His final text was to Pepper and Misty. The girls had a special role in the little charade they were about to pull, one that required them to get face-to-face with Grimes and distract him. Grimes was many things, but a rube was not one of them. If Grimes suspected that Pepper and Misty were trying to trick him, he’d haul them both in.
You ladies ready?
Primed and willing. When do we go on?
Pepper texted back.
Soon
Billy looked up. Grimes was marching toward him with a snarling look on his already ugly puss. The cell phone was balanced on his leg, and he flipped it so the screen was facing down and dropped it on the passenger seat. He rested both hands on the steering wheel.
Grimes stuck his head into the driver’s open window. “What are you doing?”
“Enjoying the beautiful outdoors,” he said.
“Don’t be a smart-ass. I saw you looking in your lap. Admiring your junk?”
“It’s worth admiring, or so I’m told.”
“Very funny. Did Broken Tooth contact you?”
“Not yet.”
Grimes breathed his foul breath on Billy’s face. Every cop he’d encountered, from the streets of Providence to the fancy casinos of Vegas, spouted noxious breath that could not be quelled by Tic Tacs or vigorous mouthwash. Billy had decided that it was a by-product of the job. Dealing with lowlifes and miscreants created a bile-producing creature in the stomach that simply could not be quelled.
“Then who are you texting? Your crew?” Grimes asked.
“I wasn’t texting and I don’t have a crew.”
“You’d better not be messing with me.”
Truth ran both ways. Right now, Billy wasn’t feeling any, and he exploded. “How do I know you’re not messing with me? How do I know that you won’t shoot Broken Tooth and then turn your gun on me? Or have one of your men do it?”
“Don’t think I haven’t considered it,” Grimes said, playing tough.
“But you won’t?”
“No sir.”
“Like I should trust you? Right.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you, Billy, and on that you have my word. I need you to stand up in front of a judge and tell him the story you told me. Otherwise, I don’t have a case.”
“You’re not going to waste me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
It was just like Mags had said. Grimes was determined to get that promotion, even if it meant getting in bed with his worst enemy, which happened to be Billy.
“But don’t think that changes things between us,” Grimes said. “If I catch you doing anything funny before this bust goes down, I’ll drag you out of that fancy sports car and kick your ass until your nose bleeds. Am I making myself clear?”
“Loud and clear.”
Billy’s cell phone vibrated on the passenger seat. “This is Billy,” he answered.
“This is Broken Tooth,” the caller said. “I’ve got the five hundred grand. You ready?”
“I’m ready.”
“Good. You know Joyful House restaurant on Spring Mountain Road?”
It was the same restaurant where Cory and Morris had spotted Broken Tooth’s henchman picking up take-out food. “I’ve heard of it,” he said.
“Be in the parking lot in thirty minutes. Don’t be late.”
“We’re going to do the exchange in the parking lot? We could get robbed.”
“Don’t be stupid. My men will meet you, bring you here. Then we’ll do exchange.”
“Got it. I’m leaving right now.”
There was silence on the line. Billy went rigid in his seat. He’d screwed up. The previous two times he’d spoken with Broken Tooth, he’d demanded that Broken Tooth put Leon on the line to confirm that his driver was still alive. Billy hadn’t done that this time, and he felt certain that Broken Tooth had picked up on the discrepancy.
“But first I want to speak with my driver,” he added.
“Your driver is taking a nap,” Broken Tooth said.
“Wake him up. If I don’t talk to my driver, our deal is off.”
“Don’t argue with me!”
“Do it, or I’ll hang up on you.”
Broken Tooth dropped the phone on a table, the sound like an explosion in Billy’s ear. He glanced at Grimes. The special agent was not happy with this development and started to voice his displeasure. Billy silenced him with a finger to the lips. Leon came on the line.
“Hello?” His driver’s speech was slurred.
“Hey, Leon, it’s me, Billy. You don’t sound so hot. You okay?”
“They beat the shit out of me.”
“What did you do this time?”
“They like to watch Chinese TV on their smartphones. Some stupid variety show. There was a girl singing off-key, so I asked them to turn the volume down.”
“How bad did they beat you up?”
“Can’t see out of my left eye, and my ribs are busted. I think my nose is broken, too.”
“I’m going to get you out of there, man. That’s a promise.”
“You better hurry up, because I can’t take much more of this.”
Broken Tooth came back on the line. “You satisfied?”
“Why did you have to hurt him?”
“Your driver’s got a big mouth. Lucky to be alive. Joyful House on Spring Mountain Road. Be there in thirty or my men will kill your driver.”
“Don’t do that.”
The call ended. Billy dropped the phone into his lap and used his hands to massage his face. It hurt him to hear Leon sounding so bad. Grimes touched Billy’s sleeve.
“If it makes you feel better, I can have an ambulance waiting nearby.”
He stared into the special agent’s face. There was a tinge of compassion beneath the ugly that hadn’t been there before. Like the criminals they chased, cops’ souls were often scorched beyond repair or healing. Grimes had fallen far, but he hadn’t fallen all the way.
“That would be great,” he said.
Grimes made a phone call to arrange for an ambulance to be at the ready. Ending the call, he hustled over to where his posse was gathered. The gaming agents piled into the van and followed Billy out of the parking lot.
As Billy drove to Joyful House, he used one hand to send his crew a group text telling them the rescue was on. Hitting “Send,” he realized his hand was shaking. He’d never been more scared in his life, and he tossed his phone on the passenger seat and stared at the road.
Thirty-Seven
Joyful House was the anchor tenant of the Spring Oaks Plaza Shopping Center and advertised itself as one of the country’s top fifty Chinese restaurants. Vegas did not believe in zoning, and the center also housed a discount furniture store, a gun shop, and a massage parlor.
Dinnertime and the parking lot was nearly full. Billy took a space away from the restaurant’s entrance, by the street, while the gaming board’s van parked in front of the gun store with Grimes at the wheel. The plaza was a hub of activity, and the van blended in nicely.
Billy’s crew arrived in three vehicles and parked across the street in front of a store called Psychic Castles, which sold lucky charms and crystals. Cory and Morris drove their Infiniti SUV, Gabe his old diesel Mercedes, the girls a sexy red BMW that Pepper had recently bought.
Everyone ready? he texted.
His crew responded with a chorus of thumbs-up emojis. A minute later, Broken Tooth’s henchmen pulled into the lot in their rental, parked in a handicapped spot by the restaurant’s front door, and got out. Their knuckles sported flesh-covered Band-Aids, which Billy guessed were a result of the bashing they’d given poor Leon.
One of the bodyguards wore a man bun. He called for Billy to stay put and entered the restaurant with his partner. Billy’s cell phone rang, and he grabbed it off the passenger seat.