Gabe: The Alvarez Security Series (37 page)

Gabe followed the
others into the police department as Matt and Shane gathered information from their chief. Matt turned and said, “Come on. She’s being questioned.”

Matt and Shane went into the interview room with Gabe and his co-workers going into the observation room.

“What can you tell us Ms. Marconi?”

Theresa tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder with a perfectly manicured finger. She eyed the handsome detectives in front of her, ever on the lookout for another fuck that might offer her something more. Detective’s pay would hardly keep her in the style she was accustomed to, so her eyes moved back to the table.

“I was recently in the company of Michael Gibbons. In fact, you could say that I was
intimately
involved if you know what I mean.”

“And this concerns us how?” Shane asked, not willing to play games with her.

She pursed her lips, not used to males ignoring her sexuality. “I know things. Things that you might be interested in.”

“You got something to say then say it. You got nothin’ then stop wasting our time.”

Narrowing her eyes, she retorted, “I can tell you that he buries his legitimate business behind so many companies that it’s almost impossible to connect them. I can tell you that he’s got Senator Reno in his pocket, and he’s not the only politician that owes him.”

“Still nothing we don’t know, darlin’. Seems like you’re just a pissed off ex-mistress who’s wanting to cause trouble for a man who moved on.”

Slapping her hands down on the table, Theresa leaned forward and bit out, “Yes, but did you know that I can prove it.” Pulling a thumb drive from her pocket, her lip curled in a smile. “I’m smarter than he ever thought. He thinks that when he’s finished with a woman, he can just put her away in a nice apartment and buy her silence with a few jewels. Well, not me. I made sure I had my own little insurance policy. He throws me over, I take him down.”

“What’s on that? Anything we can use?”

“See for yourself, detectives. I found some things on his desk one night when he was late getting back from a meeting with his right-hand man, Santo Mancello. Who, by the way, manages most of Michael’s dirty work. Well, he and Frederick Gibbons, his nephew. There’s stuff on there I didn’t know what was, but I saw the names of lots of companies.”

Shane took the thumb drive and walked to the door, handing it to BJ who immediately plugged it into his laptop. Tony and Jobe, along with another detective, stood looking over BJ’s shoulder as he pulled up company organizations and bank accounts.

BJ looked up saying, “Got plenty here to aid in the investigation, but for where Jennifer is?”, he shook his head.

“Figured that making a copy of things would be good if that bastard ever dumped me. If I tried to blackmail him, I’d have to fear for my life. But this,” she said while leaning back in the chair, crossing her arms over her ample chest, “would be my way of getting back.”

“Tell us about Santo,” Matt prodded.

Theresa shivered delicately. “He’s…vicious…hidden behind a calm persona. I always thought he could look right through me.”

“Did you ever see where they might take someone? Someone they wanted to hurt or question?”

For the first time since she decided to take her limited knowledge to the police, she had a momentary pause. Her mind went back to the times she was in Santo’s presence. He was always completely immune to her charms, giving her the impression that he knew she was temporary. Her lips pressed into a tight line as she remembered thinking that Michael would keep her always and not pass her on for the next fuck to keep his bed warm.

“Well, Ms. Marconi?”

“I…I don’t know. Michael had buildings all over the city.”

“It would need to be somewhere without a lot of people around. Somewhere private,” Matt prodded.

Gabe leaned in toward the glass separating his space from the interview room. His heart pounded as his knuckles turned white from gripping the window frame.
Come on, bitch. Think. Give me something. Something to go on.

She turned her eyes toward the mirror as though Gabe’s thoughts had penetrated her consciousness. “One night when we were out in Michael’s limo, Santo was with us. I thought we were heading to a restaurant, but we detoured.” She licked her lips nervously as she sought her memories. “I wouldn’t have noticed, but Michael had ignored me while talking to Santo so I was pissed. The area of town was…scary. It was dark, with few lights around. I was giving Michael the cold shoulder to make him notice me when we dropped off Santo at a building I didn’t recognize.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know. Um…somewhere over the James River. I remember we drove over the Piedmont Bridge and wound around near some old empty factory buildings.”

Gabe turned toward BJ. “You get that?”

“Yeah. Pulling up the list of Gibbons’ holding on that side of the river. I’ve got Lily working on it as well.”

Tony moved up by Gabe, telling his men, “We need to head back to the office. Time to plan and suit up as soon as they give us a location.”

Matt walked out of the interview room, looking at his chief and Tony. “We’re finished in there. Heading out to Tony’s place to coordinate.”

The men filed out of the police headquarters and into their vehicles. Vinny clapped his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “How’re you holdin’ up?”

“Better now that we’ve got a place to go and a mission to plan.” Stopping outside the SUV before getting inside, he looked his brother in the eyes, fear mixed with determination pouring off of him. “Bro…I—”

“I know, Gabe. I know. We’ll get them.”

I’m coming, babe,
Gabe thought as they drove to Alvarez Security.
Just hang on for me.

*

Once there, Lily
met them in the main room, filled with computers and large screens on the walls. “Guys, I’ve got some more,” she said, the concern over Jennifer’s kidnapping overshadowing her excitement in her intel gathering. Looking over at Monty, she narrowed her eyes asking, “Who’s this?”

Monty moved toward the beautiful, petite blonde extending his hand. “I’m—”

Matt elbowed him out of the way as he put his arm around Lily. “He’s FBI.” Looking Monty in the eye, he said, “This is my wife, Lily.”

Monty smiled as he nodded, moving over to the table.

Lily’s eyes moved to Gabe, sympathy shining from them. “Gabe?” she said, unasked questions hanging in the air.

“Whatcha got, Lily?” he answered with a question, wanting to take the focus off of him and back on the mission at hand.

She nodded her understanding and turned back to the screen on the wall. “BJ and I’ve finally traced some of the dummy corporations back to Michael Gibbons. We’ve also managed to connect the dots between him and the Senator. The Senator’s wife is a relative of the elder Gambelini, grandniece or something like that. Anyway, that shows the initial inroads between Gibbons and the Senator’s wife. She likes expensive things and has quite a few gambling debts racked up. Cousin Gibbons steps in to help and he’s got the Senator now in his back pocket.”

Monty nodded, “With what you have and what I’ve gathered in the last six months, we’ve got enough to pull the Renos in as well as Gibbons.”

“What about Jennifer’s office? Chip? Or whoever the hell her boss is.”

Lily shook her head at Gabe. “There’s nothing there. I’ve looked into his bank accounts, family, cell phone records, nothing. I did find records of him calling a contact at the newspaper. When I checked into them, the reporter was planning on doing an article on Jennifer and the Center.” She looked into his confused eyes. “Gabe, it seems like her boss was on her side, trying to get support.”

BJ continued the findings. “Looked into Santo. Works for Gibbons, but his job at the real estate agency is nebulous at best. Not really security. Not really anything for him to be called Gibbons’ right-hand man. But if we look at Gibbons as a mob boss…then, yeah, Santo’s job makes sense. Santo’s name has been loosely tied into some of the smaller companies that come under Gibbons.”

Shane added, “When the investigative officers were looking into the possible extortion claims, a few gave descriptions that fit Santo but then clammed up quickly.”

Gabe’s nerves were stretched taut and he could feel himself ready to blow with the descriptions of Santo. Vinny placed a calming hand on his brother, leaning into him. “You know the drill. We gotta have the whole picture, the whole intel to know what we’re dealing with.”

All Gabe wanted was to know where Jennifer and Ross were being held. That was it. Just where they were.
Once safe, then the fuckers who took them will be dealt with. ’Cause they will be dead. At my hand.

He took a deep breath, forcing his mind to clear and focus on the intel coming in. Seeing the eyes of the group looking at him, he nodded. “I’m good. Go on,” he forced out.

Lily’s gaze landed on his face, understanding his fears. “Gabe, I think it was Santo who took her and as to where, well, Gibbons doesn’t have a holding where his ex-mistress said, but two subsidiary companies do. And one of them is owned by a company that’s a front and has a hidden owner…Santo.”

Gabe’s eyes snapped to hers. For the first time since the call from Henry, he felt as though he had a place to concentrate on.

“BJ,” Tony said and before he could finish, BJ answered, “I’m on it.”

With a few taps on his keyboard, the screen on the wall showed the building in question. Matt was on the phone with the chief as Monty coordinated with the Bureau. Night had fallen, but Gabe realized that it could give them cover. The building was an old warehouse, not large in size, that appeared to be undergoing restoration. Scaffolding on the outside, plastic and boards where some of the windows should be.

BJ looked at Gabe, concern knitting his brow. “I’ve pulled up the new plans filed with the city as to what it will look like when it’s finished and I have the original floor plans, but there’s no way of knowing what rooms are there now.”

Tony turned to his new hire, a tech equipment manager, and ordered, “Get us ready. Include the thermal imaging goggles.” Turning back to Matt and Shane he asked, “We goin’ in together or we rogue?”

“Chief says for us to meet him there.”

Monty looked confused at the men around suddenly moving into action. “You guys go in with the police?”

Shane looked at him, saying, “Budget cuts keeps our department from having some of the cool toys these guys have. Fuck yeah, we work with them.”

The men proceeded quickly and quietly, knowing what needed to be gathered and put on. After suiting up, they each grabbed a large, black duffle bag and headed for the underground parking garage.

Arriving at the vehicles, Tony turned to face Gabe. “Your head on the mission?”

Gabe wanted to tear into him but knew his commander was right. Special Forces always kept their minds on the mission knowing lives were at stake if they did not. Sucking in a huge breath and letting it out slowly, he nodded. Vinny stepped up behind him. “We’re good,” giving the typical response the twins always made. They were in it together…all the way.

A
noise coming
from the hall had Jennifer scuttling back from the window to the bed. Sitting down, she anxiously awaited who was on the other side of the door. Licking her lips nervously, she tried to prepare but still startled when it swung open. A dark haired, dark eyed man in a suit came in followed by a huge, bald man whose purpose seemed to be guarding the door. She looked from one to the other, as the first man walked to the chair and sat down.

“Well, well, Ms. Lambert. How nice of you to join us,” a smooth voice pierced her ears.

The helplessness of her situation washed over her, realizing that she had no power over one man much less two.

“If we’d wanted to rape you, Ms. Lambert, I assure you it would not have been done while you were asleep. My friend here,” the man speaking nodded to the large, bald man next to the door, “likes his women awake, even if not willing.”

Sucking in a breath, she stared at the one sitting in a chair nearest to her. Dark hair, neatly trimmed. A tailored suit, fitting him perfectly. Black eyes…boring holes straight into her. Licking her lips nervously, she tried to understand what was happening.

“Where…where’s my brother?” her voice shook. Wanting to be brave, she could not help the quivering that radiated out from her inner core invading even her speech.

“He’s well. And will stay so as long as you do what you are commanded.”

Her eyes glanced around the room, not recognizing their location before being drawn back to the man speaking. “Who are you? I don’t understand.”

“There is no reason for you to know where you are or to understand anything, Ms. Lambert. My boss wants your signature on the deed, transferring the building you now so fortuitously own into a company that he designates.”

Her brow crinkled as she took in his words.
Building? All of this for a building?

Seeing her look of confusion, Santo continued, “You are but a small pawn in a much larger scheme. My boss will not tolerate anyone getting in the way of what he wants. And your building, combined with the other buildings in the area, will give him the perfect platform. High-end clubs, condos, exclusive gentlemen’s clubs. With the zoning commission in his back pocket, all that stands in the way of his next million dollar maker is your little corner of the world.”