Fiction

Fedelta Book 2: An Unofficial Investigation

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

Fedelta Unofficial Investigation

Parking at the Kia right in front of the building, Jimmy and Amato got out of the car trying their best to not look awkward.  Being an undercover agent for over a decade, they knew that any odd or misplaced gesture could raise suspicion.  Confidently, they walked into the building and going straight up to the apartment, they cut the tape that sealed the door and without a word, breached the crime scene.  What they were doing was dangerous, not to mention, illegal.  If they got caught they could be charged with obstructing an investigation so they had to be quick.  Looking around the living room, Amato saw things overturned and ransacked.  Then he and Jimmy smelled the smoke, “Jesus, what happened here?”  Shrugging his shoulders Jimmy couldn’t answer, since he too was completely stumped.

Seeing the window was open, he thought it was odd but figured the investigators did it to clear the smoke out of the room.  Then he saw what appeared to be a high heel shoe which piqued his interest and since he didn’t have gloves, he searched for a bathroom.  Grabbing a roll of toilet paper he tore a piece off, with his hand covered he picked up the shoe.  It was scuffed up pretty badly and the bottom was worn out.  “Well this got a lot of mileage,” he observed.

“I can’t see the mate anywhere around here,” Jimmy said as he carefully looked around the room.

“Yeah that is weird,” Amato remarked, as he slowly stood up from the crouching position.  Dropping the shoe back onto the floor, he also began looking about for the missing shoe.  Their search turned up nothing, so they moved on to the dinning room where in the center of the room stood a table that was completely charred.  “Looks like we got a point of origin,” Jimmy said as he leaned over the table and inhaled, “Smells like kerosene.”

“None of this makes any sense, why were they burning this place down?  With all people and security cameras in this building, it’s not very smart,” Amato said.

“Maybe it was personal?” Jimmy answered.

“Might be.”

Since there nothing more to see in the dinning room they moved on to the bedroom, and once inside they saw yet another failed attempt at a fire.  “Who the hell is this?” Jimmy exclaimed at the botched arson.

“This can’t be a job,” Amato deduced, “This is broad with mental issues.”

“You think this was Fenetti?” Jimmy asked rather shocked.

“Not sure, but look,” Amato said while pulling out a belt from the charred pile of clothing, “What Mafioso wastes time burning his enemy’s clothes?”

“Maybe there was trouble in paradise and Fenetti, had Stephano iced?”

“Could be,” Amato said examining the rest of the room which was ransacked as well.  He had to keep an open mind in this investigation but so far, it wasn’t looking good for Cassandra.  As they moved on to the home office, they noticed things missing, like a computer which was hastily disconnected from the modem under the desk.  Seeing the safe on the ground, Jimmy peeked inside but saw it had been cleaned out.  “Okay, so the money’s gone and whatever else he had in here,” he announced.  This showed that their arsonist was very well acquainted with the victim.  “It’s starting to look like it was definitely Fenetti,” Jimmy said rather of fact.

As Jimmy was already wrapping up their investigation, Amato noticed something out of place.  Staring at a cabinet that was obviously pushed away from the wall, he walked up to it and noticed, drag marks on the carpet which indicated it had been moved, but why and by who?  “Come over here,” Amato said, “Help me move this thing.”  Not sure why he was fixated on this cabinet, Jimmy went over to assist Amato move the thing and discovered a door.  “Bingo,” Amato said feeling like he just won the lottery.

Searching inside, they found a small footprint in the carpet, pointing at it, Amato said, “Definitely female.”  Standing there staring at the evidence he felt a sense of disappointment in Cassandra.  He never thought she would stoop this low.  Conceding to Jimmy’s theory, Amato sighed then said, “Guess you were right, it was Fenetti.”

Not feeling euphoric over the matter, Jimmy asked, “So now what?”

“We find her and throw her ass to the lions.” Amato said without any hesitation.

“Glad to see that you’re back on the team,” Jimmy said.

However Amato did not feel like celebrating, because they still had no clue where Cassandra could be.  And if they found her, then what, it was unlikely that she would surrender even if confronted with a show of force.  In fact, it would make things that more dangerous because he knew from the surveillance video, she was well armed and not backing down from anyone.  In that instance, the thought that maybe he should turn these findings over to Cohen crossed Amato’s mind.  He didn’t mind if Cassandra shot Cohen, in fact, it would relieve him of all his problems professionally speaking.  His two least favorite people in the world taking each other out, now that was a thought that brought a smile to his face.  Giving in to the idea, Amato looked up at Jimmy and said, “We’re done here, I’ll call this in and call it a day.”

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Fedelta Book 2: The Search For Cassandra Fenetti

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

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Warning: Language

In the meantime, Cassandra Fenetti was awaking refreshed in a soft memory foam mattress.  Not wanting to get out of bed, she commanded her Echo system to turn on the television to the morning news.  As the picture turned on and as it became brighter and more clear, she saw her own image reflected back at her in the form of a composite sketch.  “Ugh!  Shit!” she sighed, as she sat straight up in her bad.  Rubbing her eyes with her hands, she squinted to see the image again, just to be sure she wasn’t dreaming.  Unfortunately for her, it was no dream, her face really was on the morning news.  Running her hands through her hair she knew she had to act fast.  Sliding out of bed, she stumbled to her closet, where she found her trusty box of wigs, inside she found a dark, but short brunette wig.  It was a far cry from her usual look, but nonetheless, she began pinning up her hair, to at least attempt to make the lace front look as natural as possible.  As she applied her makeup, she thought to herself, this was happening too soon.  She knew how the cops operated, and this wasn’t their style.  To share their investigation with the public showed they were desperate or considered her a real threat to society.  Maybe this wasn’t the cops?  Maybe the Feds were on this already?  Otherwise, how could they have ID’ed her so quickly?  Despite all of the questions, Cassandra knew she had to act quickly, if she was going to succeed at escaping.  Luckily, her only trip out of her safe house would be to the bank but there, they had many security cameras.  So she had to look and act as normal as possible.

Blocking out the “what do I do?” voice in her head, she focused on the mission at hand.  Cassandra had to keep telling herself that everything was still okay.  As she carefully finished putting on her makeup, she said to herself, “This is only a glitch, nothing’s changed,” and she meant it.  Her determination was no less shaken nor was her courage diminished.  She would get out of this town and not only that, she would return to exact revenge.  Whoever was trying to ruin her life, was going to be made an example of.  This thought was the only thing that kept her going.  As she searched the room for clothes, Cassandra looked around and thanked her neurosis for prepping this safe house.  When she decided to go back into this life, she made sure that she did not make the same mistakes that her father made.  He was so stuck in the old ways that he never saw the new threats on the horizon.  He treated La Cosa Nostra like a religion, while others only saw it as a business opportunity.  Cassandra would make this life give her back everything it had stolen but in the meantime, she had a date at her local bank.  Giving herself the once over in the mirror, she made sure the wig was straight, the clothes were mute and her appearance didn’t raise any eyebrows.  Once she was satisfied with her appearance, Cassandra grabbed her gun, and her favorite purse then headed straight out the door and right into the path of danger.

Fedelta Book 2: Putting In An Order

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

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Warning: Language

As Cassandra slept, Amato and Jimmy were reuniting in Central Park after losing their tailgaters, “Hey long time, no see, asshole,” Jimmy joked.

“Come on, we gotta keep moving.  You dumped your car, right?”

“Yeah, it’s all the way on 9th and Broadway, probably getting towed as we speak.”

“You’re brilliant, for an old fucker,” Amato said, knowing the police will be searching that area for them, Jimmy just bought them at least half a day.

“Cohen doesn’t have the resources to track you and Fenetti plus the assassins.”

“I hope you’re right, goomba” said Amato uncertain.

They both walked to the other side of the park and to the train station on 3rd.  He had a plan to get another car and Jimmy probably wasn’t going to like it, which is why Amato was keeping it a secret.  He didn’t need Jimmy throwing a fit, not now.  Walking down the street, they came across an old fencer who ran a chop shop parading as an auto part store.  The moment Jimmy saw Amato’s right foot cross over onto the property he exclaimed, “Whoa, whoooa, whooa, you got to be crazy!”

“Come on, we need a car, and you know Desi’s got one.”

“Yeah but he’s a weasel.  Who’s to say he won’t snitch and get us killed?”

“He’s not snitching on nobody, just trust me.”

Reluctantly Jimmy followed Amato into the shop and cringed at the sound of the bell on the door.  “Nice ambiance, assholes,” Jimmy said under his breath as he batted the stupid chain that hung from the door.

“Behave,” Amato warned.

Holding his tongue Jimmy played along with this farce, while his gut told him this was not going to go well.  Hearing that there was a customer in the shop, the owner himself, Desi Fostino, appeared in a dirty apron and even dirtier hands which he was trying to clean off with a red rag.  Though he looked like you’re typical middle aged, Italian man, he was one of the most notorious car thieves in New York.  “Can I help ya’s?” he asked without bothering to look up.

“Yeah, I’d like to place an order for a 2014 La Crosse, no frills, just candy apple red.” Amato replied.

Snickering, Desi, continued to get the grime out from under his finger nails without bothering to look at them, “I dunno what you’s guys heard, but I don’t play tha…” Amato stopped him by grabbing his grease rag.

“Hello Desi, remember me?” Stunned, all the old man could do was nod.

“Look I don’t want any trouble, we run a clean business here,” he said trying to appeal to Amato.  Snorting Jimmy wasn’t having any of it, “You neva, run a clean business Desi, just look at ya.”  Not wanting to scare Desi too much, Amato rephrase his request, “Desi, I need a car with new plates, can you do it?”

“Ye, yeah!” he said shaking in his sneakers.

“Good, what ya got in inventory?”

“Three Corollas and a Kia Optima.”

“I want to borrow the Kia for a few hours, is it ready to roll?”

Nodding his head yes, Desi said, “I’ll go get the remote.”

“Thank you.” Amato said, while staring him dead in the eye intentionally making him uncomfortable.

As they waited, there was a television on the wall broadcasting the 6 o’clock news.  To their dismay, they were already broadcasting the murder as well as the security footage.  As their day went from bad to worse, they even posted a composite sketch of Cassandra Fenetti, along with her name, age and last known whereabouts.  She was labeled a person of interest as well as a suspect brandishing a weapon at police.  “Geesh!” Amato said angrily.  Jimmy watched stunned by the carelessness of the local police.  “This isn’t gonna end well,” he declared.

Rubbing his jaw, Amato looked like he was ready for a fight.  Slamming his fist onto the counter, he said through gritted teeth, “Son of a bitch!  They shit all over this investigation just like I knew they would.”  Hearing the banging of Amato’s fist, Desi came out of the back in a hurry, “I’m hurrying as fast as I can,” he said doing his best to get them out of his store. Throwing the remote to the Kia on the counter, Desi expected a look of contentment however instead he got an icy stare from Amato who scooped up the remote.  Sensing the anger, Desi took a step back and said, “It’s out in the back, please, just go.  I don’t want anyone seeing this, they’ll think I’m a rat.”

“Too late,” Jimmy answered, not able to resist.

Following Amato out the front door, he inexplicably turned his head and saw Desi turning off the television.  It was too little too late, the damage had already been done.  Amato was now on the warpath, and he knew nothing would stop him from finding Cassandra Fenetti, even if it was only to rub Cohen’s face in it.  This was becoming personal, but when it came to Cassandra and Amato, it was always personal.  He felt like a third wheel, but he had to look out for his friend and colleague.  There was bad blood in the ranks when it came to Amato.  There were still some who believed he couldn’t be trusted, considering since his return, seven agents were arrested for having ties to the Cosimo family.  This benefited only Fenetti, and her new crew the Alunni, she and Stephano had to purge and consolidate their power.  What better way than to get rid of all the back stabbers and make a public statement?  Amato looked like a foolish lover who got tossed like a piece of trash in the end by an ambitious mafiosa.  It wasn’t right and Jimmy wanted to help restore Amato’s reputation not to mention his career.  He watched too many people get steamrolled by Cohen and wanted to put an end to it.

As they walked around the building to the back, Amato reached for his gun as they turned the corner.  Following suit, Jimmy reached for his as well.  Creeping slowly around the corner, they were both relieved to find nothing but a white Kia Optima parked in parking lot amongst some other beat up looking cars.  Using the remote Amato disarmed the alarm system, and unlocked the doors.  Inspecting the car for defects, he listened to the hum of the engine to be sure it purred just right.  He also looked at the plates on the car and they were New York license plates to his satisfaction.  “Smiling, Jimmy said, “Looks like Desi delivered.”  Amato simply nodded his head, still pissed off from the unwelcomed media coverage.   Jimmy could see the intensity in his gaze and knew he was already planning the next move.

Fedelta Book 2: Making The Next Move

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

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As Amato and Jimmy made their plans, Cassandra was making hers.  Desperate for cash, she knew she had to start liquidating her assets if she wanted to escape.  Doing her best to stay one step ahead of the cops, she grabbed her spare phone, and started looking up the number to her local bank branch manager.  With her fingers crossed, she called and explained that she needed to withdraw all of her money.  “In cash?” the manager asked rather surprised.

“No, in puka shells,” she retorted, “Of course in cash!”

“Well Ms. Fenetti, we’ll need at least 24 hours.”

“Why?”

“We’re low in cash,” the manager explained.

“You’re a bank, how is that even possible?”

“Just bear with us Ms. Fenetti. We’ll have all of the funds tomorrow.”

“Urgh!  Okay, I’ll be there at opening.”

“Alright, see you then.” He said in a sickening sweet tone.

Hanging up the phone the manager place a call to his supervisor, the Vice president of the branch, “Steve, it’s Marty, sorry to bother you but Fenetti called.  She’s coming by tomorrow morning at opening.”

“Thanks Marty, I handle this one myself.” He said.

He wasn’t quite sure why the President of the bank would want to personally handle the closing of an account, but Marty, simply agreed to have his admin send the files to his boss’s computer.  That was one less account he had to deal with, and since it was the end of the day, he grabbed his jacket along with his brief case and left for home.

In the meantime, Cassandra had to figure out where she was going once she had the cash.  Placing a call to her favorite airline, she chartered a plane to the Cayman Islands.  Once she got off the phone with them, she booked a hotel room at the Hilton.  Nonetheless she still wasn’t done, Cassandra had to make sure no one would be able to track her, not the cops, and certainly not the killers.  She already knew that the cops were checking phone records and looking at security footage.  As if that weren’t enough, Cassandra would have to change her appearance as well as get a new identity.  Placing a few calls to some of the best forgers in New York, she put in an order for a new driver’s license as well as a passport.  The ones she had were old, and looked outdated.  Sending him a recent photo of herself, she got the okay from the forger and they worked out a deal.  She regretted not staying on top of these things, she knew better, being the daughter of a mobster and the fiancé of another.  This life was unpredictable and deadly, Inpatient she mumbled to herself, “When will you ever learn?”.

This was only phase one of her plan, she still had to keep herself alive and evade police for the next 16 hours.  Cassandra had to lay low, if she was going to survive the night.  Starting the engine, she made a journey to her old hideout, a safe house of sorts.  Making her way through Little Italy, she made it to an old pizzeria.  Parking down the street, she took out a key and went to the back and climbed a set of rickety stairs to a tiny apartment.  Cassandra figured she would be safe here since she and Stephano rented it under the table.  There was no paper trail and they were careful to not tell anyone about it.  Despite all that, she was still paranoid and took out her glock.  Quietly she went from room to room to be absolutely sure she was alone.  When she was able to let her guard down, Cassandra put the gun away and went straight to the closet to find the clothes she had purchased for a time like this.  There was an array of outfits, some of them were shabby chic, while the others were high end luxury brands.  There was no way she could dress as she always had.  Too many people knew her style, and if her instincts were right, the cops were already creating a profile of her, if they hadn’t already.  It was a hot day and she still wasn’t feeling well, so Cassandra decided to take a shower and call it a day.

Collapsing on the bed, she made herself comfortable and clutched a pillow.  Fighting the urge to cry, she refused to think about what happened and focused instead on what needed to be done.  Going over the plan in her head, she went over  every possible scenario again and again like a mantra of sorts.  After all, Cassandra needed something to believe in and her plan was that thing.  She would succeed, she would pull herself out of this mess.  Confident, she slowly drifted to sleep, safe for now.

Fedelta Book 2: Cooking Up Plans

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

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Warning: Language

While Nicholson was trying to warn Amato, he was sitting in front of his television watching the Mets take on the Toronto Blue Jays.  In his black leather recliner, Amato ate his dinner and began to decompress from his encounter with Special Agent Cohen.  In the middle of the stretch he heard a knock at his door.  Cautiously, he opened the door just a crack and to his surprise, it was his old buddy Jimmy Schiavone. Opening the door all the way, he saw the look on Jimmy’s face, “Uh, oh!” Amato exclaimed, knowing something was up.  “Lemme guess, Cohen sent you?”

“What, no hello or how ya doin’?” Jimmy exclaimed.

Rolling his eyes Amato played along, “Okay, hello, how ya dooin’?” he said poking fun at Jimmy’s Long Island accent.

“Prick!  You mockin’ the one guy that single handedly saved your ass?”

“Single handed, eh?” Amato caught him exaggerating.

“Okay, I had a little help,” Jimmy confessed as he walked into Amato’s apartment.

Closing the door behind him, Amato muttered, “This is gonna be a long day.”

Seeing he was watching the game, Jimmy sat down on the couch and asked, “What’s the score, yo?”

“Mets, 6-2”

“Just in time,” Jimmy said making himself at home.

Returning to his chair, Amato sat back and waited for it.  Looking over at his plate, Jimmy asked, “Hey what you eatin’ over there?”

“Vegan eggplant parmesan.”

“What the fuck is that?”

“What, eggplant parmesan?”

“No that other shit you said.”

“What, vegan parmesan?”

“Yeah, what’s this vegan shit I keep hearing about?” Jimmy asked curiously.

“It’s means no animal or animal by-products.” Amato answered.

“So what the fuck is on the eggplant if it ain’t cheese?”

“You know, soy or cashew.”

“Brotha, ever since you and Irene broke up, things haven’t been the same for you.  I ain’t neva seen an Italian put fake cheese on his food,” he said snickering.

Throwing his towel at Jimmy, he asked the big question, “Okay, Jimbo what’s up?”

Looking visibly uncomfortable, Jimmy clasped his hands as if he was trying to come up with the right words.  As he looked about the room, he finally returned his gaze to Amato, then confessed, “It’s Cohen, he’s requesting your personnel file.”

“So what?” Amato responded, unimpressed.

“You don’t know this guy Amato, he’s a total dick.  He’s sacked more than one guy in his day and it looks like he’s got his sights set on you.”

“Thanks for the warning Jimmy, but I’m a big boy and can handle myself.”

Putting his hands up Jimmy said, “I’m just the messenger, Nicholson wanted me to warn you.”

Just as he said that, the crowd on television erupted in cheers as the Mets shut down the Blue Jays.  The ending was anticlimactic but Jimmy seemed to be thrilled that the game ended in a win.  Getting up he announced, “I’ll see myself out, just remember to watch your back from now on.”

“It’s the only way I know how to roll.” Amato reassured him.

When Jimmy left, Amato was alone to contemplate whether or not he would bother participating in this case.  After all, Cassandra Fenetti wasn’t necessarily in need of his help.  She was probably on the other side of the planet, if she were smart.  However something told him, that this wasn’t the case.  Feeling it in his gut, he knew she was nearby and if Cohen approached her, she might blow his head off.  So all in all, if he kept his hands off the wheel, Cassandra would take care of his Cohen problem.  Smiling, the idea did appeal to him.  Nonetheless, there was piece of him that needed to see her again.  Amato wasn’t sure if it schadenfreude, or if he actually had feelings for her.  No matter the case, it was stupid of him to come running when she was in trouble, not after she two-timed him.  So what was he going to do when he saw her again, say I told you so?  Having dragged his feet for nearly half the day, he rose to his feet and declared, “Okay Amato, it’s time to get that damsel.”  Slipping his feet into a pair of rubber soled Oxfords, he grabbed his badge and gun then went out the front door.  Standing outside in the hall was none other than Jimmy, “Jesus Christ, Amato, you take foreva to do right,” he complained.

“Sorry, I forgot we were in this together.”

“Damn straight,” Jimmy said popping his collar.

Seeing him getting psyched up, Amato chuckled and asked, “Whose car are we taking General?” referring to his old street name.

Without batting an eyelash, Jimmy answered, “Whatcha working with?”

“I got a 2017 Chevy Camaro,”

“When they bring that back?”

“Oh about 2010, you probably didn’t notice since you were busy gerneraling and all.” Amato said in jest.

“Yeesh!  It’s like the 80’s all over again.”

Pushing the button on the elevator, Amato said, “Before my time, brotha,” as the door opened, as they both stepped inside.  Jimmy pushed the button to the ground floor and like that, they were on to their next adventure, just like old times.

Fedelta Book 2: Authority Issues

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

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Warning: Language

On the other side of town, Amato was winding down the day and getting himself ready for dinner.  Since his divorce he had to learn to live like a bachelor and it really didn’t appeal to him.  He had a service that prepared his meals for him after nearly burning down his kitchen when trying to fry an egg.  He also had a cleaning service come in and clean his apartment after breaking his thumb while trying to scrap the ash from the stove after the the egg debacle.  It was getting expensive being alone, not to mention humiliating.  Amato always prided himself on being independent but he wasn’t cut out for this life.  He was missing companionship of the female kind.  Online dating didn’t suit him because he knew from his work that you’re just one serial killer away from making the nightly news.  Besides, he was sick of disappointment and dating was the express lane to Regretsville.  He would either be disappointed by finding out his date lived with 100 cats or she would be disappointed by his unhealthy obsession with his work.  Amato had to face reality, he was no catch.  He was approaching his 40’s and the grey streaks were already starting to appear in his dark brown hair.  His left knee now cracked every time he bent it and he was even prescribed a pair of reading glasses.  It was safe to say he was getting a little long in the tooth.

As he began heating up his vegan eggplant parmesan, there was a knock at the door.  Knowing exactly who it was, he made no attempt at hurrying to answer.  Setting the oven’s thermostat to 350°, he gently put the eggplant dish in the oven.  After closing the oven door, he heard  a second knock.  Hearing the frustration of his guest as they began pounding on the door, Amato smiled.  Taking his time to the door, he threw a kitchen towel over his shoulder and yelled, “Hang on!”

When he opened the door, it was none other than Special Agent Cohen, looking worn out and angry.  “Oh hi, Agent Cohen, what brings you to this part of town?” Amato inquired.  Glaring up at him, Cohen growled, “When I call, you answer the fucking phone.  Got that, you piece of shit!”

“Whoooa!  Wait a minute here, you didn’t come all this way to insult me, did you?”

“Fuck you Amato!” he said with his finger pointed in his face.  “I ain’t got time for your stupid games.”

Laying down the law Amato warned, “Apparently you’re under the impression that we’re at work.  If you want to bark orders and berate your fellow piss ants you might want to return to the office.  But if you wanna stay for some eggplant parmesan, you’re welcome.”  Pretending as if he didn’t understand the severity of the situation, Amato smiled then added, “It’s vegan.”

“You’re a disgrace.” Cohen bellowed.

Admitting to defeat Amato threw his hands up in the air, “Well, I tried to make nice,” he declared as he began closing the door on Special Agent Cohen.

“The fellas were right, that Fenetti chick got you all pussy whipped.”

Not falling for it, Amato kept his temper and closed the door.  Walking away, he refused to deal with Cohen in this state, even if it meant losing his job.  So he went back to preparing dinner while Cohen began making his plan to end Amato’s career.  Cohen was going to be damn sure he got whatever he needed for his investigation even if he had to pull it out of Amato’s gullet.  As he retreated to the elevator, Cohen began making phone calls.

On the outside it seemed like Amato just poked a bear with a small stick when in fact, he was politicking.  Not content to be a solider in Cohen’s army, he would not play second fiddle to anyone on the force anymore.  He nearly lost his life the last time.  One might say he had control issues now when it came to his work.  Turning on the Mets game in the living room, he listened from the kitchen as he got the veggies out crisper.  Carefully, Amato began chopping up his salad while he waited for Cohen to make the next move.

By the time Cohen made it back to headquarters, he made a b-line to Agent Nicholson’s office.  Storming in without so much as knocking, Cohen demanded, “I want his file.”  Confused, Nicholson asked, “What the hell ya talking about?”

“Amato, I want John Amato’s personnel file,” he said nearly out of breath.

“What the hell for?”

“Just send me his God damn file,” Cohen said through gritted teeth.

“You know that you gotta send a request through the proper channels.”
“Not you too?” Cohen said bewildered.

“We have rules Cohen, I can’t just go showing personnel files to any ol’ body.” Nicholson said rather annoyed by his request.

“Damn it, I got a job to do!” Cohen yelled.

“So do we.” Nicholson retorted, “Fill out the paperwork and send it my way.”

Disgusted, Cohen barged out of the office.  Knowing this was serious, Nicholson made a phone call to a mutual acquaintance of both he and Amato’s in order to warn him about what was going down.  He didn’t want to get directly in the middle of this, Amato just wasn’t worth it.  At least not to him, he had no skin in this game.  However Nicholson knew that Cohen was vindictive and had ruined several careers,  and he thought it would be shame if Cohen struck again.  He knew that snake wouldn’t rest until he had Amato’s head hanging on his office wall.  Unfortunately, Nicholson couldn’t take him down by himself, but he could send a message indirectly, and whatever happened, was up to fate.  If Amato was as good as people said, he would be able to handle Cohen if not, there would be a new opening in the office.

Fedelta Book 2: Hardball

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

Fedelta 2 Second Excerpt

Meanwhile across town, Detective Amato was back in his cubicle with the other detectives in the financial crimes unit.  It was his own personal nightmare, a desk job  he had to do from a shoe box but at least he had a job.  In the last year, he went from fugitive, to being welcomed back into the fold and it was all a complete mystery to him.  Well not really, he knew that someone called in a favor and he was let back into the force through the cat flap.  Amato managed to keep his nose to the grind and keep out of trouble but it was secretly killing him.  He wanted more and Amato wasn’t even sure if this is how he wanted to live his life.  Looking at spreadsheets and nitpicking over ledgers was not what he dedicated himself to at the academy.  It was pathetic, he didn’t even have a gun anymore.  The last time he discharged his firearm was when he was taking the marksmanship test.  He felt like a dog that had been neutered, a ball-less wonder.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t the gun that was bothering him so much.  Maybe it was the fact that he knew that the only reason why he was back on the force was because of Cassandra Fenetti.  The woman who he owed his newly resurrected career to and the woman he wanted dead for betraying him.

With blurry eyes, he did his best to read the rows and columns of financial data that graced the screen.  His job was to flag any inconsistencies and send the documents off to his supervisor.  Rinse and repeat, all the day long.  It was soul crushing for a man who was used of being out in the field taking risks and chasing bad guys.  He didn’t know how long he could take this, in fact, he had already started looking for another job in another town.  There had to be someone, somewhere, who needed a cop?  As his mind wondered off, his boss, Agent Nicholson, yelled from his office, “Amato, get in here.”  Startled, he nearly tripped over his own feet trying to exit his work station, God he couldn’t wait until this day was over.

Once in the office, he noticed Supervisory Special Agent Cohen from the Organized Crime Unit was sitting across from his boss’ desk.  “Shut the door,” Nicholson ordered.  Doing as he was told, Amato shut the door and approached the desk.  Pointing to a folding chair, his boss commanded, “Take a seat.” Once seated, Cohen addressed Amato, “There was a hit this morning on Columbus Avenue and 96th Street.  Double homicide, both males.”  On the desk was a folder which he reached into and pulled out several photos of two men in a vehicle, shot multiple times.  Handing them over to Amato, he asked, “Recognize, the vics?”

Stunned, Amato answered, “Yes, the male behind the wheel is Lucus Hobbs, driver for Stephano Rimaldi, the very dead gentleman in the backseat.”

“Right,”  Cohen said as he pulled out a tablet and handed it to Amato, “Press play.” Doing as instructed, a grainy surveillance video played the final moments of the unlucky occupants in the car.  “This is overkill” Amato remarked as he saw four men shooting at the vehicle.  He watched as the assassins fled the scene and the patrolman approached the vehicle.  Pressing stop, Cohen corrected him saying, “No, keep going.”  Not certain as to what he meant, Amato pressed play again and watched as Cassie appeared in camera range.  “Recognize the female?”  Cohen asked.

Hesitantly, Amato answered, “Yes, it’s Fenetti, Cassandra Fenetti.  She’s the fiancé of Rimaldi.”

“Interesting,” Cohen said staring at Amato.  “Those of us in homicide would appreciate any assistance you can offer in our little investigation.”

“Of course,” Amato replied.

“We’re looking for the female suspect,”

“Suspect?”

“She couldn’t have done this.”

“No, we don’t believe she’s the mastermind of the hit, but she did threaten an officer with a weapon and we would like to talk to her.”

Chuckling, Amato answered, “Good luck finding her, let alone getting her to talk.”

“Yeah about that,” Cohen said sitting back in his chair, “We want you to lead the fugitive task force.”

“Wait, what?” Amato exclaimed, “This is the wrong way to approach the case.”

Smirking, Cohen looked at Amato, “It’s not your call.”

“I’ll provide intel but I’m not leading any task force.  It’s a waste of time.”

“Why?”  Cohen asked.

“Because she’s probably halfway to Timbuktu already.”

“Are you saying you can’t do it?”

“I’m saying she’s one of the richest women in this town and it will be a million times harder to trace her than she was before.”

Questioning his loyalty Cohen asked, “Why should we believe you?  Word is you had a relationship with Fenetti during your excursion away from the force.”

A rush of heat hit Amato’s face from the insinuation that he was protecting some girlfriend.  Nonetheless, he took a deep breath and as calmly as he could, Amato responded, “I stepped in to protect a witness when our agency was unable.  There was never any inappropriate relationship between myself and Miss. Fenetti.”  He kept referring to her by her last name to keep his distance emotionally but also to show that he was not on friendly terms with her which, at that point, he wasn’t.

“If you don’t trust me, then find another agent to do the job.  Problem solved,” Amato said, calling Cohen’s bluff.

“I don’t like your attitude, no wonder they put you in the shitter.”

“Hey!” Nicholson interrupted, “I run this shitter and right now I’m flushing you right back to OC (Organized Crime).”

Without a word, Cohen stood up and gathered his tablet as well as his folder and walked out of the office.

“God, I hate those guys.” Nicholson said with disgust.

‘Yeah, me too.”

“You’re dying to get back in OC ain’t ya?”

“Yep,” Amato said as he stood up.

“So what was all that, I’m not the guy for the job shtick?”

“I’m gonna make them beg.”

Rolling his eyes, Agent Nicholson said, “Get the hell out my office.”

From Miss Mary Mack: A Meeting Of The Minds

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment
Lilly From Miss Mary Mack
Image via Pixabay

Not knowing what to do, he went downstairs to ask and was met by the little girl he met outside in the chicken coop.  “Hi Oscar!  Why ain’t you in school with the other boys?”  Lilly asked.  Shrugging his shoulders, he answered, “I’m going tomorrow.”

“Good,” she said, “We don’t need anymore stupid boys in this place.”

“What about you?  Why aren’t you in school?” Oscar asked curiously.

“I don’t need it, I’m already smart.”  She declared.

Not believing her, he said, “Nuh uh, everybody has to go to school, Miss Mary said so.”

“She’s not the boss of me!”

“Oooh,” Oscar exclaimed, “You a devil child!”

“A what?” Lilly asked, rather dismayed.

“My momma used to say when a girl wasn’t right, she was a devil child.”

“That’s silly!  If I’m a devil, then you’re a devil too!”

Resisting the label, Oscar declared, “Nope!  I’m saved by the Lord, and one of his sheep.”

“You look more like a goat to me!”

“Baaah!” Oscar bleeted, having finished his closing argument.

Not quite sure what to make of him, Lilly began walking away and said, “Just another stupid boy.”

Fedelta Parte 8: A Miracle Behind Crime Scene Tape

~ Rachel Rueben ~ Leave a comment

Fedelta Part 8 complete

 

Detective Amato arrived at Mira’s Cafe to a gruesome scene.  Someone from the forensics team handed him a pair of surgical booties to slip on his shoes with the warning, “Watch out Amato, it’s a massacre.”

Making his way past the crime scene tape, he entered the café and saw bodies laying everywhere.  Careful not to touch any blood on the floor Amato, skillfully, moved across the room.  As he scanned the floor, he found what he was looking for.  Wiping his tired face with his hand, he let out a sigh.  “Ah, Cassie what the hell were you thinking?” he said to himself as he knelt down next to her body.

As a tear rolled down his cheek, he couldn’t help but look at her expressionless face staring at the ceiling.  It broke his heart, he and Cassandra had a past and though it was a convoluted one, it got real more than once.  It was the main reason his boss wanted him off the case.  He was getting too close to Armand Amatorè and Dominic Fenetti and his superiors were concerned.  He was the only cop in the history of law enforcement that managed to penetrate the inner circle of the Cosimo crime family and lived to tell the tale.  In the process, he crossed a lot of professional lines and nearly lost his badge because of it.

As the darkness from his past threatened to overtake him during this awful task, he saw what looked like movement.  Thinking he was just having a nervous breakdown, he blinked his eyes and looked again.  It was no figment of his imagination, Cassie was breathing! “Gotta a live one here!” Amato yelled.  Immediately all of the officers jumped into action, and grabbed a first aid kit while another called for an ambulance.

Within minutes Cassie was on her way to the hospital and Detective Amato was left to deal with the Cosimo crew alone.  He knew what he had to do and after he wrapped up the crime scene Amato got in his unmarked car, as he turned the key in the ignition, he heard his supervisor say, “John, you better not be doing what I think you are.”  Looking him dead in the eye, Amato said, “Don’t worry bout it, I got this.”

Though it was pointless, his super warned him nonetheless, “This time it was the girl, next time, they’ll be gunning for you.”  Shrugging his shoulders, Amato simply pulled away and went to meet up with Dominic Fennetti to finish this once and for all.

Tonight 100 years of mafia history was going to be wiped out and the shockwaves were going to be felt everywhere from the cells in Rikers to the Mayor’s office.

Author Bio:

Rachel Rueben is author of the bestselling YA novel “Hag” and “The Eternal Bond Series” both available on Wattpad. To keep up with Rachel, you can sign up for her frighteningly entertaining newsletter here.

Today’s Featured Author: Karina Gioertz

~ Rachel Rueben ~ 5 Comments

fantastic blog hop bus

Today on the tour, we’re going to meet Karina Gioertz and pick her brain on various things writing related.  All of Karina’s books are available now on Amazon as well as other fine online retailers.

1. Are you a fan of the genre that you write in?

Karina: Sure

2. Are you a pen and paper author or do you use a computer to write?

Karina: Both actually. But the Blood Bound by Karina Gioertzbulk of my writing I do on the computer.

3. If you couldn’t write what would you be doing instead?

Karina: I would work on a horse ranch. My family had a ranch when I was younger and part of me is always tempted to go back to that lifestyle.

4. What about this business surprised you the most?

Karina: How wonderfully supportive everyone is. Meeting and learning from other authors has been the greatest blessing.

5. Do you blog?

Karina: Yes!

6. Are you on social media?

Karina:  I am.

Do you enjoy it?

Karina: Eh…most of the time….other times it feels like a necessary evil.

7. The house is on fire, which do you save, your laptop or your book collection?

Karina: Laptop…my books can be replaced.

8. The publishing industry is changing, do you think this is good or bad time for authors?

Karina: I think it’s an amazing time for authors who are willing to learn and grow with the industry.

9. How do you promote your books?

Karina: I’m always looking for new ways to promote my books. I’ve done interviews like this one on other blogs, had my books featured by book reviewers, done free promotions through KDP Select, etc. I’m pretty open to giving different things a shot at least once. The only thing I haven’t done yet is actually pay for advertising.

10. Your editor says you have to kill a character, which one would get the ax?

Karina:  Which book? Alright, let’s go with COUNTRY GIRLS…terribly sorry Private Investigator Fallon.

Excerpts from Country Girls

Chapter 5: The Call

 

Country Girls by Karina Gioertz

It was dawn by the time Brady’s truck was driving up in front of our house. As Eli and I crawled out of the passenger side door, Harry came walking out onto the front porch. He looked angry. I assumed it was because someone from the sheriff’s office had called and filled him in on the nights events, but I was wrong.

“Where the hell have you two been? I’ve been trying to find you for hours!” he growled at us. Then he turned to growl something at Roscoe, who had been howling since we pulled into the driveway. Now that Brady had left again there was certainly no reason for him to still sound the alarm. Finally he stopped and plopped down at Harry’s feet.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Eli was tired and I could tell she wanted to get past whatever it was that was putting Harry between her and her bed. The look on Harry’s face shifted from anger to concern and immediately I became worried.

“I don’t know. Evey called late last night. She wouldn’t tell me anything. She just kept saying that she needed to talk to Em. Something’s wrong. You need to call her!” He looked helpless. We had never seen him that way.

“Oh my God” was all I could say as I ran up the steps and into the house to use the phone. Eli was still standing in the same spot. Frozen. Anxiously awaiting her next emotion and whom she would be directing it at.  Harry could tell, so he snapped her out of it by talking to her.

“Where were you?”

Eli still didn’t move but she replied, “Jail.  And I may be going back if that son of a bitch

 

laid even a finger on her.”

 

“Now don’t go jumping to conclusions. We don’t know anything yet.”

Eli’s face was turning red. “Like hell we don’t! The only reason she would insist on Em is because she thinks Em wouldn’t actually kill him.” Both of them looked up towards the door when they heard the sound of my feet scrambling across the hardwood floors in our living room. I came rushing back through the front door as fast as I had entered it, this time my keys in hand.

I was focused only on one thing, “I’m going to get her.”

Eli fell into step behind me, “I’m going, too.”

I stopped. “No, she specifically said you couldn’t come.”

She threw her hands up at me. “Since when does anyone listen to Evey? Let’s go!” And we both went to get into my old Bronco.

Harry stood there in the same place watching us leave. “Just bring her back home. We can figure things out after she’s here!” he called after us as we were pulling out.

“Fine.” That was exactly what I had intended to do.

“Eli!” Harry was almost yelling, but Eli said nothing. She just stared back at him as we drove away.

 

The drive lasted for hours. We hardly spoke the whole way there, mostly because neither one of us wanted to fight. I could tell by looking at her that Eli wanted to scream ‘I told you so’ from the roof tops almost as much as she wanted to put a bullet in Eve’s husband. We hadn’t even seen Evey yet; we had no details, but in Eli’s mind the worst had happened and she was prepared to dish out some heavy consequences.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t ready to jump to those conclusions. I knew I would probably have to soon enough, but for the moment it felt safer to be in denial. All I was focused on was getting to Eve and bringing her home where I knew how to take care of her – where she would be safe. I was the protector, Eli was the fighter.

It was dark out as Eli and I pulled into the Tinley Park train station. Except for one lonely car in the back of the parking lot, the place appeared to be completely deserted. Both of us were straining to see anything in the dark.

“Do you see her anywhere?” I asked. Eli’s face was practically glued to the window.

“No. Wait, yes. There she is! Over there!”

Instantly I was relieved. I pulled the truck up to where Eve was standing. Eli and I got out and I ran to give Eve a hug. As I got closer I couldn’t deny what had happened any longer. Evey’s eye was badly bruised and her lip was swollen and bleeding. Instinctively I pulled her close.

“Evey! Thank God we found you.” While we were standing there I felt something else I could no longer deny. Eve’s rather large belly had been hiding under her coat, but now it was hard to miss.

“Damn.”

“What?” Nobody could do clueless like Evey.

“I was right, that’s what.” Eli had made her way around the front of the truck.

Eve frowned at me, “Emma! I told you not to bring her!”

“Listen to me. You were in trouble. Nobody was keeping me from you.” It was always that simple, especially for Eli.

Eve hugged Eli and whispered in her ear, “Just promise you won’t do anything crazy.” Eli pulled back.

“I’m not making any promises until I hear the whole story. Look at your face. Just tell me, was this the first time?”

We didn’t have time for this. The train station was so quiet and dark it was outright spooky, and not having the advantage of being on our own turf was nagging at me.

“Later. Let’s just get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps.”

Eli picked up Eve’s bags. “I’ve got this.” She walked behind the truck and around to the back. She was just a few feet away when the darkness swallowed her whole and she was out of sight.

I took Eve’s hand and squeezed it. Suddenly Preston came charging out of the black night and grabbed Eve from behind. He was holding a gun and frantically waving it around while yelling, “Did you really think I’d let you get away that easy?”

We were completely shocked. I was able to speak first. “You let her go right now!” Preston just sneered at me.

“Don’t tell me what to do with my wife! You think you can just show up here and take her back to the swamp with you? You can’t!”

Eve began to plead, “Please Preston. Just let me go. I want to go back home.” She was crying now and on top of being terrified, my heart was breaking for her. Preston’s heart however was cold as stone.

“Home is with me. That’s the only place you’re going. So your sisters can just get back into their rust wagon and go back to where they came from.” He was pointing his gun at me now.

“I’m not leaving without my sister.” Little did he know it wasn’t my first run in with that end of the barrel, and I wasn’t about to cower before him just because he had it pointed at me.

Preston was about to bark another demand when Eli crept up behind him and hit him over the head with a shovel. There was a loud thud as his body hit the ground. Eve screamed. I reached down and took the gun from his limp hand. Eve was freaking out. She knelt down beside him.

“Oh my God! Did you kill him?” Eve whispered, her voice barely audible.

Eli was stunned. “No, I didn’t kill him. What is wrong with you? He had a gun to your head! Stop worrying about this piece of shit!”

She kicked his unconscious body for good measure and then bent down to help Evey back up…

Bio

994555_410708465716854_1689807310_nAlthough Karina Gioertz has been writing for most of her life, it never quite registered with her as something out of the ordinary or worth pursuing, because it was so closely connected to who she was. It wasn’t until she became a stay at home mom and finally took the time to write an entire book from beginning to end, that she understood what all of those ideas she had been jotting down all those years were really for. Since then, she has written several books, including Country Girls, Lucky In Love and Blood Bound.

While writing and motherhood have become her main focus over the years, she also enjoys many other creative activities such as painting and photography. Most sunny days she can be found in her courtyard working feverishly at painting and refurbishing old furniture…that is, of course, only if it wasn’t a suitable day to spend at the beach. 😉

Karina resides in sunny Florida with her family and two dogs and can be contacted via Facebook (www.facebook.com/friedgatortail) Twitter (www.twitter.com/friedgatortail) and at www.friedgatortail.wix.com/karinagioertz