Carol, comically remarks, “No, she hates working with you. She only wants hugs and kisses from you!”
Kitiona elbows Carol, then says, “Mac you’re in San Francisco. I’m in Washington DC, right now.”
Juan recommends, “Since we’re taking this F&F group as a client, we should work together, at least in the beginning. Considering you were all planning on coming to Dom’s and my wedding, why don’t you come to Tampa early? Assuming Dom’s father takes care of business like he said he would, we can coordinate everything else from here.”
The long pause came from each member considering rearranging their immediate schedules. Juan said that the wing he reserved for the group at the Tampa Yacht and Country Club was available for early arrivals. “I had Nancy check and added from tomorrow on to our current wedding reservations.”
Jimmy grinned. “Is that gunslinger Nancy going to be around? I want to meet this modern day Annie Oakley!”
The mood lightened. Ben started dishing out assignments. “I’ll investigate this Nanotechnology stuff. I’m sure Bob can help me.” Bob was Ben’s go to technology wizard.
Ben continued. “Mac and Kitiona follow the donation money. Jimmy, you investigate Nicholas Bianca, his transportation company and ties to trucker unions. Juan, you have the hardest job. Connect with Nickolas and find out all you can about the situation he’s handling.”
Juan remembered the Fair and Free representatives mentioned some sort of conspiracy involving a group called ‘The Club’. Juan said, “I have one more thing that needs investigating. F&F’s representatives mentioned a group that may be the influencing instigators behind any voter fraud associated with these machine refits.”
Jimmy bounced up from his seat. “Mac, you’re on - Mr. Conspiracy.”
Mac accepted the assignment knowing that meant more work for Kitiona and him. “Sure, and if there is a conspiracy, you're going to owe Kitiona and me the most expensive dinner at Tampa’s Bern’s Steak House!”
“You’ve done your eatery research. But Bern’s as is burning the meat? Bring it on.” Jimmy taunted wondering how Nancy ordered her rib eye cooked.
Mac answered, “Since Jimmy’s in a betting mood, I’ll on beating him to Tampa.”
Jimmy chuckled, “I’ll beat you and Kitiona. I know you’re antsy to see your Samoan beauty. Loser buys dinner for everyone who shows. What time can we arrive for our reservations?”
Juan said, “I’ll have Nancy make reservations starting tomorrow night for late check-ins.”
Jimmy interrupted Juan. “Invite Nancy, ok?”
Juan gave him an acknowledging nod and smile. He closed the video meeting expressing a calm reassurance. “I’ll tell the Yacht Club to have your rooms ready. Kitiona, the Foundation’s paying for first class tickets, right?”
Chapter 22
In Providence, the brothers Bianca met the following morning. They both enjoyed eating at the Italian deli close to Nick’s nightclub. The My Amore restaurant served their favorite sandwiches and Italian desserts. Frank ordered the Biscotti with his espresso. Nick had the Brioche. He liked dipping the Italian cookie into his creamed up coffee.
“This business with our daughters is not good. Even though we know where they are, these Russians have no respect for life. If we go in hot and heavy to rescue the girls, any one of us might be injured or killed. Besides that will start a war. And wars are bad for business.”
Frankie usually deferred to his older brother, but he had a hair-trigger temper. While he didn’t command as many men as Nicholas, he could recruit enough hired hands to hurt the Russians and start a turf war. “Why don’t we kidnap one of theirs? Then we call for an exchange.”
Nick felt Frank’s frustrations. Nick’s thinking in terms of a long chess game whereas Frank was playing checkers.
“That’s not a bad idea, but listen Frank. They’re not demanding anything from us. They just want me to manage a few deliveries. That’s easy. No sense showing our men and muscle up front.”
Frank took a deep breath. “Ok, we’ll do it your way. But at the first tilt, I’m attacking with heat.” The battle lines drawn, they got back to being brothers, again. “What do they want?” Frank asks.
Nick’s list began. “We'll assign our drivers to the trucks moving those Florida election machines to their final warehouse homes from the state’s central depot. Along the route, our drivers will give the Russians access to the machines inside the locked trucks. That’s all! They will honor the deal and we’ll get our daughters back. When Dominica and Annie are safe, we can go all 'godfather' on them and whoever is paying the bills.”
Frank nodding asked “Who do you think is putting the Russians up to this?” He knew full well that the local Russian mob didn’t do anything without orders from their Moscow bosses.
Nick already pondered his question. “We’ll have to squeeze Hoza Mogilevich, their Brooklyn boss. Chances are he’s getting his orders from Moscow and that guy they call Tarzan. You know Vladimir Solonik. The big question is who’s paying Solonik? The Russians benefit nothing from winning elections here.”
Frank, beginning to appreciate Nick's long range thinking, said, “We could use some help from Calabria.” They both felt strong family ties to the old country. Their grandfathers came to the United States in the early 1900s where he, his brother Frank and his sister Victoria were born.
Nick's uncle, his father’s brother, came to the U.S. at the same time but returned to Italy after only a few months. Because of his uncle, Nick fostered deep relations with his cousins in Calabria. His many familial visits to their homeland provided bountiful business dividends, especially in creating drug trading routes.
Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia dating back to the early 1900’s, had wrestled control of the lucrative cocaine and heroin trades from their Sicilian counterparts. They were the main suppliers of east coast narcotics. Beside drugs, Nick and Frank imported muscle in the form of workers for the restaurants under their control.
Nick’s company regularly imported legal laborers from Italy. All of their imported employees worked hard. If they didn’t they were sent to the poppy farms in Afghanistan as labor. They all, very quickly, learned their way around town delivering pizza and fast food. Nick and Frank’s imported muscle quickly learned their way around the city.
“Are we ok working together to get our kids back?” Nickolas asked. He knew Frankie could take a dozen or more men to Georgia and attempt to rescue their kids. “Let’s try it my way. You ready the troops here, just in case. I’ll get help from Glasses and their Florida boys if things get hot.”
Frank sipped his coffee. He in the service, he learned to like it black. His sniper training could keep him in the field without any cream and sugar for days at a time. “I can live with that for a little while. But, I want to be in on any further communications you have with these Russian buzzards.”
After Frank left, Nick called their cousin Anthony Decardo in Calabria. Anthony, a higher up in the Calabrian international smuggling ring, had connections throughout Europe. Anthony knew the European financial movers and shakers. He laundered drug money through their various businesses, governments and banks, even the Vatican City bank. By dealing directly with the Vatican bank, they had access to church bank accounts throughout the world. The church always received their cut.
All these churches, especially the old European cathedrals, needed massive repairs. Anthony could mastermind deals with local union contractors to repair part or all of a specific cathedral. Then money donated to the Vatican bank would find its way to these contractors. They in turn would use Anthony’s mob owned and operated banks to deposit the money. They would overcharge the Vatican 80% or more for the construction. The overcharge