Chapter 160
“There, there it is,” Kylen pointed to the screen. “Mercurio walked straight up to reception and dropped a box off. Bastiano, go get it?
“On it.”
“Greb Tank on your way.”
“Send Genevra to get him,” Torq commented. “Genevra, go. Get Tank.”
“She’s not going down to the bowels of Hell dressed like that! The boys in there will have a
“Maybe they’ll simply stroke,” Genevra made a crude gesture with her hand and wide eyes at Kylen as she flounced off towards the door, “Just because you think I’m a child, doesn’t mean other men won’t, Kylen. I’m fucking hot.” She slapped her ass as she walked out.
Torq chuckled as he considered his best friend’s little sister was growing spicier every single day and he knew it had to do with Alcee and her girlfriends. Alcee. His smile fell as he thought of her now.
“Did you run the plates? Is it Mercurio’s car he forced her into?”
“It is.” Kylen regarded him seriously, “he won’t hurt her. I believe he’d shoot the guards but not her.”
“I know.” He rubbed his face. “She didn’t want to meet with him and his mother. They’ve been pressing and pushing, and she won’t back down. She’s angry with them. They should know the more they push, the more she’ll pull away.”
“Like you?”
“Hey. It’s a hard lesson but I’ve learned it.” Torq leaned against the desk. “Pull up the surveillance we installed at Mariani’s. He thinks we took everything out, but I left a few devices there.”
Bastiano came into the office carrying a paper wrapped package. “I’m not opening it. If it explodes when it’s opened, I’m not being the guy who does it. Pl die with you but I’m not causing it.”
Torq muttered an expletive as he ripped the package from Bastiano and tore it open. He upended the box on Kylen’s desk and a device fell out. “What the fuck is this?”
“It’s a signal jammer and a fucking powerful one. It even blocks satellite. I’d love to know who the hell Mercurio Mariani is partnered with who can get him equipment our government can’t even get access to.” Kylen grunted as he shut the piece of equipment down. “I own a couple of these for some special ops we’ve run. I hope the fucker doesn’t want it back because it’s mine now.” He held it up to Torq, “a cool million sitting right here.”
“It must be important then whatever it is he wants to talk to Alcee about.” Torq said seriously.
Torq’s phone suddenly started ringing and he pulled it to his ear. “Torquato Lozano.”
“Torq it’s me.”
“Tito?”
“Yeah. I was going out to sneak a few minutes with Amal before she went back to work after lunch, but I saw Genevra coming back and thought I missed her. Then I saw Mercurio Mariani pull a gun on Alcee. I’ve been trying to call you. I took some kid’s motorcycle and his phone because mine wasn’t working but then this wasn’t either. I’m following them. He fucking pulled a gun on our Donna.”
“Where are they? They must be headed to the Mariani estate, right?”
“No. It looks like they’re heading in the direction of the deli where Michelo works.”
“What the fuck for?” Torq questioned. “Why is he bringing her to the fucking deli? I thought maybe this was for him to get her to see their mother or something.” He looked at Kylen. “Get me eyes on the deli. Tito don’t lose her. Stay with her. Bastiano get a team together. This isn’t just a brother looking to reconnect his sister and mother. What are we missing?”
1/2
Chapter 160
Tank came back in the office with Genevra behind him. “I know*
“What do you mean, you know?”
“I mean, I know.” Tank tossed a USB towards Kylen who caught it with one hand. “I saw this guy this morning outside the building when I first came to work. I knew him from somewhere but couldn’t place him. I took a photo of him and started running facial recognition at my desk while I was death makes shit. I couldn’t figure out where I knew him from and it was bugging me.”
“Who is he? Torq watched Kylen plug in the USB.
“Greek mafia. The deli where Michelo is running ops out is affiliated. It seems the new don of the Mariani family thinks he’s the cat’s meow.”
“Mercurio is in bed with the Greeks?”
“In bed with the Greeks and this guy,” Tank pointed to him, “I recognize him because he’s the younger brother of their family head. Pavlidis. He is Lefteris His older brother,” Tank was cut off by Torq.
“Karolos Pavlidis.” Torq puffed out his cheeks as he thought of the man who was as two–faced as they came. brutal on the other. “What the fuck does Karolos Pavlidis want with Alcee.”
Easy going on one side but motherfucking
“Well, as soon as I made his face,” Tank pointed, “I checked to see what these fuckers are doing in New York. The Pavlidis brothers were on the first flight back the minute Mercurio decided to off his father. I hacked into Mercurio’s phone because I still have the link from when we were watching him and his father last time they were here in the building. Mercurio Mariani thinks he’s saving his sister from you.”
“What?”
S
“He made a deal with Pavlidis. A marriage arrangement for Alcee, if Pavlidis can get her out of the country and away from you because he thinks she is being held against her will. In exchange for his sister’s safety and a marriage with the elder Pavlidis, Mercurio also secures a business deal worth millions of dollars.”
“He would sell his sister?”
“He’s not thinking it’s selling. He genuinely hates your fucking guts, Torq.” He pointed to the USB. “I downloaded chat logs between him and his brothers. They all blame you for cancelling the wedding agreement back then. They blame you for her being hurt. They blame you for shirking your responsibilities and not being man enough to cancel the engagement face–to–face. They think she is being held against her will. In those messages, there’s a lot of chatter about their mother being very sick and her dying wish is for Alcee to be rescued and for both her and her son given a good life away from you, who they all describe as oppressive, domineering and manipulative. They think they’re saving their sister who’s been brainwashed the way a cult victim is.”
