High Card Bluff (House of Car...

Tomas nearly flipped the car over in his haste to get where he was headed, but the tires screeched and landed safely as he took the turn far too quickly. Although Tom loved to race cars when there was a prize on the line, now was not one of the times he could enjoy it; a friend of the family had died and the whole tribe was coming together. Tom's parents Carlitos and Maya had once run in a street gang with a Malcolm Vega and a Westley James, and since the death touched those families it had touched his as well. His parents had left for the funeral almost an hour ago and Tom had meant to leave earlier than he had, but one of his mother's contacts had called and getting all the information down he needed had taken a lot longer than expected. It was a job he was looking forward to getting into; just enough of the James Bond to it to make it interesting, but now he was late for a funeral.

He arrived in time to see the large cluster of the families start to lay flowers on the coffin before it was lowered into the ground. The car he'd nearly rolled was thrown into park and Tom slid through the ice coated grass until he came to a stop next to his mother and a little behind his father, whom was standing painfully with the aid of his walker. Neither Tom nor his parents had known the woman who had passed as well, but that didn't matter as Tom stood next to the family members affected by it most; Alice and Malcolm Vega. Their friend and surrogate mother, Salali, had finally given into the embrace of the heart attack she had been flirting with for years now. The old woman had certain indulgences since even before Malcolm had met her and she'd always smoked a pipe, yet her heath had really only deteriorated over the last couple of years. It had still come as a shock to poor Alice and the rest of the Vega family, and as such to the James and Guererro clans too.

For a trio of families raised in bloody ways, death did not come easily accepted.

Tom's best friend Nathaniel sidled over to him, handing the late arrival a rose to place on the coffin as well. Tom gave a grateful nod and placed it on the massive box of wood, and saw all those who had come out. Nate and his parents, Grace and hers, with a few people he didn't know; Tom realized that there were still a few missing people. He slipped back to near Nate and in a low voice asked, "Where's the brat?"

A brief flicker of a smile twisted on Nate's mouth but grief washed it away quickly. "Adri just got back from a shoot so she stayed with Ophelia; the latest round of that experimental drug has left her wretched." Nate admitted with a flat tone. Tom knew him well enough to appreciate the blunt honesty and the pain it caused his friend. Although he had grown up less directly involved with the James family than Nate had, he still respected and cared for the icy pale woman who was fighting cancer. It made for a very somber day indeed, despite the sunlight glittering off the snow.

A strange thing happened after the coffin was lowered to the ground, Alice Vega went around to all the attendees and gave them a cigar. "Her favourite brand, though she'd unroll the cigar to stuff her pipe with the leaves." Alice explained face drawn in her grief. Tom had heard the back 온라인카지노게임 there, how Salali had become a guardian and mother like figure to the orphaned and abused Alice, so he accepted both the cigar and explanation without comment. Alice didn't just walk away though, she turned to Tom's father. "Thank you all for coming out today." It was obvious that using the walker not only pained Carlitos physically but also tweaked his pride.

"Salali was one of the two people to help Malcolm come back into himself in the end. I never knew her well but she always had my respect and admiration." Carlitos replied simply. Unspoken was the fact that the other person to help Malcolm had been Alice herself, and Carlitos had seen Malcolm through all of the moments before that; been his mentor on the streets of Madrid.

Tom had heard about all of the stories, even the ones that no one had been proud of, but it gave him a sense of knowing the parents of his friends in a way he'd have never of gotten otherwise. His father had always been watching over Malcolm and West, and Tom had grown up feeling like it was his duty to watch over Nate, his sister Adri, and little Grace. Nate and Grace had been inseparable since her birth, and were now in fact finally lovers, but Dri had always been a bit of a problem for Tom. She had been a royal brat from day one to him, mainly because she had everyone else wrapped around her little finger and seemed to resent the fact that she didn't just charm him into going along like everyone else. So she'd become the brat to him and they'd settled on a truce of ignoring each other to avoid the inevitable screaming match that would ensue if they tried to converse. All the parents had seemed much relieved when the incessant yelling stopped. The last time Tom had seen the brat was at Nate's twenty second birthday in December and they had managed to be cordial without much effort for once. It didn't help that she'd grown up gorgeous and when she got angry now she was a sight to behold.

"You need to go hit some bags?" Tom asked Nate, offering a seeming non-sequitur but his best friend often used physical exertion to help settle emotional turmoil.

"Yes, just going to drop Grace off at the apartment and then her parent's place. So say an hour." Nate replied with a stiff nod.

"Perfect, you may be picking up some of my hours in the next while; I'll tell you about it while we hit each other." Tom waited until the crowds drove off before he got into his own car to leave.

He watched Nate hold Grace under his arm, her own wrapped possessively around his waist and Tom felt a pang of jealousy. He didn't want Grace, never had, but he did wish he could find what they had. Nate had been in love with Grace for a while, it was obvious in the way he'd looked at her, and everyone knew was reciprocated because she'd put up with Nate in a way no one else could ever match. They fit together as if they'd been fated for the other and Tom envied that. Tom tended to go all in and want a relationship but the women he was attracted to were the type that only wanted the thrill of the chase. He needed someone exciting, interesting, and not willing to put up with any crap. As Nate and Grace drove off, Tom shrugged off the useless thoughts and got into his own car.

He had a possible job, it was the kind of undercover work his mother would ask him to do because it suited him more. There was a smuggling ring going on in the local illegal races, and word had it that they weren't just moving the usual parts that everyone tended to ignore unless it got obvious. Since Tom already had a foot in that world, it would just make sense for him to be the one to investigate.

Tom's father Carlitos had a mechanic and body work shop that did a lot of modifications for the flashy cars that that crowd loved to use, and Tom had worked in that shop since he could crawl. Thinking over the details Tom smiled a little grimly; his mom would hesitate to ask him to go into the world of the street racers, drug runners, and party boys, but she would eventually ask. It wasn't fear for Tomas' safety that would make her hold off though; she just didn't want to encourage him to jump in with both feet.

A little over an hour after the funeral and Tom was out of his funeral gear and into workout clothes, holding the punching bag while Nathaniel slammed on it, and Tom explained the job to him. He'd most likely take in one of the show cars his dad had, arrive at the next rally party and just start inserting himself in that world. Hell, he had the easiest in; he'd actually done racing modifications on some of the cars that would be there.

"The thing is, I'll probably miss some shifts at the bar to pull this off. Think you can cover?" Tom asked as they switched positions. Now it was Tom's turn to pound on the bag, enjoying the hard strikes.

"Sure could use the cash." Nate grunted as he braced to hold the bag still. "Wanna get a bigger place with Grace, the current apartment is smaller than the trunk of your rust bucket." He admitted.

"Domestic life is treating you good; you've put on some weight." Tom remarked casually and then grunted as Nate tackled him to the ground for the insult.

"Still fast enough to take your ass to the ground old man." Nate grinned as he got up and offered Tom a hand.

"Old man.... I'm all of a year and a half older than you." Tom let Nate take his weight on the pull and quickly yanked his friend to the ground as well. "And I still kick your ass." He rolled to his feet even as Nate got up as well.

"Just try not to do anything monumentally stupid. I don't want to go to any more funerals than necessary this year." Nate's simple comment sucked the teasing tone out of the air.

"Don't worry man; I'll keep my head down and my ears open. It's just Intel gathering, what's the worst that could happen?" Tom tried to reassure.

"Really; you ask that question after the last time you hooked up with a chick from the bar and her crazy ex-boyfriend nearly lit your car on fire. Now you're just tempting fate to mess with you." Nate smirked as he said it so Tom just shrugged.

"Guess I like to play the odds that way." Tom admitted without rancor.

"Haven't you learned the house always wins? Thankfully that ugly mug of yours is hard to read, no one can tell what's really going on in your mind." Nate laughed. "You coming to the food fest at my parent's place? The whole Vega clan has brought something over; it seems that the universal cure for grieving is home cooked meals."

"I won't say no to hot food. I love mi Madre but she is not what we could call an established chef; and Padre is only slightly better." Tom agreed with a half-smile.

He hadn't brought a change of clothes for after the workout but no one seemed to care that he was in sweats. With the crush of people moving through the Vega house everyone was sweating anyways so he wasn't even the smelliest man out of the bunch.

"Tom, thanks for coming over. I understand how much this wouldn't have appealed to your dad." Malcolm shook the hand of the youngest Guererro.

"Dad's become a home body lately. Think it's some kind of mid-life crisis probably." Tom replied with a smirk.

"Oh you're young." Malcolm grinned as Tom frowned. "He's staying home to have sex with Maya while you're out of the house."

"Now that's a mental image I didn't need." Tom felt his lip curl as he said it.

"At least you don't have to hear them go at it; mine don't even wait until I'm out of the house. I don't even want to know what kind of Dionysian hedonism goes on in here when I'm off at a shoot." Adrianna Vega's voice was immediately recognizable and Tom actually felt an urge to flinch. He didn't but there are some habits that are harder to break than others and hearing the brat's voice almost always included some kind of confrontation between them.

Tom turned to comment on how he'd actually walked in on his before when he caught sight of what the brat was wearing. Nate had said his little sister had just gotten back from a shoot before the funeral, but Tom hadn't really thought about what that meant. Little Dri, 'the brat', was wearing a body hugging dress in black that made Tom all too aware of the fact that she wasn't exactly twelve any longer. His eyes tracked down without his permission and when he looked back up the brat had an amused smile on her face. "There are advantages to being all grown up with your own postal code." He replied, seeing Malcolm waiting for the almost inevitable fight. The brat's father was often a referee for them when they were younger.

Before any fight could form, Tom's cellphone chirped at him, though he didn't reach to answer it. It was a pet peeve of his when people treated their phones as more important than the person in front of them, so he tried to never do that himself even though he suspected it was work. They loved to call him in when someone else bailed on a shift because he was reliable, but right now he was actually holding a civilized conversation with the brat and he wanted to see how long they could keep it up for.

Grace came over with Nate, a plate of food and a glass of wine for Tom and Dri each, thought it was strange to think of the girls as legal drinking age. "Let's go find a place to sit and let the adults do their thing." The lone red head in their age bracket commanded, and Tom just went along with a shrug.

"I thought you were just waxing poetic about being an adult with your very own postal code?" the brat's tone was sharp but teasing.

"I'm old enough to know better and young enough not to give a damn." Tom easily replied, knowing that this was just a warm up feint between the two of them.

"I can believe part of that but the other... not so much." The brat sounded smug as she sipped her wine.

"You'll understand better when you're old enough to appreciate good wine." Tom clinked his glass against Nate's.

"Ah yes, because the Goon who works a goth bar is so sophisticated. Tell me, did you ever attend a black tie affair at a publishing house?" Dri's eyes flashed as she started to warm up to fighting with him and Tom finished the wine in his glass, ready to enjoy this as he kept to himself just how good she looked angry.

"Yes I've attended black tie parties, maybe not at a magazine event, but the effect is the same. And trying to insult me for doing honest work fails because I know what I can do with my own two hands." He didn't disclose the fact that the black tie event he'd attended had been another one of those undercover jobs and he'd been posing as a waiter, but he'd seen how swanky they are and no one questioned his presence.

The look on the brat's face promised that she was about to get vocal but Nate interrupted. "As much fun as it is to see you two lambaste each other, can we please just drink the damn wine, smoke the damn cigars, and say farewell to Salali first?"

It was quite interesting for Tom to see the brat's face literally switch from passionately pissed off to calmly contrite in an instant, and he realized that she might do rather well at a poker table because the expression on her face held absolutely nothing of what was in her head. It was a little impressive but Tom would rather chew thumb tacks before he'd admit that. "I'll agree to a truce for her sake." She agreed, tone once again cordial. Tom stayed silent and just allowed Nate to refill his wine glass. It felt odd to light the cigars and drink with the girls there, part of his brain was stubbornly insisting that they were still children even though his eyes were telling him that was not the case now.

--

Even as nerves fluttered in her stomach, she knew not a single trace of them broke through the charming smile that was on her face. Adrianna had quickly learned to hold that perfect look as she dove into the world of modelling; no matter how tired, hungry or in pain she got, she had to produce a good picture. That endurance and ability to react with purpose had landed Adrianna more camera time than models with seniority because the photographers liked to work with her. Added to all that was the simple fact that Adrianna's looks could sell very well, and she had made a fair deal of money even before she took advantage of some shameless nepotism; Honey James liked to use Adrianna as a model for runway shows. Honey was Westley James' younger sister and Westley was one of her mother and father's best friends; so after that business connection was made, Adrianna made an almost ridiculous amount of money in a hurry.

That was a little fact that Adrianna kept to herself though, she already had enough issues in the modelling world; letting it get out that she was family friends with a fashion designer who was vastly popular was a terrible idea.

Thankfully none of her nerves tonight were due to money, models or getting through a difficult shoot; she was just going to a party with Adrien Vegas, a male model whose name was so close to her own that the two of them were almost always inevitably together in people's minds.

Clearly as a male model he was a good looking man, and he came across as pretty decent as well though he had a small reputation for trouble. Adrien was almost too boyishly good looking, though that in itself wasn't a problem because at least then he understood some of the crap Adrianna went through. For all that it should be a good match, Adrianna would admit to herself that wasn't actually interested in the man. It was just after seeing everyone at the funeral, Adrianna had started to feel on the lonely side. Nate and Grace were so happy together.

After today's photo shoot, a series of couture clothes that had Adrien wearing a fabulous suit and Adrianna wearing a dress that was so jewel encrusted she was actually under constant security, Adrien had asked if Adrianna wanted to go to a party with him.

She'd expected him to ask her out, but she hadn't expected the first time he was taking her out to be into the part of his life that wasn't so picture perfect, and that was why Adrianna was nervous. She liked to have a plan, and then a plan of escape just in case, and this went counter to that habit. But the same loneliness that had her accepting a date she didn't want had her going against her careful nature. Watching how happy Nate and Grace finally were just made her want a love like that; like their parents. Or hell, even being able to date a decent man would be a nice change of pace. Although she lacked Nate's promiscuity, Adri had had her share of terrible relationships.

So Adri was going to use this rally party as a safe way to get her fill of going out; there would be cars racing, girls dancing to get attention, an illegal poker game or two, and some discreet business deals that Adrianna was supposed to ignore. And she could pretend for the night that she wasn't an anxious mess about going off her carefully planned schedule.

She looked at her reflection in the car mirror one last time and none of her nerves or thoughts leaked through her control. Her hair was styled in perfectly soft waves, the makeup she wore like armour was tastefully flawless and her dress was tight where it need to be, and yet a part of her still felt wildly conservative compared to some of the women she saw already heading into the party.

Part of a model's job has always been to network at parties; it didn't matter if it was a full black tie event, a cocktail mixer in a club, or even a mostly illegal rally party like she'd found herself at tonight. She knew how to function within that paradigm and Adrianna was going to make even this event work for her.

Adrien got the door for her, and stood a little too close as they walked into the warehouse party; slightly necessary with how many people there were. Outside of the building was the roar and shriek of cars; motors, tires, and sound systems all combatting with the shamble of people enjoying themselves. She wanted to watch the races, enjoy the enthusiasm of those around her in a passive way, but Adrien seemed determined to march them inside and she had to follow along or be left behind.

The building itself was some kind of converted warehouse, walls rolled up on one side so cars could come and go from the work area with ease. There were several clearly modified cars in various states, and a pair of legs under one right now indicating that work was being done to up their odds outside. Adri could appreciate the aesthetics of the cars; bright colours, glittering chrome, and even the flashing lights of it all, but the lingering stench of burned rubber chased them both away.

Finally some of the noise died down as temporary walls split the upper level into a wide room that closed to the work below. This was obviously where Adrien had been so eager to get them to, his arm coming up to almost cling around her waist but then Adrien seemed to read how well that would go over off of her raised eyebrow. Adrianna would let people touch her as part of the job on a shoot or a show, but for all that she liked being manhandled at the right time this wasn't it. Normally in front of strangers it would help keep anyone else from trying something unfortunate, but Adrianna did not want to be seen as Adrien's girl, not even here. Especially when it felt all too much like she was being presented to a table full of chips, liquor, and the men wielding both.

"Jerred, as I said I would, I've brought Adrianna with me this time," her date declared though that was news to her, he had made no reference to the fact that someone had requested she be brought.

Now her professionally controlled expression hid how fast her mind was chewing over a plan to get out as easily as possible. Her parents, and her friends' parents, had all lived far too painful lives for Adrianna to take the instincts this situation roused lightly, but unless she got Adrien's keys from him and left now, she was stuck with him as her ride.

"So you did, congratulations." Jerred smiled as if being proven wrong didn't bother him. "Welcome Adrianna," he turned his attention to her and Adri was just glad her face would reveal nothing because his expression scared the hell out of her. He watched her like she was a rat dropped into a cage to be consumed by the predator inside, and she seriously considered calling Nate to come and get her.

Except he was out of town this weekend on a photography job and wasn't back until tomorrow, and if Adri called her father someone was going to end up hurt. In another lifetime her dad had earned the title Reaper, and his 온라인카지노게임 was as bloody as Adri's had been privileged.

"Babe," Adrien seemed to have picked up on Jerred's intensity too, but she did not want him calling her that.

"Use my name, it doesn't even have to be all of it, but don't infantilize me." She'd said harsher things to the Goon hundreds of times but Adrien had never heard her sharper tones before and she could see his face twist ugly in response.

The table behind them laughing in response wasn't helping him recover face for her attitude, so apparently Adrien decided to double down on it, "Babe, go get us some drinks while I get dealt in." this whole night had been a mistake but she had to get through it to get through it.

Instead of arguing the point of not calling her babe, Adri took the out it offered her; anything to get away from the table and the man that had apparently asked for her by name. The music throbbed from various speakers, combatting with different songs coming from the cars outside. Adrianna scanned the crowds of people and spotted where safer spaces to socialize might be. It was one of the few times she regretted looking the way she did, and the type of attention her job could get her; Adrianna literally had to seek out the safety of numbers.

After an overly amorous boyfriend in high school Adri had gone out and taken some intense defense classes, but she was keenly aware that there was a hard limit to how much ass she could kick at her size. And even having been raised on the parents' war stories, normally Adri found a way to talk her way out of trouble instead of confronting it head on; better even to have planned well enough to avoid it entirely. But something about the sliminess of Jerred's stare convinced Adri that this wasn't the simple case of someone wanting to meet the model in person and get their autograph; his stare had felt like real danger.

She always had a plan, and even with what little was available to her now, Adri was formulating an escape. Her body was on autopilot, collecting sealed beers and ignoring any open liquids, never entirely turning her back on the room even as her mind chewed the little information she had to pieces. Adrien was being dealt into the poker game up there, indicating that this was not going to be a quick visit to the party. There had been several players at the table, all men and none of their women present, so her introduction had likely been deliberate. They're arrival had interrupted a hand, but the amount of cash and chips she'd seen on the table had been negligible so she doubted it was a serious round. And although Adrien had sounded so certain about being dealt in, she had caught the disdain on Jerred's expression as the model had talked. Something more than just poker was going on up there.

She sighed, drinks and conclusions grabbed. The safest course of action for now would be for her to bring Adrien his drink, and then get back down to hide amongst the ladies crowded to watch the races. Adrien could play his little games in there, and after he dropped her off tonight she would never accept a date with him again.

It helped having a plan in mind as she reentered the room, feeling all the eyes on her. It's not an unusual experience for her as a model, but Adri did not appreciate it in this context. Adrien held his hand out to her as if he expected her to take it, instead she slapped the beer bottle into it.

"I won't interrupt your game, I'm going to go watch the races with the ladies," she didn't even acknowledge the rest of the waiting table, walking out before even Adrien could respond.

Having the door close behind her helped even more than having a plan in mind; even the smell and noise out in the party better than the expectant silence in there. She took a sip of the beer in her hand and made a face at the taste; even free beer had its limits and this was a step shy of terrible.

Thankfully it was easier for her to handle the introductions involved with the mostly female crowd lounging on the ground floor instead of out with the cars. Her tasteful dress was slightly fancier than needed but that didn't stop the ladies from absorbing her in as if they were long friends. The friendliest of the group and thus the leader, was Leann and it was from her that Adri learned that this cluster was mostly girlfriends of those upstairs. They'd seen her come in with Adrien, and conclusions were drawn, so half the effort of blending in was already achieved for her.

It felt safer in a crowd of strangers, her femininity blending into theirs. The friendly gossip and chatter filled the time as Adri slowly drank her ever worsening beer and watched the races. She never lost the concern that had gripped her since arriving, but as she had to wait to act Adri felt herself stay in the controlled mode she used on a shoot. Her normally volatile temper felt held in check, and she could face anything and deal with it; falling apart would come later when she was safely alone again. She knew there were dangerous people in the world afterall, and not just because she'd been named in memory of a victim.

Her feet started to hurt, the shoes beautiful and well built, but no stiletto was meant for standing on concrete for hours. She'd had class before the shoot, and then came here with Adrien after, her feet had collected double digits in the shoes by this point. The single beer she'd drunk was empty but the bottle in hand kept offers of more at bay, and her stomach petulantly reminded her that lunch had been a while ago and she'd missed dinner.

"Adrianna!" the shout surprised her, loud even over the music and it drew the entire crowd's attention to stare up at the flung open door. "Adrianna I need you up here." Adrien called out, face as unreadable as hers.

He seemed drunker than the beer she'd brought him could have done, but Adri recalled the bottles of liquor on the table and was prepared for the worst. There'd be a fight later if he tried to drive in this condition, and Adri was feeling uncharitable enough to lift his keys and leave his ass here drunk and alone. However, she couldn't make a spectacle right now either, as she'd seen several phones out to record the races and it would be all too easy for those phones to get turned onto this. Both Adrien and Adrianna's faces were too well known.

"You better go see what he wants, the guys hate interrupting the game." Leann warned kindly, clearly expecting it to be a mild matter.

Adrianna didn't believe it was going to be mild, but had to go see the idiot at the very least to steal his keys from him. She climbed the stairs, angry at herself for letting her loneliness talk her into coming out tonight. Adrien had gone back in when she started on the stairs, and Adri made a point to keep the door open behind her if she needed to make a run for it. Spectacle or not, Adri had heard too many stories to be naïve.

Not much had changed inside the room with the poker game, the stakes were higher if the money on the table was any indicator; and she could smell the liquor that had left Adrien so vocal. Adrianna stood well back from the table, as close to the door as possible while still technically being in the room. She'd lived a relatively safe, sheltered life, but her escape plans always involved ESCAPING.

Despite his model's control, Adrien's face was warning that he was angry and ashamed; though that was nothing compared to Jerred's smug satisfaction. The rest of the table varied from vague disinterest right over to overt excitement, and finally the other shoe dropped.

"Your man here has made some bad bets, and it's time to call them." Jerred spoke to her as if he'd planned the entire thing.

"I'll tell her," Adrien interrupted, sounding annoyed as he walked closer to Adrianna. She was not going to let him bring her closer into the room, but this was her chance to get his keys out of his pocket, "I had a good hand, chips were up. Then this fuck face," he pointed at one of the other players and Adri had the keys she needed to get out of here, "managed a royal flush after I went all in."

"So you need me to go to an ATM," her brain was flying through scenarios, trying to find the best match for what little she knew. Jerred's satisfaction could be that of a card shark whose mark had been taken for a fair bit of money.

But the pinched, almost worried expression on Adrien's face warned that he had been far more reckless than that. "I can't bet anything I didn't already bring to the table," she didn't like the sound of that for some reason.

"Did you bet your car?" that might explain his bruised ego.

But when Jerred laughed, Adrianna knew the night was not going to be that simple. "No one would take that ante Adrianna, though he did try." Adri suspected she was not going to like whatever this card shark had to say next, "So he bet the one thing we'd be interested in; a strip show from you in the back room."

Oh hell no.