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“Now, come on, Gerardo,” I said. “You think your bosses are going to war with mine right now? They need a new buyer and I’m the only game in town. No, I’m going to tell your bosses that you insulted my woman, and they’re going to drop the whole thing. Or we can avoid that embarrassing situation and you can tell me where Vlas is right now. That way we can all get what we want and move on.”
Gerardo stared at me and I could see the hate and rage in his eyes. I thought he might do something stupid. Gangsters rarely thought their situation through, but somewhere in his little brain, he knew I was right. I had him over a fucking barrel. With Vlas out of the picture, the Leone Family was the only game big enough to buy their drugs and distribute them effectively. Without us, the Jalisco wouldn’t have a good connection in the city, and they’d have to resort to selling it cheap and piecemeal to all the gangs and smaller families.
“Fucking bitch,” he said again. “Vlas is going to be in an apartment on South Street, right above that German bar, you know that one? With the big doors out front? That fucking place. He’s not there yet, but he will be there tomorrow night.”
“How do you know?” I said.
“Told me himself. He’s paranoid, moving around. He still wants to try and make a deal work with us, the stupid fuck. That enough for you? You want fucking more, puto?”
“That’ll be fine,” I said then looked at Steven. “Take his gun.”
Steven knocked Gerardo’s hands away then lifted his shirt and took the weapon gingerly. It was a little six-shooter, a revolver, not the kind of weapon I thought Gerardo would carry. Steven put it down on a table and Gerardo stared hate at me.
“You want anything else? You want my fucking shirt, too?”
“No, you’re free to go.” I gestured with my gun. “Better run, too. I might decide you deserve worse for what you said about my girl.”
Gerardo stood there, glared for a moment, then stalked off. He stomped up the steps, walked to the front door, and threw it open. He disappeared outside and into the early morning.
Steven let out a breath. “Shit, Dante,” he said.
I grinned at him. “What?”
“You think that was smart? Pissing him off?”
“He’s nothing. Just some overpaid soldier. He doesn’t matter, not anymore.” I turned to Aida and took a step toward her. She bit her lip and tilted her head, and she hadn’t moved a muscle that whole time. “Are you okay?” I asked her.
She nodded once. “I’m okay,” she said.
“Good.” I reached out a hand. “I’m sorry for what he said.”
“It’s okay. I can’t blame him. I do look good today.”
I grinned as she accepted my hand and I helped her to her feet. Mikey came out from the back, wringing his hands. He looked around, saw some blood on the bar and the floor, then finally looked at the uneaten food.
“That… didn’t go well,” he said. “Didn’t go well at all.”
“Sorry about the mess, Mikey. Food looks good though.” I reached into my pocket and took out a roll of twenties, tossing it onto the bar. I think it was about two hundred, but I wasn’t exactly sure, and didn’t really care. “I appreciate your help.”
He nodded and didn’t move a muscle as I pulled Aida along toward the steps. We walked up together with Steven just behind us, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. I led the group back to the car in silence, wary of Gerardo trying to get the drop on us in some misguided attempt at revenge, but we made it with no issues. I climbed up front and Aida got into the back.
Steven looked a little relieved as he got up front. “What now?” he asked.
“Now, we plan on a little visit to that apartment tomorrow night,” I said.
“You believed him?” Aida asked.
“I did,” I said. “Moving around is exactly something Vlas would do.”
She nodded and went silent, looking out the window.
“And in the meantime?” Steven asked.
“In the meantime, I was thinking we’d start burning this city to the ground.” I gave Steven a wicked grin. “Let’s go to the bakery. We have some plans to put in motion.”
Steven smiled, shook his head, and put the car into gear. We pulled out and I leaned back in my seat, feeling content for the first time in a while.29AidaThe rest of the day was a blur of activity. Dante began to send his guys out on little strike missions, attacking businesses owned by the Russians, stealing all their money, forcing their owners to flip their allegiances over to the Leone Family. All day long, soldiers came and went, some of them bloody from a fight, but each one reported the same thing.
