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I’d had a gut feeling when I’d talked to Douglas, and now that thugs were following me and trying to threaten me into silence, I felt even worse. I knew that the Amoruso crime family had something to do with Michael’s death – more than just something – but I had no idea how I was supposed to catch them in the act.
I wound up going to a diner and buying a paper. I ignored the headlines – Michael’s death hadn’t yet made the papers, and I had a feeling that Douglas was purposefully orchestrating the coverage about his son. With Douglas’s influence and money, it would be weeks before the public found out what happened. But I had a feeling that skimming the paper would help at least point me in the right direction. And after all, that’s all I was trying to do. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the Amorusos, and the diner was a perfectly public place to do so.
An older waitress stopped by, grey-haired and puffy in the face. She didn’t even look at my wounds as she took my order, and I thanked god for the ability to blend in so well in public. Finally, when I was alone, I opened the paper to the crime briefs of the day.
One stood out to me. The tiny headline was printed in font no bigger than my pinky fingernail, but the name printed made my blood freeze in my veins. My heart stopped as I read the name over and over again.
“Alessio Amoruso Arrested on Criminal Charges”
The tiny blurb of an article went on to say that Alessio, supposedly the head of the family, had been arrested at the docks for possession of cocaine and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. My stomach knotted and twisted with anxiety as I thought about whether or not his gun was the gun that had been used to kill Michael.
My fiancé is dead, and it’s all your fault, I thought as I stared at Alessio’s sallow mugshot. He had olive skin that looked deep tan in the black and white newsprint, and two rows of bright white teeth that reminded me of a shark. He was almost forty, but he looked ten years younger. The small article went on to say that Alessio had been released on bail, and that he was confined to house arrest while waiting for his trial. It was months away. I can’t wait that long, I thought as I stared at his mugshot with hatred in my heart. I need to get you – as soon as possible.
I guess living a life of crime keeps you young, I thought bleakly as I folded the newspaper closed and tucked it inside my purse. Scrounging at the bottom of my bag, I found some loose change and tipped it onto the table. I was going broke and I wasn’t even hungry enough to eat what I’d ordered, but I couldn’t waste any more time.
I had to go down to the docks and see for myself what had happened.
--
An hour later, I was sneaking around the piers and shipping docks. The water smelled tepid and foul, like it was full of rotting fish. The air was silent except for the slap of waves against the bulkhead, and the occasional squawk of gulls pierced my heart with fear each time I heard a cry. I didn’t know what I was doing – it wasn’t like I had any experience investigating crimes. But I knew I was in the right place, that I had to keep searching until I found what I was looking for.
A loud cry made me jump. Suddenly, the air was filled with loud cheering and the sounds of men singing drunkenly. Their slurs wafted with the breeze, making me shiver as they reached my ears.
I snuck over to the side of the buildings and pressed my body tightly against the wall, trying to hide as much as I could. Headlights bounced over the road and a long black car screeched to a stop, not forty feet from where I stood. Men climbed out of the back, all wearing matching suits and carrying bottles of alcohol.
I opened my eyes wide. What the hell was this? Had I stumbled upon some kind of secret society?
I gasped at the last man who climbed out of the car. In the dark, his features were nearly impossible to discern, but I could tell that his olive skin, dark hair, and white teeth were the exact same features that I’d just seen in the paper, an hour ago.
The man standing in the alley was Alessio Amoruso. He cheered and called something loudly to the other men. They responded in kind, then punched the air with satisfaction and glee.
“Come on,” one of the men said. He grabbed Alessio’s elbow and hustled him into a secret entrance. Seconds later, lights flickered from the inside of the building. I realized that it was an abandoned warehouse converted into some kind of secret meeting place.
I waited for all of the men to disappear inside before holding my breath and walking closer. The swelling in my eyes made it painful to keep staring, but I was determined to keep going. I knew I couldn’t give up – not now, not when I was so close.
Lights flickered behind a tiny window and I gasped as I saw Alessio leading a brunette woman in lingerie into a bedroom. He flopped down on the bed and called something to her. I watched her giggle, then climb on the bed and begin a seductive show for Alessio.
He’s celebrating, I thought. Anger flooded my veins and my hands were trembling as I dug through my bag in search of my cell phone. I pulled it out and shakily dialed the cops.
“Nine-one-one, state your emergency.”
“I’m down by the docks,” I whispered. “And Alessio Amoruso is here. He’s violating his parole.”
“Can you confirm your location?”
I quickly repeated the address of the pier to the dispatcher. She told me they were sending the authorities as soon as possible, and advised me to stay hidden. My stomach churned with anxiety and satisfaction as I watched Alessio and the brunette roll around on the bed. Despite the anger I felt towards him, I couldn’t deny the pleasure of watching the pair make love. It stirred something deep inside of me, and I could feel arousal swelling in my lower belly.
Just as I was about to slip my fingers in my panties, the door burst open and a large man thundered in. He and Alessio exchanged a short, violent volley of words.
That was when I heard the sirens.
11
Alessio
“What the fuck do you mean, Beth Wilson?” I grunted. “Who the fuck is she and why should I care?”
“Because she’s sniffin’ around where her pretty little head don’t belong,” Silvio retorted. “You gotta keep your head down until we find her, man. She’s one tenacious little bitch. I threatened her at the library and had some men beat her up later, but now I can’t fuckin’ find her anywhere.”
