Deadly Embrace by Jackie Collins (ebook reader for manga TXT) 📕

Tina loved the Magiriano. She stopped to admire the dancing fountains and the caged cockatoos, while Max tried to sit down at one of the blackjack tables on their way through the casino to the Krystle Room.

‘No!’ said Tina, dragging him off his seat. ‘After the show, not before.’

Michael palmed a twenty to the maître d’ so they would be assured a front table.

‘I’m so happy!’ Tina squealed. ‘This is my dream!’

Michael nodded. It was nice that someone still had dreams.

Chapter Thirty-four

Dani: 1974

‘Goddamn it!’ the young girl screamed. ‘Some moron stepped on my fuckin’ train!’

The girl was nineteen years old, six feet tall and spectacular. Her name was Penelope and she had a mouth on her. She was Gemini’s replacement and worked next to Dani. The only problem was, nobody could replace Gemini.

Dani had been back at work for a year. She needed to keep herself occupied, and nothing did that better than two shows a night at the Magiriano, where she was considered a veteran.

Twenty-six and a veteran. That was Vegas for you. No history.

‘Calm down, dear,’ said Eric, the assistant stage manager. He was a sweet gay guy, who always looked out for Dani. ‘You’re upsetting everyone with your uncouth language.’

‘Uncouth?’ exclaimed Penelope. ‘Listen to you, faggo, you must’ve heard four-letter words before.’

Penelope was a total pain. Engaged to a young Mafioso type, she thought everyone should kiss her fine nineteen-year-old ass.

Dani had tried to keep the feelings between them neutral. It simply wasn’t possible. She missed Gemini. She thought about her every day. The night before her wedding, Gemini had indeed gone to see Moralis. Why she’d done so in view of their history together, nobody could quite figure out. She’d gone to his hotel room, where he’d been his usual violent self, locking her in the room, attacking her, raping her and, finally, in a fit of fury, throwing acid in her face. After that terrible act, he’d kept her a prisoner in the room for three days in excruciating pain, until eventually a maid became suspicious and called the police.

By the time the police got there, it was too late. Gemini died on her way to the hospital.

Morgan was a broken man. He blamed Dani for allowing Gemini to leave the ranch that night, even though it was clearly not her fault.

Moralis was arrested and locked in a cell overnight. Somehow or other he managed to hang himself.

Over the following months Dean attempted to comfort Dani. It was no good, she was inconsolable. ‘I can’t marry you, Dean,’ she’d finally told him. ‘I bring people bad luck. First Emily. Now Gemini. I cannot do it to you.’

He stayed by her side for a long time, trying desperately to persuade her to change her mind. It was no good, she was adamant. Eventually she told him she couldn’t see him any more, and he returned to Houston. Three months later she heard he’d married someone else.

She didn’t care. Relationships were not for her. Not even friendships. So Penelope behaving like a complete diva did not bother her.

Occasionally Dean phoned, even though he was now a married man. ‘How are you doing?’ he would ask.

‘Fine,’ she would answer.

‘We’ll always be friends, won’t we, Dani?’

‘As long as your wife doesn’t mind.’

She was glad Dean had found somebody who seemed to be good for him–a nice Southern girl with money of her own.

A few days after Moralis killed himself, his millionaire father, Esai, had flown in from Colombia to collect his grandson and take him home. Dani tried to persuade him to allow Nando to stay in Vegas. ‘Mr Sanchez,’ she’d pleaded, ‘Nando is better off staying with us. He doesn’t know you. My son loves him like a brother–he’ll he’ll be very happy living here.’

‘I think not,’ Esai had said, cold as ice. And that was his final answer.

Nando leaving town upset Vincent deeply. He missed his best friend, and although he was only nine years old, he chose to be a loner, refusing to make any more close friends. He excelled at school, getting As in most of his classes. He also shone at sports. Dani and he were as close as a mother and son could be. The two of them went to movies, rode bikes, and sometimes they took a boat out on Lake Mead, while other times they drove into the desert and spent the day exploring.

‘Will ya look at my fuckin’ train,’ Penelope screamed again. ‘It’s ruined!’

‘It’s not ruined, dear,’ Eric said, fussing with her elaborate train. ‘It’s perfectly fine. You’ll go onstage and do a fantastic show.’

‘Screw off, you little faggot,’ she said rudely.

‘Don’t talk to Eric like that,’ Dani intervened.

‘Are you telling me how to behave?’ Penelope demanded, giving her an imperious look.

Dani shrugged. ‘Somebody should.’

‘Who the hell do you think you are?’ Penelope ranted. ‘My boyfriend could buy this hotel if he wanted to. Then I’d have your ass fired.’

‘Go ahead,’ Dani said. ‘I don’t care.’

‘Stuck-up bitch!’ Penelope spat.

‘She’s the bitch,’ Eric whispered in Dani’s ear.

Sometimes on stage Penelope attempted to sabotage her. It was all very subtle, but Dani knew exactly what Penelope was doing. After getting tripped up several times, she decided to play Penelope at her own game. One night she flung out her arm and knocked Penelope’s headdress flying. The following night she did the same thing. The sabotage soon stopped.

Penelope received plenty of attention. Men loved her, but not as much as they loved Dani. She had a very loyal fan following, especially when the conventions came to town–the same groups of men returning twice or three times a year, and always coming to see her in the show.

Shortly after she had returned to work, the company director had called her into his office and said, ‘Dani, the time has come for you to go topless.’

‘You know I won’t do that,’ she’d answered.

‘It’ll