The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme 12)

"I know it is. But what?"

"Lot of Armenians here."

"Where?"

"New York. I put together Armenian businessmen with money people. Not just Armenians but anybody. Lot of Chinese."

"You speak--"

"Nee-how!"

"Rich." They high-fived.

Freddy grimaced. "Mandarin's a bitch. So, you did your time. You're out. That's good. Say, I heard your brother passed. I'm sorry about that."

Nick looked around. He took a breath. Then, in a soft voice, told Freddy about his brother, his own innocence.

Toady eyes narrowed. "No shit, man... That's heavy."

"Donnie didn't know what he was getting into. You remember him, a child."

"We always thought he had some problems, sure. Nobody cared. Just, he wasn't quite right. All respect."

"No worries," Nick said, sipping the soda he'd ordered.

"Delgado. Doesn't surprise me. Piece of crap. Total floating crap. Deserved what he got."

Nick said, "You treated him good--Donnie."

"And there's no way he could've done time." Freddy toyed with his beer bottle, peeling the wet label down. "You did the right thing. Jesus, I don't know I could've done that." He grinned. "Course, my brother's an asshole. I woulda let him spin in the wind."

Nick laughed hard. "But now I've got to get my life back. I've lost some years. I'm going to get a business going."

"Find a lady, Nick. Man needs a woman in his life."

"Oh, I'm working on that."

"Good for you. And you can still have kids."

&nbs

p; "You've got the twins, right?"

"And two more. Twins're boys. The four-and five-year-old're girls. The wife said enough is enough. But, hell, that's what God put us here for, right? So you need some money? I can stand you to some. Not a lot. Ten, twelve K."

"No, no, I'm fine there, got some inheritance."

"Shit, really?"

"But, Freddy, I do need a favor."

"What?"

"I found out that there's somebody who might know about the 'jacking Donnie was behind. Maybe he was a fence, maybe he just took delivery of some merch. Maybe he financed the job. I'm hoping he knows I wasn't behind it. I gotta find him."

"Who is it?"

"That's the problem. I don't have much to go on. I could ask around the 'hood, but you know--"