“Uncle Matthew, are you here?”
“It’s my company, ain’t it?” he called. “Back here, Remy.”
Remy just smiled, shaking his head. Matthew was a man of few words most days. When he did speak, everyone quieted and listened. His calm wisdom and guidance had been given to every man on the property at some point, and they took it. Remy had hoped to be just like him when he was grown up, but at his age, he wasn’t sure how much longer he should be hopeful.
“Hi, Uncle Matthew. Robbie said you wanted me to meet with a potential new client,” he said, sitting across from the older man.
Still sitting straight as an arrow, his chest was wide, his forearms thick from hard work. He had lines and wrinkles on his face, but they seemed like a roadmap of life, not an indication of age. His once dark auburn hair was now more gray than auburn. The whiskey-colored eyes stared at him, boring straight through to his soul, shining with mischief and love.
“Remy, you and Charlotte ever gonna have babies?” he asked casually. Remy chuckled, shaking his head.
“Uncle Matthew, maybe. We just don’t know. Charlotte had a lot of health issues after being held captive. We’re not even sure she can have children.”
“I understand, but adoption is always a good route. Look at Frank and Lane. That little Pierre is somethin’ else.” The older man nodded, effectively ending that part of the conversation, then shoved a few sheets of paper toward Remy. “I suspect this will be of interest to all of us. I received this request yesterday to meet with this man about drilling for oil and gas in a sub-oceanic geothermal fault. In the South Pacific.”
“No,” smirked Remy.
“Yes,” smiled Matthew. “I don’t think this boy knows who we are, which is a good thing. Take Bodhi, Magnus, and Cade with you. They all look like some roughnecks.”
“I’ll do it, Uncle Matthew. Will you let the rest of the team know?”
“I will,” he nodded. Remy turned to leave, and Matthew stood, waving him back toward him. Matthew was still solid as a rock and the same height as Remy. He pulled the younger man in for a hug, slapping his back, then kissed both his cheeks.
“You’re like one of my own sons, Remy. I hate that your Mama and Daddy wanted to be in the northwest, away from the pond, but they had a good life. You’re one of my children, and I love you. Be careful.”
“I will, sir,” he smiled. “I love you, too, Uncle Matthew.” Remy could only shake his head the entire way back to Belle Fleur. He gathered the other three men and told them what had transpired.
“Where are we meeting him?” asked Bodhi.
“We’re supposed to meet him in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton.”
“Nice hotel,” frowned Cade. “He’s obviously got money from somewhere.”
“Yes, but he doesn’t have a company willing to drill near those islands. They’d be stupid to agree to it.”
“Do you think he’s made the connection of RP and Robicheaux Oil and Gas?” asked Magnus. “I’d hate to be walking into a trap.”
“I don’t think he has,” said Remy. “He recognized Angel Jordan’s name, but that doesn’t mean he knew about the rest. Besides, I’m not sure he’d pick the Beverly Hilton to meet if he had.” Luke and Hex walked toward the four men.
“You ready?” asked Hex.
“We’re ready,” said Remy. “I’ll talk about how we operate as a company, answer any specific drilling questions. If he’s worried about us being able to actually do the job, I can talk about the drilling we did near Alaska and Japan. Same sort of concept.”
“What do you want us to do if he agrees to it?” asked Cade. “Should we have the feds there? Should we take him?”
“No,” said Luke. “I want to catch him in the act of attempting to do this. We can’t just have him talking about it. Besides, I want to know what his ultimate game is in this. There’s certainly money to be made from the drilling, but I think there’s something else at play here.”
“Don’t commit to anything right away,” said Hex. “If he wants a contract, commitment, anything along those lines, let him know that the owner would need to make those decisions. Also, don’t tell him you’re a Robicheaux.”
“If I’m not a Robicheaux, what the hell am I?” smirked Remy.
“You’re a Vernon,” grinned Hex. “Welcome to the family.”
“Remy Vernon,” he repeated, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m happy to be a Vernon for a short while.”
In the weapons room of the office, they ensured that the comms device was working and would record all of the conversation. They took several weapons in the stealth netting, tucking them neatly into their duffel bags.
“If he asks us questions, Remy, I won’t know how to answer anything related to drilling,” said Magnus.
