“Yeah, you do know,” said Marcus. “Missy knows people who know people.” He looked over at Missy and asked, “Hey, can you put in a good word for me and Tony?”
“Sure! You’ve both been good,” said Missy. “You agreed to learn Pashto and Farsi for me so there’d be enough students for Mayor Khan to come and teach us, you rarely complain about Tracy and … most importantly … Cassie and Chandra are giving me good reports.” Everyone laughed at this.
The bantering continued all through their enjoying food and refreshments. Then Sally pulled Missy aside and said, “Troy wants to check with you on those Hong Kong witches. His mother met with two of them and she’s worried.”
Troy joined them, away from the others, and said, “They’re definitely looking for revenge against you. My mom has been warning the other covens there might be trouble but isn’t mentioning your involvement. I let Ed know on Robert’s team.”
Missy said, “Yeah, I talked to Ed as well. I heard from Ben Marchitto about them. He says they’re selling drugs in New York now. He and Sal are also thinking there might be more trouble, only with the mob families. Sal appreciated the way Robert handled them last month and is hoping his team will continue helping.”
“You know, when I agreed to be on Robert’s team, I thought I’d be helping part time with searching for missing kids,” said Troy. “That was the original plan, right? Somehow my involvement on the FBI’s Psychic Division has ended up dealing more with terrorists and mob wars, my mom is afraid we’ll maybe have witch wars, and this is all getting to be more of a full-time thing.”
“I know, I know,” said Missy. “Makes it difficult to keep up with our studies. I guess I picked the wrong time to take over the New England werewolf pack, huh?” She hadn’t told them about that yet and grinned at the shocked expressions they gave her. “But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Robert’s team has lots of resources and is aware we’re busy. I’m sure they’ll only ask us to help as a last resort.”
-----
Clay Rossi had done well since being kicked out of Morelli’s organization. He and Frank Viella had been lucky Ray had blamed his nephew Pauli for the fiasco which had triggered that. Somehow, Sal D’Amato had found out about their killing his guys Lenny and Tiny. That had ended up costing Ray millions. Yeah, he and Frank were glad they’d distanced themselves from Pauli and the Morelli organization after that.
They’d continued taking bets, of course. Only, rather than that being for the bookie in Morelli’s organization that Pauli had been helping, they’d gone to work for Ricardo Salvi in Vincent Corallo’s organization. Due to Ray keeping what his nephew had done hush-hush, nobody in Corallo’s organization knew they’d been involved. They’d simply explained they hadn’t liked college and had dropped out, looking for some real opportunities. Ricardo Salvi was providing those.
Not only had they helped him with his bookie and loan shark stuff, but now they were helping him push his drugs as well. They knew all those rich kids at several colleges. And, they’d stayed smart. Neither of them ever used any drugs; that was for the suckers. The losers. The idiots they kept selling the stuff to. And, when those idiots needed a quick loan to pay for their drugs? Well, he and Frank had been able to handle that as well, thanks to Ricardo’s operation. Ricardo had been very appreciative, too. It hadn’t taken long for him to recognize not only the added business they were bringing in but the excellent way they handled any collections whenever those were needed.
“Hey, Frank? What’s the deal with all these latest deliveries we’re making?” Clay asked. “Now Ricardo’s getting his stuff from China rather than Colombia?”
“Looks like it,” replied Frank. “Some of the kids I’ve sold the stuff to have noticed it was a little different and when I checked with Ricardo, that’s what he told me. Only it’s from Hong Kong, not China. He says he’s getting it cheaper, so his profits are higher. He’s sharing that up the chain first but he promises you and I should start seeing more very soon. We’re his go-to guys, after all.”
“I thought Hong Kong was now part of China.”
“Yeah, sure. They are. Only, I don’t think they know that yet. It’s been more than twenty years since the U.K. handover. Even so, I think there’s still special things Hong Kong has and can do for at least another twenty years. They have their own money, for example. I read somewhere that’s until, like 2047, before that changes.”
Clay laughed. “Oh, look who’s still all Joe College, spouting all this history and political science crap!” He knew Frank had actually been fairly smart in school but had wanted the bigger life they were living now. “So, we’re gonna get paid more? I like the sound of that.”
“Well, Ricardo first has to satisfy the boys up top. You know. For his going to a new supplier. He figures they’ll reward him. He also figures, if he doesn’t keep them happy, they might decide to kill him. So, there’s that. I think he was only saying that so I wouldn’t be giving him any shit about waiting for our cut.”
“Ha! That’s a good one.” Clay knew how important it was to never make big changes without clearing it through channels. “Is he asking for forgiveness rather than for permission? Only, giving them a nice bonus while he’s doing that?”
“Exactly!” exclaimed Frank. “Believe it or not, his new supplier helped him figure out that was the only way this could work. If Ricardo were to get greedy and try keeping it secret about saving so much? Too big a risk. He’d not live long enough to reap any reward. This way, if anyone complains, Ricardo can say he was only trying to increase profits for them, rather than for himself, but if they prefer to stay with their former sources, he’d be fine with that. Once he gets their approval, of course, he’ll then start taking some profit for himself and sharing some of that with us.”
-----
Alice met with Janey Ackerson. Janey explained all about her girlfriend Chrissy Angiulo. How they had met, gradually fallen in love, been really happy together … until Chrissy’s family had learned about them. Then, the arranged marriage had been announced and Chrissy had been forced to live at home, forbidden to have anything more to do with Janey.
“How did you learn her family was in organized crime?” asked Alice.
“Oh, she never talked about her family,” explained Janey. “But after she moved back home, she called me. She managed to steal a burner phone while out shopping. She did that so her bodyguard wouldn’t notice; he’s with her constantly whenever she goes out. When she explained what was going on, how she was part of this big crime family and everything, she told me I had to promise never to tell anyone. She said she was risking her life, telling me.”
“Are you sure she still loves you?”
“Oh, yes! She’s being really careful about that phone. We still talk. She gave me the info I needed so I could go online and pay for more minutes. But she says she has no choice. If she doesn’t go through with the wedding this summer, they’ll kill her. They’ll make it look like an accident, of course. They’re good at doing that. She truly believes they’ll do that. She says they’re paranoid about outsiders. That’s why, when they found out about me … even though she swore she never told me anything …”
“They trusted her while she was in school?”
Janey nodded. “Oh, yeah. And, she never betrayed that trust. Not until after they found out about me and forced her to break up with me. She says she’s actually considered suicide but that’s against her religion. She told them she’ll never love the guy they’ve making her marry but they don’t care. They think she’ll fall in line and be a good mob wife … her words, not theirs.”
“Did you try seeing her at her home?”
“Oh, I drove out there. She lives in Nahant, right on the ocean. They’re really rich and have a huge wall all around, with guards at the gate and everything. She begged me to stay away. She’s worried they’ll do something to me.”
“They’re probably telling her that, just to keep her under control.” As Director of
the Roseanne Fund, Alice had learned a few things about how things were done in the world of organized crime. “What about at school? She’s still going to classes?”
Janey nodded and said, “Oh, yeah, but now she has that bodyguard. She says he’s really there to spy on her and make sure she doesn’t, you know … get into any more trouble. In other words, they’re keeping her from seeing me.”
Alice promised she’d take care of things and told Janey to tell Chrissy not to worry. Then she left Janey and made a few phone calls of her own.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sunday, Mar 29, 2020
When Wagner hung up the phone, Antony asked him, “What did Shiu-Yuen Chong have to say?” They’d been checking in with their leader every week, appraising him with how things were progressing.
“He’s disappointed we’re not forcing the local witches to show us more respect. And, he’s asking when we’re going to break Peter and the others out of prison. But, he likes how much product we’ve sold, even though we’re not making much of a profit. He realizes the profits will come once we’ve started taking over operations.”
Antony nodded. “He understands we can deal with the witches later and our people are okay, even though in prison. Establishing our operations here in New York is the more important step. Other cities will come after that.”
“Yes. And, he’s pleased we have confirmed who that witch is who killed Richard. He’s amazed she’s so young and a cadet at West Point.” Wagner and Antony had been very surprised when Simon showed them everything he’d learned about Missy McCrea. But it had actually been Shiu-Yuen who had tipped them off about her. Once it had been learned the mysterious witch they wanted was at West Point, things had fallen into place. Their Mid-East sources were all talking about this demon the U.S. was using. A fearsome she-demon named Missy McCrea at West Point. After researching all the information available about her, it was obvious she was the witch they were after.
“Once we deal with that witch, maybe the others will start respecting us. But, first we’ll focus on distributing our drugs. Now that we have so many greedy buyers, getting control of operations ought to be easy. What do we always say?’
“Chaos is opportunity!” Wagner declared and chuckled. “Yes, our methods have proven very successful in the past and will certainly prove to be that way with these New York crime families.”
-----
When Alice and Barry Brambilla presented themselves outside the gate of Nicholas Angiulo’s mansion, the guard checked his list. Then he opened the gate and gave them directions on where to park, explaining they needed to wait there for someone to come out and escort them. Barry drove up and stopped. They both waited in the car.
Barry had been shot in the chest only six weeks earlier but had made a rapid recovery. He was unaware that was due in large part to Missy’s help, first on the scene at the nightclub in Long Island where it had happened and then in the hospital later, when she’d teleported there in her spirit form to check on him. Alice knew all about that, of course.
Barry was one of several bodyguards who protected her Roseanne Fund girls. He worked for Tyler “The Terror” Terada, one of the capos in Sal’s organization. He had been watching over Bridget Gettmann, the girl Paul Morelli had threatened, but when D’Amato’s places were getting attacked, with Paul in prison and no longer a threat, Barry had been assigned as backup to the normal crew at one of Sal’s more popular casinos. He’d been a casualty when Zhu-Gung had attacked the place, falling before Missy and the FBI showed up to stop that.
Alice had asked to have Barry on this latest assignment, after being assured he was capable of returning to duty. She liked the way Barry had been with each of the girls he’d protected before. Ironically, Barry and Bridget had ended up in a relationship, which had only gotten stronger after he’d been hurt. Alice liked how that was going and it made her think of him first when this latest situation came up.
Two men approached their car and waved for them to get out. They were checked for weapons with one of those wand detectors and their car was also examined. Then they were led inside and brought to a large room where Nicholas Angiulo was waiting. His two sons were with him. Chrissy, however, was not.
After they’d taken seats, Nicholas said, “Why am I being asked to meet with the Roseanne Fund Director?” He knew all about the Roseanne Fund and how Sal D’Amato was now apparently using that as a key part of his organization. “Are you looking for donations, maybe?”
Alice said, “No, the fund has adequate funding, thanks to other benefactors. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting.” She’d actually had Ben find the best way to arrange it. Although the Angiulo organization did not have any close ties to Sal’s organization, it turned out the Morelli organization did. So, Ben had pressured Ray to set this up.
“I gotta admit,” said Nicholas. “When Ray called me about this, I was surprised. It’s no secret he and Sal don’t see eye-to-eye on much.”
“True. Things change. Sal used to be close to Frank McCarthy here in East Boston,” said Alice. She didn’t need to add that Nicholas and Frank had not been known to see eye-to-eye. Or, how Nicholas had taken over a large portion of Frank’s operation after he’d gone to prison and his initial replacement, Carlos Mancini, had returned to Colombia. “Sal says you and Ray go way back.”
“Right.” By the way Nicholas reacted to her mentioning McCarthy, it was obvious his understanding of just how connected she was had just increased. Well, she figured she may as well live up to her reputation as the crazy mob lady since that’s what so many were now calling her. Nicholas asked, “So, what’s this all about then?”
“It’s about your daughter Chrissy. It’s come to our attention she is unhappy with the upcoming marriage you’ve arranged for her.” Alice saw the surprised looks which Chrissy’s brothers exchanged. Nicholas managed to conceal his surprise but he was shocked as well.
“What business does Sal have in who my daughter gets married to?”
“Well, the thing is. Sal has me taking care of girls who don’t want to be forced into situations against their will. That’s what our Roseanne Fund does. We provide protection for girls in those situations. I thought you might have heard about that.” Alice knew he definitely had heard about that.
Nicholas glared at her. “So what? My daughter isn’t one of your Roseanne Fund girls.”
“Actually, that’s where you’re wrong, Mister Angiulo. It’s my understanding Chrissy would very much like to become one of our girls.” She turned to Barry and said, “Let me introduce Barry Brambilla. He’s going to be her new bodyguard from now on. Chrissy can move back to her room at Boston University. She and her roommate there, Janey Ackerson? They’re both Roseanne Fund girls as of today. Barry will be in charge but will have others helping him. It’s what we do. We take care of our girls.”
Nicholas was furious now. But he didn’t want to start a war with D’Amato. “You saying Sal is doing this? Interfering with my family?”
Leaning forward, Alice said, “I’m saying Sal supports all our Roseanne Fund girls one hundred percent. And, I’ve explained to him why your daughter needs to be one of those girls. You can call him right now, if you’d like.” Alice sat back and smiled.
Realization was slow but Nicholas finally got it. The question was, did he want to go to war with Sal? He saw his two sons were about to speak up and he quickly signaled them to stay quiet.
Alice went on to say, “Any concerns you might have about either Chrissy or Janey revealing things about your operations? About all the criminal activities, about all the secrets you desperately want to remain hidden? Sal is personally guaranteeing that won’t happen.” She had actually explained things to Ben and he’d assured her he’d brief Sal. Whatever Missy wanted, Sal would now stand behind, no matter what.
Nicholas thought he’d try one last thing. He turned to his sons and said, “One of you go get Chrissy. I want to see what she has to say about all this.”
B
efore either son had a chance to move, the door opened and Chrissy walked in. She was pulling a suitcase. Obviously, she’d known about this and had been listening just outside the room. She said, “I’m sorry, Daddy, but I told you I didn’t want to marry anyone. Except maybe Janey. We’ll see.”
Alice and Barry stood and Chrissy walked over to stand next to them. Alice said, “We’ll be leaving now. Unless you want us to wait while you discuss this with Sal?”
Nicholas now stood up and yelled, “Go. Get the fuck outta here and never come back! You hear me, Chrissy? You’re dead to me now. And, if you and your lesbo girlfriend ever cause me any problems? I won’t care what Sal Fucking D’Amato has to say. I’ll make sure you regret it. I’ll have both of you killed.”
Alice could see Chrissy was ready to burst into tears. She said, “Let’s be clear, Mister Angiulo. Any problems Chrissy and Janey might have? From you or anyone in your organization?” She looked at the three of them. “You and yours will not only regret it. You’ll wish you’d been killed long before that actually does indeed finally happen.”
“Oh, now Sal’s threatening me?”
“Actually, no,” said Alice. “You wouldn’t have any way of knowing this since it’s not something very many know about the Roseanne Fund. But, Sal is not the only backer. There are others involved. Others whom I can promise you … you do not want to ever incur their displeasure. Leave your daughter alone. Live and let live.”
Turning to Barry and Chrissy, she said, “Let’s go.” They made their way back out to the car and got inside. When they approached the gate, it slowly opened for them. There was no one visible and they drove through and headed back to Boston.
-----
When Brooke got the call from her sister Janey, she could tell right away something really big had happened. Then she learned Chrissy had returned. At first, Janey didn’t want to provide any details but wanted her to know how grateful she was.
Missy Goes to Hong Kong (Missy the Werecat Book 8) Page 14