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Half a ton of drugs in one shipment?“Are they begging to get busted?” The Italians are insane. I would never have the guts to do that. Jimmy shrugs as I scan the report.
“I don’t know, but they’re gonna try it, and from what I was able to gather, no one’s caught onto it yet. The Italians are pretty tight-lipped about the buyers, but considering the product,” Jimmy trails off briefly. “It’s mostly MDMA, ecstasy, DMT... psychedelics and party drugs. If I had to guess, it was going over the border into Canada. It’s a lot to hide from federal authorities, but they managed to do it. Especially since the Italians have to know that Agent Long is around, and with Mayor Shaw being killed... they must want to get this deal over with as soon as possible.”
“Friday, do you know what time?” I ask.
“Anywhere between 1 and 3 in the morning, but I don’t have an exact time,” Jimmy answers, and I nod, satisfied.
“I’ll work it myself. It’ll be a good opportunity to flex my skills,” I grin lopsidedly as excitement trills in my veins. It’s been a while since I took on a job. Usually, I just hire someone. Jimmy’s surprised, and I flip the page to find Heather’s name scrawled atop the top. “What’s this?”
“Heather’s contact attempts with her brother. She’s also received a blank email, but we can only tell it originated in Boston, so we don’t know whether or not it’s Frankie,” Jimmy explains, and I cock my head back curiously. She’s only tried to call him a handful of times, sent three texts, and I assume she remembered I had hacked her email because she never sends Frankie one. “I went to New York yesterday, partly because of the Italians, but I discovered that Frankie was seen running with Southtown Boys.”
“Who?” I asked distractedly, scanning the script of Heather’s voicemails to her brother.
“Southtown Boys. They run a couple blocks in Brooklyn. They’re not big, but they’re fucking brutal. They’re suspected of mutilating two separate shop owners and stringing them up with meat hooks in front of their own shops,” Jimmy shakes his head as I grimace, my mouth drying at the prospect. People like that are psychopaths; best not to tangle with them. I’m not surprised at all that Frankie would’ve found a comfortable home in them, but it does pose a problem. I rub my jaw and neck roughly. “If he’s in a gang, he probably won't risk coming back here unless we give him a reason to, Boss.”
“There may not be another way, but I’d rather not dangle Heather by a rope just yet,” I answer, already sensing where Jimmy’s mind is going. He frowns at me sharply, but I ignore him. Discomfort worms between my shoulder blades at the notion. “She’s my only link. I don’t wanna sacrifice her if I’m not positive beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’ll show up. It’s a bait trap that’ll only work once, Jimmy. It’s not about her and me.”
“Uh-huh,” Jimmy accepts my answer, but it’s obvious he’s not convinced. “So, what? You’re just gonna wait for him to show up? Slip up? What if he never does?”
“These calls,” I look up at Jimmy curiously. “They ring?”
“According to Markee, yeah?” Jimmy answers before sitting up a little straighter. Realization crashes with a blush on his face. “If the phone’s on, then he’s still got it and knows she wants to talk to him?”
“That’s right, and that means he might be here in Boston and sent that blank email,” I say, setting down the papers to pat my pockets for my wallet and keys. “This actually isn’t bad. We can work with it. Come on, let’s go.”
“Where?” Jimmy asks, standing up to follow me out of my office. I look back at him, a malicious grin spread all over my face.
“To cause some chaos,” I answer casually. In truth, I want to avoid Jimmy's annoyance; part of me knows he's right. Heather has... an effect on me. I snub the thought by inhaling sharply through my nose. It's not so bad having someone other than Jimmy around. In any case, I'm sure he's just jealous. He’s not used to being second best to me.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Heather
“Hey!” Giggling at Jack’s expression, I step out of my house to walk down the steps towards him. Happiness bounces around in my chest, making it hard to breathe. “You’ll never guess what happened today!”
“I can’t wait for you to tell me all about it,” he replies with a fond smile, opening the back passenger door for me. I pause when he puts a hand on my arm, scanning me through narrowed eyes. “You look wonderful, Heather.”
“Oh, thank you,” I blush fiercely as Jack helps me slide into the car, my long, emerald green dress swishing against my legs. Sitting next to me, he shuts us in the back seat and puts a hand on my exposed knee before we pull off the curb. His starched, white button-down clings to his shoulders as he adjusts his jacket. “You always look good and effortless. It took me two hours to look like this.”
“Time well spent,” he remarks with a grin, trailing his palm up under the slit in my dress. I chuff a breathless laugh as I reach for my fingers to run through his hair. His eyes close briefly, tilting his head into my palm as I stroke his razor-sharp jaw. “So? What happened today that’s got you in such a mood?”
“Well, today I learned that on Monday, I’ll be officially taking over Grace’s class. Today was her last day,” I reveal, excitement thrumming in my throat. Turning to him, I nod when he arches a brow quizzically. “Yes! I’ll be teaching her class for the next half a year! But that’s not all! Monday, it’ll also be announced who’ll be taking on permanent positions at the school next year, and I’m in the running to teach Ms. Ruth’s third-grade class! Principal McKillingly already basically verbally confirmed it, but on Monday, it’ll be official!”
“Should I hold off on congratulations until then?” Jack asks, and I shake my head. He catches my hand and kisses my knuckles, his eyes shining brightly when they meet mine. My cheeks ache from my smile, and I hold my breath. “Congratulations, then, Heather. I know how hard you worked for this.”
“I did, didn’t I!” I giggle a little hysterically, and Jack chuckles. I rub my palms together, clasping my hands, and my fingertips tingle wildly with delight. “I’m so happy! This is what I have been working on for the past 6 years! And it’s finally happening!”
“You should be proud of yourself—immensely,” he agrees, and I settle back into the seat with a satisfied sigh. “This’ll be a multipurpose date, then.”
“Multipurpose?” I ask, and Jack sits back, thoughtfully rubbing his jaw with his free hand. His other palm casually rubs my thigh, as if he's not aware of doing it. My excitement fades slowly, and I purse my lips thinly. “It's less romantic than letting me believe you truly want to get to know me if you tell me you have a hidden agenda.”
"That's why I asked you out in the first place. Of course, I want to know more about you," Jack states, and I already know what he's going to say. "And celebrate the announcement on Monday. But it’s also a way to kill time. Tonight, we have a task to accomplish, and I thought we could do it together. I haven’t seen you in action, and Mayor Shaw’s job wasn’t exactly textbook. Most importantly, you haven't seen me in action. I want you to know that I am more than just words."
“You,” My mouth dries, and I struggle not to let my disappointment bristle. I sigh as I cross my arms over my chest and look at the divider between the front and back seats. “You should’ve kept that last part to yourself and let me have my moment.”
Jack doesn’t reply, but I can see his cheek twitching out of the corner of my eye. He covers his mouth with his fingers, trying to hide his grimace, before speaking up. “I do know the value of being satisfied in your personal life, Heather. I want you to be happy and feel accomplished if it means you’ll do better work for me. You being happy means I get my money’s worth, and it’s even better that I don’t have to use your principal’s debt with me to get it done.”
"Oh, I'd murder you," I grumble, frowning and pouting my lips. He just has to ruin it with his practicality. Jack gives me a dark, amused look, and I return it weakly. “I would. Don't you dare interfere with my job, even if you believe you're helping me. Don’t. Go. Near. My. Job.”
