Quietly, Cecily sat the book down on the coffee table. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck laying her head on my shoulder. She whispered into the crook of my neck. “Thank you for this, Aunt Gina. It means more than you’ll ever know.”
Aunt Gina. Wow. There was nothing for me to do but put my arms around her and hug her back. I’m not sure how long we stayed that way. But, that nagging emptiness inside of me, for the first time in my life, didn’t feel so empty.
Chapter 18
Nina Lee-Xiou Manchetti
Members of The Family Council called an emergency meeting to discuss the two most recent vacancies; Eli Nakamura and Wei Chan.
It pissed Nina off that she was informed of the meeting and not included in the discussions about calling it. She smelled a coup within the ranks of the remaining members if she didn’t do something soon.
“Nina, I think we should put your plans on hold until everything dies down.”
“No. That’s not an option. We need to go full steam ahead.”
Jonah thought Nina was making a mistake and moving too fast. “Obviously, it’s your call, but it has only been a couple of months since you were made leader. And, much too close to Eli and Wei’s deaths. Suspicions are high.”
“I don’t care. They can’t prove anything.”
Jonah rubbed his chin. “Do they need to? It’s not like the Council is a law abiding organization.”
“I need people on that Council loyal only to me. And, if you think Ang and Gina aren’t plotting right now to string me up then you’re not as smart as I thought. Anyway, why aren’t you chomping at the bit to get a little revenge against my sister? They knocked you out and left you on the side of the road.”
“Don’t get me wrong. She and I will have our time to face off. In the meantime, I think it’s best to cool it, but again, it’s your decision.”
Nina waved her hand back and forth. “Gina is so preoccupied with mourning the loss of her boyfriend that she’s weak. This is as good a time as we’ll get to take her out.”
“True, but her home is a virtual fortress. How are you going to get to her? She’s been locked behind those gates ever since that Windham guy died. There’s no way we can get in there and do what we need to without a small army. Raising one is sure to draw attention and even more suspicion.”
Nina folded her arms, then rested her chin on her fist. “We’ll need to figure something out when it comes to her, but Ang . . . I want that taken care of just like we planned.”
“Consider it done.” Jonah pulled an envelope off of a side table in Nina’s suite. “Oh, I forgot to mention, a messenger sent this over for you this morning.”
She reached for the large manila envelope. “Who’s it from?”
Jonah shrugged. “Not sure.” He couldn’t resist a little teasing. “All I can say is it’s not a bomb, and it’s safe to open.”
“That’s good because I wouldn’t be too surprised if someone tried to put ricin in it.”
“The guys and I have you covered. Look, I’ve got a couple of things to do before we leave for the meeting. I’ll catch you downstairs in twenty minutes?”
She’d only been half listening as her focus and curiosity got the better of her. “Hmm . . . oh. Okay.” Nina glanced up just as Jonah was walking out of the door. She couldn’t help but wonder who would send her mail, and by messenger to Guilin? No one knew she was there.
As soon as the door closed behind Jonah, Nina studied the nondescript package even more. There weren’t any markings on it not even postage which meant someone hand delivered it to her hotel. After flipping the envelope over just to ensure she hadn’t missed anything, she ripped it open.
Inside was a copy of the New York Times. Nina pulled it out to discover that someone had turned to a specific page and circled an article in red. The headline read: Jules Ming Sherman Exhumed for DNA Identification.
After a moment of shock, Nina flung the paper across the room. Gina knew. This complication was going to make things almost impossible to manage.
*****
Gina Lee-Xiou
“Will Mr. Windham be joining us for lunch?” Brody was right. Cecily hadn’t stopped talking since they’d cleared the air.
We sat in my sunroom eating. “Maybe for dinner. I wanted us to have a little alone time. It’s not often, my niece comes for a visit.”
Cecily beamed. “No, it’s not. I like him, though. He seems cool. You smile a lot when he’s in the room.”
I couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on my face. “Really now? I guess he does make me smile from time to time.”
Cecily put down her fork and leaned back in her chair then patted her stomach. “My goodness. I am so full. I can’t eat another bite. Your cook is sooooo good. What was it we were eating?”
“Yoshi is fantastic. She’s
