“I can’t believe you talked me into that,” said Grace, bracing her feet on the dash as they passed a cemetery, heading from Astoria into Maspeth. “I can’t believe it worked!”

“Of course it worked,” replied Cheshire, laughing as he stole her hat for himself. “Didn’t I say it would? It’s not as if anyone north of Newton Creek knows Chuck Tighe, dear lord. Did I tell you that little punk almost got me arrested once?”

“Yeah, over a year ago. Isn’t it time to move on?”

Cheshire tsked her. “It’s not about paybacks,” he insisted. “He’s just a convenient patsy. Besides, I look more like a ‘Charlie’ than he does, right?”

Grace shook her head, but at least she did look amused. He liked that look on her. “I can’t believe you talked me into that,” she said again. “And I can’t believe you got her to sell you that extra bolt! The audacity!”

“That bolt was very important—it is perfect for a holiday jacket.”

“Okay maybe, but she’ll gut you if she ever sees you in it.”

“Okay maybe,” Cheshire parroted, but when she turned to glare at him, he offered her a sincere smile. “But admit it, you had fun.”

Grace tried to make a face at him, but he won out, and she smiled back. “We always have fun,” she admitted, and that was just what he’d been hoping for. Neither of them needed anything more.

They reached the Szpilman’s hardware store in Maspeth, and as Cheshire backed in, he spotted a familiar stone-face in his rearview mirror. He gulped. “If anyone asks,” he told Grace, “this was all your idea.”

“You are completely on your own with him,” Grace replied as she twisted her door open. Cheshire steeled himself and did the same.

Jakub was leaning against the side of the building, a mostly-smoked cigarette hanging from his mouth. Though his expression was as unreadable as ever, there was no mistaking the folded arms for anything but irritation. Cheshire reminded himself that he had prepared for this, and with a deep breath he greeted Jakub, grinning. “You’re here! Someone squealed on me, huh?”

Jakub dropped his butt to the ground and snuffed it out under his toe. “Did you get found out?” he asked, deadpan.

“We would have come in a lot faster if we had,” Cheshire replied, but it didn’t seem to earn him any amusement. Hoping Jakub couldn’t see him sweat, he rapped on the garage door and then turned back to the truck. “Don’t worry, it went off without a hitch. See for yourself.”

He opened up the back, and Jakub moved closer to see. He even unwound the top bolt to hand over the envelope inside. Jakub peeled it open and tugged out the contents just enough for a peek: weapons blueprints stamped with the Hallorran emblem.

“They’ll be safe in these until we can find a buyer,” said Cheshire, watching Jakub close the envelope back up. “My guy inside Foley said they were planning on going to Diamondback for the sale. I’m sure they won’t mind paying us instead once the Foleys finally belly up.”

“Your guy on the inside,” said Jakub, staring straight back.

The garage door finally began to open, and when Cheshire glanced up at the sound, he spotted Grace standing nearby, watching him with sympathetic amusement. “I know you don’t believe me,” he said, taking the envelope back to be re-rolled. “But how else would I have known about this deal? He’s a good kid.”

Jakub continued to stare, unimpressed. It wasn’t until the Szpilmans emerged to help unload and he and Cheshire moved out of their way that he spoke. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going through with it?”

“Because you already told me not to,” Cheshire replied with a shrug. “And you never would have passed for Irish, anyway, let alone my sister.”

Jakub snorted but couldn’t argue that point. “Barney’s not going to be happy you included his in-laws on this without telling him,” he said instead.

“Why? It was Wanda who offered them—if she didn’t tell him, that’s on her.”

“Cheshire.” Jakub fixed him with a stern look, and he just barely managed not to squirm. “You can’t go over Barney’s head like that—he’s the boss’s son.”

Cheshire rolled his eyes, and though he should have known better, he said, “Barney can suck an egg. It’s not like he can hate me more than he already does.” Too nervous to see Jakub’s reaction, he looked back to the truck, and thankfully had the perfect excuse: the Szpilmans were reaching for his worsted burgundy. “Hey, wait!” he called, heading over. “That one doesn’t have anything in it—it’s mine.”

“That’s the last of it, then,” said Wanda’s brother, Leon. “Oh, and the other thing you asked for.” He waved one of his buddies forward, who handed Cheshire a paper bag. “You got a sweet tooth or something?”

“Sure do.” Cheshire peeked inside and, satisfied, gave the man a salute. “I need to borrow the truck a while longer but I’ll get it back in one piece, I promise.”

“Thought you’d say that. Best of luck, Bloom.”

They shook hands, and Cheshire headed back to the driver’s seat. Grace hopped in from the other side, and was then made to move over by Jakub climbing in after. Before he could ask, Cheshire handed him the bag and said, “See for yourself.”

Jakub did so while Cheshire started the truck up. His brow knit. “Cherries?”

“The Foleys will be on to us by now,” Cheshire said as he pulled away from the store. “And assuming Zoe’s as sharp as she looked, they’ll know where to find us.”

“She looked pretty sharp,” Grace said wistfully.

“Cherries,” Jakub said again, and then he straightened, catching on. “The Cherry’s been emptied. If you’re planning an ambush, shouldn’t we have brought the Szpilmans?”

“‘Ambush’ is too harsh of a word,” Cheshire protested. “It’s more like...a reminder.” Jakub didn’t look convinced, but Cheshire knew he would understand once he saw for himself, so he decided not to waste his breath on more explanation until then. “Go on—have a cherry. But not too many, I need at least eight.”

Jakub shook his head, but when Grace held out her palm expectantly, he passed her one, then after some consideration took one for himself. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he muttered.

I really have thought this through, you know, Cheshire wanted to say, but he was sure it would come out too defensive, so he only hummed mysteriously and didn’t reply the rest of the trip.

They parked along the creek and walked the shore for a block, taking them to The Cherry: a red-brick warehouse that had once been home to a cannery, recently bought out by Wanda’s family to expand the oil refinery next door. It had already been cleared of most machinery, and Cheshire made a quick scan of the layout to make sure his preparations from early in the day hadn’t been disturbed: a clear aisle down the center of the building, oil drums half full of newspaper lining either side. “It’s a good thing you’re here, Jakub,” Cheshire said as he walked the line, dropping a cherry into each drum. “I need you to hide outside the building, and once they’re in, lock the door behind them. There’s a padlock in the letterbox.”

Jakub watched him, frowning deeply. “This is starting to sound harsher than an ambush,” he said.

“It’ll be fine,” Cheshire replied quickly, and he shrugged, too conscious of Jakub’s heavy stare. “Trust me, okay?”

When he finished there were still two cherries left over, and he offered one more to Grace. She accepted with less enthusiasm than she’d shown earlier. “You don’t need me to do anything, do you?” she asked.

“No no, you’re fine.” Cheshire gave her the hat back, settling it low over her face. “You should head back to the truck and stay hidden. We’ll be right behind you.” He chuckled. “As long as Chuck doesn’t keep us waiting, anyway.”

Grace wished them luck, and just as she was slipping out they could hear engines roaring up to the building. “Don’t get seen,” Cheshire told Jakub as they both hurried to the side door. “Just lock that front door behind them and then head back to Grace in the truck.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with them,” Jakub retorted. “I still don’t know what you’re up to.”

“Don’t worry so much!” Cheshire shooed him on, and once Jakub had finally left to see to his task, he hopped onto a ladder on the side of the building, climbing it to reach the upper windows. The interior catwalks had been cleared out, but there was enough of a ledge that he could sit himself in the sil and get a good look of the whole warehouse.

It’ll work, he told himself, taking off one glove. He rolled the last of the cherries between his fingers, using the subtle weight of it to help visualize each of its brothers hiding below. Just like you practiced.