“I’m not talking about making a stand here. Not in this town.”
“Then where?” Her face was swollen, her eyes red-rimmed, but Maggie was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
“I got a place, don’t worry about that. We’ll own this game. I promise you.” I tightened my hold on her, promising myself right then that I’d never let her go again. “This isn’t over, and we’ll get our boy back. Don’t doubt that shit.”
15
Smoke
“He took my phone.” Vi had said the same thing four times in the past half hour. The woman hadn’t been able to look at anyone but gotten really damn jumpy anytime Maggie came near her. “I’m sorry,” she said, dropping her face into her hands. “If I’d only…”
“What? What could you have done?” my father said, setting a mug of coffee in front of her. The steam fogged up the woman’s glasses when she curled her hands around the surface and my ma moved into the seat at her side. Pop nodded, glancing between Vi and my mother before he softened his voice. “Listen…a man holds a gun in your face and the smartest thing you can do is keep quiet.”
“But the baby…”
“We’ll find the baby,” Ma answered, grabbing her arm. “That much we can promise you.”
Vivian’s face was swollen still, but now her eyes matched the knot on her temple from all the crying she’d done. The stubborn woman refused my parents’ offer to bring her to the hospital, swearing she didn’t care about anything but getting Mateo back.
“I—” Vi went quiet when Maggie came into the dining room, her arms curled, her stare unfocused until she grabbed Vi’s attention. The older woman glanced at her, but then dropped her gaze, hiding behind the mug in her hands.
Maggie, though, was having none of her friend avoiding her. She’d spent the past hour calling everyone she knew in the city to ask if they’d seen her ex and warned them that he had her son, and her death grip on her phone was still tight.
Maggie moved to the table, taking the empty seat next to Vi. She pulled her friend’s chin up, forcing her to look her in the eye. “You look at me, chica. Right in the eyes.” Vivian listened, forgetting the coffee when Maggie’s voice came at her fierce, but kind. “I don’t blame you. No one blames you.”
Vi’s features wilted, like she couldn’t take forgiveness when it was given, but when she started to crumple, retreating again, eyes shooting downward, my girl held her friend’s face in both hands.
“No, Vi, you can’t do that.” Maggie’s voice shook a little, but her hands were steady, and her eyes looked like they could shoot fire. “Mateo and me, we have no use for weak people in our lives and I know you, Vi. You’re not weak. You’re a baller. You’re strong. I really need you to be that for me now because I can’t…if you aren’t…” Maggie nodded, letting some of the tears she’d been holding back slip from her eyes.
“Don’t…oh, sweetie,” Vi said, holding Maggie’s hand, finally pulling her into her arms.
I left them alone, spotting Dario and Dante when they came in through the door. My younger brother nodding behind him. Shifting my attention to the right, some of the tension racking up my chest eased when Dino came through the door.
“Boss,” he said, offering me his hand.
“D…man…” I ignored his shake and threw my arm around him, smacking his back before I mussed his hair. “You good? Let me get a look at you.”
The man was broad, his large shoulders and long legs eating up a lot of space as he stood in front of me. He was still pale and moved a little slower when I led us to the back of the room. “I’m good enough for this.” Dino patted his jacket and the bulge made by his gun, cocking an eyebrow.
That one look let me know my man thought he was back in the game. But I wasn’t sure. That game had changed.
Everything had.
“Mickey hasn’t…”
“I’m not worried about that asshole, boss,” Dino said, shrugging. He adjusted his stance, moving his hands together in front of him like a soldier awaiting orders. “I’m just here for you to tell me what needs to be done about that baby.”
“We’re figuring that out,” I told him, my gaze shifting to the left when Dario tilted his head, listening to something Dante whispered in his ear. My brothers both jerked their eyes at me when I cleared my throat, not hiding the stupid look they shared. “There something I should know?”
Dario was the first to nut up and speak. “Dante says one of Mrs. Phillips’ renters saw a black Lincoln speeding away from her B&B around ten-twenty.”
My stomach dropped and the back of my neck heated at the description of the vehicle. We’d made it out just minutes before I found Maggie on the street packing her car. Dario nodded once, his face telling me he remembered it too, but we’d been too caught up in our own shit to worry about some strange Lincoln slowing through the park.
“What else?” I asked him, trying to keep calm. Without me asking, Dino moved to the bar. A minute later, there was a bourbon in my hand and my fingers didn’t shake as much.
“Phillips said the renter only recognized it because that boarder, the one with her at Pop’s party…”
“July…” Dante said, frowning…
I shook my head. “August. His name was August.” I downed the bourbon, squeezing the glass. “He was the one wanting to dance with Maggie.”
“You had me check him out,” Dario reminded me and I nodded. “That asshole hopped in the car. When they drove away…” Dario looked around the room and I watched him, catching how he looked to the table where Maggie sat with my folks and Vi before he finished, “the driver handed off a crying baby to August. Then they tore down the road.”
“How the fuck did nobody see them?” Dante asked, his voice raising loud enough that the conversation behind us got quiet. When I flexed the muscles around my mouth, my little brother started in on the apologies. “Man, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…”
“We didn’t see them either and we were on the damn street,” I said, squeezing Dante’s shoulder.
He liked Maggie and the kid. Dante and Dario both had stepped up when I was out in Edgemont, taking care of business. They took care of shit for me when she needed things done. So had my boys.
I glanced at Dino and, like my brothers, he was gearing up for a slip of temper. I got that. Knew that feeling, but now wasn’t the time to punch walls and upturn tables. What would be the fucking point? Wouldn’t get the kid back any damn sooner.
“Did the old woman say anything else?”
“The renter got a partial on the plate,” Dario pulled out his phone, moving his thumb across the screen. “I’m sending you the info. I figure you could get somebody to run it.” When I stared at him, like I couldn’t believe he hadn’t done that himself, my brother shrugged, grinning at me like I was simple. “My sources at the precinct aren’t exactly talking to me anymore. Five years, man. Wouldn’t look good if they were doing favors for a convict.”