AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sure, kid, sure. Sounds good. And hey, good luck in there.” My father pulls forward and I watch him drive off. The brake lights flash and he makes a right, and I wonder how long it’ll be before I have to make an example of him. I hope forever. But knowing my dad, it’ll be sooner rather than later.
I stalk across the street and approach Zorbo’s. The two goons out front give me a wary look but say nothing as I push open the door and head inside. The lighting’s bright and everything’s painted in blue and white. Tables line the right side, small tables packed tightly together, and the floor’s done in black and white tiles. The men and women behind the counter ignore me as I walk past them, breathing in the smell of lunch meats and lamb skewers and olives and hummus and a dozen delicious-looking breads and sausages and more.
The man sitting in the table at the very back waves me over. I slow and approach, heart racing. He’s big, broad, muscular, with dark eyes and dark hair, and he grins jovially at me. “Warren?” he asks. “Or do you really go by War?”
“War,” I say. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Kazan.”
“Call me Evander.” He stands and shakes my hand. I catch a glimpse of a gun in a holster at his hip. He doesn’t bother trying to hide it. Evander’s dressed in all black, a nice shirt, nice slacks, with a gold chain around his neck and a watch worth more than people make in a year on his wrist. He gestures and I sit down and briefly wonder where his bodyguards are, but based on the size and apparent strength of this man, I doubt he really needs any.
“Thanks for taking this meeting,” I say and try to push my nerves away. I’ve dealt with men like Evander before, criminals and thieves and killers, though Kazan’s Greek mob is one of the more powerful organized crime families in the country. I’m aware that I’m swimming in the deep end now, and there are shadows of monsters lurking beneath me.
“I’ve heard your name before, War,” he says and waves at a guy behind the counter, who brings over a small, dark coffee for me. I take a sip out of respect, then another when I realize it’s really good. “I hear you perform services. You take hard, ugly jobs, and you do them well. You do them discreetly. When I realized who your father is, and heard you wanted to talk, well, I’ll admit that I was curious.”
I nod slowly. “My father owes you money.”
“A lot of money, yes, he does.”
“I’m here to ask for a favor.”
Evander’s eyes flash and he studies me. “I don’t know you. I know of you, I have heard of your reputation, and that got you in the door. But that’s not enough to earn a favor.”
“I want to take on my father’s debt.”
That gets his attention. Evander’s eyebrows raise and he folds his hands over his stomach for a long stretch. I sip the coffee, genuinely enjoying it, and trying not to let the big Greek mob boss see my trembling hands. I’m not afraid of Evander, and I don’t fear death, but I know I’m on the edge of something right now and if I fuck it up then all my plans are worth nothing.
“Tell me why you would do that. And don’t say out of a son’s love for his papa, because while that is admirable, it’s also stupid and I wouldn’t believe you.”
I nod and adjust the coffee cup before speaking. “My father is going to get me killed one day. He’s going to get my mother killed too. He has been nothing but a problem since I was a teenager, and I’m tired of him. I’m so fucking sick of him.”
“That’s an interesting reason,” Evander says, sounding amused.
“This is my way of making him leave for good. I gave him money for a plane ticket, some extra for expenses, and we made a deal. I do this, and he disappears. If he comes back, I kill him. Simple as that.”
“Interesting.” Evander touches his face with one palm. “And this way, you don’t have to look your mother in the eye and tell her that you let a man like me murder her dear loving husband.”
“That’s the general idea, yes.”
“Very interesting. But you know what this will mean, don’t you? You know how much he owes?”
“I’m aware, yes.”
Evan nods to himself and drums on the table with his fingers. “Very well then. I’d rather get paid than have to murder a man, and I suspect you will pay me long before your father ever does. I will accept this deal and you will take on your father’s debt. I will also be so kind as to give you some time to gather the funds, or at least to come up with a suitable way to begin repayment.”
“Thank you, Evander. That would be appreciated.”
“Three months should be enough,” he says and checks his watch. “Come back to me in three months, whether you have the cash or not, and we will negotiate from there. Does this work?”
“That works.” I push back and stand. “Thank you again.”
“And, War? Family is very important. You would never forgive yourself if you killed your dear old papa, yes?”
“You don’t know my dad,” I say and walk off as Evander laughs behind me.
Chapter25
Melody
I’m alone in the office doing some end-of-the-week accounting when Ford knocks and pokes his head inside. “Hey, Melody. Got a second?”
