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I jam the gun harder against his head, making his neck bend. For good measure I step on the hand the Bruno didn’t burn.
I jab him with the Sig Sauer and he flinches as I say, “Code.”
He snarls a four digit number. I try it with my thumb before I thank him and leave.
Bruno checks that I’m okay. I thank him sincerely, and I’m concerned for him, too. As we step out of the elevator car, the doors are trying to close, but they’re stopped by some feet and ankles.
As we move away from the carnage and the injured men, I call back to them, “Good thinking, pulling this in a hospital. You should get seen in no time.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
From the car, I call Carlo. Bring him up to speed about the ambush in the hospital.
I put him on speaker. He asks, “Are you okay? Are you both alright?”
“We’re both fine.”
Bruno says, “Sure. Never better.”
“You really are something.” then he adds, “Both of you, truth be told.”
I tell Carlo, “I got a phone and a wallet from one of the goons. I don’t know if they will do us any good but, could you meet us and take a look?”
“Of course.”
Bruno says, “The W isn’t too far. Let’s meet in the lobby.”
After I hang up, I put my hand on Bruno’s thigh.
“Woah, what’s this, car head?”
I laugh. “Maybe another time. In city traffic that could get us way too much attention.” The smile between us is secret and divine.
“No,” I tell him, “I just wanted to be sure that you’re really okay.”
He smiles back and I can feel it all the way through me.
His eyes swivel back to the road.
“I’m good.”
All the bright colors and dazzle patterns of the W lobby make my head spin. I hope we won’t be here too long. The seating is mostly on little cylinders with no backs like tom-tom drums, or on a snaking bench that’s way too deep for comfort. A few big swivel chairs in vibrant cyan look like they wandered in from an M&Ms convention.
The green tea is a revelation, though.
It’s a thrill, watching Carlo’s quick, sharp eyes and his cool fast fingers. The only thing sexier is the arrogance of certainty in his voice when he delivers the verdict. He spent all of ten minutes with the phone, then less than five minutes with the contents of the wallet.
“What I get for certain is that this guy is a pro. Nothing on the phone gives anything away. There are messages, but they’re all from dead numbers. Most likely burners. All the phone’s location data wipes itself about every half hour. That’s pretty neat, actually. I’m going to poach their code and do something even better for us. Assuming we’re still in business long enough. The wallet? It’s full of ghost plastic and photos that are probably AI. Got to say, it’s a slick operation.”
Bruno looks as impressed as I am.
I ask, “Can we learn anything from that?”
Carlo’s shrewd eyes lock onto mine. “Whoever this guy is, all I can tell is that he’s so much in the Life, he’s most likely been in it since he was wearing diapers.”
Bruno says, “Could he be Don Romano’s crew?”
Carlo shrugs. “Could be anyone’s crew. Anyone’s except ours. That’s all I can really say.”
