Page 42 of Wizard's Spitfire
JR’s shoulders sag. He looks defeated. After taking a deep breath, he begins.
“I met Barnes in college. It was a freshman year he was an involved alumnus. We’ve kept in touch over the years. He’s not the problem.”
“Who or what is the problem?” Gambit asks.
“I got into some gambling debt and took out a loan from the wrong people. They want the girls,” he blurts out.
I stand up so fast my chair tips over, crashing against the floor. Strong arms wrap around me a split-second before I get to JR.
“We need him breathing to tell us everything, Spitfire. You can kick his ass later.”
I relax in his hold. He’s right. We need to know everything. Over the next hour JR tells us exactly how much trouble he’s in. The biggest concern is the fact that the Russian mob wants my girls.
?
It’s five o’clock somewhere, right? At least, that’s what I told myself as I drink a glass of bourbon. Ma and Pops are on their way. Wizard and I are sitting in Lagniappe having a drink while we wait for them.
JR is in one of the guest apartments somewhere in the compound. He’s supposed to stay there and not let anyone know where he is. For all intents and purposes, we want the Bratva to think he’s gone or dead.
They had him wired for audio and video. One of the prospects retrieved JR’s clothes and the devices from the pool. Wizard sent the devices to Bug.
“Charlotte Evangeline Anastasia Caruso, are you drinking before noon?” Ma says.
“Yup, and you will too when you hear what JR did.”
“What did he do this time?” Pops asks, taking a seat at our table.
“I can’t tell you everything, but there is something you need to know. JR got into some gambling debt and chose the wrong people to borrow money from. Now the Bratva want the girls.”
Ma’s face pales. She opens her mouth and closes it several times before grabbing my glass and throwing back the rest of its contents in one gulp.
“Where is that son of a bitch? I’m going to kill him,” Pops says, standing up.
Chapter 27
Wizard
I’m sitting in a corner booth at the River Road Rest Stop, keeping an eye on my woman. It took a few hours for us to get Pops to cool down. Nitro took Pops with him to La Poule Rouge, our burlesque club. Regina had two more bourbons before retreating to the house to cook and clean. Charlie assured me it would calm her nerves.
The bell above the door rings as more people come in. I fight to stay relaxed as Marcus, Caleb, Victor, and Reynard saunter in taking a booth in the back. I shoot Gambit a quick text to give him a heads up and nudge Cobra, who’s sitting across from me with his nose in his phone.
He looks up and I move my head in their direction. He glances in the direction I indicated before looking back at me and nodding. Our server comes back, refills our coffee and takes our order.
I activate the Bluetooth earpiece and open the app to the bug I installed under the table our suspects are sitting at. Seconds later, I tune into their conversation. While they pass the time talking bullshit, I begin to recognize them by voice.
“Where’s our sexy as fuck waitress?” Brooks says.
“You need to leave her the fuck alone,” Robillard says.
“You ain’t my boss, Cal,” Brooks sneers.
“You’re grave, idiot. Petrov has the hots for her.”
That Russian bastard won’t get anywhere near my Spitfire. I’ll gut the motherfucker myself and feed him to the gators. I feela boot nudge mine and look up at Cobra. He points to my face. I school my features and continue to listen to their conversation.
When our food arrives, they’re ordering theirs. I take a few bites and mostly move my food around for the next twenty minutes while I listen to their conversation. A few minutes after their food arrives, they start talking about shipments. The next one is less than ten days from now.Fuck.I pull up Gambit’s number and shoot off a quick text.
Church 911