LAKE
“Welcome back!”
“Are you okay?” I looked at Rusher. “What’s with the accent?”
“It’s nice though. I sound like American,” he said in an American accent.
“You could have fooled me. Now, why are you here?”
“Just welcoming my friend back. You’re very tanned.”
“It’s hot in Europe. What do you expect?”
He nodded with a meaningful smile. “Should I expect good news?”
“Like what exactly?”
“A baby, dumbarse.” He rose to his feet, slipping his hands in his pockets.
I wished. I had so many plans for me and Maverick, but I didn’t mind if she got pregnant. I didn’t know if she was ready, though.
“You should ditch the breasted suit if you want to look like an American.”
“Welcome back, boss.” He walked out of my office at the same time, my phone vibrated.
I checked the message. It came from Linden. I stood up towards the window and dialed his number.
“I heard you’re back,” he said right away.
“Yeah. How’s everyone?” They left Sicily the same day as we were, and I hadn’t heard any updates from him since Santorini.
“Good. How’s Augustine?”
“She’s still in the hospital. I want to talk to you about something.”
“If someone intended to poison her?”
“Yeah, that too.”
“Come to the office. We’ll talk here.”
“Thanks. I’ll be there soon.”
I called Venus in my office as I got ready to leave.
She got inside, always carrying the iPad with her. “Did you read the documents and applications?”
“Yes. I’ll take a few with me. I’ll be meeting my friend. Just forward important calls.”
“Yes, sir.”
I left the office immediately and called Maverick on my way to Osmium.
“Hey.”
“Hi. Are you still in the hospital?”
“Nope. On my way to you.”
“Where?”
“Wait. Where are you right now?”
I chuckled. “Just left the office.”
“Shit. I’m in the lobby.” I hung up the call as soon as I saw her walking through the door.
“Hey.” Her smile took my breath away.
I marched in her direction and cupped her face to kiss her. “Hi, beautiful.”
She instantly blushed, checking the lobby to see if someone was looking at us. Of course, they were. “Why are you leaving early? Going on a date?”
“Yes.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “A date with Linden. Come with me.”
“I was about to invite you to lunch, but sure if he’s waiting for you.”
“It won’t be long. I promise.”
We got in the back of the car. “Take your time. I’m still jobless. Or maybe I should just go back to work at the Bazz.” I was relieved when she told me she resigned. Now that she mentioned going back, I needed to offer her something she couldn’t resist.
“Don’t go back. The construction of Infinite Media Tower has already started. I know it will take years to finish, but I have already reviewed some applications for the CEO position. Then I will hire the most qualified myself.”
“What about your friend?”
“Rusher? He’s a software engineer. I want someone with qualifications to run a media company unless you volunteer, then you got the job.”
She crunched her nose. “I need more experience.”
“Baby, all you have to do is check their proposals, supervise your staff, decide for the betterment of the company, check the progress of the projects, and study the trend.”
“That’s a lot, but let me think about it.”
“Think fast. You can enroll in the master’s if you want. I’ll take care of the tuition.”
“Of course, I remember you telling me I’m your investment. Your pet project.”
I laughed. “It was a joke, but think about it.”
“So what’s in my resume? Experience: Two years bartending at the Bazz. Great.”
“It’s our company, anyway. By the way, how’s your nana?”
“Still a pain in the ass, but she’s improving.”
“I’ll come with you the next time you visit her.”
“She’d be happy and insist on giving her a great-grandchild.” She paused for a moment. I felt her hesitation, and she might want to know about her brother.
“We’re going to Osmium. Maybe Linden has some news about your father.”
“I’m not that excited to talk about my father. I just want to know if they’re alive.”
We arrived at the Osmium. Every time I looked up, the building design seemed to take me inside of a futuristic sci-fi movie.
“It’s fascinating, isn’t it.” Linden, in his fancy suit and tie, made me chuckle.
“Chairman Linden.” I extended my hand.
“That sounds like an old man.” He pulled me into a brotherly hug. “You, too. I heard a new company is in progress.”
“So much gossip around here,” Maverick said beside me.
“Hey, honey. Welcome back.”
“Thanks.”
“Follow me.” He took us to his office. “Your father, Gaetano, has taken over Conti’s businesses, and the allies have taken his side. So your father just spread the news to his enemies that if someone crosses him again, he’ll take them down. No warning.”
I slouched my ass on his couch. “So that’s it. No one wants to try to stand up and take Conti’s power?”
Linden chortled. “I wouldn’t even try, man. Since Conti has no heir left, Celestina should be running it. Terzo just doubled his militia. Imagine four hundred loyal soldiers had taken an omerta oath to their boss. They would stand against anything to protect Gaetano. I’m sure he has spies in every country spying on other crime families. Even a son of the Russian mafia, I won’t dare touch him unless they will come after my family. That’s my red line.”
I turned to Maverick when she went silent. “Baby, are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded before she asked Linden, “How about my sister?”
“She’s not going anywhere.”
“That’s what scares me.”
I held her hand. “Why?”
“I know I don’t know her, but if she stays with my father and Terzo, she won’t be able to redeem herself. She will be in that life forever. That business will turn her into a ruthless person. She just shot a man. I know Giosue probably deserved it, but she didn’t think twice before pulling the trigger.”
“Do you think it’s too late for her to start over?”
“I don’t know. After what she’s been through, it’s best for her to start over somewhere, but maybe the healing takes time, and she needs to be with a person she trusts the most.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I gripped her hand. “Do you wanna talk to her?”
“No. I’m sure she will reach out if she wants to talk to me.”
“Anyway, enough of my family drama. I can go out if you have to talk about something classified.”
“No. Stay.”
“Anyway, they just installed a security alarm system at Mrs. Augustine’s house for her safety,” Linden informed.
“You suspect someone wants to harm Nana?” she asked in shock.
“Not sure. It’s just for her safety. You know what happened last time. I should have done it after that happened,” I told her.
She nodded, even relieved. “I asked her if she wanted to come with us when she’s released from the hospital. And guess what?”
“She refused?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “Thanks for doing it, Gabe, Lake. If someone wanted to harm Nana, why not just- oh, my God. I can’t believe I’m saying this. Kill her?”
“I understand, honey. Maybe that was not the intention.”
“Then why go to great lengths to let my Nana suffer? Aside from my father’s, she doesn’t have an enemy. She’s a good neighbor. Do mafias target the elderly?”
“I don’t know, baby.”
“I asked her if she went to the grocery and touched something or drank tea from the coffee shop. Nope. There’s a high dose of the drug in her blood, right? She would tell me if someone injected it to her.”
“Or maybe it’s in her drink.”
“She told me everything she ate before she had chest pain. She had beet juice, and then a salesman sold her solar panel.”
“Solar panel?” My heart skipped a beat.
“Yeah. She even offers the guy a glass of juice. She said he was kind and respectful, and the guy told her a story about her grandparents. Why?”
“Nothing.”
“Lake, what’s going on?” I instantly hear the fear in her voice.
“Nothing. My father hates you but would never harm your family.” How I wished this was true.