Chapter 2 - The Five-Dollar Contract
The air on the corner of 5th and Mercer turned so heavy you could taste the exhaust and iron in it.
The man in the charcoal suit—the one Mrs. Chen whispered was named Dominic Vance—didn't put my wrinkled five-dollar bill in his pocket. He didn't drop it on the pavement. He smoothed it against his thigh with his thumb, pressing out the crease where I’d folded it into a tight little square inside my shoe.
"Vance," the tallest guard said. He had a scar through his left eyebrow that made him look like he was always frowning. "The meeting at the docks is in twenty minutes. The Valenti brothers are waiting."
Dominic didn't look at the tall man. He looked down at my shoes. The canvas on the left toe was blown out, taped together with black electrical tape I’d found under our kitchen sink.
"Tell the Valentis the meeting is moved," Dominic said. His voice was low, like rocks grinding together at the bottom of a river.
"Moved where?"
"Here." Dominic looked back at me. "Who was the man with the snake tattoo?"
"He called himself Viper," I said, my voice shaking even though I tried to hold my chin up. "He had greasy hair and a ring with a red stone that scraped my mom’s cheek when he grabbed her collar."
The guard with the scar swallowed hard. I saw his fingers twitch near his belt. "Boss... that’s Victor Valenti's kid. Cruz."
"I know who it is, Leo," Dominic said quietly.
"If Cruz took the woman over an old twenty-thousand-dollar debt from her dead husband, Victor knows about it," Leo argued, stepping closer. "This isn't our business, Vance. The woman’s husband was a gambler. He owed everyone on the East Side."
Dominic turned his head slowly. He didn't yell. He didn't raise his arm. But Leo took half a step back like he’d been hit in the chest.
"What did the boy say, Leo?" Dominic asked.
Leo kept his mouth shut.
"He said they broke a rule," Dominic continued, holding up the five-dollar bill between his index and middle finger. "Cruz Valenti took a woman from her home in front of a child. He used my territory to collect an illegal street debt on a dead man's balance. And now this kid just paid my retainer."
"It's five bucks, boss," another guard muttered from near the rear bumper of the black SUV.
Dominic turned toward the guy near the bumper. "And what's your word worth, Jimmy? Ten grand? A hundred grand? This kid gave me everything he had in the world. That makes him the biggest client I’ve had all year."
He reached out and grabbed my shoulder. His hand was huge, warm, and heavy, like a wool blanket. He didn't pull me, but he didn't let me go either.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Leo," I whispered, then quickly added, "Little Leo. My mom calls me Leo."
Dominic glanced at the tall guard with the scar. "Looks like you share a name with a kid who’s got more gut than you do, Big Leo."
He opened the heavy door of the black SUV. The leather inside smelled like expensive cologne, clean carpet, and faint gun oil.
"Get in," Dominic said.
I hesitated, looking at my dirty sneakers. "I don't have any more money. If we go somewhere... I can't pay for gas."
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Dominic looked down at me, and for half a second, the hard lines around his eyes softened into something dark and sad.
"The contract is paid in full, Little Leo," he said, holding the door wider. "Get in the car before I double my price."
