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“Money laundering?”
He looks up again and grins. “I’m never gonna stop washing money. That’s a hard line for me.”
“Well, at least we know where the line is,” I roll my eyes. “Clubs?”
“Keeping those and buying more. Girls will dance, but they consent to being there, they’re making a fortune for it, and they don’t die if they choose to leave.”
“Noble of you. Cordoza?”
“My best fuckin’ friend,” he chuckles. “For the rest of his life. When he shits out and passes the baton and I become the most powerful fuckin’ gangster in New York?—”
“You go back to running women, drugs, and money,” I insert. “Lix, the city is gonna move product whether you like it or not. So if you become the new Cordoza, even if you’re not putting your hands on them personally, you’re still implicit in the crime.”
“Or,” he swings out and claps my arm, “we become the new generation of gangsters and change things up a little. Justbecause the old guys did it, doesn’t mean we have to follow. I’ll run the city Arch. I’ll keep it clean.”
“Can we do the job now?” Fletch points toward the conference center and widens his eyes. “Today, please? My daughter is on a boat with the mafia. The Feds are on their way to cuff a grieving criminal. The girls are somewhere on this island, getting their nails done. And you’re getting married in about,” he looks down at his wrist, at the watch he’s wearing today, “aww, I dunno. Two-and-a-half fucking hours! We have things to do, so if you could…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence.
Instead, he starts walking. “Today, please.”
“You’re twitchy when you don’t have your little girl with you.” Felix spins around, his smile lopsided, and walks side-by-side with the man who would have had him killed a few, short months ago. “She’s cute, huh? But she’s safe. Cato ain’t gonna let anything happen to her.”
“Theonlyreason I was able to walk away, is because you’re here with me.” Fletch lengthens his stride and slides his hand across to touch where his guns would normally be. He didn’t bring them to Jamaica. He’s missing the leather holster he’s so used to wearing. And now we’re heading toward a killer. “You kidnapped my fucking daughter, Felix. And you accuse me of being twitchy when she’s not in my sight.”
“You’re still mad about that?” Felix rolls his eyes to the sky. “Grudges are for chicks, man. That’s a hormonal thing they do. Men deal with their business, then they move on.”
“I’m not moving on from the fact you kidnapped my daughter!”
“I gave her back. She’s fine. I know you’re a single parent, which kind of implies you get your titty out at night to feed the baby, but come on, man. It’s time to let it go.”
I slide in just a beat before my best friend kills a powerful mafioso. Never mind the fact the dickhead is my brother. “Felix,” I slam the side of my fist to his chest and push him back. “Stop. You’re pissing everyone off. And Fletch,” I look the other way, “he’s the kinda guy with never-ending supplies of ‘fuck around’ energy. He’s gonna annoy you for the sake of annoying you. And when you’re melting down and ready to torch his entire house because you can’t take any more of his bullshit, he’s still gonna have energy and a smile on his face.”
“That was rude,” Felix grumbles. “Talking about me like I’m not even here.”
“If you’re playing a game of‘who can be a fuckwit the longest’,” I hook a thumb backward, “he’s not gonna lose. So you’re gonna need to control how much you allow him to get to you.”
“He kidnapped my child! Literally fucking abducted her.”
“And now she’s back. She’s safe. And she’s considered his family. She’s never been more protected in her life.”
“That’s what I said!” Lix exclaims. “She’s a cute little booger. I promise to never steal her again. But I’ll hang out with her. She’s cool.”
I slam my palm to Fletch’s chest and fist his shirt before he swings around and decks my brother. “Do the job. Make the arrest. Get the collar. Have you called in local PD for assistance?”
“Yes.” His jaw grits, the muscles pulsing with rage as we stop at the base of the convention center stairs. “Uniforms are waiting inside now. They confirmed a few minutes ago.”
“Have they breached Cain’s office?”
“No. She’s in a meeting, so they’re on the door in the hall and waiting for us to arrive.”
“Then let’s go.” I release him again and clap the back of his shoulder, pushing him up the stairs. “Good work on this one.Sixty-three bodies all stacked up will get you a pay raise and maybe even a promotion. And you did it all while I was on vacation.”
“Aubree carried a lot of the load, too.” Switching on his cop face, he snags the badge from his pocket and stalks through the glass doors. Making a beeline for the concierge desk, he waits for the man on the other side to stop stacking paper and bring his eyes up. “Detective Charlie Fletcher. That’s Detective Archer Malone,” he tilts his head my way. “We’re gonna need you to shut this place down. Quietly,” he adds, placing his hand over the phone when the guy goes to pick it up. “We don’t want a panic. We want averyquiet exit. You have two minutes to lock every floor down. You either get your guests out, or they stay in their rooms. Do you understand me?”
“Y-yes, Detective. What are you?—”
“Our intel says our target doesnotown a gun, which means I expect things to go smoothly and safely.”
