Page 57 of Reckless Chance
When I returned home, I told Dad that my friend Paxton Preston just learned he was MarcusRossi’sson rather than MarcusPreston’sson. It turned out that Preston was his middle name. Surprisingly, his parents hid this fact from him all those years. Preston was his mom’s maiden name, and the name she’d put on his birth certificate. His dad had gone along with it to protect Paxton and please his wife.
Dad quickly sat me down in his office and explained that my friendship with the eldest son of the mafia don could cause problems for our family’s casino business. In recent times, casinos have had to maintain a clean record or lose their licenses. Dad couldn’t risk anyone thinking he or his family had mafia ties. That meant publicly hanging out with Paxton was a problem.
I was devastated that one of my best friends was being pushed out of my life. It wasn’t fair. Eventually, Paxton and I found a way around the “friendship ban” when we both joined a soccer league in Las Vegas. That meant we didn’t completely cut ties with each other—at least not when we were on the field, or the pitch, as our friend Evan calls it.
After a couple of years, I had to quit the team though, and our contact with each other became infrequent. But when Dad passed away, Paxton was one of the first people to reach out tome. A year earlier, he’d been called upon to take over his father’s business too. Ironically, we had a lot in common again. We’d both lost our fathers and inherited major businesses to run at much younger ages than we ever expected.
The renewed connection with Paxton came with the problem of navigating the conflict between me being a casino owner and him being head of the mafia. We dealt with it by only meeting in large social settings, not meeting at my casino, and talking on the phone when we had the chance. We’ve never spoken about our businesses in any detail.
More recently, we’ve both been busy. It wasn’t until I was told Paxton’s associates were on my property that it dawned on me how long it had been since we’ve talked.
Paxton interrupts my thoughts, asking, “What’s going on with you?”
“More than I’d like. I’m hoping you’ll answer a couple of questions. Do you agree that our families have an understanding that none of your people are ever to come onto the Athena’s grounds?”
“Absolutely. The agreement goes back to our fathers’ promise not to let their businesses interfere with each other. Then you and I agreed that a line in the sand separating your work from mine wouldn’t be sufficient. There had to be a wall, so we don’t accidentally step across and interfere with each other. I’m not sure how much that matters now that my business in the U.S. is legit real estate. The agreement stands nevertheless.”
“I know you’ve redirected your gambling business online and offshore and use that money to buy the real estate. You’ve said that makes it legal, or at least puts it into a gray area that’s arguably legal. Nevertheless, you still have associates here who work with you on the gambling side of your business, correct?”
“What if we do?”
“They should never set foot in or around the Athena.”
“Agreed.”
“Then why the hell were these two guys talking to one of my employees on Athena property?” I ask, handing over a printout of the video image.
He stares at the image, recognition showing in his eyes.
“Those are your men. Don’t bother denying it,” I say.
“Calm down. I’m not denying it. Where was this photo taken?”
“It’s from a camera near a back entrance to my hotel.”
“Shit.”
“No kidding. That’s why I’m upset. Why were they there?”
“I’ll find out. They had no business on your property.”
“Did you know they came to the Athena or that they were involved with one of my employees?”
“Of course not.”
I take a deep breath. My need to protect the Athena and its future can be overwhelming. Paxton’s my friend. I should have trusted that he wouldn’t purposefully cause my business harm.
“Please forgive my frustration, but you know the problems this could cause for me. I’m already dealing with the police investigating circumstances surrounding an audience member who died while participating in one of our shows. Now I have mafia guys intimidating one of my employees. I don’t need the headache of a gaming commission investigation because the mafia is on my property.”
“I understand. We’ll figure this out before it causes you problems, but my family shouldn’t be considered mafia after the changes we’ve made.”
“Your business may be in a gray area, so you can argue it’s legit. It may even be one hundred percent legal. But as you said, perception is slow to change. The Rossi family is still a powerful machine in this city, and our connection could cause me problems with the commission. I can’t afford to be put in aposition where I need to prove your business is above board to keep my casino in the clear.”
“It won’t come to that. These guys will be dealt with. You have my personal assurance.”
“To be clear, I don’t want them dead. Just keep them away from the Athena and my employees,” I say somewhat jokingly.
“Who said anything about killing them? I’m not my dad. I avoid violence. My best guess is that these guys were trying to collect a gambling debt, but they aren’t supposed to facilitate bets for your employees. I’ll find out if they took the bet before or after you hired this person.”
