40. Chapter 40
forty
K ate parked the car on the east side of Sofia Stiletto’s apartment building in Brooklyn and killed the engine.
“There’s usually a Stiletto guy sitting in a car, watching the front door,” Kate said. “But Sofia must have ways to leave undetected if she’d been frequenting the Morrigan’s every Thursday night.”
“She hasn’t been back to the Morrigan’s since Rocco got arrested,” Lina pointed out. “What made you think she’ll break out tonight?”
“Unlike the other Stiletto family members, Sofia actually lived a pretty normal life, which can’t be that easy to manage with her last name. She’s a corporate lawyer, working mostly for the family business, of course, the legitimate side. From what we can tell, her dealings have been clean so far. I don’t know how she managed that.
“In fact, except for Rocco, the Stiletto kids don’t have a criminal record. Neither Tony Jr. nor Sofia had even a speeding ticket. Either they’re great at hiding things or Serafina protected her children well,” Kate said.
“I read that in the files. Pretty bizarre,” Lina noted. “Still doesn’t answer my question. You’re sure she’s going out tonight, or are we just sitting here all night, hoping she’ll appear?”
“Ye of little faith,” Kate teased. “I intercepted a text from a burner phone asking her to meet tonight. She never answered, but the texter said they’d wait until midnight. How romantic, right?”
Lina chuckled lightly. “I’m not even gonna ask how you intercepted the text.”
“Better not,” Kate agreed. “So we’ll see if she’s going to meet this mysterious person. Should we bet who it is?”
“I have a pretty good idea who it is,” Lina said. “I just need confirmation.”
For the next five minutes, they sat in silence, watching the side and garage door.
“So,” Kate broke the silence. “You finally tapped a hottie, huh?”
Lina sighed but didn’t reply. Kate laughed at her unresponsiveness.
“If I had to spend days locked up with Curtis Bisset, I’d jump his bones, too,” Kate said casually.
“You’d jump anybody with a boner, Kate,” Lina said drily, but not cruelly.
Again, Kate laughed. “True that. Seriously though, I’m surprisedly impressed. I didn’t think you swung that way.”
“Swung what way?” Lina frowned at her colleague.
“I thought you were gay. You never showed interest in any guy, even Raul. That man has the body of a god, the face of an angel, and the personality of the devil, and you never stopped to admire him once.”
“We’re friends,” Lina scoffed, thinking of their mutual Spanish friend. “We had too much of a history. I just don’t think I can date someone with the same background.”
Lina didn’t say she’d had no interest in anyone until Curtis had broken through her wall with his small efforts at making her laugh. Even then, she’d stayed away from him.
“You sound interested, though,” Lina said. “He’s still single and as devilish as you say. Maybe you should do the European trips next. I’m thinking of taking a long PTO when this is over.”
“I’m up for it.” Kate grinned. “What are you and your rock star gonna do during this PTO, huh?”
“Be normal,” Lina said wistfully. She would really like to do normal things with Curtis without having to worry about anyone trying to jump them.
“You’re really into him, huh?” Kate asked. “Good for you. You look happier than I’ve ever seen you.”
Lina twisted her lips in an almost smile when the garage door to Sofia’s building started opening. Both she and Kate focused on the opening.
“She drives a black BMW i5,” Kate said.
Sure enough, a black BMW appeared and made a left turn onto the one-way street. Kate waited a few seconds to pull out and give Sofia a head start.
The seconds also gave them time to see if the Stiletto man was aware of Sofia’s movement. But no car from the cross street started. Even if he noticed Sofia’s departure, he wouldn’t be able to follow her since he’d parked his car on the cross street. He’d have to go around the block to intercept her if he wanted to catch up with her.
“We know where she’s heading.” Kate kept a big distance between them and Sofia, but stayed close enough to see where she was going.
They drove farther east and kept going when Sofia found a street parking spot not too far from the location the texter had sent Sofia. Kate made her earliest turn and parked.
Seeing it was almost midnight, Sofia had really cut it close to the deadline, but it made finding parking easier. Lina had texted Bill with a brief update of where they were. And she received a thumbs-up. Then an additional text, “Curtis said, watch your back.”
“You’re ready?” Kate asked.
Lina nodded and pocketed her phone. They hurried back to the street where they’d passed Sofia. The woman wasn’t in her car anymore and was nowhere in sight.
The commercial street was abandoned at that hour. Stores were closed, and there weren’t any restaurants or bars to keep the street alive.
Lina and Kate crossed the street, scanning for any movement. But if Lina’s guess of the man Sofia was seeing was right, there might always be someone watching.
“There’s a guard in the lobby,” Kate whispered. “We need to go around back. Go in from the cast door.”
Lina nodded. The venue of the rendezvous was a theater under refurbishment. It wouldn’t be too hard to find another way in.
Avoiding the front side, they jogged around the block to get to the back of the theater. The back door was locked, but it was an easy fix for either Lina or Kate. Within minutes, they were inside and cautiously creeping through a dark hallway. The closer they got to the stage, the clearer it was to hear Sofia’s enraged voice.
“How dare you summon me after what you did!”
Lina peeked from behind the stage curtain, Kate behind her. Low light had been turned on the audience floor. It was difficult to make out whom Sofia was talking to as they sat in the first row.
“I didn’t do what you think I did,” a man’s voice replied.
Lina glanced back at Kate, silently questioning if she recognized the voice. She shook her head.
“You killed my brother.” The bitterness in Sofia’s voice was palpable. “How could you? How do you expect me to feel?”
“I didn’t kill your brother.”
“Your hand might not be the one who stabbed him, but you ordered it!”
“Sofia, I did not order your brother killed!” The man stood, revealing his identity to Lina and Kate.
“Connor Murphy,” Lina muttered, confirming her suspicion.
“I love you, Sofia. I would never hurt you, especially that way,” Connor said, reaching for Sofia.
She pulled back, putting distance between them. The rejection stung Connor. Lina could see his jaw stiffen.
“Your brother killed my cousin first. For no reason. He never gave Sean a chance!” Connor exclaimed. “But I never retaliated. That’s just not how I or my family do things anymore. Not under my watch.”
Sofia spat at Connor’s feet. “I don’t believe a word you say. My mother was right. You Murphys are scum in suits, trying to be better than what you really are.”
Pain slashed across Connor’s face at the deep insult. Lina could hear Kate’s low mutter, “Ouch.”
“Then what are you?” he fired back. “At least I’m trying to be better. Better than my predecessors.”
“You’re no better than me or my mother.” Sofia backed farther away from him. “Don’t contact me anymore. And you better watch over your shoulder because my mother will never forgive what you did.”
Sofia turned and ran up the aisle to the lobby.
“Sofia!” Connor called out, but he gave up and dropped into a seat.
Lina took only five seconds to think before she stepped out from behind the curtains and walked across the stage to Connor.
“Lina!” Kate hissed from behind the curtain. “Fuck.”
“Mr. Murphy,” Lina said in a calm voice with her hands out in the open.
The man startled into a stand like a jack-in-the-box and looked up at Lina on the stage. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m here in peace. My name is Lina. I need a moment of your time, if you please,” Lina said.
“Make a goddamn appointment,” he snapped as he glanced back toward the lobby where his bodyguard was supposed to be.
In her peripheral vision, Lina saw a shadow moving fast along the side wall of the theater floor.
“Brock!” Connor shouted.
“Please, Mr. Murphy. I might be able to help you with this situation between the Stilettos and your family.”
“There’s nothing between our families,” he said flatly.
“Not from that conversation you had with Miss Stiletto,” Lina said as she walked down to the audience floor.
Brock finally appeared at the lobby door. “Mr. Murphy?”
“Where the hell have you been? You let this woman get past you?” Connor demanded.
Lina smiled and, with her hands out in the open, approached closer, but stopped at a safe distance. Brock charged down the aisle, but he stumbled on something, fell face forward, and knocked himself out.
“Oops,” Kate said with a grin as she stepped into the aisle. She checked on the guard. “He’s just sleeping.”
Connor looked from Kate and back to Lina as he backed into a row of seats. “Who the fuck are you?”
“We’re just concerned citizens of the city.”
“What do you want from me?” Connor asked.
“I think we both want the same thing.”
“What do you know about what I want?”
“I know the person you want just walked out of your life. And if what Sofia said was right, you’ll never have a peaceful day in your life again until Serafina Stiletto is out of the picture or dead. She may even ruin everything you’ve been working on. Your business, your family’s name and standing in this city.
“I heard you donated a million dollars to a hospital here in Brooklyn. A ward will be named after your father,” Lina said, pulling out her hasty research into the Murphy family. “Such a commendable act, and a strategic one. Nothing says respectable more than your name on a hospital’s wall.”
Connor narrowed his eyes at her. Now that he saw Lina closer in a clearer light, his stance eased up. Perhaps he was the type of man who underestimated women, or maybe his curiosity was now piqued.
“You seem to know a lot about me, Miss…?” he said.
“Lina.” She nodded. “I know enough to see we share a problem. And I’d like to propose a solution to this problem.”
Connor studied Lina with curious, intelligent blue eyes. Lina could see him calculating the benefits of listening to her. Calculating was a quality she could respect. At least, she didn’t sense savagery in him.
“And what is your problem, Lina?” he asked.
“Let’s just say we are in Serafina’s crosshairs as well. This baseless call for revenge is laughable since it was Serafina’s own son who started the killing. If what you told Sofia was true, we might be able to turn the situation to our advantage.”
“How?” he asked.
Lina smiled and treaded carefully. She couldn’t risk Connor going over her and leaving her and Curtis out of the equation.
“I think it’s time for a truce—a real, lasting truce—between the Murphys and the Stilettos,” Lina said. “And I can arrange a meeting—”
Connor barked a laugh. “A meeting with Sofia’s lunatic mother? Now, what would that do to my newly well-regarded name?”
“You were willing to risk your name by having an affair with Serafina’s daughter. From what I witnessed earlier, you are still willing to risk it because you love Sofia.
“I recently learned that when you love someone, you find a way to go over any obstacles. So she has a crazy mother. Most people have a crazy mother-in-law. But it isn’t Serafina we need to appeal to,” Lina said.
“They declared a war against my family. We’re out of that game. Why do you think I was trying to talk with Sofia? I’m trying to keep my family safe,” Connor said fiercely.
“I understand.” Lina smiled. “This is where you’ll need our help. There’ll be two approaches. One is an appeal to the practical and business sense. Two is an appeal to the heart and the future.”
Connor eyed Lina as he thought. He slowly sat down. “I’m listening.”