Wrong (Spada Crime Family #2) by Katherine Lace Page B

hallway so I can finish my coffee.
    Spada usually holds these weekly meetings in a sort of conference room next to his office. He’s got a big house—he can afford to have a conference room. I know he likes meeting at his house because he can control the surroundings. Not much chance of somebody eavesdropping or the rooms being bugged or some kind of police presence lurking around trying to get information from the next table over.
    There’s a low rumble of voices coming from the room, and I pause outside the door. Just a couple swallows of coffee left, so I might as well get it done before I go in.
    “Yeah, Sal hasn’t seen her since yesterday.”
    I overhear the voice from inside the room and abruptly forget the coffee. I’d much rather hear what people are saying about Sarah. For a second I wonder if she’s safe where I left her.
    “Nobody knows where she is?”
    “Nobody, far as I know.” There’s a chuckle. “Except maybe Nick.”
    “Nick? Nick Angelino?”
    “Yeah. Somebody saw him leaving, too. Then his car was gone from the parking lot when we all left after the party was over.”
    “When did he leave?”
    “Right after Sarah ‘went to the bathroom.’”
    I can tell by the way he says the words that he’s making air quotes. I decide this would be a good time to interrupt, and I enter the room, tossing my coffee cup in the trash can just inside the door.
    “Nick,” Spada greets me. I wonder if he was paying attention to the gossip I overheard from outside the door. Probably. Not a lot escapes him, in spite of other flaws he might have.
    “What’s up?” I ask, taking a seat.
    Chris glances at the man next to him, then back at me. “Sarah Corelli’s missing.”
    “Missing? Really?”
    “Yeah. Nobody’s seen her since the engagement party.”
    “That’s weird. Seems like she’d be happy. Be hanging out with Sal or something.”
    Chris nods. “Yeah. Weird. You seen her?”
    “No, I haven’t seen her.”
    “All right, gentlemen. Enough gossip.” That’s Spada, taking control of the room. I look toward him, sitting at the other side of the table, and he meets my gaze. His eyes narrow a little.
    I smile. Just a little. I can’t help it. But right away, I know it’s too much.
    Spada, however, doesn’t react. He just shuffles his papers and gets the meeting underway. I pull out my phone and get ready to take notes.
    #
    Spada spews out a lot of information over the next hour or so. I dutifully take notes, but at the same time I’m sussing out the atmosphere in the room. There’s no overt hostility, but there’s definitely some unease among Spada’s men. I also catch quite a few glances speared in my direction. Somebody noticed too much after the party. Not a surprise, really. We’re all naturally paranoid, always watching our backs. If one person noticed me with Sarah, it’d only be a matter of hours before everybody heard about it. I’m more surprised that nobody’s confronted me directly.
    After Spada’s done, I give a wave to my own guys. I’ve got a small group running my own part of the organization, including the guys who help me sort out the complications of our stable of MMA fighters. Based on what I just heard from Spada and a few rumors that have been floating over the last few weeks, I need to shift some priorities.
    We head for a back corner of the room where I can hold my own meeting. I haven’t gotten started yet when one of the guys—David—starts asking questions.
    “Why no fights next month? What was it, two? That’s not enough to keep the schedule rolling.”
    “More than enough,” I answer. “We need to lie low the next several weeks. There’s rumors floating one of the fighters is about to turn state’s evidence. So we need to be ready for that.”
    “Ah, shit,” one of the other guys says. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
    “Just a rumor right now.” I’m not sure that alleviates any concerns, but it’s the best I can do. “I’ll let you