Page 37 of Lawbreaker

“He’s got no family, no close friends. He works for the money.”

“That’s not enough. Not for that job.”

“He likes it,” the other guy said quietly and with distaste.

Tony drew in a long breath. “Well, I guess nobody likes a fresh kid threatening to bring down the cops, either, do they?” He leaned back in his chair. “You sure you want to do this?” he asked suddenly.

“I told you. We’ve got it all managed, no real outside talent, just the guy from Quebec. And no rats.”

“Didn’t they say theTitanicwas unsinkable?” Tony asked.

There was a nervous laugh.

“So you’ve got a target, you’ve got talent—what am I here for, exactly?” Tony asked.

The young man brightened. “Intel,” he said. He flushed a little. “I mean, the facts, the setup, how we take the guy out.”

Tony raised a black eyebrow. “The cleaner does that.”

He hesitated. “No, I mean, he’ll come when he’s asked, but we need advice from a pro,” he emphasized with a pearly smile, “about the best way to put the hit on this upstart! If you could just tell us, me, how you usually go about these things...?”

Tony leaned back in his chair, just staring at the man.

“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” the younger man asked.

Tony didn’t blink. “Cold as the grave, in fact.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” the man asked, looking very twitchy at the moment.

“I owe a guy a favor,” Tony said. “Sorry. Nothing personal. Just business.”

Before he could say another word, the door opened and two older guys in suits walked in. The guy at the table tried to pull his gun, but the older men were quicker.

Tony got up and looked down at the man with utter contempt. “Sal the Penny is in Minnesota visiting his grandson,” he said. “The closest you’ve ever been to us was when you showed up uninvited to a birthday party at a local restaurant and tried to fit in.” He smiled coldly at the man’s surprise. Rudy had been thorough. “You’ve never even fired that piece you carry on your hip. Plus,” he added, the smile fading, “you’re wearing a wire, you son of a bitch.”

The man colored. He struggled in Ben’s grasp and stammered, trying to think up a way to save himself.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll handle the wire when we get him out of here,” one of the guys told him with a cold smile.

“Hey, listen here. This is my bust!” the young man argued. “I called you and told you where to come. You’re on my side!”

“How’s that?” one of the older suited men asked.

“You’re on my side!” The younger man was almost hysterical now.

One of the newcomers glanced at Tony. “We’ll take care of this package for you, Tony, no worries.”

“Make sure there’s not a trail leading back here,” Tony said quietly.

The man was breathing like a steam engine, his eyes going from Tony to the guys in suits. “But...but...these are feds, and you’re talking right in front of them!”

Tony cocked his head. “They tell you they were feds?” he asked. He turned to the men. “You know what to do. And you know who’s behind this. Make sure he knows what he’s sticking his nose into.”

“We’ll get the message to him.” The taller man in the suit clapped handcuffs on the squirrelly man squirming for release.

“But you’re supposed to be feds!” he exclaimed. “I’m wearing a wire for you, to catch him in the act of ordering a hit!” He was almost screaming, nodding frantically toward Tony.

“The feds aren’t the only guys who hang around bars looking for customers who want to off relatives,” Tony told him. “You just learned a lesson. Too bad you won’t get to apply it.”