There was a gas fireplace in the living room area. He checked the gauge and saw it was on medium heat. Gregory tapped him on the shoulder and motioned him to another gas fireplace in the kitchen.
Gregory smirked and muttered in Italian, “Se non riesci a catturare un topo, allora fumalo.”
If you can't catch a mouse, then smoke it.
Nico watched as Gregory turned the dial to the highest setting on the fireplace, then moved to the one in the next room.
Nico raised an eyebrow. “You think that’s going to work?”
Gregory shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see, yeah?”
They met with Mario and Hererra in the hallway, “Nothing on this floor or upstairs,” Mario muttered.
“Any fireplaces?” Gregory asked Mario.
“Yeah, in the master bedroom and strangely, one in the attic.”
Gregory nodded and moved up the stairs.
“There’s no one up there. Is something wrong with his English?” Hererra asked in that annoyed tone.
“His English is fine,” Nico told him while he watched Gregory go up the stairs. He knew exactly what the other man was doing and approved.
Winters would either come out of his hole or die in it.
Standing at the stairwell that went three floors down, Nico motioned for Mario and Hererra to follow him. The next part of his plan was simple. He wouldn’t allow his cousin to get hurt, nor would he allow this detective to make any careless mistakes.
“Hererra, I want you to search the next floor down. Mario, you search the floor after that.”
Hererra nodded and went down the flight of stairs while Mario stared at Nico with a knowing glance. “You’re taking the basement?”
“If there’s any chance he knows we’re here, I want him to take me. I need to know where he has them.” He pointed behind his cousin at Hererra, “I don’t need thatstunadgoing haywire.”
Mario gave Nico a one-armed hug and pat him hard on the back. “Got it, bro. I’ll be watching your six, so don’t get yourself killed. Ma would have my ass if something happened to you.”
Nico raised an eyebrow. “Are we in the Army now?”
Mario shrugged and started down the stairs, “Might as well be, since this is just like a war game.”
Nico smirked and followed his cousin. After he passed him, he continued down the stairs to the next floor.
Nico took a left and walked down the hall. There was a strange beeping around the corner. The noise became even more shrill the closer he got to it. Nico noticed a black box with a red light lying on the floor and picked it up.
What the hell…
“I knew you would come and ruin my fun, Counselor Scala.”
Nico looked up in time to see Elijah Winters. He stood a foot from him, but he wasn’t prepared for the brass knuckles that cold-cocked him in the jaw. Nico was slow to recover and side-stepped the madman. Nico punched Winters in the cheek. Nico realized the man’s eye was nearly bulging from its socket.
His fascination got him knocked out again.
“Like what you see, Scala? I’m sure we can give you an identical one.”
“Fuck you,” Nico spit blood out of his mouth.
“Sorry, I’m more partial to women.” He grabbed Nico and hauled him up from the floor. Winters took his wrists and bound them with zip ties behind his back. “Speaking of, I think your little girlfriend will enjoy seeing you before I kill her.”
“You won’t get the chance.” A small smile creased Nico’s lips as he looked down his nose at Winters.
