“Not a hundred percent sure, but he said the intel was good. Had his old lady’s uncle pull some things. Between him and the old lady’s connection, you should have enough info on everyone Ivan’s connected with and their families.”
“Damn, Casper let Mad Max use the club’s favor with Jimmy Travis for this?” Domino asks after a whistle.
Mickey shakes his head. “From what I heard, Mad Max went in alone. He wanted the bastard who took out his boss. Nothing to do with the girl and the kid. And as you know, Mad Max can be very persuasive when he wants to be.”
“Travis ain’t the type to be persuaded. If he gave it to Mad Max, then he did it because he also wants Ivan out and gone. Not going to ask what that ex-CIA spook’s motives are.Just happy they’re in sync with our own,” I say, glancing over at the screen as Kooper pulls up file after file.
What happened to Law hit all of us hard, though some harder than others—Mad Max being one of them. He was the boss’s last line of defense. Mad Max took that job beyond what was required. It kills him that when Law got shot, he was still at the compound, doing cleanup duty and protecting his old lady. She’s the only one who’s ever swayed his loyalty from Law.
“If you brought the intel, who sent the gift?” Domino asks as he glances over at Tommy, who looks almost asleep. Well, except for the wide grin that spreads across his face.
“Milly,” I say for him.
He tilts his head, smile dropping, before he gives me one nod.
I turn, using the bar as a place to rest my back as I fold my arms to keep from hitting something. Don’t know why I have the urge, but it’s there. Been there since Ivan sent his men into our compound. I have a need to seek and destroy, like the Hound of the Reaper I am, but I keep holding myself back. Destroying anyone but the one I want is like putting a damn Band-Aid on a leaking dam. It ain’t going to do shit to stop the river from flowing.
“She said we owed you all one for what you did for her and my stepnephew. Vinny didn’t want to have to owe more than one when we left midtown USA. Consider me your gift to use or not use. I care not.”
“More than one debt?” Domino looks at me, but I shake my head, just as confused.
Tommy smiles as he leans back on the couch, closing his eyes again. “The kid. Vinny said we owe him for taking care of our little sis. But between you and me, Milly can take care of herself. Taught her everything she knows.”
“Why send you? Why not the one in charge?” the prospect asks with genuine curiosity.
Got to admit, I’m curious too. I figured it would be easier to find an in with Ivan if we used the Leone family to get into the place. One head of one mafia meeting the head of another mafia might actually work. But only if the gift was the head of the family, not a fourth-string backup.
“’Cause I’m the best,” he says simply, as if it’s the obvious answer.
“And the one out of the limelight,” Kooper says as he looks up from the computer and over at Tommy.
This has Tommy dropping his smile and sitting up with a frown on his face for half a second. “Well, that too. Ivan knows of me but hasn’t seen me in years. My other brothers are the ones who usually show up at these types of events. While I might be the life of the party, my job is to blend in with the lower crowd. The people who are overlooked are usually the ones who can bring down a top dog who thinks he’s unreachable. Which is exactly what Ivan thinks he is. He doesn’t even see someone who isn’t on his level, just walks right on by as if they don’t exist.”
“So going in the front door isn’t an option,” the prospect says as he sits back in his chair, coming to the same conclusion as me.
It seems to piss off Tommy a bit at how quickly he’s being dismissed as the “best” of the Leone family. “What about you? What’s your story? What’s your name?”
“Prospect.”
“Prospect? What the fuck kind of club name is that?”
“A name for someone trying to get in,” Domino says as he goes to the fridge and pulls out water for him and two others for me and Kooper. We might have beer, but we’re here on a job, not a summer vacation. Being alert at all times is the only way to make it out of this alive. Hopefully. The beer’s only here because the place also came with a stocked fridge as part of the listing.
“You ain’t even patched?” Tommy snorts. “Damn, who the hell did you piss off to land this gig?”
“I volunteered.”
“Volunteered? What the fuck for? You the one who’s got something going with my sis?”
I stiffen.Did she say something?I control my emotions, but I’m not sure if her brother picked up on my quick reaction to shut everything down. It might be subtle to a civilian, but I know Domino and Kooper noticed it. Especially as they each side-eye me without drawing more attention my way.
“He’s unattached,” Koop supplies without looking up from the laptop screen.
“Unattached, huh? That go for the rest of you?”
Domino and I nod.
“Unattached and what, expendable?”
