Edwards continued to describe the men in the picture. “As you can see, the man standing between Massino and Anastasia is Capo, Anthony
Big Tony
Castrucci. For the last seven years, Anastasia had been Castrucci’s mentor.” He stopped to take a drink of water before continuing. “It was expected that Castrucci would automatically become the new Under Boss when Anastasia died, but we now know that isn’t going to happen. The man standing on his right is Roberto Failla. He
will
be the next Under Boss.” He paused to look at the papers in front of him. “Right now, our biggest concern is with Castrucci. He’s fueling a very large fire within the family and he’s made it very clear that he’s not going to stand idly by while they shut him out. We think he’s planning to assassinate Massino and Failla for control.”
“Doesn’t he need the approval from the Commission to carry it out?” Rheyna asked.
“We think he’s already begun seeking it,” Edwards said as he brought up another photo of two men standing outside Anastasia’s funeral. The man on the left was anything but handsome. His thick black moustache and goatee did very little to hide the deep pockmarks etched in his face. Edwards used a laser pointer to identify the men, starting with the goateed man.
“This is Jay
Marbles
Farino, Castrucci’s hitman. Farino is definitely not the smartest guy on the planet, and ignorantly leaves his calling card with the bodies, a single marble. We think he’s responsible for more than twenty hits, but we can’t prove it. Standing next to him is Sonny
Pretty Boy
Valachi, Castrucci’s trusted right-hand man. He currently oversees several different crews of soldiers working in the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles. Some of their business is legit, some not.”
He brought up several more photos showing aerial shots of a very large and lavish estate.
Stevens let out a loud cat whistle. “Who says crime doesn’t pay?”
The large sand-colored mansion was surrounded by large, black, wrought iron fencing that stretched out toward the ocean and ended with a fabulous view overlooking the bay. It was breathtaking, if you could ignore the heavily armed men patrolling the grounds.
The house was approximately two-hundred feet across at the front with a large covered entryway porch leading to the edge of the circular driveway. The grounds in the front of the house and surrounding areas were completely covered with lush flowers of every kind imaginable.
Rheyna surmised that the upkeep for the landscaping alone probably cost more than she made in a year. The front part of the house was deceiving, and from the driveway, it appeared to be a single story ranch, but halfway toward the back, the building raised another two floors.
This meant that the overall size of the house was three stories high. The rear of the house was unbelievable. Set in a horseshoe design, the ends stretched out across a large cement patio. Each side was identical, with balconies leading out from the upstairs windows. Directly in the middle, the house recessed into the shape of a Greek Coliseum.
Rheyna looked at the photo, thinking it reminded her of something she had seen before. She thought for a moment and then it dawned on her—the back of the house looked just like the front of the White House. It was identical, right down to the last detail.
At the edge of the patio, knee-high concrete pillar railings separated it from the large L-shaped in-ground pool. The pool was something to behold all by itself. Standing at least fifteen feet tall and covering the entire small part of the ‘L’ was a gorgeous waterfall constructed from large slate-shaped rocks. Sitting to the right and less than forty feet away, was a small guesthouse.
Edwards continued to talk as he walked around the table. He laid a manila folder down in front of Rheyna. “Okay, ladies and gentlemen, that brings us to Operation Pandora’s Box.”
He pulled out a chair and sat down between Laura and Rheyna. “You five, me, and the Deputy Director will be the only ones with access to this information.” He shuffled through the paperwork in front of him and handed a set of documents to the other agents. “We’ve decided to change directions and go directly after Castrucci. He’s not as smart as Massino, and we’re hoping that his arrogance will turn out to be his Achilles heel.”
He brought up another photo. This one was of two women. Both had blonde hair and blue eyes. The older woman was attractive, but the younger one was insanely gorgeous. “The one on the left is Terasa, Castrucci’s wife. The other is their only child, Caroline,” Edwards said as he walked over and flipped on the light switch.
It took a few seconds for Rheyna’s eyes to adjust, but it didn’t seem to faze Edwards a bit.
“Rheyna, how’re your photography skills?” he asked.
The question caught her totally off guard. “Uh … a little rusty, I haven’t done much since college.”
He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “Well, you’d better brush up. In two weeks, you will be the photographer shooting the family portrait at the Castrucci estate. While there, I want you to observe the inside of the house and the grounds. The one thing we’ve never been able to do is get inside. If you get a chance to plant wires, do it. More importantly, I want you to use whatever means you deem necessary to help bring this son of a bitch down.”
Rheyna knew from past stings that the estate was guarded around the clock. Castrucci constantly had men doing electronic sweeps in the house and on the phone lines. Getting into Fort Knox just might be easier.
Edwards looked directly at Rheyna. “From the Intel we’ve gathered so far, Castrucci’s nephew Rico, and Massino’s granddaughter, Melinda Belotti, are planning their wedding at the estate. This in and of itself is not a big deal, except the informant indicated that the wedding is just a smoke screen for a meeting of the Commission.” He glanced around the room as he continued to speak. “As you are all aware, there hasn’t been a full Commission meeting since the one in Staten Island in 1984. What I’m hoping, Rheyna is that they like you and your work well enough to consider hiring you for the photo job.”
“When do I leave?” Rheyna asked.
“Tomorrow morning at six and Laura will leave tomorrow evening. The rest of us, except for Ron, will be there by the end of the week.”
He nodded toward the folder in her hands. “All the information you need is in there, along with photos of the main players. Commit it to memory and when you’re satisfied, destroy the file. From here on out, your only contact will be with Laura or me.” He looked around the room and smiled, showing a full set of straight, white teeth. “All right then. If everything goes as planned, starting tonight, and as far as the Massino crime family is concerned, Rheyna Sorento does not exist.”
###
The sheet bobbed up and down in rapid succession. Big Tony closed his eyes and leaned against the headboard. He moaned, his body shaking from the orgasm.
“Jesus, Charlene. You … are so damned good at that.”
He held up the sheet and peered down at the woman between his legs.
She sighed heavily and laid her head on his stomach.
“Come here, sweetheart,” he said, stroking her long, bleached blonde hair with his hand.
She raised her head to look at him and then crawled out from under the sheet. She climbed over his legs and flopped down next to him on the bed.
“Hand me my cigar, honey.”
Charlene picked up the half-smoked butt from the ashtray and handed it to him before grabbing a cigarette of her own and lighting it.
He watched her oversized tits rise and fall as she took a deep drag from the cigarette. With her head tilted back, she blew the large plume of smoke toward the ceiling. She laid the cigarette in the ashtray and reached down to pick her purse up from the floor. She unzipped a side pocket and pulled out a tube of lipstick and a small compact. She snapped open the lid and smeared the bright cherry red cream across her lips.
“Why you need that shit for?” he asked.
She grabbed a wad of gum stuck to the nightstand and tossed it in her mouth. Her lips slowly turned upward into a broad smile. “Because you rubbed it all off,” she answered, sliding her hand under the covers to stroke him.
He grabbed her hand to stop the motion. “No more, Charlene. I need to get going.”
The smile left Charlene’s face. “Ah Tony, you just got here.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and turned to look at her. “I got places to go, people to see,” he said.
She slid up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She laid her head on his shoulder. “But I haven’t seen you for over two weeks.”
He disentangled her arms. “Stop whining. You know I don’t like it when you whine.” He picked up his trousers and pulled them over his legs. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and get me something to drink?”
She reluctantly got out of the bed and threw a robe on while he continued to get dressed. “Uh, Tony, I got something I been meanin’ ta tell ya,” she said with a nervous laugh as she poured him a glass of scotch.
He came over and took the drink from her hand. “Yeah, well, what is it?” He watched her pour herself a glass of orange juice. “What the hell you drinking juice for? You on the wagon again?” he asked, half smirking.
“That’s what I been meanin’ ta talk to ya about.”
“Well, spit it out. I don’t have all damn night.”
“Um … um, I don’t know how to say this.”
“Just fucking say it already,” he said impatiently.
Charlene took two steps back, and bumped into a chair. “I’m ... I’m pregnant,” she mumbled.
“You’re what?”
“I’m pregnant, two months pregnant, to be exact.”
“You stupid fucking bitch!” he yelled. He looked at the glass in his hand and then slung it against the wall, shattering it to pieces. He turned and grabbed Charlene by the shoulders and shook her. “How could you be so stupid?” he yelled, his voice shaking with rage.
“Please, Tony. It’s not like that,” Charlene protested.
“Please, Tony. It’s not like that,” he mocked. Without warning, his arm shot out, and the back of his hand made a cracking sound as it connected with Charlene’s face.
She screamed and fell back in the chair. “I … I want to keep the baby!” she yelled back at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
He took a menacing step toward her and brought his hand up to strike her again. She put her hands up in front of her face to block the blow. “Like hell you are. You’re gonna get rid of it. That’s what you’re gonna do.”
“But Tony, it’s a living, breathing being growin’ inside me. Can’t I keep it?” she pleaded.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass if it’s the King of Egypt.” He grabbed her hair and yanked her effortlessly out of the chair. He brought his face within an inch of hers. “You listen to me, Charlene, and you listen real well, because I’m only gonna say it once. You get rid of this thing, or … I’ll get rid of you!” he snarled, flinging her back down in the chair.
He grabbed his coat off the back of the sofa and jerked the front door open. “I meant what I said, Charlene,” he said over his shoulder and then slammed the door shut behind him.
###
Sonny looked up from the magazine as the back limo door opened. Big Tony slid in the seat across from him.
“You all right, Tony?” he asked, frowning.
“Just take care of her and do it soon,” Big Tony answered, slamming the door shut with enough force to rock the car.
###
Rheyna opened the refrigerator door and looked inside. “What do you want to drink?” she yelled.
“I’ll have a beer,” Laura yelled back from the bathroom down the hall.
Rheyna grabbed two bottles, twisted off the caps, and tossed them in the wastebasket next to the stove. She looked at the assignment folder lying on the counter and felt a twinge of excitement. Although she knew the assignment could be dangerous, maybe even deadly, she was so looking forward to it.