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Ivan waves me off. I know he has his way of dealing with things. It’s now just a case of who finds the culprit first.
I speed through the streets to La Club and park haphazardly outside the doors. The bouncers are about to say something when I flash them a look, and they back off, recognizing me.
As I walk toward the office, I see two women sitting at a booth, drinking. It’s Shirley and Arianna, and I pause at their booth. “Afternoon, ladies.”
My heart is beating hard in my chest, and I’m not sure if it’s the adrenaline from our territory being attacked or just from being in the vicinity of the woman who is driving me wild.
They both give me quiet hellos, and I lean against the booth. “Shirley, I’d love to get together soon. To make up for what happened at the event.”
Shirley swirls her glass and sips it. “Is that what you drove here to say?”
“No… No, I... I wanted to see Frankie.”
Shirley and Arianna both look up at me, puzzled.
“Is everything okay?” Arianna asks, starting to stand up.
Frankie comes out of his office. “Evgenii, come in.”
I glance at Shirley again. “Let me know.” I hurry into Frankie's office, and he shuts the door.
“Did you hear about the explosion in Lower Manhattan?” I ask.
“That’s a territory we share with you, so of course I have,” Frankie says. “I assumed that’s what you are here to discuss.”
“Who do you think it could be? Do you think the Golubevs or Pachecos are playing a game with us?”
“Why would you assume the Golubevs are involved?” He pours us each a glass of whiskey. “I doubt it’s the Pachecos. They’re trying to get out of New York.”
“Mikhail. He was targeting Shirley the other night.” I take the whiskey.
“For what? I doubt that, after you, Shirley will ever share so much as the memory of a dream with anyone,” he sits in his chair and watches me. “So if that was Mikhail’s plan, it was a piss poor one.”
I grunt. Talk about a low blow.
Frankie crosses his arms. “I think it’s in everyone’s interests if you and Shirley stay apart.”
“I didn’t know she had a keeper,” I retort, and I can see the muscles in his jaw flex with irritation.
“She’s my younger sister in every way, bar blood. Our alliance won’t stop me from whooping your ass.”
I hold my hands out. “From what I’ve heard, she can more than handle herself. And I’m not looking for a fight. Both our families have been affected by this bombing, so if you hear anything, keep me in the loop, okay?”
Frankie relaxes slightly and nods. “You do the same. They’re starting to report the deaths, and we’ve lost a lot of good people there.”
I finish my drink and set my glass down before standing up. “I should get going. I want to see the site myself and see what I can find out about the type of bomb used.”
Frankie nods but doesn’t stand. “I’ll be in touch.”
I leave the office and notice Arianna and Shirley are still nursing their drinks. I walk toward their booth, but Arianna holds up a hand. “This is a private conversation. You know the way out, right?”
I chuckle. “I can take a hint.” I look into Shirley’s eyes. “Call me, so I can apologize properly for being a dick.”
She shrugs, and I leave because I don’t know how Frankie will feel if I linger too long near the girls.
I jump into my car and rev the engine to life before pulling into traffic and heading straight toward lower Manhattan. I want to concentrate on what’s going on, but I just keep thinking about how Shirley shrugged me off.
Chapter 11 - Shirley
