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13
MICELI
Soren entered the house minutes later. The file he had in his hand was thick with paperwork. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he had information for me. I motioned for him to follow me to my office, weary from the day’s activities. My mind was on Stephanie and her brother and the fact I’d almost lost them.
This shit needed to end today.
“You look like hell,” Soren said, while I closed the door behind him.
“Feel it too.” I crossed to the liquor cabinet. “Can I get you a drink?”
“The scotch this time.” He glanced at me. “I’ll tell you about my day if you tell me about yours first. I wasn’t being an asshole. You really look bad. What the hell happened?”
“Stephanie was almost kidnapped today,” I said, pouring both of us a drink.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Soren muttered, then whistled. “She finally opened up to you. Do you know who tried to take her?”
Crossing back to my desk, I handed him the glass and nodded. “Yes, there were three. Two of Torino’s men and a wannabe.”
“Fuck.” Soren took a healthy swallow of the expensive, single malt scotch, then exhaled roughly. “Do you know who?”
“Hector Alonzo and Carlos Zamora. The third man is Javier Benítez.” The overwhelming rage spread through my veins. “Javier was one trying to make a name for himself with Torino.”
Soren shook his head. “Well, you will not like what I found then.” He opened the file without placing it on the desk in front of me. “Before I show you, I don’t think Stephanie had any clue.” He retrieved some of the paperwork he’d collected and placed it in front of me. “Theo Hollis was FBI.”
I laughed. Full on, doubled over, causing my stomach to hurt, laughed. Of course, now it made sense. Theo wasn’t stealing money, someone found out he was a Fed plant. None of the families would like the fact they’d been infiltrated by him. “Who was he looking at?”
“From the documents I’ve been able to gain, only two. Torino and Valentino. However, he did work with others from the families. The Tumino family, which I doubt he’d find anything on them. Kira runs a tight ship. The Salvatore family, Delmonico, and Sperlinga families, too.”
“How many, not including Kira, are dirty?” I had an idea, a slight chance to make this right after everything Stephanie had endured.
“All of them. From what I can gather, Salvatore has taken a foothold in the skin trade industry. Delmonico and Sperlinga are running drugs. Torino and Valentino have the hitmen the other families can hire for contract work since you left the game. Then there’s you.” Soren gave me a pointed look. “You’re a slippery son of a bitch. I can’t quite place what you’re using your company for. I know it’s a front, so don’t lie to me.”
I grinned, staring at the man over the rim of my drink. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you, Soren. I don’t want to clean up the mess, nor lose a friend.” I dabbled in money laundering, real estate, and a few other things. Most of Daidone Holdings LLC was on the up and up, but there were parts I concealed. Another reason I kept everything in-house. I didn’t need nosy FBI agents snooping around, trying to tear my company down from the inside.
Soren shook his head. “No, you wouldn’t. Though I suspect our business arrangement would end.”
I hummed in agreement. “Then, let’s not press the situation or our luck.” I finished the whiskey in my tumbler. “Do we know which family figured out Theo was FBI?”
“I believe both did,” Soren replied. “I can’t say for sure without asking them questions. Obviously, however, it would coincide with why Torino tried to take Stephanie and Kyle. Or tried to kill them before, at the murder scene.”
“Loose ends,” I replied. “Makes sense. Who else knows, besides the two of us, that Theo was FBI?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t suspect his family knew—his wife, Sylvia, being the exception. The story is a fake as far as I can tell. Torino and Valentino used it as justification for killing Theo. I’ll go a step further to say the FBI hasn’t said a word either to keep someone safe who might be undercover within the family ranks.”
Exposing Theo for what he was made more sense than telling a lie about him stealing money. What angle were Mario and Ricardo Valentino playing at? They had to know the FBI would be on their asses. Did they really believe they were above the law? Could I be wrong in my assessment of the situation? Was the assassin sent by a different family to frame the Torino and Valentino families? “FBI has to know the truth. What they don’t know is the who, correct?”
“True.” Soren nodded. “What are you thinking?”
An idea percolated within my mind. Turning over everything would expose me to the FBI and put eyes on my business. Killing Torino and Valentine would do the same. However, if I sent tips to them, including the information about my wife’s murder, perhaps I could keep my hands clean. “Kill them.” I shrugged. “That’s my first instinct. Unfortunately, the investigation is too hot and killing them would send hounds sniffing at my door. I don’t need the unwanted attention.” Nor would I risk Stephanie. The minute she popped up alive and well, Torino would send his men to kill her again. Although... “Do you have anyone in the FBI that you can trust?”
Soren tapped his chin. “I know a few people. Why?”
I wasn’t sure how Stephanie would feel about it, but we could use her as bait. Lure the families out with their hit men. Then take down their ring. When the dust settled, I would take over the table and set the future of the Syndicate of Families on the right path, or at least a better path than it was on now. “Find out if you can get them to meet with us. Tell them I have information they’re going to want.”
“What about Stephanie?” Soren prodded. “What do you want me to say about her?”
“Nothing yet. Let’s see if the agents will nibble on the little information you give them. If they’re willing and you trust them, we’ll go from there.” The crazy idea had several ways it could blow up in my face. The risks, though, didn’t outweigh the rewards. I wanted to watch Mario and Ricardo fry for their transgressions. Bonus, if they made it to prison, I had a few people on the inside desperate to clear their names with me. Showing loyalty would go a long way to make amends.
