Page 25 of Nest of Thieves
Fuck him over and we die.
“There was a complication.”
Silence.
I wait for him to tell me to continue. Years of working for the man has taught me never to speak without permission.
“What happened?” he finally says.
Standing from Slim’s appraising table, I walk toward where the guys sit. Their eyes are no longer on the television, instead, glued to me. I grip the phone a little tighter.
“The bank job was a bust. A woman was posing as a bank employee. We didn’t know she was really a thief, and when the alarm sounded, we used her as a hostage. She drugged Mac and forced us out of the car.”
“Forced you?”
I clench my free hand into a fist. “She threatened to kill Mac. A few hundred thousand is not worth more than his life.”
Damien grunts.
Does he disagree?
While he gave us a purpose and took us under his wing, sometimes I hate the man. Business is his first love. Whiskey his second. Death his third. Mess with the first and you’ll meet the third.
“There’s more,” I say quietly, hoping he’ll forgive my speaking out of turn once I tell him what we’ve gained.
“I’m listening.” The line fills with the sound of flesh smacking flesh, and a muffled cry carries down the line. I don’t ask who he’s torturing or why. There are some things I’d rather not know.
“We tracked the woman. She’s an adept thief. Conned a rich man and stole a pretty ring. It’s valuable.”
“Hang on.” Another smack resounds. A cry. The line crackles. “How valuable?” he asks.
“Slim estimates between twenty and thirty million.”
“The Sunrise Ruby?” Damien’s voice colors with interest.
“You know it?” I sure as shit didn’t.
“Any good criminal does. Where is the woman now?”
“Taken care of.”
There’s a long pause. “Dead?”
“No,” I say quickly. Kills under the Atlantic City Knights’ name have to be sanctioned, unless we’re under attack. “There’s no reason to believe she’ll come after us.”
Mac’s lips stretch into a wild smile, and I tip my head, staring at him. There’s only three things that make him smile like that. Reggie’s ice cream, killing the sick bastards who try to traffic children, and breaking Damien’s rules. The number of times I’ve had to save him from himself...well, there aren’t enough fingers to count them.
“She was clever enough to get the ring. You don’t think she’s bold enough to come after you?”
I consider his question. “I don’t know,” I confess. “We will deal with her when the time comes.”
“A bullet in her head will do. There are no leads on the bank robbery. You guys did well. The ring will net enough to pay the politician, so I guess we’ll call it even.”
Yeah, Damien gets a fuck ton of money because of the ring. Of course, he’s okay with losing the bank money.
“Thank you.” I switch the phone to my other hand. “Should I leave the ring with Slim?”
Normally I’d hand deliver the goods, but with something so valuable, it makes more sense to keep it locked up. Damien owns Slim and makes sure he has the best of the best. Slim’s safe is one of the best.
