Part 9 (1/2)
Don Vitto sat next to the warm fire, a cigar between fat, stubby fingers. He contemplated Big Tony's request.
Sitting in the chair across from him, Big Tony continued to plead his case for support. Don Vitto looked at him curiously. His words were slow and measured, his voice thick with an Italian accent. ”What you ask Anthony ... could be misinterpreted as betrayal ... in the strongest sense of the word and punishable by death.”
”I don't mean any disrespect to the family, Don Vitto. I only came for your support,” Big Tony said.
Don Vitto tapped the end of his cigar against the ashtray. ”You do know that it would be a grave mistake to make a move without the full approval of the Commission.”
”d.a.m.n it! His disrespect to Anastasia is unforgivable to me!” Big Tony's voice raised several octaves. Don Vitto c.o.c.ked his head sideways and Big Tony immediately regretted the outburst. It was disrespectful, and he had done it without thinking. He patted nervously at his brow with a handkerchief.
Without a word, Don Vitto stood up from his chair, and Big Tony knew their conversation was over. He got up from his chair and walked over to Don Vitto. He took Don Vitto's hand in his, bent slightly, and kissed the top of it.
”I will discuss your concerns with the other members of the Commission, Anthony,” Don Vitto said, dismissing him with a wave of his hand ”Thank you, Don Vitto. That's all I ask.”
Don Vitto waited for Big Tony to close the door behind him. He shook his head in disgust and then went over to his desk. He sat down in the oversized leather chair and looked at the phone, contemplating whether he should make the call or not. After a few minutes, he lifted the phone from its cradle.
After a fabulous dinner and delicious dessert, Caroline and Rheyna sat in the dining room, drinking coffee. She learned that Caroline's birthday was in December and that she had just turned twenty-eight, something she already knew. That her favorite color was blue, Beaches was her favorite movie, she didn't have a boyfriend, and much to Rheyna's delight, was not planning to get one anytime soon.
Rheyna walked around the room, looking at the paintings hanging on the walls. She came to an abrupt stop in front of one in particular. She knew immediately that it was a van Gogh. It was the real deal and probably cost more than she would make in her lifetime. She could feel Caroline watching her as she continued to make her way around the room.
”Would you like to see the rest of the house?” Caroline asked.
”I would love it. I can honestly say that I've never seen such a beautiful house in my life,” Rheyna said as she followed Caroline up the staircase in the foyer. Her a.s.sumptions had been correct. All of the bedrooms were on the second floor, all seven of them. They were ma.s.sive and decorated just as expensively as the downstairs rooms. She hadn't expected anything less. What she didn't expect was to see the s.p.a.cious bathrooms each had. The enclosed metallic showers were at least seven feet long with jet showerheads strategically placed up and down the walls. She imagined that taking a shower in them would be like taking your body through a car wash.
The two back bedrooms were the best. Each had its very own veranda overlooking the pool and ocean. The view was stunning. She also learned that one of the rooms was Caroline's, which didn't surprise her in the least. The other belonged to her parents.
Before she knew it, they were almost back where they had started. The house was huge. In addition to the upstairs bathrooms, there were also three more located on the first floor. All in all, the house had fifteen rooms, counting the seven bedrooms upstairs, and three down in the finished bas.e.m.e.nt. The foyer alone was the size of Rheyna's entire house. She stopped at a small table just outside the kitchen and picked up a small angelic figurine.
”Mom got that on her trip to Greece a few weeks ago.”
”It's beautiful. Does she travel a lot?”
Caroline smiled lovingly as she thought about her mother. ”She goes in spurts.” She made a waving gesture with her hand. ”All of the pieces you see in the house, including the artwork, she's picked up somewhere or another.”
Rheyna set the piece back down on the table and continued to follow her. She had made mental notes of the layout, counting each step in her head as she toured the house.
Caroline stopped abruptly outside a room that, oddly enough, had the door closed. Out of all the rooms they had been in, it was the only one she remembered having a closed door. It sat directly across the hallway from the dining room and to the left of the kitchen. Caroline pushed the door open, and Rheyna thought it strange that she didn't go in. She joined Caroline in the doorway.
”This is my dad's cave,” Caroline said, acknowledging what Rheyna was thinking. The room was dark and cold, nothing like the rest of the house. The first thing Rheyna noticed was the absence of windows. She looked around the room, not impressed by the decor in the least. Two of the four walls were lined from floor to ceiling with red cherry book shelving.
A small fireplace sat directly in the middle. To the left of the doorway and surrounded by dark leather, wing-backed chairs sat a huge desk. The computer sitting on the edge got Rheyna's attention. She was standing in the doorway of Anthony Castrucci's office. Caroline's description of the room was perfect.
”It's the worst room in the house,” Caroline said, pulling the door closed.
”Definitely not my favorite,” Rheyna agreed.
They turned to see Terasa coming toward them. ”I just finished giving Rheyna the five-cent tour,” Caroline volunteered.
Terasa smiled warmly. ”Good. I hope she got her money's worth. I'm getting ready to turn in and wanted to tell you girls good night.”
Caroline walked up to Terasa and hugged her. ”Good night, Mom.”
Rheyna smiled at Terasa. ”Good night, Mrs. Castru-” Terasa wagged her finger at Rheyna. ”I mean Terasa, and thank you for dinner,” Rheyna corrected.
”You are most certainly welcome Rheyna, and you will have to come again soon.” Terasa turned to leave and stopped. ”I left the proofs in the folder by the door and I circled the ones I would like, along with sizes, and quant.i.ties.”
”I'll get those done as soon as possible and give you a call.”
”Or you can just bring them by the next time you and Caroline get together,” she said over her shoulder before disappearing down the hallway.
Caroline turned back to Rheyna. ”Would you like something to drink?”
”I would love it, but I need to check on Annie first. She's been awfully quiet.”
”You go check on her and I'll get those drinks.”
Rheyna felt her heart rate quicken as the first surge of adrenaline pumped through her veins. If she catches me now, it's all over, she thought. She glanced back out into the hallway and waited for Caroline to disappear from view. She made her way toward Castrucci's office. She turned the k.n.o.b and pushed the door open, grateful that it didn't squeak. She walked over to the desk, pulled the ballpoint pen from her pocket, and mixed it in with the a.s.sortment of pens and pencils sitting next to the computer. To the untrained eye, it was just another fully functioning ink pen with blue ink, and she hoped it would just blend in with the others.
She made her way out the door and had just stepped into the dining room when Caroline appeared with their drinks. She felt another rush of adrenaline mixed with relief when Caroline smiled and held the gla.s.s out to her.
”I guess I should drink this and get Annie home,” she said, taking the gla.s.s that Caroline offered, downing the contents in one large swallow to calm her nerves.
Caroline laughed, her eyebrows rising slightly. ”Wow, I guess you really were thirsty.”
Rheyna smiled. ”I guess I was.”
”Sure you don't wanna hang around and watch a movie?” Caroline asked.
Oh, she wanted to, all right. More than anything, she wanted to hang out with Caroline, but she needed to check in with Laura and bring her up to speed. As much as she didn't want to say it, she did. ”Can I have a rain check?” she asked.
”Sure, we can do it some other time.”
Rheyna could see that Caroline was disappointed. She needed to get close to Caroline, but she needed time to get her game plan together first. The unexpected attraction she was feeling for Caroline was complicating things. She needed time to think, and being around Caroline made it practically impossible. For crying out loud, she was an FBI agent. She was trained to get close to people without getting emotionally attached to them. She would just have to force herself to stay detached, and she needed to not waste any more time. Time was of the essence and not a luxury she could afford to squander away.
This was her opening, and she needed to make the most of it. She wasn't sure if it was her heart or head doing the reasoning when she smiled at Caroline. ”How about you come over to my house tomorrow night for dinner and a movie instead?”
Caroline's lips curved into a smile. ”What do you want me to bring?” she asked.
”The movie,” Rheyna said, and then snapped the leash onto Annie's harness.
Caroline walked Rheyna to the foyer. She was halfway out the door when Caroline grabbed her arm. Caroline picked up the manila envelope off the entryway table and handed it to her.
”Can't forget these now, can I? I'll see you tomorrow around six,” Rheyna said, and then disappeared out the door.
She was on cloud nine as she drove home. The little voice inside her head was trying to convince her that it had nothing to do with Caroline and everything to do with the operation. Her heart was saying that it was the adrenaline speaking, but her brain knew better.
After getting Annie settled in, she did what she did every night-she took her cell phone out on the deck and called Laura. She was surprised how quickly the sound of Laura's voice brought reality cras.h.i.+ng back.