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“You know why,” Ace waved a hand at him. “The Mafusos don’t want you pulling any of your Jedi mind tricks when they snatch the key from us.”
“You think they’re going to take the key and keep the seer?” Tina asked.
“Ya bet your sweet arse they are.” Brodie crossed his arms over his chest.
“Tell him we agree, but only if we pick the meeting place,” I said.
Jake paused, considered, then typed my words.
“They agreed.” He squinted his eyes at me. “I told them no goons or guns. Now, you want to tell me what’s going on upstairs?” He tapped the side of his head.
“They said I can only bring three people. They didn’t say anything about animals.”
A wide smile spread across Gertie’s face. “Mama’s Double Wide?”
I grinned back at her. “Oh, yeah.”
Twenty-four hours later,I arrived at Mama’s Double Wide. Jake had secured a meeting during the day when the club was closed. It didn’t take much to persuade Darryl to assist Jake on a top secret mission.
Once inside, Jake greeted us.
“I’m not usually on this side of the law.” Darryl grinned ear to ear. He had Daphne secured in her travel cage and Tonto riding shotgun in my backpack.
Jake cut an uncertain look my way.
Daphne gave a squawk. Darryl opened a Tupperware container and chose a treat that resembled slimy chicken gizzards. He passed it between the wire grid. Daphne took it in her claw and tore off a piece with her sharp beak.
Intel reported the Mafusos had flown to Texas by private jet. Mahlia could have transported the keyless, but one day wasn’t much time to acquire goons in the area. My money was on Gian-Carlo brought his own. If he was abiding by the terms of our agreement, no goons, no guns, the hired hands would stay away from the bar but circle the perimeter like starved hyenas.
I peeked in at Tonto. He was curled up in a ball asleep. The cuddly quarters of my backpack provided a cocooned haven for the burglar.
I escorted Darryl upstairs to the second story loft inside Mama’s Double Wide to wait for the Mafusos’ arrival. Marco, Jake, and Brodie waited downstairs. A breeze blew in from the large, open pitching window across the loft. The air smelled of Texas summer, hot and humid. I pulled my hair back into a messy bun, securing the bun with a hair tie I wore around my wrist.
Darryl placed Daphne’s cage on a table near the balcony and removed his cowboy hat, taking in the scenery.
I joined him looking out through the giant window at the parking lot below. The loft provided a bird’s eye view for the manager of the club to observe the bar, tables, and shenanigans below, and offered an area for VIP guests. A picture of the actor Jamie Foxx, a native of the area, hung on the wall above a cozy lounge area.
Marco turned and looked up at me from his position by the door. I gave him a finger wave. He gave me nothing.
The high vaulted barn roof was perfect for what I had in store for the Mafusos. Daphne gave another objection to being confined in her cage.
“Do you think Daphne will be able to do her thing in here?” I motioned toward the thick beams running parallel to the ceiling. Jake had originally objected to my plan; it took some convincing before he agreed.
“No problemo,” Darryl said. He replaced his hat and pushed another treat through the cage. “Daphne’s a professional.”
We moved a large, potted plant in front of the table to provide Darryl a screen from the Mafusos. He could watch the goings on below without being seen.
“Incoming,” Gerry’s voice broadcasted across everyone’s in-ear communication devices. The Mafusos weren’t stupid. They knew we would have people on the outside, too. Tina and Gerry blocked the exit to the highway in case the Mafusos thwarted my plan and got by us. But my plan didn’t allow them to have the key.
“Aboot time. I’m sweating my bloody balls off out here.” Campy reported from the roof of the Taco House next door.
A black Lincoln pulled up at the entrance to Mama’s Double Wide. A hired hand exited the Lincoln and scoped out the place. When he was satisfied we didn’t have a militia waiting in the wings, he opened the car door. Gian-Carlo stepped out, followed by Mahlia.
“That the bad guys?” Darryl asked me.
“Yep, the Big Kahuna and his granddaughter.”
The hired gun got in the Lincoln and the car drove away.
