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  Oh, now that’s interesting.

  The two men shook hands, and Gino headed east while the other man went north, directly past Levi.

  Levi stopped the recording and his phone buzzed as the pen spooled the video contents to it. After a few moments, a second buzz indicated the transmission was complete. Levi put the pen away and checked the silent video on his phone. The video quality was excellent. He fast-forwarded to the part when the unidentified man was facing him and took a snapshot of the man’s face.

  He forwarded it to Denny and typed: Can you get me an ID on him, ASAP? Likely a fed of some kind.

  Denny responded almost immediately with a text, “Received. Working on it now.”

  ###

  O’Connor watched the surveillance footage of Levi Yoder walking the streets of DC. It was being displayed on a small handheld camera by a CW, a cooperating witness, who was involved with the Calabrian Mafia known as the 'Ndrangheta. The wiry man had been a productive source of actionable data over the last nine months.

  “Who is that with him?” O’Connor asked.

  “That’s Dino Minelli.” The CW had a strong Italian accent. “He’s a capo from the Marino crime family out of Virginia Beach.”

  “He’s a bit out of his area, isn’t he?”

  “Yes and no. Most of their business is drugs and controlling labor, mostly in their territory. But I’ve been hearing they’re branching out a bit. Politics is good business.”

  The agent watched as Levi sat down with the mobster in a kids’ park.

  Almost immediately he turned and faced the camera with a look of suspicion, and the video shifted away from the target.

  “Ya,” said the CW, “that Yoder guy has eyes in the back of his head. Every time I focused in on him, he’d get spooked and turn around looking for me. Luckily, I’m quick on my feet.”

  O’Connor glanced at the wiry man and jabbed his finger in the man’s direction. “Be careful with this Yoder guy. He’s especially dangerous.”

  The CW shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I gave you the name of the hotel he’s staying at. You’ll catch back up with him there. Just keep me apprised of what he’s doing and where he’s going.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  ###

  It was late evening when Levi met with Dino just outside a bar on West Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. Dino motioned to what looked like a brand-new black Cadillac XTS. “I’ll drive the rest of the way,” he said.

  Levi got into the passenger seat of the roomy vehicle, and they started down Shore Drive, with only minor traffic. “So,” Levi said, “anything I should know about Don Marino?”

  Dino tapped his thumbs impatiently on the steering wheel as he waited at a red light. “Nah, he’s pretty old-school. Know your place. Show respect. That’s about it. When I talked to him, he didn’t like something about what he heard, so he wanted a sit-down at his place.”

  Soon Dino was pulling past a security gate and following a long curving driveway up to a house on a cliff, overlooking the beach. The place was immense, easily twenty thousand square feet, and it sprawled across a handful of acres of prime coastal property. This guy was no pauper.

  A few men in suits were waiting to walk them up to the mansion. Levi surrendered his weapons and went through a pat-down before entering the building.

  Two of the men led him and Dino to another wing, past a large dining area that could easily seat thirty people, and an elegant piano room overlooking the ocean. Finally, they entered a library. Books crowded the shelves from the floor to the fifteen-foot-tall ceiling, the higher ones accessible via an attached wheeled ladder that moved along a track.

  One of the boss’s men knocked on a heavy oak door that was partially ajar. The door looked like it had come from a medieval castle.

  A gruff voice sounded from within. “Come in.”

  Dino entered first, followed by Levi. The boss’s man closed the door behind them.

  Don Marino was a beefy man in his sixties. He was about Levi’s height, but likely outweighed him by at least a hundred pounds. Surprisingly, the man wore it well. He was thick-wristed and the epitome of what someone might have rightfully called big-boned. The same genetics someone would need to be a professional defensive lineman … or a leg breaker.

  Dino motioned toward Levi. “Boss, this is Levi Yoder. He’s the friend of ours that I talked to you about earlier.”

  Levi nodded toward the boss. “It’s an honor to meet you, Don Marino.”

  The don motioned to the chairs arrayed in front of his desk. “Both of you, have a seat.”

  Levi sat in an ornately carved wooden chair that reminded him of furniture he’d seen in museums.

  “So,” the don said. “Dino’s telling me that you think one of our connected guys might be involved in some kind of kidnapping of a little girl?”

  “Well, I have some word from the inside that the same man Dino talked to you about, his fingerprint was found in a burnt-out wreck of a car. It’s the same model car that we’re pretty sure was used for the kidnapping.”

  The boss frowned. “Whose car is it? Do you know if our guy owned it?”

  Levi paused, realizing he had no idea who the vehicle belonged to. A situation he’d soon rectify. “No, sir. I think I might be able to find out, though.”

  “Well, then it seems that not all of your ducks are in a row yet. I can’t give permission for you to question him without a solid, verifiable reason.”

  It was now time for Levi to pull out what he hoped would be his trump card. He motioned to his suit jacket. “Sir, do you mind if I show you a bit of surveillance video of the man we’re speaking of? I took it today. I think you’ll find this interesting.”

  The boss tilted his head and looked at Dino. “Do you know about this?”

  Dino looked confused and shook his head. “No, Boss. I didn’t know anything about a video.”

  The boss leaned forward, elbows on his desk and frowned. “Mister Yoder, I don’t like it when my people are harassed without cause.” He motioned to Levi’s jacket. “This better be good.”

  Levi’s heart thudded a bit louder in his chest as he retrieved his cell phone, unlocked it and started the video. He spoke as the video played.

  “I wanted to get a feel for his movements. What he did. Who he hung out with. Maybe if I was lucky, he was going to visit a place that was hiding this girl. But he never left DC until after he’d met up with this guy you see now in the video. As you can see, your guy handed him something that looks like a brick of cash and he got a folder full of something in exchange.”

  The boss’s face darkened and his Italian accent grew heavier. “Who is that other guy?”

  Thankfully, Denny had come through with the ID. Levi swiped to another screen and displayed a photograph of a State Department personnel file. “His name is John Benson. He works at the State Department in the TIP office. TIP stands for Trafficking in Persons.”

  The boss motioned to the phone. “May I?”

  Levi handed it over, and the man used his thick sausage-like fingers to zoom in. “You’ll read in that summary that he’s some kind of manager who deals with getting emergency visas and passports for people who are in need.” Levi said. “That department has a lot to do with monitoring sex trafficking. It kind of worries me, because the girl that got kidnapped, she’s young, young enough to be trained by some of these sick bastards. And of course, she’s got blonde hair, and for some of these deviants, that’s a bonus.”

  The don had a grim expression as he handed the phone back to Levi. He jabbed his finger at Levi. “None of my people deal with that kind of stuff. It’s a sin beyond nature to do that to kids.” He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath.

  Levi hoped he wouldn’t have to go around these guys. He was going to take care of business with or without the don’s permission, but it would be a lot less dangerous for him to if he got it. />
  Don Marino turned to Dino. “Go get a couple of the boys with you. Have a sit-down with our guy. Get the truth out of him, and if it’s a sin, make sure there’s penance involved.” He gave Levi an approving nod. “You did well bringing this to me. I talked with your don, and he told me about you. I think I’m starting to believe some of what he said. I give you permission to talk to our guy—with Dino supervising.”

  Levi bowed his head as a sign of respect. “Thank you, Don Marino. I’ll find out what’s going on.”

  The don motioned for them to both leave, and as soon as they’d left the boss’s office, Dino was on the phone setting up the meet-up.

  It was going to be a long night.

  ###

  Levi walked into a bar with two other made men that Dino had called in. Gino was sitting at a table that would have seated eight, but it was just him making obscene gestures to the TV that was hanging up on the wall.

  The three of them sat at the table with Gino, who snapped, “What the hell, this is my table—oh, sorry Tony, I didn’t recognize you.” Gino had focused in on the mobster to Levi’s right, who he obviously recognized. “What are you guys doing in this part of town? You want me to get you guys something off the menu? Lulu makes a really nice veal piccata.”

  Tony waved dismissively and didn’t say a word. He also didn’t introduce anyone, and it wasn’t Gino’s place to ask, though he did shoot furtive glances at Levi and the other made man.

  That was the difference between a made man and a connected guy. A connected guy might be a big shot among ordinary people who realized that he had mob connections, but made men were kings of whomever and whatever they surveyed. And a connected guy couldn’t even question a made man without risking a serious reprisal.

  And if Dino were here … well, Dino was a capo—a captain or organizer of made men—and a connected guy shouldn’t even look a capo in the eyes without expecting a slap from just about every made guy in the area.

  That’s what the Mafia was like. It had a definite hierarchy, and for Levi, it had been all he’d known since he was eighteen.

  The TV was broadcasting news about the Palestinians and Israelis, and Gino waved toward it. “You see that shit? Them bastard Israelis think they own that land, but the Palestinian people were there well before them. Those Israeli fuckers need more rockets sent up their asses, not less.”

  Levi grinned. “What do you know about that part of the world?”

  Gino turned to him. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean the history. Before 1948, when Israel, the country, was born.” Levi had had the privilege of walking both Palestinian-occupied and Israeli-occupied Jerusalem. He’d visited the remnants of the second temple, the mosque built partially on its ruins. “What makes you think the Palestinians have any more right to be there than the Jews do?”

  “Because they’ve been there forever, that’s why. What makes you think different?”

  “What makes me think different? How about the Holy Koran, specifically chapter five, verses twenty and twenty-one?”

  Gino gave Levi a sidelong glance. “How the hell am I supposed to know what the Koran says?”

  “Well, I figured if you’re going to argue with such a strong opinion, you’d be well-informed about what the Palestinian people’s holy book says.”

  “Okay, smart guy, what does it say?”

  In his mind’s eye, Levi saw the Arabic script and recited both verses.

  “wa-ʾidh qāla mūsā li-qawmihī yā-qawmi dhkurū niʿmata llāhi ʿalaykum ʾidh jaʿala fīkum ʾanbiyāʾa wa-jaʿalakum mulūkan wa-ʾātākum mā lam yuʾti ʾaḥadan mina l-ʿālamīn.

  “yā-qawmi dkhulū l-ʾarḍa l-muqaddasata llatī kataba llāhu lakum wa-lā tartaddū ʿalā ʾadbārikum fa-tanqalibū khāsirīn.”

  All three men stared open-mouthed at Levi.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Gino said.

  “Those two verses are about Moses talking to his people, the Jewish people. He says, ‘Oh my people, remember Allah’s blessing upon you when He appointed prophets among you, and made you kings, and gave you what none of the nations were given. Oh my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has ordained for you, and do not turn your backs or you will become losers.’

  “So,” Levi continued, “even though I know this, and I know how complicated the history of that land is, I wouldn’t feel right taking a side on this issue. Those two groups need to work it out, and us on this side need to keep our misinformed noses out of things we can’t possibly understand.”

  Tony smirked at Gino’s stunned expression. “Gino, let’s go somewhere more private. We need to have a talk.”

  The blood drained from Gino’s face as he realized this wasn’t a social visit.

  Chapter Twelve

  The room smelled of copper and piss. Both from Gino. The copper was coming from the drying pools of blood that had been spilled. Splattered on the walls. On Levi’s clothes. On the floor. Pretty much everywhere. Levi had had the foresight to strip out of his suit before any of this started. He was wearing blue medical scrubs, and he was sure it looked like he’d just butchered a hog.

  Gino had had each of his fingers broken multiple times, his face was a bloody mess, and his left ear had been torn cleanly off by one of the other mafiosos. Levi had taken over after that. He didn’t want Gino to die without giving up what he needed. But even Levi had his limits. He was pretty sure he’d felt a cheekbone crack with one of the last hits that had sent the man unconscious … again.

  He looked over at Tony, who’d been standing off to one side, watching. “Wake him up.” It was almost six a.m., and Levi’s mind reminded him that there were only seven days left.

  There was an IV tube hanging from a pole behind Gino, left over from the first time Gino had gone unconscious and one of the mafiosos had run a central IV line into the man’s neck. Tony plunged a syringe of something into the IV port, and within seconds Gino’s eyes were fluttering. “Please, just kill me. I didn’t take any little girls in a black car.”

  The door opened, and Dino walked in, still wearing his suit. “Holy shit. Is he alive?” He stepped up to Levi, avoiding some of the mess on the floor. “What do we know?”

  Levi kicked Gino hard in the shin. “Mister Fiorucci, tell me again about that transaction I saw yesterday over at Union Square.”

  Gino’s head lolled back and forth. It looked like he was trying to lift his head up, but couldn’t quite manage it. Some of the muscles in his neck might have been torn during his last beating.

  Tony grabbed the guy by the hair and pulled his head up so Dino could see.

  “I … I … what did you want me to—”

  “Union Square. Tell me about that guy you paid yesterday. What was that for?”

  Gino’s eyes flickered and bubbles of blood came out of his nose. “I paid fifty G’s for papers and a manifest.”

  “What were the papers for?”

  “Passports, IDs for the girls.” Gino moaned, and his right eye began twitching uncontrollably. “They’re coming in on a freighter hidden in a dozen shipping containers full of rice.”

  “What are you doing with these girls?”

  “Selling them. I’ve got buyers already lined up all along the East Coast. These girls are prime stock. How the fuck do you think I bring in five hundred G’s a month?”

  Dino’s face turned red, and he asked in a low voice. “How old are these girls?”

  Gino sneered, and for a second he grew more lucid. He smiled, revealing that his two front teeth were missing and several others were chipped. “All ages. None older than twelve, but some are just right. Probably the same age as your Donna.”

  Before Levi could even react, Dino pulled out a Smith & Wesson revolver and put three shots into Gino’s chest.

  “Hey!” Tony yelled, jumping back from Gino’s body as it went rigid. “You could have hit me!”

  Levi’s ears were ringing painfu
lly, and he sighed as the smell of crap filled the air. Gino had lost control of his bowels and along with more blood pooling on the floor, there was now a fresh stream of urine dribbling from the chair.

  He wasn’t going to be getting any more answers out of Gino.

  “Son of a bitch.” Dino shook his head and turned to Levi. “There’s a shower down the hall. You clean up and get dressed. I’ll have the boys finish up in here.”

  As soon as Levi walked out of the room, he took a deep breath of fresh air. His muscles ached from the physical exertion, and he smelled like the room he’d left behind.

  He hated this part of the job.

  ###

  Levi paced back and forth in an empty area of his hotel’s parking lot as he talked on the phone. “Seriously, I don’t have much time left, Denny. Can you can get those tracking devices to me overnight? I don’t trust any of these government bastards as far as I can throw them. I need to be able to track where these rats scurry off to when I drop the bomb on them.”

  “I’ll do you one better. I can get on the train and be there in a few hours.”

  “No, there’s too many eyes on everything. I don’t want you taking that kind of risk. I’m not sure who the bad guys even are right now.”

  “Levi, you do realize that some people might think you’re the bad guy, right?”

  “I’m okay with that. As long as it saves that little girl, I’ll be the nightmare people talk about in hushed voices to scare misbehaving kids.”

  “Okay, my friend, I’ve got the stuff packed up. It looks like your hotel is on an early delivery route for FedEx, so this should get to you around eight a.m. if we’re lucky.”

  “Sounds great.” Levi realized he’d nearly forgotten something. “Hey, Denny, can you do a quick lookup of the owner of that Suburban? The one with the fingerprint.”

  “Sure. Hold on a sec, let me pull up the image of the report.”

  A car pulled past the hotel’s guest gate and parked a few dozen yards away. Levi walked farther away.