Page 16 of The Diávolos: Part Two
Hendrick is my go-to when it comes to vetting the legitimacy of a product before I even make a deal. However, things have been difficult for him lately, too. Angelica’s father has been trying to bring his filth into their territory for decades, even before Hen took over as the Don. Drugs, extortion, robbery, and what we’ve found out most recently: kidnapping and child trafficking.
I always knew that piece of shit Kouvalakis was into some fucked up stuff, but never would I have guessed it had anything to do with the mistreatment of little girls.
The Ortiz, Santiago, Diaz, Reyes, Betancourt and Sanchez families are all on board with my plan to bring the Kouvalakis family down, and I’ve been plotting with Hendrick ever since I laid foot in his territory a year ago.
The helicopter’s engine startles me out of my thoughts. As it prepares to take off again, I walk past Sebastian and Gregory with Xander close behind and start my descent toward the elevator that will bring me straight into my penthouse. The four of us hop in just as my phone rings. I pick up.
“Dion, talk to me.”
“The men are in place, and I’m on my way to you right now.”
I check my watch. “Right on time. Thanks, D.”
I enter my apartment, and I’m struck with the scent of new furniture and cleaning products. I feel no relief or comfort. I’ve had this place for a few years now and it still hasn’t lost its new apartment smell. The space feels familiar in a way, but it still needs one final piece to bring it to life.And she isn’t here.
I asked Helen, my housekeeper, to stock the kitchen for my return, so I walk straight to the fridge and grab a bottle of Mastiqua.
The elevator dings and Dion strolls out the door with his arms in the air. “Afentikó! Welcome back, you son of a bitch!” He approaches me for a hug.
“Get the hell away from me, Dion.” I dodge his embrace. “I saw you last week.”
“Ánte gamísou. I’ve missed you,” he retorts while making kissing faces.
I shake my head. “Can you be normal for two fucking minutes. Is everything in place?”
Dion straightens his leather jacket and gets serious. “Yes, I’ve got men stationed at the port, either hidden or dressed as workers. Xan broke into the existing cameras and sent the feeds to our system. Our hackers installed undetectable ones throughout the location. Whoever is stealing from us doesn’t stand a chance.”
In the past couple of months, several of our shipments have either gone missing or been sabotaged. Crates of bullets have been tampered with, the ammunition no longer usable. Unexplained lost product and cargo.
“They better not. We need to finally catch those motherfuckers. Xander has gone through every delivery route, questioned every employee, and I’ve spoken to all our partners overseas—”
“But no one has any idea where any of it is going,” Dion finishes my sentence.
We’ve even sent undercover men to my suppliers in Albania and the product is always packed and sent over properly. The people responsible for this could be working from within, and I have to find out who the rats are before it’s too late. A flash of irritation pricks at me. They’ve cost me millions and played with my fucking name.
The next ship is set to arrive at the port in an hour. I wanted to be here to watch the feeds as the story unfolds. Cebrene Harbor is controlled by the Kouvalakis and is the only way in and out for imports and exports for all the other families too. Peter would be a fool to steal from anyone at the port. It would instill suspicion within the mob and trust would be broken, not only in me, but in the other clans. It would put him in an impossible position, and he’d be forced to step down as the Godfather. But I wouldn’t put it past him to act irrationally during this turf war.
“Get comfortable, fellas. We’re going to be here for the next little while. Seb, Greg, you can stay out here. D, come with me to my office. Xan, call Marco and make sure the feeds are live.”
They all nod, and I start down the hallway.
As soon as I step into my office, I’m hit with the memory of watching Angelica through the many screens set up on my desk and it almost dizzies me. I remember sitting on that chair, intently focused on her as she hopped into an armored car. It was the first time I’d ever texted her. The same uncontrollable urge to make her happy then, I feel now. I shake all those thoughts away.Focus on your future.Butsheis my future. I can go months without talking to her, weeks without seeing her, but not a second goes by that I don’t think about her.
I settle onto my chair and turn it to face the windows behind my desk. It’s a gloomy day, an overcast covers the sky, and the streets are quiet and calm. A clear indication that rain is coming. The droplets start spitting down, and I stare up for a few moments. I close my eyes and count to five, running my hands through my unruly hair. With each count, I can sense a gradual shift in my focus. I redirect my thoughts away from the source of my anxiety, allowing the numbers to act as a sort of mental anchor.
Many people despise the rain, but I rather enjoy it. It allows life to take a break, slow down, and while others wait for the storm to pass, I use that time to plot and act.
With the final count, I've reached total calm again.
Dion clears his throat. “Evan, are you good?”
I nearly forgot he was here. I swirl around and turn on the computer. “Yeah, I’m good.” I don’t want to get into the countless things running through my mind, so I force myself to focus on the next forty-five minutes.
Dion pulls a chair next to mine and we open fifteen camera feeds over three monitors. The five on the left show clear viewsof the harbor at different angles. The middle screen has the warehouse and surrounding cameras. And the third monitor has eyes on the roads leading up to the port and one aerial view from a drone feed.
It’s now raining hard, so our vision is a little obscured, but we watch attentively as the many mole workers go back and forth, preparing for the shipment to arrive. We’ve equipped them all with hidden microphones, and I hear Xander in the hall, talking to one of the guys through his earpiece.
He joins us in the office and stands behind Dion and me. “The cargo ship will pull up to the dock in a couple minutes, boss.”
