Lie or Die: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (15 page)

With my heart racing, I placed the bet on Razor. The bookie gave me a ticket, and I turned to leave, nearly bumping into the guy behind me.

This guy was thinking that I’d made the right call, and he could let Lanny know he didn’t have to fix the match for Manetto to win. I stifled a groan and stepped around him, barely managing to keep the surprise from my face.

On shaky legs, I made my way back to Uncle Joey, alert for trouble. This time, I spotted the undercover FBI agent standing at the top of the stairs and carefully steered clear of him. What was he doing here? I remembered him thinking about a club. This must have been it. I hurried around him, grateful his mind was on the match and not watching for me. None too soon, I was back at my place behind Uncle Joey. I took a deep breath to settle my nerves and handed him the ticket.

“Here you go, sir,” I said.

Uncle Joey gave it a fleeting glance and turned his attention to the match. Razor was taking a beating, and it turned my stomach. Blood was running from his nose and a cut on his face. Sweat was flying everywhere. Yuk. I hated boxing. It was just too brutal for me. If he was favored to win, he was sure making a mess of it.

At the last minute, Razor broke free of the ropes, and in a fast move, landed a one-two punch that threw his opponent to the floor. The crowd roared with approval, and with the countdown, the match was over. Razor had won.

Relief swept over me, magnified by Lanny and several other people in the room. The right person had won. I hoped now that this part of the negotiations were over we could get down to business. I couldn’t wait to get out of here. After congratulating Uncle Joey, Lanny finally got around to telling him what he wanted to know.

“There is something going on with the gangs,” Lanny began. “The shot callers of the two major rival gangs have been killed, along with several top gang members. Someone is moving in on their territory, and doing a lot of recruiting.” He was thinking that taking in Razor had paid off in many ways. “Whoever it is has connections to lots of drugs and guns, and they’ve started selling.”

“What about you? How are you handling this?” Uncle Joey asked, knowing full well that Lanny’s operation could be in jeopardy.

Lanny swallowed. Manetto was smart, and he’d better play this right. “I’m taking in the misplaced gang members who will work for me. Keeping it tight. Trying to find out what I can.”

“So…who is it?” Uncle Joey asked, pushing the stakes higher.

“I don’t have a name,” Lanny said. Nervous sweat trickled down his back. What game was Manetto playing? Lanny wasn’t picking sides yet. Not until he had a guarantee of protection from one or the other. “But I’d be willing to find out for a fee, and some protection.”

Uncle Joey nodded. He’d been expecting this. “You know Lanny, I just got back from Mexico, where I took out a drug cartel who was threatening me. If you have something to tell me, I’d suggest you do it.”

“Word is they’re after you.” Lanny was thinking that he’d said a hundred times more than he’d planned, but it was Manetto. You didn’t mess with him. “That’s all I know.”

Uncle Joey’s jaw tightened, and he fixed Lanny with a furious stare. “You find out any more, you come to me. Got it?”

“Yeah…sure,” Lanny said, breaking eye-contact and lowering his head. “I’ll let you know.”

Uncle Joey stood, then leaned menacingly forward with his hands braced on the table, invading Lanny’s space. “Keep my winnings as payment for any information that comes your way. I’ll be in touch.”

Chapter 9

Uncle Joey stalked out of the place like he owned it, and people were quick to get out of his way. He wasn’t happy with the information from Lanny. If it was correct, things were worse than he thought. He mostly stayed away from the gangs and the drugs, focusing mainly on his lucrative business arrangements. But it was always good to keep abreast of what was happening there.

It was a bold move for someone to shake up the gangs to get a toehold into his city. It would take someone with inside information, and a lot of firepower, to do the job. Not an easy proposition. On the other hand, it would give whoever was in charge an instant crew to take on anyone who opposed them, like himself of course. He’d have to get the South End on the job to find out exactly what was going on, and tell them they were looking for an organization a lot like his own.

We exited the building, and Ramos left to get the car while we waited. “What did you pick up? Uncle Joey asked. “Was he telling the truth?”

“Yes,” I answered. “He wanted you to win the bet on the match, and was hoping he could spoon feed you enough information that you’d pay him for it. But you ended up forcing his hand, and he told you a lot more than he wanted to.”

“Good,” he said, pleased with himself. “Anything else I should know?”

“Not really. He told you what he knew, and no names came to his mind.” I considered telling him about the undercover FBI agent, but decided against it. It wouldn’t go over too well if he knew I’d helped them, even if it was only once. Plus, I couldn’t see it changing anything. The FBI was probably more in the dark than Uncle Joey.

“Hmmm… so this person is coming after me,” he said. “Who would be that stupid?”

An involuntary chuckle escaped my lips. “Yeah, you got that right.”

Uncle Joey smiled, pleased at my reaction. His thoughts went to the trial, and he wished it were over so he could focus all his resources on this new threat. “Heard anything new about the trial?” he asked, thinking about Chris.

“Chris isn’t worried about losing,” I said. The way I said it caught Uncle Joey’s attention.

“What is it?” he asked, suddenly suspicious that I wasn’t telling him everything.

Damn! Now what? I couldn’t tell him the whole truth. “He’s just concerned with the threats I told you about. But it’s nothing he can’t handle. I’m the one who’s having a hard time with it. I don’t want Chris to get hurt.”

“David will watch out for him,” he said. “You don’t have to worry.”

“That’s good to know.” I kept my tone earnest, but light so he wouldn’t question me again.

I sighed with relief when Ramos pulled up, and we got into the car. I checked the time, encouraged to find it was only eight o’clock. Luckily, I could still make it home before Chris.

Uncle Joey was thinking about how to find out who was threatening him. I tuned him out after the first scenario he came up with included kidnapping and torture. Ripping someone’s nails off, or cutting off their fingers a little at a time made my stomach queasy.

I almost told him to stop with the torture part, and just let me listen to the guy’s thoughts, but stopped myself. If he didn’t think about me helping him, then why should I volunteer? Especially when he was in the mood to use torture anyway. I did not want to see that.

I put up my shields and kept them secure until we reached Thrasher Development. After parking the car, we all got out, and grabbing all my things, I quickly said goodbye. Uncle Joey glanced at me with confusion. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“Home. I want to get there before Chris so I don’t have to explain where I’ve been.”

Ramos was thinking that was a good idea, even though it was wrong to lie to my husband.

Uncle Joey wasn’t finished with his diabolical plans, but he’d figure them out with Ramos and get my input later. “I might need your help tomorrow…” He glanced at Ramos, who kept a straight face, even though he knew what Manetto wanted me for.

Uncle Joey turned his gaze to me, thinking how handy I would be for his planned interrogations. I tried not to roll my eyes. Was he really going to kidnap some kid from a gang? “I will help…as long as it doesn’t involve torture,” I said. “Just give me a call.”

I turned away before he could argue, and rushed to my car. After getting in, I pulled off the hat, wig, and glasses, relieved to scratch my itching head. This was big. Who in their right mind would want to take on Uncle Joey? The only person that came to mind was Kate, but she’d already tried that and lost…big-time. Plus, she didn’t have the resources to pull it off. I mean…she had some money, but not the manpower to take on the gangs. It couldn’t be her.

This was something I needed to talk to Chris about. He might not be happy I went to the club, but knowing about a possible threat to Uncle Joey could be useful. I doubted it would help his case, but it might make him back off from his plan to send Uncle Joey to prison. Especially since any plan that included sending him to prison was sure to backfire.

I arrived home, and pulled into the driveway. Finding the garage empty, I let out a breath of relief. I’d made it home before Chris! I rushed into the house, and yelled a quick hello to Josh before running to my room and changing my clothes.

I was pulling my hair into a ponytail when I heard the back door open. I stashed the wig and clothes into the back of my closet, and hurried downstairs to greet Chris.

“Hi honey!” I said, giving him a big hug. He held me for a moment before pulling back, and I noticed the circles under his eyes, along with the haggard line of his lips. “Are you okay?”

“Just tired,” he answered. “I’ve been going over the case, and I can’t find an easy way to lose. I’ve done too good of a job. I can’t lose unless someone changes their testimony or I get new evidence of some kind. But that’s just not going to happen.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s better you don’t lose. Uncle Joey would know, and he’s not someone you mess with.”

“But this could solve all our problems!” He sank into the couch and leaned his head back against the cushions. “I think I know what Manetto’s been doing that’s illegal, but with David working so closely with the company’s files, he’s probably got a back-up plan that would implicate someone in the company who is completely innocent, and that person would end up in jail instead of Manetto. David’s a wiz with computer programs and software. He could fix anything.”

“That makes sense,” I said, taking a seat beside him. “His son, Nick, works at a software company, and Uncle Joey just put him at the top of his organization.”

“Manetto’s got his fingers in everything that goes on in this city,” Chris said. “It’s kind of scary when you think about it.”

“Yeah, that’s for sure,” I agreed. Now that Chris seemed to realize how powerful Uncle Joey was, it made it easier to tell him what I’d been doing. Only I found I didn’t really want to. He was feeling bad enough already, and my involvement at the club would make it worse. Still, I had to tell him, regardless of how it made him feel.

“Did you have any dinner?” I asked instead, knowing he was always in a better mood when his stomach was full. “I could make you an omelet.”

“Oh, no…I ate already. But thanks.”

I nodded and was ready to tell him about my evening when he asked me a question. “Do you think you could come to the courtroom tomorrow? I think whoever’s threatening me will be there. Maybe you can spot who it is.”

“Um…that should work,” I said. “I don’t think I can be there the whole day though. What time would be best?”

“Morning,” he said. “Maybe you could come between ten and noon. The note was left at that time today, so they might be there around the same time tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll come,” I agreed. I thought it was a long shot, but what could it hurt? “I’d like to see the note. Do you have it?”

“Um…yeah. I think I put it in my briefcase. Let me look.” He rummaged through the case at his feet. “Hmm…it’s not there. Maybe it’s in one of my pockets.” He checked all his pockets, emptying out everything inside, but couldn’t find the note. “I know I had it.”

“Maybe you left it at work,” I said.

“Yeah, that’s it. I think I put it in my drawer. I’ll check first thing in the morning.”

“Okay,” I said. “As long as someone didn’t take it. Did it have your name on it?”

“Yes,” Chris answered. “But no one would go through my drawers, and I always lock up before I leave. It’s safe. I’ll be sure and bring it home tomorrow, and you can look at it. I just wish this person would come forward instead of leaving notes. If they have evidence that would prove Manetto’s guilt, I’d use it in a heartbeat. But then they wouldn’t need to threaten me. They could just go straight to the prosecution.” 

“True,” I agreed. “But it’s got to be someone who knows you, and knows you’d want Uncle Joey to go to jail. How many people fit that description?”

“Only one,” Chris said, his eyes lighting up. “Kate.” He glanced at me with new determination. “It’s got to be her,” he continued. “She’s the only one with inside information that could possibly know about Manetto’s dealings with Webb Enterprises. She also knows about your involvement with Manetto, and that alone would give me the motivation to lose the case.”

“That makes sense,” I said. “But if she really wants Uncle Joey to go to prison, why doesn’t she just turn state’s evidence and testify against him?”

“She must still be harboring the ambition to take over his organization.”

“Hmm…you could be right,” I agreed. “But there’s something we’re missing. She’s got to know it would never work.”

“Not necessarily. She might not know anything about David, and what he does for Manetto. Without David, Manetto’s vulnerable.”

“There’s more going on here than you realize,” I said. Now was the time to tell him about my evening. “Uncle Joey needed my help earlier tonight.” I explained that we went to an exclusive boxing club, and how the owner had said someone was taking over the gangs in the city. “They’re coming after Uncle Joey next. That doesn’t sound like Kate. She doesn’t have that much influence, or enough money to buy the manpower and drugs it would take to pull something like this off.”

After Chris’ initial shock at what I’d done wore off, he could see my reasoning. “You’ve got a point,” he agreed. He stifled his dismay at my actions and asked, “You went as a security guard? With Ramos?”

“Yes,” I agreed. “I was perfectly safe.”

“Right.” He was still trying to wrap his head around what I’d done without getting upset about it. “What was the club like?” He was thinking if he focused on that part, he wouldn’t be as upset with me.

I told him the details of how we got in and out, and what the arena looked like. His interest spiked when I told him about the fight, and the special room above the arena in which we were entertained. By the time I was through, he was wishing he could have been there. Go figure. I wanted to tell him I’d trade places in a heartbeat, but that wouldn’t be true. Having him in the kind of trouble I was in all the time would drive me nuts.

“Back to Kate,” I said. “Now you know why I don’t think it’s her.”

“Unless she found a partner,” Chris interjected.

“Who would go to all that trouble for her? I mean…with both her previous partners dead? Not to mention her infatuation with you, and how selfish and mean she is. Besides all that, it would have to be somebody pretty stupid to agree to take on Uncle Joey.”

“All right, you’ve made your point,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we should say she’s not involved at all. Who knows? She might have something to do with it.”

“You’re just flattered to think she’d go through all of this for you.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew I shouldn’t have said them.

“That’s not true,” he defended himself. “If you weren’t so jealous you’d see that.”

I hated when he was right. Why was I making such a big deal out of it? I thought for sure I was over it. “I guess I’m still upset about what happened with her. And the fact that she could be back just makes my blood boil.” I had bad thoughts about her, which probably made me a bad person. But since her partners were both dead, how come she couldn’t be dead too? It just wasn’t fair.

Chris pulled me into his arms, and I rested my head against his shoulder. He was thinking things were complicated enough without adding Kate to the mix. She brought back all those feelings he’d hoped I would forget. Plus, he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty, since he was the one she was after. But seriously, he couldn’t help it if he was ruggedly handsome, and sexy as hell. What woman could resist? Women practically fell at his feet, and were always so disappointed to find out he was married. It was…

“All right! Stop. That’s enough.” I smacked Chris’ shoulder.

“Ouch!” he said, feigning pain. “Hey, if you’re going to listen, I might as well make it good. Am I right? Huh?”

“Yeah, yeah. You think you’re so funny.” I tried not to smile, but couldn’t hold it back.

“I know, but at least you’re smiling now.” He pulled me back into his arms. “We’ll get through this. You’ll see. The trial’s going well, and tomorrow’s Thursday. I have both Thursday and Friday to present my case. After that we’ll have the weekend to regroup. By Monday or Tuesday, we should have a verdict.” He was thinking that tomorrow and Friday were going to be the toughest days of all, and he hoped he was ready. If Kate were going to carry out her threats, the next few days would be the time to do it.