Chapter 27 Cade #2
“I hate this. I hate not doing anything.”
“Then do something. Distract yourself. Call your friend over. Have drinks, go to her place, do what you need to do to get your mind off this.”
She nods as my phone buzzes.
“Enzo, I know it.”
I turn and grab my phone.
Enzo: Meet me at Joe’s. Bring your game face. The usual.
“I have to go meet him. I’ll be back as soon as I can. But call your friend.”
For a quick second, I’m not sure she’s going to give me even a quarter inch. But she does.
“Uncement?” she says.
“That’s not a thing,” I grin, going to her and kissing her. “But it should be.”
When I can tear myself away, she’s on the phone to Lia.
I leave her some cash for pizza, and then I pack my computer and head out.
Joe’s is a bar on the Lower East Side that is a mix of people from the edges of society. Those who work in the shadows like us. Criminals. People with things to sell whether it’s information or services.
I head in, hood up, and hope like hell whatever this meeting is, is fruitful.
It’s late when we get to my place, and it’s quiet. Vi texted she was taking a nap when Lia left, but I was to wake her when we get back.
I hold my finger to my lips as we walk into the loft. “Vi’s sleeping, so keep it down.”
“And here I was, ready to rage.”
Enzo heads into the kitchen and puts his backpack down, helping himself to whiskey and a slice of cold pizza from the box in the fridge.
I pick up my old whiskey, drain it, and then refill because I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a long ass night.
“That was…” Enzo searches for the word, but I’ve got it.
“Bunk.”
“Inconclusive. But it did back up what we thought…what you thought. The fishing store is a cover. And that training place is where they hold the most precious cargo.” He slumps in a chair and finishes off the pizza slice, washing it down with whiskey.
Then he pulls out his computer. “We need to get in there.”
How? Men aren’t exactly invited in or what they want in terms of workers. Sure, there are guys on the payroll, but they wouldn’t be at the same place. So, we need to think outside the box.
“Or if we can’t, we do something about crippling the funds coming into The Dungeon.”
He shakes his head. “Not going to happen. Fees aren’t on that system, and we don’t know how it’s set up. Names will be at the office, either on a closed system or probably written in a log book, old school style.”
Fuck, he’s right. “And I’m thinking the money coming in isn’t to do with fees.”
“Fees are going to be cash or money paid into other avenues of Allistair’s many businesses. He’s not rich for nothing.”
“We need to sort this out. That cash flow being deposited could be for girls.”
“Or drugs. Or investments.”
“Point is, it’ll all be illegal. No one has big sums moved like that legally.”
“Fuck. We need to open a club, stat. They’re a money maker and perfect cover for laundering.”
“Perfect to be swooped down on by the vultures out there, the ones who’ll pick your bones and turn you into a puppet.”
Enzo reaches for the bottle. “That’s not what vultures do.”
I move it away from him and top up mine, not that it really needs it.
He reaches over and pulls it back to him. Then he rubs the back of his neck, which makes me narrow my eyes.
“What?”
“There’s one more thing I didn’t tell you earlier. Uncle Gino offered to ‘take care’ of Ivan for us.”
“Then we should take that. It’ll clear up a lot of paths.” I sit up from my fruitless attempts to see if there’s some kind of magical door into information we need on The Dungeon site. There isn’t because otherwise Enzo would have found it, but I have to do something.
“It’s Gino. It’s for a price.”
Of course, it is. I sigh. “What’s the price?”
Enzo shrugs. “That’s the thing, and we both know it. Whatever the true cost is, and if it’s something we can deliver or stomach, won’t ever be known until Gino comes calling, asking for that favor to be repaid.”
“So, you want to leave it?”
“Of course, I do, but you’re right in this, too. You were right that I needed to ask Gino. My uncle won’t ask us to deliver the heart of someone, but it could be bad.”
I look at him and sip my whiskey. “We deal in bad.”
“It’s still a risk,” Enzo says. “But so is letting Ivan plan whatever revenge he’s likely planning. He went to ground, and I don’t think it was just out of fear we’d hurt him.”
“Agreed. He’ll be strategic. He’s still here, laying low, which means he’s planning revenge. If he finds out we’re on to him…”
“He’ll maybe strike but end game will be he’ll disappear very fast. And he’ll definitely go back to Russia. If he’s there and knows he definitely needs us gone, he’ll be way more dangerous than he is.”
“So,” I say, “we need to deal with him while we can.”
“Yep.”
He drinks some more of the whiskey, then says, “I gotta ask, man. Do you think Joseph’s on to you?”
“The man’s never met me.”
“Violet. I mean Vi. Someone got her in there, so…” He trails off.
“I got her in there, but I don’t think that would have worked if she didn’t have the credentials and she wasn’t seen as an asset. Having a good intern who’ll go places looks good, you know?” I say, like I know what I’m talking about.
I do to the extent that Violet’s an asset any way anyone looks at it.
“Walsh isn’t going to take on someone if he’s suspicious.” I shrug. “His political offices are his sanctums.”
“Your girl’s not the quiet type. She’s not going to wilt quietly in a corner. She’s more the Boudicea type. She’ll make noise and fight, and you know it.” Enzo eyes me as he takes another swig of his whiskey.
“Shit.” I sigh. “Then we need to find this Gianna before Walsh gets spooked.” Before Vi rattles cages she needs to leave alone.
“Vi’s gonna be okay. But if he’s the one behind his kid disappearing, that means he knows where she is.
If he suspects anything, he’ll get rid of the evidence.
First thing he’ll do is have Gianna killed. ”
“Because to him, she’s dead anyway.” Enzo looks down and taps on his computer. “If she’s not already, that is.”
“Why not kill her immediately?”
He shrugs. “Money. Come on, you know this. Right now, she’s as good as dead, but she’s worth something so as long as there’s no chance of him being discovered, she’ll breathe.”
If, as he says, she’s not already dead.
Suddenly, my senses prick, and I turn right as Vi wanders into the kitchen, looking half asleep and thank fuck she’s wearing clothes.
She frowns, taking us in, along with the whiskey. “Why didn’t you wake me? I told you to wake me. I’m not a child—”
“Then don’t act like one,” I say. “You were clearly tired, so I didn’t wake you.”
“Are you telling me I’m a child?”
“No.” I grin. “That’s gross. I’m telling you you’re being a brat.”
I motion her over, and she comes, her hand curling through my hair as I pull her on my lap.
Then because she’s about to say something, I kiss her, taking my fill. Because if you ask me, it’s been way too long since I’ve tasted her sweetness, the slide of her tongue. The honey of her.
Enzo clears his throat. “Still here.”
I kiss her again. And slide my hand up her top to fondle her breasts.
“Definitely my cue to leave,” he mutters.
“I don’t know.” I pull her shirt up higher so he can see her back and the start of her bra. It’s a back clasp, and I want it undone. “She likes being watched, remember?”
Vi hits me, wiggling back, trying to get free, but I hold her on my lap, pushing my erection up so she can feel it between her thighs.
“Cade,” she mutters.
“Fuck, I remember. And I don’t want to,” Enzo says as I start to tug her T-shirt up again.
“Cade!” she squeals.
“Yeah, Cade. You two can fucking at least try to keep it in your pants until I’m out the door.”
And with that, he grabs his computer and runs.
“Weakling,” I call out to him.
And then I’m lost in the pleasures of Vi.