LUCA
By the time we’d made our way to a quiet part of the lake, Veda was on her third glass of ice-cold wine and lying across the bench seat with her head in my lap, her earlier trepidation gone. I watched with interest as the wind ruffled the bottom of her cover up, flirting with the tops of her thighs. She was starting to burn, so as much as I enjoyed the view, I tugged it down to cover her.
As Enzo decreased the speed to take us into the cove, she sat up and turned to me with a grin, setting her glass down on the table. It took her a few tries to get it into the holder, and I smiled. “As soon as my meeting is finished, we’ll have our dinner.”
“That’s fine,” she told me. “I’m full of this delicious wine right now.”
Taking one of her braids, I tugged her in for a kiss. “Stay here. This won’t take long.”
“Okay.”
She looked past me toward the back of the boat, and I knew my men were getting into position. “Veda.” I waited until her eyes were on me again. “If anything does happen, I want you to hit the deck and stay down. No matter what you hear. Do you understand? I will get to you.”
I couldn’t see her eyes behind the sunglasses, but I could see the tension in her shoulders and in the lines around her mouth. Taking her face in my palms, I smiled. “Everything will be fine. This is just a simple meeting. I wouldn’t have brought you with me if I thought there was any chance at all of things going south. But it’s good to know what to do. Just in case.”
“Then why did you have to bring so many men?”
“It never hurts to have a show of force. And also, because I know he will have just as many. I can’t let him outnumber me.”
“Just in case,” she said somberly.
“Just in case,” I agreed. Standing up, I dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Her hair was warm from the sun and smelled like coconuts from her shampoo. Picking up the wine bottle, I poured what was left into her glass. “Just relax and enjoy the sun, amore. And I’ll be right back.”
I felt her eyes on my back as I walked past the cabin to the back of the boat, pushing my sunglasses to the top of my head. Gesturing to Enzo to keep an eye on her, I joined Tristan on the back platform while the rest of my men spread out around us and along the side of the boat. Water lapped over the edge and onto my shoes as Gino Ricci and his four sons pulled up slowly alongside us. Unlike the rest of us, Gino was dressed like he’d just walked out of the office in a pinstriped designer suit and patent leather dress shoes. I raised my hand in welcome as their boat lined up with ours, the bows pointing in opposite directions. One of my men and one of his anchored us together with a hand on the railings.
I stepped to the edge and opened my arms, Gino doing the same. Taking his shoulders, I kissed him on both cheeks. “Thank you for coming.”
Gino eyed my men. “Such a show for a casual meeting, Luca.”
“I need to protect my interests, my friend. I’m sure you understand.”
His eyes were drawn to the bow where Veda was waiting for me. “I can see that.”
Even standing in the hot Texas sun, my blood burned, and I felt more than saw Tristan take a casual step toward me. I flexed the fingers of one hand, letting him know I had everything under control. I knew bringing her with me would be a distraction. It was one of the reasons I’d invited her. I was hoping by having Veda on board, it would show Gino that what I was about to offer was sincere and not a trick.
“So what is this all about, Luca?” he asked as we separated. “Why are you dragging me out into this god-awful heat when we could be having a perfectly civilized meeting at my office?”
“Let me get you a drink,” I offered. “And then we can get down to business.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I turned to Tristan and gave him a nod and he disappeared into the cabin of the boat, returning a few moments later with a small cooler filled with an assortment of hard liquors on ice, including Gino’s favorite limoncello. “I would offer you something to eat, but unfortunately, I’d like to keep this meeting quick. I don’t want to take the risk of being seen.”
“Next time,” Gino told me as Tristan poured his drink and handed it across the water. Then did the same for his sons.
I let them all have a sip of their drinks before I brought up the reason I’d asked him to meet me out here. “What I’m about to tell you must stay between us, Gino. Can I trust you with that?”
“That depends,” he told me honestly, which was one of the reasons I had chosen him to help me. The Ricci family was a family of honor, and the closest thing I would get to being able to trust anyone. “What is this about, Luca? And, more importantly, what will I get out of it?”
“When my father retires, or dies, his son will take over his position in the family.”
Gino frowned. “Yes. That’s the way it usually goes.”
“The son my father wants as the next Boss is Mario.” I watched his face closely, studying his reaction.
As I’d expected, there was a moment of shock before he carefully schooled his expression again. “I didn’t know your brother was back in the picture.”
“Yes. He recently came out of hiding,” I told him. There was no need to go into any further detail. All of the families were aware of my brother’s actions over the past few years.