Any event at the Rossi Estate was guaranteed to attract throngs of the world's most notorious high-class criminals, and tonight was no exception. Con artists, mob bosses, drug kingpins, thieves, money launderers, and jewel barons—in essence, anyone who made their millions at the expense of others' wellbeing—were all congregated under one roof for this evening. All together, these people were probably worth billions of dollars on the worldwide black market. They chatted casually with one another, sipping their drinks and laughing at jokes that would probably make the average person feel sick to their stomach.
This was the criminal underworld into which Leonora Rossi had been born.
She leaned against the railing and cast her gaze over the crowd below. Servers carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres and bubbling glasses of champagne drifted from guest to guest while chintzy pop music droned on over the loudspeakers.
Lia sighed.
Not even a chance to get dressed up and attend an auction in the presence of people like these was enough to alleviate her relentless boredom. Being the youngest child of Niccolo Rossi, the notorious mafia lord who lived comfortably outside the limits of the law, was both a blessing and a curse. In many ways she was just another filthy rich kid who was given everything she could have possibly wanted, which wasn't at all a terrible way to be raised.
But it was starting to bore her tremendously.
That was why she liked to play games.
A face in the crowd caught her attention just then, and she zeroed in on the young man wearing an off-white jacket and black dress pants. Something about his blonde hair, translucent blue eyes and lean build was vaguely familiar to Lia, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Andrew," she said over her shoulder, gesturing for the stone-faced man standing against the opposite wall to come closer. "Who's that? The one in the white jacket."
Being a bodyguard for the Rossi family, Andrew made a point of knowing the name and face of just about everyone who walked through the front door, so Lia thought he would be the best person to ask. He stood next to her by the railing, his powerful 6"2 frame positively dwarfing Lia—even when I'm in high heels! she noted resentfully—and followed Lia's line of sight.
"That would be Rafe Adler, miss," Andrew informed her, a faint note of amusement seeping into his otherwise even tone. "Comes from a rich American family. Calls himself a fortune hunter, but he hasn't done anything noteworthy enough to deserve that title. From what I've heard, Adler's infatuated with a pirate named Henry Avery and some sort of treasure he's said to have left behind."
Henry Avery? The name set off a lightbulb over Lia's head, and she felt her interest grow. "Have I met him before?" she asked.
"Not in the time I've been working here," Andrew said, "but it's possible. Your father has done business with a number of upper-class American families, and the Adlers may very well be one of them."
Lia observed the young man for a moment longer, then stepped back from the railing and made her way down to the ground floor, one hand hitching up the hem of her peacock-blue gown. She didn't have to look behind her to know that Andrew was shadowing her like a phantom, his silent movements belying his size.
As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Lia made a beeline for Rafe. Andrew politely kept his distance, melting away into the background while still keeping a close watch over his ward.
Rafe noticed her approaching him, and turned curiously to face her.
A second later, she saw recognition flash in his gaze.
"You're Signore Rossi's daughter, right?" he asked as Lia came to a stop in front of him; he snapped his fingers to try and jog his memory. "Leonora?"
Lia nodded. "That's me. But Lia is just fine."
Rafe took her hand and kissed it, but the refined gesture was ill-suited to the American's generally rugged air. To Lia, it was strangely endearing.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lia. I'm Rafe Adler," he said. He glanced around at the other attendees and the massive, elegant hall before looking at her again. "I have to say, your father really knows how to throw a party."
"If you think an auction is impressive, you should see an actual Rossi party," Lia replied with a wink. A thought occurred to her. "How is it you know who I am? Have we met?"
"We spoke briefly once, but that was years ago, I wouldn't expect you to remember," he said. "You couldn't have been more than sixteen at the time. I was tagging along with my parents, who were buying one of your father's Ming vases at your home in southern France."
"Of course! I thought you looked familiar," Lia enthused. She gave Rafe an appraising look and chewed the inside of her cheek as she mulled her options. He was handsome, that much was obvious, but more importantly he led a life more interesting than hers. Treasure hunters were always getting caught up in misadventures, weren't they? Maybe he could give her something to do so she didn't have to waste away inside the estate for the rest of the summer. Even if that idea fell through, Lia decided she would have some fun with him anyways.
She flashed one of her winning smiles as she spoke. "That was the summer I learned to surf—we ran into each other just as I was heading out to the water."
As the image of Lia wearing a bathing suit and carrying a surfboard under her arm flashed in Rafe's mind, he cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah. Do you still surf now?"
"From time to time, but the waves here aren't ideal," she explained.
As an older couple walked by—a corrupt foreign politician and his wife, Lia noted—she and Rafe stepped aside to let them pass. Lia leaned against one of the tall circular tables nearby, folding her fingers together on its surface and angling her body towards Rafe. A ribbon of thick dark hair fell over her shoulder as she moved.
"So, Rafe," she went on, lowering her voice, "a little bird told me you're after Henry Avery's treasure."
He braced his hands on the other side of the table and narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "That's right," he said cautiously.
"Have you ever heard of Queen Mandukhai the Wise?" Lia asked.
Rafe's brow furrowed. She didn't blame him for not following her line of thought. "Can't say I have," he admitted.
"Mandukhai commanded the Mongol army and fought alongside her men despite being pregnant," explained Lia. "She defended her own lands and conquered others, and reinstated the bloodline of Genghis Khan to the rulership of the Mongol Empire. Her blood runs in the veins of every Mongol noble and ruler ever since." Lia knew very well that rambling about Mongolian history was exactly the opposite of a seduction technique, but sometimes business had to come before pleasure.
"You certainly know your history. She sounds like an incredible woman," Rafe said with what seemed to be genuine interest. "But what's she got to do with Henry Avery?"
Lia drew her tongue across her lips. "Rumour has it that Mandukhai's ceremonial dagger, the one she carried with her at all times, was stolen from her grave and traded off from one hand to the next. The last known owner was, allegedly, Henry Avery. If that's true... well, I would do just about anything to get my hands on this thing. I've idolized Mandukhai since I was old enough to read. To own something that belonged to her would be simply incredible."
Everything seemed to click into place then, and Rafe smiled wryly. "So you want me to keep an eye out for this dagger."
"It'd mean a lot to me," Lia said. "I'd owe you a big favor. And Rossi favors can get you places you can't imagine."
She had captured his attention as far as the treasure hunt was concerned; but the question remained, was she getting his attention in other areas, too? This night wasn't going to last forever, so she had to make an impression if she planned on seeing him again. She observed the way he was leaning towards her, his eyes firmly fixated on her own, a faint smile playing across his lips. Just a bit longer and he'd be unable to get Lia out of his head. He would contact her. She would give him the usual run-around That was how it always worked.
It was fun, this game, but with a vague sense of disappointment Lia realized he wasn't going to be much of a challenge. How boring.
Rafe smoothed the tablecloth beneath his fingers, shaking his head incredulously. "Alright. I'll see what I can do, Lia."
She grinned. "I appreciate it."
"So what's this dagger look like?" he asked.
She held her hands up in front of her face, roughly eight inches apart. "About so big. Heavy, according to Mandukhai's mention of it in her journals. Iron blade, golden handle, small red andesine gem in the hilt. If you look closely, both blade and handle are inscribed with Mongolian script."
Rafe was paying careful attention, committing to memory the mental image conjured up by Lia's description. He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps ask another question, but they were interrupted by a third person—an attractive woman with flawless dark skin and a hard-muscled yet slender body. She approached them like a jungle cat stalking its prey, her gaze cold as she assessed the body language between Rafe and Lia. The phrase alpha female came to Lia's mind.
"Rafe," she said, coming to a halt just a little too close to his side. Lia maintained her easy smile, but internally, her alarm bells were going off. "That item you want? It's up first. The order's been switched."
"Thank you, Nadine," Rafe said. He placed a hand on her arm and gestured in my direction. "Lia Rossi, this is Nadine Ross, head of Shoreline PMC. She and I are partnering up to go after this treasure."
Partnering? Just how platonically did he use that term? Lia glanced back and forth between the two, feeling waves of animosity emanating from Nadine. Lia had clearly trespassed on what this woman thought of as her territory, but it wasn't clear yet whether the two were officially involved with each other. Perhaps they were too professional to let romance get in the way. Perhaps Nadine was staking her claim anyway. It was something Lia herself would have done in a similar situation.
"Pleasure," Nadine said in a tone that suggested their meeting was anything but pleasant.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Lia's indignance flared to life, but she knew this wasn't the time, place, or method for picking a fight with someone like Nadine. It was better to back down for now.
"Likewise," Lia said, acting as though nothing was amiss, as though she was completely unaware of Nadine's hostility. "I think the auction is due to start any second now, so I won't distract you any longer. Best of luck on the bidding, Rafe. Nice meeting you both." As she walked away she gave a tiny wave over her shoulder, her gaze lingering on Rafe, who inclined his head towards her.
"Let's not wait another ten years to catch up again, alright?" Rafe called after her.
It most certainly won't be that long if I have anything to say about it, Lia vowed silently.
Feeling a bit like a general forced to retreat from the battlefield, Lia walked back up the stairs and assumed her previous position by the railing. Andrew materialized at her side.
Lia folded her arms over her chest, mulling over her interactions with both Rafe and Nadine. All talk of Mongol daggers was far from her mind now. If Nadine had never showed up, Lia might have actually forgotten about pursuing Rafe once the night was over, but the older woman's territoriality had set off a powerful reaction. Rafe was a challenge now, the very thing Lia had desired from the beginning. If Nadine thought that Lia didn't have enough of a backbone to stand her ground, she was sadly mistaken, but it was all part of Lia's strategy. This wouldn't be the first time she played her little game with a man who had already been "claimed" by another woman. The added danger of going up against a military commander thrilled Lia to no end.
"That was the leader of Shoreline," Lia commented.
Andrew glanced sidelong at her, and she knew that through his astute powers of observation and knowledge of Lia's many schemes, he had figured out the situation for himself. "You really ought to pick your fights better," he warned.
"Oh, I think I've picked a pretty good one." She grinned smugly as she watched the auctioneer take the stage.
No one, not even someone who ran her own private military, could lay a finger on Leonora Rossi without inciting the wrath of one of the most powerful criminals in the world. This meant that Nadine and Lia were on a level playing field in this game of love and seduction.
From the look of it, this particular game was going to be her most exciting one yet.