Page 54 of Takedown in Savannah
“Exactly. Bringing a gun would be a good idea.”
“Let me run it by Luigi and Josh.” Tony called his employees over. After a brief conversation, he returned. “I’m good to go.”
“Do you have your gun?”
Tony patted his pocket. “At all times except when I’m home. Then I keep it locked away because of the kids.”
“Let’s go get Elvira.”
Tony hesitated. “Do we have to take her?”
“She knows the tunnel system inside and out. I have a map, but we need someone who has firsthand knowledge of the layout.”
“This should be exciting.”
“Exciting or aggravating,” Carlita said. “Hopefully, neither one. Fruitful. We want a fruitful search.”
Elvira must’ve been keeping watch because as soon as they stepped into the alley, her backdoor flew open and she appeared. “Where’s Dernice? I figured she would be with you.”
“I don’t know. I told you earlier I haven’t seen her,” Carlita said. “It’s not my turn to watch your sister.”
“Very funny. I guess she’s still working on the important whatchamacallit she mentioned earlier.”
“I saw her.” Tony told them Dernice had stopped by about an hour ago, had a quick word with Luigi and left.
“She’s being super secretive,” Elvira said. “After I mentioned firing Luigi, she refuses to talk to me.”
“Maybe because you’re being unreasonable,” Carlita suggested.
“It’s my company and my prerogative to hire or fire whoever I want.”
“Why are you firing Luigi?”
Elvira held a finger to her lips. “I haven’t yet. I told Dernice she had a couple of days to clear his name and get the cops off my back. Otherwise, I have no choice.”
“Luigi isn’t part of the San Maris Gang,” Tony said. “I would bet all the money in the bank on it.”
“I know it. You know it. The cops apparently didn’t get the memo.”
“You’re making a big mistake if you fire him. Luigi is as loyal as they come.”
“I don’t want to do it, which is why I gave Dernice a couple of days before I pulled the trigger. To be honest, I’m tired of talking about it.” Elvira sulked the rest of the way to the river.
An uneasy feeling settled over Carlita. Dernice wasn’t prone to theatrics or creating drama. Clearly, the woman was concerned about Luigi and what firing him might trigger.
A relapse and return to the dark side? Abruptly packing up and heading back to New York? She hoped not, but Dernice knew Luigi better than anyone. She had no doubt the woman would stick her neck out, might even put her own life on the line to help the man she loved.
Little did Carlita know that Elvira’s sister had inadvertently walked into a situation that put her in the crosshairs of the dangerous gang.
Chapter 23
“Hey, Shrimpy.” Dernice clasped her friend’s hand, giving him a one-armed hug. “Where’ve you been hiding? I stopped by a few times looking for you and heard you left town.”
“I took a few days off.” Shrimpy, a former Gulf Coast shrimper and now a Georgia dockworker, shot her a toothless grin. “I went to visit a buddy, but that was a week ago. Where have you been?”
“Here and there,” Dernice said. “What’s the word on the street?”
“What word?”
