by Dave Daren
“Gabriele is calling,” I told my client.
“Go ahead and take it,” Anthony said. “Let me know if he’s found anything. And if Alessia is able to give you any new information.”
“I will,” I said and then clicked over to the other line.
“I was starting to think you weren’t going to pick up,” the hacker said. “But I can see that you’re on the other line.”
“I was talking to Anthony,” I turned around to wave at the camera that was perched in the corner of my living room.
“Got it,” the purple-haired man said. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been monitoring the cameras since the painters left. Something set off the sensors, but I haven’t seen anyone in the house. If someone is hiding, then they’re standing stockstill.”
“Fuck,” I whispered and reached for the gun that I suddenly realized was still in my center console. “I left the Glock in the car. Can you watch my back for a second?”
“I got you,” Gabriele said, and I heard the click of computer keys from his end of the line.
I snuck back down the hallway, paranoid that every shadow that moved was someone about to step out and grab me, and then made my way into the garage. There weren’t any cameras that I knew about out here, so I made a quick beeline straight for the middle console. I didn’t breathe easily until I had my hand around the leather grip of my Glock.
“Something is in your kitchen,” the hacker said into my headphones, and I had a sudden flashback to playing Call of Duty with my college buddies. “It just set off one of the sensors, but I can’t see it. If it’s a person, then they’re crouched pretty low behind the counters. I knew I should’ve added another camera in the fucking dining room. But nooo… I didn’t want to be excessive.”
I ignored the rambling hacker as I quietly kicked off my shoes and tiptoed down the hallway. There definitely was something in the kitchen because I could hear it bang into one of the cabinets, and I reached over to make sure that there was a round loaded in the chamber and that the safety was off. I didn’t know how violent my attacker was going to be, and I wasn’t about to take any chances.
“Okay,” Gabriele whispered like whoever it was might hear him. “I still don’t see anyone. Did you get your gun?”
I gave a low grunt to let him know that I had heard him and then pressed myself against the end of the wall. The sound of scuffling on the tile floor had stopped, so I took a deep breath, and then swung around the opening with my gun up and ready to shoot.
“Son of a bitch!” I shouted when I saw the damned striped raccoon hanging from the ledge of my trashcan.
“What is it?” the hacker asked. “Who is it? Should I call Hank? What’s going on, Hunter?”
“It’s a fucking raccoon,” I muttered and holstered my gun. “The damned thing must’ve come in when the painters left the door open.”
An almost hysterical laugh bubbled up from my chest as the striped intruder saw me, screeched like I was the offensive party, and then scurried out to the backyard. I put my hands on the counter and closed my eyes as I tried to calm myself down. The damned rodent had almost scared the piss out of me, and I’d almost shot it.
The last thing that I needed was a reason for the cops to come out to my house and poke around, and shooting off my gun in a residential area was bound to have them banging down my door. The neighborhood watch had already written me a letter about the bodyguard that had been parked down the street for a week straight, and I was sure that they’d use me shooting a raccoon as a reason to kick me out of their perfect little subdivision.
“Do you see any other movements?” I asked when I’d managed to regain some semblance of calm.
“No,” Gabriele said. “I can’t believe it was a fucking raccoon. I’m still going to put up another camera in your dining room. Do you want me to stay on the line while you check the rest of the house?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Just in case. I did have a cop stop me and break my taillight on the way home, so there might actually be someone hiding under my bed.”
“Holy shit, Hunter,” the hacker gasped. “You make enemies wherever you go. And I thought I pissed people off.”
“You do,” I laughed. “But I’m a lawyer, and we’re hated a little bit more than hackers.”
“True,” the purple-haired man chuckled. “Right up there with the plague and politicians.”
“Most politicians were lawyers at one point,” I strolled from room to room checking every closet and under any furniture that someone could hide under.
“That makes them extra evil,” the Italian laughed. “Did you check the attic?”
“No,” I muttered. “I really hate those places. They’re almost as bad as basements.”
“Only cuz someone could be hiding in the shadows,” the hacker pointed out. “I’ll add a camera and some sensors up there, too. But for the moment, you’ve got to do it manually.”
I cursed under my breath as I pulled the ladder in the hallway down and climbed up the fold-down wooden steps. They creaked under my weight, and every muscle in my body tensed as I opened the door and poked my head through. I had an irrational fear that there was going to be some poltergeist or something waiting for me, ready to pull me up and eat or dismember me, but the only thing up there were dusty rafters.
“All clear,” I said. “But you should definitely bring some more cameras and sensors, because you will not be getting me back up there again.”
“Understandable,” Gabriele said. “I saw a horror movie one time where--”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” I said. “The last thing I need is more paranoia about things that could be hiding up there.”
“Alright, alright,” the purple-haired man laughed. “Well, I should be able to come over Monday and install those new cameras and stuff. I can send Old Man Tony out on Saturday if you think you’ll need it before then.”
“See if his schedule is clear,” I said and thought about the cop that had stopped me. “But if he can come out tomorrow, that would be better.”
“Sure,” the hacker said. “I’ll text you as soon as I know when he’ll be out. He’s usually pretty booked, but with your penchant for trouble, he may just move you up the list.”
“Thanks,” I said as I walked around shutting the windows.
“No prob,” Gabriele said. “And maybe call animal control about that raccoon. If he’s bold enough to come inside the house, then there’s no telling what kind of trouble he’ll get into.”
“That’ll be the first thing I do in the morning,” I said. “How’s tracking the shipping containers going? I gave Dian until Monday, but if we can find out which ship the Enzo is on, then I can use that as leverage to speed him along.”
“It’s a lot like a shell game,” the hacker said. “Every time I think I’ve found the boats he uses, it turns out that it’s a legitimate import and export carrier. The guy definitely knows what he’s doing. But I’m smarter.”
“I believe in you,” I chuckled. “Text me when you know something about Old Man Tony or Dian. I’m going to take a shower and make some dinner plans.”
I hung up the phone and then shoved it in my pocket as I strolled toward my bedroom. My suits were back from the drycleaners, but it was getting cold, and I wanted to show off the wardrobe that I’d bought. I was fairly certain that Alessia would love the beige cashmere sweater that I’d bought, and I could hardly wait to have her hands run over the soft woven threads.
“Hunter,” the gorgeous Italian woman purred as soon as she answered.
“Alessia,” I grinned and strolled back out to the garage to retrieve my new clothes.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” the brilliant lawyer asked. “This is twice in a week that you’ve called. Do you need more information about the subject we talked about?”
“I do,” I said, and realized that the noises that I heard in the background were her co-workers.
She’d given me the file on
the car theft ring, but I doubted that she wanted everyone in her office to know that she’d been helping me out, especially when we’d managed to keep our relationship out of the gossip ring. Well, for the most part.
“I’m not sure how much more I can help you with that particular matter,” Alessia said, and I heard the click of her kitten heels on the tile floor as the noise grew dimmer. “But, maybe if you take me out for dinner, then I could find it in my heart to answer some questions for you.”
“Tonight?” I asked.
“I can make that work,” she replied. “Meet me at Michael’s in an hour?”
“Sure,” I said and checked my watch.
The place would probably be packed, but I knew that if I dropped the district attorney’s name that they’d find a table for us somewhere. She had more pull than I did unless I was somewhere where the Febbo family was well-known, and the popular Italian restaurant didn’t have any connections to my client that I knew of.
“Great,” she said. “See you then.”
“Wait!” I called before she could hang up. “I need another favor.”
“Okay,” the beautiful woman said. “What is it?’
“I need you to look up a badge number for me,” I said before I prattled off the numer.
“Why?” the instantly suspicious lawyer asked. “Does this have anything to do with one of your clients?”
“I’ll tell you at the restaurant,” I said. “In an hour. I’ll get us a nice table under your name, just in case you get there earlier. The LIE is always a bit up in the air at this time of day.”
“Alright,” Alessia sighed. “But I’ll want to know more. And you’re buying dessert, too.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I laughed and let out a sigh of relief that she hadn’t demanded to know more.
“Give me the number one more time, you know, now that I actually have a pen and paper,” she teased.
I repeated the badge number two more times to make sure that she had it right. She promised to look into it, but gave me the usual disclaimer that she couldn’t tell me anything that would potentially harm any ongoing investigations, etc. I agreed to it and then told her that I’d see her soon before we hung up, and I called the restaurant.
The hour passed by quickly as I showered and clipped the tags off of the sweater and peacoat that I wanted to wear to dinner. The clothes fit me perfectly, and once I shaved and styled my hair I looked like I might be able to model them. I threw on a pair of jeans that Alessia said made my butt look great, grabbed my keys, and then headed out.
I checked the alarm sensors and the cameras on the way to the LIE, but the raccoon didn’t make another appearance. He’d probably wait until I’d been out for a few hours, and then he’d make another mess like he had the night before. I moved the call to animal control up to the next day on my mental to do list, and then merged into rush hour traffic.
It wasn’t too bad since I was headed into the city instead of out of it, and I even managed to miss any major wrecks that would slow me down. I made it to the restaurant before my GPS told me I should, and then searched for a parking spot. There was one right in front, and I swung the Mercedes in before anyone else noticed the vacancy.
The bright red neon sign that spelled out the restaurant’s name stood out against the pitch-black sky, and patrons lingered outside talking with bags of leftovers clutched in their hands. I climbed out of my car, checked my phone to see that Alessia had sent a text message saying that she was there, and then looked around for the leggy Italian woman.
“Hey there, handsome,” Alessia’s voice purred in my ear from right behind me.
“Well, hello there,” I grinned and turned around to look at the sexy woman.
She still had her work clothes on, and I recognized the tight red dress and thin black belt that she liked to wear on court days. I couldn’t imagine any man, or even woman, who wouldn’t be distracted by the tall supermodel in their midst. She could talk about anything and it would be difficult for the jury to disagree, especially when she flashed her thousand kilowatt smile.
“Ooh,” the lawyer ran her hands down the front of my beige cashmere sweater. “This is new.”
“It is,” I said. “I thought I should buy some sweaters that don’t have holes.”
“It’s fantastic,” she said as she continued to touch the soft fabric. “I love cashmere. I may need to buy another sweater like this.”
“Well,” I chuckled as I wrapped my arms around her thin waist and then winked playfully. “It is made out of boyfriend material.”
The gorgeous woman burst out in laughter and then laid her head on my chest as she tried to contain herself. I nodded my head to a few people that walked by before I lifted her chin to see the tears streaming down her cheeks from giggling too hard.
“Thank you,” she snickered. “I really needed that laugh.”
“I feel like I should be offended,” I teased and then stole a quick kiss.
“You are definitely boyfriend material,” she said with a shake of her head. “I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
“Why don’t we get inside before they give up our table?” I suggested when the beautiful woman shivered, and I led her into the restaurant, and then we followed the hostess to a table for two.
The white linen tablecloth was pristine despite the red sauces on the plates at other tables, and we were seated perfectly for a work meeting. I’d asked for a place that wasn’t too romantic since we’d be discussing business, and I didn’t want the new DA’s reputation to be tainted by a scandalous relationship with the Febbo attorney.
“Good evening,” our waitress said with a bright smile. “Can I take your drink order? Do you plan on any appetizers? Our oysters are very good.”
“That does sound delicious,” Alessia said before she ordered our drinks and entrees.
“Perfect,” the young woman said when she’d finished writing. “I’ll have that all out for you as soon as possible.”
The waitress bounded off, and I shook my head at the beautiful woman across the table from me. She’d known me long enough to know exactly what I wanted, and even the server had been shocked when I’d just nodded my head in agreement to what Alessia ordered for me.
“How have your investigations been going?” I asked.
“Ugh,” the curly-haired woman rolled her eyes and then thanked the waitress when she brought a bottle of cabernet. “It’s been a hot mess. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere, there comes this damn scandal with all of the cops and the other district attorneys. They have me running around all of the boroughs helping out the acting DAs, and that doesn’t include all the cops that I have to comb through to make sure that we haven’t missed anyone that’s on the Serbians’ payroll.”
“Shouldn’t the FBI be handling that?” I asked before I took a sip of my red wine. “They’re the ones who broke the case, right?”
“Yes,” Alessia huffed. “But then they just took their info and ran. They didn’t even share the list of suspects with us. Interagency cooperation my ass. My team and I are basically on our own. We’ve assembled a team of Internal Affairs investigators that have been over every file with a fine-toothed comb, but who knows what they’ll find. Especially after the mayor, the fucking mayor, was arrested.”
I let the beautiful woman rant and sipped on my cabernet. The bottle sat on the table, and I made sure to keep Alessia’s glass filled, though she barely touched it since her hands were too busy flying through the air as she gestured, and she almost hit the waitress when the young woman brought our dinners.
“That does sound like a lot,” I said before I took my first bite.
The pasta wasn’t nearly as delicious as Gulia’s, and the sauce was just a little too salty for my taste. It seemed I’d become spoiled by the matriarch’s home-cooking, but at least I still enjoyed the veal. It was cooked well, and if I hadn’t been treated to Mrs. Febbo’s own version of the dish, then I would’ve appreciated it so much
more.
“You have no idea,” Alessia said once she’d eaten some of her own plate. “The team is already turning up way more names than I ever thought possible. I mean, it’s no big secret that there’s been corruption in the NYPD. But this is just insane.”
“More than the ones released by the FBI?” I asked and topped off the lawyer’s glass of wine.
“Way more,” she said and then grabbed a garlic knot that was covered in butter. “It’s going to take months to actually sort everything out. The feds have promised that they’ll help once they have more in their own investigation, but that’s probably just bullshit since they haven’t lifted a finger so far, and they’re not sharing everything that they know. They won’t even share their source. They’re hiding them under privilege laws.”
“Feds,” I muttered and shook my head. “Here's hoping that they come around.”
I lifted my wine glass in the air and then clinked the delicate cup to Alessia’s. The gorgeous woman had no idea that I’d been the one to help the FBI, and I had no intention of telling her. I’d had a hard enough time convincing Anthony to use the feds to take down the Serbian mob and all of their lackeys, but if the Brooklyn DA realized that I’d helped them gather information, then she’d expect me to turn into a permanent confidential informant.
“Anyways,” the curly-haired woman said with a soft sigh. “You had questions about a cop. Do you think he’s corrupt, too?”
“That’s still up in the air,” I said. “Did you manage to find anything on him?”
“Well,” the beautiful woman hedged. “It would’ve been easier if you’d given me his name instead of just his badge number. But I managed to pull up his file.”
“His name escaped me,” I said and watched as the shapely woman bent over to produce a folder from her oversized purse.
