Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
Joseph
If the loud alarm on her phone didn’t get her up, the rich scent of coffee would. The coffee grinder released a fresh blend of aroma in the air as it did its job. Next, he placed the grounds in the Breville coffee maker and dark, rich goodness soon flowed into the mug below.
Adding some sugar to his cup, he started to make one for his new roommate and fiancé. Good thing, because she was currently sprinting down the hallway, her shoes in one hand and a tote bag in the other. Her long, thick hair pinned up in a haphazard bun. If he’d ever had a fantasy about doing it with a librarian, he did now.
Aside from the updo, she was secretary ready in a long sleeve, white blouse, and slim black skirt. Not what he’d expect a high fashion intern to be wearing.
“Not very.” He frowned and took a sip.
“Not very what?” Her nostrils flared as a strand of walnut colored hair fell in her face and she blew it out of the way. Joseph placed a mug of coffee in her hands in an attempt to get her focused. She sniffed it and smiled.
“Did you put peppermint it this?” Angelina moaned as she drank half and took a seat.
“It came that way.” Grumbling, he turned away, even as a kid she’d loved everything mint. Surprising how many details he’d remembered from their childhood. He’d seen the bear weeks ago at home. It was so close to the one she’d had as a kid. It was a stupid thing to buy for an adult, but when she’d cried out for her kitten last night, it’d been worth dragging it across the ocean.
“Is there something wrong with the way I’m dressed?”
Placing his cup in the sink he turned to witness a stunning view of cleavage as she bent over to slip on her heels.
“I guess I was expecting something more flamboyant from a clothing designer.”
“It’s my first day, so I went with conservative. Madison’s line is more elegant anyway. Not trendy.”
“She’s my mom, believe me, I know exactly what she designs.” He’d been dragged to fashion shows since he was old enough to walk. He’d even been an escort for models on occasion helping them on and off the stage.
“And the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Look at you all dapper in your suit. What are your plans for the day?” Angelina reached for a croissant.
At least she seemed in a better mood than last night. “After I drop you off, I have a meeting with Dante and some of the others.”
“Mob business?” Angelina stuffed a bag of nuts in her bag with a huff.
“Family business.” He took hold and held the fitted, short leather jacket she struggled to put on. At least it was sporty.
“Thanks.” She zippered it up.
“Ready to go sweetheart?”
Angelina paused as she glowered at a message on her phone.
“Everything okay?” Still no answer. “Angel?”
“Oh, yeah. I mean no.” Her shiver said otherwise as she tucked her phone in one of the pockets of her bag. “I’m just nervous. It’s a big day.”
“Then we don’t want to be late. Let’s go.”
It was a quiet commute to Caponelli’s designs. His girl appeared distracted with something more than first-day nerves, but now was not the time to press. The last thing he wanted to do was add to whatever was bothering her.
He safely delivered Angelina into the hands of her boss, Camilla. While Angelina was the new kid on the block, he was well acquainted with all their full-time employees. Everyone who worked for them went through an extensive background check and investigation. It was one of his many jobs.
“Nice to see you again, Joseph.” Camilla greeted him with a nod.
“You as well.” He treated her to the customary kiss on each cheek.
“I heard the exciting news that the two of you are engaged.” She clapped her hands together before enveloping them in a group hug. “Madison must be so excited. I must see the ring.” Camilla reached for Angelina’s ringless hand. How did the news get out so quickly?
“We all are.” Joseph looped an arm around his fiancé’s waist. “It happened so fast. I didn’t even have a ring. Kind of a spur of the moment type of thing. Right sweetheart?” He nuzzled her ear with his nose. The scent of peppermint lingered there.
“Yes. It was almost too fast.” Angelina smiled through gritted teeth. “I’m sure you have things to do, Honey, and I better get to work.” The endearment lacked sweetness of any kind.
“I’ll see you at five, mi amor.” He kissed her cheek.
“It’s so romantic. Are you having Madison design your dress?” Joseph heard Camilla ask as she ushered her new ward away.
“What dress?” Angelina sounded truly confused.
“Your wedding dress of course.”
Obviously, planning a wedding was the last thing on Angelina’s mind. If they were going to pass this engagement off as a loving one, she needed to up her game. He did, too.
She’d declared war on him years ago. Why still remained a mystery. Right now, there were more pressing matters to attend to. He wanted her and it had to be enough.
Half an hour later, Joseph sat at a table with Dante and a few of his men. Some he knew. Others were strangers. The stresses of being thrust into a leadership rule much earlier than expected after Dante’s father was gunned down recently made him appear older than his years. The man was alive but still enduring daily hours of physical therapy leaving him unable to see to his many duties in person.
In his Armani three-piece suit, Dante appeared to be any other local businessman. The tattoos on his hands and under the suit told otherwise. He was as street smart and cutthroat as any man at the table. They’d bloodied their hands together more than once. Why he insisted on partnering with him to keep Bella and Angelina safe went beyond friendship. Joseph had no clue why. The man had more important things than babysitting a couple of Caponelli woman.
“We still don’t have a trace of Megan and, unfortunately, a few other models in the area have gone missing as well.” Dante paused to light a cigarette.
“What the fuck?” Why hadn’t he been told this before now?
“We do have something that might be a link. These are some photos of the girls and their apartments.”
Each man was given a folder filled with a dozen or so colored glossies. He recognized Megan right away from her background check. The other photos were from the living quarters of the latest young women to disappear.
“Any similarities appearance wise?” Gabriel was still in the area and offered to help.
“No, they have different hair color, ethnicity, age. All are young, tall, slender, and working as models. At least the ones who work for Madison are.” Dante entwined his fingers.
The shuffling of papers echoed as each man shifted through pages of the crime scenes. Joseph went through them twice before something caught his eye. “There.” He pointed to one. “And here.” Another photo was placed next to it, then a third. “A package with the name ‘Hellion’ on it.” The name was in the upper left-hand corner where a return address should have been.
Gabriel picked up one of the photos to study closer. “Good eye. Yes, each location had one. One was a small package, and two were padded envelopes.” Gabriel picked up one of the photos to study it closer.
“A jewelry or clothing store they all shopped at?”
“The name of a sex club maybe?” Another suggested.
“We’ve done an extensive search of the entire country. There are some hedonism clubs and resorts along the coast with the name, but according to the girls’ cell phone records, none had been anywhere near them. There were no stores or businesses with the name, either.”
Joseph didn’t glance up from the photos. “What was in them?”
Dante shrugged. “Nothing.”
“What about families? Anyone else looking for these girls?” If any of the women in Joseph’s family were gone, he’d not sleep until they were found safe and sound.
“No. It’s the usual MO for bastards looking for their victims. Yet, it would mean someone, somewhere knew them well enough to know they wouldn’t be missed.” Dante exhaled a puff of smoke.
“Who do you have on the ground looking for them?” Joseph straightened his pile of photos and placed them back in the folder.
“As we speak, several of my men are checking out all the clubs, businesses, agencies. Anywhere these girls were known to hang out.”
“Did any have side jobs?” Joseph tapped the folder with his fingers.
“Not that anyone knew. Depending on what kind of job it was, they may not have wanted anyone to know about it. They might be doing odd jobs for cash. We’re hacking into their bank accounts as we speak. Hopefully, something catches our eyes.”
Gabriel shook his head. “They won’t use a bank if they work for cash.”
A man at the end of the table leaned back in his chair. “I still don’t know why we are giving this any attention. We have better things to do than chase down some girls who probably got fucked up and fell into a bad situation. In my opinion, it’s a waste of our time.”
If Joseph remembered right, the guy’s name was Tony. Everyone held their breath and turned to Dante. Challenging the boss at a meeting showed a huge lack of respect. What little he knew of the man wasn’t much. He’d heard rumblings that Tony had wanted to take over in Dante’s father’s absence. Tony was Dante’s cousin and a royal pain in the ass.
Dante set his cigarette on the marble ashtray and scratched his chin. Joseph knew the gesture well. It was the rudimentary calm before the storm. His friend wouldn’t give the bastard satisfaction by going crazy on his ass in the middle of a meeting. It was a given that punishment was being planned.
“The reason it demands our attention is because these women live in our territory. It is our responsibility to deal with anyone who invades our land and steals from us.” Dante spoke firmly but softly. Commanding attention without raising his voice was scarier than yelling. “Whether it is property, money, or people, I will not have anyone invade or profit from anything that belongs to us. Not to mention, we are and always will be against human trafficking.”
“It is true of the Caponelli’s as well.” Joseph added. Girls had disappeared from both their territories.
Tony rolled his eyes and slumped in his chair. The temperature rose in the room from the heat rolling off the man. “It’s profitable.”
Dante rose. His chair flew back against the wall as he reached over and grabbed Tony by the collar then dragged him across the table. Papers flew everywhere. Everyone scooted backward in their chairs. Dante and Tony were face to face. Nose to nose.
“We. Do. Not. And never will traffic people. Understand?” Dante gritted his teeth.
Tony slowly nodded and Dante shoved him away. The man fell awkwardly on the tabletop and maneuvered himself back to his seat. His face flame red, he tucked his shirt back into his pants.
“Are there any further questions?” Dante rested his fingertips on the table. Slowly, he made eye contact with each man in the room. They either shook their heads or glanced away. “Good. Report back to me with any new developments.”
“Yes, sir.” Everyone paid their respects by nodding and shaking Dante’s hand before leaving the room. The last one closed the door behind him leaving Joseph and Dante alone in the room.
“You have a Judas on your team.” Joseph nodded to the seat Tony had vacated.
“Tell me about it. I just haven’t been able to prove it.” Dante reached for another cigarette.
“Still angry about being passed over?” The leather of Joseph’s chair creek as he leaned back.
“Most likely but so far, he’s done nothing wrong that we’re aware of.”
“I don’t get why he even thinks he should be boss. You’re his son, why wouldn’t you be their leader?” Yet, he was going through a similar situation. Being passed over for not being the blood son.
“Fuckers are going old school. Like we are cavemen or something. I’m sure he would like us to duel or some such shit.” Dante laughed.
“So, it’s really true what Roman was saying about the arranged marriages coming back? I half wondered if it was simply a trick to get me to stay here.” Not that Joseph cared, just as long as Angelina was promised to him.
“No, it’s true. The pressures are on me as well to pick a bride and start shelling out heirs. Right now, I have enough on my plate.”
“That’s why I don’t understand why you offered to help keep an eye on the girls.”
“You’re family, Joseph, Which makes them my priority as well. I may not be able to be there all the time but if I can’t, someone I trust will be in my place.”
“I appreciate that.” Dante was the only one he could count on to have his back.
“I can’t put my finger on it, but I also think there’s a connection somehow with the fashion houses and the missing models. If there is, they may be trying to smuggle something in and out of our region.”
“My thoughts lean toward the Vittores. Why would they all have the same envelopes in their possession? Do you have any other suspects?”
“Could be one of many?” Dante yawned and stretched.
“Do you want to narrow that down a bit?” Joseph had no clue where to start. They had numerous enemies and some they probably didn’t even know about.
“I’ll make you a list.” Dante rose and buttoned his jacket. “First, I have a date with a redhead.”
“Bella?” Joseph got up also.
“Yes.”
“Just remember that redhead has an army of men who will take great pleasure in torturing you if anything happens to her.”
“Not to worry. She’s in good hands.” He winked.
An alert sounded on Joseph’s phone.
What the fuck?
Angelina had left the building. Alone.