Chapter 19 · Back to the Blast

I'm going to Red Hook.

The decision hits before I can think it through. Locke's got people. Vito wants a trade but he won't kill Locke yet—not when Locke's the leverage. Mara though. Mara's been dead sixteen years and now she's texting me like we're old friends.

That's the lie that needs breaking first.

I grab the Glock from the kitchen counter, check the mag. Twelve rounds. I shove my phone in my jacket pocket, dad's tape recorder in the other. The apartment door closes behind me with a click that sounds too final.

Outside the air smells like rain and garbage. I walk fast, head down, scanning for tails. Two blocks to the subway. My phone buzzes.

*Costello: You're making a mistake.*

I don't answer. Another buzz.

*Costello: Vito's playing you. Locke's already bleeding.*

My jaw tightens. I type back: *Then stop texting and do something useful.*

No reply.

The subway's packed even at this hour. I squeeze into the corner of the car, hand on the Glock under my jacket. Every face looks wrong. The guy in the Yankees cap keeps glancing over. The woman with the stroller has no kid in it, just bags. I'm seeing ghosts.