Page 9 of Beautiful Dangerous

It wouldn’t, and I have no intention of having dinner with him. I know exactly what Senator Haines really wants from me, and that will never be an option. Any business I need to conduct with him has always been – and always will be – done in either his office, or mine, and never alone.

Making my way out onto the terrace, I join Lucca poolside. He seems quiet tonight, although he never has been a man of many words. Clichéd though it might sound, he really is the epitome of the strong, silent type.

“We’re meeting with the bikers tomorrow.” He stares out ahead of him as he speaks, he doesn’t look at me. “We’ll drive down to San Diego in the morning.”

“Good. It’s time we put our proposal to them.”

“It’s a smart business move, for all of us. I can’t see Eddie turning it down.”

“I hope not. I value him and his club, we need them on board.”

We work very closely with the Devil’s Creed MC, a biker gang with chapters in Texas, California, Nevada, and just across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. It was the Mexican chapter that Lucca was once a member of, which is why he’s an important connection to them; the kind of link we need, he knows these men much better than I do. But I’ve had to learn fast, and I can handle them. Gaining their respect was important, and I’ve done that.

“Eddie’s a clever man, Liv, with a lot of contacts. If we combine the two – ours, and theirs – we’ll control so much more than we already do. And when the time comes to take out the Pino cartel…”

He drops his head and runs a hand along the back of his neck.

“We’ll have the power. To do anything we want,” I whisper, and Lucca lifts his head and looks at me.

“Yes. We will.”

I smile, and Lucca takes my hand and squeezes it quickly before letting go. And I’m taken aback by an unexpected stab of disappointment as his hand falls from mine, something which sideswipes me for a second.

“Things are coming together, Olivia. It’s all coming together.” He looks out ahead of him again, his hands now in his pockets. “But, getting into gun running…” He turns his head to face me, his expression one of concern. “Are you really sure you want us to go down that route?”

“Yes. I’m sure. And it’s too late to change our minds anyway, even if we wanted to. The first shipment is due in a matter of days, and Eddie already has contacts lined up to take the weapons off our hands. It’s that easy, Lucca. We don’t even have to get our hands the slightest bit dirty, the bikers are handling it all. And if Eddie accepts our proposal it will continue to be that easy. The Devil’s Creed will control that side of the business, and all we’ll have to do is sit back and watch the money roll in.”

Up until now the bikers have helped only with the distribution of drugs, and in that respect they’re an important part of our inner circle. They’re an important and necessary arm of our business, now more than ever, since my decision to move us into arms trafficking, something cartels don’t usually get involved in. Javier certainly didn’t, Lucca’s right on that score. But I’m not Javier. I want to expand our business, and the bikers, they know about weapons. Their knowledge is invaluable.

“Javier taught me to look out for business opportunities, Lucca, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

“It pushes us into a whole new world, and okay, it’s a world I’ve been a part of before, I know how it works, but the cartel – it doesn’t need to go down that road. It isn’t like we need the money, we make more than we could ever need from the drugs alone, especially since Casper started supplying product. And that’s before we even look at the income we gain from our legitimate businesses, the hotels and restaurants; the bars and clubs. Before we even look at how much the casinos bring in.” The casinos set up to launder money. The perfect front. “I just want you to think about it, that’s all. You say it’s too late to change our minds, but there’s still time to back away from all of this, if you’re not sure. I can make that happen. I can stop this, if you want me to.”

I stare at him, my eyes boring into his. “I’m sure. What I’mnotsure about is you feeling the need to question my decisions when they’re mine to make.Mydecisions, Lucca. Not yours.”

I take a fresh glass of champagne from a passing server and walk away. I’m well aware that becoming involved in the world of arms dealing is something new for the Delgado cartel, but Lucca knows I haven’t gone into this blind. How could I? I have him. I have the bikers; people who will oversee everything, I don’t need to know anything in any great detail. I just need to be able to trust those who become close to me. Those who work with me. For me.

Going back inside, I take a moment to look around the crowded room. All of these people here tonight, they’re here for me.

Because they want to be?

No. Not all of them.

Because they fear me?

Some do. Many more should.

Because they like me?

I could probably count on one hand the number of people that applies to, but it doesn’t matter. This isn’t a business you come into to be liked. This world doesn’t encourage friendships, as Javier never tired of telling me…

Fourteen Years Earlier…

“Friends aren’t important, Olivia.”

I watch him as he fastens his tie and rakes a hand through his hair. Javier Delgado. A man I couldn’t say no to, and I tried. I did, I really tried. But I soon learnt that he’s a man who pursues what he wants to the dogged end, and now I’m here. At his San Diego estate, a place he bought purely to be closer to me. His main home is in Ensenada, Mexico – the villa I went to that night, during my vacation. He has dual nationality, which enables him to move between the US and Mexico quite easily, he has business interests in both countries. I never know when I’m going to see him next, but for some reason I always come when he asks me to. He’s that kind of man. And I put up a fight to begin with, I did, I swear. But he continued to wear me down with his charm and his kindness; the endless phone calls after I’d left Mexico. I’d seen him once more, before I’d driven home, we’d had dinner at the hotel. I felt safer, in a very public place, not alone, like the first time. We’d exchanged numbers, and he’d promised to call, but I hadn’t expected him to. I wasn’t even sure if I’d wanted him to, I don’t think I did, at the time.

I went home, back to the US, and my life returned to normal, for a month or so. Until one day, out of the blue, he called; told me he was coming to San Diego on business and could we meet for a drink at the hotel he was staying in. Another hotel he owned. Another one of many, I later found out. That was a little over a year ago. And now we’re – actually, I don’t knowwhatwe are, exactly, but we’re together. In some shape or form.

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