37. West
CHAPTER 37
WEST
There are many times in my life where I’ve questioned how I landed in a specific mess.
Like the time I had to hide in a dumpster during a stakeout. Or the time I pretended to be a member of a band when I have the musical capabilities of a lovesick goat.
Today is a new one. I’m stuck in a room with Bodie, his new wife, and the cheerful Sydney who has invaded every part of my life.
And now we’re asking a couple who are vacationing on the Mediterranean about a cargo container on the other side of the world.
“Dario Ricci is trying to claim the money as his,” Bodie explains.
“I’m sorry. That filthy rat thinks he’s entitled to steal my grandchildren’s inheritance,” Cleo, Gracen’s grandma, says. She sighs. “I’m going to have to kill him for it.”
I watch Sydney’s eyes widen as she takes that in.
“She’s joking, right?” she whispers to Gracen.
“No, she tried to kill my grandpa,” Gracen whispers back.
“How’s your lifetime of therapy going?” Sydney asks her.
“Really well, considering I haven’t even tried to kill someone yet.” Gracen shrugs, and Sydney smiles at her.
I love her easy acceptance of people and their problems—problems like murderous grandmothers.
“I’ll make a call to Ricci. Find out exactly what he thinks he’s trying to pull,” Nick, Gracen’s grandpa, says.
“I’m sorry, kids. I thought it would be a fun thing for the two of you to work on together,” Cleo says to Gracen.
Because, as it turns out? That money that the Ricci’s labeled as “missing” wasn’t actually their money. There’s a cargo container that Nick and Cleo Bennetto have stored safely somewhere in San Francisco. Sydney took the news in stride and doesn’t seem to mind that she will not be a multi-millionaire after all.
I’m not taking the news half as well as she is.
Let Bodie walk away with the money? That just irks me.
“I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand like this. I’ll be down as soon as I can to straighten out this whole mess.”
“Grandma, do you know anything about Ricci fixing fights?” Gracen asks as though she routinely hangs out with the head of the Italian mafia at the holidays.
“I’d heard some rumors, but you know I’ve been retired for years and only heard rumors he started doing that,” Cleo says with a sigh. I’m still not quite sure what she has to do with the Ricci family, or if secrets are just part of her DNA.
“Yeah, well, Ricci fixed a fight and ended the boxer’s career. Bret Monroe. His daughter is out for revenge.”
“Good for her!” Cleo exclaims. It’s the most genuine tone I’ve heard her use. It’s all I can do not to laugh. “What’s her plan, and how can I help?”
“Count us both in. That jerk didn’t want me to marry Cleo.”
Gracen tips the phone so that Cleo can see Sydney. “She had heard about the money from a translation meeting she’d done for Bodie.”
Sydney is sitting there, absentmindedly tapping her fingers against her chin.
“They didn’t know I spoke Italian too, when I was there to translate Spanish,” Sydney pipes up.
Just then, Lucky and Crew burst back into the room. “Gracen texted and said they were—” Crew freezes. “Ah, sister dear.”
Gracen smiles at him and lifts the phone. “Grandma was just about to tell us about the money.”
“You mean she knows?” Lucky asks incredulously.
“Who’s this?” Cleo shouts. “Nicholas, fix this phone for me. I can’t see anybody.”
“Click on this icon to minimize your image.” He explains patiently with fondness in his voice.
“Oh, excellent idea.” There’s some fumbling in the background, and then a beeping comes through on Gracen’s phone. “Now I can see everyone in the room.”
“Don’t think I don’t know that you were about to hang up on me,” Cleo says.
Bodie shifts out of the way, and now I can see the screen better. The woman on the other side of the screen is wearing red lipstick, matching nails, and a large, jeweled necklace. With the lighting, it’s hard to tell if it’s pink diamonds or rubies. I have no doubt they’re genuine.
I’ve heard of her from Bodie, and from what I’ve learned, I’d like to stay far away from her. I slowly look around the room and realize I’m in the exact spot I hoped to never be. I’m surrounded by criminals, an innocent, and having a FaceTime call with her would-be murderer. “Grandma, we just need to know what you put the thirty million in.”
She huffs. “I knew your grandfather was hiding his stuff there. The trinkets wouldn’t fit at home anymore.”
Gracen’s grandpa looks adorably guilty, and none of us really know what they’re talking about.
Crew runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “So you put thirty million in with the treasure, right?”
“Listen, when it started out, it was only a small amount, but with some investment, it grew. We only cashed out a few years ago so you could have an inheritance.”
“What was the initial amount?” I ask.
“Well, you have to take into account inflation, and cost of living, and the fact that he held onto it for so many years. It was three million.”
“So where is it?” Gracen asks.
“Oh, please. As if I’ll make it that easy,” Cleo laughs. “You all, and I do mean all, have to work for this.”
“What about the numbers eight and six? What do those have to do with anything?” Gracen demands.
“I’ll give you one hint,” Cleo caves. “Think of locations.”
“You’re being diabolical,” Crew says drily.
She waves her hand through the air, the rings on her fingers glittering brightly through the screen. “Who’s to blame me?”
“We are, Grandma,” Crew says. “I was supposed to go in there with Gracen. But it seems that the mafia is also looking for its money.”
“So ungrateful. I do this for you, and all you do is complain, complain, complain. I seriously don’t know why I ever had grandchildren.” She rests her head in her hand and sighs heavily.
Another face pops onto the screen—a handsome older man somewhere in his seventies, it seems like. “Don’t mind her. She lost at bridge today.”
Now, at least, I have a face to go with Nick’s name.
“Where is the girl with a chip on her shoulder?” he asks as he looks down his nose at the screen as though he’s trying to find where she would be hiding on the phone. Sydney pops her head over in front of Gracen.
She smiles really big and waves. “Hi there! I’m Sydney!”
Nicolas smiles back at her. “The fact that you’re trying to get even with Ricci practically makes you one of the family.”
“Thanks…I think,” Sydney says with a laugh.
“Bret Monroe—Sure Bret—is your dad?” he asks.
Sydney nods. “Well, good girl. You go get them.” Cleo finally looks up from her distressed tantrum, and Gracen shifts the camera to face Sydney more fully.
Unfortunately, that means my face ends up in the background. Cleo perks up. “Who are you?”
“Someone thinking they ended up in the wrong room.”
“You mean you don’t like my grandchildren?” she asks sharply. For a woman who is wishing them off the face of the Earth, she’s awfully protective of them.
“I’m thinking we’d be better off going and finding the container since we know it’s there now.”
Cleo nods. “I appreciate a man of action. You’ll do fine. Nicholas, tell them.”
I glance up to see that Bodie is still standing at the window, watching out the crack of the curtain. He’s in no hurry to get in the middle of the family drama, which makes me wonder why I’m sitting here. I stand up, but Sydney latches onto my hand, squeezing tight and tugging me back down beside her.
“Say that I wanted to face a Ricci in person,” Sydney’s tone has the rest of us listening intently. I’m not sure I like where she’s going with this line of questioning. “How would I go about that? And as someone who’s dealt with him before, would you even advise it?”
Nicholas is shaking his head, and Cleo is nodding.
“Ricci is not someone to antagonize,” Nicholas says right before Cleo replies, “I love it when people get back at Dario.”
I glare down at Sydney. What is she planning now? I squeeze her hand, and she glances up at me with a sheepish grin. “It’s all hypothetical. It’s not like he’d actually be there when I steal thirty million dollars from him.”
“But wouldn’t it be great if he was?” Cleo adds.
“I have a vested interest in you surviving to a ripe old age, Sydney,” I tell her.
“Oh, really?” she says slyly. “And why is that?”
“I need time to collect on that kiss you asked me for.”
She blushes at that and turns back to Cleo, trying to keep a straight face. “What would it take to get him there?”
“Not much. He doesn’t like to lose money. He was very upset when he couldn’t get my money. I’m sure he’d be very happy if someone offered to give him the thirty million.”
“But that also seems like suicide,” Sydney says. At least she’s using some part of her brain. I don’t know what part of her thinks it’s a good idea to confront the head of the Italian mafia.
“You could do it, but you would definitely run the risk of him planting a bullet in between your eyes,” Cleo says truthfully.
“Very true,” Sydney says. “I guess I’ll have to just be happy with keeping his money and letting him wonder where it is.”
Cleo looks at her knowingly. “But it does take that delicious taste of revenge away when you do that, doesn’t it?”
Sydney smiles brightly. “I don’t know why everyone waited so long to call you. I think you’re fantastic.”
Cleo smiles for the first time in the conversation. “You’re definitely going to have to come visit us in our summer home. I would love to talk with you more.”
I roll my eyes. Of course she loves Sydney. Sydney smiles and tells people nice things. Everyone loves Sydney. And the fact that Sydney is embarking on an epic quest for revenge is something that Cleo absolutely adores. If I’m not careful, I won’t ever see her again if Cleo can get her claws into her. She’d probably try and raise her up to be her protégé or something.