4. Dante

Chapter 4

Dante

T he media fanfare surrounding the murder of Marco Leone was incredible.

Obviously, it was not what I wanted, but there was a silver lining to the entire farce. The breathless nightly coverage of the murder meant the authorities had to take Zola’s protection more seriously or risk a hit on their reputation should she be harmed on their watch.

My name was still out of the news as the unnamed businessman her father had been working on defending, but I knew it was only a matter of time before this would no longer be the case.

I also knew it was only a matter of time before they tried to hurt her again.

It was inevitable because of the rumors that she might be able to identify her attackers and that her father had shared valuable information to her about the case. This made her the ultimate loose end and it completely robbed me of sleep.

I also needed to talk to her but that didn’t seem to be a possibility. I ground out the cigar I’d been smoking and looked out at the picturesque nightlife skyline and considered my next steps.

The door behind me slid open but I didn’t bother turning around.

“Boss?” Luca called. “Detective Hudgens is on the line for you?”

He came into my line of vision, a cell phone in his outstretched hand. I took the phone.

“Moretti,” he said in his nasal New York accent. “Long time no speak.”

I frowned at the grating voice of the meddlesome detective. “Well, we had a chat last month at my office so I don’t think it’s been that long.”

“Oh, it has been,” he said. “After all, Leone was alive last month, wasn’t he? In fact, he was alive and well barely a week ago.”

I ignored the jibe. “How many people do you have at her apartment?”

“One or two?” he replied.

I was even more annoyed by his careless tone. “One or two?” You're not sure?”

“Moretti, you have no right to interrogate me. She’s safe. This case is only as big as it is right now because they know someone very high profile is behind it. But I guarantee you that in a few days, it’ll blow over. The media will move on to something more interesting.”

I could feel myself grow even colder at his words.

“I want to supply extra security for her, how can we make this happen?”

“You can’t,” he said and there was great satisfaction in his voice. “And neither can we. At this point, we’re doing all we can.”

I didn’t believe him.

“The media are reporting that she might be able to identify her attacker. You don’t know how serious that is? There is no way they are going to let her live.”

“When did you become so concerned about our witnesses? You’ve never been this way before.”

“Marco Leone died to protect his daughter. I owe him to see that she is safe.”

“At the moment she has chosen to stay at her apartment and we’ve got men outside guarding it, but we’re going to put her into the program after her father’s funeral in a few days. Security will be amped up during the funeral, and afterward, once things settle down a little, we can assess the situation more clearly.”

I was shocked. “You’re going to put her in the program?”

“Of course.”

I had no desire to continue the conversation with him, but I had to. “Has she actually agreed to be in the program?”

He paused. “Uh … I have to check up on that, but why wouldn’t she?”

I couldn’t believe the level of stupidity I was dealing with. “I want to see her. How can it happen?”

“It can’t,” he replied. “Perhaps at the funeral. People will be free to go up and speak to her then.”

I acknowledged the truth in his words as I ended the call.