Because of You: Covert OPS 1

by Kymber Jones

  “I know. I just don’t know how the hell to approach any of them. What should I say? Hi, I’m your missing sister of thirteen years, Crystalline?”

  “Well, it would be a bit more difficult than that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your family is part of the Mob. They are going to want absolute proof as to who you are, where you’ve been, who took you, and everything.”

  “Oh God,” Chrys swore. “It’s better if I never meet them then. Never mind their criminal activities, I can’t bring this life over to them. They’ll never know what the hell hit them.”

  “I don’t think you give them enough credit. These people have been searching for you since the day you’ve disappeared. They’ve never once stopped searching. And I don’t think they ever will.”

  Chrys paused and took a deep breath. “Are they really part of the Mob?” She asked.

  “Yes. But from what I can tell, your brothers’ aren’t all bad. Your brothers are businessmen. One is a criminal defense lawyer. Another owns an import/export business. A third is in the entertainment industry, and he owns a movie production company. The fourth owns a vineyard in Napa.”

  “So they have their hands in everything.”

  “You could say that. The money stays in the family if that is what you are asking.”

  “More or less,” Chrys said. “Okay, fine. I’ll meet them. But only if you or Uncle Jack set the meeting up. I’m too nervous about doing it myself.”

  “That’s fine. What about your dad and Daniel? Do you want them here?”

  “Not yet. If anything besides a first meeting happens, if it happens, then I’ll have Dad and Daniel come home if they want.”

  “Alright. When do you want to do this?” Bullet wanted to know.

  “The sooner, the better, because I’ll just start freaking out and change my mind the longer I wait.”

  “I’ll see what I can do then and call you back. Go get something to eat, or better yet, go get yourself a drink somewhere.”

  Chrys chuckled. “I know just the place. I’ll tell them you sent me.”

  “Just tell Roy I said to serve you. He won’t ask any questions.”

  “Okay.”

  * x * x * x * x * x * x * x *

  Sitting at his desk, Vitalico Tornabene, or Vita to his family and friends, stared at his computer as he reread several pages on the current case he was defending. If the idiot were not the son of his father’s friend, he would let the schmuck drown in his pile of waste in prison, but his father called him up and asked him to do his best to get the boy off.

  Unfortunately, there was no way of getting the idiot off for his crime of first-degree manslaughter, and truthfully he didn’t want to. The idiot was beyond wasted and high off his ass when he got behind the wheel of his car. Then, instead of stopping at a red light, he barreled on through and plowed into the side of a house, killing all three children who were sleeping in their beds that night. Several people had been awake and ran outside to see what had happened, and a couple of them even managed to videotape his client climbing out of his vehicle while it was embedded in the side of the house. Instead of being contrite or horrified at what he had done, his idiot client started screaming it was the home owner's fault for putting the house in his way.

  Now, most of the clients Vita defended were guilty of one thing or another, and honestly, Vita didn’t usually care. They were a means to a check coming into the family, and that was it. But every so often, Vita felt like he needed to change his career in a case like this. Help people out more instead of destroying people’s lives in the court of law after they’d already been victimized.

  The sound of his phone ringing startled Vita out of his silent musing.

  Reaching over, Vita put the call on speaker and said, “Vitalico speaking.”

  “Mr. Tornabene, you have a call on line two.” His secretary said.

  “Take a message.”

  “Sir, I think you’re going to want to take this. He said his name is Commander Tate Hunter, in the United States Navy. He said this call is regarding a family matter.”

  “A family matter?” Vita asked. “Did something happen to one of my brothers?”

  “This is regarding your sister, he said.”

  Vita went still. What the hell did this Commander know about his sister? How the hell did he even know he had a sister?

  “Put him through,” Vita told his secretary.

  “Yes, Sir.” She told him and immediately transferred the incoming call to his phone.

  “Is this Vitalico Tornabene?”

  “Who is this?” Vita demanded.

  “My name is Tate Hunter. I’m a Commander in the US Navy, and I am part of a Joint Special OPS group that works with different military branches worldwide. One of the members of my Team is a young woman named Crystalline. I believe you have been searching for her for quite some time.”

  “What do you know about Crystalline?”

  “I know this is not the place to speak of the information I have. If you want to know what happened to your sister, I need you to come down to Little Creek, Virginia, where we can have a face-to-face. It’s too dangerous to speak over the phone.”

  “My lines are secure. If you need….”

  “Mr. Tornabene, I mean no offense, but it doesn’t matter how secure you think your lines are. This info is a matter of life and death if word of this gets out, and I will not risk Chrys’s life. Not for you or anyone else. If you want to find out what happened to your sister and know where she currently is, then I need you to meet us at Little Creek Base, where we have our Head Quarters.”

  “Fine. I will contact my brothers, and we will all meet you just as soon as we can fly in. I will give you the day and time as soon as I know what they are.”

  “You can call me on my cell at 757-555-3872.”

  “Keep your phone on you. I’ll be calling you shortly with the details.”

  “That’s fine. You can reach me anytime; I’ll be waiting for your call.”

  Vita disconnected and immediately called his brother Abenzio who was currently at his house outside Phoenix.

  “Hey, Vita, what’s wrong?” Abe asked since it was rare for his eldest brother to call him in the middle of the day the way he just did.

  “I need you to fly to Norfolk, Virginia, and meet me. I just got a call from someone in Little Creek who claims to know Crystalline. He says he knows what happened to her when she disappeared and where she currently is.”

  Abe paused for a second before asking, “Is this person legit?”

  “He sounded like he was legit. But, you know how it is. We won’t know for sure until we meet up with him.”

  “I’ll get on the next available plane. What about Benito or Nicolo? Have you spoken to them about this yet?”

  “No, you’re the first I’ve called. I’ll call our brothers as soon as I hang up with you.”

  “Call them. I’ll call you back with my flight information.”

  “Do that. We need to meet with this man ASAP.”

  “Understood.”

  Vita quickly disconnected the call and called Benito and Nicolo, putting them on a conference call, so he didn’t have to keep repeating himself.

  “Ciao Fratello! A cosa devo questa chiamata (Hello, brother. To what do I owe this call?)?” Benito greeted Vita as soon as he answered.

  “Nico, fratellino, ci sei (Nico, little brother, are you there?)?” Vita asked, making sure both of his brothers were on the line.

  “Sì, Vita. Cosa c'è che non va? Perché ci chiami come fai? Va tutto bene (Yes, Vita. What's wrong? Why are you calling us like you are? Is everything okay?)?”

  Vita switched from their native Italian to English flawlessly. “I just got off the phone with Abe. I need the two of you to fly out to Little Creek, Virginia, on the next flight out and meet us there. I just had a call from someone there claiming to know Crystalline. He says he knows what happened to her, when she disappeared, and where
she is currently located. He will not give any information over the phone, claiming it is a life or death situation, so the only choice we have is to meet this man in person.”

  “He knows where Crysti is?” Benito asked, stunned.

  “That is what he claims.”

  “When are we supposed to meet him?” Nico wanted to know.

  “I’m going to fly down there after I get off the phone with the two of you. I’ll wait for the three of you before we make time to meet this man. I want us to go in as a united front.”

  “That sounds like a plan,” Benito said. “We’ll catch the next flight and see you as soon as we can. Is there anything we need to bring with us?”

  “Just bring yourselves. Don’t say anything to our parents until we know one way or another whether or not it’s Crystalline.”

  “Of course, Vita,” Benito told them.

  “We will call you when we know what our schedule is.”

  “Good. Ci vediamo presto tutti. Buon viaggio fratelli miei (I will see all of you soon. Safe travel my brothers.).” Vita told his brothers.

  "A presto fratello mio (See you soon, my brother.).” Benito replied.

  “Arrivederci (See you later.).” Nico seconded. “Questa è una buona cosa. Posso sentirlo (This is a good thing. I can feel it.).”

  Chapter 3

  Walking as one unit into the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach, the four Tornabene brothers made their way to the center of the lobby.

  “What’s the plan from here?” Benito asked.

  “Abe’s going to sign for our rooms. I’m going to call this Commander Tate Hunter and set up a time for us to meet tomorrow, then we’re going to get some sleep. Today, I want all of us to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. I don’t trust this Commander Hunter.”

  “We’ll keep alert,” Nico promised as he watched both Abe and Vita walk in different directions.

  When Benito and Nico were alone, Benito turned to Nico and asked, “Do you think this Commander Hunter knows where Crysti is?”

  “I have a feeling this is going to be the best lead we’ve had. If this Commander Hunter doesn’t know where she is right now, I think he’s going to know how to find her.”

  “What makes you so sure of this?” Benito sounded like he needed assurance from his brother.

  “This Commander Hunter is the first person to call and get through to Vita personally. He didn’t have to go through any hoops and leave a message for Vita to call him back.”

  Benito thought about what Nico said. It was true. Commander Hunter had called Vita directly, which meant he had connections, something none of the other “tips” ever had.

  “Look up, Abe’s back.” Nico told Benito.

  “I have the rooms,” Abe told Nico and Benito. “As soon as Vita is off the phone, we’ll head up to the fifth floor.”

  “Which is now,” Vita said, stepping close, joining the conversation. “You have the rooms?”

  “ Sì (Yes.). We’re on the fifth floor.”

  “Let us head up to our rooms. We have a meeting at 11:00 tomorrow.”

  “Then, by all means, let’s get some sleep and get over to this meeting. It’s been long enough since we knew where Crysti is.”

  * x * x * x * x * x * x * x *

  Early the following morning, Chrys woke, eager to join her Uncles at the Base and meet her biological brothers for the first time in more years than she cared to think about.

  She had few memories of her family, but the memories she had focused mainly on her brothers. What she did remember of them, they always let her follow them around and refused to let anyone harass her. And if there was anything she wanted, her brothers made sure she got whatever it was.

  “Someone’s in a happy mood.” Stone commented, walking up beside Chrys and giving her a light hug.

  “Of course,” Chrys replied. “Today’s going to be a great day.” Chrys kissed Stone’s cheek and handed him a cup of coffee.

  “Thank you, Brat.”

  “Welcome. Now, breakfast is almost ready. I suggest you go change, and when you get back, everything will be set out.”

  Stone shook his head. “What happened to you taking it easy?” He wanted to know.

  “I am. All I did was cook a breakfast quiche. I didn’t do any heavy lifting or anything like that.”

  “And what about prolonged standing?”

  “Nope. Most of what I did, I did sitting down. I told you I would follow the Doctor’s orders, and I meant it.”

  “Alright. Just make sure you continue to take it easy. We don’t want anything happening to you.”

  “Nothing will, I promise.” Chrys smiled. “I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do. Now change. I’ll finish up here, and then I’m going to get dressed. I can’t go out and meet my brothers in just anything.”

  “So you do intend to go to the meeting?” Stone asked, concerned.

  “I don’t expect you and Uncle Tate to go without me. And if you think I’m going to let you, then you better think again.”

  “I didn’t expect you to stay away from the meeting,” Stone smirked. “I just hoped that you might.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  Stone sighed. “You’re right. We already know you won’t miss this meeting. The guys have a pool going as to who is going to try and stop you first. Of course, they don’t seem to think Tate or I know about the bet.”

  “Who do you want to win this time?” Chrys laughed.

  “Who do you think?”

  Nodding, Chrys said, “Sveren, got it. Did he bet I’ll go or what?”

  “Go? Sveren bet you would go and put everyone who bet against you in their place.”

  “Woohoo!” Chrys shouted, raising a fist in the air. “That’s my man!”

  “What is this about you having a man?” A deep voice, heavily accented, demanded. “You better not have a man.”

  “You, Mr. Grouch, are the only man I need in my life. I can barely keep you happy; what makes you think I want to try with anyone else?”

  “You don’t need anyone else. You’re too damn young.”

  “You know, one of these days, you’re going to meet someone and fixate on her, and you will completely forget about poor, little ol’ me.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that if I were you.”

  Chrys smirked. “What makes you so sure of that?”

  “Do you think I would let anyone near my sister without being a hundred percent sure of them?”

  Hugging the new man around his waist, Chrys said, “I love you too, Asshole. And for some reason, my Uncles like you. So, I guess you’re going to win this damn bet. I’m going to go change; breakfast is made - I’m taking it out of the oven now.”

  Sveren ushered Chrys to the stairs before she could take the quiche out of the oven.

  “Go,” he told her. “Go get changed. We’ll take care of the rest of your meal.”

  Chrys sighed. “Fine. I’m going. Don’t let the quiche burn. Or I’ll burn your sorry ass.”

  Sveren smiled. “That’s my girl.”

  Once Chrys was out of the room, Sveren turned to Stone.

  “How is she holding up?” Sveren demanded.

  “She seems to be doing okay. Tate and I aren’t worried about her physical wound right now but more about her emotional one. Chrys may be acting like she has no care right now, but we all know how much finding her biological family means to her.”

  Sveren nodded. “Which is why I intend to be there with the three of you when you go to meet these men.”

  “I didn’t think you would do anything else,” Stone admitted. “Tate is already securing a room for us to have this meeting. When that’s done, he’s going to go pick up the Tornabene brothers and take them to the Base where we are going to meet them.”

  “You already know Chrys is going to want to spend time at the hotel with her brothers so she can get to know them. What’s the plan for that?”

  “You and the Brat are going to spend some
time at the hotel with her brothers.” Stone said.

  “How much time?” Sveren asked.

  “As much time as she needs to feel comfortable with them. When she’s ready, she’ll spend time with them at their home. Until then, they will be welcome here whenever they want to visit.”

  “What does the Captain have to say about this?” Sveren wanted to know.

  “He’ll agree with any decision we think is right. And if anyone feels like they need to inform him about what’s going on, they can go right ahead. They just better be prepared to deal not just with the Captain’s pissed-off attitude but Chrys’s wrath as well. She wants Hopkins and Daniel to spend all the personal time they can together until we have to go back to work.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure no one ruins this for Chrys.”

  “Good. She’s going to need all the help she can get from us. Even if she doesn’t realize it.”

  * x * x * x * x * x * x * x *

  “So, Brat, are you ready to meet these brothers of yours?” Sveren asked Chrys as Stone maneuvered his Rav 4 into a parking spot outside a large building facing a pond.

  “I’m ready. The question is, do you think my brothers’ are going to be ready for me?” Chrys asked, only half-joking.

  “Brat, no one is ready for you!” Stone laughed.

  “True.” Chrys agreed. “But they’re always in for one hell of a ride.”

  “That they are,” Sveren chuckled. “Now, let’s get inside and meet this family of yours. I think you’ve all waited long enough for this damn reunion.”

  “So, you think meeting my brothers is a good idea?” Chrys wanted to know.

  “I think you won’t know until you go in and finally meet them,” Sveren said. “This is something you’ve wanted for a long time.”

  Chrys opened the door of the vehicle, getting out before either Stone or Sveren could stop her.

  “I’m ready to go in,” she told them. “I’m ready to take this moment and meet them.”

  “But?” Sveren asked, walking up to help steady Chrys, emotionally if not physically.