Made Man Dante Page 17

  “The green tea? Your brother Terry told me,” he said. “I was over one day and he got very protective about a box of tea. I thought he had stashed his drugs or some money in there, but it really was only tea. He begged me to leave it alone and said your mother always had it in the house for when you came home.”

  I stared at his face, looking for any sign of his lying. His eyes met mine steadily and his voice was completely controlled. If he was lying, he was really good at it.

  Vic confused me. I didn’t know whether to believe what he told me or not, but I was curious to hear more.

  “Were you one of the people after Terry?”

  “Not in the way you think,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “Terry dated my sister Connie on and off for a while. Connie was…messed up to say the least. She liked doing coke, speed, anything that revved her up.”

  “And because Terry was dealing…”

  “Yes, they hooked up. I had a habit of checking on my sister. As you can imagine, a lot of guys took advantage of her. Let’s just leave it at that. I knew Terry was in trouble and I was afraid he would use Connie in some way to settle his debt with that motorcycle gang. I’ve heard about how they use women.”

  Vic looked down and his shoulders lowered slightly. He let out a long breath and then shook his head.

  “And did he? Did Terry do something?”

  “No, he had nothing to do with what happened to her. Deep down, your brother was a good guy. I know what he did to you and honestly, if you were my girl or even my sister, I would’ve taken care of Terry a lot sooner no matter what you said.”

  He clutched the mug tightly, and I was afraid it would break. I pulled my legs underneath me as I watched him. His hands shook and he clenched his jaw tightly. I waited for him to say something or to maybe throw the mug, but nothing happened.

  “What happened to her?” I whispered accidentally. I didn’t mean to speak the words, but with how upset Vic seemed, I wanted to know. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No, it’s okay. It happened a long time ago, close to a year. I should be over it. Hell, I should have done something about it. Connie went on a bad bender. She was missing for a few days, which wasn’t strange for her. Usually I would be able to track her down, but this time it was like she was a ghost. When she finally called me, she…”

  He stopped talking and turned away. He wiped his hand slowly over his face before letting out a long sigh. If I was there under any other circumstances, I would have tried to comfort him. As it was, I felt really bad for what he was going through.

  “You have to understand something first. Connie was all I had left of my family, my real family. Phil Palumbo isn’t my uncle. He was Connie’s godfather and because our families were close, we were raised to call him uncle. It was just me and Connie and I know I enabled her, but what could I do? She was my sister!”

  He stood up and ran his fingers through his dark hair before turning towards me again.

  “She must’ve owed her dealer. When she called me, she had been left for dead. I wish I could say that was the first time it happened,” he said, shaking his head. “She died a couple of days later in the hospital. Maybe I should’ve gone after the guys, but honestly I blamed myself more than them. They were just doing their business. I should’ve been tougher on her to get clean. Anyway, it ends up I wasn’t the only one who blamed me for Connie’s death.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “My uncle, Phil Palumbo. He never saw how bad Connie was. She was able to put on an act like you wouldn’t believe when it came to him. When she died, he said it was my responsibility to take care of her and that since I didn’t, her blood was on my hands.”

  “Meaning he’s trying to have you killed?” I asked.

  I couldn’t believe someone considered family would so easily come to that decision. I had heard plenty of stories when I was growing up, but I thought those were exaggerated. The Mafia world was a much different place than what I was used to.

  “I got word that he told Dante I was after you. Some bullshit story about an eye for an eye because of Terry’s involvement with Connie. You see, I’m a Palumbo Captain. Or I was. But I still have my connections, and there are people loyal to me. I know if Dante believed what Phil Palumbo told him, I would be dead by now. That’s why I want to talk to him.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Palumbo is trying to set both Dante and me up. If he gets Dante to get rid of me, he can then turn around and point his finger at him to the cops. I know either way my time is limited and I have plans, but Dante is an honorable man, and what we do is nothing without honor. I owe him for not killing me and need to warn him. There’s someone under the Gambino roof that’s responsible for his father’s death. He needs to know who that is.”

  “You know who killed him?”

  “I know a lot more than that. But if I told you, that would put you in even graver danger,” he said.

  He tilted his head a bit as he looked at me, then walked over and touched the back of his hand to my forehead and cheeks.

  “You’re burning up,” he said. “This has been too much. You need to rest more.”

  I didn’t realize it, but I was out of breath and sweating. I touched my face and my hands were clammy. Vic held his hands out to me and helped me lay down on the couch. He tucked a throw pillow under my head and when I shivered, he turned to a rocking chair and yanked a rust-colored crocheted blanket off it and draped it over me.

  “My sister made this,” he said. “She was very creative. You can see I don’t live lavishly. I could lose everything tomorrow and not care as long as I had this blanket with me.”

  A small smile spread across his features.

  “Close your eyes and sleep,” he said. “I’m sorry about the effects of the drug, but it’ll be out of your system in a couple of hours. I really need to talk to Dante though, and I couldn’t see another way.”

  As crazy as it sounded, what Vic said made perfect sense to me. He didn’t mean to hurt me, but his life was on the line. Kidnapping me was the only way he could talk to Dante.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Dante

  Gia was gone. My men and the security team at La Terrazza had gone over the entire building and found nothing. I wanted to hit someone, or do something, but I felt powerless. I knew the Palumbo family was behind this, but if I reacted, it could cost Gia her life.

  I took the surveillance footage from Betsy Rizzo to analyze in my office. Whoever took her was aware of the cameras as he left because nothing showed up. My hope was that he got sloppy getting there. I had a group of my associates reaching out to their informants but so far, nothing had turned up.

  After an hour of watching nothing happen in the underground garage, I called Sonny for an update on his job in Connecticut with Gia’s brother. Maybe something happened there while we were at La Terrazza. I knew it was a long shot because Sonny would have called me, but I had to try everything. Plus I needed to let off some steam.

  “Yes?” Sonny answered.

  “It’s me. Anything going on out there?”

  “No. No change.”

  “Do you know anything about what happened here?” I asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What I mean is I thought you trained your associate to take your place. I know damn well that if you were here, Gia would still be here. You know I’m investigating who the rat is.”

  “It’s not him. What happened to Gia?”

  “She was taken at La Terrazza. Your men were there with me. You’re going to tell me you’re not in on it?”

  “Why would I do that? I wouldn’t hurt Gia,” he said, his voice tense.

  I could tell Sonny was getting angry. I knew Sonny would do anything to protect her. I had seen them talk plenty of times together, and they had developed some kind of bond I couldn’t understand. It was as if Gia replaced her brother Terry with Sonny. But it wasn’t just Gia. Sonny was clos
er to her than he was with our own sister.

  “I’m coming home now,” he said. “I’m wasting my time here watching Carlo. You need me there. Send someone else out here. I’m done.”

  There had been many times when I had thought about pulling Sonny back home to New York. I knew sitting and watching a family was a shit job, but I needed someone I could trust there.

  “You’re staying put,” I said. “Reach out to your people. I want to know where Gia is, and I’m going to personally kill whoever it was that took her.”

  I tapped the screen of my phone and ended the call. The video was still playing on the screen in front of me, but it was the same bullshit I had seen for the past hour. And that’s when it hit me–while the garage was underground, it wasn’t fully enclosed. The garage had a series of support pillars that let in daylight. This garage was too dark - it was the wrong time of day.

  I fast forwarded the video to the time we arrived and as I suspected, nothing showed. Whoever took Gia was smarter than I thought. I had no doubt he was another wise guy, but who did Palumbo have that could pull this off?

  My phone lit up with Sonny’s name. Could he have found something out that quickly? I swiped the screen to answer and lifted it to my ear.

  “Speak,” I said.

  “You’re off your game, D,” he said. “I checked traffic surveillance during the time you were there and spotted a lone Town Car leaving La Terrazza. It wasn’t one of ours.”

  “Give me the plate.”

  “I already ran it. You’ll never believe who it’s registered to. Bruno Vitale.”

  “The man who shot our father?”

  “The man Roman took care of,” Sonny said before pausing. “The man who was under Vic Capuzzo.”

  “The man Palumbo wants dead,” I said as I disconnected the call.

  It didn’t make sense. Capuzzo wasn’t stupid, especially to be able to pull this off. He knew we’d eventually find the car. But why would he take her? I thought Phil Palumbo lied to me about Capuzzo wanting to kill Gia, but what if he wasn’t?

  With a few quick clicks on my computer, I pulled up Vic Capuzzo’s last known address. He was a wanted man though, he wouldn’t play sitting duck waiting for someone to take him out.

  Leaning back in my chair, I thought about what I knew about Vic. Assuming what Palumbo told me wasn’t a complete lie, Vic was close to his sister Connie. It seemed almost too simple, but I looked up Connie and found her last address in the same building as one of Vic’s old addresses, a brownstone he owned. Even though she had died almost a year ago, the apartment was still in her name. I had a feeling Vic wanted to be found, but why?

  I wasn’t going to waste any time trying to figure out why. I had to get Gia and even if it was just a clue, I was going to follow it. I left my office and walked past the pool and into the house.

  Jayden was inside as I expected. As soon as I entered, he stood and grabbed the car keys off the kitchen counter.

  “No, I’m going out alone. Stay here in case she comes back.”

  I knew she wasn’t coming back without me, but I didn’t want him following me thinking he could help. I was keeping this to myself, and I would kill Vic Capuzzo if I needed to. I didn’t need anyone doing what I was perfectly capable of.

  Clicking open the garage, I backed out of the driveway in my black Maserati. Connie’s address was in Park Slope Brooklyn, near the botanical garden. It was a little too nice for a junkie.

  I sped down the expressway, weaving through traffic. Palumbo said Vic wanted to kill Gia. I still didn’t know Vic’s motives, but if that was all he wanted, he wouldn’t need to take her.

  I parked down the block from the address and walked up the street. Tall brownstones lined both sides of the quiet block. The air was cooler than I expected, and I pulled up the collar of my suit jacket to try to get some warmth.

  It was the middle of the day and no one was out, but it didn’t matter. I knew how to blend in and go unnoticed. Plus I was focused on the task at hand. I was going to rescue my angel.

  Parked in front of the address was a black Town Car. I didn’t have to run the plates to know it was registered to Bruno Vitale. The house matched all the others with its dark stone exterior and tall steps leading to the front door. A hidden set of stairs led down to another apartment, but I knew Vic was too smart to keep Gia there. I went around back where I knew a door would bring me into the kitchen of the main floor.

  The house was quiet. On the stove was a red tea kettle. I touched the kettle to see if it was hot. It was. Someone was home.

  As I entered the hall, I pulled my gun out of my shoulder holster. I still didn’t know if this was a setup, and I needed to be careful.

  A man cleared his throat in the living room, on the other side of the wall from where I was. Even if it wasn’t Vic Capuzzo, he was going to get the surprise of his life.

  Taking a quick peek into the room, I saw Gia lying on the couch. Her eyes were closed and she didn’t look good. What did this man do to her? The darkness inside me rose, and all I could think about was killing him. A single bullet into the brain was probably better than he deserved for whatever he did to my angel.

  I turned through the doorway and into the room, my gun out facing Vic, who put his hands up. My anger urged me to pull the trigger, but something in his eyes held me back.

  “Dante, wait,” he said.

  “Don’t say my name,” I growled at him. “You deserve to die for what you did to her.”

  I stepped closer, ready to pull the trigger. I didn’t care what his excuse was. I wanted him dead for hurting the woman I loved.

  “No!” Gia yelled. “Dante! Don’t!”

  Confused, I turned to look at Gia, who was trying to sit up. Out of the corner of my eye, Vic stood still. He knew better than to move, especially with my gun still pointed at his head.

  I waved the gun towards the couch, telling Vic to walk over there and kept in line with him as we got closer to Gia.

  “What’s wrong with her?” I demanded.

  “Chloroform. She’s reacting to it worse than normal,” he said.

  I knelt beside the couch and she threw her arms around me. Keeping my eye on Vic, I held her tightly against me, ready to shoot him if he tried anything.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered to Gia.

  “Yes, I’m fine, just a little dizzy. He needs to talk to you. That’s why he took me.”

  Vic nodded as I narrowed my eyes on him. He didn’t need to explain why he took her. If he needed to talk to me, this was probably the safest way.

  “You realize the Palumbos are watching you, right?” I asked.

  He nodded. “They’d be watching no matter what. That’s why I had to do what I did. There was no other way to talk to you. It’s clean here. There are no bugs, no one will know what we talked about. But if you kill me, Phil Palumbo gets what he wants.”

  “If I was going to kill you, I would have already done so.”

  “I know,” he said. “That’s how I know you’re a man of honor, unlike my uncle.”

  “What do you have to tell me?”

  “It’s about your father. It’s someone under your roof.”

  “Who?” I said, my voice booming throughout the room.

  I couldn’t help how raw I felt. I never thought I’d have to worry about someone in my own family turning on us. But every day it pointed even more to that.

  “I’m not going to say it in front of her,” he said with a tilt of his head towards Gia.

  He was right. It was better to not talk about any of this in front of her. The less she knew, the better.

  “Is it safe here?”

  “You can look around if you want. You can also check my cameras,” he said as he walked over to a wide screen desktop computer in the corner of the room.

  “Stay here,” I said to Gia.

  Vic used a similar software to what I used at home. I could tell by his stance and the few pieces of mementos around the house that
he had been in the military also. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between us.

  Everything he said checked out. The house was safe, so I felt secure in leaving Gia in the living room while Vic and I spoke in another section of the house.

  “Where can we talk?” I asked.

  “There’s a room in the front. We can see everything on the street and I’ll bring my laptop so you can make sure no one else is coming in here.”

  I nodded and went back over to Gia. Sitting next to her on the couch, I pulled her close to me again. She looked up at me and gave me a tender smile. I pressed my lips against hers, so glad to see she was okay. I hated that she was used this way, but at least I was getting closer to protecting her and the rest of my family for good.

  As I stood up, Vic walked ahead towards the hall. He put his hand out to me to shake it.

  “I’m sorry this was how we had to meet,” he said, “but what I have to tell you is very important and couldn’t wait any longer. First of all, they’re planning something at your wedding. Secondly, you need to talk to your sister.”

  “Toni?” I said with surprise.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Gia

  I wanted so badly to know what they were talking about. Had I been feeling better, I would have tried to find a place nearby where I could listen in. I knew brownstones. I grew up in one, and they didn’t have very thick walls.

  Unfortunately as they left the room together, the only thing I heard was Dante saying Toni’s name. What could she have to do with this? She loved her father and the rest of the family. There’s no way she would do anything so crazy.

  As I repositioned myself on the couch, the room spun again. I took a couple of deep breaths and then reached over to the small wooden side table where Vic had left a glass of ice water and took a sip.

  The room was bare except for the old beige tweed couch I was on, the side table, and a desk in the corner. On the wall over the couch were a few framed photos of a younger Vic in camouflage pants and boots with several other men dressed the same way.