“Should I know who this is?” Remi asked.
“You may not know him, but you’re familiar with his work. Jorge is the one who gave you that bruise and broke your rib.”
Remi grunted as she got out of the chair, but she moved quickly to Jorge and punched him in the face hard enough to knock him off his feet. “You’re not going to live long enough to regret that shot.”
“I hit you,” Jorge said, rubbing his jaw. “There’s no way you walked away from that.”
The complaint made Remi hit him again. “I walked away, and that doesn’t make your future worth investing in.”
“Remi, if you want to kill him I wouldn’t blame you,” Cain said.
“What else do you think I should do with him?”
“Jorge, what’s your price?” Cain asked him.
“Five hundred thousand a job. It sounds like a lot, but I guarantee success, and until now that’s what everyone’s got for their money.”
“For this job you’ll get a much better payoff,” Cain said as she pointed him to a chair.
“You want to hire me?”
“I more than anyone here understand business, Mr. Cristo. What you did was your job and nothing personal against Remi.” Cain cut her eyes to Remi, who looked like she wanted to squeeze the life out of Jorge. “But you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar, and it’s time to make things right.”
“What’s the job?”
“I want you to take out Junior Luca, and I want you to vary from your usual style and shoot him through the eyes. I don’t give a shit what his body looks like after you’re done, but I do want to know he’s dead.” Cain watched him as she spoke and noticed he petted the beard on the left side of his mouth, as if he were trying to get something out of it.
Everyone had a tell when it came to their fear, and she had a feeling this was his. Tells were the body’s way of letting out fear and nerves, but they were also a good way to pick up on what a person wanted to keep hidden from the world. In poker they cost you the big pots, and right now Jorge’s fear was driving the movements, cluing Cain in to how easy it would be to get what she wanted.
“My price is no different for that.”
“You’re going to do it and you’re going to get only one thing in return, and my offer’s only good while you’re in this room.”
“What’s your price?” Jorge said. He pulled his hand away from his face and stared at it as if it had betrayed him by moving to his beard.
“Your life, Mr. Cristo,” Cain said with an air of finality.
“You call that fair?” Jorge’s hand returned to his face.
“You have the right to turn me down, that’s up to you. Turn me down, though, and I’m through with you and it’s Remi’s turn.”
“If you want Junior dead, then he’s dead,” he told Cain, and turned to Remi. “She’s right, this was only business. I have nothing against you or your family, but if you let me go you have my word you and your family have nothing to fear from me.”
“Do you swear it on your mother’s head?”
“I swear it.”
“Cain had her price and her reasons, but I won’t forgive what you did that easily, so I want one more thing from you.”
“You’ve got the right to ask me anything.”
“Are you right- or left-handed when it comes to your toys?” Remi asked.
“Right-handed.”
“Junior Luca’s part of the deal, but you have to carry a reminder for you not to come near us again. Maybe with enough time you’ll learn to be as accurate with your left hand as the people who hire you expect you to be.” When Remi got close to him he wrapped his hands around the arms of the chair. “Your right hand.”
Jorge held out his right index finger, his trigger finger. He made no sound as it hit the floor and accepted the handkerchief that she offered him to stop the bleeding.
“You have until tomorrow to do this, and you won’t be going alone,” Cain said as she waved one of her men over. “Once you finish, you’re free to go. Renege, and the guy I’m sending with you will pull his own trigger, and I promise he’ll be close enough there’s no chance in hell he’ll miss.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Anthony opened his eyes and shut them just as quickly when the brightness of the room felt like it was burning holes in his retinas. He’d spent another late night with Juan’s men sitting outside the Casey place watching, but trying to stay out of sight of the other watchers. It was like his old job, only the pay was better. Then there was the new bonus Juan was sharing with him.
The blankets had tangled around his legs, and he glanced down to study the heap of material. His senses were heightened, like the way the sheets felt rough against his naked skin. As he concentrated on that feeling, someone banged on his door.
He took his time, finding it humorous when the banging got louder. With a flick of his wrist he wrenched the door open, making Joe lose his balance and stumble a step forward. “Are you here to make sure I don’t oversleep?”
“We need to talk to you so go put on some pants,” Joe said. Shelby walked in behind him and studied the front room.
“Should I remind you that I’m not working after Annabel threw me out?” He took a seat on the sofa and put his feet on the coffee table. The position made his white briefs pull tautly against his groin. “Besides, maybe Shelby wants to see what she’s missing by sniffing around the Caseys.”
Joe advanced on him with his fists clenched, but Shelby stopped him before he got too close. “Agent Hicks asked us to drop by and invite you in for questioning.”
“If Annabel wants to talk to me then tell her to get her fat ass down here. I’m through with her and her fumblings. Once my suspension’s over, I’m putting in for a transfer, but not before I report her for incompetence.”
“Why don’t you get your head out of your ass and accept why Agent Hicks suspended you? It had nothing to do with your warped view of the world,” Joe said. With the tip of his shoe he pushed a stack of magazines to the floor so he could sit.
Anthony looked from the mess on the floor to Joe and smiled. “I’d love to come in and chat, but my dance card’s so full that I simply don’t have time.”
“You can do it voluntarily or we can come back in a more official capacity,” Shelby added. She took a seat at the desk. “If you want to go that route, it’ll haunt you at work for a long time.”
“You think I care about that?” Anthony wanted to scream but his head was starting to pound. “When I’m done I won’t have to worry about any performance reviews, but people like you will.”
“I don’t know, Joe,” Shelby said, her head turned more toward the top of the desk than to her friend. “When you go in for your next review do you think you’ll have to explain why you were seen leaving the airport with a known drug dealer?”
“Not to mention that dead guy in the bathroom. It would take quite a story to convince people you were nowhere near.” Joe took up where she left off.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Anthony sat up, trying to see what Shelby was so interested in. He’d heeded Annabel’s warning about money, and the cash Juan had paid him was stashed in a strongbox in the bedroom closet. “Who got killed at the airport?”
“Shelby and I both know you’re a complete ass, but don’t compound it by trying to act stupider than you are,” Joe said. “You know damn well what we’re talking about, and it’s time to tell us what you know on the record, so get dressed.”
“I’m not coming in without a subpoena, so fuck off.”