Double or Nothing: Casino Players Saga, #2

By Annabeth Saryu

What happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas.

 

She should've known better.

 

Rather than satiate their urgent desires, Darla and Anton's affair only fanned the flames of their unfulfilled needs. When he pursues her with the shrewd ruthlessness of a patient wolf, their relationship resumes course with predictable fervor. But things are different now. Very different.

 

Pax's gambling debts remain unsettled, leaving him desperate and distrustful of his sister, while Henri's return from France forces Darla to confront her displeasure with their fragile arrangement. 

 

Faced with increased suspicion, mounting financial pressure and family obligations, will Darla sacrifice happiness for stability? Or will it cost more than she ever imagined??

 

Double or Nothing is Book Two of the Casino Players Saga. The entire trilogy is available as a boxset.

 

Book One: All In

Book Two: Double or Nothing

Book Three: Ante Up

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Annabeth Saryu
• Release date: Dec 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781732383838

Book preview

Chapter One

Darla

Saturday Morning, Shady Oaks TX

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It’s going to be another hot one.

Even now, the brightness of a cloudless sky warns of a dangerous scorcher. It’s eight thirty a.m. and the mercury thermometer sits at ninety.

From the giant picture window of the eat-in kitchen, I look toward the barn, which sits three hundred meters away from the main house. The large doors are open, and the hoses are uncoiled, but there’s no sign of Pax.

Right before I turn away, a familiar athletic figure emerges from the barn. He wears faded jeans, a short-sleeved mint green shirt, and a pewter-colored cowboy hat I’d recognize anywhere. Pax’s focused mannerisms remind me of our Dad. Watching him evokes a strange brew of bittersweet emotions.

I miss our Daddy. Every. Single. Day.

The steady click-click-click of high-heeled shoes across marble tiles distracts me with a pressing reminder of the brutal schedule that needs to be maintained.

Good morning, Ms. Simone, My house manager calls from the kitchen entrance.

Good morning, Carmen. My eyes never leave Pax. When did he get here? I nod at the barn.

Tuesday morning. Carmen replies in a practiced neutral voice. My brother brings out extremes in people, and I appreciate Carmen’s ability to keep her reactions in check.

Is he staying in the guest house? I watch him lead two horses from the barn into an adjoining paddock.

No, ma’am. The barn apartment.

Mmm.

Ms. Simone, Carmen clears her throat. We should review the accounts when you have time.

Yes. I sigh. Can it wait until after Charlotte and Henri return, or is there a problem? The accounts should be fine right now.

No problems. There are some decisions to make, but nothing urgent. Does Tuesday work?

Yes, please. Before I go to the office.

I’ll make sure it’s on the schedule.

Do I have anything today? It’s Saturday, and things should be slow, but Vegas took longer than expected and there’s plenty to catch up on.

You’ve got a Skype call with one of the directors. I pushed it back to three when your arrival was delayed.

Good. I need to speak with my brother. I look up for the first time since she'd entered the room. Is that it?

Only… welcome home, Ma’am. Carmen gives me a warm smile.

Thank you. I reach over and give her a grateful hug. And thank you for keeping things running while I was gone.

That’s my job, Ms. Simone, she assures me.

At home, Carmen is my right hand. In addition to managing my household accounts. She’s worked for me over ten years now. Extremely organized, with a head for accounting, and never forgets a name. The epitome of efficiency.

Has Pax eaten breakfast? I ask.

I’m not sure. But he hasn’t been to the house yet.

I glance at my watch and sigh. I’m going to the barn.

Yes, Ma’am. Carmen turns and walks away, the block heels of her black sandals clicking away on the marble floors.

Sweet Jesus. I blow out a troubled breath.

Before we sealed our illicit bargain, Anton set me free. He didn’t want my money, or Pax’s debt to be the reason I agreed to sleep with him.

He didn’t want me if I didn’t want him.

Setting me free came at a steep price for Anton but benefitted both of us. In all my life, I’d never been more sexually satisfied. Anton was the most skilled, pleasing, mindful lover any woman could hope to share a bed with.

But when we set Pax’s troubled existence aside and indulged ourselves, there were bound to be consequences. Pax never agreed to stop gambling and get help for his problems. He’ll want to know why his debt isn’t settled and I sure as hell can’t tell him.

Of course, there’s nothing to stop Pax from paying up himself. It might take time, but he has his own assets. But even with the debt paid, Anton doesn’t want Pax to gamble in his casinos.

That confrontation between my brother and my lover makes me shudder. The best hope of avoiding it is to convince Pax to stop gambling and get therapy.

From my perch by the door, I look toward the barn in time to see Pax dart inside. This is gonna be fun. I hang my head, slide open the patio door, and set out to update Pax on his…situation.

The walk from the main house meanders along an unpaved driveway that’s as hard as concrete in the peak heat of summer. Pax is busy winding up a hose that’s connected to the pump for the rainwater tanks.

Watching him now, Pax always looks at home here. Focused, energetic, happy doing chores in the barn despite the heat. Watching his rugged frame move around, you’d never guess he felt so discontent on the inside.

Before my Daddy became ill, he was a horseman. A trainer and licensed farrier, he also boarded horses on our rural property. Pax and I, but especially Pax, had often helped him.

When he got sick, Daddy leaned heavily on Pax to keep the business going. It was too much to lay at the feet of a thirteen-year-old boy. If Pax had been older, he might’ve been able to save the business, but in the end, it