"Thanks, Doc. If you don't mind, keep that knowledge between us for now, yeah? I'm having a hard enough time keeping my head on my shoulders between all the players."
"If they directly ask me, I won't lie for you, Detective, but that girl never deserved to be used like this. Vincenzo is a lifelong friend, but he is ruthless when it comes down to it. If you fail to satisfactorily resolve the situation, you'll find that I can be as well." With that parting warning, the doctor rolled his window up and pulled away, leaving me to stow my contraband away.
* * *
Iblew out a breath as I shut off my car then got out and rounded the back to get into the trunk. The guys had come through, and I had a duffel bag full of blow and pills to present to my new ‘boss.’ It was a lucky break that Doc had been available and accommodating, and that Eden’s men hadn’t caught wind of anything yet. They’d have been hell to keep put if they had, and they were bad enough already.
The bouncer at the entrance gave me the side-eye before ushering me through, though the one guarding Rodrigo’s office wasn’t so easy to get past.
“Leave it here. I’ll take it in when he isn’t busy,” the burly man directed, indicating a spot near him on the floor.
I shook my head and got a better grip on the strap, not about to be parted from my ticket in, and hopefully, to Eden. “No can do. I have urgent news, and the boss told me all seizures were to be brought directly to him until he deems otherwise. You can let him know I'm here, or I can announce myself. Either way, my information is time sensitive." The man had to be a neanderthal the way he just stared. "Do you need a fucking vocabulary lesson, or do you just need it dumbed down to understand? Mr. DeLuca’s orders, asshole.” I enunciated each word, speaking slowly as if the idiot couldn’t comprehend basic English. And fuck, maybe he couldn’t, because he looked about ready to charge like a bull at a red flag.
Rodrigo must have been keeping an eye on his video feeds since the door swung open, revealing a topless woman in a g-string and high-heels. She held it open while Rodrigo snapped at the guard to stand down.
I stepped past him with a smirk, then nodded at the woman who peered at me through a curtain of auburn curls, with haunted blue eyes. The urge to help her was immediate, but I had to shove it down deep lest I fuck up my mission. If I succeeded, she’d be free to leave anyway.
“Detective, why are you gracing me with your presence already? Did I forget summoning you?” The haughty prick was quickly turning into a megalomaniac, his cruelty matching his own overblown imaginings of grandeur.
Unfortunately, I still had to play along. But that was easier said than done after I caught sight of Eden on the couch, shivering and moaning in her sleep, still in the same dress from earlier in the day. "What's wrong with her?" I dared to ask.
Rodrigo waved a hand, disgust twisting his face as he absentmindedly explained without taking his eyes from his screen.
"Jasper Finelli. He tripped her or some shit and then took offense to getting her ice. She kicked him, so he burned her. With one of my cigars I might add…the prick. Anyway, this one is here to get her in shape to go on stage in a few hours." As if realizing he was rambling, he looked up at me with tired eyes, the lines in his face more pronounced than usual, showing his age. "Why are you here again?"
Not wanting to push my luck by setting the bag in the chair, I pulled out a handful of the goods. "Seizure. You said you wanted them delivered immediately. I had to get them out now anyway. Higher-ups just got wind that IA is coming, so they’ve called in everyone to make sure their noses are clean. You'll be down some hands tonight, and probably for a bit more than that."
Those tired eyes lit with a rage to rival Santos', and I imagined this was where he'd inherited his temper from. "You should have led with that, Detective, rather than the rest of the bullshit. You've not been privy to everything since there was little need, but I have to have the forces' support, or we're going to have problems."
"Hey," I held out my hands, "just the messenger here. We both know I don't have any say, especially after barely being reinstated."
He pondered my sincerity, making me sweat when he gave me the side-eye, but eventually, his shoulders relaxed as he nodded. "Fine, take that and lock it in my bedroom. I'll have it sorted through later, got too many employees that would off their grandmother for that bag." When I hesitated, he snapped at me. "What are you waiting for? Go on."
"Do you want me to take her with me? So she can sort herself out? Your girl there looks like she can barely lift herself." It was a gamble, but I needed Eden out of vicinity so she couldn't be blamed for what was about to happen.
Rodrigo chuckled, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. "She must have given you better head than she did me if you're after a repeat. Or is your loyalty to her, and not me, Detective?" I shook my head, about to deny the accusation, but he cut me off. "You shouldn't show your hand and expose your weaknesses so easily. This time, it works in your favor, or mine rather. Gives me another piece of insurance to keep you in line. Go on, take her out of here but keep your dick to yourself." He tossed a set of keys at the woman trying to make herself part of the decor. She caught them, just barely, and held them away from her like they might bite her. "Let them in and then bring those back. I have need of your assistance."
Neither she nor I argued with the directive. I scooped Eden up while the woman again held the door for me before hurrying ahead to open the bedroom. I blocked her and kicked the door shut, daring her to leave before I’d sat Eden down.
“Give me a sec, Eden," I said as she stared at me with confusion and pain in her eyes. "I need to take care of something.” Leaving her side, I pulled the other woman into the bathroom. “Do you want out of here? Permanently?” At her rapid nodding, I reached into the inner pocket of my jacket and pulled out the thumb drive to show her. “You plug this into DeLuca’s laptop, do what you have to to get out of there, then head out back. Two blocks over, you’ll find my partners. There’s a duffel bag full of cash and train tickets waiting for you. Don’t arouse suspicion. Just do your thing and run, got it?”
“How do I know you’re not lying to me? And what if I can’t get to it?” she asked warily.
“You don’t, but if you refuse to do this, I’ll tell him you smuggled the USB in here. Who’s he going to believe? And don’t worry about an opportunity. I have that covered. You want that money, or do you want to be a traitor? Your call.”
With shaking fingers and a glare that quickly shriveled under my uncompromising stare, she took the USB and slipped it under the instep of her high-heel. There weren't really too many other places to hide it, and I was glad she hadn’t tried.
“Thank you…”
“Elodie,” she reluctantly gave up when I twirled my finger impatiently. I had a hunch that it was her real name and not some stage moniker.
“Thank you, Elodie. Tell them Fields sent you. They’ll know if it's working by the time you reach them, and if it is, they'll hand you the cash. Maybe grab something to wear on your way out, yeah?” She nodded and hurried off, leaving me to send a message to Vanni to hit the fire alarm sensors in a few minutes. Hopefully, Rodrigo wouldn’t kick the woman out of his office while he went to handle the alarm.
With that done, I turned my attention to Eden and her injuries. Her men were going to string me up with my own intestines for those alone, not to mention what would happen if Rodrigo had already gotten her pregnant…
* * *
I’d managed to get some food into Eden as well as some elephant-strength pain killers she’d found in the box of Danny’s old shit. After helping her shower, and getting cussed at for being a prude when I kept my eyes closed as much as possible, I carried her to the dressing room. Under her direction, I got her foot and ankle taken care of and covered it all up with the schoolgirl’s uniform she’d be taking the stage in. I didn’t know how the fuck she could walk, let alone stand in the heels she had on, but after she popped a third pill like a Chiclet, I started to get an idea.