Page 33 of The Deals We Make

“Fuck me. Why does everyone know my business?”

King chuckles. “Niro. Who heard it from Sophia.”

I shake my head. “For the record, it’s her mom who needs the help. She’s my mom’s neighbor, and the woman was her daughter.”

King looks at me, staring with his eyebrows raised.

“Fuck you,” I say when he doesn’t look away. “Haven’t seen her in years.”

“Leave the man alone,” Rae says, pushing the finished sandwiches in front of us.

“Smells good,” I say. “Thanks, Rae.”

“My pleasure. I’m just going to run and get my sweater. Back in a minute.”

I wait until she is out of hearing range. “The Sicilians have trouble with a hacker,” I say. “Sophia told Alessio about me. Now, he’d like me to go look at what’s going on. See if I can find out whether they’ve been successful, that kind of shit. Said I’d speak to you about it.”

King takes a large bite of the sandwich and chews as he thinks. I follow his lead. The salty bite of feta blends perfectly with the herbed focaccia, peppers, onions, and chicken.

He places the sandwich down on the plate. “Tell him you’ll do it for a favor or a fee. We aren’t a charity. And as much as I’m growing to like Sophia, she doesn’t get to pimp you out to her family.”

“Understood. I’ll come up with a consulting bill. But what if it’s the Irish?” I ask. It’s deliberate. I want to get ahead of the narrative of who this is. I don’t intend to blame Cillian or any of his men. But I need the trail to lead away from Calista if it is her.

And I want to know what King would do to the perpetrator.

“Then you tell Alessio and get the fuck out of dodge. Cillian revealed his true colors. He might have said we were spineless in trying to avoid a war with the Sicilians, but the man is going to get himself killed if he keeps making enemies with everyone.”

I think about the Irishman. “Kind of respect his balls, though. He might not be playing smart, but he bows to no one. I can admire that.”

King nods as he chews another mouthful. “That might be the only reason I give him a heads-up if you find out it is him.”

“Fair play. I’ll go set it up.” I grab my plate and beer and head into my tech room. The lamp on my desk gives me enough light to find my way around, but not so much it’s an overload when all my monitors flicker to life.

I think about the shit I’ve recorded and watched and hacked and managed from here. It’s been a balls-to-the-wall kind of existence. It’s had its life-affirming moments and death. Happiness and sadness. The highs and lows that add up to a harsh yet spectacular life.

And as I hear Rae and King laugh outside in the kitchen, I remember a time when that would have been Calista and me. Braiding the past with the present is a challenge as I try toreconcile our former friendship with the way she left, and how good it felt to hold her in my arms, pressed up against that goddamn wall.

Yet, figuring it out could be the answer to both our futures.

10

VEX

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Niro says as he looks up at the large house Alessio Viscuso calls home.

“It looks like Versace threw up out here,” Bates adds.

I have to agree. It has a whole heap of Miami Godfather “say hello to my little friend” vibes. Men patrol the house. There is one by the gate, two flanking the front door, and one on the roof of a four-car garage. All of them are dressed in black; all of them are armed.

And all of them are focused on us.

Bates slides right up next to me. “Guess distraction is the way to break in here,” he mutters. “Those fuckers haven’t taken their eyes off us.”

I nod once to show I understood.

“Must cost a fortune to heat,” Niro says.

Catalina slings her arm over his shoulder. “And there’s my little penny-pincher.”