Also by Jackie Collins
The Power Trip
Married Lovers
Lovers & Players
Deadly Embrace
Hollywood Wives – The New Generation
Lethal Seduction
Thrill!
L.A. Connections – Power, Obsession, Murder, Revenge
Hollywood Kids
American Star
Rock Star
Hollywood Husbands
Lovers & Gamblers
Hollywood Wives
The World Is Full Of Divorced Women
The Love Killers
Sinners
The Bitch
The Stud
The World Is Full Of Married Men
Hollywood Divorces
THE SANTANGELO NOVELS
Goddess of Vengeance
Poor Little Bitch Girl
Drop Dead Beautiful
Dangerous Kiss
Vendetta: Lucky’s Revenge
Lady Boss
Chances
First published in Great Britain by Pan Books, 1981.
This edition published by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2012
A CBS COMPANY
Copyright © Chances, Inc. 1981
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
No reproduction without permission.
® and © 1997 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
The right of Jackie Collins to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
1st Floor
222 Gray’s Inn Road
London WC1X 8HB
Simon & Schuster Australia, Sydney
Simon & Schuster India, New Delhi
www.simonandschuster.co.uk
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978–1–84983–609–8
eBook ISBN 978–1–84983–613–5
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Typeset by Hewer Text UK Ltd, Edinburgh
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CIP Group (UK) Ltd,
Croydon, CR0 4YY
In memory of Kimberly
You are not forgotten
Contents
Prologue
Book One
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
Book Two
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 Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Chapter Seventy-Six
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-One
Chapter Eighty-Two
Chapter Eighty-Three
Chapter Eighty-Four
Chapter Eighty-Five
Chapter Eighty-Six
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Chapter Eighty-Nine
Chapter Ninety
Chapter Ninety-One
Book Three
Chapter Ninety-Two
Chapter Ninety-Three
Chapter Ninety-Four
Chapter Ninety-Five
Chapter Ninety-Six
Chapter Ninety-Seven
Chapter Ninety-Eight
Chapter Ninety-Nine
Chapter One-Hundred
Chapter One-Hundred-One
Chapter One-Hundred-Two
Chapter One-Hundred-Three
Chapter One-Hundred-Four
Chapter One-Hundred-Five
Chapter One-Hundred-Six
Chapter One-Hundred-Seven
Chapter One-Hundred-Eight
Chapter One-Hundred-Nine
Chapter One-Hundred-Ten
Chapter One-Hundred-Eleven
Chapter One-Hundred-Twelve
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirteen
Chapter One-Hundred-Fourteen
Chapter One-Hundred-Fifteen
Chapter One-Hundred-Sixteen
Chapter One-Hundred-Seventeen
Chapter One-Hundred-Eighteen
Chapter One-Hundred-Nineteen
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-One
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Two
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Three
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Four
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Five
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Six
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Seven
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Eight
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Nine
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-One
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Two
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Three
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Four
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Five
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Six
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Seven
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Eight
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Nine
Chapter One-Hundred-Forty
Chapter One-Hundred-Forty-One
Chapter One-Hundred-Forty-Two
Chapter One-Hundred-Forty-Three
Eight Months Later
Chapter One-Hundred-Forty-Four
Epilogue
Prologue
May 1984, Los Angeles
The jury filed silently into the courtroom. The judge made his entrance a moment later, and a hiss of expectation raged through the packed room.
Lucky Santangelo stood tensely in the dock. She stared straight ahead. Impassive. Wildly, darkly beautiful. In spite of everything.
The judge took his place, adjusted his heavy horn-rim glasses, and cleared his throat. ‘Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached your verdict?’ he asked tersely.
The foreman of the jury stepped forward. He was a sallow-faced man with a facial tic. ‘Yes, Your Honour,’ he said indistinctly, causing the judge to bark an irritable, ‘Speak up!’
‘Yes, we have, Your Honour,’ the foreman repeated, his nervous tic becoming distractingly obvious.
The foreman did as he was bade. The clerk accepted the folded verdict form and took it directly to the judge who peered at it intently.
An expectant hush hung over the crowded courtroom. A silence so heavy that to Lucky it seemed more like an accusing roar.
She did not look at the judge, but she saw him read the paper, saw him pass it back to the court clerk, and she closed her black opal eyes for one brief moment of secret prayer. She, Lucky Santangelo, was accused of murder, and the next few minutes would decide her fate.
She tried to breathe evenly and deeply. Tried to remain calm, to concentrate, to think only positive thoughts.
The court clerk began to speak.
Oh God! This couldn’t be happening to her. Not to Lucky Santangelo. NOT TO HER.
She held her head high. She was a true Santangelo. Nothing could get her down. Nothing.
After all, she was innocent.
Wasn’t she?
Wasn’t she . . .
Book One
*
The Summer of 1978
Chapter One
Lennie Golden had not set foot in Vegas for thirteen years, even though it was the city of his conception, birth, and first seventeen years of life.
He looked around as he stepped off the plane, sniffed the air and took a deep breath. The place still smelled the same.
The airport was doing a roaring trade in visiting gamblers, tourists, and middle America out to have fun. Fat male butts waddled alongside peroxide plump ladies in polyester pant suits and fake jewellery. Small children whined and complained. Travelling hookers in halter tops, hot pants tightly outlining their crotches, arrived to do business. Swarthy foreigners clutched black leather attaché cases and breathed garlic over accompanying yellow-haired mistresses.
Jess was there to meet him. Startlingly pretty, five foot tall, she still had the air of a tomboy about her, which is what she had been at school. She had always preferred to hang out with the boys. Especially Lennie. They had been best friends since first grade, their somewhat unexpected and platonic relationship surviving and getting stronger every year – even though they didn’t see much of each other since he had moved from Vegas to New York.
They made an ill-assorted couple. Lennie, so tall and lanky, with dirty blond hair and ocean green eyes. An overgrown Robert Redford with more than a touch of Chevy Chase. And Jess, petite and wide-eyed, with a mop of orange hair, freckles, and a Playboy centrefold body in miniature.
She hurled herself into his arms. ‘It’s so good to see you! You look fantastic. For a guy who spends his life screwin’ around I don’t know how you do it!’
‘Hey . . .’ He swung her in the air like a rag doll. ‘Look who’s talking!’
She giggled and hugged him tightly. ‘I love you madly, Lennie Golden. Welcome back.’
‘I love you too, monkey face.’
‘Don’t call me that!’ she screeched. ‘I’m married now. I’m respectable. I got a kid, the whole bit. So c’mon, Lennie – treat me like a lady.’
He burst out laughing. ‘If you’re a lady I’m Raquel Welch.’
She grabbed his arm. ‘You got great tits!’
Laughing, they strolled towards the exit.
‘So how was the flight?’ she asked, trying to grab his battered suitcase.
He wrestled it away from her. ‘Long and boring. If God had meant us to fly he’d have given us more stewardesses.’
‘Didja score?’ She winked knowingly.
‘Affirmative.’
‘Really?’
‘Would I lie to you,’ he dead-panned.
She laughed. She had a maniacal guffaw which caused people to turn and stare. ‘You’d lie to the Pope if you thought it would get you through the day.’
‘And there she goes . . .’ he sing-songed.
‘Who? Where?’ Automatically she turned to check out his conquest. A nun walked serenely by.
‘I told you my tastes are changing,’ he said gravely.
‘Very funny!’ She aimed a punch at his stomach.
He held up a protesting hand. ‘Lay off. I just had surgery of the tongue.’
‘Huh?’
‘Remember the taping of the Lee Bryant show? The one I told you I was doing?’
‘Yeah.’
‘They cut my four-minute spot to thirty seconds. If you fart you miss me.’
She frowned. ‘Schmucks. They know from nothin’. Anyway, you’re back in Vegas now. Your kind of comedy schticks gonna kill ‘em here.’
‘Oh sure, in the lounge of the Magiriano Hotel I’m really going to cause a riot.’
‘It’s a change of scene. Could be just what you need. Who knows what it’ll lead to.’
‘C’mon, Jess. You sound like my agent. Do this shit – that piece of crap, and before you know it you’ll have a regular spot on Carson.’
‘Your so-called agent is a New York jerk-off artist.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘You’re a great comedian. I should be handling you. I mean I got you this gig, didn’t I?’
‘What do you want – ten percent?’
She laughed wildly. ‘You think I wanna give up the title of best blackjack dealer in Vegas? You think I’m crazy or somethin’? Stick your commission where the sun don’t give you a tan!’
They were passing a ladies room. ‘Wait a sec,’ she said. ‘I’m so excited to see you I gotta take a pee.’
He laughed, and leaned against the wall while she dashed inside. Jess was a friend indeed. He had called her two weeks ago and said he had to get out of New York.
‘No problem,’ she replied without hesitation. ‘Matt Traynor, the entertainment director of the hotel I work at has the hots for me – send me a tape and I’ll get him to hire you.’
He had sent the tape. She had come through with the gig. Some good friend.
Idly he watched a dark-haired girl in black leather pants and a red shirt stride by. She cut through the crowd as if she owned the place. He liked her style, not to mention her body.
Jesus! Was he free yet? He and Eden had split six months ago, yet every time he saw an attractive woman he couldn’t help comparing them. He was still doing it. Eden Antonio and he were unfinished business, why didn’t he just face it?
Jess emerged from the ladies room and squeezed his hand. ‘It is sooo great to have you here,’ she said. ‘I want to hear all about everything.’
‘Hey – everything is a career going nowhere and a fucked-up sex life.’
‘Sounds exciting. So what else is new?’
They were outside now and the desert heat enveloped them.
‘Jeez!’ he exclaimed. ‘I forgot how hot it is here.’
‘Aw, stop bitching. You could do with a tan. You look like nightclub Charlie.’
They approached a dented red Camaro waiting in the parking lot.
‘I see you’re still an ace driver,’ he remarked dryly, throwing his suitcase in the boot.
‘I didn’t do that,’ she replied indignantly. ‘My old man can’t drive arou
nd the block without gettin’ into trouble.’
He wondered what kind of man took on crazy Jess for a wife. Someone special he hoped.
‘C’mon,’ she said, sliding behind the steering wheel. ‘Wayland is makin’ lunch. The baby’s makin’ noise, and Lennie, you are gonna love it here. It always was your kinda town.’