Pops inclined his head in River's direction. "You aren't wrong, my boy. It was disrespectful and Denys Stanislav damn well knew it. That was him thumbing his nose at me and discreetly suggesting that it was my trash to dispose of. The man is a pig, yes? This we already know. He was hoping to get a reaction from me that won't be coming."
Vasily stretched an arm across the back of River's chair. "That's why you're the best, Pops. You don't jump at petty shit. Instead, you take it all in and weigh it before you respond. Maybe if Don Stanislav took a note from your book, they wouldn't have jumped the gun and spread word that the Italians were the ones hitting their laundromats and convenience stores when they had no proof. That’s a bad look for them."
"No kidding. And anyone paying attention knows the Italians are smarter than that kind of piss-ant shit. I still say it's the work of random two-bit criminals or junkies like that dumbass who shot you in the ass. They’re taking advantage of the mood here in town. Whoever it is, they’re definitely human since they aren't leaving strong scent trails." Joey stared off in space as if his brain was busy looking for connections. I hoped whatever cockamamie idea popped into his head stayed there. I couldn’t take much more of his crazy conspiracy theories.
Pops drummed his fingers some more. "If it were true, then it would've been understandable if the Stanislavs had been behind the fire at the Italian joint a few nights ago, but the signs there pointed to the Chinese. Which was stupid when everyone knows the Chens wouldn't waste their time on a single pizzeria. They would've taken out every restaurant the Salvatori family owned on the same night and left a calling card, daring someone to come for them. No. Something is not right in the city and I don't believe it's coming from any of the families—at least, not any known ones."
Vasily sat up straighter. "Do you think there's a new family in town? That would make sense. But if so, I don’t know who it could be because I haven't heard anything."
River's eyes lit up as he leaned forward. "Maybe not a family, per se. It could also be a syndicate or one of the cartels wanting to move in. Playing everyone against each other isn't a bad move, if that's the case. Think about it—just this past Monday there were rumors of your guys trying to muscle in on the Chen’s territory, while the same afternoon some of your people were attacked by those masked guys with the ninja moves. I know it's not my place to speak up when I'm not technically one of your men, but I agree with Vasily, sir."
Vasily nodded his agreement while River spoke. "But then we have new questions to ask ourselves. Who is stupid enough to play the families against one another but still has enough smarts to not leave any clues?" Vas turned to George. "Have any of our people mentioned seeing or hearing about fresh blood in town? I haven't heard anything, but you and the rest of the guys are more likely to hear the rumors first."
George's eyes went wide as he quickly held his palms up as if he were being robbed. "Not a word, I swear, or you would already know. I would never sit on valuable information like that, especially at a time like this. I value my job and my place in the Bratva too much."
Vas was quick to respond when the rank scent of George's fear filled the air. "No, no, no. You got me all wrong. I know you'd never hold anything back, George. I guess I was just hoping you might've known something that seemed okay at the time but might look suspicious with this new idea."
I stroked my chin, thinking over all the tips and gossip that had been flooding in lately. I felt like I’d been staring at a jigsaw puzzle with a handful of missing pieces for too damn long. "What about that woman who came to see you and Pops yesterday? Was there anything off about her?"
Pops chuckled, a deep bass sound rumbling up from his chest. "Lavinia Landry is hardly the kind of mastermind we are looking for here, son. The woman wears far too much pink, for one thing."
Vasily grinned. "Right? And I admit that I don’t know a lot of ladies, but I didn't know that pantyhose were still a thing they did. Every step she took and each time she crossed and uncrossed her legs, it was swish swish swish. I wanted to cancel the meeting just to save my poor ears. And don't get me started on that cloying rose-scented perfume she'd bathed in."
Pops hummed thoughtfully, slowly wagging a finger. "Da. That perfume. I couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me about her. Maybe that's what it was. I couldn't smell properly for at least an hour after she left. I couldn’t tell if she was human or shifter. I’d vote human, though, because no shifter could handle killing their senses with that stench."
Joey leaned forward to catch Pop's eye. "But did you make a deal with her? You never said. What was she wanting, anyway?"
Vasily lifted a brow. "Nosy much? Why are you asking questions that are above your pay grade, brat? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were angling for my job." When Joey went red, Vas held up a hand. "Chill. Just screwing with you, Josef. I'm sorry. Now's not the time for that. As for Ms. Landry, she wanted our help distributing some illegal maple syrup for a client of hers."
"Maple syrup? I'm sorry, I don’t think that means what I think that means. That’s gotta be a code word, right? Not the stuff you put on pancakes?" River looked legitimately confused.
I burst out laughing. "Nope, he means actual maple syrup. It's really a thing, River. People smuggle Canadian syrup over the border. I used to know a guy who ran a snowmobile over a frozen lake every winter to do pick-ups."
"That's a new one on me. I'm not even sure what to do with the information but thank you… I guess?" River's eyes were wide as he shook his head in disbelief.
Joey grinned, lifting his chin toward Vas. "So tell me, did we make a deal to sell smuggled syrup? Or is that above my pay grade?" He snickered and muttered under his breath. "Sell smuggled syrup. Say that three times fast."
Pops answered before Vasily had a chance. "No, I regretfully declined. It just didn't feel right to me. I couldn't put my finger on it but she was just too… I don't know. Nice?"
I cracked up at the look on my father's face. "Being too nice isn't suspicious in her case, Pops. She's Canadian, eh? What else did you expect? I don't blame you for not wanting to distribute stolen syrup though. That sounds like the makings of a sticky situation."
Vasily groaned. "Sticky situation? Really? And that's why you suckers are out there knocking on doors while Pops and I take the meetings." He laughed, shaking his head as he shot me a wink. "I will say one thing about Lavinia Landry and her search for someone to distribute stolen syrup, though. It definitely gave us something to grin about on an otherwise dark week."
Pops chuckled, nodding his agreement. "Excellent point, son. Canadian syrup smugglers and the starchy ladies they send to represent them were definitely a bright spot during these tense times." He sighed and knocked his knuckles on the table a couple times. "All right, boys. Enough of this silliness. Get back to work looking for leads. With everything going on, someone has to know something."
River grabbed my arm as I started to leave the room. “Hey, how is Tanner doing?”