Page 97 of Game of Love
I’d enjoyed the beauty far too much, indulging in her more than I should. Going deeper down the hole of distrust. Allowing myself to feel for her. I couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to get lost in her the way I had. It was crazy and exciting and it was getting past the line of return. The line I should have set up was so far away from me I couldn’t see it and it was making me slip up.
It was making me make mistakes.
If that wasn’t true I would have, at the very least, heard Giovanni when he came into her room this morning.
And, the fucking thing that he needed me to do was to accompany Vinny in dropping off a package. It was money. Money for diamonds.
We carried two hundred grand to a guy that looked like a dealer, shady as fuck in the back streets of San Jose. It was a dive of a place that screamed dirty dealings. Having seen the diamonds the other day in the vault I knew that Giovanni had a thing for them. But fuck, I wasn’t prepared for the diamonds I saw today.
Celestine diamonds. That was what people called them because of their starlight appearance. The thing was, if memory served me right, I knew they were worth more than what we handed over to the guy.
That took up the morning, then I was put on duty with Freddo to watch over the casino floor.
That was my day and I did it because I knew that it was better to let people cool off, let the smoke blow over, then strike. Mostly, I was worried about my own smoke because Giovanni could easily push me. Push me to a point where I could blow the mission. The mission was what I had to bring it back to.
Except for a few messages this morning on the way to my place to change, I hadn’t been able to talk to Wes or Ethan properly. So meeting at our little office just before nightfall was the first real chance I got to talk with both of them.
Wes had managed to get the building plans for the casino and hotel.
The whole thing looked like a maze.
“Want to know something of interest?” Wes asked, looking proud of himself.
“Sure buddy.” Ethan looked to him as Wes waved his hand over the plans.
“These aren’t the building plans they have listed at City Hall.”
“Wes, do I even want to know how you got these?” I asked. It was the first time I’d smiled all day.
“I have my ways, bro.” He pointed to the section that first got my interest when he laid it out. “Here, this whole section here isn’t on the original map.”
“How did you know to look for this?” Ethan asked.
“The plans I saw didn’t have the area with the Castle courtyard. It’s not listed. What they have available to the public just shows the casino and hotel of the Marchesi. That’s it. Of course we know different don’t we?”
I nodded and made a fist to bump his. “This is good stuff, Wes.”
“I knew I had to do a little more digging than usual when I saw that. I have a friend who came through for me and helped me dig a little deeper.” He chuckled.
“Well your friend is my friend. This is really good, it gives us the upper hand,” Ethan stated. “The Ra wouldn’t know about this. Nobody would.”
“The Ra not knowing gives us time.” I nodded. “It gives me time. I can get in and out. Find what I need to find and get the hell out of there.”
Find what I needed and get out.
That was the ultimate result. Me getting the prints. Then it really would be over.
“How much time do you think you need?” Ethan asked.
I thought about it. “Maybe a week. Less if we can work out where Giovanni’s keeping the stuff sooner.”
It was all based on that. How soon I could figure things out.
Wes placed his hand to his chin, in complete thinking mode.
“What’s up Wes?” I asked.
He pointed to the new section on the plans. His finger hovered over the area just outside it.
