Chapter 5

The floor manager, following my instructions, started him off with a few complimentary chips.

Once Ethan was hooked, they offered him more at a "discounted" rate.

He was gone, day and night, eyes bloodshot, barely eating, locked on the roulette wheel.

Security footage showed him screaming at Derek and Rachel.

"Give me your chips. The table's about to open. Move out of my way or I swear to God—"

"Ethan, have you completely lost it? That's how you talk to your father? Gambling is addictive, and don't forget, your dad sold the house and both cars to get you that three-point-five million. You keep this up and there's nothing left."

"Ethan, please," Rachel begged. "We're your parents. We're not trying to hurt you."

"I got into Harvard on a full ride. I deserve to blow off a little steam. Three-point-five million? That's nothing. I have a black card, I just spent seventy million without blinking. Out of my way."

He shoved them both to the ground.

Derek hit the floor hard. Rachel cracked the back of her head against the wall.

Blood ran from her temple to her jaw.

Ethan didn't look at either of them. He pried the chips out of her hand and walked away.

When he finally lost everything, they tried to use the moment to drag him home, but I had already arranged for the manager to let him sign a credit account based on his Harvard credentials.

The terms included a predatory interest clause he'd agreed to without reading.

Ethan looked straight into the security camera and nodded.

He even threatened to hurt himself to get more chips, which got Derek and Rachel roped into the debt too.

When the three-day trip ended, casino collectors followed them all the way back to the city.

"Ethan. You've been ignoring every call. Think you can just skip out? That black card is worthless; the three-day transfer window you promised brought in not a single dollar."

"That's impossible. You must have done something wrong."

Ethan was still half-asleep, yawning, rubbing his eyes.

The auctioneer snapped and slapped him across the face.

"This is an auction house, not a charity. You're broke and you've got the nerve to play high roller? Besides the three-point-five million deposit, you still owe thirty million on the balance. Pay up."

The casino manager looked stunned. "What do you mean you can't pay? You walked into my casino with nothing and you expect to walk out free? Get him, take him back to Vegas."

Men in black closed in on all sides.

Rachel panicked and went on the offensive.

"That's impossible. My son is a Harvard graduate. That black card was issued by his company; it has no limit. You people clearly have never dealt with real money before."

Derek kept his voice even. "Let's all calm down. My son is a serious person. He's not going to skip on a debt. How about this, let me take him to the office and we sort this out."

The manager and auctioneer exchanged a look, then climbed into a cab with the three of them.

I'd decided against making a grand entrance. I stepped out of the town car at the corner and walked the last block on foot.

Which is exactly where I ran into them, Derek and Ethan unshaven and hollow-eyed, Rachel's hair a disaster.