Page 63 of Mile High Baby

My mind was in a whirl of these thoughts when I left Henry's home and headed to a safe house Saint Security had up in the Bronx so I could meet with the man found skulking around Henry's house last night. The fact that I was bothered by how easily Victoria was able to walk away from me was an indication of just how important it was that things between us ended now. Clearly, I was in too deep.

When I arrived at the house, Dax was already there to meet me. From the outside, the location seemed like a normal residence, but on the inside it had been soundproofed and was loaded with electronics. Places like this were usually used to protect witnesses or other people in our charge from immediate danger. But this time, it was acting as a holding cell for the man who could be holding the key to taking George Pitney down. Or maybe not. If he was a low-level goon, chances were he knew nothing.

"Anything new?" I asked Dax as we went to the kitchen.

"He’s still keeping mum. You want some coffee?" Dax pulled a mug from the cupboard. I nodded because I could use a little caffeine. I hadn’t slept as much last week.

I gave my head a quick shake to make sure Victoria didn't take root again.

Dax quirked a brow. "Is that a yes or no?"

"That's a yes. Thanks."

Dax used the pod brewing system and made two cups of coffee, bringing them both to the table. He slid mine across to me and then sat.

"We know his name is Tommy Langhorne who was very recently married to Amiee Pitney."

My eyes widened, not expecting that.

"Amiee is George's niece. Officially, the kid works in sales within their real estate arm."

"That gives him a good excuse to be skulking around the neighborhood." I took a sip of my coffee.

Dax nodded in agreement. "He must be dedicated if he's doing it at two thirty in the morning. Pitney had to know that we were there, so the fact that he sent his niece's husband sounds like it could be a test of the kid."

I nodded in agreement, but then again, maybe not. “He doesn't like the kid if he’s willing to let him get arrested or caught by us. Maybe he wants to get rid of him."

"That's possible too.” Dax sat back, draping his arm over the back of the chair next to him. "The kid is trying to be tough, but I think you'll see right away that he’s scared shitless. I’m surprised he hasn't pissed his pants yet."

That was good news to my ears. "I want to talk to him, but first I want to lay out some ideas that should help us close this thing up sooner rather than later."

"I'm all ears."

"We need information that can help us nail Pitney, but you know as well as I do that he can get Henry from prison.”

"Yep."

"So we need to destabilize the organization."

Dax studied me. "You talk like it's organized crime."

"The business may be legit, but we both know that Pitney operates much like how the mob does. And we also know that if Pitney, the head of the snake, is removed, another one is going to grow in."

Dax nodded. "You want to figure out who that is?"

I leaned forward. "I want to find the one who is greedy and power-hungry enough to usurp Pitney. We find him and do what we can to make sure he takes the lead."

Dax thought about that. “How can you know that your friends and anyone else will be safe with a usurper?"

"First, the usurper isn’t going to want to carry around Pitney’s baggage. In fact, they’re likely to throw Pitney under the bus. Make everything seem like it’s squeaky clean. Second, Pitney’s actions against Henry are more personal. He's annoyed by what Henry’s publications are printing."

"And what happens when Henry publishes unkind things about the new guy?"

"I'll worry about that." I hadn't quite figured out how I would handle it. I hadn't had any luck persuading Henry to change how he did business so far, but if this worked, I hoped that it would motivate him to rethink getting into deep shit again.

"Have you identified anyone yet?" Dax asked.

“I want to talk to Tommy-boy here to see what more we can learn about the organization beyond what we have on paper."