Triple Diamonds (Mystic Nights Book 2) (2 page)

Something about her tone kept Joseph on edge. He could always tell a lie when he heard it. Her body betrayed her when she lifted a hand to twirl one dark strand of hair around her index finger.

“Of course you were,” he purred, laying the charm on thick. He gave her his megawatt smile. The smile that worked wonders on the opposite sex. So she was a do gooder. Perhaps. He’d watch her carefully though, he mused. “And please call me Joseph, or Joe.”

“Joseph, er, Joe, of course,” she stammered and made to pass him by and head to the kitchen. He was unnerving her. The man was just too good looking for words. And by the way he kept staring at her like that, she felt like he was a wolf staring down its prey. She had to admit the man was attractive. But, she was not going down that road. She had too many other things to take care of, too many other responsibilities. And there was no way she wanted to be on this man’s radar. There was too much at stake.

She quickly made her way back to the kitchens. But she could feel those eyes watching her the entire way. Chocolate brown eyes, she noticed, as her body shuddered of its own volition. Yes, she definitely could lose herself in those eyes.

‡

T
he sudden warmth
of April brought about a sense of renewal to activities at the casino. The two building projects under way were nearly complete. The rooftop bar and club,
Spirits in The Sky
, was ahead of schedule, and the third theatre was nearly complete. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Joseph’s brother, Jonathan, and his new wife had returned from their quickly planned honeymoon, and a board meeting had been called. Joseph was on his way there now.

He fixed the tie at his collar. He hated suits. They always made him feel so restricted, but as the lead attorney for the casino, his attendance was expected at these formal meetings. He couldn’t very well go around in a T-shirt showing off the many tattoos he had that his mother never approved of. He’d gotten most of them while he was away at college. Each one held meaning. They were there for a reason. And even though they were covered up nearly all of the time, he knew they were there and what each of them signified. Unfortunately, they did not go over very well on one who represented a major casino like
Mystic Nights
. Or even when he was at the Youth Center on the reservation. So, he kept them covered, unless he was out of town, or at the gym.

Joseph quickly made his way down the corridor from his corner office. With a beautiful expanse of windows, it overlooked the river with a view of
Mohegan’s
, their competition across the water.

Their current projects were well underway and they would soon tower above them. His mother and brother, and his family were all proud of that. Passing his brother’s office, and his mother’s, which was directly across the hall, he saw both doors open, but neither were inside. They must have already gone to the meeting, he presumed. So that meant he was going to be late. Again.

He picked up his pace to make it to the conference room before the greetings had been dispensed with. He knew this meeting was important, and felt a twinge of guilt for his delay. But not much. He enjoyed law, but had never seen himself handling business law for long. It was a means to an end. His true passion was his people. He wanted to work for them to better their lives, and pursue politics so he could represent his people more completely. He helped here. He knew that. But it wasn’t the same. After three years with the casino, helping to get it off the ground, he was ready to pursue his other interests. And that’s where he’d been this morning, at the reservation. He’d been at the Youth Center working with the kids prior to them leaving for the public schools for the day. He spent a lot of time there. Sadly, many children who came there didn’t have many male role models.

As he approached the massive glass walls that contained the conference room, currently behind blinds, he knew these past six months that he needed a change. He didn’t want to delay pursuing his dream any longer. He would hate to leave the casino, because it was true he was helping his people here, but it was more paperwork than anything else. His dream had been to serve his people directly. Serve them as a politician at the local level. Not in a suit, reading over food service contracts, and business deals. For now he was still needed, and he could probably continue with the casino part time, but soon he would make the break. The time was quickly approaching. A new opportunity had arisen, and he couldn’t let it pass. He would be breaking the news to his family today.

He rounded the corner by-passing another wall of glass that was still the conference room. The blinds were open on this side, and he could see everyone was already present. Glenna, his brother’s secretary was pouring water into glasses. So he wasn’t too late. They were just getting started. He quickly went in, and his mother gave him a slight frown as he took his seat on her left. His brother Jonathan, was on the right. And he was still glowing. Probably from the honeymoon; his brother and his wife had just returned from Hawaii.

He nodded at the three tribal council members already seated at the massive table that could easily seat twenty-four. They were still informally greeting one another and speaking to some of the other board members of the casino. And not all had taken their seats. He was glad of that. He listened in on a snippet of the conversation as he settled in beside his mother. Myrtle Croaton and Jim Baker, their new accountant, were discussing last month’s fiasco and how they would need to replace the fourth member of the tribal council soon. Peter Sebastien, who was about to stand trial for embezzlement, fraud, murder, attempted murder, and kidnapping, amongst a myriad of other lesser charges meeting, had been arraigned just yesterday. His arraignment and guilty plea had shocked everyone. But at least now, without having to wait for the outcome of a trial, the council wouldn’t be shorthanded for long. They could hold a special election.

That was another reason he was angry at himself for being late. He’d wanted to drop his name to Myrtle as a possible contender, and hopefully have her support. This was the opportunity he hoped to seize and had been grooming himself for all along.

“Glad you could join us, Joseph,” his mother murmured. She didn’t even make eye contact. Her voice didn’t give her mood away, but not looking at him sure did. She hated it when he came strolling in last. Without further ado, she started the meeting. “Now that we’re all here, let’s start. Could everyone find their seats?” She smiled as she spoke to the room at large. Again, she didn’t look his way.

Joseph stayed quiet as his mother settled in to her chair. Across from him, his brother, Jonathan, gave him a slight shrug, and then focused on his mother’s report to the council. She outlined what was going on with the two projects they had underway, and then she went over the financials. Everything looked good, especially now that word had been sent that the embezzled funds would soon be returned to them. It was part of the district attorney accepting Peter’s guilty plea on some lesser charges for some of his crimes. He was still facing twenty-five years, but the plea had been to run the charges concurrently instead of consecutively. He had a chance of being paroled when he was seventy-three. It was the best they would offer him.

Relief swept the table at that announcement. The man and his partner had confiscated over four million dollars in their siphoning scam.

Tawny was still speaking figures. She announced they were now back on track for further expansion if they so wished. There were murmurs around the table. Some suggestions. And that was when she dropped her newest idea.

“I have had an idea. I’d like to share it with you and get your input. I was thinking we could add an attraction for the tourists on the land we purchased on Miller Road. It would benefit the reservation at the same time as it is half way between here and there.” All eyes turned her way. She had piqued everyone’s curiosity. The board liked the idea of more attractions, and the council would be interested in how it could benefit the reserve. “I know
Mohegan Sun
has a cultural center, and a museum. I don’t want to have a repeat of what they are doing, but we need something along that vein. Something educational, but culturally uplifting. Something people can go see or even participate in to learn more about our people, the eastern Pequot.”

Myrtle Croatan was listening attentively. “Please go on. You have my attention.”

Tawny smiled encouraged by the elder council member. “Well, I got the idea from my daughter-in-law, Aliya Sassacus.” Jonathan sat up straighter, listening now even more than before at his mother’s latest scheme. He was probably trying to figure out what part his new wife had to play in this idea. “My daughter-in-law had plans for a dance studio on the reservation, but has put that on hold until after the baby, but she still wants to do that eventually, but instead of on the reserve, I think we should sponsor it, and . . .,” she added before Josephine Baker could interject, “I also heard the council was thinking of using her space for a medical clinic, which is something sorely needed. The Miller Road land was purchased with the intent of an attraction. So, I want to build a brand new cultural complex there, and if we can purchase the commercial land from the Smith’s next door it could be quite grand. The cultural center we would build would house not only a dance studio, but more. It wouldn’t be a museum. That has been done, but a hands on experience of our culture. It would offer classes to the locals and at reduced rates, but also for visitors to the casino to learn about our ways.”

“That’s brilliant,” Jason Paralta voiced his opinion above the exclamations of the others. Mostly encouraging words could be heard around the table. “What would be at the cultural center? How would it work with the visitors to the casino?”

Myrtle was beaming. Practically clapping in her seat. This was something she had always wanted for her people.

Jonathan sat up straighter in his seat. Aliya had mentioned this idea that had been proposed months ago, but it had still seemed a long way off. Her plans had been to start with just dance. He was all ears though wondering how she would fit in. “But, I think it should be something more than just dance,” Tawny continued. “I don’t want to do what
The
Mohegan
have done either. Their educational center and museum are remarkable, but ours would also focus on the history of our people and oral traditions, storytelling, and exhibits. I want more. For our people. I think we could have a place where not only dance is taught, but art, crafts, history, language, and our oral traditions can be passed on. We can offer classes to the people and to the public.”

Josephine was the first to speak up. “You are talking about a large facility. A big endeavor.”

“Yes, I am and I want something that will have room to grow. Let me explain.” Her excitement was catching on. Everyone was listening attentively as she explained her vision. “We could expand as we grow. Add more classrooms, and storage. I see shops on the bottom floor that sell the products we make there. I see a restaurant that serves traditional foods, and a clothing store. But everything is created upstairs in the classes we teach. The profits would be put back into the center to buy more supplies and restock. We have a small auditorium for shows by our performers. Dance classes. Art classes. Crafts. A movie theatre, too. And what the kids and adults make at the center could be sold here at the casino as well, and all would be given back to the community.” She paused and then looked directly at Josephine. “The money could go for the clinic that Josephine wants.”

Josephine gasped. That was her project, what she had wanted for her people, but the cost of running it wouldn’t have been in their budget for years, she had recently learned.

“What about the casino? Where does their part come in?” asked Drake, currently serving as head of the Merchandising Department. “I know it all goes back to the people, but this sounds expensive.”

Tawny smiled. “We not only teach our people there, but tourists and locals who wish to learn. Here, we sell packages, day outings, to the patrons who may want to leave for a little while during the day. Instead of heading to
The
Mohegan’s
, they stay in house so to speak. We still profit. Those sales stay with the casino. That money covers our expenses. Our profit initially will be small, but as we expand we can shuttle four to five groups a day to the Learning Center. And initially we will have to take a small percentage of the total profits on sales of the products to cover our costs. Twenty percent I think. This would be to cover our additional expenses of running and building the facility, and staff will come out of their end. But I’m thinking we may be able to utilize volunteers as well. This will mean jobs too, for our people. And it will give them an alternative to gambling, drinking, and other activities.”

“This sounds marvelous.” It was Myrtle speaking.

“If you like the idea and wish to proceed, I’d like to work with Aliya on this. She has her business management degree, and while she’s pregnant she won’t be able to dance and choreograph as much, but I think she can help with the research and the business plan.”