Chapter 54 #2
“A dirty detective on the take from Alessandro told Domenic Rizzo that Chiara’s dad was a mole, but only to cover up that one of Alessandro’s boys had been flipped by detectives,” he explains.
“They said they saw Uncle Lorenzo talking to detectives and selling intel on drug runs and the Mafia families involved. A couple of raids on the same day coincided with the suspicion, adding more weight to the accusation.” He blows out a long shaky breath.
“It’s true he talked to detectives, because he discovered the older man she had been seeing was Alessandro.
Uncle Lorenzo knew he worked for the Rizzos, supplying girls and running drugs.
He went to the cops to report he thought Chiara’s life was in danger and he thought she was being held against her will when she didn’t acknowledge their texts or any of the calls they made after.
He thought if they would raid Alessandro’s underground hangout spot, they could get Chiara to safety.
It was the riskiest option, but he felt it was the only way to get her away from him. ”
“Why didn’t he just deal with it himself? They way gangsters do?”
“He knew that killing Alessandro would start another Mafia war—something he didn't want for the family. Alessandro was a lower rank, but the Rizzos needed him. He was the handsome face for that lucrative sex trade business, and they were training him up to be more. If he told the Rizzos to deal with Alessandro because he hurt his daughter, he’d owe them a favor—most likely an arranged marriage—and he didn't want that for her. It also might even have pushed her further into Alessandro’s arms,” he explains.
“They still fucking tried to pull the arranged marriage card,” I say.
“Yes, but I knew the truth all along. I would never let it happen. In Mafia lore, moles need to be taken care of—it doesn’t matter who they are or who they’re related to.
The heads agreed Uncle Lorenzo needed to be taken care of.
My father gave him a heads up, tried to tell him to get out before they got to him, but he and his wife refused to leave without Chiara.
“I had only just come back from being away for work, and Chiara’s best friend Mia was the one who tracked me down to tell me everything she knew about Alessandro and how he’d framed my uncle as the mole, and that they were going to say my father ordered the hit on his own brother.
“I also came to discover he was running some sort of high-end escort business and filming girls having sex, making money off a pay-per-view site without them ever knowing.”
“Fuck! I only pieced it together in the last few hours, but did you know that today’s witness in the trial against Arty was Mia Damiano?”
“Wait. She’s in New York?” His eyes widen. “Fuck! I haven’t seen her since that day. Then she disappeared without a trace.”
“Chiara thought she and Alessandro were working together.”
AJ shakes his head. “No. Tell me what happened.”
I continue hastily because time is ticking.
“She’s one of our key witnesses in the case against Arty.
Today, the defense tried to get a video included as late evidence as part of the trial.
It’s why I was unreachable. We were in a closed viewing with the judge, fighting for him to rule against its use as evidence.
” I pause, fighting the doubt creeping up.
What if Alessandro lures Chiara back into his web?
I push down the insidious thoughts and focus on getting through this so all the information is on the table.
“It wasn’t Mia in the video. It was Chiara,” I tell him, swallowing the bile that’s risen up my throat once more.
“I’m pretty sure Alessandro was sending me a fuck you message and literally fucking up my life by ripping Chiara out of my home at the same time. ”
“Fuck!” AJ says on a low growl, punching the door frame then shaking his fist out. I understand, my craving to feel the sting of pain is overwhelming now too.
“If you knew all of this, why isn’t he dead already?” I snap.
“Believe me, I had him right in front of me, bloody and bashed up. He was a trigger pull away. I had even taken the safety lock off when immediately my phone pinged. He told me to look at it. Sure enough, it was a video. I didn’t even have to press play to see it was her.
“He proceeded to tell me how he has hundreds of videos and photos of Chiara and has given copies to people in high places. He said if I gave him time, he’d bring me the intel on who made the kill for the Rizzos so we could clear my father’s name.”
AJ closes his eyes and rubs his temples. “He dies or something happens to him, he said he’d release every video he had, ruining any chance at her photography career so he could manipulate her into working with him—and tell Chiara my father killed his brother.
“She was in love with Alessandro. I couldn’t run the risk of her thinking my family didn’t protect their own and pushing her further into his arms. Her parents were already dead.
She’d already lost so much, and I didn’t want her future and reputation to be marred by a sex scandal.
” He looks at me, eyes glazed over. “Then he fucking disappeared. Untraceable.”
“So he never gave you the name of the killer?”
He shakes his head and grits out, “But I won’t stop until I get it.”
“So why is he back now?”
“If I had to guess, he heard she was going to be married to Julian, came searching for her, and discovered there was another player too. I think he still holds onto the hope she’ll join the Mafia life with him.
” He levels me with a glare. “As much of a despicable, selfish pig he is, I do think he loved her—probably still loves her if he’s come out of hiding.
Clearly, something you two might just have in common? ”
“Don’t even think about lumping me in the category as that son of a bitch,” I snap, getting right in his face, gripping his shirt and shoving him against the door he just punched.
“There’s her wolf,” he whispers through gritted teeth, grabbing me the same way, bringing us nose to nose.
“You nodded your understanding before, but if you wanna take this motherfucker down for her, Raf, I need every single fiber of hatred you can muster.” He pushes his forehead against mine.
“You want him to bleed red, you’re gonna have to go dark. Do you fucking understand?”
“It’s not even a question. I would fucking die for her,” I say through gritted teeth, slow and assuredly, not dropping my hold on his shirt.
“What in the actual fuck is going on here?” says Marco, stepping in and forcing us apart, looking wildly from me to him.
“It’s all good, brother,” AJ says, keeping his stare fixed on mine. “We’re just getting on the same page.”
“Thank fuck for that because we think we know where she might be, but it’s a lot of ground to cover and most likely heavily guarded ’cause it’s where he’s running his operations from.
My guess is he wants us to find him, so he’s planned for our arrival.
If we all want to make it out alive, we’re going to need a solid fucking plan. ”
“You’re not setting foot in there,” I tell him. “You’ve only just recovered from a damn gunshot wound, Marco.”
“Like fuck I’m not,” he says. “She’s not only blood but Vault’s client and the reason I’m damn well alive. There’s nothing stopping me from making sure she gets out safe, unscathed, and alive.”
“Sophia is going to kill you herself.”
“You just focus on getting your wife back and leave me to handle my future wife, yeah?”
I clench my fists and nod, the pressure almost cracking the phone I have in my hand.
I remember the unread message and open it.
The play symbol of a video file leers at me. I hover my thumb over it, quickly tapping, hoping it’s not my worst nightmares confirmed.
My beautiful wife comes into view. My stomach roils and my legs buckle beneath me, Marco steadying me.
She’s stripped to her underwear, and there’s a tray of what appears to be cocaine on the side table behind her.
I can tell in the way she’s placating him and behaving timidly, she’s doing her best to temper his drug-addled mood while he manhandles her.
Red clouds my vision at the sight of him gripping her hair roughly while she cups his face tenderly.
She stares into the camera he’s holding above them.
Her green eyes shine but are completely devoid of their usual sparkle.
“I belong to you,” she enunciates. Is she just saying what he wants to hear, or does she really mean it?
I pray the words are meant for me, sick at the doubt gnawing at me that I’ve fallen into the same trap and let love make a fool out of me again.
“Fuuuuccccckkkkkk,” I holler, pegging the phone at the mirror, watching as it cracks and splinters.
Just like my heart and soul.
“We’ve charted all the info, and it looks like they’ve got her in a warehouse in Brooklyn where they move weight in and out,” says Marco.
“AJ is talking to his contacts down there. Like I said before, I think they’re expecting us.
Want the fight. I’ve got five more guys suiting up to come with us.
I told Seb he’s not coming; he flat out refused to listen, so I know there’s no point trying to tell you to stay behind.
” Grabbing me by the shoulders, he looks me dead in the eye.
“I’m going to be honest, Raf, things could go sideways. ”
“Then I’ll tell you what I told AJ,” I say, my resolve firmly in place. “I would die for her.” Then I add in a choked whisper. “I fucking love her and I never told her.”
“You’re not going to fucking die,” he says, “and neither is she. But we all need to stick to the fucking plan, and unless I say we need to deviate, we follow it to the letter.”
I take a deep breath. “So what’s the plan?”