Page 23 of Checkmate

“You got in too deep when you became friends with Leonardo Giordano, instead of sticking to the plan and milking him for the information we needed,” he tells me.

“Yeah, so what if I did? Speaking of Leo, you find any leads on his murder?” I challenge him, my eyebrows raised.

“You know that his murder is on the board, but not a top priority, especially considering his family. Murders happen all the time in a mafia family. Hell, about a decade ago someone shot every male, I’m talking about babies, children, teens, adults, and elderly in one of the mafia blood lines. Wiped them clean off the map,” he tells me, making a cutting motion with his hand and a low whistle. “I’m sorry about Leo. I am. I know you trusted him, and his help was useful, but it is what it is. If I can’t move his case up on the board for his sister then I can’t do it for you.”

I spin around at the mention of her name. “Sister?”

He nods his head slowly, his eyes studying me. “Yes, Vivianna.”

“She’s been in contact?” I ask. This is news to me.

Ratliff nods his head. “Yeah, every couple of days she calls to see if anything has been discovered or to see if we have new leads.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me this?” I ask.

Ratliff takes a step back, clearly not expecting my reaction. All this time I had been curious if he really hadn’t pieced together my short involvement with Vivianna, or if he had it all figured out, but didn’t see her as a distraction anymore. “Why would I tell you that?”

Well, if he didn’t know before, he’s about to figure the whole game out. “Because no one has seen or heard from her since she fled from the estate two freaking months ago. I’ve been worried sick.”

The silence that follows my confession is long and full of tension. “Shit kid, please tell me you didn’t go and fall for the daughter.”

I shrug. “So, what if I did?”

Ratliff stalks off and then comes back before he starts to pace. “I gave you the rules, why didn’t you follow them?”

“Because you never mentioned anything about a Vivianna in your damn rules!”

Ratliff meets my eyes and for a moment I see that he feels for me. “All I can tell you is that she seems fine. She calls every couple of days, but she isn’t too happy with me or the force at the moment, considering we have nothing on her brother’s murder and we don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about it,” he tells me. “Her words, not mine.”

I can’t help the chuckle that bubbles out. That’s so my firecracker. At least I know she’s okay and alive. I’ll take whatever I can get at this point. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve messed this all up.”

Ratliff sighs heavily. “You definitely complicated things, but I wouldn’t say you messed them up. Look, you’re right, even on the phone I can tell Vivianna is a game changer, so I’m not shocked she got under your skin, but for now you have to focus on Lorenzo Giordano and his mafia, which is now going into drug smuggling. This is the first case to crack so we can crack her brother’s murder, okay?” He looks at me expectantly, so I nod my head because I know he’s right. “So, do you have anything new for me?”

I shake my head as frustration fills every part of my body. I had been naïve enough to think that the drug smuggling operation and alliance with the Colombo mafia would lead me to the end of the Giordano Mafia. I was wrong. Gio had placed me higher up on his list of ranking, but I still had much further to go before I ever knew any vital information—the kind of information that I needed to end this once and for all. Gio had entrusted me with a lot of responsibility, but nothing that would help me. Hell, most of the time Ratliff knew the information about the Giordano/Colombo drug operations before I did. I had yet to learn the inner workings of the operation. I was merely a chauffeur. I run the guys above me around from one place to the next without actually doing or learning anything at all. It’s frustrating. “No not really. I do know that Humberto Villarreal is coming in sometime next week. I’m supposed to help protect him while being his personal chauffeur.”

“Humberto Villarreal? Seriously?” Ratliff asks, and I just nod my head yes. “That’s huge, Luca. This is exactly the kind of tip we’ve been waiting for.”

“Really?”

Ratliff’s eyes go large, larger than I’ve ever seen before. “Humberto Villarreal is one of the biggest names on the most wanted list. He’s a leader of one of the biggest Mexican cartels right now. Probably eighty-five percent of the drugs smuggled into the United States right now are because of his cartel. If you can get me the schedule for where you are supposed to take him, we might be able to actually bust this whole operation.”

This gives me a sliver of hope that I’m scared to grasp onto, but right now I need it. I need some kind of hope to keep from losing myself completely in this messed up life. I take a deep breath and all I smell is the rusted metal of the building and dirt. I’m over this entire situation. Maybe, if we can bust this operation then I can possibly go to Vivianna and maybe start over somewhere new… with her. “I’ll get you that schedule,” I tell Ratliff, before I turn to leave with a new set of determination.

Twenty-Six

Vivianna

As I walk past the cascading water fountains outside the reception area, the scent of water lilies and hydrangeas assaults my nose. I used to live to plan extravagant, over-the-top weddings, but ever since I returned from Las Vegas they have been my least favorite events to plan. I don’t know if it’s because my heart still aches for a certain someone or what, but I can’t wait to get out of the romantically beautiful place.

This wedding will set my company up for years to come. When two A-list stars get married with an unlimited budget it’s an event planner’s dream. Bids from all across the country came flying in, but somehow, they picked my vision. I’m thankful, of course, because it means my company will now be sought after for other A-list events and it also means job security for my employees, but my heart just isn’t into the whole wedding thing.

No expense has been spared for this event. Flowers have been flown in from all over the world. Three twelve-layer cakes have been made and delivered in every flavor you can imagine and completely decked out in flowers and diamonds. The guest list is a mile long, which meant finding venues that can hold over five hundred guests. Top chefs have been hired to prepare the reception food, and don’t even get me started on the performing list for the reception. It might as well as be a music festival.

I make my way to the wedding area to check on the bride and groom. Anastasia O’real is a model, turned actress, turned singer, turned fashion mogul. She’s a beautiful, exotic looking woman. I knock on the door and one of the fifteen bridesmaids opens the door. “I was just checking to see if there was anything needed here,” I tell her. She ushers me inside and standing in the middle of the room is Anastasia looking like a princess. Her wedding dress she custom designed, a super large ball gown made of tulle and lace with hand-sewn Swarovski crystals. “You look absolutely stunning, Anastasia. Demetrick isn’t going to know what hit him,” I tell her with a wink.

“Oh, I can’t thank you enough, Vivianna. This is like a dream come true and you’re my fairy godmother,” Anastasia tells me.

I smile. “I’m so honored to be a part of this day. Thank you for trusting me with it.” I may not be in the lovey dovey mood at the moment or even into the whole wedding idea, but I still mean what I say. Trusting someone with something this important is no easy task and I am honored that she picked me and my team. “I’m going to go check on Demetrick and then the wedding and reception areas.”

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