Page 11 of Stealing Iris

“He’s got someone with him.” Nobody needs to tell me that. I can see the guy with my own two eyes. “Yeah. It’s not who he was going to bring.” Still, I sit here waiting, in case she’s in the back seat. But as the two wannabes get out of the car, I know she’s not here. Anger boils up inside me, pushing to be released like a geyser at its peak.

“What’s the plan now?” Tino watches as the two morons draw near.

Damn Conrado. Only he could fuck up what should have been a quick discussion and a long dinner. One where I might be able to steal Iris away for the night. Now I’ll need to take control of the situation, and I’m not in a generous mood. “Bring him here. Alone.” Tino slips out from behind the wheel; his long strides get him to Conrado within seconds. I flip the overhead light off so I can watch his back then reach over and crack open the back door before sliding across the seat to the passenger side.

“Come with me.” Even at a distance, I can feel the dangerous promise in Tino’s voice.

Both guys hesitate. “Who’re you?” The little weasel’s voice holds a satisfying note of fear. If he knew half of what’s in Tino’s vast resumé, he’d be scared shitless. Tino backs up, opening the passenger door across from me as he goes by, but nothing happens.

“Now,” Tino barks out. Footsteps. “Just him.” Tino doesn’t reach for a weapon, so things are going my way.

Muffled voices filter in from outside. “It’s okay, man.” Conrado’s voice sounds shaky. His footsteps come closer, hesitating at the door.

“Decide what you’re going to do,” I snap, letting some of my annoyance slip through.

Conrado cranes his neck to look inside before he ducks back. After verifying it’s me, he glances around the SUV to make sure I’m alone. “Hey,” he says, relieved.

Tino gives him a thorough pat down.

“Rad?” The other guy’s voice breaks on the question.

He looks over his shoulder, holding up a hand. “I’m good, man.” His voice is back to normal. “Go inside and grab a table.” Crouching, he slips in and sits back in the plush seat next to me. Tino closes the door then opens the driver’s side. His dark shadow fills the front again, making Conrado hold himself away from the front seat, and Tino. Testing my patience, I wait, letting Tino start the engine while Conrado starts worrying.

“This isn’t what we agreed to,” I state, watching his companion hesitate at the entrance to Chili’s. While I make sure my voice is modulated, Tino recognizes the tone. I turn in time to see his gaze flick to the rearview mirror, focusing on me. He knows I’m in the mood to be a bastard but doesn’t know why.

“It’s okay, man. Iz, he’s my boy.” As if his sad explanation matters. Tonight’s dinner was for one reason, and he showed up without her. Two days ago, I had no qualms walking away. Now, that’s not going to happen. Not until I figure out how Iris is tied to this motherfucker. Because the time I spent with her, more than I ever spent with another woman, isn’t enough—nowhere near enough.

“You fucked up, again,Con-ra-do.” My disdain at his name should have been enough to point out where he stands, but I’ve already witnessed more than one mental midget moment. “Anyone else would terminate business dealings.”

“No,” he says, wide-eyed. “You don’t gotta do that.”

“With anyone else…” I pause so he thinks we have some kind of bond he violated. “The options would range from walking away from the meeting to dropping you on the spot.”

Conrado swallows hard, glancing to the front seat then outside before looking back to me. “I-I won’t do that again.” The reality’s sinking in. Obviously, he’s never considered the negative side of getting involved in the illegal trade. “Iris was tied up.”

Of course she is. My stomach churns again.

“And Iz’s gonna run with me,” he rushes to explain. “Figured he should hear about what he’s getting into.” The smell of his sweat, a mixture of cheap cologne, desperation, and fear, reaches me in the enclosed space. While it doesn’t fully satisfy, it’s enough to make me feel better—at least for the moment.

“My part in this business is to set up the introductions for my clients. The people I deal with pay a lot of money for peace of mind. They expect someone they can count on. Someone who can maintain a certain level of discretion.” My tone makes it clear he isn’t among the people I mentioned. “So, when I give you explicit instructions on when to show up and who to show up with, and you decide on your own to change the terms, you demonstrate to me I can’t trust you. And if I can’t trust you, I can’t, in good conscience, let you be included in these dealings.”

“Dude, no, don’t do that,” he whines.

Iris… The name crosses my mind, and I want her again. “The only thing I can offer is an anonymous connection.” Tino shoots another glance into the mirror. All our deals are anonymous, not that he needs to know that.

“Okay.” He nods enthusiastically. “What’d I gotta to do for that?”

“Put down a deposit.” After some quick math in my head, I double the original total, a penalty for leaving Iris behind. “Fifty thousand dollars.”

Conrado’s face falls, and my satisfaction comes tumbling back. “We’ll set the money aside for the client, in case things go wrong.” We set aside a fund for every client from the membership cost and the nominal percentage we earn off each transaction. The paltry 50K wouldn’t even cover transportation costs. “We’re getting together this weekend. I might be able to consider you if you can meet the requirements.” I can almost see the wheels in his head turning. “Can you do that?”

His eyes go unfocused as seconds tick by. “Maybe.” Now I wish I’d tripled the amount. Damn it, nothing in his workup said he could pull together that kind of money in a couple of days. “If not, we can work something out, right? You guys set up auc—”

“I’m already giving you slack, Conrado,” I point out, shaking my head.

“That’s right, that’s right.” His leg bounces like a jackhammer. “Yeah, man,I can still get it together. Yeah, I think so,” he assures me. “Can I call you?” The hope in his eyes is a tangible thing.

I should stop toying with this fool and put him out of his misery. Tino opens the door, and I take it as fate. “I’ll check in on you later this week.”

---