BC: This might surprise you, but I actually have shit to do today.
MC: One hour. Don’t be late.
BC: Fuck you. See you then.
I smirked, acknowledging how much I liked Leo. In truth, he wasn’t a bad cop at all. His father had been a Brooklyn cop that many in the mafia respected. He’d never actively gone after the families, and had always turned a blind eye if needed. But if a heinous act was committed—involving women or children especially—Anthony Stabler had brought the full force of the NYPD, no matter which family was involved.
It had been a natural progression for Leo to move to the FBI after his first few years in the NYPD. Drug and human trafficking had continued to surge, and Leo felt the FBI was the best place to fight the corruption.
He’d infiltrated the Rossi family years ago, and I’d taken an interest after I aligned with Sal DeLorenzo in Boston and assumed power over the East Coast ports. I’d worked hard to gain Leo’s trust, and assured him that our interests aligned. We both wanted human trafficking eliminated.
Leo also wanted drug trafficking eradicated, and although I shared that vision, human trafficking was my first and most important goal. I disliked the ravages that drugs had on society, but in my mind, trafficking of young women was my first priority. I’d been in the game long enough to understand that you had more power if you narrowed your focus.
My driver pulled up to the secluded Fort Tilton beach, and I exited the car, telling my men to remain at the top of the stairs and stay alert. I headed down the overgrown wooden stairs to the beach below, walking close to the concrete wall that had been built against the cliff so I didn’t get sand in my dress shoes.
Leo marched down the stairs a few minutes later, his ever-present scowl on his face. When he stood before me, he removed his sunglasses. Disdain at being summoned simmered in his deep blue eyes.
“What’s up?” he asked, arching a brow.
“I assume you know that I married Bianca Rossi, and she’s given me her public support. Alexis is in a safehouse in Long Island with Nick.”
“John Armetta put a hit out on her. He wants her alive and unharmed, but he wants her.”
Sighing, I nodded. “I know. He’s a distant cousin of Victor’s, and since Victor left no heir, John wants the mantle. I tried to talk reason into him, but he’s dead set on assuming what’s left of the Rossi empire and trying to rebuild it.”
“Yes, he’s been quite adamant from what I’ve observed,” Leo said, a gentle reminder that he worked for Victor, which meant he now worked for John.
“Does anyone suspect you’re working with me?”
Leo rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think so, but I’m being extra fucking cautious. John wants me to turn over info about the Eastern European ring that scheduled shipments with Victor. We have that info at the FBI—well, some of it. So, I’m valuable to him—for now.”
“Give him enough that he’s placated but still has to chase the contacts down. I need time.”
“Of course,” Leo said with a nod. “What’s your plan?”
“John and the Rossi loyalists are now banned from receiving any shipments on any East Coast port,but...”
Leo’s eyebrows lifted as curiosity covered his features.
“He’s talking to Marco Nunez.”
“Jesus,” Leo said, harshly rubbing his forehead. “The last thing we need is that guy in the tri-state area. The Southeast FBI field office deals with Marco, and I’d rather it remain that way. That guy is bad news.”
“It’s going to get messy, Leo,” I said, frustrated at the hard work ahead, but knowing it would be worth it. “If Nunez tries to infiltrate our area, I’ll take him on too.”
Leo flashed a sardonic grin. “You’re fifty years old with a new wife. Maybe you could take a break from building your empire to, I don’t know, take a fucking vacation. Do you really want to do this, Michael?”
“I’m only forty-seven, thank you very much,” I said, scowling. “And I don’t have a choice. Do you want the trafficking to continue? This is our chance to stop it. Otherwise, I’ll look complacent.”
“You’re right. It’s best to end it now, even if it’s going to lead to some pain along the way.” He glanced out at the ocean before facing me again. “Do you still want me to inform through Katia? I don’t want to put her in any danger.”
“Yes, informing through her is easiest since we can’t chance being seen together. It’s well-known that she offers private dances in the back rooms of the Gilded Cage for a hefty price. No one knows that’s a ruse and you’re the only recipient of those dances.”
Something briefly crossed Leo’s face; a look of...yearning or wistfulness, perhaps, but it was gone before I could decipher it.
“Yes, those ‘dances’ are all business,” he said, making quotation marks with his fingers. “I feel bad having her keep up the ruse that she still dances, but it’s the best way for me to get info to you.”
“She doesn’t mind,” I said, my eyebrows narrowing. “Katia is a confident woman, and respects all our dancers. They’re there by choice, unlike many of Victor’s dancers who were trafficked.”
