“All right,” he replies.
We finish up our meal and bus our own table. Walking out of the cafeteria, the security guard gives me a nod. I wonder if he knows I snuck in under an assumed name. But since there are other parents around, he probably doesn’t give a hoot.
I enjoy the walk across campus with my brother. It’s times like these that I can almost imagine living a normal life. Maybe I will go back to school and tap into the funds that are still available for my education. Maybe. But for the moment, I’m committed to helping Frankie with his studies.
I latch onto Brandon’s arm as we march through the door into the library. There will be plenty of time to think about my tutoring job later. I want to enjoy the time I have with my little brother. I’m just so happy he can leave it all behind and immerse himself in the life of an average college student. I have to admit that in that regard, I’m a little bit jealous.
CHAPTER 10
FRANCISCO
Ileave the office for a little peace and quiet. That kind of thing is hard to come by around here. I can’t go out without my bodyguard, but I can at least go to the kitchen to get a scotch.
Inside the kitchen, one of Edoardo’s men is eating a sandwich. I give him a nod, and he picks up his plate and leaves. I tell myself I’m going to talk to Edoardo. I’m not running a boarding house here. I expect my men to work, not to eat me out of house and home.
I’m in a bad mood, and it’s not the man’s fault. I uncap a bottle from the cabinet and pour myself a glass. Ten years ago, I would have lit a cigarette, but I quit that habit after Alessia died. No matter how many years I put between me and those cancer sticks, they occasionally reared their ugly heads. What I wouldn’t give for one puff right now, to put things right in my mind.
“Cisco?” Giovanni interrupts me.
“What?” I demand.
“Phone call,” Giovanni says.
I guess he must mean the house phone. That’s a line I don’t like to use because I’m 99% certain it’s being bugged. “Who is it?”
“It’s the mayor,” Giovanni says. “Should I tell him you’ll call him back?”
“No,” I say. If the mayor is stupid enough to call me on my landline, it probably means he’s calling from his. That also means that the FBI will be listening in on his end.Amateur. “I’ll go down to meet him. Did he say what it’s about?”
“No,” Giovanni says. “But I can ask him.”
“No,” I regretfully inform my brother. “I’ll talk to him.”
Depending on the topic, there might be some things we can discuss out in the open. I walk back to my office and pick up the phone, only to be disappointed yet again.
“I can’t do it,” the mayor says.
“What can’t you do?” I ask, my voice even.
“The wind turbines,” he begins.
“Stop,” I demand. “Meet me for coffee.”
“I don’t have time.” He tries to weasel out of it.
“Make time,” I demand. “I’ll meet you at the coffee place on the corner of Fifth and Franklin in twenty minutes.”
“Is this really necessary?” he complains.
“Yes,” I respond.
I hang up and button up my cuffs. It’s time to put the heat on the mayor, and I’m not looking forward to his whining. I grab Giovanni and Edoardo, and we roll out. In the limo, we can’t risk talking shop. But I can complain about certain people I know who are amateurs in this game.
“What is he thinking?” I ask Edoardo.
“I dunno,” Edoardo replies. “I think all that power just went to his head.”
“Power?” I scoff. “The mayor doesn’t have power. He’s in the pocket of lobbyists. That’s what this is all about. You’ll see.”
