"We will see. As soon as you find him, contact me." I ended the call, my heart racing as I headed for the SUV. If my gut was correct, all the shit was about to hit the fan, which would mean those involved in the con were running scared. Mistakes would be made.
The end game was near. Trust had been broken.
Time for me to take full control. At ten minutes past high noon, I found the fucker, a man I thought I could trust coming out of the district attorney's office by the back door. My hunch had played out. I sat in the shadows, watching as Jo-Jo hunkered down, yanking the collar of his coat up over his neck. He walked toward his truck, the massive F-350 one he insisted on driving. The front-end damage was actually minimal in comparison to the destruction on the SUV. He obviously didn't give a shit that anyone would ask questions. I'd driven by the impound lot, able to see the twisted wreckage that had once been a fully protected vehicle.
And my anger continued to increase.
I twisted one hand around the steering wheel, the other around my phone, calling Angelo. "I've found him."
"Where?"
"At a location where he shouldn't have been. Meet me at the warehouse with a full crew in one hour. We'll take care of this."
"That shithead. What the hell?"
"Absolution." Jo-Jo had no family, nothing to keep him loyal for any length of time. However, what was disturbing is that he'd been with my father for years, shifting to my crew only recently. If I remember correctly, he'd once worked for Carmine. How much damning information had he been able to gather, sharing with the Feds? I would certainly find out.
There was no controlling my desire for revenge, no method of curtailing what was required to happen. No one on my crew would ever be allowed to get away with something this egregious.
I followed him, knowing exactly where he was headed after the third turn. He was stupid enough to go back to his house. The long tree-lined driveway hid the small brick enclosure from prying eyes, a location I'd been to on several occasions, even drinking a cold one or two on the man's back deck. There was no sense of why he'd turned, the lying sack of shit truly considered part of my family. He was paid well, offered several perks and his betrayal cut like a knife.
I waited for a few minutes before easing down the gravel driveway. The man was arrogant, refusing any kind of basic security. That allowed me to walk inside without advance warning. I held the gun in both hands, finding him in his bedroom, the suitcase on the bed, the man dumping clothes.
A slight creak of the old wooden floor and he had his weapon in his hand in a flash, turning sharply. There was no look of surprise, only an expression of resignation, his hand shaking.
"Dom."
"Jo-Jo. Fascinating that you were the one all along."
He twisted his mouth, spittle spewing as he attempted to talk. "I don't know what to say. They forced me to do it. They knew everything. Everything. They were going to put me away for life. I didn't tell them shit. I swear to you."
There was nothing I hated more than a man begging for his life.
"Save it."
The single shot was issued, the direct hit in his kneecap crumpling him immediately. His agonizing moans sadly music to my ears. Leaning down, I grabbed his gun, shoving it into my waistband. "The only thing you have to say is to tell me the location of the box."
Jo-Jo moaned, attempting to slide across the floor. "What?"
I yanked him by the collar, glaring into his eyes. "The box in the SUV. Where is it? If I have to ask you again, you'll lose your other kneecap."
"Ba... but..." Wincing, he shifted his eyes back and forth.
"In my truck. It's nothing."
"You leave that to me. We're going for a ride."
I dumped him in the back, securing his hands with a rope, his mouth with duct tape. The box was nothing special, the cardboard indicating a pair of shoes. I cut the tape, taking several deep breaths before opening. The small space was filled with cards and letters, none of which seemed damning in any manner. Only the envelope at the bottom held any real interest.
Yanking the contents into the light, I had to flip through everything to understand what I was reading. "Fuck." There was no way to describe the emotions rolling through me, the ramifications of what I'd found horrific on several levels.
It also answered several of the burning and very ugly questions. No wonder my father had been cagey, hiding a secret for so many years.
I stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror for a full minute, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. There were still more, but everything was becoming clear.
The back roads were devoid of any real traffic, the ride to the warehouse without incident. Everyone of any importance was already inside, waiting for Jo-Jo's arrival. There were various ceremonies in our world, all of them important in the advancement of careers. I'd attended Jo-Jo's celebration of being a made man when I had yet to even come into my own. I'd been a kid, fascinating by the rituals and the darkness.
Now, we'd come full cycle, an ending of multiple years of loyalty. This was nothing to take lightly on any level.
I dragged him into the warehouse, dumping him on the cold concrete floor in front of the others. "We have our stoolpigeon."
There was a moment of silence before the realization settled in, every man in the room overcome with their own level of anger. This could mean a destruction of everything we'd ever known.
"What do you want me to do with him?" Angelo asked before leaning over, spitting on him.
I couldn't look the asshole in the eyes for fear I'd lose my shit more than I already had. "We question him first. I need to know what he's told the Feds and the district attorney."
"Fucker," one of the soldiers said under his breath.
"He needs to be killed," another rambled on.
Angelo threw up his arm. "We do what we have to do first." He jerked Jo-Jo into a chair, yanking the tape off his mouth in a brutal fashion. "Now, little piggie, you're going to talk."
"Please. Don't do this. I gave them shit. I swear to you. They have nothing. They're bullshitting," Jo-Jo insisted.
I leaned down until my face was only a few inches from his. "Whatever you told them was too much, but I need to hear everything. Do. You. Understand?"