Page 116 of Guarding Grace

“No way,” Constance said. “One million in bills is a forty-three-inch stack. Ten mill is about thirty-five feet. That much doesn’t fit in a case, and that’s before you factor in the discount, which means the case would have to hold something like forty million in bogus bills to have a street value of ten million.”

Everybody nodded after Constance’s lesson.

“But,” she added, “it might not be the whole delivery. The buyer typically gets a sample before buying in bulk. What if Victor’s number is the worth of the total transaction at stake? Do we trust Victor that what was in the case was worth ten mill?”

Lucas shook his head. “In a word,no.” He looked around the room. “One more thing. Based on Tony’s response this morning, the missing case is one of the ones rigged with explosives.”

Winston shook his head. “I hate that shit.”

“I told Tony we’d help him find Elliot,” Lucas said. “We have one week.”

Duke raised a hand. “Do we think Elliot stole it and still has the case?”

I kept quiet.

“Most likely,” Lucas said. “The bombs in the cases were started when one of the couriers was caught stealing. They have enough C-4 in them to level a few houses. If he’d tried to open it, there would be a smoking hole in the ground somewhere and whatever was inside would be worthless. So, best guess, he’s trying to open it without damaging the contents or killing himself.”

“If Victor is on his way to Italy, and Papa Russo has backed off Grace, why are we spending so much time on this?” Jordy asked.

Lucas leveled his brother with a glare. “Because she’s Terry’s woman and one of us, that’s why. This isn’t over because Marku is in the mix.”

Jordy’s head jerked to me. “Your?—”

“My woman,” I said emphatically enough to settle that for everybody.

Duke high-fived me. “About fuckin’ time.”

Constance turned a grimace on Lucas. “If he’s involved with the protectee, that could be a problem.”

Lucas raised a hand. “Not here it isn’t.”

Winston shook his head at her from across the table.

Constance clamped her mouth shut.

“Any luck finding where Elliot is hiding?” Lucas asked Jordy.

“I have him on camera several times down near the pier. I’m getting closer. Maybe by tomorrow.”

“Great. Anything else?” Lucas asked.

When nobody spoke up, he stood, and the meeting was over.

Outside the conference room, Constance pulled me aside. “What is it I don’t know? Why is it okay for you to be protecting the woman you just told us all you are involved with? That’s a clear violation of proper protocol.”

I waited until nobody else was within earshot. “Lucas has different rules. He married a woman he was protecting.”

Her mouth dropped open like I’d just proclaimed that the Earth revolved around the moon. “I never?—”

I stopped her. “We don’t talk about it…about her. It’s just too painful.”

“What happened?”

“It’s not my story to tell. And for Lucas’s sake, don’t ask.”

With that, I left her before I got myself in trouble.

CHAPTER 26