“Hello, boys,” Les greets, getting their attention. These aren’t thesame ones we found the last time. “What do you have there?” she asks. She won’t hurt them, but she will scare them until they told her where the product came from.
“None of your fucking business,” one of them sneers, oblivious to who she is. I cross my arms over my chest, dragging their attention to me. A closer look tells me they are twins and no more than sixteen or seventeen.
Ryder walks up behind them. “You see, that’s where you’re wrong.” He throws his arms around their shoulders like they’re old friends. “It is her business.”
The shorter of the two swallows and I know they haven’t been doing this long, so they will be easy to fold without the threats. “Tell her what she needs to know,” I tell them.
“We can’t,” the taller one says, trying to step away from Ryder. He clamps a big hand on his shoulder, jerking him back.
“You can, and you fucking will. Answer her question,” Ryder growls, making the kid go pale.
“Blow,” he answers, looking at all of us, knowing he doesn’t stand a chance.
“Fucking cocaine,” Les hisses. “From who?”
Cocaine is one of the Poletti’s businesses. It is shitty, but money has to come in somehow. It also gives her the power to control who gets ahold of it.
The boys shake their heads at the same time, making their floppy blond hair fall over their eyes. Jesus, these kids are young, too damn young to be out here in the worst part of town slinging dope.
Gage steps up. “Answer her.”
I truly hate this part because they are, for the most part, innocent. Kids from bad homes or down on their luck. Moretto uses that to his advantage because they are expendable, most not having a family or one that doesn’t care what happens to them.
Les shrugs. “Fine. Tie them up and throw them in the back.” She turns on her heel, heading towards the car. It’s a bluff, but they don’t know that. I look at Leo out of the corner of my eye to see how he’s handling this, and he just seems to be soaking it all in.
“Wait!” the taller one calls out, and I have to hide a smile. Workslike a charm every time. This is how you weed out the little fish from the big fish. Big fish won’t fold that fast.
She turns back around. “From who?” she repeats.
“Jerry Moretto,” he answers, looking around like he’s going to jump out.
She just shakes her head and pulls out her phone. “Gerald, we have two more. Corner of 96th and Mikee.”
“We told you what you wanted to know!” the smaller one calls out when she hangs up.
The other two kids Les sent home with a warning that she better not see them again. Gerald used to be one of her dad’s guards, but as he got older, Les put him and his partner, Boone, on easier jobs, like transporting teenagers back home.
“Calm down,” she says softly. “He’s just going to take you home. My beef isn’t with you.”
“We don’t have a home,” he says gruffly.
Les looks at Ryder and me. “What do you mean?” she asks with concern.
“We live in a shit foster home. Trust us; it’s safer out here.”
I see her soften immediately. “What’s your name?”
“Lucas,” the taller one says, then jerks his thumb at his twin brother. “That’s Landon.”
“How old are you?” Leo asks, speaking up for the first time.
“Seventeen,” Lucas answers, and I hear Les sigh.
“How much longer before you age out?” she asks, wondering when they’re old enough to be kicked out of foster care.
“Six months,” Landon says with a frown.
I can see the wheels turning in Les’ head. She might run one of the most ruthless empires in the world, but she has a soft spot for kids of all ages.
