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“Uh, yeah---” Her voice trailed off and Romero was back on the phone.
“Ferrano? Your sister was…” he stopped and I heard what sounded like a door close, “I don’t know who, I didn’t ask many questions, but someone who took her violated her. She has not been touched since she came to me. We’ve given her medical attention but her arm is going to have a nasty scar. I gotta end this call now.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lex,” Zack said, “Thanks man.”
“You will.” The line went dead.
My eyes moved to Zack and my blood was thundering in my veins, my ears. Violated her? To what degree? I clenched my fists. I had to put that aside for the moment, until I knew more.
“What’s the deal?”
Zack blew out a slow breath and then called up something on his laptop and tilted it towards me.
It was a candid photo of a good-looking guy with dark hair and dark eyes, maybe around Tommy’s age, maybe between us in age, dressed in a nice suit. He had a ‘don’t fuck with me’ expression on his face as he was in a doorway of a hotel or something. He was lighting a cigarette.
I needed a goddamned smoke. And to put my fist through a wall.
Zack scrolled through a few candid photos of him in various places and then hit a button and the picture slideshow shrank and there was a small amount of text below with links.
The text visible read:
Alessandro Romero: AKA Alexander “Lex” Catelli, AKA Zander Roman. Born: September 18, 1988, Morelia, Mexico.
Mother: Allegra Christina Catelli, born: March 18, 1972. Born: Cagliari, Italy. Presumed deceased. Date unknown.
Father: Pablo Alejandro “Sandro” Romero, Born: Est: 1960, date unknown, estimate: Mexico City. Presumed deceased. Date: Appx September 2014.
Knowledgebase:
Zack started talking, “Alessandro Romero’s father founded what would become one of the largest human trafficking rings in Mexico in the early eighties.
It is still known that way and now Lex runs the show. His mother was the first girl Sandro Romero kept as personal property. He married her. She was an Italian student who had been kidnapped while on a vacation. He had her six years. She escaped with their son Alessandro when he was six years old. They were found in the Spokane area and brought back when he was 15 years old. At that point, his father completely entrenched him into the business as the heir.
He is a complicated man. He’s also an ally, for reasons that are classified. Jesse Romero was his half-brother. Jesse moved to the states after their father disappeared, presumed dead.
Jesse and Lex were estranged when Jesse died. Jesse was tight with Uncle Juan Carlos. Lex was not tight with him. Sandro, the father, was known for his cruel streak. He’s the stuff nightmares are made of for girls. They tell stories about him to keep girls around there from straying after dark.”
“I know who Sandro Romero was. Heard plenty of stories; he was a sick fuck. And you know this guy, his son, well? An ally?”
“One of my guys went to high school with him for a couple years. I know him a little. A PI on my team knows him as well as Alessandro Romero allows anyone to know him. Which isn’t well.”
“And what are the chances he’ll change his mind about Holly?” I asked but already knew the answer.
“He’s put his foot down. Based on his history --- doubt it.”
“Then he gets taken out,” I said.
“No. You don’t wanna try to do that.”
“You do it,” I said, “You want my help with Kruna, you help me with Holly.”
“I can’t do that, Dario. A lot of reasons why but bottom line, he has power and he has influence. And I’ve helped with Holly. I found her for you.”
“You’re a fucking Fed out to stop the sale of women into the sex trade. What the fuck? You’ll take down Kruna but not this guy? Biggest pussy dealer in Mexico and you say he’s untouchable?”
“I need the alliance I have with him. I can’t say anything further, but even if I didn’t need him, he’s untouchable and I’ll tell you again… I am a freelance special agent, my security and investigations business is my primary gig. They pay me well to be on call and two years ago I was put on your father’s scent as part of what I do for them. They aren’t my only client and that said, I try to veer to the side of the good guy. Is this a good guy? No. But is he a guy I don’t wanna fuck with? You bet your ass he is. I have strategic associations with a lot of people, Dario. Many are criminals; present company included. And all I’m gonna say is that there are a lot of complex things happening related to the Kruna takedown as well as other ongoing projects. It’s a goddamn spider web with booby traps at every fuckin’ intersection. I’m tryin’ to help you out here but you’re on a need-to-know basis. I will see what’s what and get more information for you. But Holly Mooney might be out of scope here forward. You have to be prepared for that likelihood. At least we know what happened to her.”
I massaged my forehead, tried to tamp down my frustration, and asked, “This guy a confidential informant?”
