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He snorted and before he pulled back onto the road, he yanked it off, tossing it into the seats in the back.

“This could be a setup. I don’t like the odds.”

The look he threw me was knowing. “We’ll go in nice and slow.”

“You trust the men at the warehouse?”

He scratched his head. “Yes.”

“You mean mostly.”

“I trust them. What about your guys? Do you trust them?”

I sighed. “Mostly.”

“It’s good to be cautious.”

Yes, it was. When something looked too good to be true, it usually was. What my lovely bride had told me had stuck with me.

Something was off.

We both remained silent for a few minutes as he got back on the road, nearing the warehouse. I’d memorized the locations of Lupini’s warehouses and businesses. Another prudent activity handled prior to going undercover. At that point, it had appeared Lupini had been poised to take over Santorelli’s entire regime.

What a difference two years made.

“Heard you got a missing man,” Drago said.

“Unfortunately. He was a good soldier.”

“Bronco Teagan?”

I gave him a look. “Yes.”

“I went to school with his older brother. Bronco’s a good kid. Never should have gotten mixed up with this shit if you ask me. He was the smart one, but wanted to follow in his big brother’s footsteps. If the stupid shit had just stayed in school.”

A huge part of me was shocked hearing Drago’s testament. “Let’s hope he didn’t turn rogue.”

“No way, man. Not a single one. That kid is so fucking loyal that when his father was beating the fuck out of him, he believed he deserved it. I would have cut the fucker’s nuts off. Anyway, if something happened to Bronco, he’s not behind it.”

I kept staring at Drago, a strange sense pooling in my chest.

“He still driving that beat-up Torino? He was planning on fixing that piece of shit up for years.”

“He’s driving a souped-up old Blazer now. It’s his baby. There are pictures of an ocean scene on the back.”

Drago looked down. Only briefly, but I’d caught it.

“What?” I pressed.

“Black Blazer? Maybe from the eighties?”

“That’s the one.”

He slowed the truck and glanced into his rearview mirror. “Look, man. I know you don’t trust me, but right now, I need to check something out. Something I think you’re going to want to see. Fucking kill me later if you’re so inclined, but this needs to happen.”

“What is it?”

He didn’t wait for my full approval before spinning the wheel. “Maybe that’s something you can tell me.” With his foot on the accelerator, he weaved his way through traffic until he was headed to a shitty part of town in the Bronx.

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