Page 15 of The Players

She also had to sort out the mess of the dead guy and the eerie note…

It took her just one phone call and a thirty-minute ride to meet her friend Tess at the Farmer’s Market. The market at the Ferry Building was her favorite, catering to a big selection of fresh produce. Some people turned to alcohol, gambling, or binge-eating when they were sad and depressed. For her, it had always been cooking and baking.

She paid the cab driver and checked her bag for pepper spray. It was something she did obsessively ever since the threats. It was a paltry defense if someone were to shoot her, but it was better than nothing. Raul called again, sounding worried, as he always did nowadays. It took some convincing to have him not follow after her. This was something she needed to do on her own. Besides, she still had a solid ten hours before either Morelli or Keegan would make good on their threat.

The lusciously filled food stalls and the scent of wood-fired pizza wafted her way, making her salivate.

It would take at least half an hour before Tess would arrive. Strolling around the food stalls brought back fond memories of hernonna. Sometimes she wished she was a little girl again, when her biggest concern of the day was to choose what she wanted hernonnato bake for her.

She ordered a cup of java at a coffee shop while waiting for Tess. Whenever she needed to get a better scope on things, she just sat in a secluded corner and pretended she was sitting at the edge of the world.

“Hi there, Car Car.” Tess gave her a hug as she put down her postman bag she always seemed to be carrying with her.

With her black gloves and strands of pink hair, Tess looked like a mash-up between an eighties punker and geek.

“Hi. It’s so good to see you. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.”

“Anytime, for you.” Tess grabbed a menu. “I’m starving. That piece of leftover pizza this morning does not make a good breakfast. Oh! They have bumblebee pie. So, what’s up?”

“I need help,” Carmen confessed.

While she contemplated how much she wanted to tell her friend, the waitress came by to take their order.

When she left, Tess drew closer. “Since we’re here without the rest of the crew, I’m thinking you have something serious going on. Is it guy trouble?” she fake whispered.

“You’re spot on,” Carmen whispered back. “But it’s not the kind of guy trouble you’d think. I actually havefourguys after me.”

Tess’ eyes widened. “How about that. Go, Carmen. Take ’em all!”

“Small problem though.” Carmen cleared her throat. “Two of them will kill me if I don’t hand either one of them over my casinos. The other two, well, that’s a bit more complex. Honestly, at least with Morelli and Keegan, I know what they’re after.” She told Tess about the twenty-four-hour deadline and Franco’s cursed legacy.

The waitress came with their order, and Tess was still in thinking mode. She took a big gulp of her drink. “So, let me get this straight. If you sell the casino to Morelli, this Irish dude, Keegan, will take a hit on you. And if you sell it to Keegan, Morelli will come after you. Why haven’t you called me before?” She sounded offended.

“I didn’t want to get you involved. Also, you have other things on your mind. Last we spoke, you were still trying to locate your sister. I figured that would take up all your time. If I’d met my long-lost evil twin, who went AWOL on me, I’d want some answers too.”

Tess pulled a face. “We’re not twins.”

“Potato, poh-tah-to.” Both sisters were genius hackers, and had an immense sense of justice. Though, she guessed Onyx was more after revenge.

“Regardless,” Tess said, frowning. “I’m here now. You should’ve told me before. That’s what friends are for.”

True. Except Tess had a tendency to go DEFCON nuclear on someone’s ass when trying to help her friends. That was just the kind of person she was. “I know. And I love you to pieces for it, but I can’t put anyone else in danger.”

Tess lifted a finger. “Speaking of danger and dangerous people. Why exactly haven’t you asked Gio for help yet? I mean, he’s your brother-in-law after all, and one scary dude. I’m not sure how high the other two players rank on badass gangsters board, but my bet would be on Gio any time of the day.”

If only it were that simple. “I can’t risk him going to war for me. He wouldn’t have another choice with Jazzy being my sister. If he doesn’t help me, she’s crazy enough to storm into a mafia war herself.”

“That’s our Jazzy,” Tess said with a grin.

“She can’t be that Jazzy anymore. You know she’s pregnant.”

That reminder sobered Tess up quickly. “Still, if this Morelli dude hurts you, Gio will get involved regardless.” Her eyes widened as if having a light bulb moment. “Why don’t you go to Vince? He knows—”

“No! Remember when I mentioned four guys? Well, Vince is kind of the second part of those four guys. He already offered me his protection.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t you start with that? Vince is vicious. Even more so than Gio, in some cases. He’ll have your back.”

Oh, if only you knew…

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