“It was worth a try.”
Bob punched a couple keys. “I just emailed you the audio file. Anything else you need?”
Stone shook his head. “That’s it. Thanks, Bob. Send Joan your invoice.”
“Let’s consider this one on the house.”
Bob packed up, said his goodbyes, and left.
Chapter 40
After delivering his ultimatum toFratelli, Gennaro called Dominic and Manny and let them know where things stood.
“See, my stunt with the truck worked,” Manny said, self-satisfied. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
“Only because you were lucky,” Gennaro said. “Next time, you make sure the results are what I want them to be.”
“There’s going to be a next time?”
“Depends on Fratelli,” Gennaro said. “If he doesn’t come through on Friday, then yeah, there’ll be a next time.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t wait until Friday and do something now,” Dominic said. “You know, to push him over the edge.”
“Let’s not complicate things,” Gennaro said. “We’ve got him right where we want him.”
“I don’t see how it could hurt.”
“Excuse me?” Gennaro said. “You seem to be forgetting that I’m the one who’s put this thing together! Nobody knows how we should handle this better than me. Got it?”
“Cool by me,” Manny said.
“Dominic?” Gennaro said.
“Sure, Ricky,” Dominic said. “Whatever you think is best.”
“That’s better.”
“What do you want us to do until the deadline?” Manny asked.
“Who am I? Your mom? Do whatever you want, just don’t stir up any trouble.”
Gennaro disconnected the call, then grabbed a beer out of the fridge. It was a little early for a drink, even for him, but if all went as planned, he’d be a very rich man by Friday afternoon. If that wasn’t reason to celebrate, he didn’t know what was.
Dominic was staring out thewindow of his hotel room, replaying the conversation with Gennaro in his mind, when Manny knocked on the door.
“Dominic, it’s me.”
They were staying in adjacent rooms at a run-down hotel in the Bronx, so it shouldn’t have been surprising that Manny had shown up so quickly.
Manny knocked again. “Come on. Open up.”
Dominic sighed, then walked over and opened the door.
“It’s starting to feel real, huh?” Manny said, grinning from ear to ear.
Dominic grabbed him and pulled him inside.
As soon as the door was shut, he whispered, “Dammit, Manny. How many times do I have to tell you not to talk about things where someone might overhear you?”
