I picked up my tostada and munched in an effort at acting nonchalant when really I was thinking about Tony Soprano and getting a little flipped out.

“Is all of this new?” I asked.

“No, it’s been goin’ on for years. The rumor that New York is out is new but unsubstantiated. To restore order, a deal was struck. Coxy had to be taken out but it couldn’t look like he was taken out. That way, New York wouldn’t feel the need to act and all would be well in the world of crime again.”

“What does this have to do with you?”

“I have connections on both sides. Eddie and Hank used me as go-between with Marcus and Darius.”

I sat there with my tostada held aloft and stared at him.

Eddie Chavez and Darius Tucker were Lee’s two closest friends in High School.

Eddie Chavez was good-looking, smooth-talking and morally dubious, exactly like Lee… and then some. Everyone was pretty certain Eddie was going to go over to the dark side and spend most of his time doing time. Instead, he became a cop. He was now vice, considered a definite maverick (according to Dad, with hints of admiration) and a loose cannon (according to Malcolm, with hints of disapproval).

Darius Tucker was much the same, but he was also absolutely hilarious, so funny you’d nearly wet your pants laughing. He had soulful eyes and a dry shoulder to cry on (especially for the girls). Everyone was certain he’d quickly get married and settle down and make some woman a good husband. Instead, his Dad was murdered when he was seventeen and he went off the rails and off the radar. I hadn’t seen him in years and I missed him. He was a good guy, he’d made me laugh and he’d let me cry on his shoulder plenty of times. According to Malcolm and Dad, he was now bad news.

I didn’t know anyone named Marcus.

“Darius?” I said when I could say anything at all.

Lee pushed his plate away and turned to me again. “Yeah. The deal was, we all work together to cause problems for Coxy, delayed shipments, missing deliveries, cops turnin’ up at inopportune moments. I shared information and me and the boys caused some of the complications that Hank and Eddie couldn’t cause. Coxy’s network of buyers and suppliers started to alternately freak or get pissed off and his men began to defect. Rick and Pete decided on early retirement and, to augment their pension, they stole Marcus’s diamonds.”

“Marcus?”

“A leftover from when I did security. He keeps us on retainer for certain jobs. He’s powerful and not someone who appreciates being stolen from. I was in DC and got an urgent call from him when his diamonds went missing.”

“Why’d he call you?”

Lee shrugged.“I’m good at finding all different kinds of things.”

Oh dear Lord.

I had a feeling this was one of those cases where I didn’t want to know.

I changed the subject.“How on earth does Rosie fit into all of this?”

“Rosie had a good operation going, small but popular and not quiet which was not smart. Coxy heard about it and wanted a piece, so he coerced Rosie into giving him one. Then he coerced Rosie into doing other things for him, things Rosie didn’t want to do but didn’t know how to say no. Rick and Pete decided to play innocent about the diamonds until they had their shit together enough to move to Brazil, which was only supposed to be a day or two. They stashed the rocks with Rosie, thinkin’ he was scared enough to do what he was told. Apparently, he was pissed off enough to use the diamonds to blackmail Rick and Pete to get him out from under Coxy. Unfortunately, he was playin’ out of his league. In the meantime, word went out the diamonds were gone, Coxy found out his boys had gone renegade. Even Coxy isn’t crazy enough to out and out kick sand in Marcus’s face, especially not with his systems breakin’ down. So everyone was in a rush for the diamonds. Enter you.”

“I’m a little confused.”

“I would be too if I came in at the end of this shit. It’s f**ked up.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m gettin’ paid.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“No, it’s not. I should say I’m gettin’ paid a lot.”

“Is it worth it?”

His arm slid behind me on the booth and he twisted toward me again. I’d abandoned my tostada half eaten and was turned toward him.

“I like what I do but it’s like football. Your career has a shelf life. I intend to be retired by forty-five with the cabin in Grand Lake and a condo in Florida, a damn good boat in both places and enough money to make life good until I die.”

“So, what you’re saying is, it’s worth it.”

He went back to wrapping a lock of my hair around his finger. His voice changed and so did his eyes, from all business to warm and soft.

“Yeah, it’s worth it. Do you like Florida?”

My stomach did a clutch. “Would Florida come with a housekeeper that puts your towels on the rail after you throw them in the sink?”

His eyes got warm. “That’s the ‘make life good’ part.”

“Then I might like Florida.” His finger tugged my hair playfully but I ignored it and asked, “Who’s paying you?”

He let go of my hair, leaned forward and took out his wallet.

“Story time’s over. We have to get back to work.”

“I guess question time is over too.”

His eyes slid to me again telling me question time was definitely over.

We were in the Crossfire when I told him we had to go to Tod and Stevie’s to pick up Chowleena.

“Sorry?” he asked.

“I’m watching her for a couple of days.”

“We’ll go get her later.”

“We can’t go get her later! If we go get her later, that wouldn’t be me watching her, that would be her, alone, at home with no one watching her.”

“I’m not takin’ a chow dog out to work with me.”

“She’ll be good. I swear, she’s a great dog.”

“No.”

I had to pull out the big guns.“There’ll be na**d gratitude in it for you.”

Lee hesitated, but just for a moment.

“Shit,” he mumbled.

He steered the Crossfire toward Baker District.

Chapter Nineteen

Eddie and Darius

We cruised up to Paris on the Platte with Chowleena in my lap, her face out the open window, eyes squinty in the wind, mouth panting and fluffy fur rippling. Steve Miller’s “Jungle Love” was blaring from Lee’s radio.