Page 115 of Tony

“Your family was rich once. Right?”

I nod. I’m not into the family history the way Alonzo is. But I do know people way back in my family were very wealthy at one time.

“Families are always rising and falling in America, right?” Midnight says.

“I guess,” I shrug.

“No, Tony. They aren’t.” She shakes her head sadly. “The same families are always rising and falling in America. New families striking it rich the way your sister did? That’s nearly impossible. You have to know people. You have to have them on your side.”

“So they set her up?” Belinda asks.

“They set her up,” Midnight says. “They set up your entire family, Tony. And all these new connections? Boston brothers? Vaughn Brothers? Spencer Shrike, and Sasha Cherlin, and James Fenici? This—” Midnight twirls her finger around in a circle. “This is making the Company and their ilk very uncomfortable. We need to neutralize it and we need to do it quick.”

“I guess no good deed goes unpunished. Does it?”

I turn and find Soshee looking at Midnight. Who points to her and says, “Got it in one.”

Midnight waits for one of us to keep protesting, but what’s left to say?

We have nothing left to say.

“All right then,” Midnight says. Blowing out a long breath. “Here’s how this is going to go down.” She points at Belinda and Vann. “You two just need to shut your traps and go back to work. Pretend Tony left on bad terms. Pretend you don’t know anything about the Crappy Coffee Shop, and—”

“Wait!” Belinda says. “Aren’t you connected to the Crappy Coffee Shop?”

“Me? No.” Midnight chuckles. “I am not dirty FBI. I am ex-Company. That’s what I’ve been trying to explain for the past seven minutes and seventeen seconds. I’m on your side, OK? You just need to trust me.”

Trust her? Like the way we trusted everyone else? Is she kidding?

“Let me start this again from the top. Tony and Soshee are going back to Key West. Vann and Belinda are going back to work at Sick Boyz. No one is going to pay any attention to random witnesses who show up out of nowhere. No one is going to blab to their brothers about what just happened in this room. No one is going to call Sasha Cherlin, or James Fenici, or Johnny Boston. OK? If we do that, then we all live to fight another day.” She pauses to smile at us like we’re children.

But we’re not children. In fact, I’m fairly certain every single one of us is older than Midnight here. She can’t be any older than Vann, that’s for sure.

Belinda makes a noise. It’s one I kinda recognize from the old days. A noise that says… I’m gonna say something I will probably regret right now. Something cute, and sassy, but will definitely escalate the situation so maybe someone should stop me.

I glance at Midnight and find her smiling at Belinda. And I swear to God, I know that smile. And when I look at Belinda, she recognizes it too.

“Um…” Vann says, stepping in front of Belinda. Yeah, he sees everything. And he knows that Midnight here just shot us a smile that would be totally at home on Creepy Wendy’s face.

She’s one of them.

She’s one of those little girls.

Maybe not so little anymore, but that just makes her more dangerous, not less.

“I’m in a hurry here, guys,” Midnight says. “Because the Crappy Coffee people are watching me too. Nine minutes and seventeen seconds ago I walked into the Fort Collins Theater, presumably to buy coffee. Which means that in four minutes and forty seconds I have to leave there with a fucking coffee in my hand. OK? Or they’re going to wonder what the hell I’m up to. And while I give zero fucks if they know what I’m up to, you four should be giving all the fucks. Because they will wipe you out.” She points at me. “Your family is already on the shit list after you went against orders for that last pickup job. And hey”—she puts up both hands—“I’m rooting for you guys. You saved a little girl that day. A little girl I happen to care about. So you’ve got that going for you. But one more suspicious move and those headlines I mentioned? They’re gonna be splashed all over the world and they won’t tell you they’re coming. If you and Soshee don’t leave town, and you two don’t go back to work, all of this is out of my hands. Got it?”

We all nod. Silent.

“Good. I’m leaving now. I don’t expect to ever see you again. Someone new will take over my job at the bookstore and we’ll pretend this never happened. Are we clear?”

“Clear,” I say, speaking for all of us.

“Then goodbye.”

And with that she turns around and walks to the door.

“Wait!” Soshee calls. “What about the bug?”