The two FBI agents handed a document to the director. “Orders from high above, sir!” one of the agents said.
“What damn order?” the director said, angrily as he snatched the documents from the agent. He read through it. His facial expression changed as he realized the validity of the transfer order.
“So how the fuck do two highly trained agents loose such an important suspect? This is absolutely ridiculous. I spent years and tons of money trying to bag this guy and here he is, squashed like a Tomato. I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Mark Shaw yelled.
The two agents sighed with their hands behind their backs. They were untouchables and the director wasn’t going to let that prevent him from frustrating them to pieces. “I want a debrief statement on my desk first thing in the morning!” The Director said as he walked out of the room.
Tom nervously walked into the room where his unknown guest was. He walked slowly into the guest lounge. He scanned the room. There she was—looking outside the window. It was hard to believe that she there, in person, alive and well. It seemed like she was deep in thought and showed no signs of fear. The light illuminated her face effectively. Tom cleared his throat to announce his presence. He didn’t know how she’d react. She turned towards him.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Nina,” Tom said, still confused. Her face lit up. She ran towards him and hugged him tightly, like they’d known each other for years. He was half surprised and half pleased. She didn’t want to let go. Her embrace was warm and cold at the same time.
“I’m so sorry,” Tom said. “You shouldn’t have gone through that ordeal,” he replied. Nina let go of him then tensed up.
“You never tell me full truths!” She yelled. Tom became confused. One moment she was happy to see him, the next, she was angry. He remained quiet, observing her as she spoke. She scoffed. “It’s unbelievable…all this…shooting, jumping off buildings, car chases…it’s like I was in a movie or something. I never believed stuff like this happens, here, in New York,” She added.
“I had no control of the situation,” Tom replied.
“How dare you!” Nina yelled. Beatrice walked into the room, concerned. Nina eased up as she noticed the presence of Tom’s mother.
“Everything okay?” Beatrice Olivetti asked.
“Yes—we are just having a conversation,” Tom said to his mom, giving her a cue to give them some privacy.
“Okay…” Beatrice said as she exited the room. There was a brief moment of silence as both listened to her footsteps.
“I was kidnapped not once, but twice! Nearly raped and killed! Hit on the face! Passed out! Jumped off a freaking building! Nearly got shot by your mob friends! What else…” Nina said then paused.
Tom froze. His countenance changed from relief to anger. She was confused by his sudden emotional change.
“They hit you?” Tom asked, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist like he was about to explode. His reaction wasn’t what she expected. He punched the wall close by over and over again. “Damon?” He yelled. She eased up.
“I’m okay now. I’m not hurt,” she said softly.
“No…no! No! No! No!” Tom said, trembling in anger. He was static. He couldn’t move. His muscles were too tense to react. His face was bright red. She walked towards Tom, slowly then hugged him tightly, again. He could smell her hair. She was sweet. How could someone hurt someone so innocent? He wished he had given Damon a slow and painful death.
“Relax! I’m okay. That Puccini guy made certain I wasn’t hurt by anyone. He actually saved me,” Nina said. Tom’s trembling stopped, trying to rationalize why she was still alive.
“He saved you from Damon?” Tom asked. Nina nodded in response. “He jumped off a building to keep you safe from the flying bullets and drove you here without saying anything…” Tom added. Nina nodded again.
“I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t say anything. He seems to be working for someone in your family,” Nina replied. Tom was worried.
Roberto Puccini killed his uncle and possibly helped poison his grandmother, yet saved Nina. Why? Tom paced around the room. Nothing made sense. He took a look at Nina’s face. It was partially bruised.
“They’re going to pay,” Tom said in a distant tone as he walked towards her. She smiled.
“Look, Tom. I’m okay,” Nina said, with her arms folded in front of her. She knew his family’s secret. Yet, she was standing in front of him, unbothered, in her cute casual outfit. He loved the way it made her look.
Her reaction wasn’t typical for someone who just found out that he was killer. He was surprised that she hadn’t called the police. She seemed comfortable with the situation—like she knew everything was going to be okay.
Tom moved closer to her. They were inches apart and could feel and hear each other breathe. Nina was uncertain, but didn’t flinch. Her breathing increased. Her body yearned for him, and she didn’t know why. She looked up at him, waiting patiently to hear what he had to say. She loved his musky scent and wanted to hug him again.
“You know who I am and what my family is all about. Now, what?” Tom asked, in a straight tone. His voice was soothing and cold at the same time.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what you expect me to say,” Nina replied abruptly. She felt a soothing sense of helplessness and protection in his presence. Tom stared into her eyes.
“I don’t know what you expect me to say, Tom, but I’m here. I am already involved in whatever this is…your family knows I know. If you don’t trust me, you can…” She paused. “If I don’t trust you, what should happen?” Tom asked, semi impatiently.
“I don’t know. Do whatever you do to people you don’t trust,” Nina replied bluntly. He was questioning her trust and loyalty and she didn’t like it. Tom smiled.
“You’re brave! You know I can make you disappear. I can make it look like you ran away from home and got killed hitch hiking. I can make it look like you never existed,” Tom replied, dramatically. Surprise filled her face. She hit him on the chest as hard as she could.
“You would kill me!?” Nina asked, distraught. His poker face was difficult to read. He looked scary. She froze. She couldn’t run and screaming would be pointless in a house full of mafia warlords. Besides her parents and best friends, no one would miss her. No one! And even they would eventually get over her.
He was enjoying the moment, laughing hysterically, in his mind. “I’m kidding!” He laughed. She looked at him with anger and disgust. She hated being teased and he was good at it.
“That was a joke to you?” Nina replied. Tom held her hands in an effort to ease into the moment. The slight tingle they felt in their hands felt like electricity. Time froze, or so it seemed. The emotions she had for Tom went blank—Tabula Rosa. She stared at him. She couldn’t understand why one man could make her feel the way she did. Suddenly, it all came back at once—anger, happiness, sadness, and finally, love. They locked lips. It didn’t feel like the conventional kiss seen in movies. Her first kiss with her first boyfriend was incomparable to what she was currently experiencing. They melted into each other’s faces, like two magnets transforming into one.
His hands were firmly on her waist, not an inch higher and not an inch lower. His height made her feel too petite. Her subconscious couldn’t explain the sudden intimacy. She tried to rationalize her feelings as their tongues met with a colloquial burst of energy; maybe it was her love for danger, or her natural feminine vulnerability towards men in power. Either ways, she couldn’t explain why she was madly in love with the man in front of her. She wrapped her arms on his shoulders, to draw him closer. The room felt intense. She loved the way his hard chest brushed her soft body. He was lost and could no longer contain himself. He pulled away.
“I’m so…” Tom said, but was interrupted with her finger on his lips. “Don’t insult me with an apology,” Nina replied. Tom smiled.
“I will never hurt you and I’ll never let anyone hurt you again. I promi
se,” Tom finally said. “Oh, really!?” Nina replied, sarcastically.
“Killing you is suicide. It’s like killing myself,” Tom replied. Nina was overwhelmed by his words. “And the reward for cheesiest man on the planet goes to Tom Olivetti!” She joked. They laughed. It felt good to finally be at ease.
“Well, Tom Olivetti, I am deeply in need of a shower, some clothes, food and a phone to call my parents. I need to let them know I’m okay. Good thing they’re on vacation. If not, cops will be swarming around New York, looking for me,” Nina added with humor.
“Well, I don’t want to take things too fast. I don’t know where you want to take your shower; in my room or in the guest room?” Tom asked, charming as ever.
“Well your room seems like a better idea, but we both know you’re too attracted to me to keep your hands to yourself. So the guest room is probably better,” Nina replied with confidence.
Tom chuckled as he clicked the house intercom button, “Bernard! Come over and show Miss Owen to the guest room. She will need some fresh towels, clothes and food. Make sure she’s well taken care of.”
“Okay, Tom,” Bernard replied.
Walter and Catherine walked into the Trump Tower penthouse. It was the safest place he could think of.
“This should suffice while we figure out this whole mess,” Walter said to Catherine as she walked around her temporary home. It was a three thousand square foot living and dining room, state of the art furniture, indoor pool, Jacuzzi, two master bedrooms and a mini gym with a perfect view of the city.
“Don’t you think this is a little too much?” Catherine asked.
“What? The heater? I’ll turn it down,” Walter said, signaling to one of the guards to deal with it.
“Not the heater…this place,” she said.
Walter smiled. “Ever so humble,” He replied as he looked around to make sure everything was okay. “It’s safe and comfortable here. No one has access to the penthouse. The cleaner will be here four times a week. The guards will make sure she is searched before entering. Building security can be contacted with the speed dial 2, on this phone...” Walter said as he handed her an iPhone. Their fingers brushed each other’s. She held it firmly. He gazed into her eyes. Walter cleared his throat. The guards walked out.
“You’ve done enough…I’m a big girl, I’ll handle it from here,” She replied. Walter hesitated.
“Shush,” She replied before he could say anything. Both stared at each other’s lips. Memories rushed through their mind. He wanted to feel its softness, again. The sexual tension increased.
“This is not going to be easy. You’re married…” she said as she turned away.
“I know,” Walter replied. He didn’t want to cheat on his wife, but will it be cheating if he wanted Catherine more than his wife? If he could turn back the hands of time, he would have fought harder to be with her, but it seemed like the universe was against them.
“Danny wants to have a word with us tomorrow. I’m sure it’s about our son,” Walter said. Catherine turned towards him, half excited and half upset. “That’s good! I’ll be ready,” she said, pacing around, nervously.
“Relax!” Walter said. “All will be well,” He added as he walked out of the Condo.
“Do not let any unauthorized person in here, okay? If anything happens to her, you might as well jump off this building…understand?” Walter said to the guards. They nodded. He smiled then made his way up, to the Helipad.
“I need you to make sure everything goes well when the time is right…timing is absolutely essential,” Don Cruccifixo said to his lawyer.
“I’ll personally make sure, sir,” His lawyer replied.
Don Cruccifixo hung up then sighed with relief. His office felt cramped. The stuffed bear on his wall seemed calm. It was strange how his perspective of things changed with his mood. Things were going too fast. He had just made an enemy out of his former son in-law’s family. Don Sanchez wasn’t going to give up on revenge. He could be dead soon.
He had just rectified his Will with his lawyer and had made brick wall arrangements, in case he didn’t make it to the end of the week. His job was done. Life was easier to comprehend. He understood that some things had to happen in order for the master plan to occur. Just then, his phone rang. It was a blocked number.
“Danny!” Don Cruccifixo said, automatically knowing who it was.
“Yup yup…is my daughter safe?” Don Cruccifixo asked Don Olivetti on the phone.
“Okay, good. The plan will work as long as you do your part. I have done mine!” Don Cruccifixo added again.
“And Danny…your father will be proud of you…if anything goes wrong, just make sure you stick to the plan,” Don Cruccifixo said then hung up.
37
Agent Weaver and Agent Parker, the agents who interrogated Damon before he was transferred by two unknown agents to another facility, were seated in the main district office when the district director walked in.
“Parker! Weaver! I need you in my office now!” Mark Shaw said. They glanced at each other then walked to his office, in haste. They shut the door behind them.
“Sir!” Agent Weaver said. “Have a seat! I called you guys because you’re my trusted confidants,” Mark Shaw said as he brought out a CD from a locked drawer. He was a modest looking man who was above retirement age. His white hair was neatly combed over his bald patch and his blue suit was well dry cleaned.
“What you’re about to hear is not FBI business, not police business, not CIA business…” Mark Shaw began. Agent Weaver and Agent Parker nodded.
“If you don’t want to hear this, please leave now! If you think you can’t keep this confidential, please walk out. Once you hear what I am about to tell you, there’s no walking away. You’ll put yourself and your family in jeopardy,” He waited for a response. None. He nodded and smiled. He inserted the CD into his private laptop. There was a moment of silence.
They had only been agents for less than six months. Both were criminal Justice Graduates from Penn State University. Both college friends had all the requirements the FBI needed to tap them into the Bureau, including a master’s degree in Forensic psychology. Graduating magna cum laude, they had expected a high paying job with sophisticated privileges and benefits, but they were stuck with a regular desk job in the Bureau.
Their first real bust was Damon and as rookies, they didn’t get the credit for it. They couldn’t understand why the director needed them amongst the thousands of well-experienced agents the Bureau had. Still, it was an opportunity to show their worth and they were more than glad to have it.
“We are all ears. We understand the consequences,” Agent Weaver said on behalf of himself and Agent Parker. The Director looked at them with stern eyes.
“As you can see I’m using my private computer. I just bought this. To work on this case, you must not use any Bureau property. Understood?” Mark Shaw asked. Both nodded. The director then tapped a button on his computer.
Just then, a young woman dressed in pants, heels, a blue blouse and a jacket, walked into the office. She looked too young to be in the Bureau. She had glasses on and her blood red hair was neatly tied into a pony tail.
“Agents! This is Kimberly. She works I.T. She will check your cell phones, desktop and personal laptops before you use it. Your new apartments will be checked for bugs and hidden cameras, every day,” Mark said. Everything suddenly seemed more serious.
“Call me Kim,” the woman said. She shook both agents with a firm grip.
“You must have heard Damon mention something about Olivetti,” the Director said. Agent Parker nodded.
“Okay, what do you know about that name?” The Director asked. Both agents looked at each other. Weaver felt like it was a trap to spill their guts. Something that will get them killed, so he said nothing. Parker said nothing too. Mark Shaw smiled.
“That’s good, boys. You have to act like you have never heard that name. People vanish easily. Until the captu
re of Damon, we haven’t seen much of their influence. They have paid confidants everywhere from the state government, to the federal government—that power extends to the President of the United States. So you get my point,” the director said then paused to let it sink in.
“Well, the Olivettis are back again. There have been so many unexplained shoot outs at hotels and abandoned warehouses that have been covered up by members of our own Bureau,” Kimberly said as she handed each agent some files. They looked through it.
“There’s a pattern. Purio Maccuzo, an employee of the Sanchez family, was found dead and cemented to a barrel a couple of hours ago,” Mark Shaw said. The Agents looked up, alarmed by the gruesomeness of the Olivettis.
“The Olivetti family, the Sanchez family, the Cruccifixo family and the Decatur Mob, are in this blood war,” Kimberly said.
“And what do they have in common?” Agent Parker asked.
“The link between the Sanchez family and the Olivetti family is Catherine Sanchez, formerly Catherine Cruccifixo. She was in a relationship with Walter Olivetti, the financial mastermind in the family. Catherine married the son of the Mexican mob boss, Billy Sanchez, against her will. We are not sure what the feud was about, but a member of our team has confirmed that Billy is dead, rendering Catherine a widow. We thought it was just the childhood love between Walter and Catherine, but we realized it was much more, after Stanley Olivetti turned up dead with two bullets in his head, prior to Billy’s death…” The Director narrated.
“I think I just got interested in this case,” Agent Weaver said with a smile on his face.
“You haven’t heard it all. Frederick Olivetti was the original godfather. In the streets, people knew him as Freddy the chemist. Why? Because he had an uncanny ability to distribute drugs and kill people with drugs. He started selling when he moved to the United States. His empire grew too big and the United States government wanted him at all cost. There was a special drug most mob families went after. We still don’t know what it was. Then, there was a feud between the Russian, Italian and Chinese mob families. All hell went loose in the 70s, 80s and 90s. There were more dead bodies on the street. We couldn’t keep up. Eventually, Frederick Olivetti decided to branch out of everything illegal and started investing his illegal drug money into companies…”
Olivetti: Inception Page 24