Rushed(71)

Seeing me when he turned, he waved at me and stopped, touching down on the bottom of the pool. Walking his way back from the other end, he pulled his goggles off his head and wiped his face. "Tomasso! It's good to have you home, Son! I didn't expect you in for another two hours. What happened?"

"I was able to catch an earlier connection coming out of Denver," I explained, walking closer to the pool. "It's good to see you, Dad."

He got out of the pool and grabbed a robe off the deck chair he'd been using. Tying the belt, he came and hugged me, the two of us clapping each other on the back. "Oh, my boy, it's good to see you too. Ouch,” he said. “Watch it, you're going to hurt an old man's back!"

I laughed and pounded him once more, then stepped back. "You're not old. You're still in the prime of your life."

He chuckled and shook his head. "When a man starts giving away those he feels are his children, then the prime of his life is over. But I plan on hanging on to what's left as much as I can. Come, let's sit."

I took the other seat, and Dad tapped a control on the table. "Can you bring some beer for me and Tomasso? No, wait—make it two sparkling waters."

He clicked off the intercom and shrugged. "I don't want to look like a fool at Adriana's wedding."

"You won't, I promise. I'm glad to be back in time for that as well."

"So, now that you're back, Tommy, what do you plan to do? To be honest, when you left to go to school four years ago, I wasn't sure I'd see you back other than on holidays."

"Actually, if you don't mind, Tomasso now," I said somberly. "I came back because I think it's time for me to set some ideas I had as a boy aside and become a man."

He crossed his hands over his stomach, a gesture I'd come to know well. He was thinking, and his mind, which was stronger than any muscle any of his men may have had, was working. "You know, Tomasso, coming back is not like you just stepped out for a bit while going to school locally. The boys, the Family—they kind of knew you were unsure about this life. Now you're saying you want back in. How would I justify this to men like your friend, Jake, who only left because I told him to go into the military for a few years? How would that even look to his father?"

I nodded, thinking. "I know. It's one reason why I want to earn my way up. The boys, the Family—they won't respect me if I just came in acting like some sort of heir-apparent. I don't want to be some pampered prince, nor do I think that is what you would want of me. So let me start near the bottom, where you think I can learn and show what I can offer.”

Dad's eyes twinkled, and a small smile broke out on his face. "Is that so? You realize if I do that, I must place you under someone besides myself. I can't be the one to mentor you. That would damage the exact thing you are trying to establish."

"I know," I said, thinking. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "You know, Jake Marconi was the guy who picked me up at the airport. I take it that you have him in the office to learn from you?"

Dad chuckled and took a sip of his water. "Jake is a good boy, but he is not cut out for the rough part of life. I kept tabs on him in the military through our connections, and while he's trustworthy and a good worker, he's not as sure on the trigger as I need him at this time. He's too sure of his words and his ability to use his charm. Useful tools, but more useful on the legitimate side of our business than the other side. Why?"

"Well, why not place me under his father, Pietro? He's your most trusted lieutenant. He's one of the best men you've ever worked with, and if anyone can teach me what I need to know, he can do it. Also, let's face it—he's not an easy man to work for. How many men have come to you asking to be taken off his watch?"

Dad laughed, raising his hands in the universal gesture of who knows? "But know this, Tomasso. If I do that, Pietro is going to be your boss, not your father's lieutenant. Can you handle that?"

"Give me a day to get unpacked and get my mind right, and we can talk to Pietro tomorrow," I said, taking a drink. "Would that be okay?"

"Let's talk with him Sunday," Dad replied. "You should take a few more days and get your feet underneath you in Seattle again."





Chapter 2





Luisa





Looking down from ten thousand feet in the United Airlines Boeing, I wished the plane weren’t circling Seattle. While it was summertime in the United States and the weather was reasonably warm, I missed my native land. July in Brazil was beautiful, and in my hometown of Porto Alegre, the midwinter weather was perfect. Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere, so July is actually winter. Not too warm, the rainy season wasn't too bad, and the mid-summer cattle were coming in from the Pampas. Keep your wagyu, your Angus, and your Aussie. I'll take fresh Brazilian beef from the Pampas any day.

Still, as part of my father's businesses, this trip was necessary. The Porto Alege Mendosa family is powerful, but only within our little section of Brazil. Compared to some of the families in Sao Paulo, Brasilia, or especially Rio de Janeiro, we were nothing but backwoods hicks, rednecks with a little bit of money and a lot of cojones. In order to stay strong, we often had to mix our legal and illegal businesses. Then again, many families in Brazil needed to mix their legal and, technically, illegal businesses. Some of the best of them became politicians.