Page 4 of Fractured
I’m sure he has more to say about this morning, as well as last night. Life seems to roll into one very long fuckin’ day that never ends.
We land, taxi over to the hanger and a black limo is waiting.
Carlos and James are at the door, helping Janice open the hatch.
I get up and grab my briefcase, step aside, and wait for my father to go ahead of me.
As we descend the stairs, the driver gets out of the car and opens up the back door.
Robert Gallo steps out with a smug smile on his face.
“What the hell?” My father mutters.
“You didn’t know he was coming to pick us up,” I whisper.
“No.”
Robert approaches us, extending his hand. My father does the same, the two shake.
“Welcome to New York. I thought I’d take the liberty of greeting you both.”
Robert shakes my hand, and it’s all I can do to not squeeze it so tight it breaks.
“Liberties indeed.” My father says.
I smile and let go of Robert's hand. I had prepared myself to handle him at the meeting, not after a full night of chasing his daughter and Sebastian uncovering his dirty little secret.
Prick!
Robert turns and puts his hand on my father’s back.
“Come, I will take us to the hotel. Then this evening I arranged a tour of the port. I have a shipment coming in that I would like for you to see.” His driver opens the back door.
Carlos steps up behind me. “What’s he doing here?”
I tilt my head back at him. “I have no idea. He wasn’t supposed to meet us here. The Family meeting is tomorrow. Tonight, we are going to my father’s room to finalize details.”
I look back at my father getting in the car, Robert chatting away like he’s the big man, instead of overstepping his place and putting us all on edge.
But my father is going along with it, so he must have a reason.
“Do me a favor. Go with James in our car. Meet me in the lobby and we will head up together. I want to stay close to this asshole for now. See what he’s up to.”
Carlos pats my back, grabbing the luggage and tossing it in the trunk.
I climb in the car and settle in beside Robert. Putting the fake charm on, I take the drink he offers and begrudgingly clink my glass to his as he offers a toast to the future.
How long his future will last once my father reads that folder I don’t know.
As we weave our way through the city, Robert talks nonstop about his shipment of diamonds coming in. How this batch is the best find in a century and the millions in profits they will bring in. I sit back and just listen and watch the exchangebetween my father and him. Mostly, I’m watching my father and learning.
He hasn’t said a word, just nods at the appropriate time in the conversation, never giving away his own thoughts or even reacting in any way. I know he’s absorbing every word Roberts spouts, reading his body language as do I, but the calm exterior my father displays is a lesson I need to learn.
We reach the Four Seasons Hotel, and as we pull up, Robert tells my father he has a car for tonight’s tour and that he will meet us in the lobby at seven.
I raise my eyebrow, ballsy!
My father turns to him as the valet takes our luggage out of the trunk.
