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“You and I know that, but until we figure out who framed him and who is working for the Cubans, we need to keep a closer eye on Nina. She’s key to this situation. I want you to keep an eye on who shows up at the club. Any familiar and not regulars that have a connection to the gangs, I want to know about them.”
“No problem. You know I like keeping an eye on her,” Paulie said to the other man on the phone.
“Hey, I thought we talked about this. You’re too old and too twisted.”
“Hey, she isn’t your daughter.”
“She could be.”
“So that’s why you’re putting your neck out for her? You think she’s your daughter?”
“Keep an eye on her. She’s not safe until we confirm who set up Zinc and Cobra and why Zinc was in the Cubans’ territory.”
The call disconnected, and Paulie sighed. Who would have thought the notorious Cuban businessman had Nina as a daughter? Maybe someone else knew, and it was really him they were seeking for revenge? But as Paulie thought that, he realized it couldn’t be true. If it was, he would no longer be alive, and the problem would have already been eliminated.
He smiled widely as Nina walked near his table. She was stopped by a few male patrons, whom she barely smiled at and then blew off. His gut clenched. Something was different about her.
“Hey, Nina, I missed you,” Paulie said to her as she approached. She gave a small smile.
“I appreciate that. How are you tonight?” she asked without looking him in the eyes like she usually did. Instead, she looked around the place, almost bored, her mind somewhere else.
“I’m a hundred percent better now that you’re here. Tell me about your trip? Enjoyable?” he asked. Her cheeks changed color, and instantly, he wondered what that was about.
“It was no big deal. So, did I miss anything around here?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Well, besides me having to deal with Mirella and her hitting on me constantly, no. I did hear she pissed a few employees off and fired them.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what her problem is. She’s been all over me since I arrived. On top of that, the other manager and some of the staff are mad at me and accusing me of ordering things I shouldn’t have, or not ordering things I should have. Meanwhile, I didn’t touch the orders or inventory.”
“Can’t you prove that you didn’t do it by the signature on things?” he asked.
“Funny thing is, I don’t remember signing some of the papers. It doesn’t really matter now. I’m back, so hopefully things will return to normal.”
Just as she said that, Mirella approached from behind her.
“Nina, there’s some guy here to see you. He’s at the bar. Remember, you’re working. Social hour is after hours,” she snapped at Nina and then walked away.
“Bitch,” Paulie said, and Nina chuckled.
“I’ll talk to you later.”
As she headed toward the bar, Paulie caught sight of the man waiting on Nina. It was Cramer, the one investigating Zinc’s murder. He wondered what the guy had so far, and as he looked around the club, he instantly spotted Mirella. She was on her cell phone in a dead stare at Nina and Cramer. There was something about that woman he didn’t like. He wondered if he should bother to look into her background and find out exactly who she was. Then he thought better of it. She was just some stuck-up bitch trying to bump Nina out of her position. She was money hungry and power hungry, but she also stared daggers at Nina constantly. That was reason enough for Paulie to dislike her.
* * * *
“Cramer, I really don’t know what my brother was thinking. I don’t know what he was taking, or where he stashed whatever it was—if, in fact, it was drugs, guns, or money. I’ve been going over it since I spoke with you yesterday, and I can’t understand it. Truth is, I honestly don’t believe Zinc would be part of it.”
“I have to look into every detail. You don’t want to mess with the Cubans, Nina. They’re pretty fucking brutal people. They’ll want their stuff back or their money.”
“Have you contacted anyone connected? Maybe find out what went down or what they’re after? What proof do you have that Zinc was even involved with this and that there was actual money or product taken? I don’t know of anything and couldn’t even begin to think about where he would stash it, if he even did take something.”
Cramer looked at her in disbelief. Nina really didn’t care at this point. She knew it was the truth, and in all honesty, her life was shit right now, and this just added to the misery she felt.
“I looked into your accounts. Seems, while you were away, you came into a significant amount of money.”
She felt sick to her stomach. She should have known that Cramer would investigate her. The Russians didn’t trust anyone, and with all the chaos, the abduction of Nalia, and the attempted killing of Karlicov, they weren’t taking any chances. It just validated how much of a nobody she was to them, to Viktor. He didn’t trust her, either. What kind of life was she living here in Chicago? Combined with how Corona had paid her off for sex, she felt pretty damn worthless and hollow inside. It seemed to her that life was coming around into a complete circle, and she was heading toward being a nobody again, just some homeless kid who’d made it out only to wind up back down in the gutter. She felt sick to her stomach, which was becoming a regular occurrence.
“That was a mistake. It’s going back. I just need to discuss how with Viktor, o
