Twenty Nine: Gambits
"Astrid and the kids returned home this morning," Heather reported over breakfast, peeking at Hiccup, who was looking tired. He had been woken again by nightmares, images of his father's death and Gobber's that had robbed him from rest far too soon.
"I knew she would," he said, sipping his coffee. He looked pale and jaded, deep shadows under his eyes. "She's scared that Eret will use his contacts to kidnap them back. And yes, I did offer them sanctuary in the Duplex on Dragon Isle."
"She probably doesn't know the badasses you have on your side, Ingen," Heather murmured. "Or how capable you are of handling yourself…" Hiccup closed his eyes. He had built a firing range in the basement and regularly practiced to maintain his skills-as well as honing his knife-throwing skills. One-legged and lean-though stronger than he looked, he was under no illusions that he was a less than intimidating presence physically so he worked hard to maximise his abilities since he guessed that his billionaire persona would paint a large target on him for some of the worst elements in the Archipelago.
"I have some serious Badasses on my side," he sighed. "Has Dagur arrived?" Snotlout nodded.
"He's waiting in the office," he reported. "He said he was in the neighbourhood so he could drop in and see his sister." Refilling his cup of coffee, Hiccup grabbed a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice as well and then rose and wearily walked towards the office, thinking hard. His plans were moving forward steadily but Ryker's was the most complex. Everything he had learned about the older Grimborn showed that he was completely ruthless and vicious, a man who terrorised and killed without qualms and who infamously left no witnesses. His greed had shown in his acquisition of assets of those he had disposed of and in the lavish home and cars he had: it had been a way in to start drawing Ryker into Fury's web. Along with his brother…though Ryker was the primary target.
Ryker Kilian Grimborn. RKB. The man whose initials condemned me to die in Jotunheim, the man who is a tool of Bludvist. A traitor first and last. And I will bury you for treason. But I'm going to make you suffer first…
He pushed the door open and found a powerfully-built man peering at a small framed image of Stoick and Hiccup, taken when the latter was a boy. Dagur was a buff man with pale green eyes, a slightly hooked nose and scars on his right cheek. Sometime in the years between when he had persuaded Guard Vorg to allow Gothi the medic to treat the dying Hiccup's wounds and amputate his hopelessly gangrenous leg, he had acquired the scars down his right cheek and three tattooed claw marks over his left eye, lending him a very sinister appearance. But he was a good man, for all that he ran a band of mercenaries who were infamous throughout the Archipelago. His short carrot red hair was spiky and a scrubby beard covered his chin. His leather vest audibly creaked as he moved.
"You were a cute kid, brother,' he commented. Hiccup rested his coffee on the desk.
"I was ground zero for freckles, clumsiness and looked like a talking fishbone," he commented dryly. "Any normal person would wonder if I had been adopted when they glanced at my Dad." Dagur arched an eyebrow and then nodded.
"Certainly a contrast," he noted. "Though you both have the same nose. He looks familiar."
"And I would be grateful if you kept that to yourself," the billionaire told him quietly, gently grasping the frame and stowing it in the top drawer. "I was working late and I tend to have Dad here when I'm alone in the office. It-it keeps him close…and reminds me why I'm doing this."
"You don't have to," Dagur reminded him easily.
"Actually, I do," Hiccup sighed, sliding into the padded seat. "I made a promise to him as he lay dying. I can't fail him. I can't fail the island he loved and protected by letting these monsters get away with what they did to us-and so many others."
"It's risky," Dagur counselled him, sitting opposite. Hiccup pushed the orange juice towards him.
"I can't rest until I have done,' he admitted. "And he can't either." Slowly, Dagur nodded. His own father, Oswald, had died when he was much younger and his sister had been a child. The young Dagur had done everything he could to support them both and he had worked hard to ensure they were safe…but unbeknownst to him, Heather was being groomed by an older man, someone Dagur had trusted…Johann. And then, when Heather was fourteen, she had vanished. Dagur had been searching for her since-until Hiccup had found her after nine years missing, a prisoner in Betsy's, the most infamous whore house in the North, situated on Trader's Isle and owned-via a string of ghost companies-by Johann.
"I couldn't until I found Heather," he admitted.
"You found the time to save my life," Hiccup reminded him with a smile.
"And you found my sister," the buff man parried lightly. "I searched for almost ten years, following every clue and lead…and you found her for me."
"I had more resources-and I don't exist," Hiccup reminded him. "I owed you my life…" Dagur smiled.
"You are my brother and I trust you," he said. "But occasionally, you ask some very unusual favours…"
"You replaced the man?" Hiccup checked and Dagur chuckled.
"I suspect the burials he received from us were much better than what he got originally," he admitted. "And now he's back home in Meathead. Did he take the bait?"
"Fish has some excellent footage of them grave-robbing," Hiccup confirmed. "Is the next part set up?" Dagur chuckled.
"I'm seriously glad you're on my side, Ingen," he commented. "Because I would hate to have you as my enemy." The billionaire gave a shrug.
"I was no one's enemy until I was betrayed-and now I am No One…and their worst nightmare…" he said grimly as Dagur nodded.
"Your friend was right, by the way," he revealed. "Eretson has some very unsavoury contacts. I think a trio of small businessmen here on Berk tried to take him to court over unpaid debts. They were leaned on-hard. Two of them were ambushed in their own homes, beaten and punched and terrorised. One almost died. The third was away but his children and wife were terrorised for hours by the thugs. All men withdrew their complaints and the debts were never paid." His pale green eyes flicked up, darkened with warning. "This guy is dangerous, Ingen. He plays for keeps and cares nothing for anyone but himself." Hiccup nodded and sipped his coffee, draining the cup.
"I intend to ruin him, make him penniless and desperate, take his home and business and family-and then I will kill him," Hiccup said without emotion. "And you are going to help me." Recalling the dying prisoner, his leg rotting as he lay abandoned to death in his cell, Dagur drained his orange juice in one long pull.
"It will be my pleasure," he said.
oOo
Floodlights illuminated the gleaming and gaudy facade of the Rainbow Bridge Casino, the biggest gambling institution in the Eastern Archipelago. Set in magnificent splendour on a promontory overlooking Berk Harbour, the building was a shining temple worshipping every form of gaming. The glittering facade was mock-Gothic, made of cream sandstone with the interior of gleaming white marble populated by gamblers, gamers, socialites and locals just coming in for fun. There were private salons, two bars, a small but exclusive restaurant, the main gambling lounge and of course, the huge slot arcade, a deafening room full of flashing lights, buzzing, bells, whistles, the chink of cash and serious gamblers fixated with feeding the insatiable machines.
Cami dropped Hiccup off at the entrance, opening the door and allowing him to emerge before going round to park and watch the latest episodes of 'Viking Raiders' on her phone. Straightening up his black, slim-fit tuxedo, he walked in, the lights reflecting off his mirror shades, and headed for the doorman. The stocky shape of Snotlout paced quietly along after him, remaining a discreet distance behind.
"Tallon Fury. I have an appointment with Mr Eretson," the billionaire said and the huge man nodded, his dark eyes sweeping the tall, lean shape.
"He's expecting you," he growled and conducted the man in, heading directly through the teeming floor of the casino, past tables crowded by eager gamblers, leaning in with eyes fixated on the cards or dice or the roulette wheel. Black-clad waitresses glided between tables, silver trays laden with drinks balanced skilfully as they ensured the customers had no excuse to leave the tables. A roar of victory and disappointment sounded to the left and Hiccup glanced to see a man leaping up, chips spilling from his clenched fists as he whooped in delight. Shaking his head, he continued after the doorman, forcing his gait to be as regular as it could be. The punters parted as they passed into a discreet salon with smaller, more discreet tables with scarlet-clad female croupiers and the gentle sound of a piano playing over the murmurs of bets and counter-bets. Hiccup found himself led to a pristine table at the far side of the room where Eret was sitting, slumped back in his chair with his white tux unbuttoned and his black bow-tie askew. He drained a Scotch on the rocks and looked up, waving the heavy lead crystal tumbler for a refill.
"Tallon!" he greeted and straightened up. "Finally, I finally get you into my clutches!" He snapped his fingers. "A glass of Verve for my friend. Nothing but the best for my friend, Fury!" A slender blonde waitress retrieved Eret's used glass and sped away to replenish his drink. Gesturing expansively, he grinned broadly as Hiccup slid into the seat, seeing the doorman head back and noting that Snotlout had taken station by the doorway-out of earshot for the conversation but close enough in case Eret tried anything hostile.
"You have a spectacular place here," Hiccup told him, smiling. Eret's grin broadened and he spread his arms.
"Only the best," he said. "A man must be true to who he is-and this is me."
Gaudy, superficial, cheating, feeding off the misery of others…yeah, I've never heard a truer description, Hiccup thought, though his expression remained unaltered. He accepted a crystal flute of the champagne and sipped it thoughtfully.
"I am grateful for the invitation," he admitted. "Though my personal knowledge of such places is very limited, I can see you have spared no expense." Eret visibly preened.
"I am surprised that a man of your substance isn't a regular," he commented.
I spent ten years in a cell, freezing and starving and barely escaped with my life. I would never waste any money on gambling for pleasure because I know exactly why I was in that cell-and your gambling was the reason, Hiccup considered silently. "I have other distractions," he suggested ambiguously as Eret chuckled.
"That dark-haired minx," he noted as he drained his fresh tumbler of Scotch. "I bet she plays dirty." There was an acquisitive note in his voice and Hiccup stared at his drink, controlling his face carefully. Heather's imprisonment in Betsy's and the enforced slavery she had endured was nothing to laugh at, a reason that he would not open his heart to the girl. She was an attractive woman but his role as her rescuer made him uncomfortable, concerned she may feel she was beholden to repay him… And of course, his heart belonged to another woman, one who had thrown it away years earlier.
Except Astrid had been herself, sad and battered emotionally by life but still the woman he recalled, the woman he had loved with all his heart. She confused him, her presence calling to the younger Hiccup who had yearned for a word, a sign from her and who never suspected her betrayal in marrying the man who had betrayed him. And though he had been declared dead, it was the fact that she had chosen Eret that still stabbed his wounded heart so hard.
"How's Fink?" he asked, diverting the topic. Predictably, Eret's face twisted in anger.
"Eret Junior," he growled and then took a deep breath. "Mending, I believe. I have had our local physician look over him and he agrees with the assessment and prescription of the specialist team from Dragon Island." Smothering a snort at the concept of a local physician approving the plans of a specialist internationally-renowned unit, Hiccup sipped his champagne again.
"I'm glad to hear it," he replied mildly. Rolling his glass in his hands, Eret nodded to a dealer, who approached and began to shuffle the cards.
"You took a risk with my family," he said in a low voice.
"Your son was gravely injured and taking him to Berk General could have left him with permanent disabilities," Hiccup told him calmly. "I knew that I could get him to expert care faster than anyone else. And his mother and sister insisted on coming. I couldn't refuse, since both were clearly traumatised."
"I expect to be asked if a man wishes to take my family off island," Eret told him darkly.
"I believe that your wife is an adult and as such, she has autonomy-and the right to make decisions over the welfare of her children," Hiccup said, sitting back. Eret leaned forward.
"They belong to me," he hissed. "Mine. Do you understand?"
"No," Hiccup said deliberately. "I believe that slavery was abolished almost two centuries ago. I saw a friend in need and I did what was required to help. I really cannot understand why you would object so vehemently that a friend has intervened to save your son and ensure your family was well cared-for."
"You really don't understand the meaning of another man's property, do you?" Eret menaced and for a moment, Hiccup felt his anger rise at the tone.
"I would suspect you need to check the definition-and that people are not included in that!" he replied tightly, seeing the man's fists bunch.
"Maybe in your fancy circles on Dragon Island…but here on Berk…" he growled.
"You still live in the tenth century," Hiccup retorted, just managing to keep his tone nonchalant. There was suddenly the almost irresistible urge to smash his glass in the other man's face at such an abhorrent sentiment and only the knowledge that he would destroy Eret much more cruelly kept him in character. "Thankfully for your son, I live in the twenty-first."
"They stayed in your apartment, I believe," Eret snapped. The implication in his tone was repellant. "You know I could name you in divorce proceedings for adultery…"
And how many women have you betrayed Astrid with? You think I wouldn't destroy you in court if you were stupid enough to take me on-no matter what your friends may promise? Do you really want this, Eret? Or is your bruised pride overruling your sense?
"While I stayed in the Yacht Club Hotel," 'Fury' corrected him, his tone cold. "I have the resources-they did not. So it was the only decent thing to do." Eret stared at him with scorn.
"And you are a decent man," he forced himself to say, his tone sarcastic. "Decent, generous, honourable."
"You make them sound like faults," Hiccup commented, watching the croupier deal both men a hand. Another carefully laid a stack of chips in front of him.
"In business, they are," Eret told him smugly.
And which one of us has billions in the bank and which has millions of dollars of debt he can't hope to meet? he thought ironically. "Ethics are not weaknesses but strengths," he replied aloud, cautiously lifting the corners of his cards. Eret chuckled.
"Maybe," he murmured without conviction, checking his hand. There was a slight widening of his smile. "But I prefer to concentrate on number one, not some lofty aspirations…" Hiccup sipped his champagne as the hand played out. Eret had a high pair for his cards and ended up with three of a kind. Playing conservatively, Hiccup folded, denying him the opportunity to inspect his cards and watching as his former friend scooped up the chips.
"So what are your aspirations?" 'Fury' asked him, his eyes locked on the wide face. This time, Eret's brows furrowed and then he gave a false grin, raising aggressively. Hiccup played passively and forced him to show a bluff.
"To be the richest man on Berk, to be the most powerful man here-First Minister-and have a beautiful wife and a perfect life," he explained.
"I was under the impression you already had most of those," 'Fury' commented dryly. "Your wife and family…" Eret gave a sneer.
"We both know my wife is a bitch who scarcely grants me any respect and my kids are both disappointments," he snapped.
"In what way?"
"Eret Junior was involved with a very unsuitable girl who I had to warn off-patently a gold-digger," Eret revealed cruelly, "while Zephyr is a bookworm, average at art and with good school grades but hardly showing enough initiative or respect to her elders."
Meaning she's not keen on marrying Johann as part-settlement for your debts! Hiccup thought, his eyes hardening behind the mirror shades. "And yet she strikes me as a shy but intelligent, imaginative and respectful young women. I gather she's entered the Berk Student competition?" Eret nodded, gesturing for the next hand to be dealt.
"I just hope she doesn't make a fool of herself," he growled and then glanced up. "Unless you can ensure that she…?" Sipping his champagne again, Hiccup said nothing. "Of course, you can't say anything in public…but one hand washes the other, eh?" Checking his cards, Hiccup ghosted a small smile.
"So I have heard," he commented and won the hand, betting aggressively and hitting Eret's chips hard as he revealed a pair of aces. "I wonder if you have any tips on how to handle Atali? She seems a little…needy…" As he had hoped, the casino owner's dark eyes narrowed as he inspected the billionaire.
"Again, you're getting any ideas about what is rightfully mine," he warned 'Fury', his voice betraying his anger.
"Yet you are married to the beautiful, smart and very sexy Astrid, the mother fo your children," Hiccup taunted him gently.
"Cut the yak shit!" Eret hissed. "You knew she was with me. Everyone knew! And yet, you thought that you could just stroll in and steal her from my bed!" Mirror shades tilted up, mocking Eret by concealing the man's eyes and forcing him to stare into the reflections his own frustrated glare. "I know people…who can make life unpleasant. Or painful." Feigning ignorance, 'Tallon Fury' stacked his chips calmly.
"Having a bank balance like an international phone number grants a man certain protections," he murmured, inclining his head slightly towards Snotlout. "But I am sure you don't want to fall out over an act of kindness towards your family. And they are your family, after all. They returned to you as soon as your son was released and fit to travel, did they not? And why would a wife and children not return to their loving husband and father?"
"Why not?" Eret growled, waving for a further Scotch on the rocks. "So what are your ambitions, Tallon? What plans are you hatching in that secluded palace you built yourself?" Hiccup drained his glass and accepted the replacement that immediately appeared at his elbow, analysing the jealous, covetous tone and laughing inwardly at the willingness with which his enemy took the bait. Eret sat back with a smug smile.
"To pay back the kindness and good fortune I have received," he revealed. "To continue to expand my business and offer more employment and opportunities to the communities we work in. And to help my friends achieve their hearts' desires…" Throwing his head back, Eret roared with laughter.
"We are very different men, Fury," he commented. "But we are friends. So will you be helping me achieve my desires?"
"And what are those?"
"I want those aircraft as gifts," Eret said calmly. Hiccup shook his head, rolling his eyes behind the mirror lenses.
"And you know that isn't going to happen," he replied more calmly. "It was a business transaction conducted with Dragon's Edge Aerospace for which you have signed a legally-binding contract. Valuable company assets are not given away as personal gifts."
The crash as Eret smashed his empty glass on the floor was loud in the salon and Snotlout pushed himself upright from where he was leaning against the doorframe. Pointedly, he dropped his hand to his hip and the discreet but obvious holster there.
"Then what is the point of being your friend?" he hissed. Giving a slight smile, Hiccup gestured for the croupier to deal again.
"Because I am far richer than anyone you know or are likely to know," he said smoothly. "While you have seven figure debts and a Casino that loses money. And I am offering to gamble with you." Eret's eyes widened.
"High stakes?"
"I'm hardly playing for matchsticks," Hiccup commented dryly. "Limit?"
"Infinite," Eret breathed and gestured for more chips. "What are you willing to risk?"
"What are you?" Hiccup shot back. Eret chuckled.
"You won't get close to me," he sneered. "I'm a pro."
With obvious tells, huge debts and a Casino that loses money because you gamble so poorly. Not to mention that Gobber did teach me to gamble when I was in Jotunheim…and the twins love a game as well…oh and Dagur and his men…
"Then this is going to be interesting," Tallon Fury said, sipping his champagne and beckoning the waitress over. He fished in his pocket and dropped a platinum card on her tray, then scribbled on a slip to exchange some chips. "I defer to your expertise-but I'm still going to play. Shall we start with…say, a blind of a hundred thousand?"
oOo
It was midnight when he walked calmly through the doors and into the cold night, a very bored Snotlout a pace behind.
"So what did that achieve?" the stocky man asked as Hiccup took a deep breath in of the icy, salt-edged air. His head was throbbing with the champagne and the effort of staying concentrated for so long.
"I've stirred the hornet's nest," he said quietly, staring across the harbour at the town that had been his home all his life.
"Not wanting to be disrespectful…sir…" Snotlout said sarcastically, "but isn't that a pretty dumb thing to do?" Chuckling, Hiccup walked to the rail and stared at the lights of the town-and beyond, to the small, dark promontory where Gothi still lived and where his father had died.
"Usually, yes," he admitted. "But I want to keep pressing Eret, to keep him from thinking straight." He fished out a banker's draft and handed it to Snotlout, being rewarded by the man's eyes widening at the number in the box.
"Ten million?" he breathed.
"Use it for whichever charities your Dad and mine would have approved of," Hiccup told him calmly.
"But ten million…" Snotlout's hands trembled. "I've never held this much money in my life…"
"You held the golden crown from the hoard," Hiccup reminded him with a lopsided smile. "That was worth far more by weight, especially with the huge cut gems in it…" Snotlout blinked again.
"Ten million…" he repeated before he looked up. "How did you…?"
"No one gambles with Gobber for years and doesn't end up a complete card shark," the billionaire revealed. "I've learned to completely mask my expressions-while Eret is swarming with tells. I knew exactly what was in his hand every time. So I let him win a couple of pots, make him think he's winning…and then cleaned him out. I demanded payment before I left and as that is what happens in normal Casinos, he had to pay. I've cleaned out all of his personal accounts as well as the Casino reserves."
"Damn," Snotlout commented.
"So now I have legal rights to everything he owns, his house and possessions and company and Casino. I've removed all his reserves and hit him personally by dating his mistress and taking his wife and children away. And I've out-gambled him. Basically, I have over-matched him in every department and by every measure that he uses to identify his self-worth. He was furious when I left him."
"He'll be more dangerous than ever," Snotlout murmured.
"He did threaten me-rather clumsily. It was embarrassing since I was sitting there with a bodyguard and have the most feared mercenary unit in the Archipelago on speed dial," Hiccup reassured him. "He can bluster all he wants-but he is exactly where I want him. Unbalanced and not thinking clearly. A long time ago, that man knew me and he could potentially guess who I am."
"More reason, if any, to stay away from the bastard," Snotlout grumbled, walking to stand by him and glance at the tall, lean shape at his side.
"Eret believes I am dead," Hiccup said, his voice lowering to a growl of hatred. "He framed me, stole my entire life including my girlfriend and watched the fight that should have ended me. He was there as my ankle was smashed and I barely survived. He was promised I would die of my wounds." Clear blue eyes flicking down to his cousin's left leg, Snotlout nodded.
"I wish you would just let me or Dagur or someone…you know…" he said in a low voice. "No one would mourn him." Absently patting his cousin on the shoulder, Hiccup shook his head.
"He's taken almost everything from me-but he correctly noted that I am…a decent man," he said slowly. "And I have done things that I see in my nightmares, that I regret now and will do until the day I die. But I won't use my resources to have him killed." He paused. "I'll just take everything from him and ensure he does the job for me."