Page 53 of Mob Queen
Mario’s jaw tightens. “His funeral was last week.”
“And you still have the murder weapon here?” Mario intakes a sharp breath then instantly turns to look at the bat. “I’ll take care of it. Out of curiosity, how short was he?”
“It was always small amounts, nothing most people would notice. Five large here and there.”
I walk over to Mario and tap his forearm twice. “Good.” I head toward the office with G following behind. “How long has Mario worked for me?”
“He’s been working for your family for about three years.”
“Has he been pinched?” I ask as we ascend the stairs to the office.
“Not with us.”
“And he pays his tribute?”
“Like clockwork,” G says. “He’s an earner too. Brings in a solid six figures a month.”
Once I reach the top, I walk into the office and roll my eyes. “Keep an eye on him, G.”
“I have been.”
“Give Mario another two months, and move him up the ranks if he’s still solid.”
“Will do.” G heads over to one of the desks, and opens the top drawer. He pulls out a ledger and flicks it open to the page he needs. “Everything looks good here.” He stands and hands me the ledger.
I open the book and quickly scan the last page. Nothing seems out of whack. “As long as it adds up from the safe.” I hand the ledger back to G and we make our way back downstairs so we can empty the safe. The safe stands five feet high, and has a combination lock. Once opened, Dario hands G a duffel. “Wait at the car.”
Dario acknowledges me with a nod, and leaves.
We quickly empty the safe, and start toward the front. I see the baseball bat sitting where it was when we entered, so I grab it and sling it over my shoulder. G and I have been here all of fifteen minutes. As we head down the alleyway back to the car, I hear something from behind. I turn to look, and see someone walking after us. “Hey, pretty lady.”
“What the fuck?” G turns but I place my hand to his arm.
“Go ahead, I’ve got this.”
“Frank, you don’t know who this fucker is.”
He has a valid point. “No, I don’t. But I do have this, and it’ll be a shame to get rid of it before I do some damage with it.” I hold up the baseball bat.
“A baseball bat is not gonna stop a bullet.”
I stop walking and change direction, heading straight for the guy following us. “Hey.” I smile and tilt my head back in an informal acknowledgement.
Fucking sleaze ball licks his lips and winks at me. “This is a dangerous neighborhood, lady. You’re pretty, and there’s some freaks out here who’d...” He darts his tongue across his lower lip and slowly scans my body. “...do some dirty things to you.”
“Frank,” G calls from behind me.
I lift my hand to stop G. The guy is fully sleeved, but the tattoo that catches my eye is the double capital A’s. “You’re far from home, you should leave before anything happens to you,” I warn.
“You better be nice to me, because soon your boss will be dead.”
How the fuck does he not know who I am? “Is that right?” I taunt with a smirk.
“What the fuck did you say?” G advances toward him, but I stop G before he rips his head off.
“The old guy thinks he’s tough.” He lifts his hands and wiggles his fingers in a “come on then” gesture, like a damned badass.
“I’ve had enough of this,” I say to G. In one swift movement I lift the bat and take a swing. It connects with the guy’s head, causing him to fall to the ground. I turn to look at G. “How did he not see that coming?”