The afternoon rain had eased to a persistent drizzle. I knew where to find Tommy. He spent most of his days in the alley behind the safehouse, running errands for anyone who flashed enough cash.
I walked down the creaking basement steps and pushed open the heavy steel door. The air in the alley was thick with the smell of damp concrete and discarded food. Tommy sat on an overturned crate, tossing a pebble against the brick wall. He looked up, his eyes widening when he saw me.
“Leo,” he stammered, scrambling to his feet. “What’s up?”
I stepped closer, keeping my voice low and even. He was just a kid, sixteen, with a nervous twitch in his left eye.
“Tommy, I need you to be honest with me,” I said. “Three nights ago. Nico. He gave you something, didn’t he?”
Tommy shifted his weight, his gaze darting to the puddles at his feet. He picked at a loose thread on his worn hoodie.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, barely audible. “He, uh, he gave me a few hundred.”
“How much, exactly?” I pressed.
“Two hundred,” Tommy admitted, finally looking at me. “For a delivery.”
“What kind of delivery?”
He swallowed hard. “A briefcase. Heavy. Locked. He said to put it in your room. Under your bed.”
I felt a cold prickle on my skin. This was exactly what I’d expected, yet the specificity still hit hard.
“Did you know what was inside?” I asked, my voice calm despite the surge of anger building in my chest.
Tommy shook his head vigorously. “No way, Leo! I swear, I just did what he said. He paid good. I didn’t ask questions.”
He looked genuinely terrified, his hands trembling slightly.
“You believe me, right? I wouldn’t do anything to mess with you, not ever.”
I nodded slowly. I believed him. Tommy was a small-time operator, easily swayed by a wad of cash. He was a pawn, just like Nico had been.
“It’s okay, Tommy,” I said. “You did good by telling me.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill.
“Keep this. For being straight with me.”
His eyes widened, and he snatched the money. “Thanks, Leo. Seriously. Anything else, you just say.”
I watched him scamper off down the alley. Nico had been played, used as a puppet. Someone was pulling his strings, and they were using unwitting kids like Tommy to plant evidence and create a false trail.
It was a calculated, insidious move. And it pointed directly back to Eli Gable.
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