call it much trouble.”
Carmine’s eyebrows climbed. “Is that right? Who caught you?”
“Security guards,” Danny said. “A pair of them. They threatened to call the police unless we paid them not to.”
“Is that right?” There was a sudden undercurrent of anger in Carmine’s voice. “And did you?”
“Of course we did. None of us wanted to go to jail.” He looked pointedly at Carmine. “I don’t think I’m out of line asking for the money we paid to stay out of jail doing a job for you.”
“How much did you pay them?”
“Ten dollars, all told.” Danny laughed dryly. “Three apiece for them to let us go without calling the cops. Another two for each of them to help us carry out what we stole.”
Carmine’s lips parted. “You… You paid the security guards to help you steal.”
“Why not? They wasn’t doing a bloody thing except trying to extort men who broke in, so we thought we’d put them to use.”
Surprise flickered across Carmine’s face. Then anger. Danny cringed, not sure what to expect from the man, but after a moment, Carmine just shook his head and went around behind his desk. He took the money out of the safe and stacked it on the desk. Then he waited patiently while Danny counted it. It was all there—over four hundred dollars—so Danny handed it back, and Carmine wrapped it the same way he always wrapped “packages.”
“Thank you.” He gave Danny the money. “I know this wasn’t what I hired you to do in the beginning, but…thank you.”
Danny took the thick bundle. “Right. You’re welcome.” He glanced down at the package in his hand. He still had so many questions, but was it his place to ask them? Heart thumping, he looked at Carmine. “Listen, I don’t know what last night was all about, but I need us to be clear on something.”
Carmine lifted his eyebrows and waited silently.
Swallowing hard, Danny pushed his shoulders back. “This warehouse—that’s a thing we ain’t doing again. You want us to run liquor and hijack other rum runners, fine. That’s why you hired us.” He shook his head. “But nothing else.”
Carmine watched him, then shrugged. “All right.”
“That’s… It’s all right?”
“Sure. This job”—Carmine gestured at the cash in Danny’s hand—“was an unusual situation. I needed someone to do a specific job, and didn’t have anyone else on the payroll who could be trusted to do it as well as you and your crew.”
Danny eyed him uneasily. “And if another job like that comes along? Where the lads and I are the best men to do it?”
“Well, if you’re not interested…” Another subtle gesture at the cash. “I’m sure I can find someone else.”
Danny shifted. Damn. He did like the money. The whole crew did. A lot.
Carmine chuckled knowingly. “If you want me to hire someone else for things like this, I will. But if you and your crew are willing should I need another job like that done again…”
“Do you think you will?” Danny swallowed. “Need a job like that done again?”
“Hopefully not. But should the opportunity present itself, well, that would be an opportunity for you and your boys. If you want it.”
Damn him. Damn him!
Danny pushed out a breath. “Can I ask you something, then?”
Carmine looked up. “Yeah?”
Studying him, Danny asked, “What was this all about? You really paid us…” He hefted the wrapped cash. “You paid us this much just to nose around and steal some cloth and cigars you don’t even want?”
“No,” Carmine said simply. “I paid you to see if you could get into that building and get out with my merchandise.”
Danny’s breath hitched. “Your merchandise? So it’s your warehouse.”
Carmine smiled. “Yes, it is.”
“But…why?”
“The truth is, I’ve had some thefts recently. Burglaries and whatnot.” Carmine shrugged. “I wanted to see how they were getting in and out without getting caught. Now I know.”
“But why me?”
Without hesitation, Carmine said, “Because I trust you.”
Something fluttered in Danny’s chest. Something he didn’t dare try to define while he was standing here. “Do you?”
“Shouldn’t I?”
“Of course, of course, I…” Danny gulped. How was he supposed to tell Carmine how those four words had made his head light? He cleared his throat. “Just, um… I’ve only been working for you a short while.”
“You have. But I also had a feeling this was an inside job, and yours is the only crew I know for a fact isn’t working with any of the others on my payroll.” Carmine chuckled quietly. “Unless you’ve suddenly warmed up to the rest of my kind.”
Heat