Cat's Paw (Veritas Book 1) (30 page)
Read Cat's Paw (Veritas Book 1) Online
Authors: Chandler Steele
Epilogue
October 10th
New Orleans
The doorbell pulled Miri from her breakfast. Shanita looked up, but didn’t move, still half-asleep. That was one of the best things about having her as a roommate now—she wasn’t a morning person, so she didn’t talk much.
Since Alex had gone all older brother on her and insisted Miri find a safe place to live, she’d finally allowed him to lend her enough money to move in with her friend. With her new job at a classier bar, she was on her way to paying him back for the loan. Win-win for everyone.
The lady on their doorstep wasn’t someone Miri knew. Still skittish after everything that had happened the previous month, she tensed, wondering if the Russians weren’t finished with her yet. Then wondering how long it would be before she’d stop worrying about that.
“Are you Miri Parkin?” the woman asked, consulting a sheet in her hand. She was middle-aged, tanned, and sounded like a two-packs-a-day smoker.
“Yes, I am,” Miri said.
“Cool. I got a delivery for you.” The woman gestured at the pet carrier near her feet.
Shanita shuffled up in her bathrobe, stifling a yawn behind her palm. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Ah, a delivery.” Miri looked down at the carrier. “What’s in there?” A plaintive
meeeoow
came from inside the carrier, answering her question.
“It’s a kitten,” the lady said, as if that wasn’t obvious now. “He’s seven weeks old, and he’s had all his shots. Here’s his paperwork.” She slapped a fat envelope into Miri’s hand.
“Ah, but—”
“Must be a birthday gift,” Shanita piped up.
It
was
her birthday, but . . . “I can’t have a cat. Can I?”
“They’re cool by me, and the landlord doesn’t have a problem with them. We’ll just need to pay a pet deposit.”
Her friend didn’t seem the least bit surprised by all this.
“You did this?” Miri asked, eyeing her. Shanita shook her head. “Alex?” Another shake of her head, but her broad smile told Miri that she knew who had.
Confused, Miri took the pet carrier, because there was no other choice. It was a kitten, for God’s sake. No way could she turn one of those cuties away.
“If you need anything, just call the number in the paperwork. Congratulations!”
The pet-delivery lady left Miri standing in her own doorway, wondering what the hell had just happened. As she dream-walked her way back into the apartment, she saw a huge grin on her roommate’s face.
If it wasn’t her roommate or Alex . . .
Miri set the container on the counter and opened it. A small white, black, and gray kitten stuck his nose out. He had brilliant blue eyes and elegant, long, black whiskers.
“Oh my God, he’s beautiful!”
“He’s like your other cat,” Shanita said. “He’s got too many toes.”
A polydactyl.
Her friend waved an envelope under her nose. Miri snatched it away and tore it open. It took some time for her to decipher the unfamiliar scrawl.
Miri,
This kitten needs someone to love him.
Happy Birthday,
Neil (Iceman) MacFayden
Miri’s eyes misted. Neil had remembered her birthday. Of course he had. That man never forgot anything. She scooped up the bundle of soft fur and hugged the squirming creature as if he was the last kitten in the whole world.
“You knew Neil was doing this,” she accused.
“Yeah,” Shanita admitted. “Your SEAL dude came by a few days ago to see if we could have a cat. He told me what he was up to, and I thought it was just so sweet.”
Miri snuggled the little animal, so stunned by Neil’s kindness she didn’t know how to handle it. It just wasn’t something she’d ever thought he’d do for her, especially since he’d avoided any contact with her since the Russian mission.
Then, kitten ownership responsibilities flooded her brain. “Oh, I have to get cat things and food. It all burned in the house fire.”
“No worries. All that stuff is under my bed. He delivered it when you were at work. That’s some hunk you got there, my friend.”
I wish he was mine. But at least I have a small piece of him now.
Shanita stroked the kitten’s head. “So what are you going to call this little guy?”
Miri eyed the note on the counter and smiled. “MacFayden. Mac for short.”
Because Neil finally told me his last name.
“Happy birthday, girlfriend.” Shanita gave her a quick hug and left her alone with their newest roommate.
“Hey, Mac,” she murmured. The kitten looked up at her, batting at her hair with a paw. A throaty purr erupted, causing Miri’s tears to fall. “Yeah, you need some love. We all need do.”
Even those too proud to admit it.
THE END
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Thank you for sharing in another Veritas adventure!
Chandler Steele’s Veritas Series
CAT’S PAW
KILLING GAME
BROKEN DREAMS
Acknowledgments
This confidential Veritas mission report regarding the collapse of the Buryshkin drug cartel was compiled by:
Chandler Steele (
www.ChandlerSteele.com
), archivist.
Mollie Traver (
www.mollietraver.com
) who supplied the editorial and copy-editing expertise.
Lily Elliott, who served as our Russian translator.
Clarissa Yeo (
www.yocladesigns.com
) who created the striking cover design.
Dianna Love (
www.authordiannalove.com
) who offered critical and timely input to ensure the accuracy of this mission report.
Veritas deeply appreciates their assistance—and their discretion—in this matter.
Mission Notes
Before Veritas undertakes a mission, a comprehensive background dossier is created to get the “lay of the land.” Such was the case for the Buryshkin Crime Syndicate mission, code name CAT’S PAW. Here are some interesting items from that dossier:
The Italian mafia, under the direction of Carlos Marcello (a Sicilian), ruled the streets of New Orleans from the 1940s through the early 1980s. As one confidential informant explained, business back then had strict rules of conduct, gentleman to gentlemen, despite the fact they were managing the drug, gambling and prostitution rackets. Once Marcello died, the Italian mob’s control diminished, a vacuum eventually filled by others, including the Russian mafia.
Since New Orleans is a popular convention destination, prostitution is rampant, and the FBI has made arrests related to human trafficking. In 2015, after the police launched an undercover investigation code named Operation Trick or Treat, five French Quarter adult clubs lost their alcohol and tobacco licenses because of prostitution, lewd activities and illegal drug sales.
An informant revealed that when prostitutes were no longer of value to their bosses, some would be taken into the Gulf of Mexico, just into international waters, and thrown overboard, weighted down by chains. Louisiana’s coastal waters, swamps and bayous have long served as a convenient dumping ground for corpses.
Cocaine is frequently diluted with everyday substances such as talcum powder or milk sugar to stretch the yield. In 2011, the DEA found that over seventy percent of street cocaine was cut with levamisole, a drug used to kill parasites in humans and livestock. Levamisole has a number of side effects, including plummeting white blood cell counts. It also increases the “high” which is why it is a popular additive.
* ~ * ~ *
After review of the background dossier, it was verified the Buryshkin Crime Syndicate presented a significant danger, and not only in terms of their drug and prostitution rings. Certain internal sources warned of a power struggle within the organization, one that might herald a city-wide mafia war.
Based on the information gathered, the mission was approved and Morgan Blake was assigned to lead it.
Chandler Steele
Published by
Steele Romance
P.O. Box 1126
Norcross, GA 30091
This work is a novel of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Cat’s Paw
ISBN: 978-1-941527-05-4
Copyright ©2016 Chandler Steele
Cover Image/Art: Yocla Designs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means now known or hereinafter invented, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.
Contents
