Page 57 of Forced Arrangement

“Yes?” I try not to be short with him. Maybe he had something useful to tell me.

“Well, you seem like you might be looking for someone…or something,” he stammers. “Is it your…girlfriend that you skated with?”

I nod. “My wife, yes.” I describe her briefly to the young man, and he nods.

He swallows hard, “I think I saw her being pushed into a big, black car over there by the dumpsters. I was taking out the trash from the skating rink. A man…he looked like mafia…like you…he was dragging her, and then he pushed her into the car and they drove off.” He gulps again and gives me an apologetic look.

I nod. “That’s helpful. Where did the car go?”

“That way,” the man says, pointing in the direction of the docks. I saw them take the first left at the corner of the park, and then another right.”

“Thank you,” I say to him. “What’s your name?”

He shakes his head. “It’s okay. No need to do anything for me,” he says as he hurries off.

I sigh. Everyone in this city knew a mob man when they saw one. I didn’t blame him. It was brave of him to stick his neck out at all.

They went to the docks based on what a witness said, I texted Franco and my guards.

I’ll pick you guys up, Franco sent back. He dropped a pin in the chat, and I moved toward it.

The docks. We had just blown up the shipment of illegal goods that Guiseppe had stashed there, but I didn’t think he would take her to a place that we were already familiar with.

I can't help but ponder the rumors that I had been looking into about his interest in human trafficking.

I didn’t know a lot about the business since it is entirely despicable, but I know that most of the men who participated in it own ships that are used for other purposes. The women and children were typically smuggled inside metal shipping containers that are labeled as innocuous goods.

I pull out my phone. I need to call in a favor. I look at the contact in my phone and grimace.

I hate bringing Rudolpho Masi into this. He left years ago, made a clean break. But I need the help of a skilled hacker and he is the best person to reach out to for this kind of need.

I hesitate, thinking of the day that I had handed him his forged documents.

Rudolpho was a small, slender man, entirely ordinary, but his dark eyes blazed with intensity in his narrow face. If you never met his gaze, you would have no idea who you were dealing with. He has the perfect cover in his ordinariness. Only his eyes ruin his disguise.

He had wanted to go to a place with a beach to surf, sip on fruity drinks and stay away from trouble. The FBI had wanted tohire him, but he had an everlasting hatred of cops and couldn’t bring himself to hack for them.

I helped him escape. I was proud of that. I hated the idea of bringing him into this.

“Nothing else to do,” I mutter to myself, making the decision to do it.

I hit the call button as I strode toward the pin that Franco had sent. The line is ringing as I climb into the car. I was afraid that Rudolpho wouldn’t pick up, but then I heard his tight, staccato voice on the other end of the line.

“Long time no chat, Angelo.”

I let out a sigh. “I need a favor, Rudy.”

“I thought so,” Rudy answers sagely.

“It’s Sophia. Guiseppe has her.”

There was a silence on the end of the line. Rudy had grown up as part of Sophia’s father’s house. He would have been one of the children who played with her when she was small.

“She’s back?” he asks, his voice tighter than usual.

“We’re married. We honored the betrothal. Guiseppe is not happy.”

“Clearly,” he says drily. “Fine. What do you need?”

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