Cut and Run Read Online Free PDF Page B

put her face in her hands,and wished that Tommy Bellini wasn’t laid up in a bed for the rest of his life. It had been him thirty years ago that she’d
     met to return the money that James Powell had stolen. For a chance at even greater money, and Tommy had not disappointed.
     Tommy had liked her, brought her into the organization, given her responsibility, power, and protection. And a life free of
     cloying attachments.
    But Paul was why monarchy fell out of favor. You could have a king with an idiot son and piss away the empire in no time flat
     and leave the loyal subjects with no jobs. And one did not walk away from the Bellini family with all the information Eve
     had. You didn’t list on your résumé the millions of dollars you laundered or how many hits you knew the Bellinis had ordered.
     Frank was already relegated to being the club’s frontman; God knew what job Paul would give her, probably stuck in a back
     office counting bar receipts.
    If he doesn’t kill you
.
    She had been afraid of Tommy, of course. The fear kept you alive, the caution of every step you took. He could be kind, generous
     even, but if you crossed him, you lost money, you lost a finger, you lost your life. He held himself to high standards of
     performance. Paul wanted respect he couldn’t yet command and seemed to have little regard for her or her abilities. Piss him
     off and she would sink like a stone in the waters of the Ship Channel, sporting concrete sandals and three bullets in her
     head, one for each decade of service.
    The door opened and Bucks stepped inside. He shut the door behind him, gave her a bright, snappy smile.
    ‘Don’t you know to knock?’ she said.
    ‘This isn’t your office.’
    ‘No, it’s my boyfriend’s office. What do you want?’
    ‘Peace and quiet,’ he said. ‘This place is too loud. Notconducive to clear contemplation.’ Bucks sat down on the leather sofa like he was used to lounging in the office.
    ‘Shouldn’t you be guarding Paul?’
    ‘From what? Attack of the killer tits?’ Bucks said.
    ‘That tall redhead up there, Robin? I thought you were sweet on her.’
    ‘She’s sweet on me. There’s a difference. Plus how involved am I really gonna get with a stripper? I can’t take her home to
     mama.’
    ‘I was unaware you had such lofty morals.’
    ‘All this lust, it shows a lack of discipline and self-control.’ Bucks leaned back against the leather. ‘You handle Paul’s
     money. Makes you important right now. Seems to me I ought to be protecting you more than him.’
    ‘I’m feeling safe, thanks.’
    ‘Chad Channing says you can never feel safe because complacency blocks you from your goals.’
    She didn’t know who Chad Channing was and didn’t care.
    ‘So you giving our friends any money?’ he asked.
    She let a beat pass. ‘No. You are. Paul wants you to handle the exchange, honey.’
    ‘Naturally.’
    This guy had Paul’s ear, so she decided to try. ‘This deal, Bucks, I have serious reservations about it. These guys are looking
     for a back door into Houston. They’ll crush Paul soon as they get their foot in the door.’
    ‘Paul and I can handle them,’ Bucks said. ‘Look at Kiko and José. They don’t have four neurons between them. Bet neither one
     of them even got beyond high school.’
    ‘Baby, getting a degree means you spent less time learning the actual business we’re in,’ Eve said.
    ‘This seems like every other business I studied at Wharton.’
    ‘You won’t find an MBA case study on the Bellinis.’
    ‘So what do you recommend?’
    ‘Find out a little more. Why they’ve approached us. Why aren’t they dealing this coke in Florida?’
    ‘Or take a shortcut,’ Bucks said. ‘Kill them and steal their coke. That’d be one way to sweeten the deal.’ He gave her a crooked,
     half-mad smile.
    Eve stared at him.
    ‘You ever seen a frijole popped? They lose all command of their English. Blabbering all this Spanish bullshit, begging for