Bow Down(26)
But not with Wyatt. He could take me and control me in ways that I’d never understood before.
I got out of bed and padded out into the hallway. I went into the bathroom and did my normal morning routine. As I came out, Kasia was stepping out of her room.
“Lou,” she said. “I need to talk.”
I sighed. “Coffee first.”
“It’s important.”
“Coffee first.” I walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Kasia followed me. I made some coffee while she sat at the table, clearly annoyed and taking it out on a banana.
Once the coffee was done brewing, I drank a big sip and sat down.
“Okay,” I said.
“I found a mafia spot,” she said. “It’s perfect.”
“Are there girls?”
“No,” she said. “Well, it’s a strip club.”
“Strippers aren’t sex slaves.”
“They’re being taken advantage of.”
“Not exactly. Is that all?”
“No. It has guns. Lots of guns. And money.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“I have a girl on the inside. She feeds me information. Told me late last night that she saw the cash and the guns hidden away in the basement.”
“I don’t like that,” I said. “Feels too convenient.”
“I trust her.”
“I know. And I trust you.”
“This is good. We can take this place. They aren’t expecting it.”
“How well protected is it?”
“Not very well at all.”
“Why wouldn’t they guard a bunch of guns and cash?”
“Probably because they think we don’t know about it.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “The mafia is arrogant, Kasia, but are they that arrogant?”
“Yes,” she said. “They are.”
She was probably right. I’d been in the mafia for a very long time, and especially in the Barone family, there was this sense that they were invincible. The police were paid off, their enemies were smaller, everyone was afraid of them. A lot of the guys felt invincible, especially the men at the top.
But they weren’t so stupid as to leave a big cache of cash and guns unguarded. That was just stupid.
Still, Kasia was rarely wrong. She was my second in command for a reason. I trusted her judgment on things like this, and she was very good at getting information from women all over the city.
“Are you sure?” I asked her.
“I’m sure, Lou.”
“Okay then. Do it.”
I knew that was against my instincts, but I had to trust Kasia. I couldn’t manage absolutely everything, and had to delegate certain tasks down to my inferiors. Kasia was good at what she did, and I had to trust that she’d make the right decision.
“Thank you,” she said, standing.
“Keep it small,” I said. “Take five girls. No more.”
She frowned. “Okay.”
“We can’t risk more on this. Take your five best.”
“That will be enough.”
“Good. Get it done.”
She nodded and left the room.
I sighed, sipping my coffee. It wasn’t easy running a damn mafia on your own.
I got up after I finished my coffee, went back into my room, and got changed. I put on my black jeans and my black t-shirt, and then headed back into the elevator, riding it down. I got off at the third floor and walked down the hall.
Brooks was sitting alone in the kitchen, reading a newspaper.
“How are the girls?” I asked him.
He shrugged. He had been on duty the night before, watching over the new girls.
“Fine,” he said.
“The dying girl?”
“Better, actually.”
“What’s her name again?”
“Katy.”
I leaned up against the doorframe. “I need something from you.”
He looked at me. “What’s that?”
“Wyatt Carter’s assistant, Ethan. I need you to find out about him.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I don’t know yet. Find out everything you can. Follow him if you have to.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t get caught.”
“I never do.” He grinned at me.
I smiled back and then headed back down the hall. I paused outside of one door before softly opening it.
Inside, the girl was wrapped in the sheets, her IV still stuck in her arm. Her eyes fluttered open, piercing and blue. I sat down in the chair next to her bed as she sat up.
“I’m Louisa,” I said to her.
“I know.”
“How are you feeling?”
“A lot better.”
“Good.”
“Thank you. For all this.”
“I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”