"Okay, Richie ... you have til noon," Sonny said, running his hands through his hair in agitation. He started to walk away and stopped. Before Richie knew what was happening, Sonny slammed his fist into his gut. Richie let out a loud groan and slumped down to the ground on his knees.

He flinched as Sonny jabbed his index finger in the middle of his forehead. "If you don't have it by noon, I'm gonna cut your motherf.u.c.kin' fingers off. Capische?" Sonny drew his arm back to strike him again and then laughed as Richie cowered to the ground, his hands above his head.

Richie slowly moved his hands from in front of his face. "I swear I'll have it for you, Sonny," he said, his voice shaking.

"If you know what's good for you, you better," Sonny said over his shoulder before turning to leave.

Sighing with relief, Richie watched Sonny walk over to Henry and Farino, who had stopped near a trash bin close to the alley's entrance. He saw Henry glaring down at something and moved a little to the right to see what it was. An old b.u.m was looking up at the men from inside a cardboard box.

"What ta f.u.c.k you looking at?" Henry yelled, kicking the man in the stomach as hard as he could. The old man groaned, slumped forward, and then fell back into his box. Henry high-fived Farino as if he had just scored a game-winning goal.

Chapter 14.

The week had flown by, and before Rheyna knew it, she found herself and Annie on their way to meet Caroline at the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club. She thought about her conversation last night with Laura regarding the hit down in L.A.

They had found the abandoned grey panel van parked down at one of the docks. The van had been stolen the night before from a flower delivery service over on the south side, and just as they had expected, was wiped clean.

Laura told her about the conversation she and Stevens overheard at Pal Joey's between Big Tony, Sonny, and Henry. Laura was really kicking herself in the a.s.s for not warning their people in L.A.

Rheyna tried unsuccessfully to convince Laura that it wasn't her fault. Stevens was the one who owned it. If anyone was responsible, it was him. He was the one who had to live with the consequences of his actions-or in this case, lack thereof. He was also the one who now had to deal with Edwards.

Rheyna pulled into the crowded parking lot and saw Caroline waving from the bow of a very large boat. From what she could see, Caroline was wearing a white t-s.h.i.+rt over a neon pink bikini. She had to stifle a laugh when she saw the name on the side of the boat. In big, red, cursive writing was the name aUntouchable'. Not only was it appropriate, but typical for Anthony Castrucci to be so openly arrogant.

She helped Annie over the rail and climbed onboard. The red and white boat was impressive, to say the least. If she had to guess, she would say that it was at least thirty-feet long.

Caroline took off her sungla.s.ses and perched them on top of her head. "Hi, there," she said with a big smile.

"Hi, there yourself."

"Are you sure you two are up for this?"

"Oh, yeah. I've been looking forward to it all week, and whatever I like, Annie likes."

Caroline grinned. "Is that a fact?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, it is." Rheyna pulled her t-s.h.i.+rt over her head, revealing her own bikini. She slid one of the loungers around, so she would be facing Caroline. She didn't need to look up to know that Caroline was watching her. She knew where Caroline's eyes were by the warm tingling sensations traveling up her body.

"The color suits you. I think the black and teal goes great with your hair and eyes."

Rheyna felt her cheeks flush. She forced herself to look at Caroline, to meet her gaze. Her eyes went to Caroline's mouth.

Since the very first moment they met, she had sensed something different about Caroline, though not different in a strange or odd sort of way. Caroline was humanely different. "Marked by compa.s.sion, sympathy, and consideration for humans and animals," is the Merriam-Webster's definition of humane, and it described Caroline perfectly.

It was those attributes wreaking havoc on her emotions. Although she had wanted to leave Was.h.i.+ngton and looked at it as a chance to get on with her life, a big part of her was comfortable with her boring existence. Since Jenny died, she had avoided dating like the plague. The few times she had, it felt like a betrayal to Jenny's memory; the guilty feelings afterward didn't help, either.

She was falling for Caroline and falling hard. She didn't want to be in love with any woman, especially if that woman happened to be Caroline Castrucci. It was something that could never be.

Annie barked, snapping Rheyna from her thoughts. She turned to look in the same direction as Annie. Just a few slips down, a young couple was boarding a boat approximately a third of the size of theirs. She turned back around and caught Caroline watching her.

"I really like the color of your suit," she said, immediately feeling like an idiot. Talk about a delayed reaction, she thought as she leaned back in the lounger.

Caroline smiled and pulled her gla.s.ses down over her eyes. "Okay, then. Now that we've got that out of the way, what'ya say we get out of here?" Caroline started the engine and expertly maneuvered the boat out of the bay.

Annie had found her place at the front rail, wagging her tail. She periodically barked at the pa.s.sing skiers as Caroline steered the boat up the coast toward deeper water. They traveled at a steady, even pace, not too slow and not too fast, just fast enough to enjoy the breathtaking views along the coastline. They cruised for close to an hour before Caroline found a little out-of-the-way spot back in a cove off the main throughway.

She dropped anchor, pulled her t-s.h.i.+rt over her head, and then joined Annie and Rheyna on the bow. She pulled over a lounger and sat down next to Rheyna, swinging her legs over the side of the chair. She stuck her hand in the pocket on the backside of her lounger and pulled out a bottle of tanning oil. "I don't think we could have picked a better day to be on the water," she said.

Rheyna's senses were a.s.saulted with a mixture of coconut and seawater. She watched Caroline spread the oil over her tanned legs. Her skin was the sweet color of honey and so rich in contrast with the blue of her eyes, giving them an almost iridescent glow. They were hypnotic. It would be so easy to see her gracing the cover of Vogue magazine, she thought as Caroline rubbed in the oil.

Caroline turned to Rheyna and smiled. "Is it awesome out here, or what?" she asked.

"Yes, and according to the wonderful weather channel, we're going to be in the high eighties all day."

"If you ask me, it feels more like ninety," Caroline said as she continued to spread the oil on her arms.

Rheyna glanced around the bay. "I think I could stay here for days."

"I have. It's just like having a little apartment on water, and it has everything you could possibly need. Dad bought it a couple years ago for business, but I use it more than he does," she said, holding the bottle of lotion out for Rheyna. "Would you mind putting some on my back?" she asked.

"I don't think that is such a good idea," Rheyna said the words in her mind.

Caroline didn't wait for her to answer and turned over on her stomach, stretching out on the lounger.

When Rheyna touched Caroline's skin, she half expected to hear a sizzle. She knew this was dangerous ground and quickly finished the task. She set the bottle on the table and leaned back in the seat, prepared to soak in the sun.

Caroline reached over her, her hand slightly brus.h.i.+ng against Rheyna's stomach. She grabbed the bottle of oil and squirted a dab in her hand. "Your turn, now turn over and I'll put some on you."

What could she say? No, you can't possibly put your hands on me. What choice did she have, other than to comply? As soon as Caroline touched her, she felt all the stress leave her body. Her hands were so warm, and Rheyna was powerless to control the s.h.i.+ver that made her hair stand up on end. She hoped Caroline didn't notice. No such luck, she thought when she heard Caroline chuckle.

A little embarra.s.sed, Rheyna turned over and pulled her shades down over her eyes. She was grateful that Caroline didn't say anything.

Caroline stood up. She looked down at Rheyna. "I'm going to get a drink. Would you like something?" she asked.

"I'll have whatever you're having."

Caroline disappeared inside the cabin and came out a few minutes later with two gla.s.ses and a bottle of wine.

Rheyna peeked at her over the rim of her gla.s.ses.

Caroline held the gla.s.s out to her and laughed. "I promise not to pa.s.s out on you this time."

"That's not what I was thinking."

"What were you thinking, then?" she asked, pouring the wine into Rheyna's gla.s.s.

Rheyna motioned behind her. "I was thinking that boat is getting awfully close."

Caroline turned to look in the direction Rheyna was referring to, just as a horn blared. Annie's ears perked up, and she barked at the darkly tanned man in swimming trunks waving from the bow.

"Hey, Caroline!" he yelled as the boat came to a stop less than ten feet away from them.

She smiled with recognition. "Hi, Phil. What are you doing out here?"

"Same as you, honey-working on my tan."

Caroline frowned. "Where's Jesse?"

"Speak of the devil," Phil said, smiling at the gorgeous young man with blond highlights, coming from the other side of the boat.

Rheyna felt relief the minute she saw him. Her gaydar went off in full force. She had no doubt they were lovers.

"Hi, Caroline," Jesse said cheerfully with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, Jesse."

"Who's your friend?" Phil asked, looking directly at Rheyna.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Phil, Jesse, meet Rheyna Moretti." She turned to Rheyna. "Rheyna, I'd like you to meet two of my dearest friends. Doctor's Phillip Lowry and Jesse Kar."

Rheyna found it hard to hide the smile creeping at the corners of her mouth. "I'm pleased to meet you both," she said.

Jesse smiled at Rheyna. "I love your name. I don't think I've heard it before."

"Thank you. I have my grandmother to thank for it."

Rheyna knew they were sizing her up, and from the look on their faces, she was sure their gaydar had gone off as well.

Caroline lifted her gla.s.s to them. "Wanna join us?"

Phil shook his head. "I wish we could but we have to head back."

"We're both on call tonight," Jesse chimed in and then asked, "Why don't you two join us for dinner sometime next week?"

Caroline looked at Rheyna. Rheyna shrugged. "Sounds great to me."

"Okay, then. I'll give you a call later," Jesse said over his shoulder before ducking back into the cabin.

Phil winked at Caroline. "You'll have to bring Rheyna with you to our party."

"Oh, Phil, that's three months from now," she teased.

A big smile crossed his face. "Since when is it too soon to plan for a party?" he asked.

"You're incorrigible," Caroline laughed.

Phil smiled and put the boat in gear. "See ya soon!" he yelled as the boat took off toward the Yacht Club.

"They seem very nice," Rheyna said.

Caroline sat back down in her lounger. "They are."

"Have you known them long?" Rheyna asked after Caroline refilled their gla.s.ses.

"Since I was seventeen. Jesse and Phil encouraged me to become a veterinarian."

"They must be very good friends," Rheyna said as she watched their boat get smaller and smaller.

"The best anyone could ask for." Caroline took a sip of wine. "The party Phil was talking about is one they do every year to raise money for the Pediatric Aids wing at Children's Hospital." She set her gla.s.s on the table and stood up. "I'll be right back. I have a surprise for you." After a few minutes, she reappeared with an ice-cream cone and handed it to Rheyna.

Rheyna involuntarily groaned when she realized what flavor it was. "Moose tracks is my absolute favorite," she managed to say between licks.

"I know," Caroline said smugly.

"How do you know?" Rheyna asked, surprised at the revelation.

Caroline shrugged. "I overheard you tell Mom."

Rheyna tried to keep up with the ice cream, but the sun was melting it faster than she could lick it. Annie, on the other hand, was not minding it a bit. A steady stream ran down Rheyna's arm, falling off her elbow to the deck below, where Annie happily slopped it up. Rheyna grabbed the sides of her temple. "Oh ... brain freeze. I can't eat anymore," she said, giving the rest of the cone to Annie.

Caroline picked up a napkin and leaned toward Rheyna. "You missed some," she said softly, gently wiping off a small bit of ice cream near the corner of Rheyna's mouth.

The act froze Rheyna to the spot. Her heart raced into overdrive. The roaring in her ears was so loud; she was convinced that Caroline could hear it. I really need her to stop touching me, she thought, raising her head to look at Caroline. Something was telling her that Caroline was feeling it, too-she could see it in her eyes.

Caroline was the first to break the contact. She got up and walked to the helm.

Maybe I just imagined it. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. Just maybe Caroline really didn't know the effect she was having on me. Maybe you have a little too many maybes, she told herself. Maybe you should try focusing a little harder on the job you came here to do. "What's happening to you, Rheyna?" she asked herself. You need to stop s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around and act like the FBI agent that you are. The roar of the engine forced her to stop talking to herself.

"We need to get going because the sun will be setting soon," Caroline said as she raised the anchor and put the boat in gear.

It took them a full hour to get back to the Yacht Club, and ten minutes after that, Rheyna and Annie were on their way home. She tried not to think about Caroline. She was fighting a losing battle. She had such a great time being alone with Caroline, and she hated for it to end. Once again, her thoughts turned to Jenny. "What am I gonna do, Jen?"

Don Carlos Ma.s.sino, the head honcho of California's crime family, was sitting at his favorite table in the back room of Barecci's Restaurant. He listened intently to the voice on the other end of the telephone. His brow furrowed into a frown, his face and body visibly stiffened.

"I thought you should know," Don Vitto Lucchese said through the other end of the phone.

Roberto watched Carlos shake his head, his anger very much evident by the stern set of his jaw.

"I thought as much. Thank you, Vitto. I won't forget your loyalty," he said, slamming the phone down on the cradle. He looked at Roberto. "Can you believe the nerve of that man? How can he possibly be stupid enough to think that the Commission, the Commission I chair, would take sides with him over me?"

Roberto nodded his head. "Yeah, he's pretty ignorant and Henry told one of the boys he's getting worse. You not attending Anastasia's funeral has pushed him over the edge. He thinks you were disrespectful."