The Mafia Manipulation: A Ryker Group Book

by S. M. Dapelo

  “Now you’re having coffee.” He slammed a cup in front of me, sloshing some of it onto the table.

  “I don’t drink my coffee black,” I stared at it.

  He made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled milk out of the fridge. I raised a brow. He sighed and grabbed the sugar and a spoon. I put three spoonsful of sugar in, added milk to the top, stirred, sipped, and sighed in contentment.

  “You put a lot of sugar in that drink, button.”

  “I like everything in my life sweet.” I looked at him, “You might want to remember that.”

  “And I insist people follow my directions.” He sat down next to me and stared, “You might want to keep that in mind.”

  “Yes, I can tell by Feddi.” I sipped again.

  “He’s running three miles a day for the next two weeks,” he tried to stare me down.

  “I don’t run,” I shook my head. “I do other things.”

  “Like?”

  “Paint.”

  “Painting is not exercise or punishment,” he leaned back against the back of his chair.

  “I don’t do punishment,” I shrugged.

  “You do if you keep this up,” Luc growled as he stood. “She’s getting way too comfortable with me,” he snarled at Samantha as she walked in.

  “Oh no. Your soon-to be-wife isn’t afraid of you. How horrible.” Samantha deadpanned at him. She looked at me, “Try not to kick the detective in the crotch. If he bothers you too much, I’ll destroy his will to live. Heck, I might just do it for shits and giggles.”

  I frowned, “You can do that?”

  She shrugged, “It’s in my skill set.” Luca let out a snort.

  “Fine. But he’s an ass,” I got up.

  “Agreed,” Sam smiled. “This time try not to say anything before you think. Everyone knew they were going to want to talk to you. I’m just surprised they know you’re back already.” She looked at Luca, “I’m making a few calls, then heading out with Feddi. He has tasks he needs to work on.” Luca nodded and took my arm.

  We walked back into the office, our lawyer walking up to us, “I’ve talked to the captain. You are not an active suspect, but they need to rule you out. They will ask their questions here, realizing we will not allow any questioning at the station.”

  I nodded and sat on the sofa, Luc next to me, his fingers intertwined with mine. Marc moved back by dad again. “Do we need an audience?” Dean rolled his eyes.

  “My daughter’s had a shock today. The captain agreed we could all be here for her,” my father answered. A vein in Dean’s neck throbbed.

  “Fine,” he growled. Then he turned to me, “Why did you leave after your brother died?”

  “I didn’t,” I answered. “I left two days before. Dom told me to. He was concerned about something and didn’t want to worry about me.”

  “Did he say what he was worried about?”

  “He was looking into some discrepancies of a Westport business.”

  “Which one?” asked his partner.

  “And you are?” I tilted my head to the side.

  “Detective Sebastian Royer,” he answered.

  “He didn’t say, Detective Royer,” I shrugged.

  “Where did you go to?” Dean asked.

  “She was in Colorado Springs,” my father butt in. “What’s her location have to do with anything?”

  “We need to confirm her location and timeline,” Detective Royer said. The questions continued what seemed forever. Finally, Detective Royer asked, “How did you remember everything your brother told you to do? It seems rather detailed.”

  “Well, for starters, I’m not stupid and I have an eidetic memory. However, Dom gave me a flash drive with four different scenarios on it for me to follow. One was if I heard from him in a week, one was in case I didn’t hear from him for a year, one was for if he disappeared and the last one was for…,” I bit my lip. Luc squeezed my hand.

  “Where’s the flash drive?” Dean asked.

  “It was in my office at the gallery,” I shrugged. “They’ve packed it up, so it’s wherever my stuff is.”

  “Was anything else on it?”

  “Just one other file, but it was corrupted,” I said.

  “How?” Luc was staring at me. I looked around, everyone else was staring at me as well.

  “It would just turn into a black screen, and a bunch of nonsense letters came up. Nothing made sense,” I shook my head.

  “It’s an encrypted file,” Dean said.

  “I don’t think so.” I shook my head, “It didn’t say or do anything.”

  “Alley, an encrypted file would need a key for it to translate. It wouldn’t make sense until then,” Luc stared at me.

  I winced, “The file was important?”

  “Yes, button, it’s probably important,” he sighed.

  “How would your brother even know how to encrypt a file,” Royer asked.

  “Dom was a computer genius,” my father sighed and sat back. “He should have been in Silicon Valley, not Kansas City. His mother and I tried to push him towards a job in that area, but he wanted to stay here. Alessandra might be my daughter, but she was his baby.”

  “So, it’s my fault? Dom wouldn’t have been here and killed if I hadn’t been born?” I felt my lip quivering.

  “That not what he said Alley,” Dean was rubbing the back of his neck.

  “You can call my wife Mrs. Romano,” growled Luc.

  “You’re not married yet,” Dean shot back.

  “One way or the other, we need that flash drive,” Detective Royer interrupted. “Do you know where your moving van is?”

  I looked at Luc. He shrugged, “It should be here in a couple of days. The movers loaded it and headed here, but we had two different movers. One for the house, and one for the gallery. The gallery movers will take longer.”

  “When are they due to arrive?” Dean crossed his arms.

  “The house is going straight into storage because our new place won’t be finished for another month.” Luc bit the inside of his cheek, “The gallery stuff should arrive here in a couple more days. Since it was a smaller load, they were picking up another project. Maximize profits.”

  Dean nodded, “Let us know when it shows up. We’re going to need the flash drive. I’ll get a warrant if I need to.”

  “You’ll need it,” Davis popped up. “Alessandra’s business plan is on it. We don’t just hand records to the police because they demand it.”

  “Fine,” Dean ground out. “Alessandra, one more question.”

  “What now?” I snapped.

  “Why’d you come back?” his face was as hard as my fathers. Luc squeezed my hand as I blinked.

  “Her mother doesn’t have much longer,” my father’s voice was soft, but his face was hard. “Jennifer has cancer. It’s metastasized to her bones and brain.”

  “I’m sorry,” Detective Royer said, compassion filling his eyes. I felt my lip quiver, and Luc pulled me into his arms again, hiding my face from them and allowing me to keep some dignity.

  “I’m sorry too,” Dean said. “Your mom was awesome. I remember her going on field trips with us in school.” There was a pause, “Is that why the wedding’s so fast?” I felt Luc stiffen.

  “The wedding’s been planned for three years,” I heard my father’s voice as Luc held me in place, my face away from them. Good thing too, because I wouldn’t have been able to school my features. “Since Luca and Marco’s parents passed. I don’t know what you think fast is, detective, but that’s not my definition. It was held off a bit because of Dom’s death. Luca’s been in Colorado with her. You’ll be able to verify that.”

  “She’s been engaged since she was nineteen?” I heard the disbelief in Dean’s voice.

  “We’re traditional Italian. We do relationships differently. Luca insisted Alessandra have time to finish school before the wedding happened. She graduated, Dom was killed, and she went missing. She’s returned, and the wedding is ba
ck on schedule,” there was no inflection in my father’s voice.

  “So, Luca’s taking over your family,” stated Dean. “How’s Enzo feel about that?”

  “Luca will not be running the company right away. He will take run the import business after I choose to retire,” my father said. “My brother is his own man and has his own business. Mine was never his to take gain.”

  “The same business that Dom would have inherited,” Detective Royer said.

  “No,” my father’s voice turned hard. “Dom was planning on moving after Alessandra was settled. If you had read the files instead of jumping to conclusions, you would have noticed Dom had just purchased an apartment in San Francisco and was supposed to start as a Vice president for some virus protections start-up. He was going to be moving out a month after he died.”

  “If there’s nothing else but your fishing excursion, I’ll show you detectives to the door,” came the lawyer’s voice. “Everyone has cooperated, but your last few questions just proved that you haven’t even done your homework. We’re done here.”

  Luc held me against his chest until he was sure they’d moved down the hall. When he released me, I pulled back livid. “Since I was nineteen?” I hissed, “Was that all smoke and mirrors, or the truth?”

  “Everything we said was the truth Alley,” my father stood. “Now isn’t time for hysterics.”

  “Is that why Dom was so mad when I met with him?”

  “Of course not.” My father rubbed his temples, “Dom came up with the idea to unite the families. He wanted you safe after he moved. He’d been planning it for years. The wedding was his idea.”

  “How long have you known?” I asked Luc.

  He made a face before answering. “For about two years,” he intoned. “Your father’s correct, I insisted you finish school and have a chance to explore. The timeline I had set had me meeting you right after Dom’s accident, but you were in the wind by then.” He ran a hand down my arm, “Your mom’s sick. We need to fast track everything.”

  “That’s why I’m permitting him to stay in your room,” Dad said. “Dom knew this would be an excellent match, Alessandra. So do I.”

  I looked into Luc’s eyes, “Do you?”

  He gave a small smile, “Of course. Now we just need to convince you.” His jaw tightened, and he glared at the door. “And to find your brother’s murderer. Because those two just showed how clueless they are.”

  11

  Father Ingalls’ rectory seemed typical. The furnishings were comfy, yet twenty years out of date. There was a hint of something, maybe frankincense, in the air. But it could have been my imagination. The priest defined average: his height, age, hair color. Nothing stood out about him except the sweetness in his eyes behind the rounded glasses he wore, as he handed me a cup of tea.

  “So, I just wanted to go over a few details before the wedding,” he smiled at us. Luc took my hand, rubbing the knuckles. I stopped myself from pulling it away. “How soon do the two of you plan on having children?” I choked on my tea.

  Luc laughed, “I know it’s not usual, but Alley’s only twenty-two. I was hoping to wait a couple of years.” He turned to me, “Is that okay with you?” I nodded in agreement. “With all the drama that’s happened with her brother, and now her mother being ill, we want to focus on healing the family first.”

  “Good thinking,” the priest smiled at him. “You know the church prescribes to the…”

  “We know,” interrupted Luc. “We’ll do as expected.”

  “Good,” Father smiled. “Now Elena sent all the information. Your father’s giving you away, the music needed, and when everyone will be in to decorate.” He glanced up, “The dress isn’t one of those super revealing ones, is it? Because we are a church and do ask for some modesty.”

  Luc grabbed his phone and scrolled through it, then handed it to the priest, “This is the dress.”

  “You’ve already seen it?” he asked as he glanced down, then his face split into a giant smile.

  “He chose it,” I finished my tea.

  “Well, Luca has excellent taste. I wish more were dressing like this. A lot of other brides get upset when they’re told they need to wear a shawl or jacket. They yell how they want their royal wedding. Then get even more upset when I tell them to look at how Kate and Megan dressed,” he chuckled and handed the phone back to Luc. Luc only smiled and put the phone in his pocket.

  “Where are the two of you moving afterward? Do you have an apartment?” the priest continued.

  “I bought a house close to the Art Museum. Since Alley’s an artist, I thought she might enjoy being able to visit whenever she wanted,” Luc answered smoothly. “The remodel should be done by the time we get back from the honeymoon.”

  “Where are you going?” asked Father Ingalls.

  “It’s a surprise,” Luc answered.

  The priest turned to me, “Do you like surprises?”

  “Not really, but Luc is full of them, so I’d better adjust,” I shrugged. “The last few surprises I’ve had have been upsetting. Here’s hoping to fun ones,” I tipped my cup at him and pretended to drink. Luc narrowed his eyes at me.

  We continued on with the conversation, at least Luc did. I just sort of made humming noises when expected. Afterward, Luc drove us and parked us on the plaza, then walked me to a door and unlocked it. “I thought you might want to take a look at the gallery,” he said. “We’ve still got someone changing it, but you can make any changes you want.” The three windows in the front were covered with paper so no one could sneak a peek. I stepped in, and he followed. Then I scrunched my nose up. Everything was black. The walls, the slate floor, the pedestals.

  “I might be depressed, but even I know the black walls will not work,” I crossed my arms.

  “I didn’t know,” Luc shook his head while biting the inside of his lip. “This isn’t right.”

  “So glad we agree on something,” I growled as I walked further in.

  “You’re in a mood,” he muttered.

  “Luca,” a bleach blond in a tiny red dress came running out. “Don’t you just love it!”

  “I am not taking a drink this time,” I muttered.

  Luca took a step behind me and gave a nervous laugh. “Tiffany, I didn’t think you’d be here.”

  I turned to see the blond frowning at me. I tilted my head to the side, “I know you.”

  “You look familiar,” she drawled. “Luca and I are old friends,” she put her hands on her hips.

  “Tiffany dated Marco.” Luc stepped to the other side of me and put his hand around my waist. “Marco.” He repeated. I rolled my eyes. “Tiffany, I told you I was stopping by with the new owner.”

  “I thought you were the owner?” she pouted.

  “No, Alley is,” he jerked his head toward me. I was still trying to remember where I’d seen her.

  Then I knew, “You’re Abigale Cummings. From Joyce Hall High.”

  “I’m Tiffany Cummings, but yeah, I went there,” she frowned at me.

  “This is who Dean dumped me for. You know, for Prom. This day just keeps getting better and better.” I blew out a puff of air. I needed another drink.

  “Oh, two-stroke Basden,” Tiffany snorted. She waved her hand in dismissal. “I haven’t thought of him in years. He actually wanted to go to the dance. I went to the after party without him.” I liked her better, but just a little.

  “Why are the walls black?” I asked.

  “It’ll show off all the color in the painting better,” she shrugged.

  I shook my head, “The building sits East. We’ll be slaughtered in the morning, and the heat will stick around all day. White would be better.” I walked further into the building, “But I do like the accent wall in the back.” They painted it an eggplant.

  I turned in a circle, taking everything in. “Change the walls to white, the platforms to stone, run the color by me first, and add movable walls.” I nodded, “Then, I’ll be happier.”
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br />   “Luca?” she turned to him, and I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “My fiancé makes all the decisions,” he said pointedly.

  She blinked, then reared back, “Fiancé? When were you going to tell me?”

  “I don’t have to tell my brother’s friends anything,” he walked past her and grabbed my hand.

  “I thought since I wasn’t seeing Marco anymore, you and I could…” she stopped, and I raised a brow at Luca.

  “I never date anyone who used to date Marc,” he said firmly. “I never implied I wanted you for anything other than your decorating skills.”

  “Pooh bear,” I turned to Luc watching as one side of his mouth went up. “Why don’t you check the office and see if they dropped off the painting Marc was interested in.”

  “You’re giving it to him?” he asked.

  “Hell no. I’m hanging it up in our bedroom,” I growled. He chuckled and walked to the door in the back of the room. I turned to Abigail, I mean Tiffany, and walked to her. “If you don’t stop going after Luca, I’ll fire your ass. And I’ll make sure my stepmother, Elena Amato, makes sure you’re never hired in this town again.” Her face went white. “You might not remember me, but I’m sure you remember her.”

  I walked past her to look at the window boxes I could put artwork in, “But if you do a respectable job, and you leave Luca alone, I’ll make sure you have more work than you can handle.” Hmm, I was getting territorial. That was a new feeling for me. I put a pin in it for now.

  “I thought you were quiet,” she huffed.

  “Don’t confuse softness with weakness,” I smiled at her. “I’m the daughter of Cosmo Amato. Even if I wanted to, I can’t afford to be weak. My father doesn’t allow it.”

  “Oh, I remember you now,” her eyes got large. “You beat the crap out of Bianca.”

  “More than once,” I agreed. “Now decide, are you going to abide by my rules or not?”

  “You think you can get me work?” She crossed her arms.

  I raised a single brow, “Do you remember my step-mother?”

  “Deal,” she nodded, then gave a small frown. “You don’t like the black?”