Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 163540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 818(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 818(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
“Hello, Jessica,” Alexander says.
It’s nice to be addressed by my real name for a change. I’ve never worked undercover before. It’s felt weird being called Jennifer all the time.
“Hello.” I smile. We have these phone conferences every two to three days. Today I’m excited. I have new information.
“How’s everything going?” Smithson asks.
“Great. I’ve made some progress since we last spoke.”
“How so?”
“Enrico and Olivia just became engaged. I pretended that I’m an event planner, which led to Olivia asking me to help her with the engagement party.”
“That’s fantastic.” Alexander smiles. “Great work. We need to plant bugs throughout the house as soon as possible. Did you manage to plant one in Olivia’s handbag yet?”
“No, unfortunately I haven’t been left alone with it long enough. Her friend Natalie was at the table when we had a coffee. It’s ready and waiting, though, so as soon as I get her alone, I’ll activate it. I’ve started wearing a body wire in case she slips up in general conversation. She knows everything. She’s no dummy.”
“Good, more than ever we need intel. We are so close to bringing him down—closer than ever before.”
“Has something new happened?”
“Yes.” They flick up the screen in front of them and a series of images. “Have you seen this man before?”
I study the images of two men having coffee in what looks like a café. “One looks familiar. The one with the lighter hair.”
“Yes, you would have seen him at times with Olivia. His name is Sergio Morelli. In the past, he’s been the kingpin in the narcotics arm of Ferrara. Ten years ago, he started out as the hitman for Stephano, but his business brain soon got him a promotion. He ran the Sicily and Roma cocaine circuit for years. We haven’t had any new intel on the drug situation for over eighteen months—not since Enrico took over. Not until this week.”
I keep looking over the images as I listen to their story. “What happened?”
“See this man he is having coffee with?”
I look at the images of an older man in a suit. Distinguished, he doesn’t appear to be Italian. “Yes.”
“This is Adolfo Rodriguez.”
My mouth falls open in surprise. “The Adolfo Rodriguez?” I gasp.
Alexander smiles smugly. “Yes, and you know what this means?”
Adolfo Rodriguez is the biggest cocaine supplier in the world. “Holy shit,” I whisper.
“Up until now, Adolfo has been untouchable. Nobody has seen him in public for years. It’s no coincidence that he’s in Milan now.”
Nerves swirl in my stomach. This case just became super important. I can’t fuck this up. “You think Ferrara is going back into drugs?” I ask.
“Sergio and Adolfo had this meeting, and three days later a large shipment of something arrived by water, which was unloaded directly onto Enrico Ferrara’s yacht in Monte Carlo.”
My eyes widen. “You think it was cocaine?”
“We’re sure of it, and by the size of the shipment, we’re talking a large multi-million-euro deal. It’s enough to put Ferrara away for a very long time. Thirty years, minimum”
“Wow,” I whisper.
“The yacht is being watched around the clock. Hopefully, you will get those wires in place before they try and move it and we are forced to close in. The more solid evidence we have, the cleaner the court case will be.”
I nod with renewed determination.
“Jessica, I can’t stress enough how important it is that you get some wires into their properties. We need this case to be watertight. Forty years of Ferrara’s crime hold over Italy will come to an end if you can come through on this. More than ever, this case is crucial.”
I force a smile, a fission of guilt running through me. I wish I didn’t like Olivia. It would be so much easier to ruin her life if she was a bitch.
But I knew what I was doing before I took this job, and Enrico is a low life criminal. In the long run, she’s better off without him. I’m actually doing her a favor by locking him up for life.
“What if they try and move the drugs before we get any evidence?” I ask.
“Then we have to close in, and we can charge him based on possession alone. But if we have extra incriminating information, it will only help us further.”
“Okay.”
“When is this engagement party?” Alexander asks.
“It’s next weekend. I’m going to need some help organizing it. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“Let us handle everything. All of the catering staff will be undercover police. You will be well covered and completely safe. This is the perfect scenario. Good work, Jessica.”
I smile proudly. “Thank you.” I hunch my shoulders together. “I’ll report back tonight when I have some of the party details.”
“Have a nice day.” The screen goes black, and I stare at it for a moment.
Wow, shit just got real.
Enrico
I lie in the darkness and listen to Olivia’s regulated breathing.