Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 115272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Not exactly the type of people I’d expect to see with the billionaire business tycoon, but from the little crash course I’d given myself on the way here, no one seems to have been able to pigeonhole this guy for decades. The fact that he not only outwitted the feds but married one puts him high on my list, though.
“OK; what is it that you want?”
“First off, how much do you know about what your son is up to?”
“What do you mean by that?” We had a kind of stare-off, but I didn’t get the asshole vibe coming from this guy.
“Clear the room!” He said deadpan, and I held up my hand for Tommy and his team and pointed them towards the exit.
“Boss!”
“I’m good.”
Even if everyone in this room had it out for me, Andros’ grandfather doesn’t operate that way, and neither does his grandson. Mancini, for all the speculation about him, is known to be an upstanding guy, so I don’t think I’d have to pull either of the guns I have strapped to my person. The fact that Andros hadn’t had his men check me when I walked in also assures me that this wasn’t a hit. And beyond all that, there’s no reason for them to want to take me out.
“Okay, they’re gone.”
“I know what happened in Sicily.” I jumped out of the chair at his words
“Calm down, Russo, it’s not that kind of party.” Andros stepped forward, but Mancini held up his hand. The others hadn’t even moved.
“I’m not here for that; I’m here because I want to save your son.”
“Why?” What do you know about my son?”
“I know that he’s a genius, and that’s my business. I collect geniuses.” What the what? So not what I was expecting.
“What’re you talking about?”
“Children who are extremely intelligent.”
“And what do you do with these children?”
“We’re trying to bring them together and use them to help other children. That’s what we do. We save the helpless and the weak.”
“OK, but I repeat, what does this have to do with Gabriel?”
“I did some research. I know what happened to your wife in Sicily. I know why he’s trying to kill Alonzo Ricci.”
“How could you know that?”
“That’s not important right now; what is important is that your son is not only planning to kill Ricci, but he also plans on losing his life as well.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because I know your son’s mind; because it’s just like mine and yours too. If she was your mother, what would you have done?” I guess my face gave me away because he went on to finish.
“I do have to say, though, from what little I’ve learned about you in the last couple of hours, I’m a little bit surprised that you didn’t handle this yourself a long time ago.”
What the hell is going on here? How could these people know so much?
“It’s not that, I would’ve taken care of it as you say, but I didn’t know where her father was for the last twenty years.
“What do you mean?
“Her father disappeared after the night he went to Ricci’s place to retaliate. Poof gone.”
“Do you think that fuck would still be alive all this time if I knew where her father was?”
“So, you’re trying to find her father, but now we’re in a race against the clock. I can find her father. I can take Ricci out, and your son’s hands can stay clean. I can help you with that. Let me help your son.” I didn’t bother telling him that we had him, not yet, not until I knew more.
“You’re going to stop my son? Good luck! “ “Yeah, we can do it; we have resources you don’t. I’ll figure out something, but we cannot let Gabriel do what he’s planning.”
“You mind telling me how you know all this?” He told me about Gabe’s computer friend and the fact that he’s had the kid looking into one of Ricci’s friends, one of the women the nun had told him about, one of the women my wife had told me had been there that night. It checked out.
“Well, you’d better hurry up because Gabe is going to Sicily in the morning.”
“Shit, that soon? Why didn’t you say something sooner? We’ve got to stop him. Is there anything you can give me, anything we can use to keep him here?”
For some reason, my mind went to the girl. I’m almost certain that if Gabe knew where she was, it would buy us a couple of days at least. “There’s this girl, Gia Fontane. She disappeared two years ago. Gabe's been looking for her ever since.”
“Wait, why does that name sound familiar?” Mancini looked around at his friends.
“She’s in the picture.” The Lyon guy answered.
"What's the story there? Why do you think she's key?"
"Because she's the one he loves. If what you say is true, which is something I've suspected all along. I think he may have sent her away to protect her from any sort of blowback."