21ReidI had Enrico and Aldrik meet me at a dive bar in South Philly that had the oldest working jukebox I’d ever seen. I got a beer and sat in the shadows toward the back, and my guys sat with their backs to the door, each of them hunched over a whiskey.
“I heard you got into it with Hedeon,” Aldrik said, frowning at me. I couldn’t tell if he was concerned for me or for himself, and I didn’t bother asking.
“Hedeon’s wrong.” I shrugged and sipped my beer. “Nothing else to do about it.”
Enrico gave me a strange look, and I tried to read into his expression—but realized whatever happened next would hinge on his reaction. If he was willing to help then I knew Aldrik would go along with him, but if he decided that ditching me was best for him then I’d be left alone and screwed.
“It’s about the girl, isn’t it?” His voice was steady and quiet.
“Yeah, it’s about the girl.”
He grunted and took a drink. “Why?”
I shook my head, mystified myself, unable to answer that question. I didn’t know why, didn’t know what it was about Cora that drove me wild—her lips maybe, her body, the long arch of her spine, the way her hips curved, or maybe the way she laughed and teased me, the way she wasn’t afraid to call me an asshole, the way she didn’t back down. I wasn’t sure, couldn’t say, and I knew he’d never understand either way.
We lapsed into silence. I took another drink and I saw the anxiety in Aldrik’s eyes. I had a feeling he knew this all hinged on Enrico too, and we were all waiting for him to hand down the sentence.
“What do you need from him?” Enrico asked after the silence stretched into agony.
“Information.”
“What kind?”
“I need to know where Cora’s being held.”
Enrico grunted and finished his drink. “I can find that out for you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Can you?”
“I know a guy that might’ve followed the Leone family after they left your place.” He kept a straight face and talked mostly to his empty glass of whiskey. “Yeah, you know, since you had someone watching out for the girl, I might’ve been on duty at the time—and when they took her, I might’ve watched them from afar.”
Aldrik barked a laugh and punched Enrico in the arm. “You old bastard. Are you for real?”
Enrico gave him an annoyed look. “Of course I’m for real.”
“I didn’t know that. You didn’t tell me!”
“I don’t tell you everything, idiot.”
I leaned toward them, my heart beating fast. If he wasn’t lying, then I could go get Cora tonight—right now, this second, as soon as we were done talking.
“Where?” I asked.
“The mansion,” he said, and it was the one answer I didn’t want.
I sat back and let out a groan, leaned my head back up against the bench.
The mansion was the most guarded place in the entire city. There was no way I could get inside, not since the place got attacked a few years back. Now the Leones kept a small army on payroll and had the guards stacked all over the building in case anything ever happened—which it didn’t, not anymore.
“Well, shit,” Aldrik said. “You’re a goddamn tease, Enrico. You got my hopes up.” He punched Enrico again then slammed back his whiskey. “What the hell are we going to do now?”
Enrico rubbed his arm. “First of all, you’re going to stop hitting me.”
Aldrik grunted, but didn’t argue.
“And second, there are ways inside. It won’t be easy though.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. I’d never heard of anyone breaking into that building, not since I’d gotten deep into the crime world. The Leone mansion was the one spot every thief, thug, mobster, and asshole knew to stay far away from—and as much as I wanted to kick the door down and start shooting, I knew that wouldn’t get me very far.
“Elaborate,” I said.
“The mansion’s got a lot of staff,” Enrico said, studying his fingernails like he was bored. “They’ve got people coming and going through the back all the time, right? There are cooks, cleaners, deliveries, all that stuff.”
I let out a breath. “You want me to sneak in that way.”
“We’ll need a distraction, since they check everyone that comes and goes, and I’m sure you’ll be noticed. But if Aldrik here and I make a little noise out front, you know, draw some of their attention—then you might be able to slip through.”
I leaned toward him. “I don’t pay you enough.”
He laughed and his eyes were hard as he showed me his teeth. “Damn right you don’t.”
“I’m getting more whiskey,” Aldrik said. “We have some planning to do and I’m not doing it sober.”
I leaned back and watched Aldrik walk off to get another round. I could feel myself getting excited, but pushed back against it. I couldn’t go down that road, not when there were so many things still up in the air. I didn’t know how we’d make a distraction big enough to draw the Leones away from the back while still letting Aldrik and Enrico get away—and I didn’t know how I’d get inside.