“Poison,” Nadia murmurs beside me. “Are they trying to sell poison? Why would anyone take it if the result is death?”
“I don’t think it’s the poison they want to sell,” Mick says. “There’ve been rumblings of something new on the streets. Something damn powerful, addictive, and cheap to make.”
“Hell, you just described meth,” Carmine says.
“I’m not a fan of drugs,” Mick replies. “I know some of my guys sell a little here and there, but that’s not my game. And they know it. My hunch is that my guy told the stranger no, and that answer wasn’t the right one. I have no way of knowing who it was that approached him.”
“His cell?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Gone.” Mick hisses out a breath. “Listen, this doesn’t sit well with me, either. Someone came, unannounced, into my city and killed my man. I’m damn pissed.”
“I know the feeling.” I stare at Mick. “What now?”
“I’ll keep asking,” Mick says. “You keep me posted, as well. Someone’s going to pay for this.”
“On that, we can agree. I’ll keep you informed when and if we find anything. I appreciate you working with us on this, rather than against us.”
“It seems someone has decided to wage war with several organizations,” Mick says thoughtfully. “They’re either very brave or out of their fucking minds.”
“Maybe both,” Nadia adds, and Mick’s eyes slide over to her for the first time.
“We’ll stay in touch,” Mick says again, dismissing us.
“Thanks for your time.” We stand, and before I can walk away, Mick says my name.
“Carmine. Watch your back. This has conspiracy written all over it.”
“Same to you.”
“I guess this was a wasted trip,” Nadia says as she flops onto the sofa in our suite.
“Not at all.”
I sit next to her and lift her feet into my lap. “We had a good few days here. And although it’s not the information we were hoping for, we at least know it’s not Mick.”
“He could be lying.”
I stare at her pink-tipped toes as I push my thumb into the arch of her foot. “I don’t think so. He’s pissed.”
“What now?”
I’ve been running that question through my mind since we left Mick’s office. “I think we need to go back to the city where this all started.”
“Denver.”
I nod and reach out to brush her hair behind her ear just as my phone rings.
“Hi, Shane.”
“Hey, what did you find out from Mick?”
I relay the information and hear my brother curse on the other end of the line. “Yeah, that was my thought, exactly.”
“This is a game for someone,” Shane says. “They’re fucking playing with us. But why? What’s the end game?”
“That’s the million-dollar question,” I reply. “Nadia and I are headed to Denver first thing in the morning. I think we need to do some digging there.”
“Denver is supposed to be neutral ground for all of the families,” Shane reminds me.
“Yeah, well, that went in the toilet when someone tried to kill Pop.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Shane says. “See you at the office.”
“See you.”
I hang up and turn to Nadia, who’s watching me closely.
“Shane’s going to meet us in Denver. He’s been at his place in the mountains for the past couple of weeks, doing some digging of his own.”
“Why does he have a place in Colorado?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Why shouldn’t he?”
“Denver is neutral ground. We all have offices there, but no one lives there.”
“Your cousin and her husband do,” I remind her. “Just because your father isn’t based there full time doesn’t mean he doesn’t have connections to the city. Besides, Shane doesn’t live in Denver. He lives in a small mountain town called Victor, several hours outside the city.”
“Shane’s been there this whole time?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “He’s a grown man and can live anywhere he likes, Nadia. Shane likes solitude. The mountains suit him. And he’s within driving distance to several airports and can get in and out easily.”
“Hmm,” is all she says as the doorbell rings. “Oh, I bet that’s our stuff.”
She hurries to the door, and sure enough, it’s the bellman with all of our purchases on a cart. He unloads them onto the dining table big enough to seat eight, then leaves. Nadia is all smiles as she starts digging into bags and boxes wrapped with ribbon.
“I’m so glad I got these shoes,” she says as she slips out of her sneakers and tries on her new Dior heels.”
“What’s your problem with my brothers?” I ask while she’s in a good mood and on a new shoe high.
“I don’t know them well,” she replies. “Oh, I forgot about this jacket. I know it’s summer, but it’ll be perfect for fall.”
“But you don’t like Shane having property in Colorado.”
She shrugs a shoulder as she checks out her new purchase in a full-length mirror. “It’s just all suspect. Shane has a place near Denver. This mess started in Denver.”
“Your cousin lives in Colorado,” I remind her once more. “All of the families have offices there. Just because Shane spends more time there than most doesn’t make him the cause of all of this.”
“I know.” She sighs and turns back to me. “And I also know that you care about him, and you’d defend him to the ground.”
“Every fucking day,” I agree, frustration a bubble in my throat. “If we’re all going to be judged by our taste in real estate, Annika and her husband could be the cause of all this, too. The first attack happened at their wedding, after all.”
“Oh, come on.” She turns to me as she lets the jacket fall off her arms and catches it with her fingers. “Rich is an ear, nose, and throat doctor. He’s no mobster. And he certainly isn’t a drug dealer.”
“Annika?”
Her eyes flash in temper and annoyance.
Good, we’re on equal footing.
“Annika has worked her ass off to stay out of the family business. She wants no part of it. None of it. She’s a damn good doctor. Hell, I’m more likely to be the one behind this than she is.”
I cock a brow.
“No. It’s not me.”
“Well, it’s not me, either. At least, we’ve established that. Let’s get to Denver in the morning. We can plan what happens next then.”
She blows out a breath and reaches for her Chanel shopping bag. “Okay. In the meantime, I’m going to play with my new goodies.”
“Play away, sweetheart.”
“Rocco.” I smile at my brother as Nadia and I walk into our Denver offices. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Shane called me last night. I want in on the fun.” He nods at Nadia. “Hi.”