Chapter 16
Sixteen
AMARA
I was impressed with Victoria Banks. Barbara had been right about her. She might be the best lobbyist I’d ever hired. Three days passed since our meeting, and I believed her when she said there were other ways to get the votes we needed.
I was going to get the bill passed to allow gambling rights at the Crescent Towers. In the process, I would make sure Luka Novikov never had a chance in New Orleans to regain a shred of power. What he had done to me wouldn’t be forgiven or forgotten.
It had also been three days since I woke up in bed with Luka in the Vieux Carre. The morning I discovered how far he was willing to go to destroy me. It was the first time I had let my guard down. I knew what a mistake it was to let him in. It would never happen again.
The water rippled in the pool. I watched one of the floats bob underneath the waterfall. I tugged the kimono wrap around my shoulders. The wind was picking up. The palms rustled and the flower petals began to detach and whip around the courtyard. I glanced at the file I was reading again. I couldn’t remember where I had left off. I skimmed the numbers, trying to find the spot. Was it revenue? Was it the quarterly profit and loss?
I looked overhead a flash of lightning crackling across the sky. I gathered the folders and shoved them in my pool bag. One warning was all I needed.
Ciro was waiting for me when I stepped inside.
“There’s a weather alert about a tropical depression. I was headed out to make sure you knew it wasn’t safe to sit by the pool,” he informed me.
“The lightning was enough for me.” I clutched the straw handle. Ciro didn’t alter his stance. “Is there something else?” I asked. Usually, at this time of night he was in his suite. He popped out for perimeter checks a few times. As long as I was in for the night, I rarely saw him.
“Have you seen the radar? It’s going to be a rough night.”
I shook my head. I didn’t bother with weather. “No. I’ll stay in if that makes you happy.” I smirked.
“I think we should talk in your office,” he answered. “I need to brief you on something I learned today.”
“Oh? I’m headed upstairs to change. Can you give me a few minutes?” I was wearing a swimsuit under the kimono. I wanted to swim a few laps before the storm blew in. The thunder crackled. I felt the vibrations as the windows in the old house rattled. The panes were fragile and thin.
“It’s important. I think you’re going to want to hear this.”
I blinked. “All right.” I slipped into my sandals. “Let’s go to my office.” Ciro followed me along the corridor. He tugged the sliding doors closed behind us.
“What is it?” I rested the straw bag on the floor.
“It’s about Enzo.”
“What about him?” I couldn’t think of Enzo crossing paths with Ciro lately. Ciro usually stood on the perimeter of wherever I was and never interacted with my staff.
“He had lunch with Luka Novikov yesterday,” he reported.
“Is that all?” I laughed. “He has an assignment from me regarding the Novikovs tech investments.”
Ciro cleared his throat. “It wasn’t a meeting about tech.”
“How do you know that?” I balked at his sharp tone.
Ciro’s eyes narrowed. “I was there. My priority has and always will be to keep you safe. I don’t believe those men were meeting about tech.”
I groaned. “You’re going to have to give me more to go on than that.”
“Because of this.” He held up his phone. I saw a picture of Enzo and Luka. I ignored the extra beat pounding in my chest when I saw the sharp lines of Luka’s jaw.
“Lunch. Yes, I get it.” I glanced at Ciro. “It looks like they ordered steaks.”
He pinched the screen, zooming in to the table. “Look closer,” he instructed. “At what they are doing.”
I peered at the photo again. “Is that?” I yanked the phone from Ciro’s hand. “Those are the tunnels. The plans for the Vieux Carre.” I stared in disbelief. I twisted the phone around, in case I was wrong about what I thought I spotted.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“But why would Enzo have those?” I realized now that they were both staring at the plans on the table, spread out between their place settings.
Ciro shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Why would he share those with Luka?”
“I have no idea.” His lips pinched together.
I leaned against the front of the desk. I returned the phone and crossed my arms. “What do you know?”
“That they are working together on something.”
My eyes quickly flashed from the floor to Ciro. “How do you know they are working together?”
“The Novikov sister was there. It seemed friendly.”
“Katya?” I gawked.
“I need to put full surveillance on Enzo, starting tonight. I had to let you know.”
I didn’t like how sick it made me feel. He was my assistant. My right-hand. The only person I had offered to train. Other than Barbara and Ciro one of the only people I trusted. None of this made sense. I gripped the front edge of the desk. It had to be Luka. What had he offered him? Paid him? Was he trying to tear my organization apart from every possible angle? And why the Vieux Carre?
“Do it.” I exhaled. “I want daily updates. Twice a day if something comes up that’s useful. I need to know what those two are doing together.”
Ciro nodded. “I’ll find out what’s going on.”
“Katya too,” I added. “What does she have to do with this?”
The house shook with another crash of thunder. The storm had stalled directly over the mansion. I wondered if Anna Novikov was involved too or even the Petrovs. How far-reaching was the betrayal?
“I’ll find out,” he promised.
“Thank you.”
Ciro walked out briskly.
I sat in my office, trying to understand what this meant. I had to get ahead of Luka. There was no way to do that if I didn’t know what he was planning. Hadn’t he done enough? Caused enough pain? I hadn’t returned his calls or texts. Maybe it was time I offered an olive branch. Maybe it was time I turned the tables on him.