Page 74 of Forging Caine

Samantha pulled her key fob from her small tan handbag, fidgeting with it as she surveyed the building next to us. She wore navy slacks with a white and blue pinstriped blouse and ballet flats. She’d pushed her aviator sunglasses on her head, like a headband. The sun glinted off the glorious caramel highlights in her light brown hair.

“You’re so beautiful.”

She grimaced, not looking at me.

I slowed in line behind another vehicle, heading for the valet. “Everything will be alright, bella. We’ll give him the news and we’ll leave. I won’t take any more work from him, and everyone will—”

No. The key fob.

“The one for your truck is shaped differently. It doesn’t have a key that folds out of it.”

She stared into her lap, clutching the tiny piece of black plastic. “We need evidence.”

“We need to get out of his sphere of influence. Not further into it.” I placed a hand on her forearm. “We talked about this last night.”

The set of her jaw was all I needed. She wouldn’t concede this point.

I pulled my sunglasses down my nose to make myself clearer to her. “What if they wand us?”

“It’s a key fob. If this one triggers the wand, so would yours.” She held it up to me. “It says Ford on it, has all the right buttons, and a little light that flashes when you press one of them. My truck is nowhere near here, so it’s not like they can come to the parking lot and start clicking it to test.”

I inched the car forward. One car remained ahead of us in line.

She was right. It was well concealed. “It’s risky, I know. That’s why I didn’t tell the FBI we were coming.”

“So we’re on our own?” Releasing her arm, my hand shifted to her thigh, squeezing gently. “I almost brought Cristian’s burner with me.”

“Not as easy to hide.”

It had been tempting, but I memorized his number instead, as he’d recommended. “You’re the one with the training, bella. You talked to the FBI agents. I trust you to make the right decision.”

She took my hand, interlacing our fingers. “The biggest risk is leading the conversation. Elliot would want to hear Fiori admit he knowsThe Concertis stolen and that he’s planning on selling it. But since we’re calling its authenticity into doubt, I think we’re looking for a confession ofanythingillegal. Elliot doesn’t expect details about the smuggling ring, but he said that would be nice.”

“And a tremendous risk.”

“Exactly.” She jutted her chin forward, and I moved the car to the valet position. “Stick to the basics. I want him in jail, but I’m not willing to probe too far.”

“A compromise, then?” I shifted into park.

“Of my morals, yeah.” She leaned over to kiss my cheek as the valet approached her door. “And it’s really pissing me off.”

I cupped her chin in my hand and held her lovely face in front of mine. “Try to keep that to yourself, sì?”

“Not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m pretty good at concealing my feelings.”

“A little too good sometimes.” I gave her a quick peck on the lips and winked at her. “Now sit still in that seat, my love. We have a performance to give.”

I pushed open my door and dropped the keys into the valet’s waiting hand. Before the other valet could open Samantha’s door, I waved him off in time to see her press a button on her fob.

She was live.

A staff member showed us through the two-story lobby, past potted plants and scale replicas of tall ships with complete rigging. Through the framed glass wall at the back of the lobby, double doors granted us access to a vast stonework patio with three dozen tables set up for diners. The patio led to the docks, where over a hundred ships and boats moored, waiting for their owners.

To the right of the patio, an open green space provided room for running and squealing children. A row of trees separated it from the houses next to the yacht club.

Fiori’s table stood out, as no one sat at the tables next to it, and it was the only one with two bodyguards hovering next to it.

Samantha walked close to me, wrapped her arm around mine, and leaned in to kiss my cheek—and whisper in my ear. “There are two more goons by the building.”

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