Page 39 of The Sting of Love
He hands me a phone. When I look at the screen I almost breathe fire. On it is one of the pictures of Amadeo, Leo and Xiou that Gibbs got for us last week. Those pictures are in the safe in my office.
I growl unleashing my rage. Glaring at Dushkin, I pull out one of my guns and hit him with the back of it. He wails as he falls back to the ground and shields his face.
“You motherfucker!” I seethe. The fucker is a spy, a rat, and he’s clearly been snooping and sharing intel.
“He’s been calling Mario as well, last call was early this morning just before we met at the house,” Lois says. “He got a message from a guy called Jacki giving the heads up. Jacki’s on the security team here.”
So this is the answer. Fucking Jacki was with us earlier. He worked with us for hours and I never suspected him. Everything that’s happening though is exactly what we suspected. Fuck. This is such shit.
“I can explain,” Dushkin says quickly.
I laugh without humor. “I’m gonna love to hear this. Go ahead, make my day.”
“I was…” He pauses and looks at me, eyes darting back and forth, sweat beading on his upper lip and in his light blond hair. “He just wanted to keep updated. That’s all, nothing strange.”
“You broke into my office and into my safe!” I point out.
“I didn’t mean any harm by it. I…I…I’m kitchen staff I thought you wouldn’t tell me what was going on if I ask. That was all.”
I’ve had enough of this. This guy here must think I was born yesterday. I send a kick to his groin and he starts crying.
“Motherfucker, you expected me to believe that? Tell me what’s going on right the fuck now!” I bellow.
“I don’t know anything.” He winces.
“Fuck you, dog. You got into my safe. Very skilled for a kitchen worker.” I need to get everything out of that safe. I foolishly thought I’d keep everything business related here instead of my house. “Tell me what is happening. Mario is up to something, and you’re all in on it.”
That’s my fear. I think we just brushed the tip of the shit with our discovery and whatever is happening is still happening. Mario is still at work. I’m also very aware that as much as I thought I hadn’t underestimated him, I did. We all did.
“Please… I don’t know.”
He’s lying. I can tell he is.
“What are you people trying to hide?” It’s obvious they don’t want us to stop their plans.
“I don’t know anything,” he continues to maintain.
Fucker.He’s lying, and he’s obviously not scared enough of me to tell the truth. Maybe he needs a little help. Gibbs stands back, and Lois and Saul make room for me as I lunge for him and hold my knives at his throat. The bastard starts crying harder, weeping.
“I will cut out your viperous tongue if you say that one more time. Tell me now. What. Is. Going. On!” I press the blade of the knife to his throat harder, and the skin breaks.
“Mario… he has more arrangements to get girls to Xiou. Their using the hotel as the base. They have a few more business deals to settle. Billion dollar deals with clients. He was working with a lot of people from before Pablo retired. When Pablo left, it opened the door for easy work. You… weren’t supposed to find out. Mario promised he had it under wraps.”
Listen to him singing like a canary. I knew there was more shit. I just knew it, and now we have confirmation.
“But we did find out.” And now I have more questions. “Now tell me what exactly is Mario doing for Xiou that he can’t do for himself?”
Xiou wouldn’t need a guy like Mario. There has to be more to this story.
“He has access to people who will buy the girls.” His voice shakes when I grit my teeth. I think of Amadeo and Leo. Who else is involved that we know? “And the hotels are perfect to get girls.”
“What else is there?” I demand.
“He sets up the sales with Xiou. When the money comes in he puts it through the business. The hotel has basically become the central point for the exchange.”
I groan inwardly.
That would explain how Claudius’ name came up in evidence. The feds are always trying to find ways to investigate our earnings. This shit would have definitely made their day. Money from selling girls and evidence of selling girls. And the plans are still in motion. If this all blew up Claudius would get the blame.Shit.
