Paul’s face gave away that he wasn’t full convinced, but he still came to the rescue. “He’s right. Last time we very nearly took Blake down. And we… kind of helped take down the Cortez’s.”
Carlos stood up and smiled. “If anyone could do it, it would be us.”
“It will be us,” Adam smiled back.
Dan rested his arms on the table. “But you walked back up here alone, so it’s not really all of us, is it?”
Paul looked directly at Dan and waved his index finger in a throat-slashing gesture.
“She’ll come around.” Adam folded his arms.
“She never really did tell us why she’s with him. What if she actually does lo–”
“She’s not in love with him,” Adam snapped. He looked down at the floor. “I would know.”
“She’ll come around,” Paul agreed, standing behind Adam to intimidate Dan into stopping that conversation dead in its tracks.
“Alright,” Dan said, he stood to survey the core pieces of evidence that Adam had collected. “So we need to find a way to steal all ofthis, which we failed to do last time, by the way, and we need to do it in half the time, without Blake realizing that we’re doing it, all before he gets elected as Mayor.”
Adam cocked his head in a smug smile. “Exactly. Piece of cake.”
6
FOR YOU I WILL
FEBRUARY 1991
Motor off, the boat rocked with the waves of the river. The water sparkled like crystal underneath, the breeze humming as it blew hot Ridge City air around them.
They were alone on the water with a perfect view of the city, and only the crashing of the waves to keep them company. Dressed for the tropical weather, Adam pulled at his pastel Hawaiian shirt to create a breeze toward his chest. With him, Dan, Paul, and Carlos gathered at the bow, waiting. Far in the distance, a three-story Ferretti Yacht, owned by the Blake Family, served as the location of a party.
Adam surveyed his assembled team, one person down, unable to shake the feeling that without her not only his team, but his life, was incomplete. Forcing ahead without her felt wrong, but what choice did he have? He wanted more than what could be done with only the four of them.
Adam watched the party through binoculars, spying as guests enjoyed champagne on the top deck, and seedy businessmen with bikini-clad women on their arm closed curtains on the lower levels.
Dan yanked the binoculars from Adam’s hand. “Would you look at that. Who knew this was how the other half lived?”
Paul held a second set. “I don’t see anything yet. Nothing that looks like a deal is going down. Any of these people look important?”
Paul deferred to Carlos, who took the spyglass in turn. “No one so far.”
“Drop me in,” Adam said as he headed to the stern.
“You wanna go in?” Dan asked. “This is only supposed to be a recon mission. We’re not meant to actually get on the fucking yacht.”
“I can do recon from on the yacht just as well,” Adam said, hitching his shoulder to start the motor.
“And what if you’re seen?”
“Blake’s at the range the whole day,” said Paul. As if that excused it.
“Everyone on that boat is low level. No chance they’ll know or even remember who Adam Vandemilio is,” Carlos agreed, his eyes still glued to the binoculars.
Dan pushed Adam aside and took over his failed attempts to start the motor, managing to hit it first go before sailing off easily toward the yacht and giving Adam a smug look.
An approach from the east side was ideal, guests were arriving every ten minutes from the west, leaving the east side fully untended. Upon their final approach, Dan killed the motor, allowing them to silently drift toward the deck. Taking a gun and radio from within the plush back bench seat, Adam jumped onto the bow.
“We’ll head back out and watch for any activity,” Paul said.
