Read Online Exposure by Brandilyn Collins - Free Book Online Page A

They got nothin’.”
    Bear’s eyes locked on Nico. “I put Slim on it. He says give him twenty-four hours and we can swallow the money.”
    Nico kept his mouth shut. Bear knew he’d cold-cocked him. Slim, another captain. Always trying to muscle by Nico. Not this time. So the Feds went right instead of left. Figuring out how to launder the money wasn’t nothin’ like bringing it in. Nico was the earner.
    Bear ran his tongue over his teeth — a signal he’d made his point and was moving on. But this wouldn’t be the end of it, Nico knew. Everything had to go down perfect from here. Bear picked up his mug and swigged coffee. “How about Giordano?”
    Nico tapped the rim of his empty plate. Anger mashed around in his gut. Bear was starving him on purpose. “He came through last night. But he worries me.”
    “Oh?”
    “Guy was sweatin’ bullets.”
    “You said he came through.”
    “He did. Last night he did it up right. His nerves just made him look more the part.”
    “So what’s the problem?” Bear waved at the food. “Eat, eat.”
    Now that it was half cold. Nico reached for the platter. “He was
too
nervous. He blabbered. Asked me how we’d gotten into the bank when the doors were locked.” Nico took his first bite of ham and eggs. The velvety, salty flavor exploded in his mouth.
    “Sounds like a decent question, comin’ from a guy who’s supposed to look like he might get popped any minute.”
    “Maybe. But what’s he gonna do if the Feds lean on him day after day?”
    Bear’s coffee mug stopped at his lips. “Think he’ll talk?”
    “I don’t know.”
    A sigh rattled Bear’s throat. He set down his coffee cup. “Why didn’t you take care of this last night?”
    Nico bit back a smirk. “And have a murder attached to the heist?”
    Bear grunted. He stared at his plate for a minute, then pushed more food onto his fork. “You told me Giordano was solid. You vouched for the guy.” Bear’s tone threatened.
    “Giordano’s perfect. Got a sick kid who needs a bunch of medical tests. That’s reason enough to keep his mouth shut. Besides, without him I wouldn’t have known about the bank’s security system. What kind of locks on the doors. How many employees would be there after closing.” Nico kept his voice even. This was not the big deal Bear was trying to make of it, even on top of the Fed problem. Everything was under control. “I’m just tellin’ you he was more nervous than I figured. I’ll take care of him.”
    “Take care of him now, Nico. Seven million’s a lot of money.”
    That
he’d
brought in. “Sure.”
    Bear wiped his lips with a napkin and stared out the window at the ocean. “What’s with this guy? Got a good job. Health insurance. Then he gets involved in somethin’ like this.” Bear shook his head. “A man gets greedy . . .”
    Nico said nothing.
    The underboss went back to eating. “The kid — boy or girl?”
    “Girl.”
    “How old?”
    “Just turned four.”
    Bear shook his head again. He had a four-year-old granddaughter. Nico knew he was crazy about the kid.
    “And you got Giordano’s cut. A hundred thousand.”
    “It’s in a closet in my house.”
    “Make sure it gets put back.”
    Nico clamped his jaws down. Seven million dollars, and the man was worried about a lousy hundred grand. Nico gestured with his hand —
yeah
,
sure.
    The underboss sniffed. “You shouldn’t have brought him in, Nico. Now we got problems.”
    “I said I’ll take care of it.”
    “How you know it’s not too late? What if he talked last night?”
    “Nobody beat down my door this morning.” Nico shifted in his chair. “He didn’t talk ’cause of the kid.”
    Bear pressed his hands flat on the table and leaned back. “I don’t want him found. And I want you to do this personally.”
    Nico’s anger rose. Any of his soldiers could have done the burn. That’s what they were there for. This was Bear’s way of rubbing his face in it. So much for pulling off