The Italian Inheritance by Louise Rose-Innes

glance, “And that means trouble for a lot of them. School work suffers. Jobs get lost.” He shook his head. “You know what it’s like for many of these kids, you’ve been there. We both have.”
    Rico frowned. “What about a temporary shelter?”
    “I thought of that, but where? You want to do it at your place?”
    Rico grimaced. “I’ll look around, see what I can find.”
    “Yeah, thanks.” The best he could hope for was to make a deal with one of the other street shelters in the district. Even then, it would be impossible to get the word out to everyone.
    “What happens to the staff, while all this is going on? Don’t you have a teacher there, as well?”
    “A house mother, a cook, a teacher, an admin assistant, handyman... they all have to be paid. I’m not going to risk losing them.”
    “What a bastard,” muttered Rico, with uncharacteristic viciousness. “If only he knew what an effect his building work is having.”
    “Oh, he knows,” confirmed Rafael . “I’m sure he did his homework before he moved his crew in. He just doesn’t care. What do a few homeless kids matter when there are millions to be made?”
    “Pity he didn’t give you more warning .” Rico looked very concerned . “The bastard sprung it on you with the finesse of a steam train.”
    “Less time for me to react,” spat R afael bitterly. “And it worked. Now I’m scrambling... just like he wanted.”
    They finished their coffees and said goodbye. Rafael got back on the phone and rang up some old contacts in the real estate business. His mind was focused. He needed to find premises for the shelter and he had to do it as soon as possible.
    It was almost five when a decidedly weary Rafael clambered on board his motorboat and headed for home . The cabin cruiser had a powerful motor and made short work of the forty minute crossing to Capri.
    Rafael was hungry. He debated popping in at his local tratoria. It had been a long day and a plate full of pasta and a cold beer would go down really well.
    Should he ring Christina ? She was always available for him whenever he needed her. He liked that she didn’t complain about their casual alliance or push for something deeper, more committed. He suspected that she’d like something more, but she knew it was never going to happen. As she’d once said to him, it was better to have him this way, than not at all. That suited him down to the ground .
    But strangely enough, tonight he wasn’t in the mood for Christina.
    His thoughts turned to the tall, willowy blond that had a woken him early that morning. What had she been up to, breaking into his premises like that? Was it really to see if Giovanni lived in the villa or was there more to her story that met the eye?
    A vision of her soft, slender body in that figure hugging black outfit came to mind. Rafael inhaled sharply. She was a beautiful woman, there was no denying it. He was suddenly hit by an urge to see her again. Sure she was coming to his office in the morning, but what was she doing tonight? Would she be alone at the hotel?
    A sneaky thought popped into his head. What if he went to see her? Invited her out for dinner. She probably didn’t know anyone in Capri. They could engage in some light conversation, drink a little vino .. . Her guard would be down. Maybe she’d divulge something about herself that would make his job of verifying her easier. Some personal titbit of information that would rule her out as a legitimate candidate . S he could let something slip that would incriminate her , show her up as a fake and a fraud .
    The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Before he knew it he was heading down the rambling cobblestoned pathway to the Bella Vista Hotel.
    It was a warm evening, typical of mid-summer on the continent and the air was fragrant with the pungent scent of hibiscus flowers and frangipani. It was an evening to be enjoyed with good food, wine and the company of a beautiful woman—e ven