Page 62 of King of Omen

First, my brother gave Mauri and me an update on the assassin Mia had shot and was still alive.

‘I questioned the man in a safe house far from the city,’ Vitto said. ‘He’s ex-paramilitary, a merc for hire who says he and his mate were paid to off you. By an anonymous client who compensated them in crypto on the dark web.’

‘I assume it was the Abrazzios,’ Mauri murmured.

‘Most likely, however, we’ve no proof,’ I sighed. ‘But let’s send some of our foot soldiers to the streets of Naples to see what they find out.’

We roped in Valerio, still stationed in Napoli, made a series of calls, pulled strings, and got Alessio involved.

In hours, we had some bites.

Valerio reported, ‘Word on the street is the Abrazzio family is flailing. Carlo is getting more desperate about not being caught, and Ricco is livid at how his sons executed your ambush in Naples. It was untidy and loud and brought them unnecessary heat. We think Carlo then ordered your hit with the assassins.’

Ricco, the current Abrazzio Don, was one of the oldest Mafia bosses not behind bars or deceased. The once influential family was now in disarray. His firstborn son, Petro, was nothing more than a former inmate trying to maintain an image of godfather status on the streets. He had none of the cache and authority as his predecessors.

His brothers and cousins were just as ineffectual, more interested in partying, fast cars, alcohol, women, and social media rather than upholding the traditions and power of the Mafia way of life.

The Abrazzios were also losing market share to the vicious Eastern European and Calabrian drug gangs who had bypassed the Naples mafia when forging ties with Colombian narcos, control ports and transport firms.

As well, the economic downturn meant many families were compelled to decrease their protection money demands.

As a result, the Abrazzios’ paranoia was off the charts, and they were terrified that if we ever shared their secrets, Carlo would be found, and Ricco would face prosecution and jail.

The problem was that by coming after us and trying to intimidate or kill us, they’d forced our hand. Now, we intended to stop them from striking us again

We devised a fledgling plan.

One that would circumvent Omertà but still give us the outcome we sought.

This involved tapping into our existing surveillance network. We’d invested millions in placing industry-leading UAVs throughout the domiciles, business establishments, clubs, and bars of our clients and enemies.

The sophisticated mini machines were kitted with the best resolution cameras. They streamed live footage to a secure, encrypted server and were outfitted with microphones that had the capability to pick up every whispered conversation.

Drones were able to evade bug sweeps and monitor vast areas in real-time, providing continuous monitoring that humans alone could not achieve.

They reduced the need for a sizeable on-ground security presence. Ours, designed to be versatile, were also equipped with various sensors, such as thermal cameras or facial recognition technology, to enhance their surveillance capabilities.

We planned to employ them across all legal and illegal Abrazzio domiciles and business establishments.

Using covert channels, we intended to hand the subsequent wiretaps, videos, and files over to specific individuals. Who, depending on what we’d found, would exact their vengeance on the Abrazzios and their extended clans gunning for us.

We were aware the Abrazzios had some weak ass security, and we figured with our resources, we’d reach closer to them than they ever imagined.

We’d also stop all money transfers to the accounts funding Carlo’s fugitive life. To survive, he’d need to come out into the open, exposing him to capture.

It was a gamble, but if it paid off, it would end our ordeal with the Abrazzios and start a new era for the Calibrese family, our chance to rebuild and move forward,

I thought of the woman under my roof, how her eyes had widened in shock at the sight of the man whom I’d downed, how she’d then dealt with the assassin she’d taken out.

She’d spent most of the day studying in her room while Vitto, Mauri, Valerio, Alessio and I discussed our strategy.

Later, however, she made us lunch and brought us mugs of coffee and sweet, hot pastries as we worked through the afternoon.

‘Don’t get used to this, handsome,’ she whispered in my ear as she lay down a cup in front of me. ‘I am NOT the hired help.’

When I huffed in amusement. ‘Touche, bella. Grazie. We don’t deserve you,’ I smirked.

Winking at her, I followed her delectable ass as it left the room.

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