Page 83 of Demon's Angel

“So there’s time. But as the underboss, he’ll take over for now. Until a new don is elected.” Roberto has taken over again. “You will meet to get his guidance. Then he’ll return to where he’s holed up with Violet. He has, shall we say, a personal interest in her?”

“That business about her baby?”

Lucio nods, then glances that way. “We will track Angelino back to his hide-out.”

The plan will take time. My head rests in my hands. Time, I hope, that we have.

Fabbri suddenly raps his hand on the table. “You were asking about properties. I tagged along with Angel a year or so back. He seemed interested in a property that was for sale. It’s not on your list. Maybe he didn’t proceed with it. Didn’t think much of it at the time, we’re always toying with properties to store shit or hole up.”

I exchange a glance with Drummer, then look at thecapo. “Where is it?”

As he reels off an address, I text Mace, and pass it on, telling him to get eyes on it and then wait. It sounds promising, so I want to be in on it.

“If anyone thinks of anywhere else. Let me know. I’ll make sure the information gets into the right hands. And,” Roberto’s eyes come to mine, there’s an iciness in them. “If you come across Angel before us…”

“Can’t guarantee I won’t kill him. He puts hands on my woman? He’s a dead man.”

Thecapos’ eyes go to the don. Lucio closes his briefly, then opens them. “It if had been my Maria… Another had his hands on her? Raped her? I’d have gutted him on the spot. Can any of you say different?”

Like the club, the Mafia are all about family. No man objects. But they don’t comment either. One way or another, whoever finds him first, Angel’s dead. It’s by whose hand that’s in question.

The meeting is over. As thecaposstart taking their leave of their ‘dead’ don, going to put Roberto’s succession plans into place, I know we won’t be invited to attend any further gathering.

“As soon as we know where Angel’s hiding, I’ll be in touch. I guarantee it.” I trust Roberto. He knows what’s at stake.

“If I get any leads, I’ll do likewise.”

I’m impatient to be off. I might have sent Mace there, but I want to investigate this place myself.

Hold on, Vi, I’m coming.I just hope we don’t arrive too late.

It feels good to be doing something. Anything, rather than sitting around talking. Joining the search at least makes me feel I’m closer to Vi. Hell and I speed away from the don’s house as fast as our bikes will go. When we catch up with the enforcer and Ink, Mace updates me on the places he’s already visited, many properties Angelino might own, but wouldn’t frequent, or, not personally. No, the drug dens would be supplied by his men. Likewise, the strip club, which certainly appears to offer no threat to Tits Up. The next house was in a residential area but set well back from the road. In the street there was a kid out chopping the next-door hedge. Ink, being the least threatening, had approached, asked, and received the information that nobody lives there, or no one he’s seen.

“Where was it?” Hell asks.

“What is it?” The sharpness of Hell’s tone catches my attention. Something’s got him thinking.

“I don’t know. Just a feeling.”

His nose is spot on. The address matches the one thecapohad mentioned Angel had thought about buying. Mace might have dismissed it; it’s gone to the top of my list.

I ring Cad, asking for more info.

“Don’t have much, Prez. Angel bought it a year ago. Nothing on who’s living there now.”

According to the neighbour’s kid, no one at all. Or, someone who doesn’t want to be seen.

“Any rear access?”

“Just pulling the maps up. Shit. Yes. A track. Google Earth shows it’s possible to get an off-road four-wheeler up there.”

That’s enough for me. “Hell. I want to go to that house. You come with me.”

“We’ll all go,” Mace says. “Prez, if I missed something…”

I clasp his shoulder and squeeze it. “You’re trying to cover a lot of ground fast, Mace. Ain’t nothing gonna fall back on you.”

It’s not that far. We park a discreet distance away, then proceed on foot. The house itself can’t be seen from the street. As I view the driveway, it certainly does look unused, weeds growing up through the cracks. But there’s an approach from the rear, Cad had said.

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