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But Irving and me? Not so much. When I say “everything works out” I don’t mean us. He’s fine on his own, but my attitude in particular seems to annoy him. When I try to reach out, he gets further away. I guess he doesn’t need to connect with anybody. I guess I do. I guess he sort of dislikes that about me.
So instead, I am puttering around the helipad on theNancy, trying to break something minor on the helicopter so I can fix it again and look busy.
When the jet flies low overhead, my chest clenches. It is only a matter of minutes now. Miami is only a couple of hours away, after all. That’s one of the many nice things about the island. It’s remote, yet completely accessible. It provides the kind of privacy that a certain kind of person really wants. A family with the right assets could rent the entire island for a month. Full staff and everything.
It is not on maps except the oldest geological surveys. A director at the US State Department told me I could even have it magically “erased” from any acknowledgment that it belongs to any country. Effectively, people could come here and disappear into a kind of bureaucratic wormhole.
Rich people love that kind of stuff.
After an appropriately subtle amount of time, I clean up the tools and wipe my hands clean so I can disembark and head as casually as possible back down the dock. When I see Giorgio driving the cart over a curve of the beach, I can’t help but grin.
My legs start propelling me forward along the dock, and I realize I’m jogging. Too late to stop now. I’m excited. I’m really excited.
But before I can embarrass myself completely, Veronica leaps from the cart and heads toward me with her arms out. She’s not exactly who I was running for, but I guess it’s good cover.
Her body is kind of angular and hard as she wraps her arms around me, dragging me into a hug that is, frankly, a bit too close. Over her shoulder, Irving scowls judgmentally.
“Easy, there,” I chuckle, plucking her strangely strong arms from off my shoulders and setting her back firmly on the ground. “You don’t want to make my brother think I’m hitting on his fiancée!”
She holds up her left hand, fingers splayed, displaying a noticeably empty ring finger.
“We’re not engaged anymore,” she chirps through a fixed smile. “Today could be your lucky day, Cal! I know you were always secretly in love with me.”
“Oh, ha ha, I’m sorry to hear that,” I explain awkwardly, shifting as far away as possible without seeming like I am trying to dive off the dock.
Gratefully, Rocco sees us and begins to advance. Giorgio shoots me a look over the top of the golf cart that seems to say, “He is still here. There is still a chance to negotiate.”
As he strides toward us across the beach, kicking up bits of sand from his flip-flops, Rocco points toward Irving with his cigar. Irving steps out of the golf cart and looks Rocco over with his characteristic aloofness.
“Irving Galloway!” Rocco calls out, extending his hand. “Have I heard a lot about you!”
Irving gives a tight smile that I know he thinks is polite but really just comes off as forced and a little arrogant. That may not be a nice thing to say about my own brother, but that is what Richard Branson told me. I’m not trying to be judgmental.
Irving shakes Rocco’s hand then gestures toward Veronica to introduce her. She sashays closer to the two of them, her eyes narrowed shrewdly. With a flourish, Rocco plucks her hand out of the air and draws it to his lips for a frankly gross smooch.
“Enchanted. Veronica is my favorite name,” he says in a strangely thick Portuguese accent. He didn’t sound like that yesterday.
“Oh, is it?” she purrs, thrusting one skinny hip out to the side. “Mr. Salles, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Rocco’s eyes track the motion of her frame, and she watches him watch her.
“Well I would love to hear more aboutyou,” he replies greedily. “Definitely. You can tell me everything.”
“Oh, ha ha ha!” she titters girlishly.
Normally I would expect Irving to be a little territorial, maybe trying to angle between them. But their engagement must be quite over and done with. He practically seems to be edging away and leaving the two of them alone together.
Giorgio sends me another urgent look to indicate I need to do something quickly.
“Rocco, I’m so glad you’re still here,” I interrupt, smiling. “It’s great you got a chance to meet my brother. And Irving… Wonderful to see you again.”
Irving finally looks at me, and when our eyes meet there’s a feeling of vertigo, almost like flying. Like if we look at each other too long we are going to be shot back in time together or something. He looks away immediately, and the connection is broken.
“Are you trying to get in on this deal?” Rocco chuckles. “Some pretty crazy stuff your brother is talking about, here. Are you on board with this?”
“I don’t know anything about it,” Irving answers blandly.
I almost hear Giorgio flinch behind me. This is not a very strategic meeting here on the dock. I should have been meeting with Rocco privately to try to secure his investment, or Irving privately. Both at once doesn’t feel right.
