Lee looked to him.
“They’re steerin’ clear of Lottie because of her connection with Eddie and likely the rest of us. This means they know the connection, so he’ll know you. You enter when Ally’s dancin’ and Gibbons has eyes on her. Steiner will either have eyes on her or the crowd. You go for Steiner. Ally makes Gibbons part of the act and she goes for him.” Lee looked at me. “It sucks and it makes me wanna vomit sayin’ this, but you dance for him. You do it smart. You’ll have backup, Ally. Luke and Mace are on you. But you gotta disarm him and not get shot doin’ it.”
Holy shit!
Lee looked like he’d eaten something rotten when he asked, “Can you keep him occupied to do that?”
I stared at him. I looked to Hank to see a muscle jerk in his cheek. I looked through the men.
They all had eyes on me.
I looked back at Lee and sat my ass down again, saying, “Absolutely.”
Lee nodded.
“While he’s eyes to you, Darius takes Steiner out, Mace and Luke will get into position,” he went on. “You just have to get your hand on his gun. Shoulder holster. His left side. Once you got it, you get the fuck outta the way. Mace and Luke will move in.”
I nodded.
His voice dropped lower when he said, “You got the feel, Ally. You demonstrated that at Lincoln’s. If it hits you it’s goin’ bad, he looks like he’s goin’ for his gun, you get the fuck out. Mace and Luke will roll in. But I want his ass jacked by a dancer. I want him disarmed and unmanned by a woman and I want that to have an audience. You with me?”
Oh, fuck yeah.
I was with him.
When I nodded that time, I was grinning.
Lee studied me. Then he turned to the boys.
“Vance, Bobby, you’re team one. Hector and Matt, team two. Jack and Monty, team three. Brody will give you the details you need. Jimmy, Hank and Eddie will sweep up.”
Lee’s eyes were looking at the men he was addressing then he came back to me.
“After you take yours down, we’re closin’ Smithie’s and you work the girls. You get them to trust you. You get them to trust us. You get them to trust the cops. And you get them to make statements and press charges.”
“Copy that,” I replied.
Lee studied me again before he looked back to his men. “You have your assignments. This happens during Ally’s first dance. Eight fifty-five. Track your men. Find them. Report in. And the time comes, take them out.”
More chin lifts.
Jeez.
The gang broke up just as Darius’s phone rang.
But I looked to Lee. “Need a second. In private. Eddie, too.”
My eyes went to Eddie to see him watching me intently.
“Ally, got shit to do,” Lee said, sounding distracted.
“A second, Lee,” I replied quietly.
It was my quiet that got him to give me a look. He transferred his gaze to Eddie and then he nodded to me
I avoided all eyes as he moved out of the room and I followed him, Eddie following me.
Lee took us to his office, but stood at the door until Eddie and I made it through. Then he closed the door and turned his back to it, not moving further into the room.
Right. His position reiterated he was giving me only a second, he had shit to do.
So did I, so I cut to it.
I took a deep breath and reminded him. “You know I’m worried about Darius.”
“I do,” Lee confirmed. “But is now the time for you to get up in our shit about it?”
“I know about Malia and Liam.”
I watched Lee’s entire body get tight, and I didn’t normally get scared but that sure as fuck scared me.
“Zano tell you?” he fired at me, his words like bullets.
“No,” I answered, shaking my head for emphasis. “I found out like I find out a lot of shit. I know a lot of people. I ask a lot of questions.” I looked to Eddie. “I did it on the down low so there’s nothing for you two to worry about.”
“You’re wrong,” Lee returned, and I looked back to him.
“I know this is privileged information and the person who told me was not real big on me knowing it. But I got the information and I’m gonna do something about it.”
Lee leaned toward me, his eyes narrowing. “You’re not gonna do shit.”
“I am,” I whispered. “There’s a boy growing up without his father.”
Lee leaned back. “That’s Darius’s choice.”
“It’s the wrong one,” I retorted.