Hard Bastard(52)
“What’s that now?” he asked. “You want to have a drink?”
“No,” I said. “I want to talk about this deal. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I should be put aside.”
Liam grinned at Gage and he sighed at me. “It’s not because you’re a woman,” Gage said.
“What is it then? You mafia guys are all the same.”
“You’re a damn ADA,” Liam said, laughing. “That’s why you’re over there and we’re over here.”
“He doesn’t trust you,” Gage added.
I stood there for a second, feeling stupid. “Oh,” I said. “Well, I’m not involved with that stuff anymore.”
“Don’t matter,” Liam said, the grin getting bigger. Even Gage was smiling now. “You still were. But I admire the gut you’ve got.”
I felt like an idiot. I just stood there, not sure what to do. I could back down and look like a total weakling, or I could press and maybe ruin this deal. Liam seemed like a nice enough guy, but they all did on the surface. I knew that Liam was probably as much of a killer as Gage was, if not worse.
“Alright,” Liam said. “You’re clearly not going anywhere. Just sit down then.”
I released my breath, glad he made that decision for me. I sat down next to Gage and Liam ordered me a whisky. He slid it down to me and nodded at it.
“If you want to be a part of this, you best drink like you are.”
I picked it up and tipped it toward him then drank.
He grinned then turned back to Gage. “Well then, where were we?”
“The files,” Gage prompted.
“So let me get this straight. You want me and my boys to get into her apartment and grab them, that right?”
“Assuming Vadik hasn’t gotten them already.”
“Right, right. You also want us to break into the goddamn DA’s office too?”
“Yes,” he said. “I do.”
Liam shook his head. “That’s crazy.”
“I have keycards,” I said. “I can tell you exactly where the files are.”
“Assuming Vadik didn’t get an inside man to grab them already,” Liam said. “Even with the keys, we’d stick out like a sore thumb.”
“They’re hidden,” I said. “Well, not exactly hidden, but they’re mixed in with stuff that isn’t important.”
“They’ll grab the lot.” Liam shook his head. “Don’t you have stuff?”
“I need more.”
“It’ll be worth it,” Gage said. “Do this and we’ll give you whatever you find. Just guarantee our safety.”
Liam sat back in his chair, sighing. “It’s a big ask, brother.”
“It’s a huge ask,” Gage agreed. “But imagine if you pull it off? You’ll have the leverage you need to start pushing back against the Russians.”
“Against your own people,” Liam noted.
“Not anymore,” he said simply.
Liam nodded, sipping his whisky. We lapsed into silence as the men drank and I stared at them, a mess of frustration and anger. It was so obvious what they should do, and I knew that I could give them the information to pull it off. The files were worth the risk, more than worth the risk. The files were the key to everything.
Finally, Liam spoke up. “I’ll give it a think,” he said. “I have to bring it to Padraig too, of course.”
“Of course,” Gage agreed.
“Okay then. Cheers.”
The men clinked glasses and drank. When they were done, Gage stood up. He nodded at me and I stood up with him.
“This is the right thing to do,” I said to Liam. “It’ll work. I promise.”
“Sure,” he said, not turning back to me.
Gage took my arm and gently steered me away. We walked quickly outside and hurried into the car. Once the engine started and we pulled away, I turned on him.
“What the hell was that back there?”
“Business,” he said.
“You leaving me out of it was bullshit.”
“Maybe, but Liam doesn’t know you as anything other than the new young ADA. He was being careful.”
“Fine, I get that. But why didn’t we push harder?”
“Can’t push. If you do, it’ll just piss them off. Plus, Liam isn’t the boss. Padraig makes all the decisions.”
“Then why didn’t we talk to him?”
“We don’t ever meet with Padraig,” Gage sighed. “I know it’s frustrating, but this is how it works.”
“Fuck how it works,” I said, anger spilling over. “This is our lives. We need to make this happen. We have no other options.”