Nico (Ruin & Revenge #1)(33)
He had given ten years of his life to bringing down the mob. Ten years, three relationships, and the first six years of his daughter’s life. And until the triple hit on the three bosses, it had been worth it. But now two of those bosses were dead, and most of the evidence about the murders, assaults, arson, extortion, kidnappings, and racketeering he’d collected over the years was worthless. Locking up the bosses would have made the Las Vegas Cosa Nostra crumble from within as everyone turned rat to flee the sinking ships. Nothing could decimate an organization faster than a loss of trust.
“The higher-ups need intel on the new administration that’s gonna take over,” Jack said. “They also want to know who had the balls to pull the trigger. So far we’ve got nothing. The murder weapon was found a couple blocks away. No prints. No registration number. Forensics got nothing in the alley where it was dumped. We’ve got no witnesses to the crime.”
“You think they’re gonna tell me? I’m not a made man.” Ben sipped his now cold coffee, wincing at the bitter taste.
“We have faith in you, Ben. You’ve gone deeper than anyone in the department ever has.” Jack hesitated, the coffee cup near his lips. “Maybe too deep.”
“Fuck that.”
“You got a written report for me?” Jack lifted an eyebrow, and Ben shrugged.
“No time.” He’d given up filing reports a long time ago, unable to commit the betrayal of his crew to writing. Now he just gave Jack brief selective verbal updates that would satisfy his obligations but keep his capo and crew out of the line of fire.
Jack sucked in his lips and let out a long breath. “I’m getting pressure from above. They need to know what’s going on.”
“I’ll get something to you next week.” Fuck. He was so done with this. Living a lie, answering to a different name, struggling to stay on the straight and narrow when he’d spent ten years living in the gray.
“I’ll make sure everyone understands you want out. And they’re not asking for years, here. Just a couple of months, and then you’ll be free.”
Ben leaned back in his seat and sighed. Of course he wouldn’t just walk away. He’d been a policeman since he turned eighteen, fulfilling a dream he’d had for as long as he could remember. His dad had been cop before he’d been killed in the line of duty—a single parent after Ben’s mom died giving birth. With no relatives to look after him, Ben had wound up in foster care, but law enforcement had been his dream—a way of keeping the memory of his father alive. Sticking with the job was the right thing to do. The honorable thing. And if it meant he could also protect his boss, and his closest friends in his crew, well, that would be okay, too. “Okay. But if I hear anything about getting made, I’m walking away.”
“Good man.”
“I got a personal favor to ask, though.” He wrapped his hands around the cup to warm them, although his coffee had long gone cold. “This is just between you and me. If it’s not something you can do personally, then tell me, and I’ll find another way.”
Instantly serious, Jack nodded. “Anything. All these years you never asked for a favor and you got plenty owed to you.”
“I told you before, Ginger’s taken up with a new guy, Gabe. I got a bad feeling about this dude. Gut instinct has kept me alive all these years. Don’t like how he treats Ginger. Don’t like how he looks at my little girl. Can you check into him? See if he has any priors? Any connections? I’ve been a shit dad, but if he’s a danger to my little girl, I want to get her out.”
“Leave it with me,” Jack said. “I’ll see if we can send Social Services around.”
“You guys need a refill?” The waitress stopped at their cracked Formica table, holding her coffee pot above the booth. Shy and pretty, with long blond hair she wore in a ponytail, and wide blue eyes, she rarely engaged them in conversation although she’d been serving them for years.
“That would be great, sweetheart. Thanks.” Ben pushed his cup along the table, and she filled it up.
“Everything okay here?” Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. Damn she was cute.
“We’re good. Just need the bill.” Ben gave her a smile. If things hadn’t been so crazy, he would have chatted with her a little more, tried to find out how come a pretty girl like her was working the graveyard shift for three long years, but he didn’t even have enough time for Daisy much less for pursuing a woman he couldn’t have. And look how it turned out last time.
“One day, I’m gonna have a woman like her,” Ben said after she left the bill on the table. “Pretty. Soft and sweet. I’ll have a normal life, nice house. Daisy and a couple more kids.”
Jack snorted a laugh. “You’d be bored. You’re an adrenaline junkie, Ben. This job is your fix. There’s only a certain kind of man who could do what you’ve done for ten years, and he’s not the man with a sweet wife, a nine to five job, and a white picket fence.”
“So what? I’m gonna be undercover for life?”
“I dunno.” Jack threw a few dollars on the table to cover the bill. “Maybe you get out and you want back in. Or maybe you’re already in so deep, you’re already gone.”
NINE
“So how was the funeral?” Jules looked over her shoulder when Mia walked into the office on Tuesday morning. Jules had taken Monday off to take a course at UCLA as she slowly worked toward getting her computer-science degree.