Page 12 of Deadly Target
“Frangelico. Haven’t you had it before?”
“Not that I’m aware of. You know me, I’m more of a beer guy.”
After she broke a few eggs into the skillet, she poured him some juice. Then she put ice, a squirt of lime, and a couple shots of the liquor into a separate glass and set both in front of him.
“Frangelico for breakfast?” He chuckled. “Guess it’s five o’clock somewhere.”
She popped two slices of bread into the toaster. Taz sat patiently, watching the food prep. She passed him a piece and he gobbled it down. “I assume you’re familiar with the Suarez Kings?”
His expression turned curious. “Of course.”
“I heard from a source that Gino DeStefano and Frankie Molina are trying to take over the cartel for the Fifty-seven Gang. Various law enforcement officials are making this difficult for him, and Gino has no qualms about removing those obstacles. I didn’t get a specific name, but I wondered if you, or one of your taskforces, was leading the charge and might be a target.”
“The DEA and FBI have been trying to infiltrate the Suarez cartel for the past eighteen months to no avail. We know someone has been putting heat on the cartel, and there’s been several bloodbaths between them and the Kings, but we’ve been focused on the cartel itself. Didn’t realize it was a mob versus cartel war.”
“I didn’t either. Molina is pretty sneaky and crafty, and I’m guessing DeStefano is trying to accomplish the takeover on the down low.”
Victor nodded. “We shut it down, Gino’s got nothing. Again. He and some of his cronies have been trying to establish themselves in California for the past several years, as you know, but haven’t gotten a true foothold in the drug biz. They haven’t had much success in general, from what I understand, probably because of you.”
He smiled at her, his tone teasing.
“Just doing my job,” she said, ignoring the pride she felt at his acknowledgment. Maybe that wasn’t the right word. Self-respect was more like it. She knew the mob from the inside out, and how to use that to her advantage when it came to stopping them. It was her duty, her responsibility, and she took it seriously.
The eggs were done, so she put them on a plate on the back of the stovetop to keep warm and started frying the sausage. Four pieces of perfectly browned toast popped up, and she buttered them while her thoughts ran in circles. Should she tell him what Alfie said? It was a lead, but a very slim one, and at this point she had nothing to link the information to the shooting. “And you’re sure Cooper has never crossed paths with DeStefano or his gang in conjunction with the cartel?”
“I assume if you thought there was a connection, you already checked.”
She shrugged, flipping sausage. “Not every FBI operation is open access to marshals, and I get it if you can’t share details. I just have a feeling…”
He took a drink of the orange juice. “I didn’t have a chance to double-check the records regarding Harris and DeStefano, yet, but I will.”
“Also the Kings, okay?”
“Of course.” He watched her carefully. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Wow. He was good. She kept her eyes on the skillet. “My source claims Frankie is going after whoever stands in Gino’s way. Like I mentioned before, it might include the law enforcement officer he credits for blocking his takeover attempts.”
He tried the other drink, seemed to like it better, and took a second sip. “But you don’t have a name or know the branch this law enforcement officer works for?”
Anytime you used informants, they could—and often did—lead you on a wild goose chase. Anytime one of them did not give up specific details, it made you question the validity of the intel.
She drained the sausage. Taking down a clean plate, she placed two eggs, two pieces of toast, and two sausages on it, handing the fixings across the bar to Victor. “I’m working on it.”
“I appreciate the heads up, and I get where you’re going with it—that Cooper may be the target,” he said. The fact it was basically worthless information without specifics didn’t seem to bother him. Or maybe he was just being kind, as usual. “I appreciate the breakfast too.”
She made a second plate for herself and sat next to him. Taz joined them, taking residence under her chair. A small sausage might have slipped off her plate and landed in front of him and he gobbled it up, her partner in crime.
As she and Victor dug into their food, she realized she’d never had a man over for a meal before. Hell, she couldn’t remember having any man, outside of a couple contractors, inside. She snuck a sip of Victor’s orange juice, cutting a glance his way. He didn’t complain, but moved the iced Frangelico out of her reach, giving her a grin.
It felt so right having him here, talking work, sharing a meal. So…normal.
The thought scared the sin right out of her.
“I will alert my teams about your info,” he said. “And I’ll check with the DEA, just to be sure Cooper never worked a case involving the Fifty-seven Gang, DeStefano, or Molina before he joined my taskforce.”
A brief feeling of relief spread through her. Victor hadn’t blown off her concern or simply placated her. He was taking this seriously. “Thank you.”
They finished in companionable silence. When he began to clean the dishes, she stopped him and led him to her bathroom, grabbing his overnight bag on the way. She started the tub filling and got out a clean toothbrush for him. “You wash up, and I’ll be back shortly.”
