“If it’s anything important then they’re talking in code.” Shelby hitched her shoulders a bit as she continued to listen to the women discuss what sounded like nothing. “It’s hard to believe they met tonight so Marianna Jatibon and Emma Casey could catch up on old times.”
“Shelby?”
Joe’s voice startled her as she ran through the possibilities of what was really going on.
“Go ahead.”
“Does this sound vaguely familiar?” With powerful binoculars he swept the area again, but no one in his sights had moved.
The question stopped her thought process cold, and something became clear to her, making her stare at Claire and panic.
“What’s he talking about?” Claire asked.
“We need to get in there,” Anthony said. “Get our boss on the horn and get us a warrant.”
“I say we wait,” Lionel said.
“Explain, please,” Claire repeated. “If we blow our cover we’d better have more than a benign talk between two women.”
“The last time Cain played us,” Shelby paused, trying to get her thoughts in order, “for one brief moment we thought she’d screwed up and let us see into how her mind works. All of a sudden every conversation, every plan she was making was out in the open, and it was as if she didn’t care who was listening.”
“She had her own agenda.” Claire sounded as if it all became clear to her as well. “And tonight is no different.”
Not far from them Anthony was on the phone with Annabel Hicks. He was pleading his case, using the same rational argument Shelby was laying out for Claire.
Because he was, Hicks was hard-pressed to find any personal bias against Cain or the others. As soon as she finished talking to him she picked up the phone again and called one of their more reliable judges for the proper paperwork.
“What do you think she has in mind?” Claire asked.
Shelby kept listening as Emma, Marianna, and Sylvia talked about trivial matters. “Think about who’s in there, and all we hear are the three least important ones. The major players must be gone, making whatever move they had planned all along.”
The phone next to Claire rang, and both women just stared at it for three rings before Claire picked it up.
After listening to the person on the other end, Claire responded. “Yes, ma’am.” She exhaled heavily after she switched the phone off and told Shelby, “With any luck we have about ten minutes before we raid the restaurant.”
“Raid it? What in the hell for?”
Joe cut in on the radio. “The best Agent Hicks could come up with is liquor violations, whatever that means. It’s an excuse, Shel, to get us into that room and prove your theory right.”
“My theory? Oh, no, I’m not going on record as this being my idea. Because if we do this and we’re wrong, kiss the investigation up to now good-bye. You know as well as I do, Joe, once Muriel and Cain finish fighting this legally, the law is going to bite us in the butt. And we’re the law, God damn it.”
*
In a secluded basement room of the restaurant, the new alliance sat at a table where a lot of their previous meetings had taken place. Here, no matter how good the surveillance equipment was, the group was in a perfectly safe haven. Cain fished the four Bracato rings out of her pocket and placed them on the table, not needing to explain their significance.
“The city needs new territorial boundaries,” she began as she lined up the rings. “I ask only that if you decide on a piece of the drug trade, you do it with someone other than the Luis family.”
“They’re the best connected, so why?” Vinny asked. “They could help us make a lot of money.”
“His nephew has a problem with respect, especially when it comes to my wife and her needs. Do business with him if you like, but understand I won’t respect that boundary.” She stared at Vinny. “If he goes near Emma again, I’ll serve that bastard’s dick to his uncle on a plate and force him to choke on it.”
“Understood, Cain,” Vincent cut in with a glare for his son. “After the gift of new enterprises you’ve opened up for us, we can abide by that. Ramon?”
“Our interests are elsewhere at the moment, so we have no problem.”
His children nodded in agreement.
“Be careful with these people, though,” Ramon said. “They may look gentle, but Juan Luis is nothing but a butcher.” He cut his eyes to both Vinny and Cain. “He learned all his cruelty at his uncle’s knee. Rodolfo drinks in my club, but I’ll never have anything to do with him.”
“Well,” Vinny said, “someone has to control the drug trade in the city, or it won’t matter how aligned we are. The money involved can build an organization strong enough to topple us all. That’s what Giovanni and his sons were after.” Even though he spoke out of turn again, his words rang true.
“It sounds like something you might be interested in.” Cain threw the comment out as a test.
“Not if all of you are against it, but I’m warning you about letting some unknown get too well established. The city already runs red from those who want in and are willing to take a chance.”
Like their fathers, Cain and Vinny had grown up together and more than understood each other. Ramon might have not had a history, but his children had a long one with the next generation. Remi and Mano had known Cain and Vinny since they were six, so the four of them would back each other up even if the majority of them didn’t agree with a venture.
“What if we offered our protection as far as moving the stuff?” Remi said. “I think like Cain. If the drug trade doesn’t touch our businesses, we might negotiate with someone like Vinny, if he’s willing to take the chance.”
Remi had enough of her father’s trust to speak for him.
“What cut?” Vinny asked.
Vincent and Ramon looked at each other and smiled as their children set their courses for the future. Judging from Vinny’s question, the deal was done if the terms were agreeable.
“Twenty-five for us, twenty-five for Cain,” Remi offered, and Cain nodded.
“Done.” Vinny laughed and stood to shake hands with his allies.
Just then a team of agents led by Annabel Hicks entered the restaurant and headed for the private dining room.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lou was the first to intercept them before they reached the door. “Good evening, Agent Hicks.”
“It’s nice to be so well known.” Annabel spoke almost as if she were joking with him and had no choice but to stop, since the man was so large. “Step aside or we’ll move you. I don’t care how intimidating you think you are.”
“Is there a problem?” Lou asked.
“Open the door,” commanded Annabel, Anthony Curtis at her elbow.
“Can I see a warrant?” Lou didn’t seem fazed and didn’t budge. “Since you can’t answer a simple question, maybe your reason for being here is written on that.”
“The lady said move.” Anthony put two hands in the center of Lou’s chest and shoved. Considering Lou’s size, Annabel was shocked when he went flying into a table where a waiter had just served four heaping bowls of pasta.
The bigger shock came when Vincent came to the door and opened it himself. “What the hell is going on out here?”
“Where’s Casey?” Anthony demanded, his words dying on his lips when he saw that smug smile from behind Vincent. “You can’t be here.”
“Agent Hicks, I want an explanation,” the elder Carlotti continued.
They all watched as the diners who’d cushioned Lou’s fall were helped off the floor by a team of waiters. The hot oil and garlic on one of the pasta dishes had splashed on Lou’s face, forming angry red splotches.
“We have reason to believe,” Annabel started, grimacing when the rest of the group they thought was missing came out as well, “that you have some illegal liquor on the premises. We have a warrant to check your licenses.”