she’d eat that night. Better to have food in her stomach than continue on empty. She asked for a tea of her own.
Parker waited until the woman was gone. He leaned forward conspiratorially and spoke quietly, though there was no one close enough to hear. “Everything’s gone to shit,” he said.
“Matt?” Camaro asked.
“How did you know?”
“Who else would it be? He’s an asshole and he’s reckless. He’s going to screw up anything he touches.”
“I didn’t think it would go like this,” Parker said.
“What has he done?”
“He didn’t do the deal. He backed out of the deal. And he…he killed two people.”
“Where did this go down?”
“Up in Hollywood. He just gunned them down, Camaro. Took the money and gunned them down.”
Parker took up his iced tea and drank, but his hand was unsteady. Even his lips trembled. He put the glass down too hard, and it made a loud bang that caught the attention of an old couple a few booths down. Camaro wanted to tell him to calm down but knew it would do no good. “Where’s the guy? Where’s Chapado?”
“He took him with him. He and Jackson and Soto took off together to somewhere. They’re going to call me later with the address. I have no idea where it is. Maybe it’s around here, maybe not. I don’t know.”
Camaro was slow to speak. Her tea came. She squeezed the lemon into the glass, dropped the lemon wedge in, and stirred the ice around with a spoon. The crushed lemon ended up at the very bottom. “I’m going to ask you something, and I want the truth,” she said. “You understand?”
“Yes.”
“Did you have any idea Matt was going to kill somebody today?”
Parker shook his head violently. “No, no! This was supposed to be totally clean. Nobody gets hurt, everybody gets paid. If I thought people were going to die, I would have said no right out of the gate. I owe Matt, but I don’t owe him that much.”
“What do you mean you owe him?”
Now she saw shame in Parker’s face, drowning in the other emotions that gripped him. Despite herself, her heart echoed something in return. The sensation made her angry. “When we were inside, there were a couple of guys who wanted to…you know. They wanted to go to town on me. Matt kept them off. I’m still not sure how. These were big guys, and they were in for life, so they didn’t have anything to lose. But Matt stopped them. He stopped them for me.”
“He kept you safe,” Camaro said.
“Yeah. He did.”
“But now he’s putting you in danger. You don’t owe him anymore.”
Parker flung his hands up in surrender. “I’m stuck in it, though. Matt didn’t kill all the Cubans, so they’ve seen my face. They might even know my name. And there’s something else, too.”
“Wait a minute,” Camaro said. “Cubans?”
“Yeah, Miami Cubans. They have some kind of thing going on. I don’t really understand it, but they have money. It has to do with Chapado and what he was doing back in the home country. Matt never really explained it. But that’s not important. What’s important is the money.”
“The money you’re holding,” Camaro said.
“He wants it now. Like right now . But it’s the only leverage I have. As long as I’m the only one who knows where it is, he’s out forty thousand. He has more money coming, but he’s going to want that cash.”
“He has more money coming? From where?”
“The Cubans have to pay double now. That’s another hundred grand. But he’s not going to let go of the first payment. He’s gonna lean on me.”
“Do you think he’d kill you?” Camaro asked.
Parker’s face was misery. “I don’t know. I can’t risk it.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I need you.”
“How?” Camaro asked.
“I’m going to try and hold Matt off. I’m going to tell him that I’m having a hard time getting my hands on the money. Because it’s locked away somewhere that’s tough to get to, or something. I’ll hold on to it as
Parker waited until the woman was gone. He leaned forward conspiratorially and spoke quietly, though there was no one close enough to hear. “Everything’s gone to shit,” he said.
“Matt?” Camaro asked.
“How did you know?”
“Who else would it be? He’s an asshole and he’s reckless. He’s going to screw up anything he touches.”
“I didn’t think it would go like this,” Parker said.
“What has he done?”
“He didn’t do the deal. He backed out of the deal. And he…he killed two people.”
“Where did this go down?”
“Up in Hollywood. He just gunned them down, Camaro. Took the money and gunned them down.”
Parker took up his iced tea and drank, but his hand was unsteady. Even his lips trembled. He put the glass down too hard, and it made a loud bang that caught the attention of an old couple a few booths down. Camaro wanted to tell him to calm down but knew it would do no good. “Where’s the guy? Where’s Chapado?”
“He took him with him. He and Jackson and Soto took off together to somewhere. They’re going to call me later with the address. I have no idea where it is. Maybe it’s around here, maybe not. I don’t know.”
Camaro was slow to speak. Her tea came. She squeezed the lemon into the glass, dropped the lemon wedge in, and stirred the ice around with a spoon. The crushed lemon ended up at the very bottom. “I’m going to ask you something, and I want the truth,” she said. “You understand?”
“Yes.”
“Did you have any idea Matt was going to kill somebody today?”
Parker shook his head violently. “No, no! This was supposed to be totally clean. Nobody gets hurt, everybody gets paid. If I thought people were going to die, I would have said no right out of the gate. I owe Matt, but I don’t owe him that much.”
“What do you mean you owe him?”
Now she saw shame in Parker’s face, drowning in the other emotions that gripped him. Despite herself, her heart echoed something in return. The sensation made her angry. “When we were inside, there were a couple of guys who wanted to…you know. They wanted to go to town on me. Matt kept them off. I’m still not sure how. These were big guys, and they were in for life, so they didn’t have anything to lose. But Matt stopped them. He stopped them for me.”
“He kept you safe,” Camaro said.
“Yeah. He did.”
“But now he’s putting you in danger. You don’t owe him anymore.”
Parker flung his hands up in surrender. “I’m stuck in it, though. Matt didn’t kill all the Cubans, so they’ve seen my face. They might even know my name. And there’s something else, too.”
“Wait a minute,” Camaro said. “Cubans?”
“Yeah, Miami Cubans. They have some kind of thing going on. I don’t really understand it, but they have money. It has to do with Chapado and what he was doing back in the home country. Matt never really explained it. But that’s not important. What’s important is the money.”
“The money you’re holding,” Camaro said.
“He wants it now. Like right now . But it’s the only leverage I have. As long as I’m the only one who knows where it is, he’s out forty thousand. He has more money coming, but he’s going to want that cash.”
“He has more money coming? From where?”
“The Cubans have to pay double now. That’s another hundred grand. But he’s not going to let go of the first payment. He’s gonna lean on me.”
“Do you think he’d kill you?” Camaro asked.
Parker’s face was misery. “I don’t know. I can’t risk it.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I need you.”
“How?” Camaro asked.
“I’m going to try and hold Matt off. I’m going to tell him that I’m having a hard time getting my hands on the money. Because it’s locked away somewhere that’s tough to get to, or something. I’ll hold on to it as
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