Page 158 of Beautifully Ruined

I pause in what I’m doing, and go to look at what Enzo’s showing me.

“It doesn’t have X marks the spot with hidden rooms or crap like that, though it’d be so much easier if these assholes did that, you know? Anyway, turns out the same shell company owns the fishing store and three other buildings. The basements connect, but…they have extra storage rooms above the basement, like one lower level, so I’m betting the basement is where they’ll have the girls, and Gianna, if we’re lucky.”

“Good find.”

“How’s the code?”

“I’ll be done soon and then see if you want to add to it.” I concentrate on the screen.

The tricky part is going to be internal security, but we can easily have something that. We deal with most of the highest techsecurity measures, so we should be good. We’ll have guns, and hopefully they don’t have too many guards. Just keypad locks.

“If we’re going to do this right,” I add, “then we need to make sure we collect as much evidence as we can.”

“Taking down a club with that many rich and privileged members is huge.” Enzo isn’t overly bothered, more thoughtful, like he’s trying to fit different angles.

I go over my code. “I don’t think we need to bring down the club, just Allistair. And of course, Walsh.”

“We’ll need to get into Walsh’s stuff,” he warns. “And I don’t think he’ll have files lying around his work computer.”

“Whatever deal he has with Allistair, there’s going to be something. Money, probably. Maybe receipts in coded form.”

The beauty for me in bringing down Joseph first and foremost is I’m betting the rats into the dark shit will scatter and his clubs will shift hands. If they all close, others will open. It’s the nature of it all.

And no one can tell me he’s going it alone.

There’ll be other names, at least on paper, in the whole ownership game.

But that’s not my problem.

I just need to find the girl and bring Allistair and her father down.

Which is why I need this code to be perfect.

There’s a buzzing sound, but it isn’t my phone.

I’m so caught up in what I’m doing, that I just nod when Enzo mouths, “It’s uncle Gino.”

Then he steps out of the basement.

It could be five minutes or five hours later when he returns, and I only half listen.

“Ivan’s been dealt with.”

“Great. One less worry.”

“Yeah, about that.” Enzo pauses. “Things didn’t go quite to plan.”

I spare him a glance. “What does that mean?”

“Joseph was there when Gino took Ivan out. They had a meeting scheduled, on an unofficial level, one of those political things. Uncle Gino said since it was at Ivan’s office they didn’t know. It seemed good timing, he was alone, and well…that’s when Joseph arrived for that meeting.”

I stop and turn. “What the fuck does that mean? Did they take him out, too?”

“No. But he saw it. They made it look like it was a hit from rival bratva, over territory. But it’s possible it could spook Walsh. He’s had problems with organized crime. Documented clashes…I don’t know if they’re how they’re presented or if he got into trouble with them for something he did, but…”

I close my eyes for a moment and remove my glasses. “But either way he might get fucking spooked because he is doing nasty shit now and he might get rid of any evidence linking himself to Gianna’s disappearance.”

Enzo says it for me. “Or Gianna herself.”