He let Stefan in and shut the door behind him. “Well?”
“Can we go somewhere we can sit?” Stefan asked.
“Right here is fine.” Gennaro looked at his watch. “You’re down to two minutes.”
“Wait. You said I had three.”
“You keep arguing with me, you’ll see how fast those last two minutes can disappear.”
Stefan raised his hand. “Not trying to argue.”
“Then what do you want?”
“There’s someone else I need roughed up.”
“You seem to have a lot of people you don’t like.”
“It’s not like that. This guy’s a real piece of work and needs to be taken down a few pegs.”
“Wish I could help you, but my services are all booked up right now.”
“I’ll pay you double what I did last time,” Stefan pleaded.
“It’s not a money thing. It’s a manpower issue. And I ain’t got it right now.”
“How long until you do?”
Gennaro put an arm around his shoulders. “Look, Stephen—”
“It’s Stefan.”
“Right, sorry. Stefan, you seem like a decent enough guy. So, I’m going to give you a piece of advice. If you come to someone like me, and that someone says no, you say thank you and leave. You don’t want to annoy us. That would only turn out bad for you. Understand?”
“I understand. I really do. But Barrington is a—”
Gennaro stiffened. “Who?”
“Stone Barrington. He’s the guy I want you to deal with.”
Stone Barrington was also the guy who’d had lunch with Jack Coulter, and whose phone had helped Gennaro connect Coulter to Johnny Fratelli.
Gennaro did not want to cross paths with him again, let alone rough him up one more time. It was too risky.
The problem was, he couldn’t let Stefan find someone else to do the job, either. Whoever he hired might screw up, prompting the police to arrest Stefan. He seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn’t hold up well under questioning. He would give Gennaro’s name in no time.
Gennaro had too much going on right now to take that chance.
He patted Stefan’s shoulder. “I apologize for snapping at you. You caught me at the wrong moment. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Of course.”
Gennaro steered him toward the living room. “Let’s have a beer, and you can tell me about your problem. If I can work you into my schedule, I will.”
“You will?”
“Absolutely. And if I can’t make that happen, then I’ll pass you on to someone I trust. How does that sound?”
“That would be great.”
