Chapter 5
Emelia
My fingers curl around the cellphone in my palm as I wait for the screen to power on. Cheap burner phones are next to useless, and I hate them. I slide into the driver seat of a small sedan and flip down the visor mirror to assess my current wardrobe situation. Dusty green eyes stare back at me, and my lip raises in disgust at my hair, blonde is definitely not in my color palette. I peel the short blonde wig from my head and free my long, wavy black hair from the wig cap. It cascades down my shoulders not so elegantly, sticking out in all different directions from being confined.
The phone pings, alerting me that it is actually ready to do its job for once. I punch in the number and hold it to my ear while still assessing my reflection in the mirror. I drag the pad of my ring finger along my bottom lip, wiping away the excess red lipstick that I applied before going inside the hospital.
“Em.” Hector’s voice is quiet and clipped, all business and no-nonsense. Based on his tone I know he is either at a job of his own or he is with someone that isn’t in our inner circle.
“It’s done,” I say and shift the car into reverse, leaving the chaos in my rearview mirror. Chaos is probably too strong a word. The man was in a medically induced coma after heart surgery and medical complications can be expected during such a precarious time.
“Good. Maybe Lorenzo will take the hint,” Hector responds after a few moments. He’s probably moved somewhere more private. “He can’t expect to fuck with our money and us not retaliate.”
“Giordano was one of his least trusted advisors. Everyone knows he’s little more than a snake in the grass and will bite you the first chance he gets.” I narrow my eyes at the car in front of me that just decided to change lanes abruptly without a signal. Fuck, I hate driving. This is why I sit in the back with a screen between me and the idiots on the road. I’m so keyed up at this point from the adrenaline that I’m more likely to shoot someone that pisses me off instead of walking away. Jokes. I’m always more likely to do that whether I’m keyed up or not.
“I’m not entirely sure that Giordano was working solely for Lorenzo and his crew. You need to be careful. You know we don’t like you getting involved. It’s not safe.”
“Don’t lecture me about safety, Hector. I essentially just killed a man without lifting a finger,” I say matter-of-factly, waving my hand in the air with a slight shrug even though he can’t see me.
“The man that was in a coma? Right. I’m sure he put up a real fight, Little Bird.” I can practically hear the smirk. “Where are you?”
“Need I remind you that the black eye and broken nose you are currently sporting both came from me.” I grin and glance into the rearview mirror before changing lanes, WITH my turn signal. “I’m almost back at the safe house off of Patterson.” I pull into a fast food drive-thru and roll down my window.
“I’ll be there in about an hour. I have to finish up with these guys,” Hector pauses when the staticky voice comes across the speaker asking for my order. “Are you at the fucking drive-thru?” he hisses through the phone. The boys always get so antsy when I’m out and about without protection.
“What? I’m hungry! Can I have a cheeseburger with fries and a coke, please?” I say to the speaker and grin at Hector’s groan. I pull around to the window and fish for my wallet. “Murder always makes me hungry.”
“You seriously need help. You should call your therapist and request an increase in sessions because one every three months is clearly not enough,” Hector teases before turning serious again. “Get to the safe house and make sure you drop the phone.”
I pay for my food and take the bag and drink from the nice lady in the window. She gives me a halfhearted smile and waves her hand before sliding the window closed again. “This is not my first rodeo, cowboy. I know the drill. See you soon.”
“Emerson is waiting for you in the basement.” Hector hangs up, leaving me to my delicious reward. Hot, greasy french fries are my number one guilty pleasure. I remove the battery and toss the phone in the trash can as I drive by, all while stuffing my face full of fries. In a world full of death and destruction, they seem to be my only rays of golden sunshine.
Emerson meets me at the door when I pull into the basement garage of the safe house. He’s wearing his usual three-piece gray suit and his deep olive skin really stands out against the color. His eyes briefly flash with relief before he rolls them at me when I emerge with a mouth full of fries, a fast food bag in one hand, and my drink in the other. “I’m not even going to make a comment.” He waves his hand and ushers me into the house.
Once we are tucked into our secure room, he sits on a long sofa along the back wall. He leans forward and braces his elbows on his knees, fingers steepling in front of him. “It’s done then?”
A sharp ache radiates through my chest, the pain squeezing my heart. It takes me off guard for a moment and I almost choke on my food. He looks just like my uncle sitting there, waiting for my debriefing. I’m sure that Emerson picked up several mannerisms from him during all those years they worked so closely together.
“It is. Hector will be here within the hour. I’ll debrief you both once he’s here. You know I don’t like to repeat myself.” He nods and leans back against the black cushions, the leather squeaking quietly under his weight. “Until then…” I sit down at the small conference table and spread out my food. “I’m going to enjoy this well earned cheeseburger and pretend I won’t feel sick from it later.”
“You are a truly unique creature, Emelia, you know that don’t you?” He chuckles and pulls out his phone to pass the time.
“That’s one word for it,” I agree with a small chuckle and dig into my food, savoring the warm deliciousness that you can only find in a fast food cheeseburger.
We only have to wait about thirty minutes before Hector strolls into the room and locks the heavy metal door behind him. He’s in a clean pair of jeans, with a black short sleeve shirt gripping his biceps and revealing his tattoos. The room is soundproof, bulletproof, and has a separate ventilation system. It would make all the doom’s day preppers proud.
The walls are a thick steel with a thin layer of drywall because I absolutely refused to be stuck in a silver box for long hours, and insisted on being able to paint. So the walls and the ceiling are a deep emerald green that contrast with the black and white checkered floor. There are a few paintings hung that I found aesthetically pleasing, along with several framed photos of me and Diego, my family, Hector, and Emerson. Our inner circle.
I take a long pull from my straw as Hector sits down beside Emerson on the sofa. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” I begin somberly but can’t keep a straight face and crack up. Both Emerson and Hector roll their eyes to the ceiling and groan at my terrible humor. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it.” Bless them for being so patient with their fearless and slightly psychotic leader.
I clear my throat and start again. “Giordano is dead as of about two hours ago. We should watch Lorenzo closely for any form of retaliation, but I really don’t expect him to because Giordano was a rat. No one could ever prove his disloyalty, but I know there will be no love lost between them.”
“I still feel like there are bigger forces to worry about with his death. If he wasn’t loyal to Lorenzo he was loyal to someone, and that someone might not appreciate him being dead.” Hector deadpans in my direction and I simply shrug a shoulder, neither confirming nor denying his worry.
Emerson nods slowly and leans forward again. “We’ll increase security at The Black Crown and make sure the warehouses are emptied within the next two days. We’ll move everything to new, secure locations before we are suspected of the hit and are monitored.”
“How did you do it?” Hector asks curiously.
“A magician never reveals their secrets,” I reply with a smile and flourish my hands around my face. “Just remember… I’m more than just a pretty face.”
“Trust me, Em, we know that.” Emerson sneers quietly and nods in Hector’s direction. “From the looks of this kid, he knows it too.”
“Shut up, Emerson. I was supposed to get beat up. It’s always a part of the plan,” Hector mumbles and folds his arms across his broad chest.
“If that’s your story,” he sneers at Hector and holds up his hands, palms forward when Hector starts to stand.
“Play nice boys. You both know that I could take you with my eyes closed. It’s the perk of being slightly unhinged.” I wink and give them my best sadistic smile. “I don’t care who you are. If you want to fight; I’ll fight you. If you want to bleed; I’ll bleed you. If you want to be killed; I’ll kill you.”
They both roll their eyes, only taking me marginally seriously. They know they’re safe, but everyone else is just a card in the deck that I can count and discard to get the winning hand. “To answer your question, Hector, I made my eyes all big and teary. I pinched my cheeks a few times to make them all red and splotchy. I put on a blonde wig and waltzed right through the front door demanding to see my ‘uncle’. I gave them a sob story of how my daddy was also at home recovering from his third surgical procedure due to cancer and I just couldn’t bear the thought of losing another male role model in my life.”
I place the back of my hand on my forehead for dramatics. “Bless my heart. I looked like such a mess when I walked into the room. I cried real tears and held his clammy hand while the nurse got all choked up and ran to get a box of tissues.” I take one last pull from my straw, sucking in air and making that annoying dry slurp before popping my lips. “Then I injected a syringe full of air into his IV line. The nurse came back, and I thanked her, took a few tissues, and excused myself. The man deserved to die in peace, at the very least.”
“Smooth. Well done. No issues getting back out?” Emerson claps his hands softly and I can see the pride in his eyes. He did teach me almost everything I know.
“No issues. Although I did run into a man in the hallway right before the old man coded. He was in scrubs that seemed ill-fitting and he seemed to be lost. I’m sure it was nothing, but I can’t help but feel some way about it.” I leave out the fact that he was extremely handsome. I have no doubt that his sharp jawline and dark eyes will haunt my dreams tonight.
“Hospitals like that usually have circulating staff. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was his first day and he truly was just lost in the maze of hallways,” Emerson agrees and stands, buttoning his suit jacket.
“Probably. Let’s get moving,” I say and toss my trash in the bin. “I’ll let you two handle the 8th Street and the Greenbriar Street locations, since those are our biggest. I’ll head to The Black Crown to get the casino ready for the festivities tonight.” I grin over my shoulder. “I’m bartending tonight.”
Something in the back of my mind keeps prickling the more I think about the mystery man. When I was near him he just oozed this deadly attraction, and I can’t help but feel there’s danger lurking under those muscles and murder behind those dark eyes. I hope somehow fate intervenes and I see him again. I want to play with Mr. tall, dark, and dangerous. I grin to myself as we leave the safe house because nothing in this world of mine is as dangerous as me.