Page 70 of Above ’N’ Beyond

His deception would sting worse than a swarm of killer bees. If he could somehow manage to control the circumstances, tell her the truth when the time was right and in his own way, it would ease the shock, and that was important to him.

When this was over, he wanted to see where this thing between them would go.

A text bubble from Tony appeared on his screen. Coming out now.

Moments later, Tony came through the sliding glass doors. Walking beside him was a man he didn’t recognize. Jamie’s brain went into cop mode.

The other man was about fifty, a hundred and seventy pounds, dark-haired, olive skin tone, the same approximate height as Tony and wearing gray slacks and a black short-sleeved shirt. He carried no luggage, but Tony did—a small brown satchel. For Tony to be this guy’s lackey, the other man had to have status.

Jamie noted the time. Later, he’d use his Port Authority contacts to check the video feed from all the cameras inside the terminal and at the gates. Most people didn’t realize when they were inside a major airport, particularly one operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, nearly every move they made was recorded.

By the end of the day, he’d know this guy’s name, what airline he’d flown in on, and the flight number of the aircraft. With that information, Jenkins could run the guy’s entire life history. Then they’d have a better idea of exactly what Paola was planning.

Tony opened the front passenger door and waited for the other man to get in, another indication of the mystery man’s status. The guy didn’t say anything to Jamie, merely gave him a curt nod. As soon as Tony slipped in next to Jax, Jamie pulled from the curb.

“Did you have a good flight?” he asked, hoping to draw the man out.

“Si.” He nodded, adding, “Yes.” Even if Jamie hadn’t suspected the man’s nationality, there was no disguising the thick Italian accent.

He took a chance. “I’m Jimmy.”

Instead of introducing himself as Jamie had hoped, the man replied, “Nice to meet you.”

This guy was cagey, so Jamie didn’t push. He flicked his eyes to the rearview mirror. Jax panted happily, gazing out the side window. Tony had his phone to his ear.

“We have him,” Tony said. “I will, Ma.” He placed three more quick calls, stating the same thing each time. “Things went well. Make your pickup.”

Jamie would bet the calls had been to Marco, Paulie, Nicky, or Sammy, who’d be making similar pickups at other airports. The man sitting beside Jamie was a test run.

“Everything good?” Jamie asked over his shoulder.

“Better than good.” Tony grinned at the rearview mirror. “This is gonna be one helluva party.”

And if all went well, the Feebs would crash the party and take lots of prisoners.

Jamie took the ramp for I-87 heading south. The rest of the drive passed in silence. He expected that from the mystery man, but for Tony to keep his mouth shut for over thirty minutes was rare. Aside from drinking wine, Tony’s favorite pastime was talking. About anything.

Fifty minutes after departing Stewart Airport, Jamie pulled into Paola’s driveway. The door to the house opened, and Paola clapped her hands together, as if she were about to meet the Pope, and she’d dressed for the occasion. Standing on the top step, the woman looked like Fort Knox, her glittery skirt and short-sleeved jacket sparkling in the midday sun like spun gold.

The man beside Jamie made no move to open the passenger door, clearly waiting for Tony to do the honors.

“Enjoy your stay,” Jamie said.

The man turned to him, saying nothing but giving another curt nod. It was only then Jamie realized his eyes weren’t brown, as he’d assumed they’d be on a guy with such dark hair and skin. They were green.

Tony opened the door and the man got out. Something else caught Jamie’s attention. Mystery guy wore thick-heeled shoes. Shoes, not boots, and the heels were at least two or maybe even three inches thick. Jamie wasn’t a fashionista by any stretch, but it struck him as unusual for a man to wear high-heeled shoes. Which meant he wasn’t nearly as tall as Tony, after all.

Tony shut the door, and Jamie started to pull away. In the rearview mirror, he watched Paola embrace the man, then say something to Tony.

“Fist, wait!” Tony called out. Jamie hit the brakes and rolled the window down the rest of the way. “We’re having a welcome dinner tonight for all our guests.”

“There are more coming?” Based on the three calls Tony had made up at Stewart, he’d guessed that. But in order to drag as much information out of Tony as possible, he needed to play dumb.

“Yeah, three more.” Tony jerked his thumb to the house. “As soon as the boys finish making the pickups, they’ll bring ’em back here.”

“Why didn’t they all come into Stewart?” he asked. Getting Tony to keep talking was easy. Getting him to spill without being obvious, not so much. “Would have been easier.”

Tony made a dismissive gesture. “Ma’s idea. Stewart was the test run.”