10

Monroe’s pounding on the door by seven. When we don’t open up right away, he thumps again. ‘You in there? We’ve got things to do.’

I open my eyes.

Getting out of bed, JT pulls on the jeans he hastily tossed last night, and goes to let Monroe in. As he does, I grab some clothes from the beaten-up leather carryall I always use as my go-bag and head for the shower.

I close the bathroom door and set the water running. Hear Monroe’s voice, then JT’s. I try to listen, but their words are too muffled by the walls and the water, so I give up. Stepping into the shower, I let it rain down over me, washing away the smell of sex and sleep, and helping me get my head ready for what’s coming.

Fifteen minutes later I’m dressed and ready. I find JT and Monroe hunched over a stack of papers that they spread out across the desk. ‘What’s that?’

Monroe turns. His eyes are bloodshot. His suit looks crumpled. He looks like he hasn’t slept a wink. ‘Well, good morning. Nice of you to finally join us.’

I ignore him and his sarcasm, and focus on JT instead. ‘What is it?’

‘These are the blueprints of the Skyland Tower,’ he says. ‘Monroe brought them over. We’re familiarising ourselves with the layout.’

Hurrying over to the desk, I take a look-see myself. The diagram on the top of the pile shows the floor plan for level sixty-three of the tower. It makes sense to be forearmed with information on the building’s layout, especially if things turn bad and we need to hightail it out of there. I point to a sheaf of transparencies that are hanging down from one side of the plans. ‘What are these?’

‘They’re the fit-out details that layer over each of the floor plans,’ says Monroe, taking hold of the top transparency and smoothing it over the plan for level sixty-three. The drawings on the transparent sheet match the layout and add another level of detail. ‘See, they show us the utilities, exit points and maintenance features.’

‘Good.’ I nod. We need as much intel on the Skyland Tower as we can get. Prior and proper preparation is key to prevent a shit show. ‘So what have you found out?’

JT pulls out another sheet of blueprints and lays it alongside the one for level sixty-three. ‘It’s an interesting development. The Skyland Tower has sixty-three levels plus a roof terrace and heli pad on the sixty-fourth.’ He moves his hand from the original sheet to the new one. On it I can see the image of a chopper landing space and a glasshouse. When he layers over the transparency I see the glasshouse has an emergency exit from the penthouse below, and there’s an old-fashioned external fire escape zig-zagging down from the roof terrace.

I tap my finger against the marking on the transparency for the fire escape. ‘Isn’t this building too high for one of these?’

JT nods. ‘Yep, it’s all kinds of unusual, but having had a look at these plans it seems the architect has incorporated various, more traditional features into the building.’ He shakes his head. ‘Mind you, you’d have thought an external stairwell from the sixty-fourth floor would be a damn health-and-safety issue.’

‘For sure.’

‘You need to remember this building is all about luxury,’ says Monroe. ‘They’d have put things in here that you can’t get in any other place in town.’

JT nods. He’s never cared much for cities or buildings. ‘Seems it’s mainly fitted out as a luxury hotel, but the top ten floors are used as serviced residential apartments.’

‘It’s very expensive and very exclusive,’ adds Monroe. He sounds impressed.

I cock my head to one side. ‘A penthouse in this building seems an odd choice for a poker game. Wouldn’t it be better run out of a club or something?’

‘Not really,’ says Monroe. Taking a photograph out of his jacket pocket, he places it on top of the blueprints. ‘This is Carmella Davies. She runs the poker game you’re going to. I met up with one of my key contacts in the city last night, and she told me this Davies woman is a real big deal. Her games are the most exclusive and have the highest stakes of all the games played here, and anyone who’s anyone wants to get in on the action.’

I guess Monroe’s meeting with his female contact has contributed to his lack of sleep and crumpled appearance. Taking the picture, I look at the woman – Carmella Davies. She’s real pretty – late-twenties at the most, with black hair, olive skin and a smile that reaches all the way to her dark brown eyes. There’s a genuine warmth about her that makes me want to smile back. Instead I look up at Monroe and say, ‘Tell me everything you know about her?’

He runs his hand through his cockatoo hair. Nods. ‘Word is she grew up in New York City. Started running games at nineteen, working for a big-shot businessman by the name of Linwood Banks. Carmella ran his weekly game for three years while waitressing on the side. Around a year ago she moved to Chicago and started up on her own. She still runs Banks’s game in New York – flying back and forth – but she’s built two games of her own here on Tuesdays and Thursdays: ten-grand buy-ins, no limit Texas Holdem. Three months ago she added a third game, played once a month in a moving location, but always here in the city. It’s higher stakes, higher risk and the players are the cream of Chicago royalty – politicians, sport legends, mobsters, rock stars, you name it. Believe me when I say, if someone thinks they’re a big deal in this city, then they’re itching to get a seat at the table for her big game.’

JT frowns. ‘If that’s so, how did Lori get a seat so easy?’

‘Because she’s a guest of Cabressa, is my guessing,’ Monroe says. ‘The family is the ruling mob of the city, and my contact thinks there’s some kind of connection between Linwood Banks and Cabressa. If that’s the case, given she still works for Banks in New York, it wouldn’t be smart for Carmella to turn down a request from the head of the Cabressa family.’

He’s right, but the thought bothers me. Being a guest of a man like Cabressa – a man with protection and enemies – has its upsides and downsides: it can make you safer and more of a target, all at the same time. Right now neither one of those things makes me feel comfortable. ‘What’s the security like?’

Monroe takes the photo from me. Puts it on the desk and taps his index finger against Carmella’s face. ‘From what I’ve heard, she runs a tight operation. She has her own security to keep people in line, and, as players bring a lot of cash to the table, it’s usual for them to bring along their own security too.’

‘Armed security?’ I ask.

‘That’d be my assumption.’

I glance at JT. Don’t make assumptions is one of our bounty-hunting rules. But here and now it seems like gossip and assumptions are all we’ve got to work with.

‘Have there been any problems?’ I ask.

Monroe shakes his head. ‘Not that I’ve heard. Like I said, Carmella Davies runs a solid operation. You’ll be safe enough in there.’

It’s my turn for sarcasm now. ‘Safe like how we got mugged and tasered on the street in full daylight yesterday? Yeah, that’s real safe for sure.’

JT clears his throat. ‘I’ll go in with Lori.’

Monroe looks pained. ‘You’re meant to be on the outside of this, an extra layer of back-up, I don’t want you—’

‘This isn’t a negotiation.’ JT fixes Monroe with a hard stare. ‘If players often have security, I’ll be Lori’s. She’ll be walking in there with a bundle of dollars and the chess set. The pieces alone are worth one point three five million dollars. Her having security isn’t going to faze them none.’

Monroe is silent a moment. Keeps glaring at JT.

‘I like that idea,’ I say, nodding. ‘Adds authenticity, given the value of the assets I’ll be carrying. Like JT says, they’ll expect me to have protection.’

Monroe runs his hand through his flyaway hair. Looks pained. I can guess what he’s thinking – that JT’s real strong willed and doesn’t like to follow orders. He’s someone Monroe can’t control. And if there’s one thing Monroe always wants, it’s to be the person in charge, the puppeteer.

JT keeps staring at the federal agent. ‘This is a deal-breaker. If I don’t go in, neither does Lori.’

The two men glare at each other.

I say nothing. Wait to see what happens.

Monroe looks from JT to me, and then back to JT. He shrugs. ‘Fine. Just remember this is my operation.’

JT narrows his eyes. ‘And you remember that it’s Lori’s life on the line.’

Monroe squares up to JT, and I feel the tension building. We don’t have time for this posturing. We need to get focused. Learn all we can about the game and this penthouse.

‘Enough talk,’ I say, pushing between them and peering again at the blueprints. ‘We need to get prepped. Monroe, tell me about the security in the Skyland Tower.’

Monroe glares at JT a moment longer, then turns to face me. ‘It’s part hotel and part residential, and the security is tight on both.’ He removes Carmella’s picture from on top of the blueprints, and then picks up the sheaf of papers, flicking through until he finds the one for the first floor. He points at the grand atrium of the kerbside entrance. ‘This is the hotel lobby; it’s separate from the serviced residential entrance and concierge, which is located over here.’ He taps his finger on another entrance, equally grand, that’s accessed from a different street.

‘Is it possible to get from the hotel accommodation to the penthouse?’

Monroe shakes his head. ‘Both share an underground parking garage and a state-of-the-art gym and spa complex, but except for that, the facilities are kept separate. The elevator cars either stop at residential floors or hotel floors; none stop at both. All the public spaces have security cameras.’

‘So where will you be when JT and me go up to the penthouse?’

‘I’ve booked a hotel room on level fifty-three, and a back-up SWAT team will be stationed on the street a couple of blocks away. It’d be too risky to bring them all into the building, so I’ll monitor your progress from the hotel room and will alert the team if we need them to assist.’

I frown. ‘Monitoring us, how?’

‘I’m going to need you to wear a camera.’

‘I’m not comfortable with that.’ In truth the thought of it makes my stomach flip. When I met Critten he checked me for a wire before we spoke. There’s no reason to imagine the poker game will be any different. If they catch me wearing one I have no doubt that they’ll kill me and JT. Monroe has to know it’s a fool move.

JT shakes his head. ‘There’s no way that’s going to happen.’

‘It has to,’ Monroe says. ‘Non-negotiable.’

‘I can’t do that, Monroe. It’s a deal-breaker.’ I keep my voice real serious. ‘I won’t wear a wire. If I do I’ll be dead within minutes of stepping into that penthouse.’

Monroe looks pissed. ‘It’s not a damn wire.’

I frown. Don’t believe him. ‘What is it then?’

‘A new generation micro camera – it’s an ultra-high-tech piece of kit designed to stick onto your skin. It’s camouflaged and virtually invisible, and built for covert ops. They won’t pick it up in a wire sweep either – it doesn’t use the usual frequencies, wi-fi or cell service – so you’ll be safe.’

‘And you can guarantee that?’ says JT, looking sceptical.

Monroe sighs. ‘I can’t one hundred percent guarantee anything. What we’re doing is risky, that’s the damn truth of it, but with the micro camera in place I’ll be able to see and hear what you guys are seeing and hearing – it gives audio and visuals one way. It also means that whatever happens will be on camera – we’ll have hard undisputable evidence – and if things go bad in that penthouse, I’ll know and send in the team to pull you out.’

JT shakes his head. Looks at me. ‘I don’t like it, Lori, but it’s your call.’

I don’t like it either, but if Monroe’s got eyes and ears on what’s happening it does give us an extra layer of support. We won’t be on our own, and if things go south then having a SWAT team storming in would be a real advantage. So I put my hand on JT’s arm. ‘We should take a look at the camera and see what we think.’

He looks reluctant. Frowns. ‘You’re sure about that?’

I nod. ‘I am.’

‘Good,’ says Monroe. ‘So there’s one more thing you need to know about the penthouse where the game is taking place.’

I glance from Monroe to the blueprint. ‘Okay.’

‘Penthouse 6311 is one of four unique properties in the building. On the sixty-third level each penthouse has panic-room capability.’

I frown. ‘Don’t all penthouses have safe rooms?’

‘They do,’ says Monroe, tracing his finger around the perimeter of the penthouse on the schematic. ‘But this penthouse doesn’t have a panic room within it … the whole penthouse can be locked down as a panic room.’

I raise an eyebrow. ‘Interesting.’

JT nods. ‘Before you stepped out the shower, Monroe was telling me it’s the latest thing in luxury – all the new places are designed like this.’

‘So what does that mean for us?’ I ask.

‘Nothing especially,’ Monroe says. ‘Just so long as things go to plan.’

Great. ‘Let’s just hope they do then.’

Monroe checks his watch. ‘I need to get going, get things set up.’

‘Can you get the playing cash?’ I ask.

Monroe nods. ‘I hope so. What did Critten tell you to bring for the buy-in?’

‘Fifty thousand dollars.’

Monroe’s mouth falls open. ‘Jesus. That’s a lot of federal money. Just how good a poker player are you?’

I glance at JT. Grimace. ‘Let’s say yesterday was my first time.’

Monroe mutters something under his breath. ‘Then you’ll probably need to buy yourself back into the game a few times to have a hope of hanging on in there until you’re at heads-up.’

‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘So can you get the money, because without that we may as well—’

‘Quit nagging, I’ll get us the goddamn money.’ He shakes his head. ‘You’d better damn well win.’

I cross my arms. Think, Like I don’t already know that. Say, ‘Good. You’d best get on it then.’

As he walks towards the door, Monroe gestures towards the poker set over by the coffee maker. ‘And you’d better get practising. We can’t afford to blow this.’

Asshole. I’m risking everything for this, and he’s treating me like I’m some rookie.

I clench my fists. Look over at JT and see his jaw is set rigid and there’s anger in his eyes. This will be our last time working with Monroe, on that I’m real sure.

After this we’re done.