For The Empire - Sempre

Chapter 72

JOHN PAUL

I take a deep wondering how the hell Jimmy always seems to be one fucking step ahead of us. 
"Enzo, try to stall him by baiting him into telling you how he knew about this operation." I order while, I then ask David to tap in to all the near by traffic cameras in case Jimmy gives us the slip again.

"I don't need to put on a show for what I do, cocksucker," Enzo responds to Jimmy. "I get paid to do it in a way where it looks like I was never there, assface. You want entertainment, keep working for the Albanians."

"We tried warning you," Enzo addresses Armend now. "We told you and your men, not to trust Jimmy and here we are." 

Jimmy laughs. "If Stella was here, I think she would make it a little more interesting. Maybe dance a little for me, too." Jimmy's evil grin widens at Enzo. "Let me guess, she's listening to this right now, right?"

"Stella, gorgeous, you there? I wish it was your face I was looking at instead of your BFF. Don't worry, though, I haven't forgotten the promise I made you all those years ago. You will see me again. And I will have you screaming my name. JP can watch and see how a real man takes care of a woman."

My grip on the back of Mateo's chair tightens and Mateo moves up slightly, nervous of what may happen next. 

"How did you know I was coming?" Enzo draws Jimmy's attention back to him.

"Well, I wasn't sure who was coming. I was really hoping it was Stella, but such is life." Jimmy shrugs, scratching his chin with one of the guns. "I intercepted a call made to a kid I thought was as good as dead. What was his name? Morty? Cory?"

"Georgie," Stella whispers next to me. 

And Jimmy confirms it, when he snaps his fingers. "Georgie, that's it. We roughed him up good. Been tapping his little sister; sweet piece of ass." Jimmy flicks his tongue out quickly, and crudely, while he runs the tip of the gun down Samira's face. 

"It's amazing what whores with daddy issues are willing to do and disclose---all for the sake of a little attention and a good fuck---isn't that right, baby?" He smiles down at Samira. She looks up at him and spits on his face. Jimmy pistol whips her and she cries out in pain. 

Armend shakes in chair, yelling at Jimmy in Albanian, in rage.

Enzo cocks his gun. "Uh, uh, Romano." He focuses on Enzo again. "You're not doing anyone any favors trying to be a savior here. You made a mistake coming here, brother." 

"I'm not your brother, stronzo." Enzo replies. "And I don't give a fuck about them. They came after us and that's not something we forget---children were attacked and killed because of them." Samira looks over at her father who hangs his head in defeat.

"I don't know man, what better term to describe someone who's willing to take the fall for me with taking down the Albanians from the inside, than a brother?" Jimmy chortles. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Well, you see, I have someone on the inside, with the FBI. I've been trading information on the Albanians, and in exchange some of my previous...slip ups will magically disappear. 

But the fucking assholes, don't know I'm also giving information to the Russians on the FBI. And now, you're going to be caught, framed---what have you,  in my place, after I kill Samira and Armend. All warfare is based on deception after all." Jimmy quotes Sun Tzu.

I look over at Stella. She knows what I want her to do and even though it's still early, and she sends a message off to Ray. 

Jimmy's phone chimes. "Well, it's been fun and all, but time to go."