in a motherly embrace. She whispered soothing words as the dumb-ass who was about to become her little in-house tester wept in her arms.
“There, there, there,” Salida cooed and rocked. “You don’t have to cry. You’re safe here with us. We’ll protect you. And things will get better for you, Nooni. I promise they will. In fact, I can help you start feeling better right now. Do you trust me?” she asked, smoothing down Nooni’s wild tangle of hair. “Do you trust me, Nooni?”
The girl nodded. Just once.
That was all Salida needed to see.
She reached into her top drawer and pulled out a small vial. The words Divine Nine were stamped on the outside. Shaking out two pills, she spoke gently to the crying girl.
“Open your mouth,” she said softly.
Nooni obeyed.
Salida placed the two pills on Nooni’s tongue, and when the young girl swallowed, Salida smiled.
CHAPTER 21
Slick Sallie was thinking fast and moving even faster.
He’d driven Mick’s car home after the bungled heist, but there was no time to grieve for his cousin and there was no time to wait around for the money that would come in after the microchips were sold to a company in Vietnam either.
Sallie had parked Mick’s car several blocks away, and let himself into his mother’s house. He’d showered and drank half a bottle of whisky, and after sleeping for a few fitful hours he’d gotten up with the sun and driven north for several hours.
After ditching Mick’s car on some railroad tracks, he’d hitched a lift back to the city from a truck driver who was hauling paper goods. He hopped out about a thirty-minute walk away from his mother’s house, and he was almost there when his cell phone rang.
“Uncle Frank,” he said. “ Come stai? ”
“Where the fuck are you, Salvatore?”
His uncle’s tone was cold and unforgiving, and Sallie sensed the danger right away.
“Uhhh,” he said, stalling, “I’m actually on my way to your house,” he lied. “Yeah, I should be there in a bit.”
“Good,” Frank said coldly. “Come quickly. I have something for you.”
Sal stuck the phone down in his pants and ran the rest of the way home. There was no time to waste now. His uncle’s voice had said it all. They knew about the bomb, they knew about the heist, they knew about Mick. There was gonna be fuckin’ hell to pay.
Back downstairs in his mother’s wine cellar, Sal once again dragged the heavy safe from its hiding space behind the dusty barrels.
“Stupid fuckin’ Mick,” he muttered. A tear slipped from his eye as he mourned briefly for his favorite cousin. “Retarded ass-wipe bastard.”
Steeling himself for the task at hand, Sallie plugged in his brand-new hacksaw, put on a pair of goggles, and went to work.
An hour later Gino’s safe sat gutted open in the middle of the floor. Without stopping to wipe the sweat from his face, Sallie plundered right in, pulling out stack after stack of money and tossing it to the floor at his feet. Quarter of a mil, his ass. There had to be hundreds of thousands crammed inside that baby, he realized. The money smelled dank, and slightly moldy, but it was definitely still spendable.
Only when the safe was finally empty did Sal use the end of his shirt to mop his dripping face and chin. He wanted to jump up and down at the sight of all the legal tender that was strewn out around him. There was more than enough there to set up an arms deal that a young drug lord in Harlem had asked him about, and to get into some other income-producing projects as well.
With one eye on the pile of dough at his feet, Sal took his cell phone off his belt and punched in a number.
“Three Brothers Funeral Home.” A female voice with a strong east coast accent greeted him from the other end of the line.
Sal grinned broadly, and then asked to speak to the slick New York City drug dealer who was going to help make him a millionaire.
CHAPTER 22
Lenox Avenue was
“There, there, there,” Salida cooed and rocked. “You don’t have to cry. You’re safe here with us. We’ll protect you. And things will get better for you, Nooni. I promise they will. In fact, I can help you start feeling better right now. Do you trust me?” she asked, smoothing down Nooni’s wild tangle of hair. “Do you trust me, Nooni?”
The girl nodded. Just once.
That was all Salida needed to see.
She reached into her top drawer and pulled out a small vial. The words Divine Nine were stamped on the outside. Shaking out two pills, she spoke gently to the crying girl.
“Open your mouth,” she said softly.
Nooni obeyed.
Salida placed the two pills on Nooni’s tongue, and when the young girl swallowed, Salida smiled.
CHAPTER 21
Slick Sallie was thinking fast and moving even faster.
He’d driven Mick’s car home after the bungled heist, but there was no time to grieve for his cousin and there was no time to wait around for the money that would come in after the microchips were sold to a company in Vietnam either.
Sallie had parked Mick’s car several blocks away, and let himself into his mother’s house. He’d showered and drank half a bottle of whisky, and after sleeping for a few fitful hours he’d gotten up with the sun and driven north for several hours.
After ditching Mick’s car on some railroad tracks, he’d hitched a lift back to the city from a truck driver who was hauling paper goods. He hopped out about a thirty-minute walk away from his mother’s house, and he was almost there when his cell phone rang.
“Uncle Frank,” he said. “ Come stai? ”
“Where the fuck are you, Salvatore?”
His uncle’s tone was cold and unforgiving, and Sallie sensed the danger right away.
“Uhhh,” he said, stalling, “I’m actually on my way to your house,” he lied. “Yeah, I should be there in a bit.”
“Good,” Frank said coldly. “Come quickly. I have something for you.”
Sal stuck the phone down in his pants and ran the rest of the way home. There was no time to waste now. His uncle’s voice had said it all. They knew about the bomb, they knew about the heist, they knew about Mick. There was gonna be fuckin’ hell to pay.
Back downstairs in his mother’s wine cellar, Sal once again dragged the heavy safe from its hiding space behind the dusty barrels.
“Stupid fuckin’ Mick,” he muttered. A tear slipped from his eye as he mourned briefly for his favorite cousin. “Retarded ass-wipe bastard.”
Steeling himself for the task at hand, Sallie plugged in his brand-new hacksaw, put on a pair of goggles, and went to work.
An hour later Gino’s safe sat gutted open in the middle of the floor. Without stopping to wipe the sweat from his face, Sallie plundered right in, pulling out stack after stack of money and tossing it to the floor at his feet. Quarter of a mil, his ass. There had to be hundreds of thousands crammed inside that baby, he realized. The money smelled dank, and slightly moldy, but it was definitely still spendable.
Only when the safe was finally empty did Sal use the end of his shirt to mop his dripping face and chin. He wanted to jump up and down at the sight of all the legal tender that was strewn out around him. There was more than enough there to set up an arms deal that a young drug lord in Harlem had asked him about, and to get into some other income-producing projects as well.
With one eye on the pile of dough at his feet, Sal took his cell phone off his belt and punched in a number.
“Three Brothers Funeral Home.” A female voice with a strong east coast accent greeted him from the other end of the line.
Sal grinned broadly, and then asked to speak to the slick New York City drug dealer who was going to help make him a millionaire.
CHAPTER 22
Lenox Avenue was
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