Eleven years ago...
On a cold autumn evening, an officer is preparing to complete his shift. He is not looking forward to going home to his nagging wife or the endless cries if his new born baby. He woukd rather sit in the patrol car and continue watching over the uneventful stretch of road he is attending to.
Tim Rowland has not been an officer for long. He wishes to make his way up the ladder and to make a name for himself. He wants to be known as a great detective.
He knows that it will take time but it doesn't stop him from dreaming. Paying attention to the road one last time before another officer takes over, he saw something dark and fast zoom past him.
Immediately, he turned on the sirens and pursued the car. He can't tell what kind of car he is chasing but he knows it's one of those that men in his pay grade will never drive. As his adrenaline spiked, ready for a prolonged chase and not sure if his car will hold up, the driver slowed down and eventually pulled up on the side of the road.
Tim Rowland stepped out of his car and approached the car as dark as night itself. He tamed his racing heart from betraying how nervous he is. In this line if work he is aware that anything can go wrong once he reaches the car.
The man seated in the driver's seat lowered his window. Tim noted that he is alone in the car. His eyes leveled with the pair of blue eyes as cold as steel. The driver, a twenty three year old heir to billions, is also equally scared. He knows he shouldn't have stopped but he is too low on fuel to drive on. Nickolas Balotelli Bale, wears his favorite look, a threatening one.
"Good evening sir."
"Evening." He responded coldly and immediately took note of his name on the badge.
Tim immediately smelt the whiskey from his breath. That is already a DUI.
"Do you know how fast you were driving?"
"I know." Nick admitted without challenging the officer. "I would appreciate it if you go back to your car and forget this happened." He revealed a generous bundle of cash.
Officer Tim gazed at the money longingly. It looks much more than he earns in a month. He needs the money for his loan, for the new baby and for bills. Tempted to take it but also powefully drawn to be an honest cop, he looked away.
"License and registration." He asked the man.
Nick sighed heavily before he handed it over. Officer Tim went back to his car to check with the database. He recognized the name of the driver and drew a connection to Bale Industries.
After he was content with the results, he returned to the driver. "Sir, how much have you had to drink tonight?"
"Enough." He answered rudely.
"Why don't you step out of the car for me?"
To Tim's dismay, he declined confidently. "No I won't be doing that."
"If you don't step out of your car willingly, I'll assist you and then I'll arrest you. Your choice."
The belligerent heir got out of the car. "Hands on the roof of the car, spread your legs."
"Is this really necessary?"
"Do as your told. Do you have anything in your pockets that will harm me?" Tim asked.
"Since you're so curious, find out for yourself." Nick can't contain his stubbornness.
When Tim was content, he went on to search the car. Nick's heart is starting to pound in anticipation of what the officer will find. He is tempted to move his hands, reach for a weapon in the glove compartment and end this. But he knows far too well why he had to leave Italy. He is not eager to do it again.
"What's in the bag?" Officer Tim questioned Nick. He still has his hands on the roof of the car, legs spread.
"Walk away."
"Will you open the bag?"
"Walk away Timmy" Nick repeated.
Tim went on to unzip the bag, revealing hand guns, silencers, riffles and shot guns. "What are you doing with all these weapons?"
Tim is starting to feel nervous.
"Piss of Timmy or arrest me."
Without a second to waste, Tim Rowland cuffed the young man and led away into his patrol car. As Nickolas took a seat at the back, he cursed himself for not calling Gio when he found the guns in the trunk of his car. Don Giovanni would have known what to do.
He sat quietly in the back seat, waiting for an outcome he didn't count on this evening.
Presently...
Brian's POV
"Tim Rowland?"
"Who are you?" The man mowing the overgrown loan stopped to notice me.
"My name is Brian Lance. I'm a federal officer." I showed him my badge. "I understand you used to be an officer yourself."
"What is this about?"
I reached into my jacket and showed him a photograph. "Him." I watched Tim grimace with irritation in his eyes. "You have had a run in with him."
"Stay away from that one. He destroys anything that threatens him."
"Is that what happened to you?" I looked around. It's not a good neighborhood. He paused his work only to switch off the loanower.
"Come inside." I followed him into his simple house. Nothing much is happening. If anything it spells destitution. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"No. I'm good." I declined.
He got himself a beer. "What about him?"
"Six years ago, you had a run in with him."
"Oh yes I did. But that wasn't the first run-in we had. I first met that bastard eleven years ago. He was speeding. He was high. He had gins in his trunk."
"Did you arrest him?"
"Yes I did. But the next morning, it was as though it never happened."
"What do you think went down?"
"Rich kids, powerful parents. In his case, grand mother."
"Helena Bale." I noted. "What did you get out if it?"
"A promotion and I was told to forget the incident. I did forget until six years later when his name came up again. This time for aggravated assault, breaking and entering, kidnapping."
I remember the whole scandal. I remember it being a big case. A billionaire commiting murder is not an everyday headline.
"Who did he kidnap?"
I have an angle. I just need some past details to use as a stepping stone.
"Keira Ballard." He answered. I showed him the photograph of the pretty woman. "Yes, her."
"Who did he assault?"
"Her husband. Jason Burke. The man who was murdered."
"How did he get off?"
"Like I said. Rich kid, powerful grandmother."
I can't help but feel it had something more to do with what we are investigating him for. Mob involvement.
"I'm working on a case to arrest him for mob involvement. It's not him I want. I want to go deeper and higher up. I want the king."
"Mob involvement?" Tim asked me.
"Someone tipped us off. Let's just say we have proof. The guns are just the tip of it. We are having trouble catching him red-handed."
"If you want to catch Bale-"
"They call him Balotelli."
"Same thing. He is a clever bastard. If you want to catch him, use her." He tapped the photograph of Keira Ballard. "This woman is his soft under belly. This is how you get to him."
Nick's POV
"No." Katya declined before she even gave me a chance to heard.
I have been waiting outside her office building for a while. I don't like lawyers and cops. But lawyers are a concession I have to make in my line of work. My attention shifted far down across the street where a black SUV is parked. The SUV has been following me all day.
"Coffee? It's just the way you like it."
"Uneventful?"
"How else would you rather have it?" I asked her with a playful gaze in my eyes.
Katya and I have a lot in common. We have had our bad days but we still share a lot in common. We can be real with each other without pretences. I can talk about the mob without her getting uncomfortable. I'm comfortable around her.
"Thank you. Now you tell me what you want."
She started walking down the street while sipping her coffee.
"You know that your bestie made a deal with the godfather to shut me out of the mafia." She grimaced slightly as though she is hearing this for the first time.
"You will be surprised about how much Kei doesn't tell me." She looks concerned.
"Why is that? I thought you two tell each other everything."
"Not since she realized you and me speak the same language. I lost communication with her after she found out about the mafia. I didn't know she fled Florence with the children. Just like I didn't know she closed a deal with Mancini."
"You did know they are involved though."
"When the bastard was pretending to be some character called Tom, yes. I didn't know they put you out."
"I want back in."
"Why? You have been given a clean slate. Why do you want back in?"
"Because I know Mancini did not let me go out of the goodness of his heart. He is playing the long game and I want to know what that game is. I can't know when I'm out in the cold."
"What do you need me to do?" She asked me.
"You always know someone who knows someone. I want contact with anyone who can give me inside information on the ongoings of Mancini's circle."
"Julio?"
"I lost him after Kei got me kicked out. He works for someone else and I don't want her m to get caught up in this."
The consequence will be death.
"Don't you have any friends in the circle?"
"I have but he is playing it too safe." Bianchi had me holding my breath but he is giving me nothing. He asks that I am patient but I'm running out of it.
"As he should. Mancini is unforgiving."
"That is exactly why I want to know his every move. Resting on my laurels will be foolish. I don't want to be caught off guard."
We stopped outside her car. "I know you are freaking out right now. But you shouldn't go back to the mafia. If you want Kei, you have to be true to what she wants. She is not built to last in our world."
"I am not built for ordinary life. Not when there is a predator lurking and my family is the prey. Please, find someone who knows someone. For Kei's sake."
"Fine. I'll call Alexei. I'm sure he has friends in Mancini's camp. Nick, be careful."
"Why?"
"See that SUV over there? Cops."
I opened her car door for her. She drove off and I crossed the street to approach the car. I'm not good at uncertainty. I don't like guessing games. I like knowing what I'm up against. After tapping the tinted window, it was rolled down. A man with green eyes gave me half a smile.
"Why are you following me around?"
"All roads lead somewhere. What makes you special enough to be followed?"
"Stop following me. If you don't -"
"What will you do Balotelli?"
Only those with mob ties call me Balotelli. It's the name for the Italian side of the family.
I laughed to mask my nervousness. "How rude. You know my name and I don't know yours."
He scoffed dryly. "I'll be seeing you soon." He rolled up how window and drove away.
"Shit." I mattered silently.