Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
C hristos
On this day I craved power.
I also longed for vengeance.
The feeling was stronger than it had been before and I wasn’t certain why other than my instincts were screaming that the deal made with Gregory Laurant was dicey at best. Although he was uncertain what intentions I had regarding his daughter, so at least he would remain pliable for the near future.
If not, perhaps I’d take out my frustrations on his face.
No, I couldn’t do that to Valencia. She loved her father, even respected him to a point. But I’d seen the look on her face more than once. She believed her father was capable of anything. While I’d gone over every photograph and every detail provided on the man with a fine-tooth comb, what I hadn’t learned was how close he was to Mr. Baker. They’d been photographed in a single picture together.
“You talked,” I told Gregory Laurant with no pretense and no anger in my voice.
He sighed. “I mentioned it to one associate.”
“Get rid of them. You need to get to a safe location so we can meet. You should also make contact with the justice department. You’ll need protection whether or not you agree to go forward with the evidence provided.”
“Fine, Mr. Nomikos. I will meet with you and your colleagues. If you have the information alluded to by my daughter’s call and subsequent email, then we won’t have an issue. I assure you if this is meant as a decoy or an attack, you’ll quickly learn I’m not a man you want to go up against. And I can handle my own safety.”
Being back in New York was not what I wanted, yet was what was required.
As soon as we’d landed, everyone had been put on high alert. Every contact we’d ever made both inside New York and the surrounding states had been contacted to see if they knew anything. While there were substantial rumors and tips regarding Arek Yesayan and his regime, none of them had been deemed but so credible at this point.
“I assure you that I am a highly respected man of my word. I’ve effectively offering you a golden ticket to stardom, Senator Laurant. I suggest you not look a gift horse in the mouth.”
He laughed, but I sensed a hit of nervousness in the man.
Good. I wanted him nervous. I’d made a promise to Valencia I’d keep him safe, but unfortunately, all bets were off if the man betrayed me.
That seemed to be going around like the plague.
“Understood, Christos. What do you want in return?”
“You should already know that answer. Complete immunity from any accusations that might be tossed our way plus a paved golden road to allow us to continue our business in such a beautiful city. That’s being hindered by both Kenneth Baker and the control your friend Senator Stern has over his own son. That needs to end.”
“That’s going to be tough to demand,” he barked out as if he was in charge. Did he not understand his life was in danger, as well as the life of his daughter?
“You’re a highly respected man within the Senate and from what I’ve gathered, you have influential friends in various arenas. Trust me, the business brought into your lovely country will be on the up and up.”
“I’ll do what I can, but I can’t make any promises.”
“Just remember your daughter would like to return to New York one day.” Using her name was a low blow even for me, but I knew keeping the man on edge was the best way of also keeping him honest.
“If you fucking touch her, I will hunt you down.”
“I think you know what would happen, but if it will make you feel any better, I’m not in the habit of hurting women.”
I’d allow him to think what he wanted from my inference.
He was befuddled, his breathing labored. The man was exactly where I wanted him to be. I knew what he was going through was difficult. He stood a chance of being ostracized from his friends and colleagues while also being labeled a hero. At least by the justice department.
“Fine. I have a secure location no one knows about.” He rattled off the address.
“We’ll be there in thirty minutes.” I ended the call without any additional formalities. I’d allowed him to choose the meeting location, my only request that it be held in private in a secure location. This wasn’t about gloating given our explosive knowledge. This was about laying down the final course of action.
“I guess the man isn’t thrilled in meeting with us,” Havros told me. He’d insisted he tag along or maybe I should say Dimitrios had insisted he had. While the situation was too volatile to have all three of us in the same place at the same time, having a strong backup while in a country that hadn’t proven to be very friendly was an asset.
With Jonas, Elias, and six other soldiers accompanying us, we had enough of a contingency to ward off another assassination attempt. Or maybe I should say evil since we’d also gotten wind Arek had swept through his population of soldiers, exterminating everyone the man believed to be a traitor.
Including Davit’s cousin. The news hadn’t gone over well. Davit had a short fuse and we couldn’t have a war start when we were still in New York. Dimitrios was also attempting to keep Davit out of New York until the plan was etched in stone.
“I think he’s nervous about what he’s holding in his hands.”
“I would be if my daughter was threatened. Not a nice way to treat your fiancée and your soon to be father-in-law,” Havros teased.
Snorting, I pretended to become choked up. “I haven’t asked her to marry me.”
“It’s only a matter of time. This informant Elias used…”
As we were escorted to the awaiting rental SUVs, I held the briefcase containing the copies of all the information Davit had provided close to my chest. “You mean Carl Willard?”
“Yeah. What do you want to do with him? You are the Enforcer.”
I laughed as I pulled out my phone. Now I had the necessity of contacting Don Coppola, who’d arrived at another terminal. “I’ll determine how many appendages he’ll lose when we get there. After this meeting.”
“You are one cold man, my brother.”
“Then I have one more short meeting before we leave,” I told him.
“A secret.”
“A choice.”
We headed toward the second SUV, scanning the parking lot before climbing in. So far, we hadn’t drawn any attention including with customs. I’d half suspected we’d be delayed the moment we’d gotten off the plane, escorted to a federal prison. My guess was at minimum we’d yet to draw but so much attention.
However, Arek could easily learn of our arrival and likely would. We had to be prepared for anything.
Once inside the vehicle, I dialed Don Coppola’s number.
“Christos. Good to hear from you. You’ve safely arrived in New York.”
“We have.”
“And the meeting?”
“I’ll text you the address. Senator Laurant’s life is on the line since he opened his mouth. Now, I don’t think I need to remind you this is a courtesy visit. We are businessmen who want to begin operations in New York.”
Havros glanced over at me as if I’d lost my mind speaking to the Godfather of Italy that way. All things considered, I thought it prudent to make a statement. The Don was smart enough to read between the lines. We wouldn’t accept any interference any longer from anyone.
“Completely understood, Christos. As I mentioned to your father, our alliance will allow for an amazing future for our children. Our close ties and business transactions will be discussed in more detail once New York is wiped clean of the scum.”
As if we weren’t venomous snakes.
“You can arrange that with Dimitrios at your leisure.”
“That I will do. Perhaps we’ll celebrate our success with dinner tonight.”
“Unfortunately, we have other business to handle before our departure.”
“Ah, always the working man,” Don Coppola said, laughing. He could infer what he wanted from my comment. “We have some of the same tasks in front of us as well.”
Like cleaning the house of the American Cosa Nostra. I wondered if he’d heard they’d made an alliance of their own with Arek and his clan. He was a smart man and could handle his battles himself. And we’d handle it our way.
All was fair in war.
The house was unassuming, not something I would expect a man of Gregory’s reputation to own. It was located outside the city on a body of water. From what I could tell, the quaint cottage could be considered a summer home.
“Remain outside and surround the property. Have a couple men watch the street,” Havros directed Jonas. “If you see anything of concern, let us know.”
“Will do, sir.” Havros directed his men while Elias moved to join me. With Luca on duty protecting Valencia, several of Dimitrios’ men and my father’s soldiers keeping an eye on my parents’ home in Athens, I felt confident there wouldn’t be any trouble while we were gone.
Yet I was very eager to return.
“How do you feel about meeting your future father-in-law?” Havros continued pushing me.
I gave him a hard look. “I suggest you keep your mouth shut, bro.”
“Or what are you going to do?”
“Do you really want to find out?”
We’d become closer over the last year, something I never thought would happen since we were two entirely different people. Death and birth had a way of doing that.
“Nah, I’ll skip it. Take the lead on this. I can’t wait to see Senator Laurant’s reaction to you.”
“You and I might end up in a dark alley if you continue teasing me.”
“You have a wonderful family, Christos. You are very lucky.” Don Coppola was a man of few words, but I knew how strongly he felt about Havros, who he turned to. “Incidentally, I would like to offer you and your lovely bride my estate in Palermo, Sicily for your honeymoon since tragedy claimed yours. I think Kara will love the horses and watersports as well as my vineyards.”
“I know we’d both be honored, Don Coppola. Thank you and I’ll mention it to Kara upon our return.”
“Please do. There’s also a lovely festival your beautiful boy will enjoy even at his young age.”
All of us laughed as we gathered outside the cottage. At least there was only one other house on the road about four blocks down. Still, the place could be easy to find. I only hoped the senator had backup or he’d be a sitting duck.
“Come, gentlemen,” I told them. “I’m certain we’d all like to return home to our families.”
“Is it true I understand another set of wedding bells will be rung very soon?”
I shook my head at the Don’s question. “It would be preferrable if Valencia heard it from me before everyone else plans the wedding.”
“Of course. Just remember that good women are very tough for men like us to find.”
We didn’t need to knock on the door, a man I assumed was part assistant and part guard opening it for us. He appeared apprehensive when he noticed an entire contingency, but quickly welcomed us inside.
As we were led into a large kitchen, I thought about how unique it was to have a powerhouse of a meeting in a man’s humble kitchen.
While I’d seen a photograph along with reading a full dossier on Gregory Laurant, I would have easily known who he was because of the resemblance he shared with his daughter.
“Senator Laurant, Christos Nomikos. My brother Havros.”
“Yes, I know who you are,” the senator said. While he shook my hand, I sensed he didn’t want to be in this meeting.
I glanced quickly at the two other people at the table: a male and female. Both were wearing what I’d called traditional federal agent attire. That extended to members of the prosecutor’s office as well, although the woman was dressed to impress.
Senator Laurant noticed I was checking the two of them out. “This is the district attorney for New York City, David Brennan and Sheila Giles of the justice department. They have both reviewed the information you already presented. Please, have a seat.”
Our soldiers stood behind us, obviously creating anxiety in each of them, although Sheila was the calmest of the three. We accepted the gesture and I pulled out a file that also contained the jump drive provided by Davit.
“You have the information promised?” the senator asked.
“We do. You are aware of the deal made with this man?” I asked absently, glancing at the three sitting across the table.
“As I’ve repeatedly told Senator Laurant, we don’t make deals with known criminals and what you’ve provided isn’t enough to make any arrests or even start an investigation.” Sheila was taking the bull by the horns. I found it fascinating she had a computer in front of her as if ready to process the gift we were offering.
“In addition, Mr. Nomikos,” David said, “we also weren’t told of the source providing the material.”
I glanced at Havros who leaned over the table to answer. “I’m certain you’ve heard of Arek Yesayan. I understand he’s made your life miserable. Unfortunately, he made some enemies inside his own organization. However, you can’t talk with them since Arek just had them exterminated.”
The three of them glanced back and forth. I shoved the file across the table. “Have a look. You tell me if the information is of any importance to you.”
While Sheila was looking it over, Gregory leaned forward. “Where is my daughter?”
“She’s currently at my father’s house with Magnum enjoying some down time. What she endured in almost getting herself killed while attempting to save two members of my family has been traumatic.”
“If you hurt her, so help me God.”
David glanced over at him then back to me. “From what I understand, Senator, the two of them are close. What’s your role in all of this, Don Coppola?”
“I’m here as a partner with the Nomikos Corporation. We have interest in expanding our diamond industry to the United States. In doing so, we will be purchasing several facilities for use, providing jobs and bringing a significant amount of money into your fair city.”
The Don reminded me of my father. He could be downright vicious when he wanted, but had an aura of pure sophistication.
David acted as if his statement was questionable. They weren’t stupid by any means. They knew exactly what we were telling them. Because we’d shared information that would allow for a dozen or more high-profile arrests, they would look the other way while we were doing business in New York.
It was a simple deal.
Only they knew we would back it up with violence if necessary.
We waited as the information was passed to both the senator and the district attorney. They were good at keeping blank faces, not reacting in any way.
Finally, the senator looked directly into my eyes. “My daughter believes in you. I’m not certain why, but given the information provided, I must trust in you that you mean no harm to Valencia. She is my little girl, but I’m also a man who’s spent the last two years attempting to break the cycle of secrecy surrounding not only the Medicaid fraud, but their methods of extortion and blackmail. While I will not provide you with any details, it will be my recommendation that the people involved should be prosecuted. Sheila?”
She didn’t appear happy. “You seem to have more than adequate evidence. As long as it proves to be accurate, we won’t attempt to keep your business operations from coming into the state of New York. However, if you choose to bring crime into our city, I assure you I will do my best to help the district attorney in prosecuting you to the full extent of the law. Is that understood?”
“Completely,” I told her. “And I hope you understand that we will not tolerate any interference whatsoever.” It was the only threat I’d issue today, but given they knew of our reputations, I felt certain they’d do the right thing in feigning ignorance.
I rose from the table at the same time both the Don and my brother did. “We have copies of everything provided to you. We won’t hesitate to use the evidence as a weapon of choice if necessary. I’m certain you know what I mean.”
If they didn’t use the information provided, I could ruin them and wouldn’t hesitate doing so.
It was good to have so much power.