Chapter Six
Elio
Social gatherings and I were like enemies that would never, under any circumstance, find common ground.
It was why I’d asked Gemma to accompany me when we arrived at the cruise ship a day ago.
Angelo had joined me the day after I arrived to give me the intel on Kareem, and to take care of other affairs he had on board. He’d dropped off his bags in one of the rooms, along with his furry, wide-eyed black cat, Mimi, whom he left in my care due to his mother’s unavailability.
He’d returned to Milan and then to Turin for in-house business but promised to hurry it up because, he said, and I quote, “The last thing I want to return to is a cat with a bullet in its stomach.”
I wouldn’t actually shoot an animal, but still that was a wise decision. He wasn’t aware Gemma was an expert in taking care of cats. He wasn’t aware of Gemma at all, or Sailor, whom she had brought along and dropped in my suite the following day, so Mimi wouldn’t be “sad and alone.”
I did not understand her logic, but she seemed to believe what she was saying, so I let it go.
Gemma had been a little wary when I told her about the trip and asked her to accompany me. She also said, and I quote, “You’re rich?” to which I responded, “I am comfortable.”
After which, she interrogated me about my job, and I supplied her with, “I am into business politics.” And then I had to prove it to her by showing catalog upon catalog where my name had been mentioned under various business strategies for Milan.
She had stared at me wide-eyed and asked, “Why the hell are you friends with me?” I ignored her statement politely, and we eventually ended up traveling together.
Casmiro had wanted to come as well, but I asked him to stay back due to his health issues.
I wanted to remove his watchful eye from my actions, now that he knew about my health issues.
The stubborn man fought me on it until I decided that if I needed him, he would be the first person I would call.
Although he told me he would arrive either way if that call took longer than he liked.
“Damn compound affairs, I would have my right hand hold down the fort,” he said.
I agreed because if things went as planned with Kareem, I would not need to stay in Mexico for an extended period. If I was lucky enough, I might not get to mourn through the first morning in December.
For the first time in years, I could taste the achievement of my goal. I could touch, see, and feel it. The thought satisfied me; it satisfied a need I didn’t know I had. It made me feel lighter.
No distractions.
No Street.
No Elia.
No … Zahra.
My thoughts slammed into a wall on that one.
No Zahra.
I finished the bourbon in the glass, pouring myself another.
The event room was filled with strangers, all drinking and mingling.
The air was heavy with the smell of sea salt, mixtures of expensive perfumes, and the familiar scent of Cuban cigars.
The low golden lights around were warm and inviting enough to tame my irritation from being surrounded by so many people.
I could feel Kareem’s stare, but I didn’t look over.
Gemma hadn’t accompanied me to this event; she was at the other end of the ship at some party she’d been invited to by strangers she claimed were her people.
So, I had to live through this gathering with alcohol and cigars.
The things I had to do to get what I wanted. It would only make the final moment worth it. Endurance built anticipation, after all.
“I must say,” Kareem started, rolling his vowels, and clipping endings like he was in a rush to reach the point, “when I invited you, I didn’t think you would show.”
“Hm.”
“Why did you show up?” he asked, curious.
I swirled the contents of the glass. “There are two cats in my suite; it was either me throwing them into the ocean or coming here.”
Kareem laughed like my words were coated in pink fluff. “You have pets.”
“No. My … friends have pets.”
“The things we do for friendship,” he mused aloud. “Are your friends here tonight?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you bring them? This party might be elite, but it is open to friends of my friends.”
I finally looked at him. “I will bring them to the next one,” I said, even though I had no intention of coming to the next one … or any other one. Ever.
Kareem sighed with satisfaction, and I watched him look around with a big smile on his face, taking in the crowd of people all gathered around, carefree like the rest of the world didn’t matter—only this moment.
I had felt that way several times, but the scenario always featured a book or the woman I never hoped to see again.
Once this deal with Kareem is implemented, I will ensure no one else gets to the painting before me, and after I have completed my goal, I will arrange for the gold to be sent to Street on my behalf.
“Mexico,” Kareem said. “There’s always this air of liberty in it. The night is always alive, and the people’s smiles are so contagious it could make any sad man smile,” he said, a wistful look in his eyes. “I am glad I came. Thank you for approaching me with this deal.”
“It benefits the both of us.”
“Yes.” Kareem grinned. “The Garza manor is not inviting because it is grand and ancient. It was the man who lived there, the people who cared for it. The love and the smiles on their faces when they maintain it, the children who wander the halls and get awed by the artworks and sculptures, family portraits and endless stories.”
“Indeed.”
“When I reviewed your plans, I was filled with joy. I knew I had to look into it. I knew Arturo would want that. And coming from you, whom he spoke highly of; who was I to turn down your proposal?”
I nodded.
Kareem’s grin turned into a small smile. “I see a brightness in you, Elio.”
I blinked at him. The sudden change in the conversation’s direction caught me off guard.
“You look surprised.” He chuckled richly. “I know a good person when I see one. I am not blindsided by what you do or what your business truly entails. Politics is a dangerous field, and you would have to do equally dangerous things, but I see past that. Just the same way Arturo had.”
I wondered what that man had told this one about me. But I didn’t want to ask. I did not truly desire to know.
“You are set for great things, Marino. Your name should be more than what it is,” he said, looking at me like he was looking through my soul, seeing the person I barely recognized anymore.
“You should be setting paces, examples; if you can just touch upon that part of yourself, you will do good work.”
I indulged him by nodding, hoping he was finished talking.
He watched me as though he was seeing things I couldn’t. “Ignore the rumors here and there about you. Only you know who you truly are.”
I nodded yet again.
“If there is anything you need, even if it is my prayers, or a cleansing, give me a call, or an email, I will answer.”
“Of course.”
He grinned at me, refilling his glass as I looked around, his words playing inside my head, clashing with every intention I had for myself. It made me feel open, uncomfortable … I did not like it, and the reason was still a blur to me.
I noticed the change in lighting. The music that had been playing got quieter as my gaze sought something new to focus on, some form of distraction. I stopped my search when my attention settled on the stage where three people climbed on, dressed in traditional belly-dancing attire …
Nobody was paying attention, not even Kareem, as he spoke to someone who had managed to catch his attention.
My focus was drawn to the stage, my mind a haze as I studied the women getting into formation, the atmosphere already beginning to change.
A tether somewhere in my body stretched and then grew taut as I focused on the dancer in the middle.
That height. That skin tone. That waist. That aura.
It couldn’t be possible … I frowned, watching closely …
It couldn’t be her. I knew my mind was prone to playing tricks on me, supplying false images and troubling memories, but it wasn’t too late into the night.
I wasn’t trying to sleep naturally; I was awake, barely intoxicated.
She was here.
Her deeply accentuated eyes scanned the room like it was an opponent she wanted to conquer.
How I recognized her with that veil was proof enough that I had been lying to myself that the last I saw of her was actually the last I would ever see of her.
Why was I surprised? I couldn’t precisely pinpoint it. There was this curl of excitement and wariness in my stomach, so tight that I had to battle with the expression I showed to anyone who could see me.
I watched the way she took a step back, her exposed, thin but curvy waist swaying with her movements as she summoned the attention of the women behind her.
I could tell she was saying something, and the frowns on the faces of her companions spoke volumes of their discomfort with what she was saying.
It didn’t last long because they seemed to agree to whatever she had proposed, and they were getting off the stage.
I watched how she slowly gathered her confidence, looking in my direction but not at me. Kareem was her target for the night. Not me. She didn’t realize I was here.
The urge to get up and silently leave pulled firmly at my gut. However, my curiosity and my barely controlled obsession with watching this woman do remotely anything had my grip clenching around the glass. I remained seated.
I was confused as to why she was here and surprised as to why she was on that stage, dressed in a way that brought a different kind of heat to the room.
It took only a slight shift in her gaze to catch my stare. The way those bright brown eyes took me in with shock affirmed my assumptions about her not knowing I was there.
The light around us dimmed, and a bright spotlight was placed on her, giving me one of the most beguiling sights my eyes had ever gotten the pleasure to see.