by Dave Daren
“Imports?” my client asked. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I had a visitor while I was at your apartment,” I said and started to look around for signs of listening devices. There were just too many places where one could be hidden, so I gave up and decided to wait for Hank to get there with the scanner. “Officer White came to give me some friendly advice. He was here before I got home and let himself in.”
“And you don’t know if someone is listening,” the mafioso sighed, and I could almost picture him running his hand down his face in frustration. “Shit, Hunter. This is bad. If Dian does start talking, then it’s going to put us in hot water. I knew we should’ve just given him to Jovanni.”
“I’m sure that it’ll all work out,” I said. “We have a lot of friends that can help us. And I know that Dian’s a popular guy with the donations he’s made to the officers in the NYPD. I’m sure he’ll be able to squirm his way out, but it might be best for us to look for someone else, just in case his buddies aren’t willing to help him out of this one. No one can afford a scandal with the recent political atmosphere.”
“You think the cops will try something with the DA breathing down their necks?” Anthony asked as he picked up my meaning.
I paused my pacing to flick on the light and looked out into the backyard. Eddie froze in place with one furry little paw raised to knock the lid off of my trashcan while the rest held him against the rough plastic. I rolled my eyes and turned off the patio light. There'd be a mess to clean up in the morning, but hopefully that would end once his new food came in.
“It’s possible,” I said. “Things have been really tense. It’s probably best that we move on from Dian.”
“Shit,” Anthony muttered and then followed that up with a string of Italian curses.
“Exactly,” I said and strolled over to the coffee table to finish cleaning up the mess that Officer White left. “I think I have a plan, though. I have a friend that’s already been looking into other options.”
“Like what?” my client asked.
“I just need to find someone bigger than Dian,” I said and hoped that Anthony would understand that I wanted to look for the kingpin in the operation. “My friend is scouring the internet for a name that could help us out. Maybe one of Dian’s partners or rivals. It might take a little more time.”
“And that’s where Jovanni comes in,” the mafioso said in a smug tone. “I know you don’t like relying on him, but there’s a reason that he’s a capo. Gabriele can get digital information, but sometimes the rumor mill is faster.”
“Nothing spreads faster than gossip,” I laughed. “Maybe I can hit up the butcher while I’m in the city. I need to get something for dinner.”
“I thought you had some lamb?” Anthony asked.
“I did,” I huffed while I finished cleaning the dishes. “But Officer White ate it when he paid me a visit. He said that it was delicious, though he only ate about half of it.”
“Did he have anything else to say?” the irritated man grumbled.
“Oh, the usual,” I said with a shrug. “I was warned that keeping a pet raccoon could end up badly for me. They sometimes attack.”
“You have a pet raccoon?” my client asked like he wasn’t sure if it was some metaphor or if I actually had a rodent at my house that I kept on purpose.
“I gave up trying to get rid of him,” I said.
“Okay,” the mafioso said as his mood shifted back to the professional tone. “Call Jovanni, he’ll have a name for you in no time. Keep me updated.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and then scrolled through my contacts until I found Jovanni. The made man would probably be at home with his family this late in the evening, but there was no time to waste. I adjusted my headphones in my ears, hit the dial button, and waited for the capo to answer.
“What do you want?” Jovanni snapped, and the sounds of a woman and another man laughing came through the line.
“Sorry to interrupt dinner,” I said. “But I need you to find a name.”
“Can it wait?” the terrifying man asked.
“No,” I said and walked out to the back patio. It had been one thing to talk to Anthony with a possible bug around, but Jovanni would want specifics for what he was looking for. I strolled over to the back fence, looked for any signs that there was a listening device, and then let out a sigh of relief when I didn’t see one.
“I need more information if you want a name,” the capo huffed.
“I need the name of the guy Dian works for,” I said. “He was just arrested. And I’m pretty sure that the cops are going to go after his boss so they can tie up loose ends and cover up their involvement.”
He let out a string of curse words that would’ve made Gulia proud, and I recognized a few of them since my time with the Febbos had taught me more Italian than high school ever did, but there were a couple new ones that I didn’t understand. Jovanni finished his little rant, and I heard his chair scrape against tile as he stood up.
“When was he picked up?” the capo asked.
“My guess is sometime within the last hour,” I said. “Gabriele has been looking into Dian’s partners, but that might take another twenty-four hours, and I don’t know if we have that long.”
“I’ll shake the rumor mill,” Jovanni said. “Call me at the shop in an hour. I should have something for you by then.”
“Great,” I said and put my hand over my stomach as it growled. “Do you think Lorenzo has any more of that lamb around?”
“What happened to what he sent you?” the gruff man asked.
“I had an uninvited guest who said it was delicious,” I sighed.
“Didn’t Old Man Tony just take care of your security system?” the capo asked in an indignant tone like I had something to do with someone breaking into my house.
“The guy had a jammer,” I said and then reached for my Glock when I heard someone open the sliding glass door. “Hank! You scared the shit out of me, man. I almost shot you.”
“Your gun is still in the holster,” the bodyguard said with a roll of his eyes. “I would’ve had time to get back inside before you let out your first round.”
“Hank is there?” Jovanni asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s going to scan for bugs, and then I’ll head over to The Butcher Shop.”
“Don’t bother,” the made man said. “Lorenzo doesn’t have anything left, and the shop will be closed for business. And Hunter, try to stay out of trouble.”
I shook my head and disconnected the phone while Hank tugged a silver box out of his pocket. It reminded me of something that I’d see in a Die Hard movie, like he was about to set off a bomb or scan for radiation in the area. The beefy Italian flicked the metal switch and red and green lights ran along the top of the device.
A beeping noise echoed around my living room as Hank walked around pointing the box at lamp shades, my TV, and everywhere else that someone might have attached a listening device. My bodyguard’s face pulled down into a deep frown when he was by the back of the couch, and he squatted down to run his hand under the bottom before he came up with a small black disc. He pushed a tiny button and then continued on with his inspection.
“Fuck,” I muttered and went back through my conversation with Anthony. There wasn’t anything that could be used against us, but I was still pissed that the corrupt cop had left the damn bug.
“That was the only one,” Hank said as he finished his inspection of my house.
“I didn’t let anything slip, so it should be fine,” I said. “I’m going to order some dinner while I wait for Jovanni to get me a name. Did you want anything?”
“What are you ordering?” the bodyguard asked.
“Burgers and fries,” I said and did a quick search to find a place nearby.
“Sounds great,” Hank said. “You’re sure that you didn’t say anything that could be used against us?”
“No,” I said. “But maybe Ol
d Man Tony or Gabriele can trace the signal, and we can make sure there’s no recordings. It’s better safe than sorry.”
“I’ll bring it to Old Man Tony when I go back into the city,” the large man said.
I ordered the food and then went to wash my face. It was going to be a long night, and my gym shorts and t-shirts called my name, but I needed to be in a suit if I was going to be meeting the real boss of the car theft ring.
Hank was on the couch when I came back out. The TV streamed the news, but the big man wasn’t paying attention to it. He was too busy with the listening device and the pictures that he was about to send to the Febbos’ security man.
The burgers and fries arrived in no time flat, and I gave the delivery woman an extra tip for her speed. I separated out the boxes, plopped down next to Hank, and then devoured my dinner before I had to call Jovanni back.
“What did Old Man Tony say?” I asked Hank before I took a huge bite out of my deliciously greasy cheeseburger.
“He says it looks familiar,” the bodyguard said and then popped a fry in his mouth. “He’s pretty sure that he can trace it. There might even be a batch number that he can use to find out who ordered it.”
“It was probably Dian,” I said. “I think he ran most of the day to day operations. He made it pretty clear that he sent White to break my taillight, so I wouldn’t doubt that he’s the one ordering the gear.”
“You’re sure he’s not the one in charge?” the beefy Italian man asked while he pulled the pickles off of his burger. “It seems like it’s just him.”
“Gabriele said that he has a partner that owns a bunch of small companies,” I told him. “And those are the ones that show up at airports around the world. Whoever he’s working with, or for, is the one that actually gets the cars to the buyers.”
“And you think he’s based in New York?” Hank asked. “He could send a list of cars he wants from anywhere in the world.”
“True,” I agreed. “But why would he boost cars from New York if he wasn’t based here?”
“I guess,” the bodyguard said with a shrug. “So, you just need to get to the guy before the cops. Are you sure that they’ll even go after him?”
“I don’t see why they wouldn’t,” I said. “If they manage to shut down Dian, then the only loose end would be the kingpin.”
“Dian’s going to be murdered as soon as he goes to lock up,” the large man said before he took a huge bite of his cheeseburger.
“I should warn Alessia,” I said. “But how do I tell her without revealing that I know more than I’m telling her?”
“I think it might be best to let him die,” the made man said. “He’ll break eventually, and he’ll try to use your interaction with him to hurt the family.”
I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he made a valid point. It wasn’t as if Dian didn’t know what could happen to him if he started talking, but the man had thought that he could sell a car to Anthony after he’d stolen and sold his Enzo. I hadn’t exactly threatened him, and even if he had audio he would have a hard time proving that I meant anything by my warning other than legal repercussions.
It dawned on me that a year and a half ago I never would’ve entertained the idea of letting a man be killed in prison. My time with the Febbo family really was changing me, and I had to admit to myself that it was thrilling. I had taken down the Serbian mob and a corrupt mayor, but Dian was just a middleman who had stepped in it.
My phone rang, and I answered it without looking at the color ID.
“Hunter,” Alessia said, and I had to pull myself out of my moral debate.
“Alessia,” I said with a smile and cursed at her perfect timing. “Did you change your mind about dinner?”
“No,” the Brooklyn DA said. “I’m so sorry, but I’m still swamped. The interviews with Dian are stalled. He’s talking, but about absolutely nothing. The last time I looked in, he was telling Detective Johnson about how hard it was to ship crabs in containers across the ocean.”
“Wow,” I laughed. “Are you sure that you picked up the right man?”
“I’m starting to wonder,” the beautiful woman huffed, and I heard the creak of a metal hinge before silence fell over the line. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure,” I said. “What’s wrong?”
“You asked about Officer White,” she hedged and then rushed onwards. “And I know that you’re not telling me everything. That’s fine. I’m not stupid, you have to protect your clients. But, do you think that Dian has cops on his payroll?”
“Alessia,” I said and tried to figure out how to warn her without letting her into my involvement.
“Hunter,” the brilliant lawyer said.
“I don’t know much about this,” I responded and stood so that I could pace around the room. “But, given the latest scandal, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other cops on the take. They don’t exactly get paid very much. Public servants and all.”
“Alright,” she sighed, and I knew that she understood what I was saying without actually saying anything. “Thank you. Fuck. I’m going to have to do some digging. You don’t happen to have a list of people that are working with Dian?”
“I don’t know anything except for what you’ve given me,” I lied.
“Right,” she said.
“Are we still on for dinner soon?” I asked and reached down to grab a cold French fry.
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll call you when this is all over.”
She hung up, and I plopped down next to Hank to finish eating my dinner. I was glad that the gorgeous woman had called because it made my decision to protect Dian a little easier, and Alessia now knew that she needed to watch her back if she was really going to take down the car theft ring.
“What did the Brooklyn DA need?” Hank asked with a lifted eyebrow.
“Dian is talking about shipping crabs,” I said and rolled my eyes. “She was worried that he was stalling because there were cops on the payroll.”
“She’s a smart one,” the bodyguard said. “And gorgeous.”
“The whole package,” I agreed. “I’ll need to be careful the next time that I ask for information. She put together Officer White and the car theft ring way too fast.”
“At least you won’t have to worry about Dian being killed in custody,” the beefy Italian man said, and I couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or not.
“He may be helpful,” I said. “Especially if he’s smart enough not to incriminate himself or talk about me or the Enzo.”
“We’ll see,” Hank said and then looked over at my phone as Jovanni called.
“Did you get the name?” I asked when I picked up.
“Yes,” the capo sighed, and I wondered how bad this was going to be if the made man sounded so exhausted already.
“So?” I asked after he didn’t say anything for a solid minute.
“Andrew Stevenson,” the gruff Italian man said.
“Should I have heard of him before?” I asked. “It doesn’t sound like someone who would be in one of the other families.”
“He’s not,” Joavanni said. “He’s a tech tycoon. One of those app millionaires that got rich young. Gabriele is going to have a fit.”
“What was the app that he created?” I asked and wondered if it was something that would help him to find buyers and sellers.
“Just a stupid racing game where people can pretend to drive luxury cars as penguins and tigers,” the capo said.
“That’s how he knows which cars to have boosted,” I said. “Why do you sound so apprehensive?”
“Well,” the gruff man said, and his chair squeaked when he leaned back in it. “It seems that he’s made some enemies. Someone put a hit out on him, but I haven’t found out who yet. It could be someone that he stole a car from, or maybe the dirty cops hired someone to keep their hands clean. I doubt it’s someone from the NYPD, though, because those assholes usually do it themselves, but I don’t want to
rule it out until I know who ordered it.”
“Fuck,” I whispered and stood to pace between the couch and the kitchen counter. “Do you know who picked up the hit?”
“That’s the worst news,” Jovanni grumbled. “Some of the Serbians weren’t swept up in the other arrests. And apparently, they’ve made the leap into being hitmen.”
“Son of a bitch,” I swore and had to fight not to throw my phone across the room. “Please tell me that these guys were low-level goons that couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.”
“Most of them are,” the capo said. “But there are a few that you’ll have to watch out for. I’ll text you their pictures as soon as I have them. Hunter, once I give you the address, you make sure you take Hank with you.”
“I will,” I said. “How long do you think it’ll take?”
“Another half an hour,” the gruff man said. “I’ve got my boys out on the streets shaking the rumor tree, but the kid’s kept a low profile since he got rich.”
“Great,” I said. “Hopefully I’ll get to him before the cops and the hitmen.”
“I’ll call you soon,” Jovanni said.
I hung up the phone and threw it onto the couch, though the action was not nearly as satisfying as if I’d thrown it into a wall. My night had just gone from irritating to a full-on pain in the ass. I was never going to get the Enzo back if the tech genius was killed before I could talk to him.
“When do we leave?” Hank asked as he stood and picked up our empty dinner boxes.
“Jovanni is going to call as soon as he has an address,” I said and plopped down on the sectional so that I could balance my laptop on my knees. “The guy we’re looking for is Andrew Stevenson. Some tech genius that’s apparently become a paranoid shut-in since he got rich.”
I pulled up the great and powerful Google so that I could find out more about Stevenson and his business. The first thing that came up was the app that he’d designed which had become a runaway hit almost as soon as it was released. I read about the luxury cars and the levels where players could earn money to upgrade their rides or buy new avatars, all while they competed against players located around the world. It was a good game, and an easy way to blow an hour or two.
