Page 76 of Mafia King's Forbidden Vows

“He won’t. Not if you send him a Trojan file.”

“What!” She pushes the seat backward and is on her feet in no time, “You want me to corrupt my dad’s system?”

I stand, “Daughter of Deputy Chief Karl Abruzzi, married to the dangerous leader of the largest mafia in New York. That’s the headline you’ll be seeing next if you don’t do that, Princess.”

“Oh…for the love of God!” Her hands flail helplessly in the air as she stomps her feet on the ground.

“Listen, this would give us some time to plan our next moves. I’m dealing with a lot right now. I don’t need your daddy breathing down my neck!”

If eyes could kill, I would be dead from her gaze.

She grabs her handbag from the desk, “Take a really nice selfie and send it to me. Cortez will handle the rest.”

Before she can respond, my phone buzzes on the desk between us. I had texted Ezra to let me know when it was okay for us to talk. He just texted back.

I grab my phone, already dialing. “I need a minute,” I tell her, brushing past her as I head into the hallway.

Ezra picks up on the second ring. “Elio,” he says, his voice calm yet commanding as always. Even after years of being out of his service, my back straightens immediately when I hear his voice.

“We’ve got a problem,” I say, my voice low. “The NYPD is closing in on the Frank Paterson case. They reopened it a couple of weeks ago and now, they have a DNA match.”

There’s a brief pause on the other end before he speaks. “You should have told me sooner, Elio.” There’s another brief pause. My mind is running several thoughts per second.

He then continues, “Don’t worry. I have someone who can take the fall.”

“Who?”

“An ex-con who owes me. He’s one greedy, desperateanimale(animal). Promise him enough, and he’ll confess to anything.”

I feel a sliver of relief, though it’s fleeting. “You’re sure he’ll do it?”

“Positive,” Ezra says. “I’ll send you his profile. Send someone to pick him up. Make the necessary arrangements as quickly as possible.”

“I’ll send someone immediately.”

“Good,” Ezra replies. “This needs to be tied off fast.”

“But what are we going to do about the DNA match the cops already have? Especially since it matches with the new evidence they got recently? The button.”

Ezra is silent for a short time, but I know his smart brain is running several miles per hour.

“You have a smart lawyer, don’t you?” That wasn’t the question I was expecting Ezra to ask.

“Yes.”

“Then he’ll let the court know that the initial DNA has been compromised. Hence, no one can tell, without a reasonable doubt, if it represents the DNA of the suspect or not.”

Ezra’s got a point. If we convince the court that the initial DNA evidence has been contaminated−the sample could have been mixed up or tampered with during the initial investigation−it’ll be enough to cast serious doubts on the whole case. Case closed. And now that there will be a voluntary suspect who will plead guilty, nobody needs to worry about any other issues rising up later.

“I’ll speak to my lawyer and have it all sorted.”

He breathes, and I hear faint giggles of his daughter in the background.“Daddy, it’s tea time with my dolls already.”

I think he’s going to end the call when he says, “Oh, and Elio, good job. I knew you could handle the position.” There’s a hint of pride in his voice, and it tugs at my heart.

“Thank you,Capo.” Even though he’s not in the mafia anymore, he’ll forever be my boss. He made me who I am today…I owe everything to him.

When he hangs up, my mind is already moving to the next move. The Frank Paterson case is a loose thread, but Ezra’s plan will cut it clean.

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