“True. But to attack at the same time and then take a shot at you?” Cold shook his head. “Luigi may have been trying to send a message. I’m sure he’s not pleased we’re working with his brother.”
“Or Cristian is fucking with us.”
“Both scenarios are possible, but that means there’s a rat.”
The word made Mickey shiver. “A snitch?”
“Either someone in Cristian’s camp leaked it to Luigi’s, or someone in ours told Cristian I wasn’t going to kill Mr. Ricci. Or, again, this was a test independently created by Cristian we’ve just failed.”
“So, what the fuck do we do?”
“Nothing. We wait, we watch, and we keep moving forward.” Cold’s lips twitched up in a smile. “Meanwhile, Cristian has rewarded me with a new piece of property for a job well done. The Gentlemen now own La Belle et la Bête.”
“What’s that?”
“It used to be a theater. I’m going to turn it into something a bit more profitable.” Cold tilted his head. “In time, that is. We still have a city to take.”
Mickey tried to sit up again. “Okay, what can I do, Boss?”
“You will rest,” he commanded. “Everything else is going according to plan. Officer Carville is going to discover an unprecedented amount of cocaine later this evening, and he will be on the front page by tomorrow morning.”
“Money is out, drugs are done. What’s next then, Boss?”
Cold smiled. It was not a nice smile. “Get some rest, Mickey. I’ll send Duncan over to check on your grandfather, all right?”
“Thanks, Boss.” Mickey wanted to argue, but he was honestly too damn tired. “Everybody else okay?”
“Yes.” Cold stepped to the door. “Crybaby is going to stay here with you tonight. You can go home tomorrow and get cleaned up. Then I want both of you to meet me back at the club so we can discuss the next move with the others. Twelve o’clock sharp.”
“You got it, Boss.”
Cold watched Mickey thoughtfully for a few moments before finally taking his leave.
“Fuck,” Mickey cursed out loud to a now empty room.
This was a disaster.
Cold was as calm as ever, but Mickey’s guts were churning. If any of the Luchesi family knew what Cold and the Gentlemen were up to, all of this could come crashing down.
Everything they were working for would be over.
Cold’s suggestion that there might be a rat was also troubling. He couldn’t imagine any of the Gentlemen betraying Cold, and he immediately decided it had to be someone working for one of the Luchesi brothers.
Now that he was awake, he couldn’t get back to sleep, and he was restless. He managed to sit up and disconnect the IV, stumbling weakly toward the bathroom. He had no idea where his shirt was but at least he had pants on.
No sooner had he unzipped, there was a knock at the bathroom door.
“Hey! Mickey! You’re supposed to be in bed!” Crybaby bellowed.
“I’m takin’ a piss! Christ!”
“Hurry up and get your ass back in bed. Cold told me to keep an eye on you!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Mickey finished using the bathroom and washed up, being mindful of the new bandages on his left arm. It throbbed distantly, and he suspected Queen had given him something to dull the pain.
His reflection was gaunt and tired, and he scowled.
He looked like shit.
