“This is Lucky Santangelo’s daughter,” Cookie interjected. “So unless you’re all planning on getting fired, let’s move it, guys.”
Both guards began to run, and within moments they arrived outside the spa to find Ace and Henry wrestling on the ground trading punches.
Security guard number one trained his weapon on them. “Quit it, now!” he commanded, as Ace got in one last punch, a satisfactory blow to the freak’s jaw.
And then it was over.
Henry stood up. “This boy jumped me,” he blustered. “The two of them were trying to rob me.”
And while he was speaking, Max mustered all her strength and kicked him in the balls.
“That’s for everything,” she said as he crumpled to the ground. “And my name is Max. M-A-X. Don’t ever forget it.”
* * *
“Enjoy the show,” Anthony whispered in Irma’s ear. “’Cause tomorrow I’m sendin’ you to a place where the only show’s gonna be you.”
Irma stared at her vile husband. “You’re a bloodthirsty monster, you know that?” she said, loathing him with a hatred she had not thought herself capable of. “You took away a man’s life for doing something you do every day. You’re no better than a savage.”
“Tomorrow,” Anthony taunted as a six-foot blonde in revealing leopard-print lingerie sashayed past on the runway, “I’m sendin’ you to a place where you’ll get to fuck ten men a day. An’ you’re gonna get off on it, Irma, ’cause you’re a born fuckin’ whore.”
Before she could process what he was saying, a big commotion started happening with the people sitting on the other side of her—an Asian woman and her male companion.
The scuffle was over the woman’s purse, which the man was attempting to wrest from her grasp.
Suddenly a gun fell out of the purse onto the ground.
Without thinking clearly, Irma bent down and quickly picked it up.
She held it for a moment, the image of Luis being tortured flashing before her eyes. Then she turned to Anthony, who started to say, “What the fuck—”
Raw fear flicked across his face as she raised the gun and pointed it straight at him. He knew what she was about to do before she knew it herself.
Quite calmly she flicked off the safety catch, and shot her husband right between the eyes.
Anthony Bonnatti died within seconds.
At last Irma was truly free.
EPILOGUE
Six Months Later
Detective Franklin got her man. Only he happened to be dead at the time—shot in the face by his distraught wife, whom he’d forced to watch the torture and murder of one of his employees.
Detective Franklin didn’t know who’d sent her the bloodstained bathrobe and a map leading to Tasmin Garland’s body, although she had her suspicions.
What she did know was that it was a good thing. Anthony Bonar was guilty. Dead or alive.
* * *
Oliver Stanton almost got his man too. But his man was dead on arrival. By the time he arrived in Las Vegas, Anthony Bonar was lying on a slab in the police morgue.
Unfortunate for Oliver, because he’d finally gotten the one break he’d been hoping for regarding the man he’d been tracking for two long and tedious years.
And now it didn’t matter. Now all his hard work was for nothing.
* * *
Francesca Bonnatti expired within moments of her grandson being shot. She was lying on her bed in the bungalow at the Cavendish, and she went peacefully with a satisfied smile on her face.
Anthony had been with her since he was twelve. She was not allowing him to go anywhere without her.
* * *
Emmanuelle returned to Miami, but since nothing was in her name, she was forced to relinquish her car and vacate her apartment. Her jewelry she kept—she wasn’t giving that up.
She called the producer she’d met at the Keys party, and he offered her a job in L.A. Little did she know he was the biggest producer of porn on the West Coast.
Emmanuelle was determined to become a star—one way or the other.
* * *
Carlita stayed in New York. She was a savvy businesswoman, and everything Anthony Bonar had invested in her design business was all hers. She gave The Grill a job as her head of security. He was eternally grateful.
Carlita was a woman who knew how to look after herself.
* * *
Irma Bonar was arrested and charged with murder. After all the evidence was reviewed and the lawyers got together with the D.A., the charge was eventually reduced to manslaughter. Luis’s mutilated body had been discovered buried under the rubble of a building site in Mexico City, along with a security guard from the Bonar estate. The security guard’s name was Cesar.
Irma was given three years’ probation.
As soon as she was able, she presented the house outside Mexico City to Luis’s family as a gift, then she signed over the Acapulco villa to Rosa and Manuel.
Irma knew that both gestures of generosity and kindness would have driven Anthony insane. The thought comforted her.
She put the rest of Anthony’s fortune into trusts for her children, and bought herself a house in Omaha, near her parents. She moved there with Carolina and Eduardo, both of whom objected furiously.
She didn’t care, she knew they’d soon settle into a normal life. And so would she.
* * *
Needless to say, Alex Woods and Ling did not stay together. His fury about the notes she’d been sending to Lucky was palpable. And what the hell had she been doing with his unlicensed gun in her purse? That was not easy to explain.
He’d always known Ling was envious of the strong bond he shared with Lucky, but it was too bizarre to imagine she’d been planning to shoot her.
No way. Not even Ling was that crazy.
Ling moved out and he was happy about it. No more nagging, no more flowers in his house or a fridge full of food.
Once more he was a free soul, and that’s the way he liked it.
Nothing could change the way he felt about Lucky. She was his friend. She would always be his friend.
And while Lennie was around, that’s the way it had to stay.
* * *
To Renee’s surprise, Susie was right, and the Keys opening next door to the Cavendish turned out to be excellent for business. Receipts at the Cavendish were up twenty percent on the year before.
Renee did not mourn Anthony Bonar. He’d got what he’d been asking for. After all, one bad turn deserves another.
Renee vowed to clean up her act and be more like Susie. Good karma was important.
So far it seemed to be working.
* * *
Venus married Billy back in L.A. several weeks after the drama at the Keys. They both decided their wedding should not take place on the same night as a violent shooting.
Two days before their wedding, Kev got his marriage annulled. Ali was not exactly a girl to settle down with. Neither Venus nor Billy was surprised.
Billy bought Venus an eight-carat diamond ring, and she bought him a two-hundred-thousand-dollar Ferrari he’d been coveting.
Together they purchased the last available penthouse at the Keys.
Billy got off on being married to Venus—he’d never felt so complete.
Venus loved being married to Billy—he was funny and loving and, most of all, he was hers.
The age difference didn’t matter to either of them. Like Lucky and Lennie, they both finally felt they’d found their soulmate.
The tabloids existed in a state of ecstasy. Now that their favorite twosome were married, they could speculate about when the divorce would take place. Or even better—when would Venus get pregnant?
The headlines never stopped.
* * *
Gino returned to Palm Springs with Paige. Funny how things worked out. He’d sensed that Anthony Bonar was trouble, but he’d never imagined he’d get shot by his own wife.
The Bonnatti family had never had m
uch luck. Too bad. Or not.
At ninety-five Gino felt fortunate to be a survivor. Getting old was a bitch, but it was better than the alternative.
* * *
The Santangelo-Golden family declined to press charges against Henry Whitfield-Simmons. Both Lucky and Lennie decided that Max had endured enough, and they did not want to see her dragged through court testifying against him.
So Henry was released, and he drove back to the Pasadena mansion where he was promptly arrested for the murder of his mother. An autopsy, which he had not realized had taken place, had revealed that Penelope Whitfield-Simmons had been suffocated to death. The prime suspect was Henry. Proving that he’d done it was not difficult.
* * *
Max confessed everything to her parents. They weren’t mad, they were concerned and relieved.
“Family is everything,” Lucky told her. “And even though you didn’t tell us the truth, we still love you very very much. But if anything like this ever happens again and you don’t tell us, that’s it, you’ll be grounded forever!”
Max loved her mom. Lucky was tough, but she always came through when it mattered.
Ace stayed around. He wasn’t mad about the L.A. lifestyle, but as he said to Max, “You need me to watch out for you, so I guess I’m gonna have to spend more time here.”
“Cool with me,” she’d said, trying not to sound too happy about it.
And finally she got the kiss she’d been hoping for.
Yes. It was worth the wait.
* * *
Lucky and Lennie continued their life of married bliss. Even when they were apart, it felt as if they were together.
Lennie went off and made his movie in Canada. Lucky spent several days a week in Vegas overseeing the Keys, which was an enormous success.
She spoke to Bobby almost every day, and he assured her he was keeping in touch with Brigette—in fact, he’d introduced her to one of his friends and they seemed to be getting involved.
The club business was booming.
“I’m opening in L.A.,” he warned Lucky. “So you’d better watch out, I’m getting closer every day!”
“I’m shaking!” she joked.
Finally the family house in Malibu was ready to move back into. Lucky and Lennie drove there together.
Lucky Santangelo and Lennie Golden. Two of a kind.
GODDESS
OF
VENGEANCE
This one is for all my fans and loyal readers around the world. On Twitter, Facebook, my Web site—you all rock!
Keep on reading …
CHAPTER ONE
It was early evening and the garden restaurant was only half full. The patrons were trying to play it cool, because after all, this was L.A. and stars abounded. However, most of them couldn’t resist an occasional surreptitious glance over at Venus, the platinum-blond, world-famous superstar, as she picked at a chopped vegetable salad.
Sitting at the table with her was Lucky Santangelo, a dark-haired beauty who’d experienced her own share of controversial headlines and scandals over the years. Lucky, the former owner and head of Panther Studios, was a businesswoman supreme who currently owned the luxurious hotel, casino, and apartment complex The Keys in Las Vegas.
The two of them made a formidable couple. In Hollywood, where looks were everything, Venus and Lucky ruled. Venus with her in-your-face blondness, startling blue eyes, and toned and muscled shape. And Lucky—a dangerously seductive woman with blacker-than-night eyes, deep olive skin, sensuous full lips, a tangle of long jet hair, and a lithe body.
“I’m beginning to think you’re a sex addict,” Lucky said lightly, smiling at her close friend.
“Excuse me,” Venus retorted, raising a perfectly arched and penciled eyebrow. “Last week you called me a cougar, and now I’m a sex addict. Seriously, Lucky?”
Pushing back her mane of unruly black curls, Lucky grinned. “Yeah. I’m so wrong,” she drawled sarcastically. “It wasn’t you who slept with your twenty-two-year-old costar last week, and it wasn’t you who screwed your sixty-year-old director two days later.”
“Oh please,” Venus said, dismissively waving her hand in the air. “I’m getting a divorce. What do you expect me to do, join a convent?”
“That might be a touch extreme,” Lucky said, smiling as she thought about Venus wreaking havoc in a convent. “But anyway, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“You bet your fine ass I do,” Venus answered vehemently. “Billy is all over the Internet and the magazines with that juvenile skank he’s supposedly hooked up with. Just like Cooper before him.” She paused for a long thoughtful moment. “Another cheating rat. I sure know how to pick ’em.”
“You certainly do,” Lucky agreed, thinking that Cooper Turner, Venus’s husband before Billy Melina, was a whole different ball game. Cooper was a much older movie star with a Warren Beatty–style track record, and everyone had known that Cooper would eventually cheat. Billy—not so much. Even though Billy was thirteen years younger than Venus, he’d seemed thrilled to be with her. And why not? Like Madonna, Venus was a true original with legions of fans worldwide.
“I cannot believe Billy turned out to be such a loser,” Venus said, determined to verbally trash her soon-to-be ex.
“Hardly a loser,” Lucky couldn’t help pointing out. “His current movie has grossed over a hundred million. Not too shabby.”
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in,” Venus snapped irritably. “Billy’s career is on fire, but I can assure you that as a man he turned out to be a big waste of space.” She narrowed her eyes. “And what’s up with you today? Shouldn’t you be agreeing with me, not regaling me with his box office?”
“Hey—don’t say I didn’t warn you about marrying a much younger man,” Lucky responded.
“Billy isn’t that much younger,” Venus insisted. “Anyway, it’s sure working for Demi and Ashton. Besides, I thought you liked him.”
“I did,” Lucky said carefully. “I mean I still do. Only, marrying a younger guy … it’s kind of a given that they’re bound to cheat.”
“Oh thanks!” Venus said, frowning. “When did you turn into Ms. Cynical and a Half?”
“Not cynical, merely practical.”
“Says you,” Venus snorted.
“You know I tell it like it is,” Lucky said, picking up her wineglass and taking a sip.
“Oh yes, we all know that about you. Nothing’s off-limits.”
“I believe in the truth.”
“And I guess it works for you.”
Lucky regarded her brilliant friend, and wondered why any man who was fortunate enough to be with Venus would ever want to stray. Venus had it all—beauty, brains, and talent.
“Exactly why are you divorcing Billy?” she asked.
“’Cause he—”
“Cheated!” They finished the sentence together, then broke up laughing.
“Well,” Venus said sagely, “it was fun while it lasted. Eighteen months together and six months married. Now I’m almost free again, and believe me, it’s not such a bad thing. I enjoy being on my own. Living with Billy was like doing time in a frat house. It’s such a pleasure that I don’t have to pick up dirty socks and underwear from the floor, there are no endless midnight snacks everywhere, and I get full control of the remote.”
“Surely you always had that.”
“Actually, I didn’t. You know me—when I wasn’t working, I was busy playing wifey to the hilt, and you can see where it got me.”
“Free to fuck your costar, and your director,” Lucky pointed out. “Not so bad.”
Venus gave a wicked smile. “I know. Shame we just finished shooting.”
“You should fly to Vegas this weekend,” Lucky suggested. “It’ll take your mind off all things Billy.”
“What’s going on in Vegas—apart from your fantastic hotel?”
“A board meeting of all my investors. And since you were one of the first, it would be great if you showed your
face. Everyone would really love it. And—even better—I’ve decided to throw an eighteenth birthday party for Max, although the brat is driving me crazy. She’s still carrying on about moving to New York.”
“I cannot believe that Max is about to be eighteen. Little Maria, all grown up.”
“Tell me about it.” Lucky sighed. “Time goes too fast.”
“You do realize that now there’s no way you can stop her from doing anything she wants?”
“Unfortunately, I understand that,” Lucky said, nodding. “And if I know my Max, she’ll take full advantage.”
“Hey—you were married at sixteen,” Venus said brightly. “So maybe she’ll turn out to be street-smart like you.”
“Married off you mean, by dear daddy Gino,” Lucky said, shaking her head as if she still couldn’t quite believe that Gino had forced her into a marriage she didn’t want. “Can you imagine that Gino thought he was protecting me from my wild ways? What a joke that turned out to be!”
“How come you didn’t fight it?”
“I was sixteen,” Lucky said, remembering the overwhelming rush of helplessness and dread she’d felt on her wedding day. “I guess I considered myself powerless to say no.”
“C’mon, Lucky, it didn’t do you any harm,” Venus said. “Just look at everything you’ve accomplished. You’ve built hotels, run a movie studio, had three kids, and you’re married to Mister Amazing. Admit it, you’re a goddamn superwoman!”
“No,” Lucky answered after a thoughtful pause. “I’m a woman who took chances every inch of the way. I had to fight for my independence. Believe me, it wasn’t easy.”
“Right,” Venus said. “And that’s exactly why you and I understand each other so well. We both know that being a strong, successful woman in this town can be a lonely and difficult path.”
“Agreed,” Lucky said. “You gotta kick ass like a guy, and get called a bitch for your trouble.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Venus said, nodding vigorously.
“But you know something?” Lucky added. “I know who I am—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Me too!”