“I believe we’re already headed that way,” Stone said. He glanced at Alicia through the rearview mirror for confirmation.
“We are,” she said.
Alicia handled the roads like she’d been living in the city her entire life, and soon they were approaching the Javits Center.
“Stop near the front entrance,” Stone said.
“Very good, sir,” Alicia said.
As she guided the Range Rover across the bus lane and to the curb, Dino called.
“We’re around the corner on Thirty-Fourth,” he said. “I also have four units in the area.”
“Make sure they stay out of sight,” Stone said. “We don’t want to scare him off.”
“May I remind you I have done this a time or two.”
“If you must,” Stone said. “I’ll call you back as soon as we’ve heard from him.”
Exactly thirty minutes after the previous call had ended, Jack’s throwaway phone rang again.
“How much do you want to bet this isn’t our last stop?” Stone asked.
“No bet.”
Jack pressedAccept, and after a beat, the distorted voice came through the speaker. “Hiya, Johnny. Have a nice drive?”
“Just say what you have to say,” Jack replied.
“No need to be so testy.”
“Get on with it.”
“Okay, okay. You have twenty minutes to reach Bryant Park, starting now.”
The line clicked off.
“Bryant Park?” Alicia asked.
“Please,” Stone said.
After Columbia University, Toomey haddriven Gennaro directly to Columbus Circle and parked in the garage of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
They had just reached the crosswalk at Broadway when Gennaro’s timer went off, letting him know Fratelli should have made it to the Javits Center.
“Gimme a sec,” he said and stepped a few feet away.
After calling Fratelli and passing on the next instructions, he rang Rosa.
“It won’t be long now,” he said.
“I thought it wouldn’t be long before,” she sniped.
“Thirty minutes at the outside, all right?” he said.
“And how am I supposed to find this briefcase?” she asked. “I can’t imagine it’ll just be sitting around down here.”
“Everyone wants to be a smart aleck today.”
