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Especially not when Ursula called and told me she wanted to meet and had important information.
“I thought she was with Oleg and Reid.”
“They all should be. But you heard her on the phone.”
I took a deep breath and let it out as we crossed the street. I went slow so Leo could keep up. We walked down a narrow black paved path that wound its way along the grass beneath the large shade trees toward the playground.
I scanned the space. Little kids ran around the slide. Moms sat on benches or hovered near toddlers.
Then I saw her sitting on a bench on the opposite side of the park. She wore dark sunglasses and had her hair cut short, but it was definitely her. I took Leo’s arm, pointed, and we walked slowly over.
She took out a cigarette and lit it as we approached. She took a long drag and blew it out with a strange sense of superiority and anger. I never knew how she managed to pack so much into smoking a cigarette, but she pulled it off.
“There you are,” she said. “I wondered if this one was dead.” She nodded at Leo.
“Still on my feet.” He tilted his head. “Nice haircut. Oleg do it?”
She made a face. “One of the girls did it. Not so good, but fine, good enough.” She waved her hand, trailing cigarette smoke. “Come sit with me. We can talk.”
I nodded and helped Leo sit at the far end of the bench. I sat between them, feeling uncomfortable and exposed, but Ursula just smoked.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Alive. Safe. Not whoring anymore. Not getting hit anymore.”
“And the girls?”
“Same to them.”
“That’s good. Reid and Oleg treating you good?”
She shrugged. “They are what they are. Not so different from Volkov men. Except they aren’t trying to sell our bodies so slightly better.”
“I’m sorry, you know? I’m sorry I couldn’t help before this.”
She snorted. “I didn’t want help before this. Didn’t think I needed it. But I thank you anyway.”
“Why did you call us out here?”
She peered at me over the sunglasses then took them off. “One of the girls that left with us. She came to me last night, told me something interesting.”
“What?”
“You remember the man Maksim met with on the night you attacked the diner?” She glanced at Leo, made a face, looked back at me.
“I remember,” I said. “His name’s Enrico.”
“Yes, him. I know where he lives. I think he’s there now.”
“You what?” Leo leaned forward.
“The girl, she saw him a lot, yes? Went to his house a few times. To party, do drugs, have sex, that sort of thing. She thinks he’s probably there now. You shot him, hurt him bad. He texted her to come by and make him feel better.”
“When did he text?”
“Two days ago. She came to me a day later. Wasn’t sure if it was safe or important.”
“It’s both.” Leo grunted as he shifted his position. “Can you give us the address?”
“I can,” she said. “And I will. But I want promises in return.”
“What do you need?”
“Money for the girls. Jobs, if you can find them, but not jobs whoring. And housing for them. The place we are in, it is not so nice.”
“I’ll do it,” he said.
“Okay then.” She took out her phone, typed a text, and sent it.
My phone buzzed. I stared down at an address then showed it to Leo.
“I know where that is,” he said.
“Good. My part is finished, yes?” She dropped her cigarette and stomped it out. A mother with a short haircut and a white cardigan glared at her. “You send money soon. Get jobs soon. And house most of all.”
“I’ll do what I can, but it won’t be instant.”
“Try anyway.” She stared down at us and clutched at her black purse. It was leather, oversized, probably knock-off. “I am happy, you did what you did for us, even though I know it wasn’t for us.”
Leo smiled. “Actually, it was. If it weren’t for Robin, my boss never would’ve gone for it. She went to bat for you.”
Ursula’s face softened a bit as she looked at me. “Then thank you. I hope we can stay friends for a long time.”
“Of course.” I stood and hugged her. She smelled like smoke and mint and rosewater.
“Goodbye for now, then.” She turned and walked off. She looked shorter, smaller somehow. Maybe it was her haircut, maybe it was the flats she wore. I couldn’t tell, but it suited her somehow. Like she could finally be herself, be vulnerable and small, the way she was meant to be.
I turned to Leo and helped him up. “What do we do now?”
“Now we go fuck Enrico’s day up.”
I laughed. “You can barely walk.”
“I don’t need to walk to shoot a gun.”
“Leo, come on.”
“I’m serious. If we can get to him, we can get to Maksim.”
