Chapter 0005

BELLA

If anyone hated our boss wholeheartedly, it was my tech buddy, Colton Davis. With the right amount of wit, Cole could just as easily blow Ron’s shit up.

The part of the job I loved most was Cole, since the first mission we partnered on and every other project through the years. He and I were the golden pair, the dynamic duo of the Skyfall Corps. While I was the arms and the heavy lifter, he was the brain and an absolute mastermind.

Cole looked a lot better than he did two days ago, less exhausted. He scratched his head. “Ron gave me a shit ton of lecture on this. All bullshit! He could’ve handed us this,” he tore the sticky note off the leather file our boss had handed me, "sticky note, instead of the stupid, empty file. What are we supposed to do? Fill this?"

“Maybe you should take this up with him.”

“I’d end up choosing violence over a civilised conversation, B, which is so not me.” He fanned his face. “He offered this to us because everyone else refused. I can bet on it.” There was no doubt about that. “All aside, do you know the details on our target, or do I need to brief?”

I shook my head. I knew all I needed to know about our target Adonis Vitale, Capo of the Vitale Empire, which was one of the two organised crime families in New York, collectively known as Cosa Nostra, aside from the Illianos Family.

The capo of the Vitale Empire, however, was a walking ghost. In this digital age and with the reputation he had, it was a shock that his presence on the internet was just articles and news. No pictures. No personal information. Nothing.

How could a person be untraceable?

For the past two days, all I had done was dig through article after article, news after news, only to come across pictures of either group of men or just places and clubs. I was both mentally and physically worn out.

The deets on the previous capo were out there on plenty, though. David Vitale, Adonis’s uncle, had a son who had died under suspicious circumstances. Death in their field of work was normal and borderline brutal, so it was no shock. David had no other son to crown the position, so, with the threats from the Bratva, the Mexican Mafia and the street gangs, Adonis had to take his place as the big bad wolf of the east. Besides that, David also had to daughter, who, too, had less information out there.

All the information we had on the faceless capo came from four different people: Domenico Guerra, David Vitale, Orazio Cantos and Elias Morello.

Elias was the biggest chuckhole in all of this.

Elias Morello became famous because of the brand he had grown, partaking in NGOs and development projects. He was just a businessman.

Cole reminded me of how most business owners in New York did unsettling jobs underneath their posh living. The powerful people backed the rich and vice versa. That was the reality of life.

“What dispute does Adonis Vitale have with Elias Morello?” I asked with an arched brow. “I saw in a few articles that people from the Cosa Nostra trashed many of Elias’s workplaces. Can it be business rivalry?”

“I doubt that,” Cole said, shaking his head. “Vitale is a brand. A teeny-tiny businessman like Morello can’t hold a candle against a man like Adonis. Personal rivalry, perhaps?”

It could’ve been. Adonis and the people that surrounded him were shady as fuck, starting from his uncle to his consigliere.

My guess was that Domenico and Adonis had been friends for nearly their whole lives. They had stepped into the limelight at the same time. Every article mentioning Adonis Vitale had Domenico’s name quoted.

“What does Ron want us to do with Adonis?” Cole asked, still unsure. So was I.

“He told me that Adonis has been planning something big and bad, which can affect a lot of lives and I need to find out what he’s been up to.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“Neither do I. Ron said I’ll find out as we go deeper.”

“Vitale’s life is like a reality show.” Cole chortled. “Did you know his mother had an affair with an outsider, which led to him being called a bastard his entire life?”

“I do.” A part of me felt bad for him. “There’s no mention of his real father, so I’m guessing David killed him for impregnating his sister out of wedlock.”

“Wouldn’t be shocking, would it?” Ordering three lattes on our table, Cole pulled out a file, similar to the one on the table, except for its transparent cover. “Vitale may be invisible, but with the right eye even god can be found.” Seeing my frown, he included with a wink, “Hypothetically.”

“Okay?”

"Domenico Guerra is the one closest to Adonis, which made my work far easier. There’s a bar in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, where most of Domenico’s pictures are taken.”

He opened the file and pulled out a few pictures of the same man in front of the same building, but in different clothing and poses. The neon signboard over the entry read, ‘Il bar di Raffy’.

“So, Brooklyn?”

“Yes,” he said, “unless you’re willing to go back and forth from Manhattan to Brooklyn, every single day.”

I couldn't. I didn't want to. If we came across Adonis, then I wouldn't want him to follow me to my home and jeopardise my safety.

Cole picked another picture from the back of his file and pointed his finger at the man standing beside Domenico, his face covered with a black surgical mask. He wore a casual white shirt over his rugged body, the long sleeves of which were folded, revealing a tattoo on his arm—a skull on a pile of dried roses, a crown of thorns on its head, blood trickling down the sides of its forehead.

“That’s Vitale?” I asked, with my eyes wide at Cole.

“The only one who’s not Domenico Guerra, is not wearing black, and is literally guarded by hulks? I can bet on it.”

That was the only picture I was more interested in. Cole adjusted all the others back in the file and shoved it inside his black backpack. To say I wasn't curious about this man was wrong. He was like a shadow roaming in the dark alleyways, twisting and turning, all the while being the king.

“So, the only thing we have on him is his tattoo?”

“Isn’t that enough?” Seeing me shake my head, Cole laughed. “If not, I know where he lives, if that pleases you.”

I widened my eyes, hardly believing that he dug these details in just thirty-six hours. "I don't know why I'm surprised."

He gave a proud half-shrug. “Dom’s car comes in and out of a mansion on Woodhull Street, Brooklyn. He doesn’t spend the night there, as my sources say, and that place doesn’t even have many guards. Now, a mansion wouldn’t just be for the workers, would it?"

"But that proves nothing."

"Not until I tell you the best part."

"What best part?"

"That, Dom enters the place in an unfamiliar car in the morning and leaves in another, but then at night, he uses the unfamiliar car, which is definitely his, to go back home. And by home, I mean a different house."

I looked down at the picture. "But you said that the mansion has fewer guards. If it belonged to Adonis, that place would've been highly maintained, given his position and power."

"It would've been the case for a capo, but not for a man who wishes to keep his identity a secret."

"You're right. More guards mean more attention."

"And do you see Vitale's size? He barely needs any protection.”

“Do I tell you often of what a whiz you are?"

"Every day." He returned a grin.

"So, how did you get these?”

“I have buddies, Brooklyn locals and tech geniuses who hacked into the traffic cams.”

“Cool!”

“No,” he shook his head. “Don’t ‘cool’ just yet. Raffy’s bar is highly restricted. One cannot enter without a special pass.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times before asking, “Then, how do you suppose we get in?”

“Oh, there’s no we on this one. I’m the guy behind the screen, one who should be far away from the crime scene. Preferably on a soft couch,” he said, raising his palms in defence.

I huffed, sweeping my cinnamon brown hair to the side of my shoulder. “Fine, I’ll take care of it.”

My attention drifted to the door as Valery walked in. Just the one we had been waiting for. She was in her police uniform, her russet hair tied into a tight ponytail, making us aware that she was already on duty.

She sat beside me. Her black eyes met mine, and she yelled, “I almost fell off the bed when you called me last night. You’re a bitch, you know that, right? You were supposed to call me after coming back from your last mission.”

Before I could speak, Cole chimed in, “How could she? She was taking her time recovering from a terrible concussion.”

I kicked Cole’s leg under the table, and he winced. Where's the whole partner confidentiality he talked about? His mouth had earned him so many physical assaults from me over the years.

Val’s eyes widened in shock, and she looked at me with worry. That there was the reason I kept my injury from her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Val shook her head in disapproval. “This can’t do. You’re taking too many risks.”

“Says the one who’s literally wearing the big title,” I mocked, pointing at the NYPD badge on her vest.

“I have nothing outside this job, Bells.”

Every time she uttered the word Bells, a heavy feeling struck my chest. Val was one of the four people who called me that—only one of the two alive.

“I don’t have a family or responsibilities, but you do.” She firmly took my hand in hers and said, “Think about your mamma and Alessia.”

I reassured her, “This is my last project, Val. I promise I’ll go home after this and settle there.”

“Another project?” She slammed her hands on the table. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. I think I'll have to sue your boss.”

“Please do,” Cole spoke, leaning into the table.

“Val, um.” I coughed, glancing at the picture on my lap. “Can you get me some information on Elias Morello and,” I drew my face close to her ears, "David Vitale?"

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Her immediate response was to glare at me. “Who are you getting involved with? Vitale? The Mafia? You know what that means, right?”

“I know, but this is important. This is my last mission and no more. Just help me out on this one.”

“This is so fucking messed up.” She remained quiet for a while. I sipped my latte. She sighed in defeat. “Fine, it’s not like you’d stop if I disagree. You’re just going to go behind my back, anyway. Anything else?” Pulling her cell out, she noted the names.

“Just be careful.”

She arched a brow but took in the concern in my voice. She knew what I feared and why. “I hope you know what to say to your mamma.”

About that, I wasn’t very sure. Convincing my mother was harder than any mission I had ever gone on.