by J. L. Drake
“Forget it. I always have a backup.” Matteo pulled a gun from his back and aimed it at Tony. “How about we stop these childish games? Give me the documents.”
“I don’t have all of them. I only have the ones I just got from Geneva. The others are at the hotel I’ve been staying at in Rome.”
“Massimo, you disappoint me. You aren’t registered at any hotel in Rome. I checked.”
Tony smiled; finally, he had the upper hand. “It seems as though you’ve underestimated me this time. I’m indeed checked into a hotel room. I’ve also left instructions for them to give the package to the authorities in the event I don’t return.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“That’s your choice. However, I’m sure a man of your stature would want to make damned sure it’s not the case.”
Matteo paced back and forth. “I’m going with you. There’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight.”
“Do you really think that’s such a good idea? I have the Polizia following me around the country. Do you want to be there if they finally catch up with me?”
“Then I’ll send one of my people with you. You’ll go and retrieve the documents. Then you’ll bring them here to me. I want you here no later than noon tomorrow.”
“And if I don’t come back?”
“Your little lady friend dies. You choose; it’s either her or you.”
“How do I know you’re not going to kill her anyway?”
“You don’t. But like you said, the Americans won’t stop until they find me. I think that’ll only get magnified tenfold if she’s dead. Despite what I said earlier, I don’t really want the extra heat.”
“Fine, send your goon with me. I’ll get what you want.”
Matteo waved the gun. “Ahh ahh ahh. I want an insurance policy. Give me what you have now.”
“It’s in the car.” Tony pointed toward the door. “You’re going to have to let me walk out of here and get it.”
“We’re going together.” Matteo approached Tony and pushed him forward. “Let’s go.”
Tony started walking to the car and tried to think of a way to escape this mess. Where was the grand idea that always surfaced like the characters in movies? He’d really like to have some James Bond move up his sleeve in which he could disarm his captor and save the girl in one fell swoop. He didn’t—he was no hero. He didn’t even have a clue as to what to do in these types of situations because he’d never been in one. He’d been a good guy all of his life; he rarely got in trouble. The fact he was able to elude everyone from finding him for so long, was a feat in itself. One he could hardly believe he pulled off.
He dug in his pocket for the keys and opened the trunk. He grabbed the envelope he had specially prepared for this moment. The only thing left in the envelope was the Just in Case DVD, which he handed to his cousin. He tried to remain calm, but inside his nerves were rattling like the windows of a building as a train rolled by.
Matteo took the envelope and immediately looked inside. “This is it? A video? You can’t tell me that’s all he left you in Geneva.”
“Like I said, he left me information on how to access a bank account there. This was the only information he left pertaining to anything you would want.”
“Did you watch it?”
“Part of it. To me, it looked like my father was doing some incriminating things and I couldn’t watch anymore so I turned it off. It’s yours to keep. I don’t want any part of it.”
“You were always the good little boy. You and your brothers never did anything wrong, did you? You’re just like your dear old dad. You hold your nose up high and look down on those who are met with challenges and might not have been able to take the same path you were able to.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about; I never looked down on you, and I never thought a negative thing about you until now. We all make choices. You could make the choice right now to end this and walk away. You don’t have to do this.”
The smugness returned to Matteo’s face. “A man like me can’t just walk away. All I can do is give myself some insurance that will help me disappear. That’s where you come in. You’re going to help provide that insurance.”
“Fine, where’s your friend?”
Matteo pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number. “It’s me. Get over to the factory right away. I need you to do an errand for me.”
Matteo ended the phone call without another word.
“Do people always jump at what you tell them to do?”
“Most. Those that don’t meet with unfortunate endings, much like your parents.”
Tony bit the inside of his mouth. He clenched his jaw as tension rose in his neck and shoulders. “Don’t talk about my family anymore. What you did to them, to your own flesh and blood, is incomprehensible. You should be ashamed of yourself. And just because my father wouldn’t give you a job when you were younger? You’re despicable.”
“Relax. You had your fun already. I let you get the best of me once but it’s not going to happen again. If it was just the job, I wouldn’t have been bothered. I’m leading a pretty comfortable life, much more so than if I was working with your family. I do draw the line when someone tries to take my livelihood away; I don’t care if they’re family or not. The fact they’re family only gives me more reason. You should never mess with another family member. Your brother and father weren’t going to stop until I was behind bars or dead. I had to make sure I took them out before they took me out.”
“What about my mom? She was innocent in all of this. Couldn’t you have left her alone?”
“I like to take care of my problems leaving no mess behind. Taking everyone out could have prevented what’s happening now. One rogue family member searching for evidence against me. See how messy this has become? If only you had been in that house, I wouldn’t be wasting my time standing here.”
Tony closed his eyes and rubbed them. “My father was right not to include you in our family. There’s no place for such evil and hatred.”
“This so-called evil and hatred is what’s keeping me alive and will be your demise. I’d say I’m doing well.”
Tony turned his head to the sound of a car approaching. He saw the black Alpha Romeo pull into the driveway, dust kicking up behind as it traveled over the gravel.
“Looks like your chaperone is here.”
When the car stopped, a stocky man with black hair exited and quickly approached Matteo and Tony.
“Leo, this is Massimo. You’re going to babysit him for the next several hours. Massimo needs to get to Rome to pick up some documents for me. You’ll make sure he doesn’t try to do anything silly such as contact the police or make a run for it. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You two will meet me back here by noon tomorrow. Should anything happen, I want a phone call. In fact, how about you call me as soon as you acquire the documents? There may be no need for Massimo here afterward.”
“Will do, boss.”
Matteo directed his attention back to Tony. “Remember, no funny business. You get those documents.”
“I’ll get you your documents and then I’m going to leave this country for good and travel—maybe go see the Empire State Building.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath!”
Tony got into the driver side of the car as Leo got in the other side with a gun pointed at Tony. The car started effortlessly and Leo hit Tony upside the head with the gun before telling him to pull out. As Tony drove down the driveway, he looked back to see Matteo waving at him with a smile on his face. The last time he saw Matteo, the roles were reversed. His cousin drove away as Tony was waving goodbye to him. Where would he be now if his father had given him that job?
Chapter
Twenty-Six
“We need to go in there and get him.” Thompson got out of the back seat of the car where he’d been listening to the conversation between Tony and Matteo. He was frustrated that his only lin
k to Katherine was driving away in the enemy’s car. Yes, he was wired, but up until now, nothing seemed to work out in this investigation. Something always went wrong and Thompson needed this to turn out right.
Mancetti exited out of the car stretching his arms and legs. “We can’t yet. We need to find out where the girl is. If we get him now, we may never find her.”
“Look, we’ve confirmed Matteo is, in fact, running the operation. We have him confessing that he killed Massimo’s family. He pretty much said he’s not going to kill Katherine. He knows his life would get dramatically worse. If we get him now, we could force him to give her whereabouts. If we let him leave that factory, he may leave the country and we may never find him again. Not to mention, Tony used the safe word.”
“Let’s look and see if Bertalucci was able to get the tracking device on him.” Manchetti jumped into the back seat of the car and typed on the computer as the screen pulled up. He pointed to the red dots on it. “This is Bertalucci. We can see he’s headed to Rome. The other one hasn’t moved yet, it is still at the factory. Hopefully, he was able to drop it in Matteo’s pocket and not on the ground.”
Thompson was skeptical as he kept his eyes glued to the screen. This entire thing could be over if they just went in and nabbed Matteo Bertalucci. If he were back in America, this wouldn’t even be a second thought. “There! It’s moving. He did it.” Thompson threw his arms in the air and sighed in relief. “We can get her. Get your men ready; I want to be out of the country by the end of the night.” Thank you, God. This would certainly lead to a raise and possibly even a promotion.
“Not so fast. We don’t know if he’s going to her or not. She could be somewhere not even close to here. We need to figure out where he’s going and take a look inside.”
“At least get the reinforcements ready. I don’t want to waste a minute.” His voice got a little deeper and gruff with irritation. It always seemed as though Manchetti was stalling. At the very least, he was slow and methodical.
Thompson kept his eyes glued to the screen while Manchetti picked up the phone. The dot moved across the screen at a steady rate. After only a couple of minutes, it stopped. When the dot started again, it zigzagged back and forth. He nudged Mancetti’s arm and pointed at the screen.
“I’ll have to call you back.” Mancetti hung up the phone.
“What’s happening?” He followed the zigzag with his finger.
“I don’t know. It’s unusual for this kind of response. There must be something going on.”
Mancetti pulled up the location on the computer. “He’s about five hundred yards from the factory. It looks as though it’s a field. This doesn’t make sense.”
He watched in anticipation as Mancetti typed away. His stomach was dancing as sweat formed on his brow. He didn’t know if he was supposed to be happy or crying expletives.
“Fuck!” Mancetti slammed his fist against the back of the seat. “Somehow, the bastard attached the tracking device to a fucking cat! Are you kidding me?” Mancetti threw his head back against the seat.
“Matteo must’ve known Bertalucci was wired.” He rubbed his chin. “That means Bertalucci is in trouble. I told you we should’ve gone in when he said Empire State Building. He must’ve known something was up. Quick! Pull him up on your computer. See where they’re going.”
Mancetti typed away. “It appears they are, in fact, heading to Rome. I’ll have my men track them there, and in the meantime, we’ll catch the train and beat them there. Let’s get out of here. We don’t have a lot of time to spare.” Mancetti closed up the laptop and climbed into the front seat of the car.
Something wasn’t right about this. The last thing he wanted to do was go back to Rome. He was so close to Matteo he could practically smell the aftershave. “Wait! Don’t you think we should hang out here in case Matteo shows up? I want to be as close to Katherine as possible.”
“Look, we don’t know if or when he’s going to surface. We also don’t know if she’s anywhere close to here. We have to follow what we know.” Mancetti turned on the car and the engine purred to life.
Thompson climbed out of the back seat and into the front. Dread plagued him and regret stabbed at him. This wasn’t the right move, but what other choice did he have? He was in a foreign country with little to know power. He had to rely on Mancetti.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
The knotting and the hunger pangs in Katherine’s stomach prevented her from falling asleep. Apparently, starving and sleep deprivation were part of their torture techniques. She had no idea how long it had been since she ate last. Her sleep was minimal at best; it was difficult to slumber when tied to a chair in the middle of a room, never knowing when someone was watching. She all but lost the feelings in her hands and longed for the opportunity to lay down.
Her will was strong the first day. However, as the hours ticked by, her resolve gave way to survival. She needed to conserve her energy so she could heal and gain strength to escape if the opportunity presented itself.
She wanted out of this basement and this country forever. New York City was sounding more and more like paradise each hour that passed. She longed for her routine, her strolls through Central Park, and even the sweltering summer heat that would quickly be upon them. She wanted it all back. She was even okay with running into Mike again. She was confident she had moved on from him; her experiences in Italy had secured her self-esteem and independence ensuring she no longer needed, or wanted, the cheating bastard.
If only Tony would come rescue her. That was what was supposed to happen, right? The knight in shining armor dashed into the dungeon and saved the princess from inevitable doom. She visualized him pushing his way through the doorway, down the stairs, untying her, and battling the evil captors—freeing her from this private hell. He would take her home, and who knows, maybe he’d stay and they would start dating. They would have a whirlwind romance where he would sweep her off her feet. She imagined the back of his hand brushing against her cheek, his warm breath against her ear, the smell of his cologne, and the heat of his embrace. It was comforting.
Footsteps coming down the stairs startled her from the daydream. The smell of food heightened her awareness, and suddenly, the uncontrolled rumbling in her stomach decided to take over and created loud gurgling noises.
“You’re awake.”
As the man removed the blindfold, the light overhead blinded her, forcing her eyes closed yet again. When they finally adjusted, she focused on her tall, dark, and handsome captor with the emerald eyes. “It’s hard to sleep in a chair. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind letting me lie down for a bit.”
“We’ll see. If you can behave yourself, I’ll think about it. Are you hungry?”
“I’ve eaten once in what I presume has been about two days. What do you think?”
“I think if you keep up that mouth, you’ll be waiting a lot longer.”
She bit the inside of her lip, searching for some ounce of patience that wasn’t there. “I apologize. I’ve lost my manners; I’d appreciate what you have to offer, I’ve grown quite famished since my last meal.” She forced a smile across her face.
“That’s better. I’d think a woman of your stature would be more obedient and speak to me that way all the time.”
She bit down harder on her lip in an attempt to refrain from saying anything that might cause more trouble. Her head screamed obscenities and her fingers resisted scratching his eyes out.
“You’re right. I’ll work harder to be more respectful in the future.”
“That’s better. Let’s untie you so you can eat, unless you prefer I feed you. You might like it.” Ray smiled.
Her stomach started to recoil; his smugness made her want to vomit. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would very much appreciate my hands being untied so I could feed myself. It seems I’ve lost the feeling in them and I’d appreciate the opportunity to move them around.”
“Since you asked so nicely, how could I ref
use?” The green-eyed monster put the food down on a small table that seemed to magically appear in front of her. He walked behind her, slowly untied her, and freed her hands. Her shoulders were stiff, and made it difficult to move her arms around the front. It almost hurt more to move them than to leave them where they were. She took a moment to rotate her shoulders and wrists to work out the kinks and encourage blood flow back through her arms. Tiny pins poked in them as the feeling returned.
“How about you walk around a bit before you start to eat? I’m sure your legs would like to stretch out as well.”
What was with this sudden change in attitude? Ray was actually being nice. Something must be going on. Was it Tony? Had he been captured? “Thank you, I believe you’re right.” She stood up and almost collapsed as her knees buckled. Fortunately, her arms were able to support her weight with the chair. She slowly tried to stand up, and became aware of how sore her bottom was from sitting in one place for so long.
She slowly walked the length of the room. She’d never been so grateful for the ability to walk in her life. She didn’t own a car in New York and would walk most places, but until now, she took that freedom for granted.
“Come sit down and eat. Your food is getting cold.”
She obediently complied with the orders and forced her protesting body back into the chair. The only part of her that wasn’t aching was her stomach, and she was more than ready to appease the grumbling.
She placed the napkin on her lap as she looked at the food in front of her. A spaghetti bolgonaise, caprese salad, garlic bread, and a glass of red wine. She looked up at her captor, confused by the red wine and not sure she wanted to drink it.
“Does it not meet your satisfaction?”
“The food looks delicious. I’m just confused as to why you would serve me red wine.”
“A good woman would just be grateful for such a lovely meal and would drink it. Why must you question it?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just…I’ve barely been able to get a glass of water. Wine seems like a luxury.”