Page 12 of Duke of Ruin

I glance around as I wait by the docks in Old Harbor. The fact that Eli has an apartment here makes me much more nervous. If he finds me out here he may just kill me, or have his family do it. Finally, Detective Rossi pulls up in his beat-up sedan. I quickly hop into the passenger seat.

“What have you got for me, kid?” Rossi asks. His silver-streaked hair is gelled to his scalp, and I can see my reflection in his sunglasses.

I intend to tell him about Eli’s apartment and try to set up a different meeting space, but something stops me.

“Well?” Rossi asks roughly.

“Here. This is what I’ve learned so far,” I tell him as I hand him my notebook. “I don’t think there’s much we can do with it legally, since most of it’s hearsay.”

“Hearsay will get you further than you think when it’s a cop’s word against a bunch of thugs,” Rossi grumbles as he thumbs through my handwritten notes.

“I don’t want to bank on that, though,” I say carefully. I don’t want him to know how badly I’ve compromised this mission.

“I guess so,” Rossi says. “I’ve been fighting for so long to bring these guys down. It’s hard to stay patient.”

“I get that,” I answer. It’s the truth. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. “From what I gathered at the dinner last night, there are a few meetings happening soon. They were pretty cryptic about it, but I believe I have the details in here.” I take the notebook and flip to the last page, where I detailed the conversations I overheard at the table last night.

“This is good work, kid. I know it’s got to be hard spending all your time with a scumbag like Eli Carbone,” Rossi says as he takes pictures of my notebook with his phone.

I fight the urge to defend Eli to this man. It wouldn’t do any good anyway, and would likely get me pulled from the operation. So I just shrug in response.

“It’ll be worth it in the end, trust me,” Rossi says, and I look down at my hands. Rossi cuts his eyes over to me beneath his glasses. “Don’t get attached, kid. Remember who we’re dealing with.”

Anger roils in my stomach. “You think I could forget?” I snap, more harshly than I intended.

“Easy, Sorrento. I know what it’s like to be undercover,” he says with a glare. Sorrento is my legal name, the one given to us when we went into witness protection, and it grates on my nerves. “Focus on the endgame. That’s the only way to get through.” I cut my eyes over to him, my lips pressed tight.

“I’ve got this,” I growl through clenched teeth.

“I know you do,” Rossi says with a shrug. “Get back to school.”

I huff as I open the door and get out. Rossi can be such a condescending asshole. He’s not wrong, though. I’m letting my feelings for Eli cloud my judgment. Even if he is innocent, there are always casualties…like my mother. Rossi speeds away, the busted-up Honda creaking and clanking into the distance. I pull out my phone and call a cab; they’re harder to find here in Old Harbor. I keep my eyes open as I wait and I notice a familiar face on the corner, but before I can get a good look the person is gone. I must be getting jumpy.

The cab finally arrives and takes me back to my apartment. I glance around again, the flash of a person in Old Harbor like an itch in my brain. Across the street I see someone, and I’m almost sure it’s Eli’s father. A university bus passes between us, and then he’s gone. I shake my head. I must be getting paranoid. I can’t let this get to me so much or I’m going to lose my mind, or at least my nerve.

As I swipe my card to let me into the main entrance, I think I see his reflection in the window. I spin around, but no one is there. I must be losing it. I quickly open the door and get inside. When I turn to look back out through the glass, there’s nothing out of the ordinary. I pull out my phone to call Rossi. Eli’s father made that comment about my eyes, which I’ve been told I inherited from my father. Is it possible he recognized me? Surely not, that was almost twenty years ago. I step into the elevator and look down at my phone. Rossi’s number is pulled up. His contact info is saved as Uncle Rich, and if that’s not obvious I don’t know what is.

When I exit the elevator on my floor, though, I’ve changed my mind. I press the button to make another call.

Eli answers after the second ring.

“Hey, I saw something strange and got a little spooked. What are you doing?” I tell him quickly.

“What happened?” The worry in his voice is palpable. This is so stupid—so, so stupid. I should have called Rossi to get me the hell out of here.

I quickly relay what I think I saw, though I tell him that I was grabbing lunch on campus rather than talking to my handler in Old Harbor. The line is quiet for a moment as Eli considers what I’ve said.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” he says, and ends the call. That’s probably not smart either, but I feel relieved. I quickly empty my pockets and put everything potentially incriminating, including my sidearm, back into my safe and make sure it’s hidden. I’ve given Rossi my notebook, so I don’t have to worry about that until I start a new one. I stare at my phone for a few seconds and debate calling him anyway, but I don’t. Even if there’s not a real threat, he’d probably pull me out. He still looks at me like I’m a dumb teenager, and I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m going to screw this up. I won’t give him the satisfaction of being right.

I get up and start pacing the small room while I wait for Eli. I consider all the possible implications. Most likely I’m just being paranoid, saw someone of Italian descent, and jumped to the conclusion that it was the Carbones out to get me. Especially the first sighting in Old Harbor. Even if the second one was Eli’s father, it would only make sense for the family to check up on me since I’ve become so close to him. As long as I maintain my cover and act normal, it shouldn’t be a problem. Worst case, my cover’s blown and they’ll fabricate an accident to make sure I can’t talk. I’d be willing to take that risk for the sake of the operation, but my mom and sister would be devastated if anything happened to me.

I hear a soft knock at my door. I glance through the peephole and make sure it’s Eli before I open it. He quickly pushes through and looks around my apartment, like he’s expecting someone in his family to already be inside.

“You okay?” he asks when he finally focuses on me.

“Yeah, I think I’m just being paranoid,” I say with a casual shrug. Eli’s bright green eyes narrow at me. “I’m glad you’re here, though.”

“I would say I’m flattered, but I don’t think I believe you,” Eli says with a smirk.

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