I took a drag on the stogie while considering the info. “I was told at the precinct that surveillance didn’t spot her leaving.”
“You were lied to.”
I casually exhaled a couple of smoke rings. “Why would the good detective lie?”
“To get you to do what he wanted. You know how the brass operates.”
I gazed at Moe through the spicy haze of cigar smoke. “Yes, I do. You say she was taken before she made it home. Do you know where she was staying?”
Moe hesitated for a brief second. “My daughter and I were… estranged. Dates back to an ambitious boyfriend of hers that met with an unfortunate accident. Turned out he was the nephew of a rival of mine, using his seductive skills to get inside the family. Needless to say the matter was handled, but Sophia never forgave me. Her attitude became willful and headstrong. She wanted a life outside the family, away from those who persecuted her so terribly. So I allowed her to strike out on her own, convinced she would return all the wiser once she saw the true face of the city, free from all the trappings and privilege she was accustomed to.”
I recalled some of the conversations between me and Scarlett. A stern, overbearing father. A first love shattered by a car accident. The determination to live life by her own rules. “Only she never did come back, did she?”
“No.” Flacco stared out the window. “I kept tabs on her as I could, took care of debts and small troubles when they were brought to my attention. She moved around a lot from one man to the next. I took care of some of those as well.” The glower that shadowed his eyes spoke of just how those poor bastards were taken ‘care of.’
He glanced at me. “I even knew when she became involved with you, Mick. At the time no one knew anything about you, and when it became clear you weren’t a threat, I let it be. She seemed… happy. I thought perhaps she would settle down into a modest but respectable lifestyle.”
I felt the ghost of guilt hover just out of my line of sight. “I… wish I could’ve have been the one to make her happy.”
Flacco waved away the apology. “Relationships are fragile things. We’ve all been there. I’m not faulting you for what happened. I’m trying to nail the bastard who would dare to lay a finger on my own flesh and blood.” For just a second Flacco’s eyes revealed a red-rimmed view of anguish. When he blinked, the predictable fires of anger and revenge replaced that fleeting window of vulnerability.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mick. I hear you’re the wrong man to cross, but the right man to have in your corner. You and me are a lot alike in that way.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing.
Flacco stabbed his cigar my direction. “Don’t think I don’t know how that Pike situation went down. Nobody could really explain how my main crew got taken out, so Pike was blamed for the hit. I knew Pike didn’t have the stones to even whisper my name without looking over his shoulder, but I had to give him the New Haven Blues regardless. I would have looked weak and inefficient if I didn’t rub him out.”
I tried not to sweat as Flacco weighed me with his bulldog eyes. “But we both know my hand was forced, don’t we, Mick?”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing.
“Looks like the cat’s got his tongue, Moe.” Electra spoke in an offhand, lazy tone. “Want me to cut it out for you?”
I never saw her pull the long, ivory-handled folding razor, but it suddenly gleamed in her hand. She snapped it open it with a flourish, drawing closer. I tried not to flinch when the cold, razor edge rested against my cheek.
“Looks like you did a good job making yourself presentable.” Her breathy whisper was hot and sweet when it tickled my ear. “But we can always find a spot you missed.” The razor slowly slid down my jaw, just at the point of drawing blood. I froze when it rested at my throat, knowing an awkward swallow would put some pretty bad stains on my collar.
Moe raised a questioning eyebrow. “I’d start talking if I were you, Mick. Nate says he knows you, so I’d hate for you to get on Electra’s naughty list. Electra, why don’t you let Mick talk in a more comfortable manner? See?”
Electra’s lips puckered in a sensual pout. We were close enough to kiss, but that was about the last thing I wanted from the Black Widow. She smiled regretfully as she drew back, snapping the razor back into folding position. I had to stop myself from touching my neck to see if she drew blood. I steadied my nerves by taking a heavy drag on the cigar instead. I ended up coughing like a rube, but it was still better than a bloody smile in my neck.
I shakily exhaled smoke and ignored their amused smirks. “All right, Moe. You wanna know how the score went down?”
He gazed at me over steepled fingers. “That would be preferable.”
“Pike got on my bad side by setting up and murdering the Luzzattis, who happened to be good friends of mine. I didn’t have the firepower to take on his op, so I had to set up a sequence of events that would convince his boys to take a powder while I handled my business.”
Flacco’s eyes never blinked. “And that sequence of events happened to be framing Pike for an attack on my crew that you in fact originated, forcing me to hit the mattresses with his organization and engage in a hostile takeover. That about how it went down?”
Ben the Bear smirked, working his fingers so the tendons cracked like walnuts. No-Nose Nate shifted behind me, no doubt placing his hand on the concealed pistol in his pocket. I had forgotten about Scars because he had slunk into the shadows in the corner of the room like some half-starved vampire. His eyes glimmered with the anticipation of violence. The Black Widow wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, gazing at me with smoldering passion for something other than sex. I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know what it was. I guess a normal person would have felt pretty intimidated right about then. But I was neither.
I looked Flacco in the eyes. “Yeah, that’s how it went down. And I’m not a shade sorry for it, either. When someone crosses off folks I care about, I’ll put them down by any means necessary. I apologize if my business got mixed up in yours, but I’d do it again if the same situation repeated itself.”
Flacco stared at me for a long, stress-building moment. Then he laughed. “You see? This man has a major set. You were right, Nate. Your friend: oobatz.” He made the appropriate whirly gesture as the others laughed on cue, killing the tension in the room.
The laughter cut off as Flacco got serious, leaning over the desk. “Ok, Mick. Here’s the lay: Pike’s enterprises proved fruitful, so I benefited from your case of temporary insanity. He was eating alone anyway, didn’t want to be taxed. I would’ve had to come after him sooner or later anyway. And the crew that took the hit were animals — bad apples that were attracting too much attention. So the benefits to me outweighed the losses in your mad little caper. But whether you intended or not, you screwed me over and got away with it. The only people who know that are in this room, which is why you’re sitting there instead of being hauled out of the West River with your major set stuffed in your mouth. See? But don’t think that means you can walk around with your chest out like you’re untouchable. You’re not. From this point on until my daughter’s killer is found, you work for me. Capeesh?
I shrugged. “I got no kick with that, Moe. I was on the case regardless.”
“That’s the second reason why I’m willing to give you a pass. You’re a man that gets to the bottom of things. I remember that missing kid case — the Mannering girl. Brass was all over that, but you were the one who turned the right stones over. Got the job done. I got all kinds of operatives, but they don’t exactly have a subtle touch. But you… you got a knack for these type of situations. So you do whatever it is you do. Just make sure you report back to me. Because I’m not looking to put nobody behind bars. No deals with the brass, no lawyers, no trial. This is Omerta, you understand? Whoever made a move against my little girl is gonna pay in blood, and I want to be right there when it happens. Whether it’s a single person or an entire family, mark my words: they are going down.”