Page 32 of Vincenzo
AMALIA
Once again, I’ve been doing my best to avoid Carlos while I try and figure out what to do about the DiMaggios. He’s been up my ass the past couple of days, making suggestions, and each time, I play it off like I’ll take it into consideration, and then I leave the room or change the subject. If I keep this up, he’s going to end up getting suspicious of me, which is why I’ve decided I need to meet with Vincenzo. We need to have a civilized conversation and lay everything out on the table.
As I lie here in bed, staring at the ceiling of my suite, my phone rings.
“You got good news for me, Esteban?” I say, answering the phone.
“Sí. I was able to hack intoSeñor DiMaggio’scameras in his penthouse. It wasn’t easy. Their system is nearly impenetrable, but I got in. He’s not there right now.”
“Perfect.”
I want to catch him off guard. Every time I’ve had a conversation with him, it’s been onhisterms. He’s alwaysprepared, waiting for me to come to him or barging in on me at inopportune times, so this time, I’m taking the lead.
“When will you be heading over?” Esteban asks.
I sit up in bed and swing my legs over the edge. “Heading over now. I’m not sure when he’s going to show back up, so keep an eye on the cameras, and I’ll let you know when I get there. You’ll be able to gain access to it, right?”
“I should be able to, but there might be a backup override system in place, so it’s best we try it when you’re there. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to gain access for.”
“Are you saying I could get stuck in the elevator, Esteban?”
“Possibly.”
“Well, at least you’re honest,” I mumble, grabbing my coat off the chair. “I’m on my way now. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“There’s only one way to access the penthouse elevator. You need to go to the private underground garage on the north side of the building. There will be a biometric identification system I’ll need to override to let you in.”
How fancy …
“Got it. I’ll call you in a bit.”
When I leave the suite, Carlos isn’t anywhere to be found, but I’m thankful for that. I didn’t want to have to come up with an excuse as to where I was going.
When I get to the address Esteban sent me, I locate the underground garage and call him.
“I’m here,” I say into my phone.
“Un momento,”he says.One moment.
After what feels like several long minutes of me skittishly glancing around the area to see if Vincenzo is going to pop up, the large garage door starts opening and Esteban finally speaks. “Got it.”
“That’s it?” I ask him.
“There should be an elevator to the left. I’m working on that now.”
I quickly make my way to the elevator while the garage door closes behind me. After another few minutes, the elevator doors slide open and I wait to see if any alarms will go off, but it’s silent.
“Damn, Esteban,” I say, quirking a brow even though he can’t see me. “I’m impressed.”
He chuckles. “I know. I’m good.”
The elevator starts moving only a few seconds after I get on.
“Now is that it?” I ask him.
“Sí. I disengaged the cameras so he won’t have access to those either. You’re good to go.”
“Gracias, Esteban,” I say, then hang up, waiting for the elevator to reach the top floor.
