“ARE YOU SURE this is it?” Nicolai asks while pulling up across from a restaurant.
I check the message that Nev sent me. “Yeah.”
Nicolai turns off the ignition. “So, how do you want to do this?”
From here, I can see the place is full of diners.
“Should we wait until it closes?” Nicolai asks while staring at the restaurant. I don’t have the patience to sit here and wait.
“I’m feeling hungry,” I say and get out of his car.
Nicolai curses. I’m crossing the road when he catches up with me. “Lucca, keep your head.”
“I only want to talk to him.”
Nicolai reaches the front door before me, and I’m waiting for him to open it, but instead, he keeps his hand on the handle.
“There are citizens in here.”
I don’t give a fuck about citizens, but I do care about witnesses.
“Like I said, Nicolai, I’m hungry.” I slap him on the shoulder. “Stop being so serious.” He drops his hand from the door, and I open it. The heat and smell of food hits me the moment I step in.
A young blonde-haired girl stands behind a podium. “Do you have a reservation?”
I smile at her as I glance around the space. It’s easy to spot The Torpedo, who’s dining with a man who has tattoos on his neck, just like the homeless man described.
I move past the podium. “Excuse me, sir.”
I ignore the blonde’s protests that follow me. The Torpedo looks up and continues to chew his food. “It’s fine.”
The chatter behind me stops as the blonde goes back to her station. I pull a chair from a nearby table and drag it over to The Torpedo’s table. He cuts into his food like this isn’t bothering him. Nicolai joins us.
“Who the fuck are you?” the guy with the tats asks.
The Torpedo continues to chew before looking up. He beckons someone over with two fingers. “Shut it down.”
The Torpedo’s gaze lands on me. “That’s wise,” I say.
“We only want to talk,” Nicolai adds.
“Are you deaf? I asked who you are,” The Guy yaps on.
“Who I am doesn’t matter,” I tell him.
He glances at The Torpedo before he starts to laugh. “Who’s this fucking clown?” he asks while still laughing.
Everyone is leaving, just not quick enough to my liking.
The Torpedo continues to eat. He chews loudly, his mouth half-open as he glances from me to Nicolai and back to his plate.
The blonde waitress arrives at our table and places a napkin in front of me that holds a knife and a fork. She does the same to Nicolai. “Would you like a menu?”
“They aren’t staying.” The Torpedo dismisses her with a wave of his fork. Laughter beside him has me wanting to reach across the table and cut it off, but I keep still.
“Talk,” The Torpedo barks, and the laughter stops as he glares at me. “Don’t get shy on me now, Lucca.”
I grin at him. The restaurant is nearly empty. “I want the girls.”
He grins back at me. The top row of his teeth are encased in gold. “I want three girls to suck my dick at once. That doesn’t mean it will happen.”
I unroll the napkin, and the cutlery rattles to the table. I pick up the knife before setting it back down and addressing The Torpedo. “I don’t like repeating myself.”
The Torpedo lets his knife clang to his plate, but he still holds his fork. “Then don’t.”
“If you just tell us where they are, we will leave.” Nicolai has decided to take a diplomatic stance on this. I have no intentions of leaving The Torpedo or his friend alive.
The Torpedo shakes his head. “I want you both out of my restaurant now.”
The tattoo guy sits forward. “You heard him,” he repeats and rises. He’s a big guy, but that doesn’t mean much.
Neither Nicolai nor I move. I ignore him.
“Igor isn’t working alone,” I say.
The tattoo guy stands up.
“Sit down, Bykd.” The Torpedo’s fist lands heavily on the table, rattling the glasses.
Bykd does as The Torpedo instructs, but he doesn’t take his beady eyes off me, and I grin at him. “That’s a good boy.”
“What makes you think I have these girls?” he asks.
“Word has spread fast that you were at an auction,” Nicolai says.
“Then I no longer have them.” The Torpedo smiles wide, showing off his golden teeth. I’m already imagining pulling them out one by one.
“Your boy here, Bykd, was seen driving away from a warehouse downtown with the girls.”
The Torpedo glances at Bykd before his gaze trails back to me. “Like I said, I don’t know about any girls.”
I pick up the fork and place it beside the knife on the opposite side of me. Bykd is watching me.
“Igor works for a Brigadier. So enjoy getting your balls stuffed down your throat when he finds out you fucking stole from him.”
Nicolai exhales loudly as The Torpedo rises abruptly, knocking the chair out from behind him. I don’t move.
“You come into my restaurant and threaten me?”
I pick up the napkin and refold it. “I’m not threatening you. I’m just giving you the facts and trying to help you out here.”
“We don’t give a shit about any Brigadier,” Bykd pipes up, and it shows he’s just a runner for the Torpedo. He has no idea who he’s messing with.
The Torpedo still clutches the fork in his large hand. He strikes quickly, embedding the fork into Bykd’s neck. I have no qualms with him killing the runner; he would have had to die anyway. The Torpedo pulls the fork out before plunging it into Bykd’s neck again. He takes all his anger out on Bykd.
I glance at Nicolai and shrug, wondering how long this would take.
“He’s dead,” Nicolai snaps, and The Torpedo pulls out the fork as Bykd’s dead body hits the floor.
The Torpedo is still clinging to the fork. He smiles again as he picks up his overturned chair and sets it right before he sits down with blood splatter all over his white vest. He drops the fork onto the plate and starts to wipe his bloody hands on a napkin.
“Lucca is telling the truth. Igor works for a Brigadier,” Nicolai confirms.
The Torpedo drops the napkin and fixes his black suit jacket. “So Igor stole from a Brigadier?” He runs his tongue along his golden teeth.
“You stole from a Brigadier,” I say.
He moves. He’s fast as he grips the fork and strikes out. I’m faster. I jump back, knocking my seat to the ground. The fork that would have embedded in my neck strikes air.
Nicolai is quick as he moves too, his arm coming down on The Torpedo’s wrist. I hear the bone crack as the fork clangs to the floor. I don’t let the moment pass but lean in and grip The Torpedo’s head, pushing it into the table.
“Tell me where the girls are.”
“They’ve been sold.” His words are growled as he tries to force his head back up, and I slam it back down onto the table. A nearby glass of liquid topples.
“What about Evie?” Was she sold? My hand presses heavier on his face.
“No.” His roar is accompanied by the force of his body as he tries to get up again.
He screams in pain as Nicolai hits his broken wrist.
“Igor is keeping her.”
My gaze clashes with Nicolai.
Over my dead body.
Nicolai shakes his head. “Lucca, killing Igor isn’t an option.”
The Torpedo tries to get up again, and I allow his head to rise before slamming it back down.
“I’m not going to kill Igor. The Brigadier will.” I grin at Nicolai.
“How do you find out who he is?”
“I can find out,” The Torpedo offers up, and both Nicolai and I start to laugh.
A man in his position would offer up anything to live. That isn’t going to happen. “I’ll tell you where the girls are.”
My laughter stops. “You said they were sold.”
“Yes, we have buyers, but they haven’t been transferred yet.”
“Why’s that?”
The Torpedo falls silent. Nicolai picks up a knife and pulls up The Torpedo’s damaged hand.
“I’ll tell you.” He’s trying to pull his hand back, but Nicolai doesn’t allow him.
The Torpedo’s words are filled with pain as he tries to force them out. “I had instructions to find seven bodies and bring them to the warehouse where the girls are being held. Once the girls are gone, I’ll place the bodies in the warehouse and burn it. That was the job. Then I had to leave an anonymous tip with you so that you would find the warehouse and all the girls’ bodies. Case closed.”
That’s why Igor isn’t selling the girls himself. No one would look to The Torpedo.
I remove my gun from the band of my trousers. “The address.”
He tries to shake his head. “If I do, you’ll kill me.”
“The address.” I cock the gun and press it to his temple.
It’s a good incentive as he recites the address off.
“If they aren’t there, I’ll come back,” I warn him.
He tries to look at me, and I see hope in his eyes. “I swear.”
He isn’t lying. I pull the trigger, and Nicolai curses as he moves away from the blood-splattered table.
He’s ready to say something.
I put the gun back into the holder. “He had to die. You know that.”
My words cut off whatever Nicolai was going to say.
“What a mess.” Nicolai moves toward the back rooms. We need to destroy any footage. We have plenty of cops paid off, but that doesn’t mean we need to be sloppy.
Nicolai returns and gives me a nod.
All I need to do is find out who The Brigadier is, and he will end Igor’s life so I won’t have to.