An Echo in the Mafia (Echo Reid, Reid Family Book #1)

Part 20

Luke walked down the long corridor of the old warehouse. In the front, there were several small offices- the back was made up of smaller rooms that held electronics or other goods. In the very back, the back that no one unauthorized ever visited, was the larger rooms and behind them the loading docks.

This corridor, this long, narrow corridor with no doors except one at the end and one at the front, was only used by one person... unless that person invited someone else to do so. As he walked, Luke began cracking his knuckles and flexing his arms. Today someone was going to talk. And so, as he reached the end, the door opened and he strolled through.

"In the back?" Luke asked the man who held the door open without bothering to look his way.

"Yes sir." the man said, closing the door behind him.

Luke moved then towards a group of men who stood beyond a wall of crates, and as the clicking of his shoes grew louder, they turned to face him.

"So..." Luke said as he cleared the crates. "Who do we have here?"

"Perry White." Marco said, staring at the man who was now sitting in a metal chair, arms and legs bound. Luke walked around him quietly, taking in every last inch of his appearance. He was a thin man, pale, marked skin and eyes that seemed to be sunken into his face. His hair was thinned out to the point that you could see his scalp, where large scaly patches seemed to cover most of it. He was crying, his mouth open as he did so, revealing that most of his teeth had long gone.

"Where'd you pick him up?" Luke asked, stopping in front of him and taking his sunglasses off. He tucked them slowly into the pocket of his blazer, and then began to take that off too.

"Out by the gravel pit in south town." Marco said, taking Luke's coat and placing it down on a nearby table.

"Those boys sure love to dump things there." Luke said folding up his sleeves. "Hey... Hey."

He slapped the man a couple of times gently, trying to get him to focus.

"Please... Please." the man said, looking towards Luke, his eyes rolling back.

"He's fucking high as a kite." Luke said with a grin and a shake of his head.

"Actually, I think he's in withdrawals." Marco said.

"So tell me why Mr. White is here. You mentioned he was an interesting find." Luke said, taking a few steps back.

"Mr. White isn't just your everyday neighborhood addict, his name is on the deed for the offices you visited the Russo Brothers in." Marco said. Luke raised his brow.

"Well holy shit." Luke said, turning to him. "This is how they've been moving around undetected?"

"Yep. They're using the names of their clients on leases." Marco said. "and keeping them so doped up they do and sign whatever those bastards want."

"Jesus, they could be anywhere." Luke said.

"We'll find them. For now, I say we let him detox and see what we can get from him once he's straight." Marco said and Luke nodded.

"Fine. Keep him alive... feed him if he wants it." Luke said to the men and then snapped his fingers at Marco. "and untie him, he needs rest. Come on."

Marco picked up Luke's blazer and tossed it at him as they walked back out.

"So." Marco said when they had passed through the door and were back in the corridor.

"So?" Luke repeated, adjusting his collar.

"When are you seeing her again?" Marco asked, "That's if you didn't change your mind yet."