Tony got out of his car in Orvieto and walked along the narrow path to the Park of the Grottoes where he found a picnic table to perch upon. Hundreds of tourists were scattered around the area. Some were getting ready for tours, while others just enjoyed the view.
A car had been following him shortly after he left the gas station where Katherine had been captured. He never saw the car when he was sleeping in his own vehicle, but he saw it the next morning and it had been following ever since.
Knowing he had to come up with a distraction to get away from them, Tony went to a local market and picked up a sandwich for lunch. He brought the food to the picnic table in hopes it looked as though he were stopping for a leisurely lunch. Hopefully, the man following him would stay in his car.
Tony arrived at the caves fifteen minutes early, but didn’t have to wait long for the agents to arrive. He wasn’t worried about finding them; they obviously knew who he was and what he looked like. However, when Tony got his first glimpse of the agents, he knew who they were immediately. They stuck out like a sore thumb.
The parking lot was behind him, and the agents approached from the side. He didn’t attempt to look in their direction before he spoke.
“I’m being followed. Meet me inside the caves in five minutes.”
He continued to look ahead as the agents walked in front of him a few feet and continued toward the caves. He finished eating the sandwich and tried to stay calm even though his insides were a jumbled mess. If he messed this up, it could mean Kate’s life.
He got up from the table and threw the waste in a nearby trash can. He stopped for a moment and took another leisurely look at the surrounding area before proceeding to the caves. If someone was watching, he wanted to make it look like he had no agenda other than to stop for a break.
Tony walked in to the labyrinth known as the caves. It was an underground city built two thousand five hundred years prior and still remained largely intact. He found the agents in a room just off of the entrance. He motioned to them. “Let’s go back in further in case they try to follow me in here.”
When they got far enough into the underground city, he stopped. “Agent Thompson?”
“That’s me,” the younger agent said with a clear American accent. Thompson was wearing jeans and a sport coat. The other agent with him was the unknown.
“And you are?”
“I’m Agent Manchetti. I’m with the Guardia di Finanza. We’ve been working together on this case for several months.”
Tony nodded. “Agent Thompson, how did my dad know you? Was he doing something illegal? Was he involved with the cartel?” He braced himself for the answer he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear.
“You said you had something for me. May I please see it?”
Clearly, Thompson wasn’t going to give up any answers easily. “How do I know I can trust you?”
Thompson shrugged. “I don’t suppose you’ll ever know for sure. Your dad trusted me enough to pass on a message.”
Tony was intrigued. “What message?”
Thompson looked around before he spoke. “He worked hard and long in his life to provide the best for his family. Italy was where he called home, but it no longer needs to be your home. I’ve promised your father to place any member of your immediate family in the witness protection program. If you work with us, I can provide you a new life in America.”
Tony put his hand on the wall next to him and doubled over. It felt like he’d just had the wind knocked out of him, and he struggled to take a breath. Just when he thought his dad was doing illegal business, he found out he was working with American’s for who knows what. How much more was there to his father’s secret life?
“I know this is a lot to take in.”
“I-I need you to tell me about my dad. How did he get involved in this? With you?” His breathing was ragged, but he managed to stand himself upright.
“Your father was a good man. He contacted my agency in hopes of getting some help. He was very untrusting of the Italian government. He thought they would try to cover up anything having to do with the olive oil cartel. Simply, the cartel had money and resources to buy people.”
Why did everyone keep saying Tomas was a good man? Did they know about his dealings with various government agencies? “But my brother, he was honest. He was trying to help.”
“He allowed your brother to help to a certain point. Your father knew the deeper your brother got in, the more likely he wouldn’t survive. As a result, he tried to handle it differently. That’s where I came in; I was only assigned to the investigation for a couple of weeks before I came in contact with your father. By then, Agent Manchetti and I were already working together. I connected with your father through him, and we’ve been trying to hit the cartel from all angles and it seemed to have been working. We busted a few operations and slowed their exports significantly. What I can’t figure out is why all of a sudden the cartel killed your family and how did you make it out alive?”
Tony pulled a hand over his face, trying to process the information. “I’m wondering the same thing myself. I’m not sure if it was an angel who helped me escape, or the devil cursing me with a life of loneliness and despair.”
“Mr. Bertalucci, you mentioned Katherine Anderson. Where is she?”
“I don’t know.” Tony hesitated. “I’m supposed to meet whoever took her at my factory at four. They want everything I’ve collected from my father. If I give it to them, they’ll give me Katherine.”
The agents turned to one another.
Sensing there was an unspoken conversation, Tony decided to find out if there was something wrong with his factory. “What? What’s going on? Did that blow up too?”
“No, we were just there. We didn’t see any sign of Katherine or anyone else.”
The abyss called despair grew exponentially in Tony’s heart.
“Are you sure that’s where you’re supposed to meet?”
Tony produced the note from his pocket and handed it to the agents.
“What do you have that they want Mr. Bertalucci?”
“The evidence my father built against the cartel. I’ve been traveling around this godforsaken country gathering random pieces of information that could bust the entire ring. The latest were some discs I retrieved in Geneva.” Tony retrieved one of the discs from his coat pocket. “He told me to give this to the authorities.”
Thompson took the disc. “Did you watch it?”
“Part of it. I couldn’t stomach it after I saw my dad working with the cartel. H-he looked guilty.”
“Is this all you have to give to them?”
“No. My dad made a different disc for them. I’m sure he knew the cartel would be after anyone who survived that accident. What I can’t figure out is how they know I’ve been collecting random packages. Everyone thought I was dead until recently. How did you know I was alive?”
Manchetti quickly explained, “We were able to collect DNA samples from everyone who was in your house. We knew rather quickly you weren’t in that explosion. But we didn’t release it to the local news until recently. We wanted time to be able to investigate without anyone knowing you were alive. We’ve been monitoring cameras in train stations, searching for your name at hotels, airlines, rental cars agencies, you name it. We’ve been in hot pursuit to find you before the cartel does.”
“Okay, that doesn’t explain how they found out.”
Manchetti glanced at Thompson. “It would appear your father had some reasons to be concerned. He did right by seeking out Agent Thompson.”
Tony pulled his hands through his hair as he paced back and forth. “I knew it. I knew it! How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you two aren’t responsible for getting my family killed?”
“You don’t.” Manchetti paused. “Do you have any idea who the head of the cartel is right now?”
Tony whipped around toward the agents. “My dad told me it was some guy named Guliani Abatangelo, but I don’t know for sure though. I never had anything to do with them. It was my brother and my father who got us into this mess!”
Tony’s skin crawled when Manchetti placed a hand on his shoulder.
“We do know who’s in charge. Mr. Abatangelo is very high up in the organization, but he’s not in running it. I can guarantee you they want nothing to do with Katherine Anderson unless she has become of interest to you. Is there something going on between the two of you? How did you meet?”
For fuck’s sake. This was his fault. He got Kate in this mess. “Fuck!” He slammed his fist against the wall. He took a moment to calm down before speaking again. He took a deep breath. “I met her on a train. I befriended her in hopes I could travel with her and use her as a decoy to get out of the country unnoticed. Clearly, that planned failed.”
“So, there’s no other involvement between the two of you?”
“None.” He was letting Kate down again by not telling the truth. Until he knew more about these agents, he was going to keep their relationship as secret as possible.
“Does she believe the same?”
“I don’t know what Kate believes.”
Manchetti looked to Thompson before speaking. “If she continues to insinuate there’s a relationship between the two of you, they’ll kill her.”
“You just said it’s not her they want. Why would it matter if I was involved with her?”
“Because they want to get to you.”
Tony knew this already, but hearing it from the agents left a huge pit in his stomach. “I don’t understand. Why?”
“We don’t have time to go into the details right now. If you’re being followed, someone is bound to come upon us. We need to come up with a plan. There are only a couple of hours before you have to be in at the factory. I can’t let you go in there alone.” Manchetti paused. “I need you to make another stop before you go to the factory. Is that all right?”
“I suppose but I need to know why.” Tony stuck his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t sure if it was the cool air in the caves or the information he’d just received that made the flesh on his arms raise into goose bumps.
“I need you to meet an agent in Umbria. There, the agent will wire you up so we can monitor what’s going on in the factory.”
“No! Absolutely Not! This is exactly what got my family killed. I’m not doing it.”
“There’s no other way.” Thompson placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder. The officer’s firm grasp forced him to calm down.
“How is it I’m suddenly working with you when all I wanted to do was get away from all of this?”
Thompson replied, “This is the only way to get you and Katherine out alive. I’m also sure you’d like to see the people responsible for destroying your family behind bars. We can make that happen. We just need you to cooperate.”
Tony contemplated what Thompson said before he answered, “If it comes down to saving her or me, I want you to save her. I got her into this mess; she doesn’t deserve any of this.”
“You have my word.” Thompson extended his hand. Hesitantly, Tony shook it.
“Do you have a cell phone?” Manchetti inquired.
“Yes.”
“I’m guessing, since we haven’t been able to track it, you got a pay as you go.”
“That’s correct.”
“Good. Give me the number and we’ll phone you shortly with where you’ll rendezvous with the other agent.”
Tony gave the agents the number before he left the caves. He navigated through them quickly to find the entrance. He had already been gone awhile and suspected the man following him was probably searching for him by now.
He saw the man as he exited the cave. Their eyes met for a brief moment before the man turned away trying to go unnoticed. In a fit of rage, he walked up to the tall, slender stranger with beady eyes and coldcocked him. The man fell instantly to the ground, and as bystanders rushed to the man’s side, Tony swiftly walked to his car adrenaline pumping through his veins, giving him the strength he would need to face whatever obstacles he encountered next.