“You get off on this, don’t you?” Micah snickered.
“I’ve got a hard-on just thinking about it.” I stared into his eyes until he looked away.
“It’s good work,” Gavino said. “Quick, too.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “That’s how I roll.”
“Give him his money.” Gavino looked up at Craig, who pulled a plain envelope out of his breast pocket and handed it over.
I counted the money quickly and was pleasantly surprised it actually contained ten grand. I had fully expected to be stiffed for the job.
“All right, Arden,” Greco said, “you’re in—for now. I’m gonna be watching you, though, so don’t try to get cute. You got that?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied as I tucked the envelope away. “Just let me know what you need next.”
“Next, you come to my office,” Gavino said. “I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team. You probably already know them, and they certainly know you. I don’t think you’ll be shocked to hear some of them are not thrilled with this idea.”
“I understand. They’ll get used to me.”
Craig snorted through his nose, earning him a disapproving look from Gavino.
“Fuck you,” I said to the big Irishman. “Maybe if you could hold your own with a gun, your boss wouldn’t need me.”
“You cocky motherfucker,” he sneered. “I don’t need any lip from you.”
“What you need is a shooting lesson. Once we get past that, we can talk about your lack of any actual tactics.”
“That’s enough,” Gavino sighed. “I’m not putting up with any of that from you boys, got it?”
Craig took a deep breath before nodding. Gavino looked over to me.
“I was just offering some of my other services,” I told him.
“You were just being a dick,” Gavino corrected.
I shrugged. I didn’t want to take this too far. If I did, I would end up with Craig watching me too closely, and I didn’t need that. I wanted to get in as deep as possible so I could find what I needed and get the fuck out of Dodge.
Chicago.
Whatever.
The five of us left the bar and entered a limo parked out front. I knew where Gavino’s office was though I’d never been inside of it. I’d been outside and down the block—perched on top of a high-rise apartment building with my Barrett and a full magazine—but never inside.
Once we’d arrived, Gavino led the way to the large, posh office—much larger than Rinaldo’s—and sat in a plush leather chair. There was extravagance everywhere—something Rinaldo saved for his home, not his workplace. Gavino obviously liked to flaunt what he had.
He went through a few pointless introductions—I knew everyone there by face and name except for one. She was introduced as Jenna Ranger and was apparently in charge of the human trafficking side of the business.
That shit just gave me the creeps.
She was tall with a body-builder’s physique, round ass, long brown hair and green eyes. She gripped my hand firmly when we shook and held it longer than she needed to for a hello. I had the feeling I was going to have to watch her carefully, but I didn’t mind the idea—she was very easy on the eyes. Her side of the profession was definitely unexpected. A woman dealing with what was usually the kidnapping and breaking of girls seemed out of place.
Another man walked into the room, and I knew him immediately as Rurik Dytalov though we hadn’t met in person. I had killed a few people under him, including one of his cousins, but as far as I knew, he didn’t know that.
We were introduced, and he eyed me coldly as he sat next to Andrey, his partner in the Russian outfit. Like most of the Russians, he was blond and of intimidating size if you happened to be scared of that. His English wasn’t as good as Andrey’s, but he seemed to understand the discussion going on around him. I had him pegged as brighter than the rest of them almost immediately and was proven right before I had even left the room.
“Mister Arden has proven himself useful in a short amount of time,” Gavino said to the group. “Though I think he has a way to go to completely prove his loyalty, I’ve decided to let him into our operations in an official capacity.”
“You agree with this,” Rurik said as he looked over to Andrey. “I tell you my concerns, but you still agree.”