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Johnny tapped the table to straighten the bills, and the other guys got back to feeding the counting machines, bundling, and stacking.
“You heard about Chicago?” Big Al asked the guys while giving me a sly look.
Johnny scoffed. “I’ve never been happier to be in St. Louis. Shit’s going sideways up there. My sister’s husband is thinking about moving down here and getting hooked up with Carmine.”
Dan grunted, his focus on feeding money through the counter.
“Here, there. Shit’s been weird for a while.” Lenny shrugged and looked my way. “No disrespect.”
He wasn’t wrong, but he was abso-fucking-lutely disrespectful.
“None taken. When things are in flux, only the strong survive.” I smiled and took a sip of water as Tommy grinned at me.
Big Al slapped Lenny on the back. “You better watch your mouth, or natural selection just might bite you in the ass.” The guys laughed, but Lenny didn’t. No, he scowled at Al.
The table fell silent as the counting machines whirled. I took out my phone, and Tommy shook his head. Frowning, I dropped it back in my pocket, and he nodded.
No cellphone in the warehouse. Got it. Settling back into the squeaky metal chair, trying to get comfortable despite my thighs hanging over the tiny seat, I looked around the room. Drugs, dirty money, and mobsters? I’d walked into a fucking Scorsese film.
The door to the office upstairs swung open, and Frankie flew down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he jerked his chin at me. I stood with my hand on my chest. “Me?”
“Time to go,” he gritted out and left the warehouse without waiting for me.
“Well, it was nice meeting you fellas. See you around!” The guys shouted their goodbyes as I booked it to the car. With how he was acting, I wasn’t sure if Frankie would wait.
The sleek black sports car sat outside the door, running. Frankie jumped out and ran around the front to open my door. While I folded myself into the rich interior, he ran back to the driver’s seat and drove off before I even had my seatbelt on.
“You okay?” I stared at his profile, not expecting an answer.
His jaw clenched, and he scratched the side of his neck. He twisted his lips to the side and took the on-ramp to the highway. After a heavy sigh, he said, “Carmine.”
That was it. How enlightening.
So, I waited, and eventually, Frankie turned off the radio. “Carmine took over the Gambini territory when my dad got sick, and now I’m stuck.”
“Is there anything you can do?” He glared at me, and I held my hands up. “Sorry. I’m sure you’ve considered every angle.”
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Consider the topic dropped. Oh. I heard from Malcolm.” I took my phone out and frowned at the dozen missed calls from Ashley. “I wonder what—” Hitting her contact, I nervously waited for the call to connect.
“Sasha?”
“Ashley, what’s—”
“Malcolm’s in the hospital. We’re at Mercy. Get here now!” The line went dead.
I dropped my hand and stared at the screen. “Uh. Take me to Mercy.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Malcolm.”
Frankie evaded traffic like a pro, driving through the city like a maniac. Screeching to a stop in front of the ER entrance, he said, “I’ll meet you inside.”
“Great.” I sprinted through the automatic doors and searched for Ashley among the people in the waiting room. Not finding her, I went to the reception desk. “Excuse me?”
The nurse smiled up from her clipboard. “How can I help you?”
