you want tomorrow. What you want next month. Next year. What you want for Niccolos future.
What I want for my son is for him to grow up happy, doing whatever the hell it is he wants to do with his life. I dont want him to be like us. I dont want him to feel trapped, or forced into chasing another mans dream.
Lucky raised his glass of scotch. Then, well drink to happiness, and to changing the future for him.
Joey lifted his glass. And well drink to you, Lucky. For making a trip to Florida and buying that camera.
Lucky nodded, his grin softening his dark eyes and the scar on his chin. To Niccolo. May he grow up to be as wise as his father, and he grinned as handsome as his uncle.
Chapter 2
Now, as she stood in the lobby of Masado Towers with a lump in her throat, clutching Niccis teddy bear, she knew the depth of what she was facing.
The night shed left Chicago, escorted to the airport by two of Franks bodyguards, Joeys dream had been nothing more than a blueprint, steel girders and concrete columns. Today, Masado Towers was a work of art, an architectural phenomenon. A city within a city.
Not only was the Towers a grand hotel, but there were condominiums, offices, department stores, boutiques, an art museum, a health club, a grocery store, restaurants, lounges, movie theaters and a bank.
Rhea had never thought shed underestimated Joeys ability. But all of this confirmed that the man she thought she knew was as complex as the dynasty he had built and now commanded.
If she had known before he had touched her what a mega-power he was, or what the future would hold, would she have done things differently? It was a question she couldnt answer. That night three years ago, beaten down and desperate, alone and scared, she hadnt expected to be rescuedleast of all, rescued by Joey Masado.
Countless times shed gotten herself home from the hospital after one of Studs outbursts. She could have done it one more time. Then Joey had appeared and completely disarmed her with his take-charge tenderness.
But that was then, and this was now. Last night he had breached a secure compound and stolen his son from under the noses of eight armed guards. And he had done it without a single confrontation. The tender man beneath the tough-guy veneer had a ruthless side. Maybe she had always known that. The rumors had surely warned her that the Masado men never turned the other cheek. Never And she had seen evidence of that with Frank. He was a hard man, determined to protect his family, whatever the cost.
Rhea checked her watch. It was early, barely eight. She hadnt slept, nor could she until she saw her son and knew he was safe. She eyed the glass elevatorthe woman at the front desk had said, Youll find Mr. Masados personal elevator in the passageway. Go down hall B, you wont be able to miss it.
As if in a trance, Rhea stepped into the glass box, not thinking it peculiar that the door was standing open as if waiting for her. She pushed the only button visible, and when the door closed, she wet her lips, then nervously brushed her long bangs closer to the scar next to her eye.
When the elevator stopped, she buried her free handthe one that was shakingin the pocket of her brown suede jacket and waited for the door to open. When it did, she was confronted by a man who reminded her of the guards at Santa Palazzobig and tough, and capable of snapping a womans neck in a split second.
Ms. Williams?
How did you know who I Never mind.
The blond powerhouse surprised Rhea with a smile. Im Gates. Mr. Masados
Bodyguard, she finished.
At the Towers we use the word assistant. This way, Ms. Williams.
Rhea followed the six-foot-five assistant. As they walked along, she saw him lower his head and speak softly into a small gold lapel pin on his suit jacket. She decided he was outfitted with a miniature microphone of some kind that allowed him to speak to his boss.
Moments later, Gates stopped in front of a massive pair of doors. He didnt bother to knock, just swung the door open and moved aside to allow her entry.
Rhea stepped inside, her sons teddy bear gripped tightly in her hand. She didnt know what she had expected to find, but a room shrouded in darkness wasnt it. In the next few seconds, as the door clicked behind her, she saw that a vast wall of closed vertical blinds behind a sweeping half-circle desk were responsible for the shadows. They hadnt stolen
all the light from the room, but it certainly had set the tone for what undoubtedly was Joeys morning mood.
The expensive leather chair behind the desk was empty. She was in the lions den, but where was the lion?
She scanned the room and located a silhouette seated at a mile-long bar that looked like it should have been in a nightclub instead of in an office. There was a liquor bottle on the marble surface, and beside it, a half-empty crystal glass.
It was too early to be drinking, but then, her ex-husband had drunk all hours of the day and night. The comparison, as well as the result of those painful times, didnt calm her nerves.