Accardi (Genevieve and Matteo) by Allison Franklin novel Chapter 58

Chapter Fifty–Eight

Matteo sat in his car outside of the hospital with a tablet in his hands. On the center console there was a letter he’d already read detailing the conditions of Gen’s release. Money. So fucking simple. So fucking stupid. They wanted him to transfer money into an overseas account and once they got confirmation they’d release her and send him the coordinates.

Frankie was on the phone now, updating Marco with instructions to find the owners of the account. All that was left to do was watch the video they’d sent along with the letter. His finger trembled over the play button. He pulled his finger away and flexed his fist. He readjusted himself in the chair, took a deep breath and hit play before he could change his mind.

Gen. She was tied to a chair but her beautiful eyes flashed defiance. Her breathing was rapid and her cheek was swollen. There was blood caked in her hair and bruises along her arms and neck. But she was alive and she was pissed. He hit pause and leaned his head back for a moment. He hit play again. Someone told her to speak and she instead told him to go fuck himself. His brief smile at her braveness vanished when someone came in from off camera and punched her. His fists tightened to the point the screen on the tablet cracked.

When she looked back up she was biting her swollen lip and tears were running down her face. She started to read whatever they’d written only to deviate and try to tell him where she was. So many emotions rolled in his gut that Matteo wondered if he might actually vomit for the first time in a decade. When she was kicked in the stomach and he had to watch her fight for air, he had to cover his mouth to keep from destroying the upholstery in his car.

Finally the man behind the camera stepped forward. Matteo stared at the man, not even hearing what he was saying. He vowed then and there that he would be the first one to die. And it would not be a quick death. Then his desire for revenge morphed and turned to horror as the fucker lowered his face toward Gen’s. He watched her struggle to get away only to freeze completely as her captor forced himself on her. Then the man screamed. Matteo’s brow scrunched down and he brought the tablet closer to his face. She wasn’t. She wouldn’t. The man fell backward and Matteo gasped at the look of pure evil on Gen’s face. She spit something on the ground and smiled. Her teeth showed crimson and the glint in her eyes shone proudly at what she’d done.

He watched, transfixed, as his little demon turned to the other man in the frame and said, “Well? Come on Two, I’m ready to be a good

girl now, I promise.”

Instead of playing along, the second man sent a haymaker to her face, knocking her out cold. She would probably continue to pay for that act of bravery. Sure enough the second man ran a hand over his head and down to his shoulder as if he were running his hands through his hair. He turned toward the camera, chest heaving from the excitement. He smiled broadly and crouched in front of the camera.

“Best hurry, Accardi. This one is far more fun than we anticipated,” the man taunted as the other continued to writhe on the ground. The man started to chuckle, raised his hand and ended the video.

Matteo pushed open the car door just as Frankie was hanging up the phone.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Frankie said.

“I could say the same,” Matteo said, handing the tablet over for Frankie to watch.

“We tracked the offshore account,” Frankie said. “It belongs to Senator Ramirez.”

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“Ramirez? Didn’t we fund his campaign two years ago?”

Frankie nodded. “Yeah, he’s been slipping some inside knowledge and rewriting some laws for us in return. He’s squeaky clean. As for his

son though…”

Matteo thought about the video he’d watched: the punching style of the man who hit Gen. “People call him Rooster, don’t they?” Matteo asked, remembering the information Leo had given.

Frankie nodded. “Rooster Ramirez. A regular at the club.”

“A regular loser, if I recall.”

“I checked with Louis. Apparently Rooster has been losing and not paying up. Louis kicked him out of the club and banned him after too many missed payments. Right before his wedding, Louis threatened to out Rooster to his dad if he didn’t pay up soon.”

“I’m sure that didn’t go over well,” Matteo said, his excitement growing at getting closer to the truth. “The senator was at the wedding,

wasn’t he?”

Frankie’s smile grew. “With his wife and son.”

“Where is he?”

Frankie’s smile dimmed. “Fell off the radar after the wedding. Probably laying low so he could plan.”

“Then what the fuck are you still doing here? Go find him.”

Matteo turned away when Frankie grabbed him by the sleeve. Matteo looked down at Frankie’s hand and back up with an annoyed

expression. “I have an idea.”

“What’s that?”

“The Senator’s in town. Want to make a house call?” Frankie asked, eyes gleaming.

“Let’s go see how the Senator feels about the apple of his eye,” Matteo confirmed, walking around to the driver’s side.

“Hell yes!”

The drive to the Senator’s upper East Side house was filled with tense silence. Frankie watched the video of Gen over and over with his headphones on. Out of the corner of his eye, Matteo could see him grin at the parts in which Gen talked back or went savage.

“Damn,” Frankie said as they got closer to the house. He set the tablet down and stretched. “Did that shit not make you hard?”

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“Careful,” Matteo warned.

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“Don’t worry, it’s not the girl. Just what she did. What a fucking had ass. Never been in a situation like that before and she bites the fucker’s lip off No wonder you’re so pussy whipped. I bet she’s a biter in bed. Is she? She is, Isn’t she? I bet she uses those teeth for all sorts of things. Oof, you’ll have to let me watch the two of you one day. Don’t worry, I won’t touch, just watch while she…”

Matteo braked hard, causing Frankie to fall forward and hit his head against the console.

“Ow, shit.” Frankie hissed.

“Don’t ever even think about that again, do you understand?” Matteo asked as they pulled up in front of the Senator’s house.

“Fine, fine… I’ll just have to find my own biter.”

“Damn fucking right.”

Matteo knocked on the door and waited. Frankie stood to the side, out of view as the door was cautiously opened.

“Hola? May I help you?” a terrified woman in a maid’s uniform asked.

“Hola!” Frankie chirped, shoving the door and the woman with it. He pressed the woman to the wall and put a knife to her neck. He gave her a once over. “You wouldn’t happen to be a biter would you?” he asked, baring his teeth and snapping them in illustration.

“Down, Frankie,” Matteo said, pulling at his shoulder as he walked into the house.

“Anita, what’s going on?”

A middle–aged woman appeared at the top of the steps. She clutched a hand to her chest as she noticed Matteo and Frankie.

“Good afternoon, Miss Ramirez. We are here to see your husband. The name is Accardi,” Matteo announced, giving her his best charming,

rich–boy smile.

The woman blushed but continued to watch him warily. Smart woman. “H–Herald?”

“Yes, Dear?” a voice came from the downstairs area. Matteo started walking toward the sound.

“There’s someone named Accardi here to see you?”

“Accardi?”

The sound of something being knocked over and the panicked stumbling of feet came from a few doors down. A moment later Herald Ramirez tumbled into the hallway. He straightened his tie and flung his slippers into the study he’d just come out of.

“Gentlemen,” he said, bowing his head slightly at both Matteo and Frankie. “Is there something I can do to help you? The Sweepstakes Act is due to go on the floor next month. I’ve been working really hard on it and if you just give me some more time…”

Chapter Fifty–Eight

Matteo grabbed Herald by his lapels and shoved him against the wall. Both his wife and maid shrieked behind him.

“Anita, call 911!” Mrs. Ramirez yelled.

“No!” Herald exclaimed. “No, Dear, it’s fine. It’s fine, right Mr. Accardi?”

“Frankie, watch the women,” Matteo ordered.

“With pleasure. So, Anita, was it? You never answered my question.”

“What is it I can do for you, Mr. Accardi?” Herald asked quickly, hoping to defuse the situation. “I’ll do whatever you ask. My family is extremely grateful for your generosity.”

“Apparently not your entire family, Herald.”

Herald’s brow scrunched down in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“You’re about to. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Then you’re going to tell me where I can find the scumbag you call a son.”

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