started talking.
When he was done, I tell him to walk me out and sure as shit we come out of the office like old buddies. I leave out the front door but then I duck back in real quick.
“Hey, Tommy, just a heads up. The parking lot out here is filling up with the afternoon rush. Make sure the ice chest is full, all right?”
I just can’t help it sometimes.
Tommy looked at me all confused and shit while Speedo just stares at me, shifts his cigar around and is not amused.
I’m hungry as hell. I’ll hit Ambrozy’s and take care of everything in one swoop. Have one of their steak sandwiches, a couple-three cold ones and check in with Patrik. Get that other little bit of business tomorrow all nice and squared away.
And I’ll see if Ania is around. Can’t forget that. To be honest, she’s pretty much tops on the list. That’s something new for me and that’s a real problem.
As I pull onto the interstate again and head back into the city, I punch in Mick’s number to give him what I got from Speedo - or most of it. Who knows if he just spilled a bunch of bullshit or what. I expect Mick will have something by now too. We’ll throw it all in the stew pot and maybe we’ll make some gravy.
FOURTEEN
Mick
I pushed the cancel button on my phone and slipped it into my pocket. Jerzy wasn’t wasting any time, which was good because the more I thought about finding those diamonds and starting a new life, the more I realized how much I’ve been wasting my time. Or wasting my life . That might be a better way to put it.
The weather was crisp. I sat in the park, my hands in my jacket pockets, but my face turned up to the sun. Meager tendrils of heat radiated down, just enough to tease you into thinking it was going to be a warm day. I knew Chicago, though. The slightest gust of wind off the lake would snatch that warmth away.
Al was late, but that was par for the course. If he was ever on time, it would have been on accident. Fat Italian was late for everything, unless it involved free food. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and waited. While the sun touched my face, I thought about that look that Ania gave me in the church and at the bar. She had something, that one. Probably there was some danger there, too, but all women are dangerous. The ones worth having anyway.
Almost on cue, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and looked at the screen.
CONNIE, it read.
“What the hell does she want?” I muttered. We hadn’t spoken since the fight at Eddie’s Diner. With all that has been happening, I hadn’t been back to work, so there wasn’t the chance for us to talk. Not that I’d have anything to say to her.
I thought about answering, but then a voice changed my mind.
“Mickey!”
I glanced up and there was Al. He looked older and fatter than last I’d seen him. His sideburns were pure gray and it looked to be spreading up to the rest of his thinning hair. He had a second chin and was now working on a third.
I forced a smile to my face. “Sarge, how’s it going?”
His eyes narrowed slightly at the reference to his rank. “Hey, none of that here. We’re just two guys catching up, right?” He held out his arms to me.
I stood and embraced him. He clapped me on the back with his giant paws. I felt him sweep his hand expertly across my back, looking for a wire.
“Just a coupla guys,” he repeated, then let me go.
We sat down.
“How ya been?” he asked me.
“Getting by,” I said. All of the sudden, I was pissed at him all over again. Pissed that he got me into the jackpot we landed in. Pissed that he let me take the fall, and pissed that he’d come here acting like he’s doing me a favor but no one can even know he’s here. Or that maybe I was wired up and looking to take off his fat, worthless ass for some reason I couldn’t begin to comprehend.
“Ain’t we all,” he said, seemingly oblivious to how I was feeling.
“Well, it can’t be too tough. You don’t look like you’re missing
When he was done, I tell him to walk me out and sure as shit we come out of the office like old buddies. I leave out the front door but then I duck back in real quick.
“Hey, Tommy, just a heads up. The parking lot out here is filling up with the afternoon rush. Make sure the ice chest is full, all right?”
I just can’t help it sometimes.
Tommy looked at me all confused and shit while Speedo just stares at me, shifts his cigar around and is not amused.
I’m hungry as hell. I’ll hit Ambrozy’s and take care of everything in one swoop. Have one of their steak sandwiches, a couple-three cold ones and check in with Patrik. Get that other little bit of business tomorrow all nice and squared away.
And I’ll see if Ania is around. Can’t forget that. To be honest, she’s pretty much tops on the list. That’s something new for me and that’s a real problem.
As I pull onto the interstate again and head back into the city, I punch in Mick’s number to give him what I got from Speedo - or most of it. Who knows if he just spilled a bunch of bullshit or what. I expect Mick will have something by now too. We’ll throw it all in the stew pot and maybe we’ll make some gravy.
FOURTEEN
Mick
I pushed the cancel button on my phone and slipped it into my pocket. Jerzy wasn’t wasting any time, which was good because the more I thought about finding those diamonds and starting a new life, the more I realized how much I’ve been wasting my time. Or wasting my life . That might be a better way to put it.
The weather was crisp. I sat in the park, my hands in my jacket pockets, but my face turned up to the sun. Meager tendrils of heat radiated down, just enough to tease you into thinking it was going to be a warm day. I knew Chicago, though. The slightest gust of wind off the lake would snatch that warmth away.
Al was late, but that was par for the course. If he was ever on time, it would have been on accident. Fat Italian was late for everything, unless it involved free food. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and waited. While the sun touched my face, I thought about that look that Ania gave me in the church and at the bar. She had something, that one. Probably there was some danger there, too, but all women are dangerous. The ones worth having anyway.
Almost on cue, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and looked at the screen.
CONNIE, it read.
“What the hell does she want?” I muttered. We hadn’t spoken since the fight at Eddie’s Diner. With all that has been happening, I hadn’t been back to work, so there wasn’t the chance for us to talk. Not that I’d have anything to say to her.
I thought about answering, but then a voice changed my mind.
“Mickey!”
I glanced up and there was Al. He looked older and fatter than last I’d seen him. His sideburns were pure gray and it looked to be spreading up to the rest of his thinning hair. He had a second chin and was now working on a third.
I forced a smile to my face. “Sarge, how’s it going?”
His eyes narrowed slightly at the reference to his rank. “Hey, none of that here. We’re just two guys catching up, right?” He held out his arms to me.
I stood and embraced him. He clapped me on the back with his giant paws. I felt him sweep his hand expertly across my back, looking for a wire.
“Just a coupla guys,” he repeated, then let me go.
We sat down.
“How ya been?” he asked me.
“Getting by,” I said. All of the sudden, I was pissed at him all over again. Pissed that he got me into the jackpot we landed in. Pissed that he let me take the fall, and pissed that he’d come here acting like he’s doing me a favor but no one can even know he’s here. Or that maybe I was wired up and looking to take off his fat, worthless ass for some reason I couldn’t begin to comprehend.
“Ain’t we all,” he said, seemingly oblivious to how I was feeling.
“Well, it can’t be too tough. You don’t look like you’re missing
Similar Books
