“Not a good one. But I’m a crew member down, and there’s not enough time to find a suitable replacement. I don’t want to pull a man from the security on the ground. Rafael’s on the boat. I don’t want to add anyone to the crew who hasn’t been fully vetted.”
“What about the feeds?”
“You have men working under you who are more than capable of that kind of surveillance and of getting the boat a message if necessary.”
Lucas slides his hands into his pockets and scans the area. “This is a bad idea.”
“Maybe. But I still have my balls. The day I hide because I’m scared, I might as well hand them over. With Tomasmissing,it’s especially important for the others to see that I’m on that boat. If Huntsman Port pulls out, or if I don’t get on that boat, they all bail. What do you think the news reports will look like? We won’t be able to control all of it.”
71
ANTONIO
“That went well,” I mutter to Lucas, who is definitely not a sailor. We came in second place, and that was a stroke of luck.
I shake each crew member’s hand. “Good job, guys. We’ll be back next year to kick a little ass.”
“Have you heard anything from Cristiano?” I ask Lucas before disembarking.
He checks his phone. “Nothing.”
I try calling Cristiano, but the call goes directly to voicemail. Something doesn’t feel right. “Send someone,” I tell Lucas. “We’ll manage until he gets back.”
Daniela’s at the edge of the pier, waving at me, and there are two gangly girls running my way, flanked by a small platoon of guards. I promised Valentina and Alexis they could board the boat at the end of the race.
“Congratulations!” they cry in unison, but only the girl with the violet-blue eyes gives me a big hug.
“Thank you. But we didn’t win.”
“But you came in second,” Valentina gushes. “You still get a trophy.”
“That’s true.”
“Can we go on the boat?”
“Yes, but be careful. The water’s shallow at this part of the river, but the boat’s not a toy. You can get hurt.” I send Santi a pointed look. He nods to let me know he’s on top of it.
I turn around for a second and watch them climb aboard before making my way up the ramp. My stunning wife meets me partway down.
“Congratulations,” she says as I brush my mouth against hers.
“What is it with you and Valentina? The congratulations go to the winner.”
“I saw that trophy. I have a much better prize for you,” she says, wrapping her arms around my neck.
Someone behind Daniela is clearing his throat to get my attention.Fuck that.When he does it again, I pull my mouth from hers, and glare over her shoulder.
Alvarez is red, clearly embarrassed to interrupt us.If I were him, I’d be more worried than embarrassed.He’s carrying a silver tray with an envelope on it. “I’m sorry,senhor, but the man said it was urgent. He said you were expecting this.”
“What man?” I ask, taking the tray. I keep my voice even because I don’t want to alarm Daniela.
“A tall man, with red hair.” Alvarez searches the crowd behind him. “I don’t see him.”
The package has a return address of St. Petersburg, but no postmark.Fedorov.
“A letter on a tray? Who do you think it’s from?” Daniela asks.
“A business associate who promised to send me something on a silver platter.”