever feminine warfare they were orchestrating escalated into something that required cleanup crews. We had plans tonight, and maybe I could pull her from their war council before things got messy.

"Zoe shut me down hard and made it crystal clear it’s none of our goddamn business," Finn muttered, visibly shaken. Sometimes I suspected he was genuinely terrified of his girlfriend, and honestly, I couldn’t blame him. Zoe had personally disappeared men who’d crossed her, and that was just recently.

"We could track them down through our network if we really tried," Xavier suggested with that reckless gleam in his eye. "Jude, you’ve got surveillance access on Nora’s movements, right?"

"Absolutely not, Xavier. The last time I pulled that surveillance stunt, she nearly slit my throat in my sleep, and I swore on my mother’s grave never to cross that line again. And that disaster was helping you out..." Jude’s voice carried genuine terror.

"I’ll reach out to Gemma directly. We had concrete arrangements for today," I said, pulling out my encrypted phone and crafting what I hoped was an irresistible message.

"Hey gorgeous, did you sleep well? Are you home? What time should I come collect you?"

Her response arrived within seconds, which somehow made my chest tighten with dangerous anticipation.

"Hey handsome, slept like an angel. How about you? Unfortunately, I can’t see you today, I’m with the girls."

Exactly what I’d suspected. They were definitely coordinating something, and in our world, coordination usually meant someone was about to pay in blood. I decided to push harder.

"I spent the entire night fantasizing about seeing you again. Tell me where you are, and I’ll just stop by for a minute."

"Smooth operator, Dominic!" Xavier leaned over my shoulder, reading the exchange with obvious excitement.

My phone buzzed again, but when I opened the message, it wasn’t from Gemma. It was from Zoe, and my blood ran cold like ice water.

"Frost, I’m confident Finn already relayed my message, since my prince follows orders so beautifully. But in case you missed it, let me be crystal clear: WHERE WE ARE IS ABSOLUTELY NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Stop harassing Gemma immediately, she’ll contact you when she gets home. Oh, and don’t you dare stumble into the office tomorrow with a hangover."

I passed the phone around, and the guys erupted in nervous laughter while Finn just shook his head in complete defeat.

"What choice do I have? She controls every aspect of my existence. The worst part is how incredibly arousing I find her dominance!" Finn’s admission triggered another round of uncomfortable laughter.

"She terrorizes me too, Finn, but I’m genuinely afraid she’ll have me whacked," I admitted, which only made everyone laugh harder.

"Well, at least we’ve identified the supreme commander of the girlfriends’ alliance," Caleb observed grimly.

"You know what, let’s reclaim some dignity. A serious poker game will restore our masculine pride," Xavier suggested, and we all agreed it was exactly what we needed as we headed to the Union’s high-stakes casino floor.

The moment we entered the private gaming area, Beatrix materialized with her usual pack of social climbing parasites and immediately attached herself to us like a blood-sucking leech.

"Darling! What a delicious surprise finding you here!" Beatrix draped herself across my shoulders, deliberately pressing her silicon enhancements against my face.

"Beatrix, back the hell off. I’m here for a private game with my family," I responded coldly, trying to create distance before I had to get physical.

"Don’t be such a killjoy, sweetheart. We’ll provide excellent entertainment," Beatrix persisted with predatory determination. "And I’m calling Yara right now, Caleb. You absolutely must apologize to that princess."

"For Christ’s sake, Beatrix, leave that spoiled mafia princess alone. I have nothing to apologize for, and you need to stay out of family business before you get hurt," Caleb’s voice carried genuine menace that would have sent most people running.

"Don’t worry about Yara, I’ll take excellent care of Caleb," Mina purred, pressing herself against him while he looked ready to commit actual violence.

"This gorgeous mystery man is new. Won’t you introduce us properly?" Rick was practically molesting Finn with her aggressive advances.

"Keep your hands off him, Rick. This one belongs to someone who will literally bury you alive," I warned, watching Finn turn crimson from Rick’s unwanted attention.

"What about a private walk, sugar?" Elza whispered so close to Xavier’s mouth she was practically kissing him.

"Get lost, Elza. We’ve already had this conversation multiple times," Xavier tried escaping, but these women had more hands than octopuses, touching and grabbing at everything like they owned it.

I struggled to extract my face from Beatrix’s aggressive assault when something across the casino floor made my blood boil to dangerous temperatures. This was absolutely unacceptable, and heads were going to roll. But first, we needed to eliminate these pests swarming us like hungry vultures.

"Listen carefully, you pack of whores masquerading as high society ladies. Turn around and disappear before I lose my temper and have security physically remove you from this establishment," Caleb spoke with barely contained fury. I suspected he’d spotted the same infuriating scene that had my trigger finger itching.

"Wow, Caleb, you’ve really exceeded your rudeness quota today!" Rick hissed through clenched teeth.

"Go to hell, Rick! You’re all pathetically clueless! Find someone else to harass and leave us alone before this gets messy," I added, exchanging meaningful looks with Caleb that promised violence.

"Come on, girls, they’re having emotional breakdowns today, and I refuse to be their punching bag," Mina announced before stalking away with her followers, finally allowing me to breathe without suffocating in cheap perfume.

"Now look to my right," I instructed the guys once those insufferable parasites had retreated.

"Jesus Christ, Nora is completely out of line!" Jude snarled.

"Out of line doesn’t begin to cover this disrespect," Xavier added grimly.

We exchanged looks and stood simultaneously, understanding without words that this nonsense ended immediately. We marched toward the table where our women sat like they owned the place, and Jude struck first.

"Having the time of your life, wife?" Jude asked, leaning possessively over Nora with dangerous intent.

"Absolutely, Jude. It appears our women are enjoying themselves tremendously," I confirmed in a voice low enough to promise retribution while positioning myself directly behind Gemma like a territorial predator.

One by one, we approached our respective women, each claiming his territory with the subtle menace that came naturally to men in our position. The men sitting with our girls looked at us like they were issuing direct challenges to our authority. One of them, whom Ruby had introduced as her brother during last night’s family gathering, had the absolute audacity to invite us to join them, which felt like a calculated insult to our status.

Caleb reacted first, pulling Ivy possessively against him with movements that brooked no argument.

Zoe immediately showed her razor-sharp claws, dismissing us and declaring they were staying put like she was giving orders to subordinates. I was prepared to teach my assistant a serious lesson about hierarchy and respect. I was genuinely shocked when Finn contradicted her firmly, insisting they were coming with us regardless of her preferences.

I seized the opportunity, thanking them coldly for their invitation while making it absolutely clear we had existing obligations with our women. But these guys seemed determined to humiliate us publicly in our own territory, and then someone suggested the brilliant idea of betting on who would escort the ladies to dinner.

Xavier, with his usual big mouth and pathetic desperation for Ruby’s attention, agreed to the wager before any of us could stop him, leaving us no choice but to participate. We sat at that table knowing our suffering was far from over, and the stakes were dangerously high in ways that went beyond money.

I wanted to put a bullet through Xavier’s skull and gouge Hunter’s eyes out as he threw himself at Gemma with disgusting obviousness throughout the entire game. Worst of all, Gemma was encouraging his attention, flirting shamelessly with the bastard like she was deliberately trying to drive me to murder. If this torture didn’t end quickly, there would be bloodshed right there on the casino floor.

The game began with serious money on the table, and Silas was first to fold after practically molesting Nora with his wandering hands. When Hunter finally left the game, I immediately abandoned it too. I couldn’t care less about the substantial sum I’d wagered, but I absolutely would not allow that predator to put his hands on my goddess.

Gradually everyone dropped out until only Caleb and Parker remained in what had become a high-stakes showdown. When Caleb shoved all his considerable chips to the center, I exhaled with relief. If he was making that move, he wouldn’t lose. I knew my Don’s playing style intimately; his hand was unbeatable. There was an obscene amount of money on the table, enough to buy several legitimate businesses outright.

When Parker threw his cards down and folded, I finally felt my shoulders relax for the first time all evening.

We took the girls to an intimate bistro under family protection with incredible food and spent a genuinely pleasant evening together. After dinner, I drove Gemma home through our secured territory.

"My goddess, let’s go to my place. We have some very unfinished business to handle," I said seductively once we were safely in the car.

"We absolutely do, Dominic, but I’m completely exhausted, and I have to work tomorrow," Gemma sighed, and I could see the genuine fatigue in her beautiful eyes.

"I need to get you out of that damn mall and somewhere safer," I grumbled, making her smile despite everything.

"I’m off Wednesday. You could invite me over Tuesday night. Besides, my mom is traveling for work, and I’ll be completely alone all week," Gemma smiled and spoke in that voice that made my blood run hot with dangerous intent. "And I absolutely hate being alone."

"Now that’s the best news I’ve heard all day," I smiled and gave her a quick but promising kiss that tasted like victory. "Let me get you home safely."

I walked my goddess to her door with my hand resting on my concealed weapon, constantly scanning for threats, and arranged to collect her from work the following day.