“You’re not Vito Di Mille. He’s a supreme asshole! He’s all about money and power. Considering the long list of people he’s suspected of killing or having killed, getting rid of an ex-lover and a bastard child doesn’t seem like it would faze him in the least,” Bull says.
“Even worse, if whoever is behind this has the intention of using mother and son for leverage, Vito won’t give a shit. He’ll let them die,” Rebel adds.
“It’s our job to keep them alive and safe. Clock’s ticking, team,” Falcon finishes. We get to work, each one of us doing his part.
Chapter 11
Baby News
Wire
The day is busy with so much to do. I checked in with Remmi and Vic a couple of times, but mainly I checked out Maria’s story. Vito did a good job of keeping his lover out of the picture except for one photo. It showed a young woman with Vito. The photo was blurry, but the caption read, Vito Di Mille with a mystery woman. I called the photographer who took the photo, only to find out he was murdered shortly after the photo was taken. It seems that Vito doesn’t like having his picture taken without permission.
I hacked into the hospitals in England and found out where Franco was born. I traced day care centers across the country and found out Maria was honest about her timeline. When she first suspected that they were being watched, they started moving around.
Using satellite imagery, I’ve been able to pinpoint their location now. It’s a motel. It looks clean, but it’s definitely not a place you’d want to stay in for long. It’s also close to all access roads. That’s both an advantage and a problem. It’ll make it easier to get to and make a quick escape, but if the enemy finds her before we get to her, they can have her gone in minutes.
Computer skills are my niche, and I’ve hacked into plenty of high-security companies and government sites. When it comes to making sure my teammates are kept safe, I have no qualms about doing it. Pissing off the mob has never been on my radar, but Falcon needs to know what we’re getting into. If that means hacking into Vito’s email, then so be it.
Vito’s as dirty as they come. He doesn’t even do much to cover the payoffs to government officials and police. Then again, with all the high-powered people in his country under his thumb, there’s no real threat of going to prison. His businesses are spread across Asia and Europe. The man is bad news, but the media make him look like a devoted husband and father and a financial mogul. With all the shit I find, Vito should be rotting in a jail cell, but there’s not one connection to Maria or Franco. I’m convinced that Vito isn’t even aware he has another child.
“Hey, do you have a second?”
I look up to find Kailyn standing in my office. “For you, always,” I reply, pushing back my chair, giving her my full attention. “What’s up?”
“Actually, it’s more of an invitation. Before you guys head off again, I wanted to have everyone over tonight,” Kailyn says. Something’s up. Her expression is strange.
“Is everything all right?” I ask. She’s family, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.
She laughs and answers, “Everything’s great! I just want our friends around us tonight. Can I count you in?”
“Have I ever let you down?”
“Nope. Never.”
“What can we bring?”
“Just yourselves. Does seven-ish work?”
“We’ll be there.”
Kailyn does a little wave as she leaves. It’s not uncommon for her to have us all over, but something feels odd. If there’s anything to discover, we’ll find out tonight. Kailyn and the team go way back, and she knows we’ll do anything for her. She was married to one of our best friends. We all served together, and when he didn’t make it home, it devastated all of us, but most of all Kailyn. They were high school sweethearts, planning a life together.
There was a lot of mixed emotion among the team when she and Phoenix got together. In the end, Phoenix is a brother, and we want him to be happy, and although Cory was the original man in her life, he’s not here anymore, and no one will take care of her better than Phoenix.
I check my phone to see if all is going well with Remmi. I see another text, this time a picture of Maya packing a box with the caption, Last one of the day.
I reply with a quick note that I’ll be leaving soon and that our plans for the evening have changed, and we’re going to meet up with Phoenix and Kailyn at their place. She sends a thumbs-up emoji. I no sooner send the text than Bull pops his head in.
“Ready to go?” he asks.
“Let me just back this up and take it with me. I’ll log in when I get home tonight and finish off what I started. I want to be ready to brief Falcon in the morning.”
“Find anything interesting yet?”
“There’s no mention of Maria or Franco in any internet correspondence with Vito. It’s like she was never part of his life,” I huff.
“Encrypted messages, maybe?” Bull asks.
