35. Adrian

"Ihear you, Marcel. But I still don"t see how this is going to play out," I say into my Bluetooth headset as I steer my car towards the parking lot.

"Trust me. Enzo definitely has something up his sleeve," he comments.

I sigh and thread my fingers through my hair.

"Fine. I"ll update you!" I say and disconnect the call.

I get out of my car and head towards Enzo"s office. They weren"t kidding when they were talking about their restaurants. This one is a high-end one on Madison Avenue. I"d heard of it before, but I"d never connected it to the mob before. I guess that goes to show just how embedded in society they are. The usher greets me, and I tell him who I"m supposed to meet. After confirming my ID, he shows me to the back elevator, punching some code, which takes me to the building"s third floor.

As I step out of the elevator, I am met with an open plan apartment, of which the kitchen seems to take a significant portion. Enzo is right in the middle of that kitchen, full gear on. He removes a tray from the industrial oven, and the smell wafts towards me.

It smells… intriguing.

"Hastings," he says in that Italian accent of his. He puts the tray on the table for cooling and frees his hands. He quickly checks his watch and his mouth curls up, noting. "You"re early."

"Did I disturb your baking party?" I add drily, but he just shrugs, taking off his apron and motioning me to the sofas.

"If you"d have been on time, the cake would have had time to cool down. Now you"ll just have to wait."

"I didn"t take you for the baking sort."

"My wife loved baking. Now it just allows me to relax," he says nonchalantly. "But alas, let us get back to business. I trust you received the file I sent you?"

"Indeed."

"Do you have questions? I thought it was pretty straightforward. Those are our current locations, but shortly we will have a few more places opening. Of course, I shall update you. All in due time, however."

"That"s not exactly what I wanted to talk to you. I"ve already flagged those locations as per our agreement. There is something that bothers me."

"Go ahead." Enzo takes a pack of cigarettes from the table and lights one, crossing his legs and regaling me with his undivided attention.

"I"m not entirely sure how much you"ve heard about the recent disturbances," I start carefully. I don"t want to rush into the meat of the issue lest Enzo suspects I have a personal stake in this.

"How recent are we talking?" He drags deeply from the cigarette and releases a cloud of smoke.

"It"s been a couple of months now. The reports have been trickling in."

"Let"s say I have an idea of what you"re talking about."

"There"s been an increase in street disturbances. Word is that a new gang is in town," I continue.

"But it"s not," he states, and I nod.

"Yes, it"s a cartel we"ve been watching for a while now. They"re trying to set base in New York."

"You"re pretty well informed, Chief." Enzo takes another drag and heads to the small liquor cabinet next to the window. He turns to me with a question, but I shake my head.

"I"m driving," I simply say. He pours himself a drink and settles back on the sofa.

"I"ve been informed of this new cartel trying to get into our territory. It"s interesting to see you know too." He smiles slowly but continues, "So, what"s your issue?"

"Your part of the bargain is to help keep crime low. These people are only driving it up." I keep my voice steady, hoping he won"t ask more questions.

"So it is. Let"s do this. Tell me what you know, and I will tell you what I know. Tit for tat, very simple." He makes it sound simple, but somehow I doubt this is an equal exchange.

"My sources tell me these people are part of the Ortega cartel. We don"t know much because their people don"t talk. We do, however, know that they"re mainly involved in sex trafficking."

"I see." Enzo regards me for a second before giving his own side. "Ortega isn"t your problem. Jimenez is. I"ve noticed changes in the market since he"s started encroaching in the area. But no one can actually vouch for the man. He"s never been seen in person. He"s more like a myth if you will." Oh, how I know. I"ve been chasing this myth for twenty years. Few have reported seeing or interacting with him, with most of them probably lying through their teeth.

"How do you deal with a myth then?"

Enzo"s mouth spreads into a wide smile. "You"re lucky, Hastings. Your enemy seems to be my enemy, as well."

"Really?" I drawl, realizing how well Marcel had predicted this.

"Let"s just say we"re competing in the same market."

"Then I gather you"ve already thought how to deal with him?"

"Of course. Jimenez is a dangerous enemy because he doesn"t show himself. He only works through intermediaries."

"So, you plan to make him show himself?"

"Exactly. My wife"s birthday is in two days. We"ve been planning a bash for a while now, thinking to lure Jimenez into a cordial partnership." He looks me up and down critically. "You should join us and bring that lovely wife of yours with you."

"That"s a very impromptu invite. But thank you nonetheless."

"What can I say. Law enforcement isn"t very high up on my list for pleasant company. But I shall make an exception for you. We"re to be partners, no?"

"Of course. We"ll make sure to be there."

"I"ll have the invitations sent to your office."

We quickly wrap up when Enzo receives a phone call that he"s needed at one of his locations, but not before he packs me half of the cherry tart he baked.

I get in my car and head to Marcel"s office at the D.A."s. When he sees me come in with the cake, he raises his eyebrow in amusement, and I shrug.

"Who knew Enzo was a baking enthusiast."

"That"s funny," he says, but he takes the tart from me and proceeds to cut it in pieces. "It"s actually delicious," he praises it, his mouth full. I take a small amount as well, and I have to agree. It"s not bad at all.

"Sweets aside, what did you manage?" Marcel reclines in his seat, and I make myself comfortable across from him.

"He"s after Jimenez as well. It seems he"s been planning for a while to get close to him."

"I assumed as much. There"s no way Enzo wouldn"t know what happens in his own territory and if there is anyone who threatens his business. Most probably, there"s been some sort of communications between him and Jimenez."

"You think? With how elusive Jimenez is?"

"Definitely. The Agostis are very well connected," Marcel remarks.

"Then it would make sense why he thinks Jimenez would make an appearance at his wife"s birthday party," I say, musing. When Enzo had casually mentioned Jimenez coming to the party, I hadn"t taken it too seriously.

"Did he say so?"

"Yeah, he belatedly invited Bianca and me as well. It"s in two days."

"Shit!" Marcel curses under his breath, and I have to agree. The situation isn"t optimal. I might actually need to bring Bianca with me.

"Do you think she"ll agree to come?" he finally asks.

"I don"t know. Last I saw her, she looked pretty rough."

I"d tried my damned best to get the image of her looking half-dead in that bed.

I"d had to keep myself from checking up on her again. Although, with recent developments, it looks like I might have to do just that.

"Does she know why you"ve been after Jimenez for so long?" I shake my head.

"I don"t think she knows the details, only that it"s personal."

"We should still try to get her on board. It would look too suspicious if you showed up without her."

"I know, I thought about that as well." I sigh aloud before saying, "I"ll reach out to Vlad tonight, maybe see her tomorrow."

"Good. I have to say I was astonished when you told me about Bianca"s relationship with Vlad."

"He assured me it"s always been strictly platonic," I feel compelled to add, and I see Marcel fighting a smile.

"And that was the most important thing for you, wasn"t it?"

"Of course," I answer too readily and catch myself. "Shit…" I laugh. "This situation has been messing with my brain."

"You"re not a saint yourself, Adrian." Marcel arches an eyebrow at me. "Maybe cut her some slack." Marcel had been the first to call me out on some irregularities in my background, and the only person to know my true identity. What began as a slight rivalry soon grew into an unexpected friendship.

"I don"t think her killing people bothers me as much as her manipulating me. From what she"s told me, her first kill was definitely warranted. The others? I don"t know. Vlad assures me they weren"t innocent. But she lied to me. She put on an act. I don"t even know the real her, and that"s the main problem."

"Then get to know her. The real her."

"Easy for you to say," I mumble, crossing my arms defensively. Since when is Marcel Bianca"s biggest supporter?

"Sometimes, maybe even monsters deserve some redemption," he says, more to himself.