Vinnie straightened his back. “Yes, sir. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Brittney slipped her arm through her father’s and they slowly made their way to the door. “Vinnie said once the apartment renovations are finished and we get settled in, I can get a pug and name her Petunia. Petunia the pug.” Brittney giggled.
“That sounds like a real good name.”
Vito and Brittney exited the apartment, followed by Vinnie, Vito’s goons and Carlita. Mercedes made a move to follow, but Carlita quickly shook her head and motioned her to stay inside the apartment.
“I’ll go get the car boss.” One of Vito’s bodyguards strode to the end of the alley where a shiny black Cadillac Escalade blocked the alley entrance.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and then did a quick U-turn, pulling up alongside the back of the apartment building.
Vito’s other bodyguard stepped to the rear passenger door and held it open.
“I’ll see you later, Brit. Try to stay out of trouble.” Vito hugged his daughter tight and turned to his new son-in-law. “I see Brit is happy. Let’s keep it that way.”
Vito didn’t wait for a reply as he slid into the back of the luxury SUV. Vito’s goon closed the door before climbing into the front passenger seat and the vehicle drove off.
Carlita waited until they were out of sight. “That was a short visit.”
“Daddy doesn’t stay in one place for too long. He’s a very busy man.” Brittney squeezed Vinnie’s arm. “Daddy really likes you Vin. I can’t wait for him to see our penthouse apartment when it’s done.”
“Me either.”
A cold wind whipped around the side of the building and Brittney shivered. “Brr. It’s chilly out here.”
“Let’s go in.” Carlita started to follow the couple into the apartment when she heard someone holler her name. “Carlita!”
Carlita spun on her heel and spotted Elvira motioning wildly from her doorway. “You got a minute?”
“You guys go on ahead.” Carlita walked across the alley,while Vinnie and Brittney disappeared inside.
“I see you got lots of company.” Elvira nodded toward the empty alley. “That was a mighty fancy SUV that just left.” She rubbed her fingers together. “We’re talking big bucks. Cadillac Escalade ESV platinum version. That baby is a cool hundred k all day.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never bought a new vehicle. Lots of people drive expensive vehicles.” Carlita turned to go.
“Wait. That’s not what I wanted to say. It’s about the guy, the boss man.”
Carlita raised a brow. “Boss man?”
“Yeah, the one who was calling the shots. I think I heard his henchman call him Vito.”
“Yes.” Carlita nodded. “His name is Vito.”
“Yeah, well. I saw them come to the door earlier and the man, he looked very familiar. You know, like I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“And?”
“I have. It took me a few minutes to figure it out.” Elvira tapped her finger on the side of her head. “I never forget a face. It was last night. I saw him downtown with those two other men. I was passing by the dive, the Black Stallion over near the riverfront district, on my way to listen to Cool Bones at the Thirsty Crow. I saw them out front.”
Elvira glanced over Carlita’s shoulder. “I thought you might like to know I saw your son, Vinnie, too.”
Chapter 9
“You’re telling me that last night you saw my son, Vinnie, and the other men who just left in front of the Black Stallion?”
“Yeah.” Elvira nodded enthusiastically. “And the only reason I paid attention was because the men were talking to this other guy. Now that I think about it, he reminded me of Robert Towns, Shelby’s ex.”
Elvira rocked back on her heels. “I did a little nosing around cuz, like I said the other day, I suspected Robert was Shelby’s ex and he was.”
“It doesn’t mean Shelby had anything to do with her ex-husband’s death.”
“True. All of the information I’ve been able to obtain through one of my anonymous sources who works at the PD downtown leads me to believe his murder was a hired hit. Although I also heard a completely different theory and it involves Shelby.”
“A hit?”
“You know,” Elvira waved her hand in the air. “A professional hit, mafia style. I thought I should warn you that those men who just left might be mafia.”
“You have a very vivid imagination, Elvira.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. What are the chances your son shows up for a visit, the mafia-types who just left here show up and Shelby’s ex-husband is murdered all within hours of each other? Yep, it sure doesn’t look good for Shelby, finding her ex’s body and all. I heard he was staying at the Journey’s End. You ever been by that place?”
“Not that I can recall,” Carlita said.
“It’s not far from the river and not in the best part of town. Had a client who was staying there while he was in town. He said it was a shady joint.”
“I see. I hadn’t heard that tidbit of information.” Carlita glanced at her watch. “I appreciate your concern over my safety, a first for sure, and I’ll keep what you said in mind.”
She gave Elvira a curt nod and then headed across the alley. Carlita could feel Elvira’s eyes bore into the back of her head as she made her way inside. She quickly shut the door behind her and leaned her head against it.
Carlita remembered Vito pointedly asking Vinnie if he’d taken care of the “business matter.” Was Robert the business matter Vito was referring to?
Had Vinnie gotten in over his head with the family? A small sharp pain pierced Carlita’s temple and she began rubbing it. If Vinnie had murdered Robert, why? Why was Robert a target?
She remembered Shelby telling her that
