Page 11 of Ruthless Contract
“He does. But the last time we talked, he opened up about why he’s afraid to go outside. He believes he’s being watched. Even though he has security guards, cameras, and motion detectors all around his property, he thinks someone is stalking him.”
“Fuck,” Terzo muttered.
“Yeah. And he has unanswered questions about what happened back then. He wants to know how they targeted him. How did they know where he would be? I’ve also got questions I need answered. How the hell did a family in Italy know where a Cattaneo in Mississippi was on that day, at that particular time? Unanswered questions like that are the reason he can’t move past this.”
“Fuck. I hadn’t thought about that part. I can see why he has questions.”
“I promised him I’d look into it. I want answers for him when I get home. Or, at least a lead to follow.”
“What do you need my help with?”
“I want to go over what happened back then with the Bianchis. I was here, so I know the main parts. I was the one who helped track them down for hurting my cousin and for what they did to your grandfather. But I don’t know the intricate details. I know there was a guy who was supposedly responsible for providing intel to the Bianchis, but he and his girlfriend were found in a river before Enzo could question him.”
“Oh, yeah. Ettori Zucco.”
“Yeah, him. I want to know where he got his intel from. Did he use the darknet to hire someone to spy on my family? There’s also a site called Underground Communications that provides such intel. I know a few people from my area who take jobs from that site. But I don’t think it was any of them. They know the repercussions of going up against my family.”
“It could’ve been someone new to your area,” Terzo suggested. “Someone who didn’t know what would happen if they went up against you.”
“That could be it. Because there’s no way Ettori could’ve known where Marcel would be that day without the help of someone in my city. Someone from my own backyard provided him with the intel. I need to track that person down and end them for their part in what happened to my cousin. But I must start here and follow the trail.”
“When do you leave for the States?” Terzo asked.
“One week.”
“Damn. Okay. Give me a couple of days and then let’s meet.”
“I’m spending the week cleaning out the facility I used for my pharmaceuticals. We can meet there.”
“Hell no. I’m not going into your science lab. That place always smells like something that could knock a motherfucker out. I get dizzy whenever I enter that place.”
“Right now, it smells like cleaning products. So, you’re safe. Almost everything has been boxed up and is getting ready to be shipped out. Enzo helped me with some clearance issues with the shipping. We can meet there in a couple of days.”
“Fine. Text me the location where your cousin was kidnapped from and the day he went missing.”
“Alright. And thanks, Terzo. If you ever need anything, just ask.”
“Remember you said that.”
“Why? What’s up?”What the hell was this guy up to?
“Nothing. Just remember you said that. I’ll call you with a time to meet soon. Oh, and I’ll let Sienna know about the position you have open.”
“Thanks, man.”
We ended the call, and I slid my phone back into my pocket. Then I stood there, staring out the window, mind all over the place. There was still so much I needed to do. My jaw tightened as I thought about Marcel.
The kidnapping still didn’t sit right with me. There were too many missing pieces. Too many things that didn’t add up. Andthe more I thought about it, the more irritated I became. I had to get answers for him. I would get answers for him!
Then there was Pasquale. What was I going to do to Pasquale? It had to be something that didn’t point to me, something that would keep the Cattaneo family here from taking revenge on the casino. Whatever it was, he had to suffer.
Then there was Juliet.
One of the reasons I was so ready to return to the US was to find her. She wasn’t from Italy. The way she talked, her slang, all suggested she was from the South. The way she used Y'all and things like that was a dead giveaway.
I knew I would find her eventually. But before then, I still had so much to handle and so little time to do it in. One week. I had one week to finish things up. That realization was starting to weigh me down and make me feel restless.
Not just restless. I had this feeling that something bad was going to happen. I couldn’t handle something bad happening right now. I couldn’t handle something fucking up my plans. Nothing could get in the way of me getting home and searching for Juliet.
