A Price Above Rubies

Chapter Three

"What if he wins? Hilal asks her husband as he slips on his jacket and heads towards the door.

"He won't. Yakup will sauce the man with so much drink he won't know a flush from a full house," Leon assures her.

"I wanna go too, Daddy! I like sauce. Mmmm...," Yorgo says rubbing his tummy, taking his father's words literally.

"It's your bedtime, little one," Hilal insists. "Head up to the bathroom and wait for me to start your bath."

"But I not dirty, Mommy," Yorgo says. "I take a bath after I have sauce with Daddy, 'kay?"

"Clothes off, upstairs," Leon instructs leaning down and kissing his son. "Mommy will read you your story tonight because I'll be late."

Yorgo huffs but makes his way to the stairs. "Mommy don't know how to do the scary voices good. She too nice even if she don't give me no sauce. I don't know why I can't have sauce. I like p'sghetti with yummy 'mato sauce. When I grow up I'm gonna-"

"Yorgo," Leon says firmly.

"I not talking back, Daddy. I just saying words to myself," Yorgo points out turning back to them. "I go be naked upstairs and wait for my bath even though I not dirty. 'Night, night, Daddy," he says continuing on his way up the stairs.

Hilal closes her eyes and fights a smile. "That's Acelya. That is completely his sister."

Yorgo, ball of energy that he is, is more the go along type. Their daughter is the one who likes to challenge and question and find ways around things to get what she wanted. She might be more reserved, but Leon can already sense that as she gets older, Acelya is gonna be the one they'll have to keep an eye on.

"Hmm, and she's just like her mother," Leon says, quickly dropping a kiss on her mouth and rushing out of the house before she can react and swat him.

Talking with Ahmet's father hadn't worked, as both Leon and Yakup had figured it wouldn't. Mahmout had grumbled that he'd promised Ahmet's mother before she'd died that he would keep the boy in school. Yakup pointed out that he could easily work for him after school. Both Leon and Yakup doubted any vows to his departed wife were behind Mahmout's refusal to let his son work. He didn't want his son bettering his life. He didn't want anything that could make Ahmet grow independently from his father. Ahmet was not a scholar. He was a smart boy, but sitting in a classroom was something he tolerated for his mother's sake. Her memory actually being enough for him to want to be there, but he needed more and Hilal knew it and said so to Leon often. He wanted to be out in the world, learning and exploring. He reminds Leon of his brother, Ali Kemal with his restlessness.

So since talking didn't work, Yakup decided a different approach was needed.

"Is he here yet?" Leon asks, making his way down the tavern steps towards the tables.

Cezmi, who along with Lutfu and Osman divides their time between playing music here and working with Leon at the newspaper, rushes over to him. "Ahmet is in the back. He says his father is on his way. Azat and Omer are at that table playing a few practice hands."

Leon watches them for a few seconds and then scans the tavern. Yakup has closed the place for the poker game. Likely to minimize any violent fallout if the plan doesn't work. The most challenging part will be to get Mahmout to sit down at the game if Leon is one of the players. Leon is the better player so Yakup will stay out of the game and make sure Mahmout's cup is never empty while Cezmi and his friends keep the entertainment going. Leon hopes the idea of separating Leon from his money will override any hatred Mahmout might have for him.

Leon makes his way over to Azat, a smuggler and money launderer who has his fingers in many businesses in the city and connections with many others overseas. Omer is a loan shark who also runs the city's most prominent underground gambling rooms and takes a cut from the smaller ones.The two men are among the most powerful criminals in the city. They greet Leon as he pulls off his jacket and sets it on the back of his chair. He joins him in a few practice hands to warm up and tries not rub it in too much when he beats them twice.

Azat takes a long drag from his cigarette and pins Leon with a look of both annoyance and admiration at the same time. "You remember, you're supposed to lose when Mahmout gets here, right?"

Leon smiles and nods. "Don't worry, I know the plan."

"You're good, boy. Very good. Maybe I should have you running one of my gambling halls," Omer says, dark eyes lit with interest. "We'll just keep the Greek thing between ourselves."

Leon snorts as he pours himself a drink. "My wife would kill me."

Omer cocks an eyebrow. "Your wife? She should have no say in the matter."

Azat laughs at that. "Omer is single, if you haven't guessed."

Omer scowls at him, and pelts him with a cashew.

"You haven't met his wife," Azat adds.

Leon grins. His little wife is no shrinking violet and while Leon's never felt as if she's disrespected him as head of their house, she's always made her own views known and suffers no fools. He might technically be seen as the head of their family, but they both knew they were equal and that was exactly how Leon wanted it. He'd lived in a cold home where his father's word was the rule of law and his mother's thoughts and wishes ignored, leaving to retreat into herself and either try and escape reality as much as she could or suffocate her one living son with all the dreams and hopes that should have been divided between he and the brother they'd all thought was dead. Leon gives thanks every night in his prayers for Hilal and their children and the warm, loving family he has.

Yakup greets Mahmout at the door and ushers him inside exuberantly. The man's step falters when he sees Leon.

"What the fuck is that Greek pig doing here?"

"This Greek pig is here as my guest to our little game. Do you have a problem with that?" Azat asks, his voice cold even as he's smiling.

Mahmout might be an abusive drunk but he's not stupid enough to offend one of the most dangerous men in their city. He grumbles. "Just...wrong after what his people..."

"Come now, Mahmout," Leon says with his friendliest, fakest smile. "I think it's past time we do our part to put past ills behind us and try and repair this great city together. Don't-"

"I win again," Omer says, laying his cards down and pulling the chips towards his side.

"Shit!" Leon snaps, throwing his cards down dramatically, making sure Mahmout gets a good look at his crappy cards. "Okay, come on. Give me a chance to win back my losses.

"Ah, no. You should learn to walk away when you can, before you lose too much," Azat insists.

"Now hang on there. What have you got to sweeten the pot? Double what we've got here?" Omer asks.

Leon pretends to hesitate, allowing Mahmout to pick up on his nervousness. "Yeah...okay."

"You know, I think I will join you for a game," Mahmout says, pulling out a chair as Yakup makes his way over to their table with a full jug of liquor and sets a cup right in front of Mahmout and fills it.

Yakup and the three other men share a secretive look at each other as Mahmout, downs a first glass and goes in for a refill.

The look between the men conveys a simple thought.

Gotcha.