JAMIE

I BREATHED A little sigh of relief and watched Ellie’s back as she walked out of my apartment. What had transpired in the last two hours had been terrifying. I felt so vulnerable after reliving my past again. That was the first time I’d ever let any of that stuff out; no one knew most of it, not even my mother. I’d never wanted to talk about it before, I’d always suppressed it, pushed it down and tried to bury it, but right now, after telling all of that to her, I kind of felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Ellie was probably the last person who I wanted to know my deepest, darkest secrets, but now that she knew, it was almost like it had brought us closer. The acceptance, the understanding, the support and unconditional love from her just blew my mind. The strength of Ellie’s character was something that left me in awe of her. My love for her was terrifying; she literally was the most important thing in the world to me. The only wish I had was that my little sister were alive to meet her, because I know she would have idolized her, too.

When the door closed, leaving me on my own again, I realized that I was going to have to hurry if I didn’t want to be late. I headed into my bedroom, zipping up my suitcase, which I’d had packed for almost two weeks. I smiled as I lifted it off the bed and put it by the door so I could grab it easily tomorrow when I had to go pick her up for the airport.

All I’d left unpacked in my apartment was the stuff that had been here when I moved in and a change of clothes for tomorrow. The most important things were sitting on my nightstand. My passport was one of the two “must not forget” items. Ellie had the tickets because she liked to coo over them before she went to sleep, so I didn’t have to worry about forgetting those. The other essential item I picked up and rolled around in the palms of my hands: the little black ring box containing the engagement ring that I’d purchased recently. I smiled to myself. It was going to be a complete surprise for her. I’d already slyly asked her father’s permission, and thankfully he’d agreed on the condition that we had a fairly long engagement. So, as soon as I found a nice little romantic spot in Rome, I was getting down on one knee. Hopefully she’d say yes. After what had just transpired between us, I was pretty confident that she wouldn’t turn me down.

Just for good measure, I checked it for the hundredth time. Opening the box, I looked down at the ring that I’d spent hours choosing. The princess-cut diamond caught the light as I moved it, and I couldn’t help but smile as I imagined it glistening like that on her finger instead of in the box. Perfection.

Snapping the box closed, I winced when I realized that she could have seen it earlier and ruined the surprise. I’d just casually suggested that she sleep in here, and the whole time the ring was sitting on the nightstand, plain as day. What an idiot!

Instead of putting it back, I pushed the box into my pocket. I liked to carry it around with me; it made me smile every time I bent over or crouched down and the little box dug into my leg—it made me think of her.

I forced myself to stop thinking about her now, though; I seriously needed to get to the warehouse before they all started calling me and panicking, thinking I was going to be late. After grabbing my wallet and jacket, I practically ran out of the apartment and down to my truck.

The fifteen-minute drive seemed to pass in a blur, and before I knew it I pulled up at the warehouse. I didn’t want to be working tonight at all. Technically, I should have finished with Brett last week, but the thing I hadn’t realized when I’d promised I would go traveling with Ellie—I actually wasn’t allowed. I was still on parole. Terms and conditions of my parole meant I couldn’t leave the country for another six months. It was something I hadn’t even considered when I’d made the suggestion we go fulfill Ellie’s traveling dream. Luckily for me, though, Brett had contacts everywhere and had agreed to pull some strings for me with the parole officer—monetary bribes no doubt—but in return I had to commit to this last job before I was allowed to quit for good. Just this last job and then I was free of it all, he’d said. Apparently he had no one else who worked like me, no one he could trust not to screw this up, and he needed his strongest team with him.

Tonight wasn’t a boost like I’d told Ellie it was, tonight was something different, and not in a good way.

My hand closed around the door handle and shoved the door of my truck open just as Brett walked out of the warehouse, looking in my direction with a stern expression on his face. I flicked my eyes to the clock on my dashboard. It was one minute past eleven. Technically, I was late.

“About fucking time. Come on, Kid, where have you been?” he snapped.

I smiled sheepishly. I didn’t think “screwing the life out of my girl” would be very graciously received. “Packing,” I lied, shrugging. “I’m here now. Are we going?”

He nodded and most of his guys walked out of the warehouse behind him. I frowned; it appeared we were going in heavy tonight. Brett obviously didn’t want to take any risks. Ray waved in acknowledgment but stayed inside. He didn’t come to anything like this, he was just a mechanic, not too involved in anything that wasn’t car related. I envied him in that respect. The ten or so guys who’d come out started heading to their respective cars in the lot.

“Kid, you’re with me,” Brett called as I started walking toward Shaun’s car.

I sighed but nodded, heading over to his Bentley instead. “Hey, Ed,” I greeted the driver. He nodded in response, looking a little nervous. This type of thing, a meeting with a brand-new client, was always a little nerve-racking because you never knew how it was going to go down—hence Brett bringing along all of his heavies.

As I slid into the back of the car with Brett, he smiled at me and ran a hand through his hair. “You have a piece?” he asked suddenly as the car pulled out.

I gulped and shook my head. “No, but I don’t want one anyway.”

He scoffed and reached under his seat, pulling out a black duffel bag. Dread washed over me as he unzipped it. He pulled open the bag and motioned for me to take one of the guns nestled inside.

“Brett, really, I don’t want one,” I protested.

He shook his head firmly, his hard eyes telling me that it wasn’t actually an offer but an order. “You’re coming to the front with me, you need to be armed,” he demanded.

The front? Damn it!

I sighed and looked in the bag, seeing about ten guns in there, ranging in size from shotgun to small pistol. Shoving my hand in, I chose one of the smaller ones, a black handgun. I knew how guns worked, I’d been taught how to use one, but I’d never actually fired one at a real person. Usually these were carried just for show, so that people wouldn’t think about a double cross. Hopefully this deal would be no different.

Tonight Brett was meeting with the head of a rival syndicate from New Jersey. The Lazlo family had mob connections and was known everywhere across the U.S. In this meeting they were trying to make various deals—drugs and guns, mostly. Brett and the Lazlos had never met up before. Brett was hard-core and well connected, but the guy he was meeting with, Dominic Lazlo, was in a different league entirely. Hopefully they’d be able to come to some sort of deal; if they could, then they would form a partnership of sorts, making Brett part of the largest crime syndicate on this side of the country.

“Why am I coming to the front? Doesn’t Ed usually do that?” I inquired. Usually I would just stand at the back and look intimidating, but now it appeared that I would actually be involved in the talks, too.

Brett rolled his eyes as if I’d said something stupid. “I need this guy to be impressed with me. Having my best man there looks good for me. I don’t think you understand the high regard you’re held in by your peers, Kid.”

I frowned, wishing this night were over with already. “But I’m not gonna be here starting tomorrow, so what’s the point of me getting involved?”

His face hardened. “Don’t mention that in front of Dominic. I haven’t told people you’re leaving, so as far as tonight goes, you’re on my team to stay,” he said. “I really want to form this partnership with him. If I do, then my income will practically double overnight. Not only will I have all my usual customers, but I’ll have the ones that he can send my way, too. It’s a two way street; usually if people come to me for guns I tell them to find someone else, but now I’ll pass them on to Dominic, and in return he’ll pass the boosts to me. I’ll also get the benefit of a reduced-price supplier. He shifts more drugs and gets a bigger territory with people to do all the dirty work for him, and I get a higher profit margin. It’s a win-win situation.”

I nodded in understanding. It all sounded good and, to be honest, they’d both be crazy not to agree; there were no obvious downsides. “But what about when the orders come flooding in and you have no one to fill them?”

He frowned, sucking his teeth with his tongue. “I’ll sort something out. You never know, maybe you’ll be done traveling around the world sooner than expected, and you’ll want to come back to work. I could make it worth your while. If this deal goes through, then I’ll double your nightly boost fee, how about that?” he offered rather hopefully.

I smiled apologetically. He’d tried everything to get me to stay: money, respect, more power within his organization, and threats of violence. But none of it was enough. I wanted out, and after tonight, I was.

“I’d recommend you try and get Vincent on your team,” I suggested. That night that I’d worked with him, he’d been an incredible booster. He talked too much for my liking, but I would definitely recommend the guy.

“Who’s Vincent?”

“Oh right, I mean Dodger,” I corrected myself when I realized that Brett probably didn’t even know his real name. “Man, that has to be the worst nickname in the history of bad nicknames.” I laughed.

Brett grinned and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, if it comes to it, then I’ll talk to him. Maybe Ray could train up another little protégé for me, too,” he mused, patting me on the knee. We lapsed into silence and I looked out the tinted windows, watching the streets whiz past in a blur. My eyes were heavy; I could actually do with going to sleep instead of this.

“You know, I’m really sad that you’re leaving,” Brett stated, seemingly out of nowhere.

I turned back to look at him to see a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yeah, but I never really wanted to do all this in the first place,” I muttered.

He nodded. “Your dad would have been proud of you for getting out and starting over like this. He never really liked this life much, either.” I looked at him curiously when he mentioned my dad. “He wanted out too, but he wasn’t gonna get it. The man he worked for wouldn’t have let him go easily.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “No, he was too good at what he did; they wouldn’t have wanted to lose his talent from their team. You definitely got that from him. I’ll be sorry to see you go, and not just for your skills, either.” He smiled affectionately. “I’ll actually miss you a lot.”

I squirmed a little in my seat, uncomfortable with the emotion he was exuding. “I’ll miss you too, Brett.” That wasn’t actually a lie; he was a great guy, and I’d always liked him.

He smiled wistfully, fiddling with the buttons on his suit jacket. “I always thought you’d take over from me one day. I never had kids of my own, so I kind of always thought of you as my kid. If I had to hand my business to anyone, it’d be you.”

I laughed nervously. “I’m too good-looking to be your kid,” I joked, trying to break the intense mood.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. “And too conceited.”

I chuckled. “And too smart.”

He raised one eyebrow, still grinning. “Don’t push it, I don’t like you that much.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper and offered it to me. “I got you a little going-away present.”

I took the paper cautiously, wondering what it was going to be. When I opened it up I was confronted by a bank account number and password. “What’s this?”

He smiled. “I opened you an offshore bank account to help you get started with your girl. I know you always wanted your own car garage. Well, there’s enough in there to help you buy one.”

I gasped in shock. “Brett, I can’t take that,” I protested, holding the paper back out to him.

He shook his head and pushed my hand away. “Kid, just take it. I hope it makes you happy.”

“I want to go straight, I don’t want to take this and owe you anything,” I argued. If I took that money, then he’d always have a hold over me, I’d always be in his debt.

He scoffed. “There’s no strings attached. That’s yours. Just take it and spend it on whatever you want. I know you want out, and I respect you for that. That’s a parting-ways gift, kind of like severance pay.”

I opened my mouth to make another protest, but the car pulled up into a workshop parking lot. Immediately my business face snapped on; the deal came first, I could argue with him about the money later. I shoved the paper into the pocket of my jeans, smiling as my fingers brushed over the panties I’d confiscated from Ellie earlier.

Brett sat forward in his seat, telling Ed to turn the car around and park near the door just in case. Glancing out the window, I noted that the other people were already here. There were four expensive-looking cars parked even though it was half past eleven at night. Lights were already shining in the workshop, casting an eerie glow over the parking lot. I spotted a couple of Brett’s guys getting out of their cars and heading over toward us. Another car pulled in behind us.

“Gonna put that away?” Brett asked, laughing as he nodded down at my hands.

I looked down curiously only to see that I was still holding the little handgun. Wincing, I nodded, scooting forward in my seat and shoving it down the back of my jeans, covering it with my jacket. Brett exited the car, straightening his jacket as he spoke quietly with a couple of his guys. I climbed out and stood next to him, forcing my harder personality to take over. Now wasn’t the time to start thinking about how much I didn’t want to be here; this was my last job as Kid Cole, so I might as well make it convincing.

“Mr. Lazlo’s already inside, he has about eight men with him,” Wesley announced.

Brett nodded. “Then I’ll take eight, too. Tell Ed and Enzo to stay outside.” He looked at me and motioned toward the workshop. “Let’s go make the deal of a lifetime then, Kid.”

As we walked into the workshop, I cast my eyes around quickly, taking in my surroundings, sussing out the unfamiliar people. A guy in his midforties sat at a wooden workbench in the middle of the room. His shaven head glistened in the bright light. He stood, smiling warmly at us as we headed in. He was wearing plain jeans and a pale blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt. He wasn’t even that tall, maybe about five foot eight, a little stocky. He didn’t look particularly intimidating at all, the complete opposite of what I imagined a mob boss to look like.

The guy next to him was obviously his son or family member because they looked exactly the same, just years apart. Seven guys stood behind them, all wearing the same threatening, menacing expression. As we all walked in, I could practically feel the tension in the air, the uncertainty and unease as everyone assessed each other with calculating eyes.

Brett spoke first. “Mr. Lazlo, it’s nice to finally meet you,” he stated, strutting confidently into the room—which meant that I had to go with him because I was his wingman for the night. Pulling my shoulders back, I kept my eyes trained for any sort of trouble and followed Brett into the lion’s den.

* * *

Talking. Boring planning talking. My eyes were stinging from tiredness now, but I couldn’t rub them like I wanted; instead, I sat straight, keeping my face in a neutral position as Brett and Dominic argued over territories and percentages of profits. I was at the bench next to Brett. Dominic and his son were sitting opposite us as they discussed things that seemed to have taken hours already. I’d had to chime in a few times about boosting, telling them how many cars it was possible to take in one night, how many staff would be needed, and things like that. Other than that I just had to sit there and look confident. In reality, the most prominent thing on my mind was the gun that was digging into the small of my back to the point of cutting into my skin. I desperately wanted to reach behind me and pull it out, but I didn’t dare touch it in case the seven guys who’d come with Dominic thought I was trying something. They were already watching everyone intently, fingers twitching, as if waiting for one of us to make a move. Clearly there was going to be no trust in this partnership.

Finally things seemed to be wrapping up. Brett and Dominic were both smiling as everything was being ironed out. The more I listened, the more I realized just how good this deal was for Brett. He’d be turning over a hell of a lot more money from now on.

Brett slapped me on the back, grinning. “That’s great then. I think this’ll all work out exceptionally well and will prove to be a lucrative partnership,” he concluded.

Dominic smiled, nodding in agreement. “Absolutely, this has been a good meeting.” He turned to one of his guys and nodded. “The sampler?” The guy immediately stepped forward, setting a black leather briefcase on the workbench in front of Dominic and popping the catch. Dominic smiled and lifted the lid, turning the case to face us. My insides squirmed with unease because I’d never seen so much cocaine all in one place.

Brett smiled, leaning forward with a glint in his eye. “Excellent. You mind if I try it?” he asked, pulling out a little switchblade from his pocket. Dominic waved his hand and shrugged, obviously giving the go-ahead. I watched as Brett picked up one of the parcels, making a little cut in the side of the rectangular packet. He dug his finger in there to get a small amount and then rubbed it on his gums, nodding appreciatively. “It’s definitely good quality,” he confirmed. He nodded to Shaun, who was hovering behind us, and Shaun stepped forward with a black duffel bag, handing it to Brett.

I was mentally counting down the minutes now. This was almost over; once he paid there would just be some pleasantries, and then I could finally go home and flop into bed. I glanced at my watch; it was almost two in the morning. We’d been here for so long that my ass was starting to get numb.

Brett handed over the duffel bag. I didn’t need to ask to know that it would be full of cash to pay for the drugs. Damien, Dominic’s son, looked in the bag, rummaging through it before he nodded to his dad and they both stood up. “Well, it was good doing business with you. I’ll pass your details on to the relevant people, so things should get moving quickly with the cars and stuff. That kind of thing is always in high demand. Let me know when you want more,” Dominic stated, nodding at the briefcase as Brett snapped it shut and stood, too.

I pushed myself to my feet and extended my arm, shaking hands with them, glad it was finally over.

Suddenly an enormous bang sounded to my left, causing dust and splinters of wood and plaster to fly across the room. I jumped, instinctively ducking and protecting my head as a ruckus started and numerous pairs of feet thundered into the workshop. My eyes darted in that direction and I saw people dressed in black running into the warehouse, guns raised.

I barely had time to wonder what was going on before one of them shouted, “Police, you’re under arrest!”

Panic made me freeze on the spot. I watched with wide eyes as more and more of them burst into the room from all sides. I groaned in defeat, knowing that everything was ruined. I was totally screwed.

That was when the gunshots started.