I walked out of the hotel’s double glass doors and glanced around. I saw Eric standing outside talking to a voluptuous blond and smirked knowing how upset Mrs. De Luca would be if she knew. Most men in the business entertained mistresses. It was normal, perhaps even expected. Turning a blind eye to my lawyer’s infidelity, I waited until the blond walked away before exiting. Pretending I knew nothing was a skill I had learned well.
“Ready to go, or are you refusing to talk to me?”
Eric handed the valet the ticket for his car. We waited in silence until it arrived. “Look, Sean. I’m sorry. I just don’t want to see you thrown into The Abyss. I mean you’re like family to me. You are family considering our past.”
“Trust me. I don’t plan on spending my life in jail. The feds can take me in a body bag first.”
“And where does that leave Mickie? What about your little sister? Who’s going to protect her if you are dead? If you’re convicted?” Eric had a way of drawing out my true identity. “You’re only out on bail. Ramirez might be dead, but we still have to worry about the first agent that arrived on that scene.”
“That’s why I have you.”
SIX
(Jessie)
MY HEART RACED, SURE THAT mobster knew exactly who I was, but at the same time, I was curious. I had never seen his face before that moment. He was an attractive man, tall with broad shoulders, vibrant blue eyes, and a stunning, natural tan. He had a debonair smile, but neither that nor his gentlemanly air disbanded my desire to spit in his face. An urge I feverishly fought while he disgustingly pecked my hand.
“I’m a dead man.” Stephen immediately broke out in a sweat when Gianetti walked off. “That’s his way. He’s so nice. The untrained eye wouldn’t see it, but I’ve been marked. Me body is already six foot deep.”
It had taken too long for Stephen to call me and that irritated me so much I could barely speak civilly to him, but somehow I managed.
“Maybe,” calmly, I spoke. “Seems to me you have a better shot dealing with this my way.” In which I would take him to The Bureau and hand him over. “It’s a huge step up for you any way you look at it. They’ll give you a new identity, a new home – money.”
“Money? Really?”
There was the magic word.
“Yeah, I guess I’m taking a chance, either way, right?”
He was sold.
I noticed the men in Gianetti’s party hung out long after he had. So with great caution, I pretended to leave with the man. My arm threaded through his like we were together. Sean Gianetti was standing outside, leaned against the wall. His eyes glared as we walked to the parking lot, but he didn’t take a step in our direction.
I paid close attention to my rear view, but no one seemed to be following. I pulled into the driveway of small home in the middle of town. Sean Gianetti wasn’t the only one with secrets.
I found the hidden key beneath a decorative rock, opened the door and invited the man inside.
“You’re pretty shitty at hiding people.” Stephen assumed. “What are you trying to do? Use me as bait?”
“This is a safe house,” I spat. “Or would you feel more comfortable if I dropped your ass off at the precinct?”
“And just how do you know this place is a safe house?”
“My father told me to come here if I was ever in trouble.” I stared at the man who kept peeking through curtains and rubbing his arms. I guess his fix was wearing off. He was paranoid and he was as stupid as I first assumed he was. He couldn’t have been too smart considering he was sure that Gianetti had spies watching Josh’s hospital room, yet he felt safe enough to meet me a few rooms away? Moron!
“Follow me.” The sooner I dumped this guy off the better.
I headed straight for the trap door that concealed a tunnel entrance. I led him swiftly down the long corridor and hand delivered him to Zorrelli’s, the JBI’s favorite place to unwind.
It was a small appendage of a building, latched on to its parent that faced Long Road. Once, it had been part of the adjoining clothing store, a storage room perhaps, until it was separated and used as a criminal hangout until it was discovered and seized in a raid. A retired officer acquired it a year later and the rest of its story was easy to figure out.
“Wait here.” I ditched my witness at the bar and scanned the room.
“Jessie!” the kind voice of Rick Cornell popped out of the crowd. He met me half way and gave me a quick hug. “You’ve been away awhile. What happened to all those Saturday brunches we were supposed to have?”
“Hi, Uncle Rick.”
Rick had been my father’s partner from the day he had joined the force until the day my parents died. Never having children of his own, I had always held a special place in Rick’s heart. He was my unofficial Godfather and only known family.
“How are you holding up?”
“Better than yesterday.” I shrugged. “I brought you a present.” He glanced in the direction of my nod.
“You couldn’t have brought me one of your girl – friends?”
“Be serious.” I laughed and brought him up to date. “He’s scared and ready to tell you guys a lot about Sean Gianetti.”
“And you thought it would be a good idea to bring him to me yourself. Geeze, Jess. Do you know how dangerous that was?”
“It’s worth it if it helps keeps Josh at home.”
“You should have called me.”
“I know. But I can’t undo what’s already been done.”
“You’re the reason I have grey hairs kid.”
“Will you at least talk to him?”
“Yeah. I’ll see if he was worth the risk you took.”
I introduced them and sat quietly while Rick listened to his simple details.
“I think you’re holding out.” Rick snacked on the trail mix he always carried in his pocket, displaying a nonchalant attitude and I knew he was bored. He heard tales of the same sort every day.
“I just want to disappear. I’ll sign a statement as long as you promise to get me out of this damn city. There was another guy there that night, right? Shoot, him knocking over those crates probably saved that jerk cop’s life.”
“Ramirez.” Rick nodded. “Then, you really were there. I hate to be the one to break bad news, but he’s dead. Was he a friend?”
“Oh, hell no. You see? You can’t hide anyone from Gianetti.”
“You should seriously reconsider, Son. I can’t do anything for you out there and I can’t offer protection of any kind unless you agree to testify in court.”
“Oh, let him go.” I had grown weary of Stephen’s reluctance. “You’ll see him again by tomorrow. Of course, he’ll look like Swiss cheese by then.”
“You’ll have to excuse Jessie. She wasn’t born with any patience. She inherited it from her old man, but she does make a good point. Are you fond of Swiss Cheese, Stephen?”
“Manners are wasted on some people,” I continued.
“Yeah, like Tucker,” Rick challenged.
“You may not like him, but you’re going to have to get used to it. I’m going to be taking his name real soon.”
Rick cut his eyes. “I will never call you by that man’s name.”
“What is your problem with him?” I pouted and returned his challenging glare.
“Hello? Dead man walking here.” Stephen banged a hand on the table.
Rick was smooth then, forgetting our quarrel and quickly becoming Stephen’s best friend, gaining his trust and it wasn’t long until the thief poured out an outlandish amount of evidence against Gianetti. From misdemeanor grade infractions to murder. It was enough to finally imprison the mob boss for a lifetime. It was sealed with a handshake before Rick sent the man off with a small armed cavalry.
“Well, I guess that puts an end to this mess – finally.”
“I hope so.” It was surprising and disappointing that I didn’t feel satisfied.
“You need a drink.”
“No, I
need to get back to the hospital.” I stood at the door ready to head back to my car. My mission was complete, although it brought no closure.
“You know, sometimes I do know what I’m talking about. What good will you be to Tucker if you wear yourself out?”
I gave in. Rick spoke the truth. Sitting by Josh’s side would not make him heal any faster. We moved to a center table and a pair of brew was set in front of us without an order.
“What’s the plan, now?”
“Same as before, I suppose. We’ll go back to Magnolia as soon as Josh feels better and then start planning the wedding again.”
“You gave up a lot for that man. I still can’t get over it.”
“Are we really going to have this conversation now? I love him. Time apart hasn’t changed that.”
“You haven’t had time to find out if you’d be happy with this man or not. How can you just give up what you worked so hard for?”
“Is this why you wanted me to stay, Uncle Rick? To tell me again, how much you disapprove of my fiancé? Now is really a shitty time, don’t you think?”
“Damn it, you know better than that, but I’m not going to pretend that it’s not Tucker’s own fault he’s in the position he’s in. I love you, child and I can’t help it. He doesn’t deserve to have you by his side and I’m not the type of man to keep my opinion to myself.”
“For this moment, why don’t you just pretend to support me?”
It was the only decision in my life that Rick didn’t fully stand behind. Yet, he never divulged any information to support his disgust.
“I’m not going to lie. There is a reason I wanted you to have a drink with me.” Rick pinched the bridge of his nose.
I studied his face. His tired eyes sunk into his once vibrant skin that now possessed lines and creases caused by a worrisome job. He was still in good shape thanks to the hours he spent working out each day, but his dark brown hair was now streaked with silver and his eyes had dark pools under them from the stress of the unrelenting criminal cases he investigated. “There’s something I think you should know.”
“My girl!”
“Max!” I jumped to my feet to embrace Max King. The outsider-born agent and Josh’s best friend tossed back braided hair and grinned. “I told Tucker I was going to steal you away from him while he was gone. I guess I waited a too long.” It was his favorite joke.
He was accompanied by Marcy Preston and Chris Jenkins, whom I knew, but the tall, thick boned young man who entered a step behind was a complete stranger.
“Jessie, I think you have met everyone except for Monroe here,” Rick introduced the new hire, who was at least ten years younger than his colleagues.
“Sorry,” Perry Monroe spoke with a lisp and kicked my chair with his oversized feet as he passed. The man’s white dress shirt had a large spot of dried mustard on the lapel and it was slightly wrinkled. “N – n – nice to meet you, Ma’am.” He extended his hand and sat beside me.
Max rolled his eyes. “I’ll sit by my girl. If you don’t mind, Perry.”
“Sorry, sorry.” The man scrambled to his feet, nearly falling again.
“Thank you,” I leaned slightly and whispered.
“No problem. Although I have to warn you, that dude can spit his lunch at you from the end of the table too.”
“No.” I laughed. “I meant for – Josh.”
“Aw, Sweetie, I promised you I would make sure my boy came home safe, didn’t I?” He put his arm around my shoulders and whispered. “I slipped a tracking chip into the tongue of his tennis shoe.” I doubted anyone, including Josh, ever had a clue. Max was a technological genius. He knew computers and chips. He could bug anything. “Now we’re even.”
“Give us some shots, Zorrelli.” Chris Jenkins, a man who some said paid his way into The Bureau, snapped his fingers to get the old bartender’s attention, then threw me a wink.
I gave his chest and biceps a quick scan and suspected that the rumors of his steroid use were accurate. He looked even better than the last time I’d seen him, but he was a known asshole. I shook my head thinking how that handsome appearance was completely wasted on him.
“This place is for cops only, Jessie,” Marcy Preston sneered, demanding my attention. “Just because you’re related to cops doesn’t mean you can hang out.”
“Bite me, Preston!” I snapped.
“Excuse me …” The redhead smirked and my attention went to the door.
“That must be her date.” Chris pointed toward the man who entered. “The flavor of the month.”
“Of the night you mean,” Max chimed in. “I have to say he’s a scary looking mo –”
“His name is Jackson Callaway.” I was flabbergasted by the man who met Marcy.
“He’s some kind of security guard right?”
“P.D.”
“Like we really need those guys,” Chris insulted. “A waste of budget, the whole department.”
We all watched as Marcy escorted the man to a booth in the corner where they were joined by a short balding man who sat and opened files. “Who is that?”
“Andrew Harkins. The new agent in charge.” The name rolled off of Rick’s tongue like he had a bad taste in his mouth.
“What is he doing?” Chris craned his neck. “All those files? What does he think he can find? We’ve all read those things a hundred times. It’s nothing but twenty years of pics and useless observations.”
“Who knows what goes on in that man’s mind? He’s a little too eager to make an impression on the director to suit me,” Rick spat.
I laughed, but I recognized the name. Rick had never cared for the man. He detested him during their short stint as partners and I knew taking orders from Harkins aggravated Rick more than he would ever reveal.
I watched Harkins for a while – his eyes landed on me in a way that made me really uncomfortable. Like he could steal my soul if I gazed too long. There was something evil in that man and it sent a chill through my entire body.
“There’s a lot that c-c-could have been missed.” Perry Monroe spoke up. He picked up his briefcase and set it on the table.
“Hey!” Chris shot out as the buffoon nearly swiped his drink off the table. “Dude, I’m gonna kick your ass if you spill my beer.”
Perry took a stack of pictures out and spread them out. “S—Sean Gianetti is clever, but he has a routine. Things he doesn’t even know he does.” He tapped each picture. “These pictures – all taken shortly after the time that the coroner pinpointed the time of death of the latest victims – Here,” he tapped the pictures. “Here – Here.” He placed another copy of the same pictures, enlarged to show just Gianetti’s hands. “His hands – look at his hands.” “Pruned. Like he just stepped out of an hour long tub.”
Perry’s worth finally surfaced. He was good at piecing together information and studying the characters of targets, putting together timelines and forecasting a suspect’s next move.
“And these pictures – taken shortly after the bodies are found. He’s intoxicated.”
“Gianetti drinks alcohol like you drink soda Perry, so what?” Chris Jenkins snapped.
“He’s not just drunk. Check out his eyes. Their glossy He’s high. And he does it every single time. That guy you found out about a few days ago? The distributor?
“He’s been missing.” Max shrugged. “Fell right off the edge of the Earth like he knew we were on to him.”
“He’s not hiding. By my calculations, he will show up someplace odd in a day or two– dead and by that same night – Gianetti will be dealing with his remorse.”
“That man has no conscious. He’s a cold-hearted killer,” I spat.
“Oh, but he does,” Perry explained in a soft tone and grinned, seemingly losing his stuttering lisp. “Sean Gianetti doesn’t like what he does – but he does it because he doesn’t know any other life. Any other time, he lives a normally, well as normal as you can in the badlands. If someone were to talk to him the right w
ay – say the right words, he’ll completely crack.” Perry stared at the pictures again seriously. “Jenkins – you – you might want to lay low for a while.” He said with an ashen expression like he’d seen a vision.
“I got a tip that the Bolivar family is in town.” Max changed the subject and the entire table grew silent.
“That’s – that’s the worst news we could ever get.” Rick brought shaky fingertips to his lips.
“It will be like an atom bomb going off if these two families merge.” Max sighed.
“They won’t merge,” Rick informed wearily. “Sean has guidelines. He doesn’t go after innocent people. That’s what makes him different from his father, but the Bolivars – they are worse than Adrian. Sean won’t give up power easily and Bolivar won’t negotiate a peaceful surrender for long. It’s going to be a bloodbath.” Rick covered his face with his hands. “Sean’s not going to make it jail – he’s not going to make it out of this alive.”
“So – so – so we should forget Gianetti and go after Bolivar.”
“You can’t tail a ghost Monroe,” Chris interrupted. “The Bolivars’ are a faceless organization. We don’t know how big it is or what any of them look like.”
“So – so we just need to hang around. Get some pictures and …”
“It might be a good idea to reign in that brain of yours sometimes, Monroe.” Max nodded my way and the conversation ended. The group began to leave and I was offended. The Bureau didn’t like civilians to know their secrets. I felt like a nobody when I assumed I was among friends.
“I need to get back to Josh.” I downed a beer to deal with the desertion.
“Jess, he’s being guarded twenty-four-seven,” Rick tried to stall me.
“I’m not in a mood to watch everyone’s good time,” I explained and nodded at Chris Jenkins, who had migrated to the pool table, bursting out an explosive laughter as he watched the newbie clumsily shoot the cue ball off the table.
“I bet you didn’t see yourself doing that!” Chris taunted.
Son of a Mobster (Criminal Desires) Page 4
