Chapter 233
(SASHA)
“So you’re saying you know nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing—” Burgess asks.
“Detective,” I say, with exaggerated politeness, “as you’re well aware yourself, I was unconscious for most of the proceedings p>
Burgess is sitting very close to me. Each question she’s asked has been rapid-fire, demanding, pressing. And I’ve given her nothing.
She taps out a staccato beat on my nightstand with her fingernail. “I’ll pull your husband in for questioning p>
“You can try. But he’ll have our lawyer with him. I could have Luciano here myself, if I said the word. If that’s what you really want p>
I’m enjoying the back-and-forth enough that I’m disappointed when she sighs, leans in even closer, and gets down to business.
“I’ve had a long talk with Giovanni Matteo p>
“I see p>
“I found his story…unconvincing p>
I say nothing, but lift an eyebrow. Despite her claims about Matteo, she seems troubled. Obviously she must believe some of it. After a moment, she continues, seemingly changing the subject. “Before we went down below, you made some comment about me not getting the promotion I wanted p>
I shrug.
She bites her lip. “How—how did you know I want a promotion p>
I didn’t. But I know people like Burgess. Ambitious, pragmatic people who are willing to bend the rules to get what they want, and what they always want is advancement. I run across a lot of people like her in my line of work.
“I’ve applied for a role with the department,” she goes on when I don’t reply. “And do you know what, Mr. Sasha Adonis? I can see areas in which you and your men—and women—” she adds, with a curious look at me, “—might be useful p>
I let that sit for a second before I say softly, “If I had a rat problem in my house, Detective Burgess, I’d call in an exterminator p>
“That’s not what I’m suggesting,” she says quickly. “It would be a giant headache dealing with an official informant. There are a lot of protocols, procedures She shakes her head. “But Giovanni Matteo isn’t part of your Family, is he p>
“I’m not related to him, if that’s what you mean p>
“Or Santino Bianchi p>
That just makes me laugh.
“Listen,” she snaps. “I’m going to speak plainly to you. I’m willing to let them go today—Matteo and Bianchi—if they can be useful to me. If they can help me get to the position that I want…and help me while I’m there p>
Matteo might talk to her, give her tips here and there. Santino never would, not without my say-so. Besides, I suspect they’ve already flown, even as she sits here speaking with me.
But that does give me a bargaining chip, the ambition of Detective Gina Burgess. And it could be useful to me to have someone in the inside. “I don’t have any sway over what others might choose to do,” I say carefully. “Whatever promises Giovanni Matteo has made to you, it has nothing to do with me p>
She smiles, and I can see she understands the game.
Any information coming through Matteo will have been approved by Santino. And anything approved by Santino will have been approved first by me.
“Alright,” she says with satisfaction. “But as for your frivolous charges against me,” I continue, “that’s where your real problem is, Detective. Once my lawyer is through with you, you’ll look like such colossal fuck-up, you won’t stand a chance getting into that position you want p>
She flicks her hair back as she stands. “Oh, that whole thing? My mistake,” she says.
“Obviously you’re a fine, upstanding member of the community.” I’m not sure how she’ll pass off a mistake like that to her superiors—but that’s her problem. “You can explain all that to my lawyer p>
She gives an irritated nod. Burgess doesn’t like Luciano much, and I can’t blame her. He does take great delight in pissing the cops off. I’ll tell him to play nice, just this once. Give Burgess a break. Show her how easy life can be when she’s my friend rather than my enemy.
Tyler is delighted to hear that we’ll be leaving the hospital ASAP. And Miles, who I’ve asked to come into the conversation as well, is much happier at the idea of providing security in one of my own properties than in a hospital setting.
Tyler does point out I’ll still need a lot of recovery time and home care, but I’m prepared for that.
“That nurse—Darla?—she seems competent. I’ll triple her current salary to come and take care of me for a few weeks p>
Tyler is silent, thinking, until he nods. “I can live with that p>
Miles clears his throat. “Thing is, Boss, the townhouse He gives an apologetic shrug. “It just isn’t habitable right now p>
“We have a hundred properties,” Tyler snaps. “Pick one and make it safe. And we’ll stay in one of those while the townhouse is safe p>
Tyler is jumpy and irritable, and of course I know why, but it still fills me with rage to think that after all the work I’ve put in, after all the power I’ve gathered to myself, my husband still feels unsafe in the city I rule.
When I turn my attention back to Miles, ready to support Tyler’s suggestion that he just get on and do his damn job, I can see there’s another problem just from the look on his face.
“What is it now?” I ask, trying not to groan. “Come on, Miles. Out with it p>
“Alright,” Miles says steadily, and then he goes through every residential property I own in the city and explains why they’re no use. Most are in apartment blocks, which makes them difficult to fit out, or complicates escapes if someone really wants to do us harm.
There are some buildings that we own entirely and from which we could, if we were willing to spend the money and be assholes about it, evict everyone—but that would also take time we don’t have. As for the safe houses, they’re all intended for short-term stays and they have limited comforts.
Tyler would be miserable in any one of them. Miles must know it too, because he passes over them with a one-word judgment of “Unsuitable p>
“Okay, Miles,” Tyler snarls in the end. “You’ve told us everywhere that won’t work. Now tell us a place that will p>
Miles’s eyes meet mine, dark and grave, and I understand the problem.