Dangerous gamble, p.1
Dangerous Gamble, page 1
Luck’s Voice
Book 4:
Dangerous Gamble
Daniel Schinhofen
Copyright © 2022 Daniel J. Schinhofen
No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2022 Daniel J. Schinhofen
All rights reserved.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter One
Doc woke up slowly— his dreams had been unpleasant to start with. The Darkness had been closing in on him, but then his wives appeared beside him. Together, they glowed brightly, helping push back the Darkness. As they did, others came rushing into the light, joining them, and, in doing so, adding more light to the night.
Rubbing his eyes, he finally looked around to find Rosa kneeling beside the bed, watching him. “I told you that was creepy.”
“And yet you still like it,” Rosa murmured. “Your dream reflected your task.”
“Yeah, it did,” Doc said as he sat up. “I doubt it’ll be that easy.”
“No, it won’t, but the symbolism was correct, Voice.”
He smiled at the dryad, soaking in her bark-patterned skin, emerald eyes, and blue-tinged, green hair. “Trying to be a brat, Weed?”
Rosa shivered. “Yes.”
“Not this morning. I know you were filled up last night. Repeatedly, in fact, since you took from the others when I finished inside them.”
Rosa’s eyelids fluttered, and she smiled widely as she recalled the same thing. “Yes. They wanted me to be at my best for you.”
Getting out of bed, he looked down at the submissive woman. “Go tell Fiala I’m dressing. I’ll be down for breakfast shortly.”
Rosa rose smoothly to her feet, lowering her gaze from his face. “As you command, Doc.”
He snagged her before she could get too far, pulling her back gently to kiss her. He made it soft and swift, then released her. “You’re a good weed, my precious Weed.”
Rosa shivered again, her nipples hardening against the simple sundress she wore. “Thank you, Doc.”
He spanked her ass. “Now get going.”
“As you command,” she said eagerly, rushing from the room.
Doc gathered his clothing and got dressed. His black suit was lined with red silk that matched the silk shirt he chose for the day. He briefly thought about a book series that he’d enjoyed before coming to this world, as the main character loved those same colors. He didn’t strap his pistol on, but he made sure his Derringer was in his vest pocket.
As he came down for breakfast, he heard voices. He slowed his steps a little to catch snippets.
“Nothing special at the Lily today,” Lia said.
“Nothing special today at all,” Ayla added. “I think we have a few days before doing anything specific.”
“I promised Posy I would teach her more,” Sonya said. “She was hoping you’d tell her more of Mother, too, Lia.”
“I can manage an hour or two of that today,” Lia replied.
“Sophia is coming to breakfast, right?” Fiala asked, her voice a bit fainter.
“She said she would,” Ayla replied.
Doc entered the room, not speaking, just wanting to take in the scene. Fiala was in the kitchen, her black-furred tail swishing gently behind her as she cooked. Her cat ears twitched slightly, as she’d heard his footsteps. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her blue eyes filled with love when she saw him. Doc gave her a smile and wink.
Lia gave him a smile. Because of her exceptional elven hearing, she had heard him come into the room, too. Wearing her buckskins, Bowie knife, and dual pistols, she looked as deadly as she was. Her blond hair was pulled into a tight ponytail that draped down her back. Her jade eyes sparkled with happiness when she saw him. She was gently stroking Rosa’s hair, as the dryad was kneeling beside her.
Even with her back to him, Ayla also knew he was there with her half-elven hearing. Her business suit was as expensive as his was— she’d made sure all of his wives could match him in dress to keep up appearances. Her blond hair was a different shade from Lia’s, and she kept hers out of her face with hair combs. She looked over her shoulder at him, her hazel eyes shining with joy.
Sonya had been facing his way, so she’d seen him immediately, and her bright smile radiated her joy. While the shortest of his wives, she was still physically a match to the rest because of her dwarven heritage. She brushed her black hair behind an ear as her brown eyes tracked over his body.
Doc shared greetings with each of them as he took his seat at the table. “Unless Grange or Suez does something today, we should have a calm day. This week has a lot coming up, though.”
“Two tournaments: a monthly, and then the yearly at the end of the week,” Ayla said.
“I’ll have more applicants for the Lily here in a handful of days,” Lia said. “I’ll be having Cassia and Lotus sit in with me for that. And, if you have time, Doc, I’d like you there, too.”
“Barring the unforeseen,” Doc agreed as he poured himself a cup of coffee and refilled Lia’s mug.
“It’s going to be busy during the yearly tournament,” Doc sighed. “That will be my chance to really push Suez.”
“We have soul stones set aside with the property that would entice him without costing us too much,” Ayla said.
“I’ll need them, and I’m sure we’ll see me lose a few before I use my goddess’ gift to push back hard,” Doc nodded.
“You’ll miss the monthly tournament?” Sonya asked.
“Yes. That one doesn’t matter to me, though we might have some cardsharps from out of town in that one. I’m sure the ones who could make it for the yearly will be here to sample the game beforehand.”
“We’ll be keeping our eyes open,” Lia said. “The dwarves will be there for security, so we should be fine on that count.”
There was a knock on the door, and Rosa was the first to her feet. “I’ll get it.”
She came back a moment later with Sophia. The owl bestial was smiling as she followed the dryad. Her taloned feet lightly scored the wooden floor, but she walked as delicately as she could. Her dark-blue skirt-suit hugged her body without clinging to it. She greeted them all as she came to the table.
Doc met her orange eyes with a grin before his gaze darted up to the feathers she had for hair. Her hair reminded him of another book series he used to love, except her feathers weren’t stark white like that character’s had been. Instead, they were brown with a few white splotches. “Morning, Sophia.”
After another knock on the door, Rosa again went to check it. A minute later, she was back with Harrid, Doc’s dwarven bodyguard. Dressed in his normal attire of chainmail, with an axe on his back, a pistol on his hip, and a shotgun in his hand, Harrid looked dangerous. His black hair was cropped short, and his dark-blue eyes looked over the room for threats.
“Harrid, breakfast?” Fiala asked as she got things ready for the table.
“I ate this morning, ma’am, but thank you.”
“What did you have?” Sonya asked.
“Frumenty, as I normally do,” Harrid replied. “The clan still lets me eat with the other guards.”
“That’s as bland a meal as you can have,” Lia said.
“Do you want some eggs?” Fiala asked. “We have plenty.”
He hesitated, then bowed his head. “I would. Thank you.”
“Glad I didn’t have to order you to,” Doc chuckled. “Remember the first breakfast?”
Harrid nodded. “When I was concerned about you cheating on your wives.”
“I don’t
“Lotus and Jasmine, while you were all out with Lia.”
“Yes,” Harrid nodded again.
“Breakfast,” Fiala giggled. “I remember having to explain it to you, Harrid. You were so mortified.”
Sonya laughed. “Yes, and it was awkward for me, too.”
“Let’s eat,” Doc said to spare Harrid.
~*~*~
With breakfast over, Sophia sighed happily. “You cook very well, Fiala. Thank you for inviting me.”
“You’re always welcome here,” Fiala smiled. “I believe we’ve all told you that.”
“You have,” Sophia replied. “I will always tell you before I come over so you don’t make too much food.”
“We were going over the week ahead of us before breakfast started,” Doc said. “Did either of you have anything to mention?”
“I have nothing new,” Sophia added. “We’re still waiting to hear back from the governor about the mayor position. We made sure to send the letters from Luck’s Holdings, the dwarven clan, and the elven tribe.”
“Sent a sizable campaign contribution, as well,” Ayla added, “and a letter to Roquefell asking him to support our choice.”
“From Luck’s Holdings, not from me?” Doc asked.
“Yes, though since you’re the owner of the company, it should be easy for the governor to infer.”
“There is that,” Doc agreed. “Odds the governor will appoint Nicole?”
“With the letters, the odds aren’t terrible, and it will depend on if he’s getting push for anyone else.”
“Well, we’ll just have to wait and see,” Doc sighed. “What else are you working on, Sophia?”
“Mostly business paperwork. I’m refining all of it for you to offer the smaller shares more easily. I figured you wouldn’t want to re-split the percentages later.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve also started looking into reservation laws,” Sophia added, looking at Lia. “The law that a member of the tribe must be present every week is flimsy. I doubt we can get it changed soon, since it’s a national law, but in time, we might.”
Lia gave Sophia a bright smile. “Thank you. Jesamin would thank you too.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Ayla said. “Doc, Clyde Rossal is under contract with us for five years to drive any wagon or coach we need him for, with options to extend as needed. When we are ready to leave, we have an experienced driver.”
“And he promised to teach me,” Sophia smiled.
“Thank you,” Doc said. “I never did follow up with you, but I knew you’d handle it.” He paused, then chuckled. “What deal did we give the general store?”
“Same as the others,” Ayla said. “A discount until the debt is paid off. It won’t take them long with us getting all the supplies for the mine through them.”
“They’ve changed the name,” Sophia snickered. “The new sign declares it as ‘Lucky Finds.’”
“They asked, and I told them sure,” Doc smiled. “They thought I might be offended.”
“Nicole had a question, Doc,” Ayla said. “The mine and the town that will spring up around it: did you want her to draw it into Deep Gulch, or make it a separate town?”
Doc took a long sip of coffee as he thought about it. A smile came to him as he set his cup down. “Lucky Strike. I want to play into Luck. The more people that think of her, the better.”
Everyone laughed at the name, but agreed with his reasoning.
“Okay, I’m going to treat the day like any other,” Doc said. “I’ll be healing at the Lily unless something else happens.”
“I’ll come over in an hour or two to teach you more dwarven lore,” Sonya said.
“And I’ll make time for elven lore,” Lia added.
“And time for Posy, too,” Doc reminded them. “She’s eager to learn. Let’s nurture that drive.”
“We will,” Lia said.
“Sophia, let’s go check on things,” Ayla said. “I had a few ideas I wanted to run past you.”
“Okay, Ayla,” Sophia said, standing up from the table with the others.
Doc kissed his wives goodbye as everyone split up to go handle their own tasks. He made sure to give Fiala two kisses, thanking her for breakfast when he did. He went out the back door with Harrid and Rosa following him, heading for the Lily.
Chapter Two
Doc waved goodbye to the old woman as she walked out of the room.
“She is already planning to go home and pray,” Rosa murmured softly.
“I was happy to help her,” Doc said as Harrid shut the door. “Acute arthritis hurts, from what I know of it.”
A minute after the woman left, there was another knock on the door. When Harrid opened it, Tom Rondle, the bodyguard for Peabody, was standing there. “Doc,” Rondle said, “Peabody is asking to see you. You might want your lawyer and accountant to come with you.”
Doc rose to his feet. “Is there a problem on my end?”
Rondle shook his head. “Ours.”
Relaxing a little, Doc nodded. “We’ll be along shortly.”
“See you there,” Rondle said, then left the room.
“Harrid, go tell Posy to have anyone waiting to come back tomorrow,” Doc said.
Harrid didn’t reply— he just left the room with a fast walk.
“Doc, they will likely be at Sophia’s home,” Rosa said.
“It was there or at home,” Doc agreed. “Let’s go. Remember, you’re mindless in the streets.”
“I will be as you need me to be, Voice.”
Doc chuckled at her name for him, making sure to think about spanking her later for being a brat. The small gasp as he walked away told Doc that she’d been monitoring his thoughts, but she always did when she was with him. “Later… perhaps,” Doc said.
Rosa made sure her eyes were no longer glowing as she bent her head and trailed him. She took slow, deep breaths to calm herself as best she could. Her heart held hope that he would indeed indulge her bratting later.
When they got to the main room, Harrid was waiting for them. Nodding at Doc, he led them out of the Lily. He didn’t get far, as he was waiting for directions, but once Doc let him know where they were going, the three of them headed to Sophia’s house.
~*~*~
Doc slowed as he approached the home. The last time he’d been inside, he’d tried to help Sophia’s father, Adrian. He’d managed it, but the bestial damned him the entire time. That led to Adrian being killed by the church.
Harrid glanced back. “Doc?”
“Sorry... memory,” Doc said, motioning Harrid to keep going.
Rosa kept her head down, but she watched all of Doc’s thoughts.
Once Harrid had knocked on the door, it only took a minute for it to open. Sophia stood there, about to welcome them, but looked confused to find them on her doorstep.
