Chapter 20 Gabriella
GAbrIELLA
I was eager to have Agent Blackwood call again, but now that he has and I’ve arranged to meet him, I’m nervous.
I don’t feel in danger, but I’m concerned I won’t pull this off.
That he’ll see through the ruse.
"You don't have to do this." Marco's voice comes from the doorway. He's been hovering all morning.
I turn away from the mirror I’ve been checking my outfit in to face him. “We've been over this. I'm our best shot at figuring out what Blackwood knows and planting information to discover who is working against La Corona.”
Marco crosses his arms. "La Corona isn't the one walking into a meeting with a federal agent."
"Scared for me, Don Calabresi?" I tease, trying to lighten the mood.
"This isn't a joke, Gabriella."
I cross the room to him, placing my hands on his chest. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Remember, I'm not some civilian. I grew up in this world. I know how to handle myself."
"That's what worries me. You're too confident." His hand covers mine.
"Says the man who runs an entire criminal empire."
"That's different."
"Because you're a man?" I challenge.
He sighs. "Because I don't care what happens to me."
He cares what happens to me.
It's the closest he's come to admitting his feelings.
But it doesn’t change the fact that this situation between us will end.
"Well, I care what happens to both of us," I say. "So I'll be careful. For both our sakes."
I gather my purse and notes.
I've chosen a café for my meeting with Blackwood.
It’s busy enough to blend in but quiet enough for conversation.
Roman is offering protection, but he’ll need to keep a low profile as there’s no doubt that Blackwood and his men know him as well as Marco.
In order for this to work, Blackwood needs to think I’ve snuck away to meet him, so he can’t see any protection detail.
Marco drives me to a boutique store and drops me off. “Watch yourself, Gabriella.”
“Don’t worry.” I blow him a kiss as I exit the car.
He drives off, although I doubt very far.
I look for the rideshare I’ve ordered, all a part of the ruse to make it look like I’ve told Marco I’m shopping but am instead sneaking off to see Blackwood.
Fifteen minutes later, my ride pulls up to the café.
As I get out, I’m hit by the reality of what I’m doing.
I’m pretending to betray La Corona to the FBI while actually trying to gain information.
One misstep and this could go sideways.
I enter the café, order a large mocha, and take a seat in the corner.
I don’t see Roman, but I have no doubt he’s around.
I busy myself with paperwork so that I don’t look like I’m waiting for someone.
"Ms. Monti.”
I look up to see Agent Blackwood in his signature dark suit carrying a cup of coffee.
“Agent Blackwood. Stalking me?” On the chance that someone else who works for a La Corona family is watching,
I need to make this look like an accidental meeting. After all, only the Dons and Roman know what I’m up to.
Anyone else will think I’m betraying the families.
"I've brought what you asked for." Blackwood sits across from me and slides a manila folder across the table. "The immunity agreement for your father. Full protection in exchange for your cooperation against Calabresi."
I open the folder, scanning the legal language while my stomach twists.
The document is cleverly worded.
It promises protection for my father, but only if the case against Marco ends with a conviction.
That’s not unexpected.
What I don’t like is that anything the FBI learns about my father and his business during my cooperation could be used against my father if the case against Marco fails.
"This isn't what we discussed." I keep my voice low. "You can’t ask me to provide you with information that could implicate my father and then use it against him if you and the prosecution aren’t talented enough to put Don Calabresi in jail.”
Blackwood shrugs, taking a sip of his coffee. "Standard procedure. We can't offer blanket immunity without guarantees that the information you provide will lead to conviction."
"So my father remains vulnerable unless Marco goes to prison? Information I give could then be used against my family." I flip through the pages, frustration building.
"It's the best I can offer." His eyes narrow slightly. "Unless you're having second thoughts?"
I meet his gaze. "I'm trying to protect my father. If this agreement can't do that, then what, exactly, am I risking everything for?"
"Justice, Ms. Monti." He leans forward. "Or would you prefer to watch Calabresi take everything your father built while his mind crumbles? Because that's the alternative."
I feel a chill at his knowledge of my father's condition. How many people has Blackwood talked to? How deep does this conspiracy go?
“What do you even have on Marco? If you’re planning on getting everything you need from me, you’ll need to give me better terms.”
“You’re a lawyer. You understand how this works. We have a great deal of information about Calabresi. We just need a bit more to convict him.”
“You’re asking me to commit what amounts to treason in my world without showing me what evidence you actually have against Marco?”
I lean forward, lowering my voice. "Show me what you have. Concrete evidence that Marco is plotting against my father. Not theories, not suspicions. Proof."
Frustration flickers across Blackwood's face. "If I had that level of evidence, Ms. Monti, I wouldn't need your help."
“I’m not going to do your job for you. You said before that I’m not the only person you’ve spoken to. Surely, whoever else you’re talking to has given you something.”
He glances around the café, and I wonder if he’s suspicious of me.
If he’s worried the Mafia is about to burst in and kill him ala Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
It doesn’t work like that anymore.
The Mafia is more subtle now.
It works in the shadows, which is why Agent Blackwood is having difficulty putting Marco away.
“I have patterns, suspicious financial movements, testimonies from low-level associates that point to Calabresi's intentions. But nothing that would stand up in court."
Blackwood’s statement tells me he is fishing, lacking the solid evidence needed for a case against Marco.
"So you want me to fill in the blanks," I say, letting disappointment color my voice. "To give you what you can't get yourself."
"I want to stop Calabresi before he destroys your family," Blackwood insists. "Your father doesn't have a lot of time, and your brother is clearly not interested in helping."
I don’t for one minute believe he’s concerned about my family, but I go along with the ruse.
I take a deep breath, shifting my posture to appear more vulnerable. “You’re asking a lot of me, Agent Blackwood. If Marco… if anyone in La Corona knew I was talking to you…” I glance nervously around the café for effect.
“I can protect you.”
Inwardly, I roll my eyes, but I act like I believe him. “Don Calabresi has been having private meetings with three of my father's captains."
I lower my voice conspiratorially. “They think no one knows, but I overheard them discussing territory redistribution after what they called 'the transition'."
“Who?”
I sit back and shake my head. “I can’t risk this…”
“You’re doing great, Ms. Monti. Your father would be proud at what you’re willing to risk to protect his business.” He waits a beat, but I don’t answer. “What is this ‘transition’?”
“Marco has slowly had his men infiltrating my father’s business under the guise of helping.
” I shake my head, acting angry that Marco would do such a thing.
“That includes vendors, accounts… all of it. They’ve got offshore accounts where they’re stockpiling funds.
They’re renegotiating contracts, taking business from my father. ”
I watch Blackwood's eyes. There's a flash of excitement he quickly suppresses. Still, I know he’s taking the bait.
"Did you hear any specifics about these accounts?"
"Just one number." I recite the sequence Roman created, a false account that will lead to a shell company. "They're planning something for after Christmas. Marco said the new year would bring 'new leadership' to the Monti family. There’s not much time, Agent Blackwood."
"This is extremely valuable, Ms. Monti." Blackwood's voice remains measured, but I sense his eagerness. "Is there anything else you've noticed? Any other names mentioned?"
"They talked about someone named 'The Architect'. I think they’re overseeing everything." I watch his reaction closely. "Does that mean anything to you?"
His brow furrows, as it should. We invented this title specifically to see if Blackwood already knows who's pulling the strings.
“You think there’s someone else involved in all this.”
I blink at him. “Don’t you?” I lean forward to speak in a lower voice.
“I know you have someone looking into Don Vitale. Plus, I know Marco’s captain, Salvatore Abruzzo, once worked with you.
Look where that got him.” Roman came up with that tidbit, saying he knew Salvatore’s brother had been talking to the Feds, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to think Salvatore had been as well before Roman killed him.
I straighten as if I just realized how dangerous my actions are. “I should go.”
“No. Where did you hear about Abruzzo working with me?”
“So it’s true?”
He shakes his head, but I don’t believe him. “Abruzzo killed Don Ferraza’s wife, didn’t he? I imagine that’s why he’s gone missing.”
“I think you’re being dishonest with me, Agent,” I say.
“I think you know there’s a larger conspiracy going on.
You used Abruzzo and his brother. You tried to use Isabella Ferraza, and she was nearly killed for it.
I’m risking my life to protect my father.
The least you can do is tell me what you know. ”
He sucks in a breath as he sits back.