Page 35 of Cartel King

I end the video call. I can only imagine the call they’re having amongst themselves now. I grab my phone and tap a contact.

“Hello, Elodie.”

Fuck my life.

“Hey, Frank. Is Don Tommaso around?”

“Yeah, he asked me to answer for him. He’s just coming out of the kitchen. Here you go.”

“Hello, Elodie.”

“Morning, Don Tommaso.”

It’s never a good morning when I have to talk to the Boston don.

“Elodie, cut it out. You haven’t called me that in decades. You didn’t even call me that when you worked for me.”

“Yes, worked. Past tense, Tommaso.”

“What’s going on? I don’t care for that tone, Elodie. What’re you accusing me of?”

“What tone? Are you asking because you feel guilty?”

I must be on speaker because I hear two men laugh.

“You know, that’s not an emotion I generally feel.”

“I know. I’m all too familiar with that. But you are suspicious by nature. Are you keeping tabs on me?”

“What makes you think I might be?”

“Tommaso, you and I have known each other a long time. We can run circles around each other for days. But in the end, the result is always the same thing. I last longer than you do. So just be honest with me. Are you having me watched?”

“No. Somebody’s watching you?”

His tone changes immediately. I know his fake concern from his genuine concern. He’s worried.

“I’m not sure. I thought maybe somebody was. But I can totally be wrong. Before I do anything about it, I wanted to check with you.”

“No, it’s not me. Do you want me to find out who it is?”

“If I’m being paranoid, then I don’t need more eyes on me than I already think there are.”

There’s a pause, and the longer it draws out, the less I’ll like whatever he says next.

“I’m glad you called, Elodie, because I was actually going to call you this week.”

“No, I’m retired. I don’t do that anymore. You know the deal.”

“You’re the only one good enough to go.”

“No, find someone else. I don’t care who it is, but it’s not me.”

I refuse to get sucked back into a life I left when I left my husband.

“So, you’d be fine with one of your boys?”

Stronzo. Asshole.

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