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“Right now I’m not prepared to say anything for certain. But I doubt it. He was shitting his pants when I showed up at his door this morning. He was a stooge.”
“Probably. But there’s no way we can have him work the race today.”
“I already took care of it. He called in sick, and we have a guy on him until it’s over.”
“Someone was in here. I don’t believe for a second that it’s someone who wants me to back out of the race so they have a chance to win. This is a charity event with bragging rights for the winning port house. That’s it.”
“Agreed.”
“This was either an attempt to scare me—or kill me. But it could also be a diversion. The big bang could come while we’re chasing our tails.”
“Word’s starting to leak out that Daniela’s back. This could have something to do with Quinta Rosa do Vale.”
“Maybe. Although, even without that, I have plenty of enemies. I want security on her doubled. And I don’t want her on the road today. When it’s time, bring her here by helicopter. Triple-check everything before she boards.”
“I was going to send Alvarez to escort her. He’s totally trustworthy. I need to stay on top of things here.”
“Not happening. I want you with her from the second she leaves my house, through the race, until you drop her off safely, when it’s over.”
Cristiano’s nostrils flare. He doesn’t like it one bit. Big surprise.
“I’m not going to try to talk you out of getting behind that wheel,” he says, taking a new approach. “But if you don’t push the vehicle too hard, you have a better chance of staying in control of the car if something goes wrong. It’s not foolproof, because we don’t know the extent of the problem. But it’s something.”
“I race to win. Otherwise, why bother?”
61
Daniela
From outside the kitchen, I hear Cristiano and Victor talking in hushed tones. Something about Antonio’s car being tampered with last night.
“You know Antonio,” Cristiano says with more frustration than I’ve ever heard from him. “We advised him against racing, because of the danger, but he’s so damn stubborn.”
A chill runs through me.Why would he risk his life for a race that’s essentially meaningless?
When I step into the room, the conversation stops.
“You look lovely,” Victor gushes, as though he wasn’t just contemplating Antonio’s death. He’s wily like the rest of them.
I want to ask about the tampering, but I decide to wait until Cristiano and I are alone. There’s a better chance he’ll let something slip if it’s just the two of us.
“Are you ready?” Cristiano asks.
“Yes.”
As soon as we’re outside, the need to know more gets the better of me. “What happened with Antonio’s car?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
I grab his arm at the elbow. “Don’t lie to me. Why is it dangerous for Antonio to race today?”
“You’re perfectly safe,” he assures me, completely ignoring my question.
Oh, no, Cristiano. You will tell me what I want to know.
“I didn’t ask about my safety. But I’m not getting on that helicopter unless you tell me what’s going on.”
“My back is a bit sore today. Don’t make me carry you onto the chopper.” Cristiano has a way of softening a real threat—at least that’s how he behaves with me.
