“Really annoyed.” I leaned my elbows on the bar and craned my neck, trying to catch a glimpse through the small window that looked into the kitchen, but only saw the flash of stainless steel appliances and a glimpse of a fat man in a wife beater.
Cora sipped her wine, made a face, but went back for more. Marlon returned with my whiskey, placed it down in front of me, and nodded as he returned to wiping glasses. The crowd was sparse for a weekday evening after six, but a few old-timers lingered over pints at a table and grunted in Russian at each other. I sipped my drink then placed it down and felt the condensation from the ice roll down my fingertips.
“You still haven’t told me why we’re here.”
I shrugged. “Wanted to show you the place.”
She made a face. “It’s really nice.”
“Smoker’s Daughter was the first business I ever bought.”
“You actually own it?”
“Sure do. My name’s not on the lease, but I own it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course.”
“You know how these things go.”
“Unfortunately, I do.”
“Daughter’s got a kinda special place in my heart.”
Another string of curses then a bell rang. A platter of fries appeared in the window. Marlon grabbed the plate and brought it over, placing it down in front of Cora. He gave her a tight smile and went back to wiping glasses.
She ate a fry and let out a sigh. “At least it’s good.”
“Cook hates doing his job but he’s good at it.”
“Why do you keep calling him Cook?”
“That’s actually his last name, believe it or not.”
She gave a fry one dubious smile then popped it in her mouth. “All right, fair enough.”
I sipped my whiskey and craned my head toward the front door as it opened and two guys walked inside. The first one was tall and rail thin with a busy head of messy straw-colored hair and a lopsided smile. The guy behind him was half his height and built like a bulldog: huge jaw, huge muscles, bald hair, pissed-off glare.
I waved them over. The tall guy sat next to me and leaned onto the bar with one elbow. “How’s it going, boss?”
“Enrico, Aldrik. Thanks for coming.”
“You tell us to jump, we jump,” Aldrik grunted and ran a hand over his smooth head. “This your wife?”
“Boys, meet Cora.”
Cora held up a fry. “Nice to meet you both.”
“She doesn’t mean that,” I said.
Enrico laughed. “Aw, what, we’re not your favorites anymore?”
I nodded at Aldrik. “Sit down, you’re making me nervous.”
He barked a laugh and sat on the other side of Enrico. Marlon came over with beers for each of them and the boys dropped cash on the table as a tip. Me and my guys didn’t pay for drinks in the Daughter, but I made sure they took care of the staff.
“I’m guessing you two know about what happened.”
Aldrik leaned over Enrico. “You want us to hunt them down, boss?”
“Easy there.” I smiled at him, sipped my whiskey.
Enrico pushed Aldrik back. “He’s got a point. We can’t let that stand.”
“I agree with you both, but we need to do a few things first.”
“Like what?” Enrico asked.
“I need you to find where Jarvis has been holed up these last few years.”
“I heard rumors,” Enrico said. “Not sure how good they are, but apparently he’s putting together a crew out west. All Irish guys, you know what I mean? Some white power shit.”
I rolled my eyes. “The Jarvis I knew didn’t go for that sort of shit.”
“Hey, boss, just telling you what I hear.”
“Regardless, I want to know where he’s dealing, who he’s selling to, everything. He came at me hard and I’m not going to hold back.”
“We can do that,” Aldrik said. “No problem. How many guys you want on it?”
“As many as we can spare, but don’t stop selling to do it. I don’t want the city to think we’re gearing up for war.”
The guys went silent and looked at each other. I could read their expressions and I felt my jaw clench. They looked confused, like I just said something stupid.
The dumb bastards. They thought like every other asshole in this city. Every time there was a little hint of violence between gangs, suddenly that meant a war was about to break out—but I wanted to avoid war at all costs. That didn’t mean we weren’t going to mount an offensive and punish Jarvis for what he did, but we didn’t have to be obnoxious about it.
I’d make sure Jarvis burned. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d pay for hurting Cora like that—I wasn’t about to let the city freak out about it though.
“Ain’t that what we’re doing?” Aldrik asked. “I mean, he tried to kill you.”
“You’re right, but it’s not war, not yet.”
“Uh. Right, okay, boss.” Enrico frowned and shook his head.
I reached out and grabbed his arm, squeezing tight. His eyes went wide and he flinched back. I couldn’t let them think I was going soft, not right now. Men like Enrico and Aldrik responded to brutality and strength, and even if I had a good reason to take it easy and go slow, they wouldn’t quite understand.
They weren’t the brightest men in the world, but they were ruthless, efficient, and effective. I kept them around for a reason.
“Don’t misunderstand me,” I said, my voice a low growl. “We’re going to gut Jarvis and piss on his intestines. But I don’t want a full-blown war, not right now. Do you understand?”
“Sure, boss.”
I squeezed his arm hard, fingers digging into his muscle. I wanted to rip it off and beat him bloody—but realized I was projecting my anger onto the wrong person. I released him and picked up my whiskey, slamming it back in one go as he rubbed the spot where I’d grabbed.
“We don’t have time for a war right now,” I said. “The city’s on the edge and if we push it over in the wrong direction, things might go to shit. Trust me when I say that it’s better if we take care of this as fast and as quietly as we can.”
“All right, I got it,” Enrico said, looking at Aldrik.
“I can do fast and quiet.” Aldrik chugged half his beer and burped.
“That’s how you do all the girls,” Enrico said. “Fast and quiet, you fucking prick.”
Aldrik laughed and punched Enrico in the arm. “Shut up, you needle-dicked cocksucker.”
“You two can flirt somewhere else,” I snapped, feeling my mood darken. “Get out there and find me Jarvis. Don’t make any other moves, only find him and get a feel for his crew. You understand?”
“Roger that.” Enrico hopped up, his beer untouched. “We’ll start tonight.”
“Sure, boss.” Aldrik burped and followed Enrico out to the door.
I watched them go, frowning. Those idiots might screw this up. Maybe I should’ve called someone else, someone smarter and more discreet, but those two were my best street guys, my most violent and dependable men. They were loyal to a fault and if something went bad, it wouldn’t be because they didn’t care—if anything, they cared way too much.