still had to bleed to win it, or we would never be square.
Her heart was worth the fight, the bloodshed.
It was worth my blood.
What I had done for her family, killing that bastard, was payment on a debt my old man owed to hers. This—whatever it was between us—was between us.
One thing still puzzled me, though. She never tried to fix me—the crookedest motherfucker there was. Maybe it was because I didn’t give a shit if she loved movies, or books, or Broadway, or even painting. I only cared if she was unhappy. I found myself wanting to kill anything that stood against what was best for her.
“Kelly.”
When I blinked, Raff pushed the key closer to my face.
“A key.” He smiled. “To one of the trucks that’s going to make the load. Vegetables. They’re going to hide them underneath a bunch of the earth’s best.”
Unless Lee Grady had changed the place or time at the last minute, things had happened too soon. Rocco had given me a specific time and place.
“Who?” I said, taking it from him.
“Colin.” He searched my face. “He was in Sullivan’s. Some of the Grady’s have a table. He overheard them talking about a pricey vegetable delivery. Then they handed this kid a key. A few young guys have been going in and out, stopping at the table and leaving with a key. Colin followed him to the shitter and picked it right out of his pocket. Then he tripped him and flung the key to his Granny’s apartment next to the kid. Told him his key fell out of his pocket and handed it to him. Doubts the kid even knows the difference.”
Colin’s granny was my secretary, Susan.
“He got a time and a place?”
“No,” he said. “But he thinks he overheard something about a place that distributes vegetables.”
“It’s happening soon.” We stood there, both of us thinking. After a few minutes, I started to move. “See if you hear anything on the street. I’m going to Sullivan’s for dinner.”
“Watch your back, Kelly,” he said.
I lifted a hand, acknowledging the warning.
If I could figure out when this delivery was going to take place, and botch it up, not only would Grady be after me, but the Scarpone family, too. Grady had probably been running his mouth about how it was me stealing from them constantly. It was, but only to a certain degree—I only stole the drugs.
The Scarpones were smart enough to know they had a ghost out for blood. Their shit had started going missing while I was locked up. Grady never connected the dots, which made the Scarpones suspicious of him, but since things were fucking insane on their end with the ghost, it was hard for them to tell who was really doing the damage.
I stopped and turned before I got too far. Raff had his phone out, looking down at the screen. He looked up when I called his name.
“Colin,” I said. “Stay clear of him until we talk again.”
“Got it, boss.” Raff smiled and then winked at me. He started walking in the opposite direction.
Sullivan’s was packed with the dinner rush. It made the perfect place for the Grady’s to handle their business. It was the perfect place for any of us. Sullivan’s was considered neutral territory. We could talk business, even use it as a front from time to time, but not act on violent orders, or be violent, on the premises.
If anyone screwed up, they were never allowed back in again. It was the only rule we all abided by—that, and giving a pass to marked men who were with their women and children.
Grady wouldn’t break Sullivan’s rule, but he had already broken one that had become my top priority. After how close my wife came to paying for my sins, I gained two more eyes in the back of my head.
She was safe in Italy with Macchiavello and his family, and that was the only thing I truly understood was for the best. Her confusing behavior, though? Still not a fucking clue.
The necklace in my pocket felt like it had a heartbeat. Like she had put a spell on it, making it believe that it could be real.
“Fuck me.” I ran a hand over my face, scrubbing a bit. I took out my phone and stared at it for a minute. Then I dialed her number. No answer. I called Maureen, my mole.
“She’s staring at the phone.” She sighed. “But the poor girl has been having a time