“Rory, why must you insist on sitting at the table when you’d be more comfortable on the chaise longue?”Matrichided, sweeping into the room with the staff behind her, bearing trays of food.
“Because I’m Sicilian,Matri, not Roman. I don’t lie down to eat.”
“It would help your back. You’re going to have to make concessions the closer you get to your due date.” She clucked her tongue. “Now, less business. More eating.”
Luc’s final say on the matter was, “I’ll discuss the situation with Lyanov,” before we started lunch.
Matrispooned some vegetables onto her plate. “Are you sure Kitty won’t mind us eating without her?”
“I doubt it. If she has any luck, Hunter and I will be gone so she doesn’t have to face the bulk of the family over shepherd’s pie.” That earned Rory a tsk fromMatri.“Who’s Jared Brückner, Stan?”
I glowered at Hunter. “You don’t have to tell her everything, fucker.”
Hunter shrugged. “She’s prettier than you.”
“Who is he, Custanzu?”
Rolling my eyes at the full name, I retorted, “He’s a teacher.”
“Wasa teacher,” my brother-in-law corrected. “He’s been missing for a long time now.”
Glee filled me. “He hasn’t showed up on any databases?”
“Only as a missing person. Why do you want to know?”
“Doesn’t matter. I just wanted confirmation he was still missing.”
With Martinez having overheard Kitty’s confession about murdering Neev’s high-school Spanish teacher, I wanted to make sure all our ducks were in a row.
“He’s looking constipated,soru. That means he won’t tell us shit.” Luc smirked at me.“Did you get any updates about the Albanian warehouse we’re scoping out?”
“A lot of movement,” I replied. “Drugs. Guns. The usual.”
“Is it small potatoes?”
“Not as big as yesterday’s investment but definitely of interest.”
“We should raid it.” Rory turned her attention onto Luc. “You handle it. Stan has enough on his plate with Kitty.”
“When?”
“As soon as. Look for contracts, clues, anything that’ll help show the depth of their ties to the Favaros. I don’t understand how the Italians leaped into the fire with them.”
“Use myStiddari.Aside from that snake in the grass, I trust the rest.” Neither shoved it in my face that I’d trusted Danteuntil he’d turned on us. “And the Albanians are bound to be pissed with us. Not only after the raid on the brothel, but we’re not going to win any popularity contests with them after we sent back their men in pieces.”
Luc whistled. “You must be worried about Kitty if you don’t want to hover over my shoulder.”
“I saw enough action the other night, but… if you need me to hold your hand,vicchiareddu,I can,” I jeered.
He didn’t have much of a chance to answer because my cell buzzed.
“No calls at the dinner table!”Matricomplained. “I’m letting you talk business, but no calls!”
“It’s Luigi,” I demurred. “I have to get this.”
“Sir? I thought I’d better call. Ms. Kitty isn’t answering her phone and she said she’d be straight in and straight out again?—”
“What?!” I roared, jerking to my feet, the chair behind me knocking back to the floor with a clatter.
