“Yes, Alicia?”
“Uncle Fred said you often forget your weapon when you need it most and instructed me to bring one of his along. If you will look into the back, there’s a pistol case directly behind the seat.”
Stone retrieved the case and removed a Glock 45 from inside. “Remind me to thank him the next time I see him.”
“I will, sir. Also, he said if you end up using it, he will make sure the police know that he gave you permission.”
“Remind me to give him a raise when I thank him.”
“As you wish.”
“We should go,” Jack said. “He’ll discover he’s not as rich as he thinks he is any second now, which should provide an excellent distraction for us to get to him.”
Stone slipped Fred’s gun into his suit pocket so it wouldn’t be obvious while he walked down the street.
“I think I should come with you, too,” Watkins said. “Mr. Freeman would not look kindly on me if I stayed behind.”
Stone nodded. “But you’ll need to stay at the front door when we go inside.”
“Understood.”
“So, Ricky, what’s in thebriefcase?” Pinkie said.
“Business papers.”
“What kind of business papers?”
“Nothing important.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, your business is my business, is it not? Unless you’ve gotten yourself involved in something you haven’t told me about.”
“Of course not, Pinkie. I’d never do that to you. It’s just records and stuff. Things not worth your time troubling over.”
“But they aremyrecords, because your business ismybusiness.”
“Um, yeah, sure.”
“Open the case.”
“I swear, there’s nothing—”
Miguel pulled out a gun and set it on the table. “You heard Pinkie. Open the case.”
Stefan had no idea whatGennaro had done to piss these guys off, but there was no doubt that’s exactly what he had done.
Stefan supposed it could have something to do with that score Gennaro had planned, but at this point, he couldn’t care less what the reason was.
He only knew that if he didn’t get out of here soon, there was a very good chance he’d end up dead. He could figure out how to get his revenge on all of them later.
The one advantage he had was that while his wrists were zip-tied together and a gag was tied around his head, they’d left his legs unbound so they could walk him wherever they wanted him.
All he needed now was an opportunity to run. And from the growing tension in the dining room, he had a feeling one would be presenting itself soon.
Gennaro knew he had onlyone chance to get the gun and turn the situation in his favor. The key was to distract them, and there was nothing more distracting than a million dollars in cash.
“Sure, Pinkie,” he said. “I’ll open it.”
He flipped open the latches, then turned the case so the contents faced Pinkie and Miguel, and the briefcase lid was between him and them.
