To Have and to Heist(74)
“I’m in,” Gage said. “Nothing has changed for me except it just got more interesting.”
“What’s a little danger between friends?” Emma grabbed another wing. “Seriously, it’s worth the risk for a chance to get my life started. I’ve been waiting for adulthood to kick in for the last decade. My rent takes over half my income. I haven’t had a steady job in forever and I’ve never seen a positive number in my savings account. I don’t know why I even opened one. Plus, you need a driver, and no one is better than me.”
I fist-bumped her across the table, still trying to process the fact that we still had over half our crew.
“You trusted me with the most important job of carrying the necklace,” Anil said. “My mom doesn’t even trust me to do the laundry. My parents don’t think I can find my own wife. Even at work, they won’t promote me even though I’m more qualified than many of the upper-level managers because they think I’m too young. At the rate I’m going, I’ll still be living at home, trying to pay off my loans, twenty years from now and The Butcher will still be a dream. I won’t let you down. I’m in.”
“Dude.” Gage ruffled Anil’s hair. It was the most affection I’d ever seen him show, except around Chloe.
“I’m out,” Cristian said when we all looked to him. “It was bad enough when I found out I’d slept with Angelini’s wife—and before you judge me, she told me she was divorced. But now I find out I’ve slept with the wife of a Mafia boss. Those guys don’t play games. I have to look out for myself. I can’t take the risk she’ll expose me.” He folded his arms over his There is no Planet B T-shirt. “I’m not strong like you. I couldn’t even handle six months of rejection after college when I tried to find work. I went back to my high school job at Pizza Plus to pay off my debt and then tried a bunch of side gigs before I started life coaching and working at Simi’s dad’s store. Now my degree is almost eight years old, and I have no relevant experience. That money would be a game changer, but not if I’m dead.”
“It won’t be the same without you,” I said, and I meant it.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be here.” Cristian pushed his chair back. “I scammed my way in. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“I’ll notice.” Emma stood and held out her hand. “You’ll be missed, especially if we go boating again.”
His face crumpled—half laughter, half pain—but he shook her hand. “Good luck, everyone. I hope it all works out.”
After Cristian had gone, I went to tell Rose the news. Of course, a little mob boss danger didn’t put her off.
“I’m still available as a grease woman if you need me.” She poured a cup of tea and added two biscuits to the saucer. “Who’s going to take over his job at the rehearsal dinner? Your plan won’t work if someone doesn’t take away the Angelinis’ phones.”
“I was thinking of asking Emma. She’ll be there anyway.”
“You’re going to let Emma loose on that crowd?” Rose chuckled. “You won’t need anyone to tell you when they’re leaving because it’ll be about five minutes after she opens her mouth.”
“We don’t have any options. I need everyone else doing the job I’ve set them to do.”
“Then use me,” she said. “Theater has been my life. I’m sure I can keep some mafiosos entertained.”
“It’s too dangerous,” I said. “I couldn’t let you take the risk.”
“Sweetheart, I’m eighty years old.” Rose sipped her tea. “I’ve done a lot of living. Now it’s all about finding new experiences, and nothing can top pulling off a heist to rob a Mafia boss. If I have to go, then it might as well be in a blaze of glory and a story that will be passed down through the generations. I don’t want my obituary to read, ‘She passed away peacefully in a rest home.’ I want it to say, ‘She was gunned down trying to escape from a bloodthirsty mob boss,’ or ‘She was found in Lake Michigan encased in cement.’？”
“How about ‘She pulled off the heist of the century netting an eight-hundred-seventy-five-thousand-dollar windfall that she used to decorate her basement suite for her long-term tenant?’？”
When her eyes widened, I said, “You’ll get Cristian’s cut if we succeed, and I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. You may have enough to get by, but it’s always nice to have more.”
Rose grinned. “I’ll take those odds.”
“You’d also have to manage the caterers at the wedding,” I said. “That was also part of Cristian’s job.”
“I’ll bring Chef Pierre,” Rose said. “I’m sure he won’t mind switching days with Stan.”
“Then welcome to the crew.” I gave her a hug. “Officially.”
* * *
◆ ◆ ◆
?I pulled Gage aside after we’d all finished a round of whiskey to officially welcome Rose to her new role.
“Do you have a minute?”
His gaze flicked to Chloe, who was catching a ride in Emma’s Uber.
“No.”
“We both know you’re going to follow her home,” I said. “There are only two reasons why you would do so. First, you’re stalking her. If that’s the case, you’ll have to deal with me, and I am well versed in the punching arts, thanks to my brothers. I hit Kyle in the face so hard, he had a black eye for weeks. He had to take time off his IT job because he couldn’t see the tiny numbers on the screen. I also head-butted and kicked a mob boss’s son yesterday morning. So there’s also that.”