Tommy Lapizzi was still half-asleep when Big Tony and Sonny climbed into the back of the limousine. He had been Big Tony's driver for the past two years and was hoping to become a soldier before too long. He hated days like this when he had to get up before the chickens. Fortunately, for him, he only did this two to three times a week when the Boss and Sonny made their warehouse rounds. He raised the gla.s.s part.i.tion as he drove the car down the driveway. Although he was an a.s.sociate, he still was not privy to the business dealings going on in the backseat.

Big Tony lit his morning cigar. "How much you say he's in for?"

"Twenty Gs," Sonny answered.

"I think it's time you and the boys have a little talk with Richie."

Rheyna and Annie had risen early and set out for their morning walk along the beach. She was surprised to see that Caroline was still sleeping when they returned.

Annie finished her breakfast and then took her place at Rheyna's feet while she read the newspaper, or so Rheyna thought. She glanced up to see Annie standing eye level with Caroline's face, her tail wagging back and forth.

"No, Annie," was all Rheyna managed to get out before Annie licked Caroline across the face. Caroline's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled.

Annie took this as an invitation. She stood up with her front legs on the couch and hovered above Caroline. Most people would have pushed her away, but not Caroline. To Annie's delight, Caroline grabbed her with both hands and leaned up to plant a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"And good morning to you, too, Miss Annie," she said, swinging her legs around to sit up on the couch. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked up to see Rheyna watching her.

"Would you like that cup of coffee now?" Rheyna asked.

"I would love a cup and maybe a couple of aspirins, too, please."

Rheyna poured her a cup and handed it to her before going into the bathroom to retrieve the aspirins.

Caroline took the pills, tossed her head back, and swallowed them. "Thank you," she said, her cheeks turning red. "I'm a little embarra.s.sed. I don't usually drink that much."

"You were a good girl," Rheyna a.s.sured her.

"Are you sure?"

"Scout's honor," she said with a wink, holding up two fingers.

"That's too bad," Caroline said.

She's flirting with me, Rheyna thought, and this time, there was no mistaking the twinkle in Caroline's eyes.

Caroline picked her shoes up off the floor. "d.a.m.n. If my dad finds out, he'll make Joey drive me everywhere again."

"Who's Joey?"

"He's my driver."

"You have a driver?"

Caroline finished tying the laces on her shoes and stood up. "Yes, and I'm not supposed to go anywhere without him, except when I'm at Haven."

Rheyna tried to picture Joey. "I don't think I've met him."

"Yeah, you did. He was one of the guys who searched you when you came to the house."

Rheyna thought back to the two heavily armed guards and wondered which one of them was Joey.

Caroline grabbed her keys off the coffee table. "I've got to get going. I still have to shower and get to Haven. When's Annie's next appointment?" she asked.

"Next Tuesday."

"Depending on how well her leg's healing, we might be able to take that cast off earlier than we originally thought."

"That would be great," Rheyna said as she followed her out to her car.

Caroline opened the car door and slid behind the wheel. She rolled the window down. "It's usually not that quick for most. In Annie's case, she was extremely lucky, and her breaks were clean." She started up the car. "I guess I'll see you two this weekend." Caroline smiled at the surprised look on Rheyna's face. "Don't worry, I wasn't so drunk that I didn't remember our boating date," she said with a laugh.

"I wasn't thinking that at all," Rheyna lied.

"What were you thinking, then?" she asked.

"I was thinking that I'd like for you to tell Terasa that I'll drop the photos off tomorrow."

Caroline grinned at Rheyna as she backed the car out of the drive.

Big Tony watched the flurry of activity going on inside the Baysh.o.r.e warehouse. Two large forklift tow-motors took turns unloading pallets of boxes from the tractor-trailer sitting against the dock door.

Sonny motioned for him to come over to a table where several men were busy opening large boxes and repacking them into smaller ones. Using his pocketknife, Sonny sliced the lid open on one of the small boxes and pulled out a six-inch ceramic owl. He handed the figurine to Big Tony. Big Tony turned the little figurine around in his hand. It looked like a tacky little "Made in China" knickknack that could be found at a local flea market for a buck or two. Big Tony ran his thumb over the owl's eyes-the gla.s.s b.a.l.l.s were gone-replaced with diamonds.

He nodded his head in approval. "Very nice," he said, handing the owl back to the worker to be repackaged.

He and Sonny walked toward the office on the far side of the warehouse. A short, bald man sporting a black goatee came out from behind the desk to greet them. He grinned at the men.

"So what'ya think, Tony? Nice, huh?" he asked.

Big Tony patted him on the back. "Yeah, Charlie, they're real nice and definitely one of your best ideas yet."

Sonny dropped down on the seat near the door and lit a cigarette.

Charlie looked at Sonny and shook his head. "Man, those cancer sticks're gonna kill ya."

Sonny took a long drag from the cigarette and smiled. "If I could only be so f.u.c.kin' lucky."

Big Tony stepped around the desk and sat down in Charlie's chair. He looked through the paperwork. "What's our take?" he asked, looking at Charlie.

Charlie twisted his goatee hairs between his finger and thumb and calculated the numbers in his head. "After L.A., I'd say about 2.5 mil."

Sonny flipped off the ashes from his cigarette. "How soon's it s.h.i.+pping?"

"Tomorrow morning. I have two more s.h.i.+pments due in on Friday."

"Same stuff?" Big Tony asked before lighting the end of his cigar. He reached in his breast pocket and offered one to Charlie.

Charlie shook his head. "One is. The other's rubies, coming from Sierra Leone. Both are worth about the same, though."

Big Tony stood up from the chair and tugged at the ends of his suit jacket. Sonny and Charlie got up and followed him out to the waiting limo.

Big Tony slid onto the backseat and rolled the window down. "Give me a call when the next s.h.i.+pment arrives."

"Will do," Charlie said, and then turned to go back into the warehouse.

Big Tony tapped on the window separating the driver from the rear of the car. Tommy lowered the part.i.tion. He looked at the men through the rearview mirror.

"Time for lunch, Tommy."

Tommy nodded and raised the part.i.tion.

Big Tony re-lit his cigar and turned to Sonny. "Speaking of food, what time's dinner?"

"Six sharp."

Chapter 13.

Laura tossed a bag of hamburgers and fries down on the desk in front of Stevens. He smiled gratefully and removed his headphones. He jerked out the headphone jack and turned up the volume k.n.o.b so they could both hear the conversation going on over at Pal Joey's.

"Anything good?" she asked.

"If you wanna learn about cars," he answered, taking a bite out of the hamburger.

"Are you serious? Cars again?"

He nodded and took another bite of the sandwich. "I swear, that's all they freaking talk about." He dipped a couple of fries in the ketchup. "Did you know that the frame for the 2006 Ford Sport Trac is the same one used in the 2007 model, except that its wheel base was extended 16.8 inches or that the 2005 Escalade has two recalls-one for the transmission and one for the second-row center seat belt or-"

Laura held up her hand for him to stop. "Okay, okay. I get the point. How long have they been at it?"

He glanced down at his watch. "Since noon and it's now six."

"Have we got anything from Castrucci's office?"

He shook his head. "h.e.l.l, no. They've been here all day."

Henry Venutti and Jay Farino sat at the corner of West First and Spring Street in silence, watching the front entrance to Little Vic's Delicatessen.

"Show time," Jay announced, nudging Henry's arm and nodding across the street.

A blue Chevy Blazer pulled up in front of the deli and came to a stop. Henry turned the key and started the engine. He put it in drive and slowly turned the corner, pulling the van up next to the Blazer's driver-side door before stopping.

Paulie and Georgie, the occupants inside the blazer, never stood a chance. The AK-47 bullets ripped through the car like a sheet of paper, creating a drone of noise so loud, it easily drowned out the screams of innocent bystanders, scrambling for cover on the opposite side of the car.

It was over in an instant. The van slowly pulled away and disappeared around the corner as quietly as it had arrived.

Rheyna had just finished printing off the photos Terasa had chosen and was inserting them into an envelope when a live-breaking news report on the TV got her attention. She turned up the volume to hear the man holding a microphone in front of his face.

"I'm James Styles and I'm at the scene here in front of Little Vic's Delicatessen, where two men were brutally killed as they sat in their vehicle."

Directly behind him was the blue Chevy Blazer. Part of the driver's side window had been shot out, and what remained was covered with blood spatter. The driver's side door and fenders were riddled with bullet holes. It looked like a slice of Swiss cheese. The driver's body lay against the steering wheel.

The camera operator zoomed in for a close-up view. Rheyna could see that he had taken several shots to the head and upper body. The camera then followed the reporter around the front of the car and stopped next to the pa.s.senger-side, where another man, still wearing his seatbelt, lay slumped against the window.

In the background, police officers could be seen cordoning off the area and pus.h.i.+ng a group of curious onlookers back.

The reporter looked directly at the camera. "Witnesses claim that a grey panel van pulled up next to the men and opened fire with what sounded like a machine gun."

That would definitely explain the amount of bullet holes, she thought to herself.

The reporter continued speaking as a police officer pushed him outside the tape perimeter. "An anonymous source with the Los Angeles Crime Division stated that the two men in the vehicle were identified as George Fabrizio and Paul Moceri."

Rheyna recognized the names instantly. She knew what he was going to say next.

"Both men were suspected of working for reputed Mob Boss Carlos Ma.s.sino."

She turned off the TV and leaned back against the couch. She knew this was a dangerous operation from the beginning, but hearing the news report brought home the crude fact of reality and the seriousness of her situation.

Once again, she felt that black pit in her stomach. There was no doubt in her mind that somehow, Castrucci was responsible for those two men's death. That proved he was willing to do anything to get what he wanted, and she was determined to be the one who nailed his a.s.s to the wall.

Sonny sauntered toward the back of the alley and stopped beneath the street lamp. He rubbed the right side of his temple with his fingers as Henry and Farino dragged Ritchie into the alley.

They stopped in front of Sonny. Farino slammed Richie up against the wall, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Richie gasped for several seconds, trying to catch his breath.

Sonny grabbed him by the hair and lifted his head up to face him. "Where's my money, Richie?"

"I ... I'll have it ... have it in the morning, Sonny," Richie said, struggling to get the words out.

Sonny slapped him across the face, splitting his upper lip. "I gave you twenty-four hours. Where's my f.u.c.king money?"

Richie spit a mouthful of blood on the ground. "Please, Sonny ... I swear I'll have it in the morning," he pleaded.