Page 50

I need someone I can trust to lay hold of the evidence. I need to know whatever it is they’ve found.
My feet make soft, crunchy noises as I walk the length of my office, racking my brain on who can be smart and diligent enough to lay hands on that evidence.
I pick my phone up and dial Aria. For now, she fits perfectly into that description.
“I’m busy.” Her voice is crisp, and she sounds slightly annoyed.
“This is urgent,” I snap back.
“What is it, Elio? I’m at work.”
“There’s this case about a Frank Paterson, you must have heard of it.”
“The Frank Paterson case went cold before I became an intern. I don’t know anything but rumors about it.”
My teeth close around my lower lip to prevent me from yelling at her to shut the fuck up and just listen to what I have to say.
“I don’t care what you know about the case, Aria. I just need you to look into the new evidence the DA’s office has and report back to me.”
There’s silence for exactly three seconds, and then brash laughter fills my ears.
“Elio Donatelli, what exactly do you take me for?” I’m not surprised at the question, but I wasn’t expecting that reaction either.
“You’re calling me in the middle of work to do your dirty work. What the hell do you have to do with the Frank Paterson case now?”
I release a huff of breath sharply. “I don’t have a hand in it directly, but it has the capacity to ruin our lives as we know it.”
“Our lives?” Her voice is laced with what sounds like panic. “How does this affect me?”
“If you do what I say, it won’t affect you in any way.”
She hesitates for a while, as if she’s weighing her options, then breathes heavily into the receiver.
“Alright. I’ll look into it, but you have to promise that this won’t have a ripple effect on me or my dad.”
“Don’t worry, Princess, you’re safe. I’ll make sure of that.”
I end the call and sit back, running a hand through my hair. If she says she’ll get the job done, then she will.
I pick out a cigarette and light it up, inhaling deeply, watching as the smoke curls lazily in the air, distracting momentarily from the chaos unraveling in my mind.
If the DA has found new evidence, it could be incriminating for all of us, especially Ezra. The only way to get past him is to find a scapegoat. I need to find someone who is expendable, ready to die, and just give him the opportunity. I need someone who owes me.
My mind travels around different debtors for a while before sticking with Jonathan. He’s a low level enforcer who got caught a couple of years ago. I pulled a few strings to ensure he stays in for ten instead of twenty-five years. He owes me big time.
I stub the cigarette into the ashtray on the table and click on the intercom button on my desk.
“Cortez,vieni qua dentro(get in here).”
“Sì, Capo,” his voice calls out from the other end.
A moment later, the door opens, and his hulking figure comes marching in.
“We’ve got a problem,” I say as I wave him into the chair opposite me. “The DA has re-opened the Frank Paterson case.”
His brows furrow into a frown. “That’s not good. What does he have?”
“Not sure yet. They said new evidence has been found regarding the case.”