JERILYN WAS waiting for Gianni when he got to the ranch. He’d brought Alison, Greg, and Luis with him as part of his countly entourage. The rest of the guys were moving into the bunkhouse this afternoon.
She walked right up to him and poked him in the chest. Hard. “I expected you yesterday.”
“Ow.” He rubbed the offended spot. “Good to see you too, Zia.”
“Pussy.” She rolled her eyes and dragged him into a hard hug. It was vaguely like being mauled by a bear wearing Estée Lauder.
She left a huge lipstick kiss on his cheek, and he laughed while he picked her up as much as he could, making her squeal. “Oh, I missed you, Auntie.”
“I missed you, baby boy. Alison, gorgeous girl. How have you been?”
He watched with fiendish glee as Alison was engulfed next. Alison wasn’t a hugger, so she stood there like a pit bull who was supposed to be lifted onto the vet table—stiff and wide-eyed. He grinned, knowing he had to have what Alison called his evil clown face on. “Zia, this is Greg and Luis. They’re driving and pretending to protect my gorgeous ass.”
“Oh, pleased to meet you, boys.” She pumped first Luis’s hand, then Greg’s. “Oh, good grip, son. I like it.”
“I offered to be your pool boy,” Greg said, winking at Jerilyn.
“Yeah, Miss Alison here is more my type, but I can admire the male form, especially when it’s working.”
Greg hooted. “I like an honest lady. We need to have a meeting, Caesar?”
“Yeah. Is there coffee, Zia?”
“Always. I made peanut butter cookies too.”
“Oh man, I could murder a cookie,” Luis said. “Did you know this man does not stop to pee, eat, or get Starbucks?”
“Jesus Christ, Gonzales,” Alison snapped. “You aren’t a pregnant broad. Suck it up. It was a two-hour drive.”
“Oh, speaking of pregnant broads….” Jerilyn handed over the plate of cookies and started pulling out mugs. “I found you the perfect foreman. Young, totally out of his league, wife pregnant with twins—he’ll do anything to keep this job, and he won’t ask questions.”
“Good deal. I’ll have to meet him tomorrow morning.” Gianni wanted a day to settle in and get his lord-of-the-manor attitude in place.
“In the meantime, ma’am, the bathroom is….”
“There’s a powder room down here,” Jerilyn said, pointing back out to the main room. The second door to the right of the front door.”
Luis fled. “He should have gone before we left,” Greg murmured. “He’s obviously not from here. That’s okay, neither is Gianni, right? Mr. Lord of the Manor.”
Jerilyn laid out cups of coffee, cream and sugar. “Ta-da. Am I in on this meeting?”
“For part of it, yes.” Gianni softened that with a smile. “Some of it is above your pay grade.”
She clapped her hands. “I get paid?”
“Oh, I like her.” Greg grinned wide. “I would totally be your pool boy, ma’am.”
“Mmm. You can water my plants too. Shirtless.” Greg did that flexing thing again. The maneuver made Alison’s eyes bug out every time. Fascinating. She really, really needed to let herself go once in a while.
Luis returned, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry. I was up doing reports for my last case all night, sucking down coffee to stay awake.”
“You want some water instead?” Jerilyn asked.
“He’s a fed, Zia. He only knows paperwork and coffee.” Gianni winked at Luis, who flipped him off.
“You gotta fill in for Jewel, man?”
Gianni grinned wider. Kody did ride Luis like a prize pony. It was glorious. “Yeah, I promised him I’d keep you primed.”
“Fuckers.” Luis settled in on a stool. “Oh, those cookies smell good, ma’am.”
“Thank you, honey. I like to bake.”
“Well, you can bake your heart out, Zia. These guys can eat.”
“Kody is the size of a house,” Alison said.
When Jerilyn raised her eyebrows, Gianni snorted. “He’s the size of a bulldogger.”
“Who’s he work for?”
“Rangers.”
“Very impressive. I like it when a man can ride.”
“Kody, Harrison, and Four-Fingers will be staying at the bunkhouse, huh? These guys here can’t pass as cowboys.”
Greg sniffed. “I’ll have you know I was on the rodeo team in high school. I just like my amenities.”
“Me and horses aren’t friends,” Luis muttered. “They bite.”
“So do I.” Alison bared her teeth.
“Yum.” Jerilyn winked when Alison gave her a horrified look. “Okay, honey, what do I need to know? I have a mani-pedi at one.”
“Basically I need your support with the locals. I need everyone to believe I’m the millionaire rancher.”
“Well, you are, aren’t you?”
He shook his head, imperceptibly. The fact that his role and his real life were totally intertwined here needed to be a nonissue. His folks had money; he was his own man. Mostly.
“I need them to think I’m as bad as Massimo,” he told her.
“No one is that bad.” Jerilyn waved a hand in the air. “I love your daddy, you know that, but he’s a gold-plated dickhead.”
“That’s what I’m going for. I want the focus on me so the team can work.” Everyone understood working for an asshole.
“Okay. Well, I’ll just think of your dad and grin.”
“That’s it. You know he adores you.”
“Like he adores a snake.” She flipped a wave at him. “I’ll set up a meeting with you and the foreman and let him know he’s got more wranglers coming in. I’ll be at my house if you need me. Maria is coming in to cook tonight, but you’re on your own until then.” She winked broadly. “Brisket, coleslaw, and beans in your fridge.”
“You rock, Zia. Thank you. Seriously.” Somehow they’d devoured the cookies.
“Not a problem. You need more for those bunkhouse boys, holler. I’ll stop by Outlaw’s on the way home.” She headed out, leaving Alison, Greg, and Luis staring after her.
“Man, she’s a force of nature,” Alison said. “I always forget.”
“She’s amazing.” He loved her dearly, and he was grateful he could count on her.
“Okay, so where do we start?” Luis asked, much more relaxed now that he’d had cookies and a bathroom break.
“I want everyone familiar with the house first and foremost. You’ll need to know all the ways in and out, all the access to internet and such. I have blueprints for everyone, as well as for the ranch and all the barns and houses, Jerilyn’s place.”
“Got it. You have servant’s quarters or something?”
He chuckled. “No. Maria lives in town. When Mamma and Papà come to stay, their driver stays in a guest apartment above the garage.”
“This place has eight fucking bedrooms, guys. Eight. Eleven bathrooms. Who the fuck needs eleven bathrooms?”
Luis looked from Alison to him. “Are any of them gold-plated?”
“No.” Gianni rolled his eyes. “Not even the master. Come on, let me show you where to stow your gear. Alison, you’re in the blue room.”
“Ooooh, whirlpool tub.”
“Been here a lot?” Greg asked.
“If you had a partner with a house like this, would you say no when you get a shot at it?”
“Nope.”
“She’s even been to my dad’s place in Basiglio.” His father’s villa was vast and in one of the richest areas of the Milanese metro. Alison had been kinda taken aback.
“Damn. How did you manage him for a partner?”
“I was terrible in a past life.”
Greg hooted, and even Luis smiled a little. They all humped their gear upstairs, Alison ducking into her room while he showed the guys where they could crash. Just out of pure perversity, he gave Luis the cream-and-gold bedroom with the dainty dressing table and the princess canopy. His cousins usually stayed there when they came in from Milan.
“It’s gorgeous, Gianni. Was this your room when you were little?”
He batted his eyelashes. “Only part-time.”
Greg hooted when he saw his room. “Oh man, look at all that manly forest green.”
“There’s a full-length mirror. You can flex at will.”
“Woo! I’ll have to jack off too.” He clapped Greg on the back, about to make another smartass comment, but his phone dinged. “Settle in. I’ll see y’all downstairs.”
“You got it. Hell of a nice place to work undercover, man.”
“Thanks.” He liked Greg already. Luis was a solid guy too, really. They may never see eye to eye, but this whole team was cherry, and he would tell Tom that on their next call.
Harrison and Kody were in the bunkhouse, apparently, and were headed for the barns.
Where the hell was Four-Fingers?
“Boo!” Speak of the devil, Colt jumped out at him when he hit the bottom of the stairs. Thank God he was wearing cowboy boots instead of his Gucci loafers, because his heels caught him when he sprang back, keeping him from slipping and going ass over teakettle on the slick floors.
“Jesus, you asshole!” He grabbed Colt, hugged the little bastard. “You made it without killing anyone?”
“I make no promises. I’ve been here since yesterday.”
“Well, hide the bodies well. Met the new foreman yet?”
“No, he’s keeping his head down.” Colt slapped his butt, which made him laugh out loud. “I need to wire some shit. I need Auntie’s house code too.”
“You mean you can’t hack it? I’m disappointed.”
“I can, but your aunt scares me.”
Not much scared Colt, so that was high praise.
“Come on, I’ll get you the codes. You’re in the room above the garage, yes?”
“Yeah. I have a room in the bunkhouse, but I need way more room than that.”
“Well, this way your room there can seem all normal, and the apartment can be your headquarters.” There was a lot of equipment involved in what Colt did.
“Exactly. I have about a third of it here. The rest comes today and tomorrow. FedEx. Have your security guard deliver it upstairs.”
“Oh, he’ll love that.” He grinned, thinking how Luis would feel about fetch and carry.
“Exactly. So bets on how long the Ranger takes to peg him.”
Personally, Gianni thought Kody was hunting Colt, but whatever. He wasn’t one to say the guys, or gals, couldn’t fraternize on the job, as long as it didn’t compromise the mission. He preferred to get his end off on vacation. The kinds of games he liked to play were better left as speculation with the team.
“I’ll put a C-note that Luis resists.” Colt’s eyes were twinkling like mad. The little shit loved his wagers.
Gianni thought that seemed fair. “Huh. I’ll say Kody doesn’t go for him at all.” Why not? “Can I let Alison in on the pool?” That lady loved to gamble, the worse odds, the better.
Colt nodded, a wicked grin on his face. “Bring it on. Do you want backgrounds on the foreman and the locals you’re bringing in?”
“I do.” He hated to run checks on Chris and Xavvy, but he had no idea what they’d really been up to. The foreman was a new number in the equation, and now would be the time to know anything weird.
“Good deal. I assume you have a housekeeper, groundskeeper, someone to wipe your butt when you’re bored? I need a list.”
“Maria comes in to cook and clean. I’ll get the rest from Jerilyn.” He was just never there.
“Good deal. She can just email you. I’ll get it.”
Fucker. “Yeah, yeah.” He wondered if Colt knew about his burn phones.
“It’s what I do. I keep tabs on my people.” An insane fire burned in that cowboy’s eyes.
“I’m glad I’m a friend and not an enemy, then.” He shared a grin with Colt. “Anything else?”
“Kody and Harrison are saddling up for a check on the back forty.” Colt rolled his eyes. “I think they’re excited.”
“I think they are. Tell me you don’t want in the roping pen.” He knew Colt.
“I’m having Dunny delivered to the stables tomorrow. I’m riding Saturday.” Suddenly Colt was a five-year-old boy with the promise of a pony from Santa Claus.
“There you go.” Gianni had to tamp down the sudden urge to go see who was still in his barn. His old mare, Marisol, had been gone a few years, but he thought he still had a gelding named Buck….
“You wanna come?” Colt asked, waving his mangled hand. “I promise to bring you home with all your fingers intact.”
“I do.” Gianni knew Colt would put him to shame as out of practice as he was, but it would be a good opportunity to see and be seen. “There’s got to be a nag in the stables that needs some exercise, right?”
“Excellent.” Did Colt just bounce? “We’ll fuck with the locals, show them how an Italian can ride.”
“That’s it.” That suited Gianni down to the bone, that Colt would be his ringer. Who knew, Kody and Harrison might be good too. “Okay, lunch will be at one—brisket and beans.”
“Yeah. I’ll be upstairs. Holler.”
Right, he’d not see Colt until Saturday.
He shook his head when Colt disappeared like smoke. Whoever went after that man would have a challenge on his hands. That was too much crazy for him. He needed less homicide, more slap and tickle.
“Nice digs,” Greg told him from the stairs. “You could wander here for days.”
“Right? It’s massive. And insane.” And he wasn’t sure if he loved it or not.
Still, it was his. The original house was a guest residence now, and there was the foreman’s house, bunkhouse, horse barn, tack shed, and medical barn. The courtyard, the outdoor kitchen, the pools, the gym—they were all bonuses.
Luis came pattering down the stairs, grinning. “Okay, so you’re forgiven for that bedroom. The bathroom is awesome!”
He grinned, nodded. He was a bit of a bitch, but he wasn’t cruel.
“Did you remodel?” Alison asked as they all rendezvoused.
“Jerilyn said Bianca and Cecilia wanted a rain-bath shower instead of the princess tub.”
“Oh man. Lucky dogs. Cool. My whirlpool tub is calling my name.”
“Tonight, lady.”
“Not together,” she snapped when Greg and Luis stared at them.
“No. Queer as a three-dollar bill, remember? And she hates me.”
“I do not.” Alison snorted. “I just don’t think you’re a viable mate.”
“She sounds like a dragon,” Greg muttered.
“She is. Okay, come on while I show you the coolest thing about the house.” A secret passage led from the office to the garage.
“Oh fucking A, man. I will do undercover work for you anytime.”
He was tickled that they appreciated his dad’s paranoia. His mom just smiled and nodded. “Fucking cool, isn’t it? Only share this with the team. No locals.”
“Got it.” Alison raised a brow. “Is Four-Fingers running checks?”
“He is. We’ll have it all tonight, as long as his equipment shows up.”
“Ah. We’ll have everything then, won’t we?” Alison had total faith in Colt.
“Right down to whether the carpet matches the drapes on each person. Movie theater is in here, billiard room here.”
“Are we going to have movie night, boss?” Luis rolled his eyes.
“No. No, not unless Colt can rig the screen to go over information.” He winked. “We’re going to eat lunch, make a plan to start the operation, and make sure all of the equipment is in place.”
“Taskmaster.” He was going to beat Greg’s butt. They needed to get their shit set up, because locals were going to start bringing fucking casseroles out of sheer curiosity. This was Texas, after all. “I know, but I have to get my Massimo on.”
“Okay, who is Massimo? Your dad, I think you said?” Luis stared at him, kinda challenging.
“Yes. I won’t bore you with a list of titles, but he’s my father.”
“Gold-plated asshole,” Alison agreed.
“Yeah, yeah.” But he was Dad, and the man was a force to be reckoned with. “Mom can be scarier.”
“No shit.” Colt popped up next to them, making them all jump, surprising the hell out of him. “Show me the movie room.”
“Right.” Gianni was grateful he hadn’t tried to whack the little shit. Lord, Colt was going to give him a heart attack before they even got set.
“You don’t need to see the movie room, butthead.” Alison snarled better than anyone he knew. Ever.
“Yes, I do. I want to see if I can, indeed, hack the screen for meetings.”
“Oh, I bet you can. Come with me. I want porn too, for when Gianni is entertaining.” Alison led Colt off, and Greg followed along behind.
“Yeah, but you want het porn,” Colt groused.
Luis shook his head. “You’re all nuts.”
“You have no idea, fibbie. None.” They were insane. You couldn’t be DEA and not be nuts.
“I’ve heard, but that guy takes the cake.”
“Mmm. Cake.” He needed to see what else Jerilyn left in the fridge. Maybe there would be her famous Texas sheet cake. He headed in to start laying out lunch.
Brisket. Coleslaw. Cornbread. Ooh… chocolate pie. “Score!” He pulled it out to show it off.
“Yum.” Luis gave him a thumbs-up. “Texas, right? It’s the best.”
“Aunt Jerilyn’s is amazing. There’s Reddi-wip too.”
“Protein first.” Greg was back, rubbing his hands together.
“Like stud boy here has ever eaten a carb,” Luis growled.
Greg snorted. “I work out like a fiend. I fucking love chocolate.”
“Huh. I’m impressed. Also, I have a stash. If you’re a good agent, I’ll share.”
Greg clapped Gianni on the back. “You’re a prince.”
“Nah, just a count, eventually.” Plates. Where the heck were the plates?
He found some in the cabinets next to the fridge. Laying them out, he opened up brisket, beans, potato salad, coleslaw, bread, and sausage. Right. Brisket and beans. Jerilyn was a nut.
“What about the other guys? Who feeds them?”
“They’re out in the field right now. I would bet they grabbed something on the way in.”
“Yeah? They won’t be dining with us?” Alison asked.
If not, he would have Maria send food down.
“They’ll be checking in with the foreman. They will be liaising with Colt, and Colt will be in constant contact with me.” Gianni needed someone who could talk to the other cowboys.
“Oh, I get to liaze.” Colt built a plate while everyone stared. “Screen will work. Bye.”
“Bye, Ghosty Dude!” Luis rolled his eyes. “That dude is scary, man.”
“But kind of adorable.” Gianni fixed a plate, including sauce. “Remind me to show you the gym.”
“God, yes. I need my gym time.” He bet Greg needed a metric shit-ton of gym time. Fuck, he would hang out and watch. A lot.
Hell, he’d have to watch Colt and make sure he didn’t tape Greg’s workouts and sell them on the internet.
The idea had him hiding a smile behind his fork.
“So, how does an Italian count end up married to a Texas heiress?” Luis asked, munching a makeshift sandwich.
“They were both having torrid love affairs with people in LA. Dad cooked for her. She brought him home, and they were married ten months later.” It was a love affair for the ages. Still. Dad didn’t look at anyone the way he looked at Mamma.
“That sounds like one of those Italian movies,” Greg said.
“Are you a closet Rossellini fan, Greg?”
“Closet? No. No, I am an enthusiast. Rossellini. Fellini. Zeffirelli. I mean, around here I would guess most people would only watch Leone.”
Gianni stared for a second, and then he started laughing. Tom did know how to put together a team, thank God. “We really will have to have movie night if we have time, man. My dad has all those post-World War II movies.” He was just grinning madly. His phone buzzed in his pocket, so he excused himself, heading out the kitchen door. Xavvy.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“You in town yet?”
“Yeah, just like forty-five minutes ago.”
“Can I come out? I’m dying to see you and get the fuck out of this house, man.”
“Not yet, man. This is a new team. Give me today. I’ll totally take you out for lunch tomorrow.”
“Damn.” Xavvy chuckled. “I hear you got a new foreman. Chris said he met him at the feed store.”
“Yeah? Nobody y’all know? I haven’t met him yet. I’m going to be lording it by then.”
“No, he’s not from here. Young kid, has no idea what he’s doing. Bonner something.”
“Ah.”
“Wife’s knocked up. The size of a house already.”
“No shit? I knew a Bonner once, but he sure wasn’t knocking up girls.”
“Yeah, I got nothing. Hey, you seen Chris yet?”
“Nope. I told you, man, I just got here.” Man, Xavvy was fired up. “I don’t want to look like I’m hanging out with the law.”
“Well, whatever he tells you, it’s a lie.”
“Uh-oh.” Laughter bubbled up. “Sounds like old times.”
“Yeah. You know it. Just… call me. We’ll have coffee in the morning.”
“I will, man. I swear.” God, poor Xavvy. Gianni would go crazy being stuck with his family, not working. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Rock on. Remember, whatever he says, it’s a lie.” Click.
Okay, so now he had to call Chris. He tugged his burn phone out of his pocket, heading a little farther out into the yard. How far could Colt be listening?
“Whitehead.” Crisp, cold, penal. Sexy.
“Hot law enforcement voice, Chris. Super hot.” He grinned, waiting to see if the man recognized him.
“Oh fuck off, Boyardee. You’re already causing enough trouble here.”
“Am I? Why?” Now that was interesting. Buzz already? He was barely in town two hours.
“News travels fast—new foreman, new drovers, horses coming in. They think your mamma’s coming home.”
“Ah. They would like that more than me. What did Xavvy do?”
“Ended up in the drunk tank. Busted up the biker bar on the highway. Someone called him names.”
“What kind of names?” He knew Xavier hated people ragging on him, but he was usually more… choosy about his fights.
“Oh, I bet you can imagine. Xavvy is… wearing his heart on his sleeve these days.”
Goddammit. Xavvy had always fought the bit, especially where his sexual preferences were concerned, but to be wounded and flaunt it in a biker bar? Shit.
“He’s pushing me already to let him in this deal. If he’s a loose cannon, though….”
“Give him something to do. Anything.” Chris chuckled. “He’s bored. Broken. He needs a job.”
A job. Sounded like he needed a keeper.
“I’ll try. Look, I need to meet with you. Just you. Somewhere not here.”
“Come to the house. I’ll text you the deets. Drive one of the work trucks.”
“Okay. Thanks. I have coffee with Xavvy in the morning, but anytime tomorrow evening….”
“I’m not on call tomorrow. Come at six. I’ll grill burgers.” When had Chris got all sure and confident?
“Sounds perfect. This is my burn phone, so don’t give it out, huh?”
“You mean even to Xavvy? You got it, man. Tread carefully there, okay?”
“Thanks.” He hung up. Christ, he hoped he had enough control over Colt to hold this whole thing together. He hoped any of them did.
They were in for a world of hurt if one of the moving parts wasn’t greased right. He headed back inside to eat, his stomach growling. Man, it had been a long day already.
Gianni had a feeling it was only going to get worse.