Chapter Three
Bonthe, a coastal town located on Sherbro Island in the southern Province of Sierra Leone…
“What did you just say?” The sound and weight of his words threatened like an impending rockslide. Years of smoking and alcohol abuse had made the quality of Marco Boneiro’s voice resemble the banging together of rocks. The harsh tone of his voice was supplemented by an angry glare at the man on the iPad screen wearing a black and white chequered keffiyeh, the traditional symbol of Palestinian nationalism. They were on a Skype call with their latest associate— the one man whom he believed would help cement the position he was after in The Commission.Come what may, he was going to become thecapo di tutti capi,the boss of all bosses or Godfather, of the Cosa Nostra in the U.S.
“You heard me. The bitch escaped.”
“How the fuck did that happen? You’re in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but sand dunes for miles.”
Marco’s fist came down hard on the table, rattling the breakfast cutlery. His furious gaze met the calm regard of his oldest son, Luca, who sat watching him as he sipped on a cup of coffee. It infuriated Marco that he appeared so nonchalant, completely unconcerned that their plan had been foiled again. He was at the limit of his patience. Everything he’d worked so long and hard to achieve now seemed to be slipping away. The thought tasted bitter, yet surprisingly satisfying as he was blindsided by a five-course serving of renewed rage. It strengthened his resolve. No one was going to stand in his way of achieving his goal. Not even his own family!
“I’m waiting, Fadhil.”
Marco’s eyes narrowed as the burly man pushed back in a chair and stared at him.
“Let’s reset the parameters, Boneiro. This is my territory. Here, in Iraq,Iam the authority, the leader of those who stand for whatwebelieve in. That it’s in line with what you’re trying to achieve is nothing more than a coincidence. You will respect me or this association ends right here and now. I don’t work for you, nor do I need to explain any of my actions or justify what’s going on here. Do not forget that.”
Marco’s lips flattened as he struggled to control his anger. Ali Mohammed Fadhil wasn’t the kind of man he could afford as an enemy— not on a personal level and even less as a member of theCosa Nostra. For now, he needed him as an ally. It was time to be clever— to divide and conquer, a very effective strategy to consolidate power.
“You’re right. I apologize. It’s my frustrations getting the better of me.” Boneiro had to dig deep to keep his tone civil and respectful. His subservient manner caused Fadhil's chest to swell in self-importance. “I am curious though to understand how a mere woman was able to get the better of your entire army of soldiers at the compound.”
“First, I need to understand your determination and insistence on why I had to come out of hiding. We both know if I hadn’t come out into the open, no one would’ve been able to find me. I know we have a common goal but I fail to see what role she plays in achieving that goal.”
“As I said, everything will become clear in due time.”
“No, Boneiro. I’m the one who has put my ass on the line. I’ve been on the FBI’s most wanted list for years and now that they have fresh intel on my movements in Iraq, I’ll once again be looking over my shoulder. In hindsight, I regret forming a coalition with you. It seems I’m the only one at risk while you’re hiding in the lap of luxury.” His hand slashed through the air, indicating Marco’s surroundings visible on the screen.
“You assured me that once I had her in captivity, we could lure out the Black Ops group that was standing in our way which then would enable you to eliminate them once and for all. It seems you got your wish, except it backfired.”
“What’re you saying?” Marco straightened.
He had planned out everything carefully and had already tasted victory over The Cobras and the Red Reign PI Agency from the outset. According to his sources, Jared Bates and Paxton Lee, the primary owners of the two groups, were in love. They were also very protective of their teams and would do everything to protect them— especially Miss Lee. She had acted impulsively to protect one of her girls who was kidnapped and briefly enslaved to provide sexual favors at a high end event a couple of weeks ago. He had been banking on it happening again, making them vulnerable and easy prey. Both groups were responsible for the capture of many of their associates as well as three of the Five Family leaders involved with a pedophile ring.
It was past time to decapitate the leadership of both operations. He couldn’t afford their continued interference. They were costing the Five Families money and progress. Not to mention constantly having to retrain and recruit new soldiers since they successfully kept killing their followers. They had become a constant irritation that could no longer be ignored.
He had gamed out every conceivable scenario that had the greatest chance of success to snatch Jordan Sutton from within a secure platoon camp, but now the first signs of impending failure held the satisfaction of success at bay.
“It wasn’t a covert team force that breached the compound, Boneiro, it was just one— a highly trained special operator that extracted her. So, it seems you were mistaken in your belief that they would all flock together to aid in her escape… hence it backfired.”
“How the fuck did they find the compound? No one in that platoon knew where you kept her.” Marco jumped up and started to pace, his mind swirling in anger. “Do you have a mole in your camp, Fadhil?”
Marco smoldered with indignation as Fadhil barked out a laugh. “You don’t know me very well, do you, Boneiro? No one here would dare oppose me. They all know they’d be beheaded. No one in their right mind would take that chance.”
“Anyone can be bought, Fadhil, especially in the time of COVID. Desperate people are easily swayed.”
“Your comment reveals your ignorance of the people in my country. Here, people fight to stay alive. They do that by siding with those who have the most power. Staying on my good side is more important to them than having money to put food on the table, which they don’t have to be concerned about. I reward loyalty very well. Believe me, if there’s a traitor, it’s not one of my people. I suggest you look closer to home.” Fadhil leaned forward. “Perhaps it’s your FBI source or someone on his team who enlisted the bitch in the first place?”
Marco stopped to consider the possibility. He knew better than anyone that loyalty bought could just as easily end in a downward spiral of betrayal and treachery. The possibility that anyone would oppose him sparked his anger afresh. He was one of the most feared Mafia Bosses of all time. Everyone knew how he dealt with traitors— ruthlessly.
“I’ll look into it.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Boneiro. What exactly were you trying to achieve by having us abduct Jordan Sutton and torturing her for information on the platoon she was with? What does one have to do with the other?”
“I don’t follow.”
“You’re being evasive. Torturing her for intel on the squadron was nothing but a ruse since I knew everything I needed to about them already.”
“Are you saying you know where they’ve been hiding since she was taken?” Marco sat back down to glare at Fadhil. He seemed taken aback. It had been an integral part of his plan to use them to draw The Cobras out into the open. He’d banked on them involving the platoon, which would’ve made blowing them up easy to pin on the terrorist group. The bastards foiled every aspect of his success.