Butterface

“And you think she knows this?” Gina was close to her brothers, he could tell from the way they’d interacted at the hotel, but according to mob organization rules it would be beyond unusual for Rocco and Paul to share inside information with her. And on the off chance that they did, she wouldn’t be the kind to rat out her brothers. Her sense of loyalty might be misguided, but—after watching her with her brothers—it had been as obvious as the raspberry jelly on Gallo’s tie this morning. Still, there was something to be said for being in the right place at the right time, and since Kapowski’s stakeout the other night had turned up exactly nothing new, the task force couldn’t afford to turn down any opportunity as the date for the shipment got closer and closer. Fuck. He hated to admit it, but the plan to use Gina had merit.

“No,” the captain said. “All indications are that she’s clean. However, a good investigator can pick up all sorts of information—especially about something as big as that Esposito heroin deal is rumored to be.” Off came the glasses again. He picked up the cloth and unfolded it. Wipe. Wipe. Flip. Wipe. Wipe. Fold. Fold. Cloth down. Glasses on. “Are you a good investigator?”

“Yes sir.” It wasn’t ego. It was the truth. And he was beyond ready to prove it. “So, the plan is to get close to Miss Luca to gather intel about the workings of the Esposito family and the upcoming deal?”

All he had to do was get Gina, an innocent bystander, to trust him so that her brothers would as well. People said a lot without ever opening their mouths, every detective knew that. Still, guilt coated his tongue like he’d just taken a swig of rotten milk. That Kiss Cam kiss and the silk of her skin had been on almost constant replay in his mind since the wedding.

She may have thought he’d been joking about him going to her grandmother’s party with her, but he hadn’t been. There was something about Gina that got to him, and that’s why this whole situation pissed him off.

If her brothers cared for her as much as she claimed they did, why weren’t they protecting her from their business better? The whole reason he’d dodged the family business and become a cop was because he believed in fairness, in the importance of looking out for those who couldn’t look out for themselves. Moving in on Gina on false pretenses was an asshole move—he fully admitted that—but that didn’t make it the wrong move, and it was for her own good.

He could do this without hurting Gina, while still getting the kind of information that could put bad guys behind bars and save lives by keeping that heroin from hitting the street. She never had to know her part in this. Correction. She never would know her part in this. He’d do whatever it took to make sure of that.

The captain nodded. “You’ll go in and take a look at the body that, according to the description from the first reporting officer on the scene, looks like what remains of Big Nose Tommy Luca. Then, you’ll find a way to gain her trust and entry into her environment to deduce what the brothers are up to. We know the date of the heroin deal, but not the location or time. From their briefing files, it’s clear she’s close with her brothers. You stay close to her, see what you hear.”

Ford tapped his thumb against the tip of his middle finger too fast to count the beats. “Don’t you think this is a long shot?” Like the Ice Knights with their losing record getting into the hockey championship playoffs long.

“I realize this assignment doesn’t gel perfectly with your sense of cut-and-dried, by-the-regulations way of living, so if it’s too much for your delicate sensibilities, just say the word and I’ll assign someone else. Gallo has time available.”

The station coffee swirled in his stomach. There was no way that Gallo should be within a mile of Gina. It wasn’t that the guy would make the same dumbass comments he’d been making around the bullpen to her, but the idea of him being close to her made Ford want to chew the bark off a tree. He couldn’t explain the visceral reaction to the idea, but it was there, and as a cop he’d learned to trust his gut.

“No need for Gallo,” he said as he stood. “I’ll take the case.”