For the Empire - Inganno

Chapter 55

Tony turns back to us. "Feds. The men stopped an unmarked vehicle at the gate to the property. They want to talk to Timo. It wouldn't be the first time men posing as cops have attempted to pull a fast one on us. So, we just want to be prepared."

I grip JP's arm, and he looks down at me. He tries to look calm, but I know he's nervous.

"If they are legit, then they are probably here to ask questions about the gala. But we'd rather expect the worst." Tony says as we start to walk toward the foyer.

"Um, should I be worried?" Annalisa asks, her face anxious. I hold her hand, trying to comfort her.

"The guards at the gate are stalling them for the moment; we want to make sure everyone is in place. A sniper is making his way up to the roof as we speak. Are you two carrying?" Tony turns, eyeing JP and Joey.

JP pulls his gun from his back and removes the safety, and cocks the gun to load it; Joey does the same. "Good. Out of sight for now." Tony instructs.

The doorbell rings.

"Cazzo! I'd thought we had a few more minutes. Joey, go get Timo, he's in his office. I'll stall them for a few minutes to give Timo time to get there. Charmaine, Annalisa, go back to the kitchen and stay out of sight." He says, looking directly at me. "You're good with knives, and you know where they are if you need them."

My mouth runs dry at the quick turn of events. I turn back to Annalisa and take her to the kitchen, my mind running a mile a minute.

We need a distraction, so I tell her to pull out a couple of cutting boards. Then, I open the fridge and start pulling out some vegetables. "What are we doing, Char?"

I look at her and smile, even though I'm anxious as hell. "Prepping for dinner. I'm pretty sure Carmela was making a pasta garden salad to go with the steaks she's marinating. Plus, instead of sitting here anxious, we'll keep busy cutting vegetables."

She nods. "Good thinking." And she proceeds to rinse and wash the vegetables I set out on the counter.

JOHN PAUL

I watch as Charmaine takes Annalisa by the arm towards the kitchen, and I take a deep breath.

I turn to my father, who nods at me, and I follow behind him as he makes his way to the front door. He pulls the door open, and two men dressed in suits stare back at us. Their badges hang on their hips.

But they whip out their credentials; the guy in the front appears older and must be the superior of the two, as he is the one who introduces himself first; his partner who's looking around the front of the house, taking in the scenery.

"Afternoon, I'm Special Agent Barnes, this my partner, Special Agent Delgado. We're here to speak to Timoteo Bracco. Is he in?"

"What's this regarding?" My father asks; he keeps his face neutral as he speaks to the two men.

"There was a shooting last week at a local event; Mr. Bracco attended that. We have a few questions for him; then, we'll be on our way. Is he home?" Agent Barnes asks again.

My father nods and steps to the side, allowing them entry to the foyer. They each nod at me as they walk in. I watch as they take in their surroundings as subtle as they can while appearing interested in us.

My father holds his hand out to shake theirs.

"Anthony Toretto, Timo's assistant." My father gestures back to me, "This is my son, JP." It's odd to hear my dad use my nickname; he never uses it.

They each shake our hands in their firm grip. "Please follow me, gentlemen." They follow my father while I trail behind them, walking towards the conference room.