Summerlin is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Las Vegas. That’s where most of my teammates lived—or at least the settled-down guys, like Rust, Brett, Brock and Connor, and so on. But The Ridges, sitting just west of Summerlin, is where themega-rich lived. We’re talking multi-million dollar mansions with stunning views of Red Rock Canyon.
“Get ready. You’re gonna love this.” I shot her a sneaky grin. “The Ridges.”
Speechless, Olivia’s jaw fell.
“Wild, right?”
“Um. Yeah. Crazy,” she murmured.
She obviously wasn’t impressed.
“Are you secretly rich or something?” I asked jokingly.
She recoiled. “What? Why? Why would you ask me that?”
“Because I just told you my boss lives in The Ridges and you didn’t even blink.” I chuckled. “I’m kidding, of course. The Ridges is where the one percent live.”
“Oh … is that right …”
She seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable as we neared Mr. Capuano’s house.
“You good?” I asked, and touched her knee. “Don’t freak. You’ll be fine.”
“Um, yeah …” she stammered, fidgeting with her hands. Olivia stared out the windshield, hyper-focused on the road ahead. With every turn we made, her despair seemed to grow.
She seemed flustered when Mr. Capuano’s palatial house came into sight, and downright morose when I stopped at the wrought iron security gate. After confirming my meeting with Mr. Capuano’s security, the mechanical gate opened.
“Jeez. Just look at this place,” I said as we drove up the quarter-mile-long driveway. “Hell, I bet the cost of paving this driveway is more than the average Joe’s house.”
The drive was lined with meticulously manicured shrubs, mesquite trees, and tall palm trees. I couldn’t fathom the size of the water bill just to keep all those plants alive in the desert.
Up ahead, the two-level mansion loomed before us, boasting a modern minimalist design. The sleek lines and geometric shapes of its boxy exterior were accentuated by enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, offering glimpses of the billionaire grandeur within.
“Justlookat that monstrosity,” I said. “First thing I did when I got his address was look the place up on Zillow. Any guesses how much that behemoth costs?”
I waited for an answer, but Olivia didn’t say a word while I prattled away.
“Twenty million dollars.Twenty. Million.Holy fuck! Can you imagine living in a house like this? Or even better,growing upin a house like this? How spoiled could you be?”
We pulled to a stop outside the front entrance. I killed the engine and turned to her with a cocky smile. “So I should probably tell you what I do for a living now. Unless you wanna try to guess?”
She turned to me. “You’re a professional hockey player.”
“Wha’?” The smile fell from my face. Had she known all along? Was she playing me? “How long have you known that?”
“I figured it out just now,” she murmured.
“How the hell did you figure that out?”
She pointed at the incredible mansion outside my window. “Because this is Sal Capuano’s house. And he owns the Vegas Sin.”
“And how did you knowthat,Olivia?”
“Dakota, there’s something you should know.” She grabbed my hand and stared into my soul, her eyes big and urgent. “My name isn’t Olivia.”
I chuckled. “Right. My bad. I meant to say, ‘And how did you know that,Jane?’”
“No. Forget about Jane.” She shook her head. “My real name isn’t Olivia. It’s Ottavia.”
