Chapter Nine

I walk into the kitchen, squinting at the sun shining through the window.

I've been awake for most of the night, and I need coffee. I dial Raul's number again. He's my best connection in the Mexican group and we bonded quickly on my first trip to Mexico.

I figure if anyone is going to give me another chance it's him. Plus, I can see he has enough influence with the bosses to help me out. But now I've been trying all night to get him to reply to me. Finally, on the third ring, I hear the click of him picking up.

"Raul, you're one hard mother fucker to get hold of, you know?" I'm trying to sound as casual as I can, but I know I fucked up.

"Baldini, it's eight in the bloody morning, you pendejo." He's annoyed, but he's talking to me, so that's a good sign. I decide not to beat around the bush, to get right to the point and then let him get back to his day.

"I need to speak to the bosses again, Raul—and soon. I know I should have called yesterday but I was unable to."

Raul grunts, "You vanished for a week, amigo. Our associates are getting antsy. They"re questioning our judgment. We can't risk looking stupid in this game."

"Your associates need to learn patience. I had some pressing matters to attend to at home. Family business, you understand." Actually, I doubt he does understand.

These guys don't seem like the type to put business on hold and run home to attend their granny's funeral. They love their family, but business comes first.

I stare out of the kitchen window, a now-cold cup of coffee in one hand and my phone in the other. The house is quiet, as it has been since I got home.

Somehow, without Nonna here, it feels as if the whole house is empty. I wonder if Enzo and Grazia feel the same way.

"We don"t like surprises, especially when it involves someone with our interests. It"s bad for business. Disappearing right after we hammered out the details of the deal raises questions. We need reliability, not vanishing acts."

He coughs, probably smoking a morning cigar while he speaks. Raul is a big guy, he's built to be a scare tactic for his boss, and he stinks of cigar smoke and sweat.

"I get it, I do. But let"s not forget why you reached out to us in the first place. We know how to handle business. You don"t want to mess with that arrangement, trust me." Everything I'm saying is true.

This is a huge investment, and bringing their shipments to the US, if done right, means lots of money for everyone. But someone who isn't careful, doesn't have the right connections, or is too scared to draw blood if needed, is going to lose a lot of money.

"Trust me, family matters are sorted now. I wouldn"t jeopardize this deal, not after all we"ve built."

"There are offers on the table, Luca. Another family"s stepping up, claiming they can handle this better. You"ve left us in a precarious position."

Shit. Another family probably means the Morellis are snooping around, trying to weasel their way in. Those guys are a kill-first-ask-questions-later kind of group, and they're never far behind a big-money job like this.

"Raul, I"ve put everything into this deal. You know my family can deliver. We"ve been loyal partners. Don"t let a momentary setback cloud our years of collaboration." I tap my fingers on the kitchen counter, my coffee going colder next to me.

"We"re considering our options, Luca. Your disappearance is a liability."

"Give me a chance to make this right." My finger is tapping even faster, moving with a mind of its own, I hate begging, but I need him to convince his boss to meet with me one more time.

"I like you, Luca, you're smart and you can handle your tequila. The signs of a strong man. I'll see what I can do for you." He coughs again.

"I like you too, Raul. I'll like you even more when you call me back with good news. Thank you."

He puts the phone down and I throw the rest of my coffee in the sink, walking back into the office.

I can hear Grazia and Emelia giggling somewhere in the house, but instead of being happy that my sister can find some amusement right now, I feel annoyed.

Emelia and I have not spoken since she left the lookout house last night, and she is the last person I was hoping to be faced with today.

She should have stayed away a while. Enzo already knows what happened, and if somehow Grazia finds out…there'll be more drama than I can handle right now.

I go back to my office to call my guys and tell them to check up on the Morellis. I need to know their every move right now so I can try and intercept their plans.

***

I walk past the glass doors and look out at the girls in the pool. Again, Emelia is with them, laughing and talking as if she's a part of this family.

She's been here ever since the memorial every day, for weeks now.

She goes home, thankfully—I don't think I could think straight with her in the bedroom that Grazia made up for her when they were teenagers. It's right in between Grazia's room and mine.

But she's here early in the morning and she leaves late at night and if I wasn't so busy trying to get back in the good books with Raul and his bosses, and keeping tabs on the Morellis, I'd have to see her constantly.

I'm lost in thought when my phone starts to vibrate in my hand. It's Raul.

"Raul, how are you?" I start politely, not sure what he'll have to offer me.

"Luca, we"ve decided to grant you an audience, but with a condition. Seeing as you're such a family man, we're opening up our family to you. You"re invited to the boss"s daughter"s quincea?era." I'm a little taken aback by this, but I silently celebrate the agreement to see me.

"A quincea?era? I wasn"t expecting a celebration, Raul." I can understand doing shots in a strip club or bar with these guys, but a huge family celebration was out of my comfort zone.

"It"s a significant event for us. A gesture of trust, you see. We need to know you"re committed. Attend the quincea?era, and bring a date." I frown at the last bit, and pause.

A date…that made things tricky. They're trying to make sure they can trust not just me, but the people around me.

"I understand, Raul. I"ll be there, with a date. Let"s make this work." I don't have much of a choice, it's either agree to their terms or lose all of the progress I've made with them. And I'll be damned if the Morellis think they're coming in to take over my deal.

"Good, Luca. It"s about more than just business here. Ensure your friend comprehends the significance of the occasion." What does he even mean? Don't bring a prostitute? Yeah, obviously. I roll my eyes.

I hold my phone, tapping the back of it, and stare out at Emelia.

I don't have many females in my life. Or not a whole lot that I have spoken to more than once. I can't take Grazia, she's not ready to be thrown into this world and it might be too obvious she's my sister. So, Emelia is just going to have to be the one to come with me.

I sigh, taking a step outside. "Emelia, would you come inside for a moment, please?" I keep my tone light, for Grazia's sake. But my sister still stares at me, her eyebrows turning inwards, suspicious of my behavior.

"Oh, Luca, if you're going to plan my surprise birthday party, you'll need to be sneakier than that!" Grazia puts her tongue out at me, legally an adult but mentally still my baby sister.

I smile gently at her, admiring her attitude after everything that's happened. But shit, her birthday is coming up soon, and I do need to plan something.

Emelia stands up and walks toward me, her eyes diverted to the ground. I can tell she's still unsure of how to act around me. I turn around and walk into the house, hearing her footsteps behind me. As soon as we're out of earshot, I turn toward her.

"There's something I need you to do for me. A favor of sorts. It'll be fun for you, too, though, if you agree," I say quickly, wanting to get right to the point.

She says nothing, so I continue, "I have an event that I need to attend. I've been invited by the Mexican partners—the ones I was busy dealing with when…when I had to come home. But they want me to bring a date with me. I need to appease them so that we can get back on track with this deal. It's important."

She's staring at me, I can't read her expression, but her finger twirling in her silky hair tells me she's thinking about it at least.

The silence between us is tense, and the longer she stays silent, the more I find myself staring at her piercing green eyes, her full pink lips, those perfect fingers that were gripping onto my body just a few nights ago…

I snap myself out of that train of thought before it derails me completely, and decide to break the silence.

"I can trust you, Emelia. You know enough about the business to not screw this up. And I need to not screw this up. This is not an indecent proposal, by any means. I will ensure that you enjoy yourself while you are there, and you will be helping the family with this deal."

At the word "family", I see her perk up immediately.

Emelia seems to have an undying need to be a Baldini herself, and perhaps I subconsciously used that to my advantage just now. But it worked. Her reply comes faster than I expected.

"Okay, Luca. I'll come with you. Just let me know when we leave, and be sure to have plenty of litchi juice on the jet, okay?"

"Okay." I hold out my hand to shake hers, a sign that this is a business arrangement, in case she got any ideas about continuing our lookout activities.

She looks down at my hand, up to my face, and back to my outstretched hand.

"You're so funny, Luca Baldini." She giggles before bouncing back out to join my sister and cousin. I stand for a second more before I pull my hand back in and shake my head.

I hope I'm not making a mistake, but truthfully, Emelia is the best option I have right now.