“Hello?” Ray answered, his voice clipped and tense.
“Hey, Capo,” Ace said. “Just wanted to update you on the situation.”
“You got any leads on who might have killed the bookie?” Ray’s voice was tense.
“Not directly, no. All I have is that there are drugs being held at that stash house, just like we predicted. It’s not a full-on lab, though.” Ace walked over to his window as he held the phone tightly to his ear.
“What do you mean? Do they deal out of there or not?” Impatience was clear in Ray’s voice
“No, I don’t think so. There are guys that come through, dropping off and picking up packages. The actual dealing isn’t done there.” Ace turned back to his kitchen as he wondered if he should take food back to Emma’s place. There was no way he would eat anything cooked in that messy kitchen
“No cooking?”
“No, boss. It’s dodgy as fuck.” Ace didn’t want to tell Ray how bad Emma’s apartment was out of some damn respect he had grown for her.
“Why?” Ray was wound up so tight Ace was afraid his Capo would snap.
“I think the toughs that do the trafficking are ripping off the guys up top.” Ace knew this would either prove Ray was a good Capo or if he was still a trigger man at heart.
Ray let out a low whistle. “Why do you think that?”
“Just a hunch at the moment. I need to get back on it, so I can find out.” Ace was impressed at how Ray was handling this.
“What’s the plan?”
“I’m going to chill out there with the girl and wait for the guys to come back. I’ll ambush them and get them to talk.”
“This is a delicate situation, Ace,” Ray warned him. “And I mean delicate on every angle. You’re right in the thick of it, and if anything goes wrong with the deals or the girl, you’ll be in the crosshairs of every family.”
Ace gulped, processing that. His family would protect him, but only to a certain extent. If this thing turned on him, he could be blamed for the fake drugs, the corrupt runners, hell, and even the death of the bookie.
Anxiety and anticipation rose in him, threatening to roll over his usual confidence. The anger that met his uncertainty was blazing hot, strong enough to banish any doubt.
“You can count on me, Ray. I’ll get this thing sorted.”
“How’s the girl?”
“How do you mean?” Ace asked, confused.
“I mean, is she in one piece? She’s the grandniece of the Don. I don’t want anything really messy going down.”
“Oh,” Ace said, relieved. For a moment, he had no idea how to answer the question.
Except to say sweet smelling, wicked hot, distracting, fucking gorgeous …
“Yeah,” he said aloud. “She’s okay. I’m in a hurry to get back there right now. She’s safe.”
“Good,” Ray said. “Keep it that way. I don’t want a fucking war over this. You get me? Don’t let her get even a scratch. I want no excuses for the Fontanas to come after us.”
“Got it,” Ace answered. It was useless to point out that the Fontanas didn’t need an excuse ... not usually, anyway.
They hung up, and Ace collected his things and then charged down the stairwell to his car. He hadn’t been worried before, but now his stomach churned a bit with nerves. What if Fritz and Benny had returned while he was away? What would they do to Emma?
Even the best-case scenario, where they simply took her to a Fontana stronghold to keep her safe, was unacceptable. He’d really been counting on her being there when he got back so he could …
What, exactly?
He faltered as he got into his car and started it up. He tore out of the garage, tires squealing on the concrete as he gunned the engine. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he got back to her, and that was the problem.