Page 115 of Mob Knight

“Thank you.” I suppose I can be gracious.

“De nada, señorita.” You’re welcome, miss.

I watch Cormac while all three of us remain silent. What else is there to say?

“Cor, take me off speaker. There’s more to discuss.”

I nod. Not that it matters.

“What do you want?”

Cormac walks away from the bed, so I can’t hear. I only get his side of the conversation.

“Why would he do that?...He’ll never pay that…They’re out of their fecking minds…If you’re lying…No…I’m telling you right now, if you’re lying, evenseñoraMargherita won’t recognize you.”

That’s Pablo’s mother. She’s a kind woman you’d never imagine is married to a senior Cartel member who pops in and out of Colombian prisons like people pop in and out of a bodega. He’s more than his older brother’s messenger. He’s the fucking Colombian Holy Spirit. See him, and you know your soul’s leaving your body.

“Fine…Maybe I’ll let you know…Feck off. Bye.”

I forced myself up to sit while I spoke to Pablo. I rest back against the pillows now. Cormac perches on the edge of the bed.

“What did he say before I came in here?”

“Not much. Just that I was wrong to fear him. He understood what happened, and he didn’t blame me for it. He said the families in their neighborhoods appreciate me, so he never wanted revenge.”

Cormac’s expression relaxes, and I breathe a little easier. His hand wraps around mine, covering it entirely.

“He’s right that the families value you. You can see it when they talk to you and about you. It makes no sense that Martha’s giving you a hard time.”

“I thought the Cartel might be leaning on her, but now I don’t know.”

“I wondered the same. I have some more calls to make, but they can wait.”

“I thought you needed to go.”

“We’re staying here until later tonight. Once we know more about both explosions…”

He doesn’t need to finish the sentence. Either he can’t tell me what they’ll do, or I won’t want the details to avoid nightmares.

“I told Martha it was a gas leak that sparked it.”

“Did she believe you?”

“Maybe. I doubt it. She’s going to write me up for not going back to work this morning, despite me telling her I was injured.She claims I’m causing problems because she has to reassign my cases.”

“For one day? Even the rest of the week wouldn’t be that bad. Couldn’t you reschedule things or ask someone to cover for you rather than have them reassigned?”

“One would think. I don’t know why she’s being like this unless someone’s forcing her hand. But her voice sounds like she sincerely means it all. I warned her if she persisted in writing me up for unsubstantiated claims and blatant lies—apparently, someone filed another conduct complaint for me today, but it was while I was unconscious—then I’ll go to the DSS commissioner and the HRA. Cormac, she knows who my family is from my background check. She can’t know the extent, but she knows they’re cartel. She knows you’re mob. She claims my connection to you is the reason for these problems.”

“They could be.”

“Maybe. I suspect it’s more personal than that. Something changed within her when you and I got together. It’s like she’s the one punishing me for being with you. I think she’s the one making shit up.”

“I suspected that, and I asked Sean to look into it. So far, nothing is turning up from anyone besides her. The IP address for the first claim doesn’t match your office, her house, or her phone. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t her. She could have a VPN.”

“She does. It makes it cheaper for her to speak to her family in Mexico and Guatemala.”

“I’ll have Sean check that out. Are you hungry or thirsty?”

---