Jerry tried to stifle a giggle from behind the bar, but failed miserably.
“Fuck both of you,” Jimmy grumbled, smiling against his will. Jerry’s laughter was infectious, and soon they were all laughing together. He scrubbed his hands over his face, groaning, “Ugh. My life is so insane.”
“But very happy,monsieur,” Jerry noted with a wink.
“Wedding is coming up, all that,” Charlie chimed in. “There’s plenty to be happy about.”
“Only if I agree to it, and we can keep Rod out of freakin’ prison,” Jimmy said glumly. “Gonna be hard to get married if he’s locked up.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Charlie assured him. “Cold has every possible contingency accounted for. I’m going to handle things on my end, and once Mr. Potolsky is taken care of, there will simply be no case. All the prosecution will have is a lot of fancy sworn statements. No judge is going to convict on a bunch of hearsay.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jimmy said with a sigh. “I know Cold is a genius, I do. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen what he can do. He always has these perfect plans, and everything always falls together like magic. I’m just... worried.”
“Trust me, Mr. Poe,” Charlie said more seriously. “If anyone can beat this, it’s Roderick Legrand. The guys at the bureau are smart boys, but they’ve got nothing on your fella.”
“Yeah.” Jimmy looked up when he heard familiar footsteps, smiling brightly when Cold walked in. “They sure don’t.”
“Pardon?” Cold quirked a brow. He was alone now, leisurely sitting down beside Jimmy.
“Nothing,” Jimmy said with a sheepish grin. “You get all your gangster business taken care of?”
“Yes,” Cold said simply.
“So, we’re good?” Charlie asked politely.
“For now,” Cold replied after a moment, thoughtfully glancing at his nails. “Please be sure that you don’t neglect your end of the bargain. My patience is thin.”
Even though Cold’s voice was calm, Jimmy heard the threat. He was pretty sure that Charlie did, too.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Charlie said with a strained smile. “By the time Mr. Potolsky is singing with the angels, the last of the evidence against you will be gone.”
“Good,” Cold said briskly. “Tamerlane and Lorre will be waiting for you outside. They have questions about the security that I hope you’ll be kind enough to answer.”
“Of course.”
“Jerry? If you’d please walk him out.”
“Of course,monsieur,” Jerry said, offering Charlie a small smile as they left.
“Now,” Cold said once they were alone, smirking at Jimmy. “I believe that someone was hungry, needed a shower, and wanted to take a nap?”
“Mmm,” Jimmy hummed happily, “and in that exact order, too. How did you know?”
“One of these days, Jimmy, you will learn that I really do know everything.”
