Page 30 of Cruel Longing

Once she was gone, I knew I didn’t have much time with him. It was barely noon, but it felt like a good time for a drink. I searched the apartment for bourbon. There wasn’t anything in the bar cart other than vodka and gin. Both bottles were unopened. I cracked the vodka.

“Want one?” I offered Enzo.

“Sure. I have some time before I need to get back to the office.” He meant get back to Amara.

I poured the drinks and handed one to him. “Looks like we have a problem to solve.”

“That’s what I do every day.”

“For Amara you mean?” I eyed him.

“Mostly, yes. Whatever she wants to throw at me. It’s what I do best.”

I slung back the vodka. “My sister seems to think your boss doesn’t know anything about your relationship.”

“She doesn’t.” He gripped the glass. “My personal life is private. I don’t think she needs to know about my relationship with Katya. I don’t let it interfere with work. It’s part of Amara’s philosophy. Makes it easy to keep things separate.”

My father was an asshole, but he was good at judging people. He could sniff out a liar within five minutes of talking to them. A con or a thief even faster. I tried to tap into that Novikov intuition. I tried to size up Enzo. What I saw was a confident man. It wouldtake more than five minutes to decide if he was sincere about my sister.

“Amara’s philosophy?” I questioned.

“Yes. She believes that work should strictly be about business. She doesn’t make exceptions to any of the rules she has in place.”

“I see.” I walked around the small apartment. I started to think about the opportunity I had been given. How badly did Enzo want to make a deal? How much was he willing to sacrifice for a life out of the country with my sister and their baby?

I pulled up a chair. “Why don’t you sit?” I motioned across from me.

Enzo took a seat.

It was a long shot. But this man knew her. He knew how she thought. What strategies she used. He knew her in a way I hadn’t begun to examine yet. I realized I might have a plan to get Amara back. Just maybe I was willing to start a war to make it happen.

Sixteen

AMARA

Iwas 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 theflower 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.

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