“Oh hell. No. Not at all. I shouldn’t have been thinking about her. It’s just the way my mind works, but I didn’t mean it.” Mortified, he rubbed a hand over his face, knowing he’d messed up big time. What kind of a friend did that?
Wretched and miserable, he hurried to make it up to me. “She’s not even a fraction as good as you. In fact… I never should have brought it up. I don’t know why I did that.” He glanced my way. “Can you forgive me?”
Sure, he’d hurt my feelings, but he hadn’t brought it up. It was all in his mind, and I only knew because I’d been invading his privacy. If anyone should apologize, it was me. “This reality I live in is a little crazy. I used to tell myself that I shouldn’t get upset about what people were thinking… mostly because if I couldn’t read minds, I’d never know.
“But… on the other hand… I’ve learned that what people think is who they really are inside. And usually, if they’re thinking something, I need to take it at face value.” I glanced his way. “So it puts me in a bind with my family and friends, but I’ve learned that it’s more important to cut them a little slack, even if my feelings get hurt. In other words, it’s fine.”
He let out a sigh. “Okay. So… we’re good?”
“Yes, we’re good.”
“Thanks, Shelby. This whole thing with Willow has got to stop. I don’t like her coming between us, so once this case is over, I’m telling the chief that I won’t work with her again.”
I sent him a big smile. “Thanks… Drew.” He smiled back, showing off his dimples in all their glory, and suddenly, all was right with the world.
We arrived at the precinct, and Dimples headed toward the door. I hung back. Noticing, he turned to look at me. “What? You’re not coming in?”
“I’ve got other things to do, and you’ve got Willow to deal with. Why don’t you call me if you discover anything new?”
“But I thought you’d want to gloat.” Disappointment washed over him.
“Yeah… not really my thing. I’ll gloat when we find the real killer, how’s that?”
He huffed out a breath. “Sure. But will you still help me out?”
“Of course. I have to come in tomorrow for my next counseling appointment, so I’ll check in with you then.”
“I guess that’s better than nothing. Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure… or you can call if you get something before then.”
“Thanks Shelby.” With a grateful nod, he headed into the precinct.
As I walked to my car, I wished things were different. Why did this Willow person have to come along and mess everything up? Now that Dimples had her to work with, it left me on the outside. I wanted to solve Brock’s murder, but my hands were tied. Stupid psychic.
It would have been nice to have Dimples’s help with Mack Haywood’s investigation too, but that was out of the question. I checked my watch, finding it much later than I’d thought.
I might as well head over to Thrasher Development and see if Ramos was back. Then, tomorrow morning, I could talk to all of Mack Haywood’s neighbors and friends.
With that settled, I drove to Thrasher Development and headed up to the twenty-sixth floor. After a quick greeting, Jackie sent me to Uncle Joey’s office, and I knocked before entering. He waved me in, finishing up his phone call.
Glancing my way, he rubbed his hands together, thinking that deal had gone well, and now that I was back he could take care of this drug business once and for all. “Have a seat and I’ll get Ramos. He just got back, so this is perfect timing.”
As I sat down, Uncle Joey called Ramos, summoning him to his office. He hung up and smiled at me. “Ramos checked everyone out, and didn’t find any of my people in the business cheating me, so that’s good news.”
“Uh… yeah… for sure.”
Ramos opened the door, wearing all black and looking sexy as hell. Life was so not fair. He sent me that sensual smile of his and sat down beside me. Naturally, I caught a whiff of his scent and tried not to let it go to my head.
“All right, let’s do this,” Uncle Joey said, pulling me out of my reverie. “Ramos, why don’t you make the call to Victor? I’m afraid my anger might get the best of me, and I don’t want to scare him off.” He was thinking that anyone who double-crossed him was worthy of death, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Victor if he’d made that mistake.
Ramos nodded and put the call through. It surprised me that Uncle Joey was so open about killing him. He usually blocked those sorts of thoughts from his mind. But he just waited with anticipation to see if Victor answered his phone, openly looking forward to the upcoming confrontation.
I thought if Victor was smart, he’d get out of town fast, but he picked up instead, and Ramos began talking. “Vic, Manetto wants to see you. How soon can you get here?” Ramos listened to the answer. “Good. See you in a few minutes.” He disconnected. “He’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”
“Did he sound worried?” Uncle Joey asked.
“No. But once he sees Shelby, I think that’ll change.”
I was starting to get nervous. “What if it’s true? What are you going to do about him?”
Instead of answering the question, Uncle Joey turned the tables on me. “What do you think we should do?” He thought that, since I was going to be his successor, this would be a good learning experience and a great time for me to voice my opinion.
Ramos’s brows drew together. Why did he ask me that? What was going on? This wasn’t like Manetto. He usually didn’t want me around for this side of the business. Had something changed?
“Uh… well. I guess if he’s double-crossing you, he’s got to go.” That surprised them both. Was I actually saying he should be killed? “But it might just be a misunderstanding, so I think we should wait and see.”
“Good idea,” Uncle Joey answered.
“Uh… since we’ve got some time, I think I’ll put my purse away in my office and maybe grab a Diet Coke.” At Uncle Joey’s nod, I stood to leave.
“I’ll come with you,” Ramos said, eager to find out what was going on between me and Manetto. He followed me down the hall and opened my office door. I stepped inside while he waited in the hall, slipping my purse in the bottom drawer of my desk.
Before leaving, I caught sight of the photo of our family taken with Miguel after his show in New York. It sat right next to the photo of me, Chris, and the kids. The phrase, “In for a penny, in for a pound,” hit me like a ton of bricks. Boy, was I ever in over my head now. Who would have thought?
I joined Ramos and followed him to his swanky apartment, situated at the end of the hall. Ramos stayed there most of the time, and his fridge was always stocked with diet soda… mostly for me. Since it was my duty to drink it, I tried to stop by as often as I could. Plus… it was a great place to take a breather from the stress of working for a mob boss.
Ramos pulled the door open and followed me inside. I went straight to the fridge, grabbed a can, and popped the lid. After taking a couple of swallows, I found a glass, filled it with ice, and poured in the rest. “You want one?”
Ramos came to my side and grabbed a cold bottle of beer from the fridge instead. “No way. This is better.” After taking a swig, he glanced my way. “So what’s going on?”
“I am in so much trouble.”
His lips twisted into a wry grin. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Ha-ha.” I took a deep breath for courage and let it out. “Okay. Here goes. This morning, Uncle Joey asked me to be his successor.”
Ramos’s brows rose right up into his hairline. “What the hell? You told him you’d do it?” He could hardly believe I’d agree. What was I thinking?
“I didn’t tell him yes… exactly. He gave me time to think about it, but you know him. Since I didn’t tell him no, he’s taking it as a yes. What am I going to do?”
Ramos could hardly believe it. Why would Manetto saddle me with this now? Even more puzzling was why Manetto ha
dn’t spoken to him about it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d always thought Manetto would turn the business over to him. Not that he wanted it… but it made a hell of a lot more sense than giving it to me.
“Yeah… I agree with you, but he told me it was in name only. He wants you to run the business, not me. Sort of like we’d be partners or something.”
Ramos narrowed his eyes. “That conniving son of a bitch.” It made sense to him now. Manetto knew Ramos wouldn’t agree to take over the business, but he had to know Ramos would do it for me. “What else did he tell you?”
I shrugged. “Just that it’s for his peace of mind, and he’s not ready to retire anytime soon. Like, he wants to get his affairs in order and all that. Chris is working on the trust for Uncle Joey’s estate. But I guess that’s a normal thing people do once they get into their sixties, right?”
Ramos nodded, but a cold chill flooded over him, and he hoped that was the only reason Manetto was making changes to his will.
CHAPTER 7
“You think there’s something wrong with him?” I asked, panic catching my breath.
“I don’t know. He hasn’t said anything, but… he’s been gone a lot lately, and he’s been kind of secretive about it. Did you pick up anything from him… like if he’s sick or something?”
“No. I even asked him about that, but he denied it, and I didn’t hear anything from his mind to tell me otherwise.”
“Okay. Good.” Ramos couldn’t help the worry that curdled his stomach. He’d never considered his life without Manetto, but now… what if something was wrong with the boss? He didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Now you know why I needed a soda, right?”
“Yeah.” He thought I probably needed something a lot stronger than that. He was right, but I was afraid if I got started down that path, I’d never come back.
We both tipped back our drinks, swallowing a few big gulps before coming up for air. “He’s going to know we talked about this,” I said. “I’m a little worried about that, since I don’t think he wanted you to know until I’d agreed.”
Ramos shook his head. “I don’t know. This might be just what he wanted. If you’re unwilling to do it, and he knows you told me, he knows I’d be more inclined to accept the position to keep you out of it. On the other hand, if you did agree, he knows I’d agree to whatever he wanted, just to help you out. Either way, he gets what he wants.”
“Wow. He’s a genius at this, isn’t he?”
Ramos snorted, thinking, no shit, and finished off his drink.
Since there was more to the story, I figured now was a good time to discuss it. I turned around and leaned back against the counter. “So… did he tell you the rest?”
“The rest? What do you mean?”
“That he’s getting out of the mob-boss part of the business? You must suspect it, since you knew he’d stopped the drug side, right?”
“Yeah. He mentioned it, and I figured he’d had a change of heart, but it’s not going to be easy.” He thought Manetto would have a harder time letting go than he was willing to admit. It meant giving up power and control. Since it was in Manetto’s blood to control everything, he didn’t think a lifetime of conditioning would be easy to end.
Relief washed over me. “Really? That’s good news. Well… not that it will be hard for him to stop being a mob boss… but it must mean that there’s nothing physically wrong with him, right?” At Ramos’s nod, I continued. “So… he’s looking at this in the long-term.”
Ramos threw his empty bottle in the trash. “Yes. You know him well. I guess we’ll figure it all out at some point, but, for now, we’d better get back. What’s your plan for Vic anyway?”
“I have no idea.”
He chuckled. “Come on.”
I followed him out of the apartment. As we passed Jackie, she glanced up with a raised brow. She hoped we were being good, but she didn’t trust Ramos… or me. With a frown, I stopped beside her, and Ramos continued down the hall.
“So Jackie, how’s Uncle Joey doing? Is his shoulder all better?” Short of asking if Uncle Joey had any health issues; that was the best I could do. Maybe she’d tell me if something was going on.
Her brows rose. Where had that come from? “Like I told you yesterday, his shoulder’s fine.”
Oops, I’d forgotten about that. “Oh… that’s right. So… how about Miguel? Have you heard from him lately?”
“Yes. He’s coming home for a few days in a couple of weeks, so we’re looking forward to seeing him.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah. We’ll have to get the family together.”
“Sounds good.” Of course we’d get together. Savannah would kill me if we didn’t. But it also cemented the fact that we were part of the family, and being Uncle Joey’s successor was basically a given. But, as long as he got out of the business, it should be okay, right?
Victor entered the office doors. His dark, curly hair showed signs of gray at the temples, and I pegged his age around forty-three. His clean-shaven face had an olive complexion, and his eyes were deep set and dark. He wore business casual, with blue jeans and a dark jacket over a gray, button-up shirt.
He smiled at us, but the worry of being summoned to Uncle Joey’s office kept him from speaking. Upon seeing Ramos opening Uncle Joey’s door, his step faltered, but he hurried on.
“He looks a little nervous,” I whispered to Jackie.
“That happens a lot.” She caught my gaze and we giggled.
“I’d better go.” I followed Victor down the hall and entered the office right behind him.
Uncle Joey waved me in, and I took the seat next to Victor in front of his desk. Ramos closed the door and took his position standing in front of it. Victor’s heart picked up speed, and his brow began to sweat. He knew something was wrong, but he had no idea what it could be.
Despite my worry about what would become of Victor, it hit me that I enjoyed this part of the job. Finding out if someone was cheating or lying brought me a sense of justice that seemed sorely lacking in today’s world.
Of course, I didn’t want him dead, but I did want the truth, and if he was cheating, he needed to pay the consequences. Hmm… if he knew, would Bob Spicer think I’d lost it and turned to the dark side? Maybe I’d be a better successor than I thought?
“Victor,” Uncle Joey said, leaning back in his chair and looking down at him. “You’ve been part of my family organization now for a long time, about twelve years, if I’m remembering correctly. I’ve appreciated your service, and I hope you feel you’ve been fairly compensated.”
“Yes,” Victor said. “I believe so, sir.”
“Good. Are you happy with your position in the business?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any plans to leave?”
“Absolutely not, sir.”
“That’s good to know.” Uncle Joey studied Victor with narrowed eyes. In response, Victor rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants. “I’m hoping you can help me out with something.”
“Of course… whatever you need.”
“As you know, I’ve terminated my involvement in the drug business. That used to be your area of expertise, and I wondered if you’ve had contact with our partner since then.”
He shook his head. “No. After I told him we didn’t need his services anymore, that was the end of it, and I haven’t spoken with him since.”
“Did he seem upset?”
“Well… yes. He asked me if we had a better deal with someone else. I assured him that wasn’t the case and explained that we were stepping away from that part of the business for a time. I may have mentioned that it was because you needed to lay low for a while. I think it helped. I also may have promised him that he’d be our first contact once we got back in.”
“How did he take it? Did that explanation satisfy him?”
“Yeah. I haven’t heard from him since.” Victor’s brows rose. “Are you ready to get back in?”
“No.” Uncle Joey tapped his fingers against the desktop, and studied Victor until the man shrank back in his seat. “But, unfortunately, someone else has been buying and selling drugs under the Manetto name. Do you know anything about that?”
Victor’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to deny it, but Uncle Joey cut him off. “Be careful how you answer me. I’ll know if you’re lying, and it will be much worse for you.”
Victor glanced my way out of the corner of his eyes. He knew about my premonitions, and his heart began to pound. Having me there didn’t bode well for him, and he’d have to be careful. “I’m not sure, but if I were to guess, I’d think that one of the people who used to work for me… uh… you… may have stepped in to fill the vacuum.”
Uncle Joey nodded, expecting this. “And which one of my former employees would do that?”
Victor thought of his cousin, Vinny, and my heart sank. Of course, that didn’t mean Victor was running the show, right? It could be all Vinny’s doing, and Victor wouldn’t have to die for it. There was still hope.
“Uh… let me think.” Victor scratched his head, wanting to spare his cousin by giving Uncle Joey a different person’s name. The guy still worked with Vinny, so it wasn’t a stretch to name him. “Oh yeah… the guy went by Slasher. He could have taken over. He’s been dealing drugs for a long time. Maybe it was him.”
Ramos stepped to Uncle Joey’s side, folded his arms, and faced Victor with narrowed eyes. “Funny you should mention a guy named Slasher, because I spoke with him just last night. He’s been selling drugs through our tenants and telling them that it’s on Manetto’s orders. You know what he said?”
Ramos paused for dramatic effect. “That your cousin Vinny is running the show for Manetto. Are you sure you still don’t know anything about this?”
Victor’s face went white, and his breath caught. Rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants, he swallowed and took a couple of quick breaths. “I can explain—”
“Victor.” Uncle Joey’s penetrating gaze pierced Victor like a knife to the heart. “I’m so disappointed in you. I thought you were loyal to me. You’re part of the family. You should have known better.”
Dying Wishes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 14) Page 10