Fucking hell, my Colleen.
Taking her had complicated everything. But I don’t regret it one bit.
The coffee finished brewing so I poured myself a mug. I had some calls to make to get shit set for the meeting, and by the time I was finished, Colleen came down wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, her hair up in a tight bun. She poured herself some coffee and sipped it before sitting at the table.
I hung up with Luca and looked at her from the kitchen. She leaned over and picked up a pen, clicking it open and closed before spinning it around her fingers.
“You’re nervous,” I said.
“You’re not?”
“No,” I said. “These things don’t usually go bad.”
“Why not?”
“Mobsters are violent and dangerous, but not stupid.”
She laughed and dropped the pen trying to spin it. “I think they’re definitely stupid. But maybe they’re smart enough to know not to kill people in a public place.”
“Fair enough,” I said.
“What does my uncle want?”
“I don’t know.” I picked up my coffee mug and sipped it, but it had gone cold. I stuck it in the microwave and nuked it for forty-five seconds. “This is how these things go. He’ll make some threats, tell me he’s going to cut your father’s throat, all that bullshit. In the end, he’ll offer concessions.”
“And what are you going to do?” She sat very still, staring at me as she held her mug between her hands.
The microwave beeped and I took my coffee out. It was steaming again and I took a long sip before letting out a breath.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“You don’t know.” Her voice was flat. “Come on, Steven. You’re not the kind of guy that doesn’t know.”
I smiled a little and inclined my head. “I appreciate you saying that about me.”
“What’s your plan?”
“My plan is to take the Club,” I said. “So whatever he offers, it won’t be enough. But I’ll string him along and say I’m thinking about it. Meanwhile, I’m going to come up with some way to get your father back.”
She nodded a little and looked down at the table. She ran her fingernails along the wood grain.
“That’s a good plan.”
“It’s the only plan for now,” I said. “It all hinges on what your uncle wants going forward.”
She picked up the pen again and chewed on the end for a second before looking at it and dropping it down on the table. I got the sense that chewing on pens was an old habit, and she didn’t want to pick it up again, but maybe I was reading into it too much.
“I don’t know Uncle Mathis very well,” she said. “But I do know that all the guys are scared of him. Even my father was a little scared, and my dad’s the older brother. I think Mathis is a little bit…”
“Unhinged,” I said.
“Something like that,” she said. “I’m just saying, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t play by the rules.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I won’t be.”
I sipped my microwaved coffee and walked through the house to the front window. I peeked through the blinds and saw an SUV idling by the curb with Dino sitting behind the wheel.
I closed the blinds and checked my watch. It was a little early, but it couldn’t hurt to get there first. I drank some more coffee, walked into the kitchen, and dumped the rest. She watched me the whole time, not speaking, not spinning her pen. She barely moved, just enough to take little sips of her drink like a baby bird. I could feel her anxiety rolling off her in waves.
There was nothing I could say to make her feel better, so I said nothing. Even though this was a routine meeting, she was right, I had to take precautions. I didn’t know Mathis well enough to say if he’d do something reckless or not, but I had to be sure at least.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get moving. We’ll be early, but that’s fine.”
She nodded and stood without speaking. I walked past her and she followed me to the door. I opened it, let her out first, and followed out behind. She stopped at the bottom of the stoop while I locked the door, then let me open the back door of Dino’s car. She climbed in, then I got into the front
“Hey, boss,” Dino said. “I’m your driver today. Great day for it, right?”
I gave him a look then glanced out the window. He was right, it was a beautiful day, low humidity, lots of sunshine. Philly didn’t get many nice days in the summer, normally it was either too hot, too humid, or both at the same time.
“Great day for it,” I said, nodding.
He beamed and pulled the car out into traffic.
I glanced back at Colleen. She was chewing on the pen from the table, and I smiled to myself a little. She must’ve brought it with her without even realizing it, and now she was too nervous to stop herself. I didn’t say anything about it as I looked up front again and watched as the more rundown and spacious south Philly streets turned into the greener, more densely packed Rittenhouse area.