Eyes narrowed, I clenched my jaw and stared at the man who looked like he’d been dipped, rolled, and stuffed in gold with the amount of jewelry he wore. “Call me a little girl one more time and I’ll cut off your fucking cock and string it around your neck like a goddamn gold pendant, you fat fuck.”
Silence settled over the room for just a second before hoots of laughter filled the air. Blue Eyes, however just smiled, his gaze on me, one dark eyebrow raised. I merely arched my brow in return.
“As soon as I know the location, I will share it with you,” I kept my tone firm. “That said, I will be taking over all his decision-making from here on out until further notice.”
“You need a proxy to do that,” said the man next to Luiz, who was still bemoaning his broken nose.
“Ah, yes and I believe that it needs to be signed by Vincenzo’s successor, correct?” I asked, retrieving the proxy from the envelope. He nodded. I held out the proxy. “Who is the successor?” All eyes turned to Blue Eyes while his gaze stayed riveted on me. I had to bite my cheek to keep from blushing. He needed to believe I could run this organization.
“Gianna, I am Matteo, from San Francisco. Vincenzo is a shrewd bastard and won’t just tell anyone where the money is invested, how are we to believe you know where the money is since we don’t know who you are and now you’re asking to make decisions for us?”
I noticed a few heads bob in agreement, and I had no idea what to tell them. It would take time to sift through all the paperwork and computers to find out anything. How was I supposed to convince these people that I could run everything without telling them Vincenzo was dead? And if I did, that would bring its own complication.
“I will sign the proxy.” A deep sexy voice drew my gaze to Blue Eyes. “Hello, Gianna, nice to meet Vincenzo’s wife in person after the stories we’ve heard and now seen.” His gaze flicked to Luiz before coming back to me. “Lorenzo Rossi, New York.”
“Hi.” I cringed at the falter then cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you too.”
“I will sign the proxy and give you six months in which to give us the location of the money.”
“What the fuck?” fat fuck shouted as pandemonium broke out across the room with Lorenzo’s suggestion.
“Silence!” he barked, even seated, the authority in his voice deadly to even challenge. “If anyone has a fucking problem with my decision, I would gladly help you see it my fucking way. Do we have a problem?” His gaze moved across the boardroom table, glaring at each one of them. “Now, as I was saying, Gianna. We will give you six months. In that time, should you not find the money, it would be dealt with accordingly.”
“Thank you,” I replied as he slid the signed document my way.
Three hours later, I flopped back onto the bed in my room and stared up at the ceiling. I’d overcome a major hurdle today and that was the first step into Vincenzo’s shoes. The only snag being the money. Where would someone hide billions from the IRS, competitors, and common criminals looking to get rich?
I rolled onto my stomach and folded one hand over the other under my chin, my eyes on the view outside my balcony. Conversations with Julian and Wentzel had proved fruitless since both were in the dark just like me.
A knock sounded at my door. “Come in,” I called out.
“Your lemon water,signora.” Rosana walked in a set a tall glass on my nightstand.”
“Thank you.” As she turned to leave an idea popped into my head. I sat up. “Rosana.”
“Yes.” She stopped walking to look at me.
“IfsignorSalvatore had to hide anything special or precious, is there someplace in the castle he would choose?”
Smiling, she nodded. “The west wing is off-limits to most staff. So maybe there.” Then her smile faded into concern. “But I wouldn’t go there,signora. It’ssignorSalvatore’s private place.”
“I’ll take my chances.” I vaulted off the bed and walked out of the room with her. Patting her arm, I headed for the west wing. Now that he wasn’t around, his bodyguards stayed out of the private residence which meant I could walk around freely. Then again, after Joey, no one seemed to cross my path unnecessarily.
I reached the west wing and Vincenzo’s powerful scent knock me full force. It was like he stood right next to me and I could make out the distinct citrusy blend infused with sharp mint and a touch of sandalwood.
“Wow,” I whispered, unsure why I did. “Come out, come out wherever you are, Salvatore.”
Grinning, I walked up to the piano. I dragged a finger across the keys and had the sudden urge to still the basic notes that echoed through the empty wing. The keys were relatively warm which was surprising given there was no sunlight around. I walked to the door he’d disappeared behind, the night I saw him play. Ordinary dark wood doors stared back at me as if taunting me to enter. I tried the handle, it didn’t budge. I pushed against it, adding a little force. Nothing. Then I noticed the steel reinforcing along the edges.
“What are you hiding in here?” As I stepped back, I saw the little black box with a keypad on the side of the door and tucked into an alcove in the wall. Frowning, I gave it a closer inspection. It reminded me of an alarm keypad but I figured it was a coded lock. Then I remembered the beeping I’d heard that night.
Scratching my chin, I took a step back. What door would require a coded lock? A safe perhaps. Maybe the moneywashere.
A sudden sound had me pivoting, my gaze darting in all directions unsure what I head. I had the uncanny feeling of being watched like I’d felt my first day here. What if Salvatore’s ghost was stalking me? Laughing at my stupidity, my feet still hurried back to my bedroom.
