Page 18 of Beni

Tommas lifted a brow. “That all?”

“I think Papa made the right choice sending us here.”

“Oh?”

Beni shrugged. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

Tommas smirked. “We’ll see.”

He suspected—and rightfully so—that his uncle would run that information back to Gian, or his sister, Beni’s mother, as fast as he possibly could. There was nothing their generation liked more than saying their kids admitted they were right.

Tommas sighed and turned his chair slightly so that he could stare out the long, rectangular windows that filled up a good portion of one wall inside his office. “Have you heard about the issues on the east side?”

“A bit.”

“And?”

Beni made a noise in his throat, not wanting to overstep his bounds. The problems circulated around a crew ran by a Capo. That meant, men of Beni’s status had no business bad mouthing—even if it was just business—a made man.

“Beni,” Tommas prodded.

“It sounds like the crew is problematic.”

Yeah, that sounded fine.

He mentally patted himself on the back.

Tommas nodded. “Yes, all their issues with the gang, not to mention the things that haven’t been put out for public consumption.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The thieving.”

Beni’s brows shot all the way up. “Someone is stealing within the crew?”

“The Capo running it believes so. Problem for him is that it’s being done in such a way he isn’t sure who is doing it. And that’s where you alone come in.”

“How so?”

“I’m going to place you inside the crew as a new member. It was the Capo’s idea. Jerome does occasionally have good ideas, even if he drives me crazy most of the time. Nonetheless, you’ll take a spot in the crew, run with them, work … all normal things, and while you’re at it, find out why they’re having all the issues with the gang nearby, and who is doing the stealing.”

Tommas waved a hand, adding, “See, that’s part of the reason why I wanted only you on this job. It would be best if you integrated as much as possible into the crew, and you know how they can be about new people.”

“Yeah, distrustful, and—”

“Imagine two of you taking spots.”

Right.

“Bene and I would be … distracting.”

Tommas chuckled. “To say the least. Put the two of you together, and you can’t help but draw attention with the way you go on.”

“We don’t go on. We just … are.”

Yeah.

That worked.