“Did you check the phone?”
“Yeah, I checked it,” Nova lied, because it was starting to get depressing to constantly turn up nothing. “You gonna stop fucking around with Angry Birds and do something productive or what?”
“Okay.” Wyatt relented after a moment’s hesitation, making it obvious he needed the distraction as badly as Nova did. “But I ain’t exactly confident ’bout taking your advice when you’re referring to it as gambling.”
“You should be. I’m a very competent gambler,” Nova said confidently. “Now go to your computer, and I’ll walk you through it. When you start seeing a return, all I ask is that you take twenty percent and set up a Roth IRA for Romeo’s baby. I’ll walk you through that too when the time comes. Don’t think I won’t notice when you get a return, ’cause I’ll know it before you do.”
“Ah, that’s the deal.” Wyatt sounded amused. “Can’t do it without a twenty percent cut…’cause that ain’t stereotypical.”
“A lot of my favors cost more than twenty percent. That’s a family discount. Call me stereotypical again, motherfucker, and I’ll make it thirty.”
“I would’ve bought the IRA for the baby anyway. I ain’t intimidated by your business tactics, Moretti.” There was a shuffle on the other end and the chime of a computer coming on. “Okay, now what?”
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Nova smoked three more cigarettes and helped Wyatt set up an online trading account. It was a decent distraction against the rising worry and exhaustion, and it wasn’t until a knock on Romeo’s door had him turning toward the front of the apartment.
“Conner, I gotta call you back.” Nova grabbed his 9mm off the couch. “Someone’s at the door.”
He hung up before Wyatt could say anything, because he would start getting all demanding in that cop-like way of his, wanting to know if it was Romeo and then giving instructions like Nova was inclined to follow rules.
Nova tucked the 9mm into the back of his jeans and walked to the door. He squinted through the peephole, seeing Gino on the other side, and opened the door.
“Eh!” Gino held up two cups of coffee. “Thought you could use it.”
“No shit.” Nova took the coffee and shut the door behind him. “Thanks, man.” Gino patted his back affectionately as he walked past. “You look like hell. Hear anything from Romeo?”
Nova stiffened, sick of that question. “No.”
“Talking to Tino yet?”
“Grudgingly.” Nova took a sip of the coffee as he followed Gino back into the living room. “For information purposes only. He keeps texting me. I know it’s driving him crazy that I’m ignoring him.”
“That chick’s brother still calling every five minutes?” Nova held up his hand as Gino fell onto the couch. “What are you? Fucking twenty questions?”
Nova pulled his gun out and set on the coffee table and then sat next to Gino, willing the coffee to give him a fresh surge of energy.
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“Heard you had a sit-down with Frankie,” Gino started casually, looking around Romeo’s apartment as if he wasn’t nosing into issues that didn’t concern him. “How’d that go?”
Nova gave him an annoyed look. “Again with the questions.” Gino grabbed the remote, obviously giving up on getting answers. “Mind if I watch the game?”
Nova took another sip of coffee, asking against the rim, “Is there something I don’t know?”
“Why?”
“You don’t got shit to do besides hang out here watching TV?”
“Aldo’s worried about you. He suggested I keep you company.” Gino shrugged.
“You went to a sit-down looking like that? When’s the last time you shaved?
“Merda.”
Nova closed his eyes against the barrage of questions, knowing Gino was going to be on him like glue until Aldo told him otherwise. He picked up his computer as a distraction and started tracking Romeo’s phone. He was desperate for this whole nightmare to end. He wanted a reason to sleep well at night.
“You wanna help me with my portfolio?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“’Cause you peeve me.” Nova lit another cigarette while he waited in vain for the phone to be located.
“You’re in a shit mood.”
“That makes you a fucking genius.”
Nova took a drag off his cigarette and stared at the screen. For one heartbeat he thought he was seeing it wrong. Then he blinked at the tiny, red pin sitting on the edge
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of West Virginia. His heart rate picked up as he clicked to zoom in, making the map bigger and bigger, taking in the different images until he had an address.