Craving the Mafia Prince

Chapter Eleven | The Loyalty Game

I stared at Ryan's impassive face, trying to read any hint of emotion or intention. His eyes remained steady and unreadable, his dark hair slightly disheveled. His gaze flicked to his own cards, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—recognition, perhaps, or maybe a hint of doubt. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"I need a drink," Spencer said abruptly, breaking the tension. He rose from his seat on the couch, leaving behind a deep dent in the cushion. As he walked away, I noticed Thea's leg bobbing up and down nervously. She played with her nails, her eyes burning holes into the cards faced down on the table. Her anxiety for me was almost comical.

"The Divo," Ryan said suddenly, his voice cutting through the room like a knife. He looked me straight in the eye, leaning back in his seat across from me. I raised my eyebrows, both surprised and confused by his words.

"You can't be serious," Miles interjected from beside me. He had his arm around a sleepy Elise, who suddenly seemed more alert, her eyes widening at Ryan's bet. About an hour into the game, the girls had retired and volunteered to watch instead. It was then that we upped the stakes and returned to our usual way of gambling—property. So far, Spencer and Trevor had lost one beach house each to Miles, and Miles had lost his favorite revolver to Ryan. I was in a no-loss, no-gain stage, playing it safe, contrary to my usual approach. But that was partly due to Thea being present. Losing in front of her would be a hit to my pride. I wanted her to see me as a successful and competent man, not a reckless hoodlum.

"I am. What do you say, Conrad?" Ryan asked, smirking as he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Check or fold?"

I tapped my finger on my knee, pondering his question. The pair of queens I had in my hand urged me to play on, but the three spade cards in the center threatened my chances against a potential flush.

I turned my head and looked at Thea. Her big brown eyes were fixated on mine, and her lush lips parted as she took a deep breath. It was clear she wasn't used to such high stakes. She thought the beach houses were a joke until the calls were made. She was visibly tense, biting the inner part of her lower lip.

God she was so hot.

"All right," I said, still looking at Thea. Her eyes widened as I shifted my focus off her beautiful face and onto Ryan's amused one. He'd expected me to fold, to shy away from his dare like a coward. Surely he didn't expect me to give away the Bugatti Divo, one of the forty made in the world. It was one of my prized possessions, a main attraction in my collection.

Spencer choked on his drink, and Trevor laughed, stretching his arms, both enjoying the scene unfolding.

"Alright then," Trevor said, reaching for the pile of cards to replace Spencer as the dealer. "Here you go."

Just as Trevor was about to flip the cards, Spencer stepped on Zeus' squeaky toy, making all of us panic.

"Fuck," I groaned as I heard Zeus' paws hit the floor, sprinting down the stairs to join us in the main room. His lean body leaped towards us the moment he was close enough and landed straight onto the coffee table, scattering all the cards, some flying into the air. He made a second leap onto me.