Chapter Thirty-Four
Enzo drove me home in a charcoal grey Ferrari and left me in the parking lot. I went right to my car and made it to work just in time.
Pam was business as usual, dozen red roses on her desk notwithstanding.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Morning.”
“What do I have today?”
Pam rattled off a list of meeting and conferences. I texted Daniel.
—What time today?—
—Stuff exploded. Tomorrow ok? Before
lunch, 30 min?—
—No prob—
“Can you reserve the big conference room at eleven thirty tomorrow?” I asked Pam.
She tapped around. “It’s free. Who are you meeting?”
I looked over her shoulder. The blinking cursor required an answer to who would be in the room with me. “Daniel Brower.”
She tapped it in, her expression sour under her rhinestone-tipped horn rims. “You know, polling this morning shows he’s in the lead for mayor.”
I plucked the card from the roses. “I knew he didn’t need me to win.”
Tonight.
I smiled to myself. Tonight, indeed.
* * *
I tried to keep my mind on my meetings and rows of numbers. I smoothed things over between two accountants on my team while thinking about Antonio’s body. I didn’t know how much longer I could stay at WDE. I hadn’t been fully engaged in my job in months. After spending time with Antonio, the job felt like a blunter, dimmer version of life.
I kept Antonio’s phone in my pocket. When it rang during a meeting, I excused myself and answered in the hall. “Capo?”
“Paulie.”
I might have blushed, as if he’d walked in on my dirty thoughts. “Hi, Paulie.”
“I’m coming to pick you up from work. Is six okay?”
“Sure. I can leave my car in the lot.”
“See you then.”
* * *
Our valet was in the alley behind the building, and Paulie’s Ferrari fit right in. When I came out, he was leaning against it in the shade of a bougainvillea hedge, smoking a cigarette.
“Hey,” I said. “What happened to you?” I pointed to my lower lip, indicating the split on the bottom of his.
“Fell on a guy’s fist.”
“You should watch where you’re walking.”
“He’s taken care of. You can tell your friend the loan’s forgiven.”
“I’ll give him his money. I don’t want to steal it,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it.”
He opened the passenger door, and I got in. He obviously didn’t want to discuss the money. I’d wait, but I had every intention of making sure Katrina’s production was clean.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“San Pedro.”
“We going to the beach?” I asked facetiously. San Pedro did indeed have a beach. It was also home to the loading docks and a notorious organized crime stronghold.
“We have an office down there.”
“Of course you do.”
With that, he drove into the traffic of Wilshire Boulevard.
“Where are you from, Paulie? You sound American.”
“Here. Born and raised. Pure-blooded Angelino dego.”
“Have you always been, um, in the life?”
He flung his hand back, as if indicating everything behind him. “Few generations. I’m as in it as Spin.”
“And you guys partnered? I mean, were you here first? Did he just muscle in or what?”
“He told me you were full of questions.”
“Did he tell you how frustrating it is to not ask any?”
He swung south onto LaCienega. “Doesn’t occur to me. I stay inside the lines. Safer that way. No questions because everyone already knows the answers.”
I didn’t say anything all the way down to the 10 freeway. He went east, and the wind drowned us out.
Paulie started talking as if he’d been working on his answer the whole time. “Spin came here with a bloodline, which is important. Gives him credibility, you know? He came right to me and asked for my permission to do some business. Did it exactly right, too.”
“I can’t imagine him asking permission to do anything.”
“Wasn’t like I couldn’t tell right away he could run a crew. And I’ll tell you, it would have been stupid for me not to partner up.”
“Why?”
“Because I like money, that’s why,” he said.
“He knows how to get it, I presume?”
When he didn’t answer, I thought I’d said too much, pushed him past his comfort level. He rubbed his lip as he changed lanes.
“How did your family get their money?” he asked.
“Generations of stealing followed by a few generations of legalized thievery. Now it’s all compounded interest.”
He laughed. “You’re honest.”
“Sometimes.”
“I’m going to be honest with you then.”
“Oh, this is already so much better than that meeting I cancelled.”
“My partner, he likes you.”
I was going to joke about being relieved but decided against it. This seemed very serious to him, so I shut up.
“He introduced you. That doesn’t happen every day. He’s got girls who are in the life. Like family.” He turned to me briefly then looked back at the road. “Do you know what I mean by that?”
“I think so.”
“Okay, so none of them are anything. But you? He’s lost his shit. He’s pissing himself. After today, shit’s gonna change, and I don’t know if you can handle it.”
“Are you sure he’d want you telling me this?”
“I’m not telling you anything you can use. Reason is, and I’m being honest here, I don’t trust you.”
I watched the train stops in the center of the 110. The road was relatively clear. Paulie kept left, and everyone got out of the way.
“I guess I don’t blame you,” I said.
The paper bag-brown sky of San Pedro crept over the horizon. Giant chair-shaped cranes loomed over the portal to the sea.
“Thanks for helping with my sister that night,” I said.
“No problem.”
“You were very level-headed.”
“Thanks. You too.”