VINCENZO
It might be slightly psychotic, but I love Mondays. Even with the weight of the weekend still looming over me, I feel as though I can breathe again, sitting at my desk, looking over the city. Busying myself so I don’t have to think about Jessica and her new friend is another perk of being cooped up in my office. As soon as my phone rings and I see that it’s Lee, I jump to answer it, crossing to the window.
“Sir.”
“Lee?”
“The blond’s name is Jack Beys, and it looks like he’s been staying with Jessica.” I hold my breath. “Their relationship is unclear. He seems to be working with the FBI.”
“Fuck.” I say under my breath, but I know he hears me. “And Jessica? Does she know?”
“Yes, Sir. It appears she’s been messaging with one of their top agents.” I grit my teeth. What the fuck was I thinking trusting her even a little? I’m beginning to recede inside myself, struggling to separate my feelings from facts. I cross to my desk and take a seat.
“Lee, can you perform a deep background search on Ms. Lee? It’s vital I know what else she’s hiding.”
“Yes, sir.”
I hang up immediately, taking a gulp of searing hot coffee. How can I believe a word from her mouth when I know she’s been lying to me? Of course, the moment I finally give an ounce of my trust to someone, they betray me like this.
* * *
I spendthe day mulling over angry thoughts in between messaging Antonio.
“Warui is offering a truce. Their leader died that night. You shot an artery, and it was over shortly after. They’re weak.” He texts me.
“Think they want an alliance?”
“Even if they didn’t initially, I’m sure they’d take it now.”
“I’ll set up a meeting with Pops, you, Carlito, and me. See if we can convince Capo to break his old-fashioned thinking.”
I shoot a text to Carlito and sit my phone on the desk, beginning to work my way through emails. I can’t help but grit my teeth every time I check my phone and see I have no updates from Lee. Just when I think the anxiety of this wait can’t get any worse, Ms. Lee waltzes past my desk to pick up papers from the printer.
I shake my head, averting my eyes when she gives me a courteous smile. The hours tick by, slinking at a snail's pace. I haven’t heard from Carlito yet, and it’s nearly three o’clock. It’s not unlike him to randomly go MIA days at a time, only to resurface as if there’s nothing strange about that.
I don’t take it to heart because I feel bad for him every so often. He’s labeled illegitimate by my father because of being born out of wedlock. His mother took off when he was only a baby, and then Pops married the love of his life. My Ma, Miriam, was a wonderful woman who loved Carlito like her own. Still, because I’m technically their firstborn child, I'm the one who’s inheriting the family businesses.
Of course, Carlito has never complained to me about it, but I can tell it bothers him to some degree. If I don’t hear back from him soon, I’ll have to schedule the meeting without him. A knock at my door takes me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I call as I search through my email once more.
“Hey, boss.” I look up at the sound of Barnes’s voice.
“What are you doing here?” I inch up to my desk and fold my hands across it.
“May I?” He waves an open palm towards the chairs positioned in front of my desk, and I give him a nod of approval. After he gets situated, I notice the beads of sweat accumulating on his pink forehead. He tugs at his collar for a moment before beginning.
“Another deal went south last night. The boys just reported it to me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we went to Odessa’s meetup spot like you asked us to.” Odessa had sent us a letter about renegotiating territory, and I wasn’t even close to feeling generous. Not after their little puppet show with Warui that I’m still having to clean up. It was a precautionary visit, so I don’t see how any of it could have gone awry. I tip my chin for him to continue when he stops.
“So the boys went up to have a look around and wouldn’t you know, the cops showed up. As far as I know, they only arrested Jameston and Ray-man.” I fill my mouth with air before blowing it out in exasperation.
“How the fuck did they know?”
“I don’t know, boss, but this is the fourth time this month that we’ve had the cops bust up our dealings. I don’t know who the rat is, but we got one.” I ball up my fists and shake my head.