Accardi (Genevieve and Matteo) by Allison Franklin novel Chapter 127

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty–Seven

Genevieve stepped over the threshold into her and Matteo’s apartment. Her hands shook as she looked around at what the FBI had done to their home. The furniture was overturned. Drawers were pulled out and their contents scattered across the floor. Books had been pulled off the shelves and thrown haphazardly around the room. Couch cushions were gutted, coating the items on the floor in feathers.

“Ay, cazzo,” Alessio hissed behind her.

She ignored the stinging of her eyes and the ache of violation in her stomach. She held her chin up and continued down the hallway. Her steps faltered as she passed the sun room and glimpsed the carnage that lay within. No plant was spared. Roots were torn up, soil dispatched on the floor. She trudged forward. Matteo’s office… was in an expected state of upheaval. She quickly walked inside and let out a breath of relief. Whoever had gone through here had, at least, spared the first editions. They were laid out on his desk, perfectly in line so as not to damage their spines or the contents within. She sent a prayer of thanks up to God for the small allowance.

Gen walked back into the hallway toward their bedroom. After what she had already witnessed, she was not surprised to see the state of this room. Nothing was left untouched. She pulled Matteo’s sock drawer out further and grinned when she realized they’d missed the secret compartment. She took out his porno mags, her vibrator, the rolled joint and… her fingers touched something else. She pulled out a slip of paper. It was worn, the writing on it smudged. Some lines were crossed out while others were circled. The paper had been crinkled, folded and read many times as the material was smooth and soft. His proposal. His ideas for what he should tell her. She clutched the paper to her chest and smiled. God, she loved that man who, even in prison, still managed to surprise her with his gifts.

“Like the safehouse, they left the apartment across the hall alone,” Conor observed.

“It’s under Antonio’s name,” Leo answered, walking in carrying the bat she’d left over there from several months earlier.

“I’d completely forgotten about that thing,” Gen laughed.

Leo smacked it against his hand. “I didn’t. It’s my baby.”

Gen looked around and sighed heavily. “Well, there’s nothing else here. Office?”

“Office,” Alessio, Conor and Leo answered together.

The four of them piled into the SUV with Leo in the driver’s seat. As they pulled away from the curb, her phone began to ring. She glanced down at the caller ID and saw her sister’s name.

“Hey, how’s it looking there?” Gen asked after she’d answered.

“About how we expected,” Jada responded.

Gen could hear Louis cursing in the background and objects being turned over.

“The girls did a good job,” Jada continued. “Nothing incriminating was left… not that it didn’t keep the fuckers from tearing the place apart.”

“Oh, come on!” Louis yelled from somewhere in the club. “They took my baseball cards out of their frames!”

Jada sighed. “I told you not to bring those here,”

“So only property damage?” Gen asked, as they pulled onto the street where Accardi Industries was located.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like they found anything. Tina even pulled down the neon betting lights on top of the booth and replaced it with a ‘milk bar‘ sign,”

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3:56 pm M

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty–Seven

lada said with a laugh.

“She’ll need a raise,” Gen noted.

“I think we all do,” lada agreed.

“We all do what?” Louis asked, closer to the phone now.

“Need a raise,” Jada repeated.

Louis groaned. “A fucking big one, Gen!”

Gen shook her head as they pulled up to the curb. “I’ll run it by the boss. Thanks guys.”

“Bye!” Jada called.

Alessio was already out of the car, striding toward the building by the time Gen hung up. Leo helped her out of the backseat while Conor followed behind, keeping his head ducked down in case someone in his father’s circle happened to pass by. Gen nodded at the receptionist at the front desk whose phone hung limply from her shoulder as she took in the three men walking beside her. They took the elevator up, the ding sounded, the doors opened and chaos

erupted.

Gen staggered out into the hall where people were running around clutching large armfuls of paper. Simone was not at her desk and the door leading to the

management portion of the floor stood wide. Alessio and Conor were the first ones through it. Gen shivered at the sight of Alessio with a gun in his hand.

She walked through the hall, feeling Leo’s presence close enough to snatch her if need be.

The executive area was just as tumultuous as the other places they’d visited. Federal agents walked in and out of each office carrying boxes marked

“evidence.” The employees were lined up against the opposite walls to keep them out of the way as the FBI raided their desks. Then she saw him: Noah

Bennett. He was down the hall, in Matteo’s office, in his chair. Their eyes met and clashed. Anger erupted in her stomach and she strode forward. She

outpaced Alessio and Conor, the click of her high heels punctuating the otherwise overstimulating situation.

“Miss Sinclair!” Kaitlin called. “Miss Sinclair! They have a warrant, they’re going through everything. They’ve even torn apart Mrs. Tutt’s office. What’s going on? Why was Mr. Accardi arrested? Why…”

Conor stopped abruptly and spun on his heel making Kaitlin skid to a halt before she could catch up to Gen. “Look, Toots, we’re a bit busy. We don’t have time for twenty questions now.”

“Hey, I don’t know who you think you are,” Alexander started, putting himself between Conor and Kaitlin.

“Name’s Galante. Stay the fuck back, hm?” Conor suggested, his voice clipped and dangerous.

Upon hearing Conor’s last name Alexander put a hand out to push Kaitlin back.

“It’s okay Alexander, I’ll take care of it,” Gen assured him, nearly to Matteo’s office.

She stepped inside and glared across the room at Bennett. Though he seemed completely in control, she couldn’t help but smile at the purple bruising coating much of his left jawline, the small bandage keeping his nose aligned, and the blown blood vessel in his eye. Someone had hit him. Hard. Recently.

“You won’t find anything here,” Gen told him.

“No?” Bennett asked with a smug smile. He spun in Matteo’s chair, his smug smile turning to a child–like grin. “Can’t be too careful, now can we, Miss

Sinclair?”

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Chapter One Hundred and Twenty–Seven

“It’s Mrs. Gen corrected. “Mrs. Accardi.” She held up her left hand and then flicked him off.

Bennett’s smile disappeared. “I see, so you’re equally responsible for this then?” he asked, gesturing around.

“That’s right. And I’ll protect it as my husband would.”

Bennett clicked his tongue. “He’s not doing much protecting where he’s at.”

“We’ll see about that,” Gen hissed.

“Perhaps with this new information we should take a second look at your accounting firm, shouldn’t we, Mrs. Accardi?”

“You signed a deal, Bennett. My business won’t be touched or the United States government will be hearing from my lawyer.”

“Sir,” a small voice came from behind her. Bennett briefly glanced over Gen’s rigid shoulder.

“Yeah, Briggs?”

“We haven’t found anything yet.”

“What about the digital download?” Bennett asked, his eyes still trained on Gen. She had to scoff at the idea that Matteo would be stupid enough to link his

illicit accounts with his legitimate ones.

“It’s copied over, ready for us to go through at our discretion,” Briggs confirmed.

“Oh, well, I guess play time is over,” Bennett said, pushing up from the chair. “Oh, by the way, Genevieve, I’ll be visiting your husband in jail today. Anything

you want me to deliver?”

Gen’s eyes narrowed. “That won’t be necessary. Though you may want to pick out a cell for yourself while you’re there. Your positions will be switched soon

enough.”

Bennett leaned forward and she could feel the tension ripple out from her three body guards stationed close by. “Is that a threat against a federal officer,

Mrs. Accardi?” he taunted.

“If you have to ask, I suppose it wasn’t a very good one,” she answered.

“I’ll enjoy extinguishing your fire more so than any of the others,” Bennett said low. Then in a whisper, “Even more than Becca’s.”

Gen lurched forward but Leo was faster. He grabbed her by the upper arms and spun her away from the laughing federal agent. He pinned her to the wall as Bennett’s laughter echoed out of the room and down the hall. Leo’s forearm was heavy against her chest as she struggled to get away from him.

“Don’t give him the satisfaction,” Leo warned. “Just a bit more time. Stick to the plan. We can’t do anything if you’re in jail alongside the other Accardi. Come on, now. We have stuff to do.”

Gen let her head fall back against the glass. She inhaled a shaky breath and nodded. Leo removed his arm and stepped back.

“Now. What’s next?” Leo asked, though he already knew.

Gen took in one last calming breath and closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened them, she’d shoved her emotions down into the recesses of her belly where they created a ball of acid she would have to deal with eventually.

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3:37 pm

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty–Seven

“Call the family meeting.” Gen ordered.

Accardi