Page 40 of Promised Vows

The guy looked at him. “I just paid for my beer.”

Max threw a few bills at him. “Hit the road.”

Fisting the cash, the guy stuffed it in his coat as he left. “Losers,” he grumbled as he stumbled out.

While I settled into a booth, Rama locked the bar, closed the blinds, and put up the closed sign. He joined me, and soon after, Forty-seven and Max. Hutch arrived last with my drink.

“You here about Michael Georgiou?” asked Rama.

I held his gaze and nodded as I took a sip of my drink. Roughly a year ago, he’d had a situation that needed attention. That was my first time lending my talents to help one of them. Since then, I’d given information a few times when they had needed it.

Max eyed me. “Georgiou wanted to align with the Italians. They weren’t interested until he suggested human trafficking.”

Hutch leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “The deal included Georgiou’s daughter. Moretti wanted her. The families would unite and run the city using Georgiou’s water access to bypass law enforcement.”

Taking a sip of my drink, I nodded, keeping my cool at the mention of Anna.

Forty-seven leaned back. “Remember the last police chief? The one before Edwards?”

“Williams. A little too nosy about guns and drugs,” I said. Back then, he was making my family’s business a little riskier. We’d lost an entire warehouse because of that guy, but as far as I knew, he wasn’t a pedophile.

Nodding, Forty-seven smiled. “That’s right. He made all those news appearances about cleaning up the city.”

Hutch grunted. “He lived six months longer than I thought he would. Benoit took care of him. When Georgiou and Moretti found out, they wanted him so they could take advantage of his connections.”

Interesting. I had to wonder if Benoit went behind Michael’s back and used his connections and Claire’s trust fund to push him out.

“Moretti hated the guy,” Forty-seven added.

“The chief or Benoit?” I asked.

“Yes,” Rama said.

I set my glass on the table. “Why the sudden interest in sex trafficking?” It was lucrative, but the Moretti family was old money. If Micheal was aligning with them, why’d he need a new venture?

“Lower risk,” Rama said. “A new, global market makes it appealing.”

Hutch nodded. “Everyone knew of Marco’s predilection. He’s been into the young ones for a long time. Michael used that weakness. He’d suffered losses due to Chief Williams’ crackdown on crime. Not only did he need the money, but he needed the muscle too.”

“What about the brother, Gabriele?” I asked.

I’d kept my misgivings about Gabriele to myself so far. That story he’d told in Lucas’s office was certainly believable, but war was a long game and that was one battle. I wondered if he’d set up the whole thing to get Lucas’s trust. In my mind, the fact that Marco was still alive made him even more suspect.

Rama eyed me. “That one’s trickier. The information is older, sketchier, and a little unreliable. Gabe tells people he lost his birthright in a poker game, but of the two brothers, he’s the smartest. I can’t see him betting something like that or losing it.”

“No,” the rest of the guys agreed in unison.

I’d planned to keep that entire encounter with Gabriele to myself, but now, I’d changed my mind. I wanted to see their reactions. They didn’t disappoint.

Max exchanged a look with Hutch. "Watch your back with Gabriele. Marco's ruthless, sure, but Gabriele? He's on another level entirely. That's why I can't buy Marco as the real head of the family. He paused a beat. “Gabriele's always three steps ahead, minimum. Loyalty? Non-existent. He only cares about money, power, and women - not necessarily in that order.”

Rama nodded. “If Gabriele even suspected Benoit short-changed him, he wouldn't hesitate to set Benoit up. And Marco? He might not have a clue it's happening right under his nose.”

I finished off my drink and stood. “Well, gentlemen, this has been informative. I appreciate the drink.”

“Good to see you, Ari. Congrats on your upcoming wedding.” Hutch grinned.

“Thank you.” I smiled and nodded as I left the bar.

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