Page 21 of Royal Shark
Sara smiles. “I’m expecting food delivery in half an hour. I could use some help setting out the food. Otherwise, we’re good.”
“Whose house is this?” I ask Sara the moment Ms. Kay steps out. “Where is he?” I’m very curious to meet the guy. It looks like the place of an older man with a family. Definitely not a bachelor pad. Sara told me her players are all young wealthy Russian businessmen.
“It’s Ivan’s. We rotate spots to keep it interesting. I don’t know where he is. Maybe he’s upstairs getting ready, or he could be caught at work. He’ll be here.”
I follow her over to the card table. The top is green leather with brass cup holders and brass chip racks. Really nice. “You’d think he’d be here on time when it’s at his place.”
“He trusts me to set up. I’ve been here several times.”
“Is he any good?”
“Sure,” she says, setting a card shuffler on the table. “They’re all good.”
I watch as she sets up with her own special card decks and chips. Then she takes a small metal cashbox out and sets it discreetly on an end table in the corner.
“You take that cash home with you?” I ask. “The half mil from the buy-in?”
“It gets paid out, ultimately, to players tomorrow along with the additional bets I collect.”
I set my teeth, working to keep my voice even. “And you just walk home by yourself with all that cash in your suitcase?”
“I get a lift home through an app on my phone, easy peasy.” She levels me with an irritated look. “I’m not going to walk home in the dark at three a.m. Plus I have pepper spray.” At my dubious look, she adds in a low voice, “I can’t afford a guard, okay? And that would just draw more attention to me anyway.”
I still don’t like it, but I keep my mouth shut. I’m here to observe things as they are, not to interfere. I won’t press her on anything untilafterI get all the facts.
Jack takes a post in the corner of the room, and I direct him to the other side of the parlor. The last thing I want is for the players to think he’s feeding me information. I turn when I hear a masculine voice greeting Sara jovially.
He’s thirty at the most with short dark brown hair, wearing a navy blue suit. He smiles as he crosses to her. “What a welcome sight when I return from work,” he says with a heavy Russian accent, bending to kiss her cheek. “Sunny Sara.”
She smiles brightly.Sunny Sara. “Thanks, Ivan! Good to see you too.”
“If only I had you here every day when I return home,” he says warmly.
I stride toward them to cut off any further flirting.
Sara puts a hand on Ivan’s arm. “This is the alternate I told you about, Prince Adrian Rourke.”
“Welcome to my humble home, Your Highness,” Ivan returns with a bow of his head.
“Thank you.” I offer my hand, and he gives me a bone-crunching handshake. Not sure if that’s a friendly gesture or not. Handshakes can vary by culture, but something tells me it was a display of power.
“I will change now into something more comfortable,” he says and leaves.
“Sunny Sara,” I mimic as soon as he’s out of earshot.
“It’s what I do,” she says. “Everything’s light and fun with Sunny Sara. I’m the hostess with the mostess.”
“What does he do for a living?”
She checks her phone. “He mentioned some kind of importing/exporting with electronics once. They’re all successful businessmen.”
I lower my voice. “Everything legal in the import/export business?”
“I don’t ask questions.” She looks up from her phone. “Yuri’s going to be an hour late. You’re in for the first round.”
“Fine by me.”
“Have a seat. I’m going to get drinks ready.” Before she can do that, another man in his fifties with dark brown hair and light brown skin steps into the parlor. She greets him warmly before turning to me. “This is our dealer, Gustavo,” she says. “Gustavo, meet Prince Adrian.”
