Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

N ico

I’d done my best to stay away from Alexandra during the evening hours the night before, but it had been tough. She’d tried to get me to talk, but after the argument with Domino, I hadn’t felt ready to open up to anyone about my suspicions.

I’d barely admitted it to myself although now I felt I couldn’t ignore the thoughts I’d had for two and a half decades. How could I at this point?

There’d been no evidence my buddy Greg had been involved with any illegal activity or with criminal elements. Yes, he’d prosecuted many influential cases, but none that seemed as if they’d create serious enemies. But I was ready to take another look, along with digging into my own past.

That’s why I was still sitting in the dark behind my desk at almost four in the morning. I’d unlocked the small safe where I’d kept the evidence I’d collected along with whatever bullshit I’d learned from the cops in the US. I had my desk lamp on, the terrible photographs and documentation spread out and I’d gone over them several times.

Reliving the horrible moment wasn’t tops on my agenda, but no matter the reason, I needed to learn why. If not, I would go insane.

What was not to be argued was that the shot had come through one of the stained-glass windows at a high trajectory, which meant the shooter had likely been on the second floor of the building across the street. It had been a prime location, the majority of the building either abandoned or being renovated. And as one might guess, not a soul noticed anything. Not one damn thing. One might think the assassin’s vision would be clouded, but there were special glasses that cut through the stain.

The main question was who was the target? That one of us had been killed was secondary at this point.

What had infuriated the cops was there been no shell casings left behind, no cigarette butts or soda cans inside the abandoned room. And no fingerprints whatsoever. The commercial space had been empty but locked down, with no sign of forced entry. To them that indicated someone from the building, perhaps the owner. Granted, the developer of several blocks on the street had sparred with Greg and I’d had a long chat with him after the police had.

He had a decent alibi that even I hadn’t been able to break. His associates weren’t killers and no money had left his bank account that couldn’t be accounted for. I’d searched overseas as well and had done so months afterward.

No one had laid claim and the story had quickly been shoved under twenty others in a week or less.

I’d kept looking, searching for any clue while attempting to figure out what to do with Alexandra. What I hadn’t done until later was think about the possibility I’d been the target. I’d been numb, barely able to function while remaining in Philadelphia. His murder had nearly broken me.

I thought about the year and of course my father had been in full control then, barely shifting into handling more legitimate business activities even though I’d encouraged him. There were records of business transactions, but nothing concrete like contracts and nondisclosure clauses. So much had still been done with a handshake. My father had been way behind the times.

Most of the men who’d worked for my father had either died or left the organization. Some hadn’t appreciated when I’d taken over. Who was left that I could talk to and consider them completely loyal?

My father’s old attorney. He’d retired a year before my father had died. He’d almost been like a godfather to us, a man who’d worked hard on his reputation and that of the Marciano business. The last I’d heard, he’d moved to the South of France, which didn’t seem like him in the least. He adored Italy and had spit on the French. Times and people changed.

Elio had also been almost ten years older than my father, which could mean he was no longer alive. Although he was a hard man, tougher than most. I had a feeling he was alive and kicking.

I had no way of knowing if he’d changed his once private phone number that very few people had. Given he still had his share of enemies, he would have been smart to abandon it and switch to another phone and number altogether. Along with another name.

Retired mafia men didn’t usually live to enjoy their retirement but for so long.

At least that had been the norm as little as twenty years before. I was shocked how far we’d come.

It took me almost thirty minutes, but I found his number. It wasn’t yet six in the morning, but the man should be up with the sun. Right?

I dialed the number, half expecting it to provide me with the typical ‘no longer in service’ announcement, but it started ringing, a gruff voice answering the phone.

“ Sarà meglio che sia dannatamente bello .”

This better be damn good.

I laughed, although I doubted he could recognize me from that. “ Nessun biglietto vincente della lotteria. Solo una chiamata da un vecchio amico .”

No winning lottery ticket. Just a call from an old friend.

He hesitated, grumbling under his breath. “Nico?”

“Yeah, Elio. It’s me. It’s been a long time, my friend.”

“How are you?”

“Not bad. You?” I was glad he’d switched to English since his Italian accent made it almost impossible to understand him. That and the years he’d indulged in cigars and liquor.

“Old age is kicking in. Why are you contacting me at six in the morning? I’m retired. I sleep late and play late.” He always did think of himself as a ladies’ man.

“I need a favor. I need to pick your brain.”

“On?”

“Contracts you were working on with my father years ago.”

He laughed. “My memory isn’t what it used to be, my friend.”

“It’s worth a try. Do you remember the year my buddy was killed?”

“And brought the baby into your life? That one I remember. Why are you looking at contracts from twenty-five years ago? You know your father wasn’t keen on them. I had to push him with every single new client.”

“I remember,” I huffed. “I never explored the possibility Greg’s assassination had been meant for me. I mean he stepped in front of me to hand me the baby seconds before he was shot. The trajectory indicated I would have been hit in the forehead.”

Instead of half the back of my friend’s head getting blown off.

I was shocked when he said nothing at first. Absolutely nothing.

“Why would you look into that shit now? What good is it going to do?” There was an edge to his voice, which was also surprising.

“Because there are some incidents occurring that might be connected.” I had no way of knowing that yet, but I sensed he really didn’t want to help me. That meant he was hiding something. It was also a regular occurrence between Elio and my father. They were close enough secrets had to be kept between them.

“There weren’t any cases that should cause any red flags. That much I remember. Your father was making overtures into the United States by that point, something I’d pushed him to do. However, he wasn’t making much headway.”

That was something. One thing was becoming clear. This had something to do with American ties. I was positive of that. Maybe Mattia was also pushing to get into the States, hopeful to shove my presence aside. What it meant I couldn’t tell and maybe the information was all circumstantial. However, I had to keep turning over rocks.

“But you need to stop looking. You know that secrets that don’t want to see the light of day could have evil inside.”

The man had also always been rather poetic, or so my father had thought. In my mind, he’d been cryptic. Domino and I had teased him when we were kids.

“Yeah, I get that, but the little girl grew up into a beautiful woman who witnessed a horrible crime. Now, the assholes are after her and it would seem they are going to stop at nothing to hunt her down. I do not intend to let that happen.”

“You’re just like your father, Nico. That’s not always a good thing. You’re far too hardheaded, bulldozing your way into things you shouldn’t be in the middle of.”

Why did I feel like he was warning me?

“As I said, I will not allow anything to happen to Alexandra. Now, to honor my father, will you help me? Just take a look at the files you kept, and I know you brought them with you at least electronically.”

He didn’t seem amenable to helping me. That pissed me off.

“I’ll see what I can find, Nico. But don’t expect anything. Deals that need to die are killed. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

“Yeah, I get it. But I’ve learned over the years secrets never die. They may get buried, but they always find their way to the surface. Always. It’s been good talking with you. Please do get back to me.”

Whether or not he would remained to be seen. The call had been worth it. Talking to him told me there was something hanging on from over twenty years before. Had I somehow been tossed into the middle of it, but a mistake had occurred? The call was finished and I had more questions than I had answers.

I closed my eyes, intending it to be brief.

There was far too much to do, but they were stinging like a son of a bitch.

Jesus.

The ring was right next to my ear and I jumped, immediately reaching for my weapon. I realized at the same time my phone was ringing that I’d fallen asleep with my head on my desk. Christ. I hadn’t done that in a long time.

The screen indicated Domino was calling. I wasn’t certain I wanted to get into another argument, but he never called this early. He was far too busy partying until late in the night to bother getting up before ten.

“Yes?” I also wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. He’d made his point. While I understood his extensive concern, I wasn’t the kind of man or Don to tolerate such disrespect in front of my men.

“That asshole Gio?”

There was a serious gruffness to his voice I was unused to hearing. “What about him?”

“I had to call in a couple favors,” my brother said, “but I finally discovered the ass-wipe has been on Mattia Russo’s payroll for over fifteen years. It was well hidden, the perfect mole who came in and out of our world only when his boss deemed it necessary to gather whatever information he was seeking.”

I sat upright in my chair, fisting my hand. I had white knuckles on the other from the force I was using to hold the iPhone against my ear. “What?”

“You heard me, and I did have my sources double check. I have photographs of him meeting with Russo at various locations through the years, all of them clandestine.”

Moles weren’t unheard of. They’d been used since the beginning of time. Threats made to current members of crime syndicates were typically violent and against family members, almost always causing a man to betray the family he’d pledged an oath to. However, that was more about the old days. With computers, experts and hackers hired by every mob leader to provide more traditional roles of keeping security tight, the instances were way down.

Information was locked away, illegal activities not what they used to be.

Hearing Russo had used this man for years to infiltrate whatever limited part of my operation possible likely meant he’d done it to other families within Italy.

Unless Mattia considered me ‘special.’ I was both irritated and amused at the same time. Gio had simply provided smaller clients in the beginning, some within Italy. When he’d expanded his business operations into America, I’d checked on his sources and clients in other countries. Everything had seemed legit.

What his alliance with my organization had provided might not seem like something to be concerned about, but with every contract came negotiations as well as open books about certain financial aspects of both companies attempting to enter into business.

With a little additional digging, it was possible Mattia knew more about our company than anyone else outside of the family.

Not good.

“You’re one thousand percent positive,” I growled.

“I sent you pictures. You can decide for yourself. I’ve contacted our technical department to hack into Gio’s computers and place wire taps on his phone and his house. He’s being watched, but so far, he’s been a good boy.”

At least my brother knew what the fuck he was doing. He’d studied our father’s old ways. Sadly, his knowledge would prove to be more than helpful.

It might be a saving grace.

I pulled up my email, the larger file taking a full twenty seconds to come in. By that moment in time, I was enraged to the point I was seeing blood. I couldn’t be angry with anyone other than myself. Yes, I’d followed my own protocol in checking, but there were far too many ways of getting around the typical fact-finding mission.

Gio had remained off the radar other than coming to my house at night less than a week ago. Either that meant Mattia had found himself in a difficult situation or perhaps there was a new player.

Like the Greeks.

Either way, the entire situation wasn’t going to be tolerated.

As my brother had indicated, the pictures told no lies. They went back far enough I could tell the relationship Gio shared with Mattia wasn’t a casual one. While it wasn’t clear what they were doing other than talking, in one photograph an envelope was handed to Mattia.

I knew enough about the jerk to know he’d like nothing more than to be considered top dog of the five families. That had never been done before. I also surmised that if that became reality, an impossibility in my mind, he would have enough clout and control to be considered a major world player. Which meant if he wanted to take a spin in the United States, other syndicates could be worried.

What better way to enter into the country than on the backs of other Italian mafia corporations. The oddity in my mind was why go to all that trouble? The family was rich beyond their means. They had profitable merchandise themselves, including more of the illegal kind. The only reason it would make sense was because of Mattia’s ego.

“I got them. I’m going to set up a meeting with Gio. He will answer questions.” I was surprised the anger had remained in my tone.

“There’s something else you should know,” Domino stated. “I couldn’t figure out an angle Mattia was using until I realized he’d hedged his bets on his entire company and was ready to lose big.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means he invested all the profits and margins on his real estate development and his other businesses on a speculative deal. Some big resort where casinos, a small town, a water park, and wineries had been planned, with investors established. Then some pesky national workers burst his bubble, acquiring the land.”

“In Italy?” I knew the answer.

Domino laughed. “In the United States.”

Well, there was the connection between the two men. Not that it was positively a smoking gun, but as with all coincidences, it was not to be ignored. “How amazing.”

“Exactly. Not only will approval not be provided, even if it was, he and his investors would have been required to pay millions upon millions to make a switch to alternative land, in a sense starting all over again. The only viable one I could find in a quick search was more like a swamp. There was even quicksand from what I was able to discover.”

Now he was laughing.

“And he took the money from the investors.”

Domino chuckled. “Yes.”

“But he started this plan years ago.” Just like Adonis.

“Yes, but Gio was helping him find investors. I have a bad feeling that includes some of the people involved in our corporations.”

We had investors of our own. “You need to dig deep to find out the names.”

“I will. Are you going to off Gio?”

“That depends on our… meeting.”

“You could always feed him false information,” Domino suggested.

“A good idea, but something tells me there is an urgency we aren’t fully abreast of.” That’s exactly what my instincts told me.

The blip on my phone in my ear indicated someone was at the front door. I pulled it away for a few seconds, the updated application that had been installed on my phone not only providing me with a full view of my visitor, but options as to what to do.

Including pressing a button for the police.

As if that would happen.

Seeing Luca made me shake my head. It would seem we were all getting an early start. I allowed the front door’s security a one-minute lapse, which would allow him enough time to get inside. Too bad the system didn’t have machine guns pointed at the door just in case.

At least the old school thought gave me a smile.

“And did you find anything on Alexandra?” I shifted the subject on purpose.

“You had to know I’d have concerns. Let’s face it, brother. She means something to you.”

“Answer the goddamn question.”

Domino grumbled. “Nothing that would raise a red flag.”

“Then fucking drop it.”

I sensed he hadn’t been planning on doing so.

“I find it interesting you’re keeping her sequestered. I will be eager to meet her at dinner. I’ll let you know if I find anything else of use.”

Always the dramatic man, his quick ending of the call meant he knew he was in the wrong. But I’d remembered he was returning the favor since I’d investigated both of the women he’d been oh-so serious about over the years.

Sadly, both had been hacks, money grubbers, or worse. It was apparent he’d never forgiven me for destroying the two most precious women in his life. Right. It had taken him all of five days to move on from each horrid event.

I returned my full concentration to the pictures while fingering my phone as Luca walked in. I could swear between the two of us, we could use the bags under our eyes for suitcases. He was wearing what I’d called a suit meant for dancing yet without a tie, the color of his shirt somewhere in the vicinity of deep purple.

“Rough night?” I asked.

He had a huge to-go cup of steaming liquid in his hand, the scent of coffee permeating the room. “I worked the system pretty much all night. It would seem our boy Mattia has purchased a lovely home only two miles from this one. Not due to close for a couple weeks, but he is definitely setting up a house on your turf.”

Working, or playing? Where I’d yet to learn, but he’d likely put a spin on it that it was for work. Perhaps it was. My second in command was very creative.

Of course there were only imaginary boundaries as based on the ordained yet unwritten rules that had been around with the five families for generations. Vacationing was perfectly acceptable, but not purchasing real estate.

“Interesting.” I was fascinated. “And just where is the man staying now?”

“Only the finest hotel in Palermo. He’s living large, spotted in the new dance club last night.”

“Let me guess. You just happened to enjoy yourself at the club last night as well.”

His grin told me I was right.

“Hey. I’ll go to any lengths for my boss.”

“Right. You’re not getting a raise,” I teased. “Was Mattia handling business or partying?”

“Oh, he was partying.”

Mattia was doing nothing more than leaving his scent tainting various locations like any good alpha dog would do. It was his way of threatening me. “Interesting tactics. So you are aware, Gio has been working with Mattia for years. Domino discovered that last night as well. And both Mattia and our good buddy Adonis invested in the same land deal outside Philly.”

“We have an entire conspiracy going on.”

“Which doesn’t say anything about the Greeks and their plans. I just have a difficult time believing they’ll work with a member of the Italian Cosa Nostra.”

“As you told me dozens of times, times have changed. Business is different.”

“True.”

He shrugged and took a huge gulp of his coffee. “On my end, no new scorching news on Adonis out of America. An ongoing investigation. No new deaths either.”

“I have a feeling that’s going to change.”

It was just a gut feeling.

“With all this burgeoning new information, what do you want to do?”

“You’re going to go get a shower and find a way to garner some energy. We’re going to have a meeting with Gio whether he likes it or not.”

He nodded, but I could tell he was bone weary. “You want Enzo involved?”

“You bet. I’ll text you with the time, but you’ll have a couple of hours. Use them. You’re not getting any younger, Luca. You should remember that.”

“Thanks, boss. I guess you need to keep that in mind as well.” His entire face was lit up as if he knew a secret.

“Very funny.”

He was laughing, but the man knew me even better than my brother did. Maybe my personality had changed. That didn’t alter what my world had been shoved into. In a way, the tragedy Alexandra had endured was the reason I might not be caught with my pants down by Mattia.

As I picked up my phone, my mind wandered to whether Mattia was truly fighting with various American syndicates like Adonis or working with one.

Perhaps Mattia would secure a great coup that could affect a dozen syndicates. And had Gregory somehow get himself mixed up in some early mafia shit? He had defended a few low-level players, but he’d never mentioned trouble. Maybe my mind was working overtime.

Should I put the fear of God into Gio or let it ride? Mattia was something else altogether. I had to play this carefully. Too many pieces were intertwined.

The question and the possibly significant meaning were daunting.