Page 57 of Consumed By the Mafia

Before she could even give the command, her fake-FBI backup moved forward and hauled Silva back into view. They wrestled him into submission until the familiar sound of handcuffs being snapped into place filled the air. The locking of the cuffs seemed to sap the fight from their target and Silva slumped, barely staying on his feet.

Keeping up the charade, Abigail laid a hand on his shoulder and, in a clear, no-nonsense tone, fired off the Miranda Rights she was sure he himself had violated on numerous occasions. She had no proof of that, of course. He just struck her as that kind of man.

“What’s going on out here?” Mrs. Silva demanded, rushing to the door as they turned away.

Benny glanced to Abigail before shifting to face the wife, whom he was closest to, and saying, “Your husband’s under arrest. That’s all we can tell you right now.”

Mrs. Silva gaped. “D-do you not know who he is?” she finally screeched.

They were mostly off the slow climb of steps by then, so Abigail motioned for the men to take over handling their grumbling and unsettled target. She turned and faced the wife,raising her badge again without approaching. “This is FBI business, Mrs. Silva. We don’tcarewho your husband is.” She inclined her head. “My apologies for disturbing your evening.” Probably the wife had some degree of awareness as to her husband’s misbehavior, but Abigail had no proof of that, so she had nothing to leverage against her.

While her back was turned, Silva found his second wind, apparently, because male grunting reached Abigail’s ears before Silva’s pompous voice cried, “You can’t just show up and haul me away like this! I’m the goddamn chief of police!”

Abigail sighed, tucked her badge away, and walked over to help her compatriots. She pulled open the door to the SUV they were using, then took hold of one of Silva’s arms and helped Benny wrangle the man inside unceremoniously. “Then you ought to understand that federal authority trumps local police. But by all means, keep running your mouth.” She smiled too sweetly at him when he lifted his glare to her, stepped back, and let Benny slam the door shut.

As previously agreed, she and Benny hopped into the front seats while their third slipped into the SUV with Ryoma. Abigail glanced at the grate that separated the front and back row of seats, silently questioning why the De Salvos had such a vehicle. Probably she didn’t want to know. Out loud, as they buckled in, and for the sake of the ears still listening, she said, “Let’s take him in.”

Benny nodded and rolled the engine over.

Abigail spotted Mrs. Silva running across the lawn, waving a phone, as they pulled from the curb. She was almost positiveshe’d read the word ‘lawyer’ on the woman’s lips.Really?Abigail bit back a sigh and shifted her focus forward.

Rodrigo kicked at her seat aggressively. “No fuckin’ way you’re real FBI, bitch. You think I don’t remember you? You’re probably all De Salvo’s fucking morons, right? You went running to your sugar daddy the other day and planned this whole thing to try and ruin me, but it’s not gonna work!”

Abigail’s eyebrows went up and she tipped her head to the side.

Someone snorted in her ear.

“That’s going to be a real interesting statement for the record,” she said. “Care to clarify what it is I couldpossiblyhave to complain about in the first place, dear police chief?”

“You’re a slut who got her panties in a wad,” Silva spat. “How should I know why?”

“Wow,” Benny said, chiming in unexpectedly. “He’s more charming than you said.”

Abigail settled in her seat. “His personality medication must wear off over the course of the day.”

Benny chuckled.

“Baby girl,” Ryoma said in her ear, his voice oddly strained, “don’t go flirting with Benny. I like Benny.”

Abigail bit her lips and rolled her eyes. She also noticed the way Benny flexed his hands over the wheel, as if he were suddenly anxious. In the interest of saving face for the next few minutes, Abigail found her voice and projected it for the jerk in the back. “Hey, chief, what’s a dirty cop’s philosophy on brutality?”

Silva made an inarticulate sound before finally asking, “What the hell kind of question is that?”

She raised her hands and mimicked shrugging so he might be able to see. “Oh, I just thought, if you’re going to keep insulting me like that, maybe I’d take advantage of your obviously lax rules to vent my frustration.”

He scoffed. “Please. A bitch like you definitely gets off on degradation.”

“Jesus,” Benny muttered.

Abigail didn’t bother containing her facial expression. “An asshole like you has no idea what gets me off.” She watched through the windshield as Benny swung the SUV onto a single-wide and deceptively long driveway. There was a house set back, hidden by the darkness of the night and utterly out of sight from the road.

Of course, Silva kept going. “Seems to me you have a thing for Japanese pencil dicks.”

Abigail had no clue who it was that cursed in her ear. She was only mostly sure it wasn’t Benny, though Benny definitely made a choking sound and brought one fist to his lips as if to silence himself. Or restrain himself in some way.

Ryoma was concerningly silent.

Abigail bit her lips until she was sure she could speak without destroying the ruse. It probably no longer mattered, but in her mind, she wanted to keep him thinking he was in federal custody as long as she could. Get him talking willingly if at all possible. She held no delusions that they’d get everything they needed that way. It just felt like a valuablegoal.

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