I sigh and lean against the passenger door of the pickup. I rub my fingers into my eyes, trying to decide just how much I want to tell Jonathan when I myself don’t know everything just yet.
“There’s a rat,” I finally say. “That’s the only explanation for everything that’s going on. It’s the only way we could have been ambushed like that, and only someone on the inside would know about Felisa and Rinaldo’s connection.”
“You’re on the inside,” Jonathan says with a laugh that sends a little chill through me, “and you didn’t figure it out.”
“I’m a little slow on the relationship thing,” I reply. “Besides, he’s got Lele. What else could he really want?”
“Felisa had great tits.” Jonathan looks off into the distance, apparently imagining them.
“They’re a little muddy right now.”
“True dat.”
“We need to dig into our own people, Jonathan,” I say. “Someone’s not who we think they are. There might even be a connection to Landon Stark and Seattle. That footage you got from the camera on Marcello? I found one of the guys on it, and he worked for Stark.”
“Oh yeah? Damn!”
“His name is Joshua Taylor, and his brother Justin used to do Rinaldo’s books.”
“Didn’t you off him?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you know then?”
“No,” I say, “he was just being an asshole. Still, we have to dig deep.”
“I can’t argue with ya there, brotha,” Jonathan says. “I’m gonna start looking into a couple of people who haven’t been around long.”
“Look at them all.” I point my finger up to Jonathan’s face. He probably has four inches on me, but he takes a slight step back anyway. “Every single person who knew what was going down today. All of them are potentials.”
“You really want me checkin’ into Beni and Lucia?”
“Everyone!”
“Nick?”
“I said everyone!”
“Dude, they’re family.”
“Families fuck each other over.”
*****
“You’re sure it’s her?” Rinaldo’s already pale face goes whiter as I give him the news.
“Yes, sir.” I look down at the ground and clasp my hands in front of me. “We followed the chip’s signal.”
He turns his face away from me and stares at the railing of the hospital bed. I shove my hands in my pockets because I can’t seem to control the shaking. I’ve never stood in front of this man and deceived him in such a way before, and his reaction is confusing me.
I expect anger—fury even. I’ve seen that plenty of times. I know what it looks like, and I know how to react to it, but that’s not what I’m getting. Rinaldo is quiet. Far too quiet. He covers his eyes with his hand, and I barely recognize his voice when he speaks.
“One of our missing Rugers was with her?”
“It’s a Ruger,” I tell him. “I can’t say for sure if it’s one of the missing ones. Serial number’s been filed off.”
“Did you find anything else?”