“I’ve got it.” I nod to him as I slip the device into my purse beside my gun. “Don’t forget to round up our officer and have him escort you.”
“I’m on it,” he reassures me. “Let’s go, Van. Remember that I’m going to be calling you Constance for the rest of the day and try not to make it weird.”
“Oh, I’m going to make it extremely weird.” Van grins at him. “But I’ll do my part, don’t worry. Let’s go.”
I watch them load up into the Expedition we used yesterday and wave at them as they depart. Tony and I wait for a few minutes before he turns to me and asks, “You need me to remind our friend Jacob to act right, or you think he’s okay?”
“He’s been keeping his head down in the back of the Explorer, so I think he’s fine. Call up to the security gate for me and see if the officer followed Trenton.”
“I got you,” Tony says as he pulls out his cell phone and makes the call. He talks to the guard on duty and then nods to me. “You’re good. Cop left following Trenton and Van,” he confirms.
“All right. Wish me luck,” I tell Tony as I walk around to the front of the Explorer. “Jamie will let you know how it goes. Van has my cell phone, and I don’t want to use the burner to call the house, so you won’t hear from me until I’m back later.”
“Just take care of yourself, Constance.” Tony waves to me. “I’ll let Jamie and Chris know you’re on the way. They’ll be waiting over at the park when you arrive. If you see anything that freaks you on the way, just call them. You got Jamie’s burner number, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it. Goodbye, Tony.” I wave to him as I climb into the driver’s seat of the Explorer. As I pull the door closed and settle into the silence, broken only by the gasping breaths of my prisoner in the back, an anxious chill runs through me. I crank up the Explorer and take a deep breath. I’ve got to be steady. I started this to get revenge for my father. I’m going to finish it so Maximo and I can finally have a life together free from these violent lunatics.
The thought of the Volkovs as violent lunatics brings a grim smile to my lips as I consider my plan for the day.
“Let’s show them how it’s done,” I whisper as I drop the Explorer into gear and begin driving down the winding garden path to the gate.
The Volkovs are the ones who insisted on this escalation.
I intend to be the one to finish it.
When I arrive at the old Wal-Mart building in White Plains, it’s still twenty minutes until ten. I circle the block looking for the white van, and when I don’t immediately see it, I pull up to the curb and parallel park between two other vehicles. I have a clear view down the entire street, so I settle in to wait for Irina to arrive.
I’ve been keeping an eye on my prisoner in the rear of the Explorer. He’s shifted around a few times; I assume in an attempt to find a comfortable spot. Once I’ve parked his head appears above the rear seat. “Are we there?” he demands.
“Almost,” I reply. “We’ll see your mother soon enough.”
“You might trade me for the Bianchi kid, but that’s not going to settle this. You know that, don’t you? We’re never going to let this go. We will hurt you.”
“Then maybe I should put a bullet in your fucking head right now and then shoot your mother as soon as she pulls up,” I reply. “Do you want to survive today or do you want to keep running your mouth?” I glance into the rear-view mirror and see him blanch in pain as he struggles against the handcuffs.
“I’m just warning you. If you think you’re going to get a truce, you’re a dumb bitch about to have a rude awakening. You’re in over your head, and it’s obvious you don’t realize who you’ve been fucking with.”
I can feel the sneer on my lips as I start to retort, but I swallow it when I see the white van from yesterday appear at the other end of the block. I lean my seat back to make myself less visible, even though I doubt I could be seen through the windowtint. The van circles the block, much like I did, before pulling to the curb directly in front of the old Wal-Mart.
I reach for the burner phone and call Irina’s number. This time, she picks up on the first ring. “I’m here,” she says before making an odd hissing sound. I glance over at the van and see a plume of smoke appear from the driver’s-side window, and I realize it’s just the sound of her dragging on a cigarette.
“I see you,” I confirm. “Now, you’re going to drive over to Delfino Park. Once you’re there, you’re going to throw open the doors of that van so I can see that it’s just you and Gregory.”
“Mom!” Jacob suddenly roars from behind me. “She’s driving a black Ford Explorer. Shoot this crazy bitch and get me out of here!”
“Shut the fuck up!” I snap at him. “You can hear that I’ve got your son alive and well,” I continue in a calmer voice into the phone.
“I don’t know where Delfino Park is,” Irina starts to protest.
“Look it up on your phone or you can listen to me shoot your son,” I interrupt her. “Start driving,” I add before I disconnect the call.
I can see her cursing as she taps on her phone. After only a moment, the van jerks away from the curb, and she does a wide U-turn as she begins heading towards the park. I give her time to get down the road and into traffic while I watch for anything suspicious, then pull out to follow her.
So far, it appears that she’s on her own. I don’t let myself get too optimistic though, as the Bratva, and particularly Irina, have been setting ambushes for Maximo and me all along. I pat my purse lying beside me on the center console to reassure myself, and tail along several car lengths behind her as we make our way to the park.
Once she pulls into the first entrance, I drive by and circle back to give her time to park and get the doors open as Iinstructed. When I pull into the parking lot, I see the van parked at the far end, the rear doors thrown wide open, and Gregory Bianchi sitting at the rear with Irina beside him. He doesn’t look any worse for wear, but his face is a mask of fear as he casts glances at the woman standing beside him.
I pull in and park my Explorer several spots behind the van. There’s a grassy ditch and another lane of spaces separating us. Irina’s eyes lock onto me, even though I’m sure she can’t actually see me through the tint at this distance. I dig the burner phone out of my purse along with the detonator and then call Irina for the last time.
