The Twelve Zenati

Authors note: Hello everyone. I am struggling to find time and motivation to write at present. While I will endeavour to stick to my self-imposed schedule please bear with me during April, always a busy time in my family and circle of friends.

I am, as always, grateful to David and Kate for being my second sets of eyes. I hope those of you who enjoy this series continue to do so. ~ellie.

Part 20

*****

"We have all the resources at our disposal being thrown at ensuring that the Suebi network here is utterly destroyed, and yet we haven't got half as far as this girl into discovering the remnants of the organisation. We have to protect her anonymity, even from our own people now," Armando argued the case he was bringing to his brothers.

"What are you proposing, exactly?" Anthony asked with a frown.

"That we give them what they want, and let Marcella accomplish what she started to do - to find the evidence to support Olivia's story while helping us bury an age-old enemy. I can draft a legally-binding agreement to hand over the house and ask Olivia to sign it, but I don't want her or anyone who will want to interfere or protect Marcella to know that she is the one taking risks. I want to say that it's me who brought this deal to the family and AFP," he explained.

"You want us to lie to our sons," Gianni said gruffly. "Dominic will not be so easily fooled, and if I am honest, nor do I think Xavier will believe that you were the one approached."

"If we get involved and take over the negotiations, we might not only lose the opportunity to round up the last remnants of the Suebi power players, but also we will lose what little trust Marcella still has in our family. She believes she was imprisoned in that hospital by Junie at our request, not cared for by our family but imprisoned against her will," he said pointedly.

"What Armando says has merit." Claudio spoke slowly, as if still thinking through the situation. "It's not out of the realm of possibility that someone would approach Olivia's legal counsel with a deal like this, and with Noah apparently missing in action..." He paused, and seeing that he had their attention, he continued. "The mystery person could offer to help prove Olivia's story by providing evidence anonymously, for a price. The decision is then left to Armando whether to put the needs of his client before the vengeance of his family which, as far as we know, is complete, save for the trials and sentencing of those already arrested. It could work to our favour having Armando be the source of the deal, and would allow us to involve Dom, X and Gen, as well as Olivia, and not have them interfere with Marcella and her plans to see this through."

"She'll do it with or without our blessing. She will go to Olivia with this deal herself, if that is what it takes," Gianni prophesied and saw the agreement in Armando's nod of the head.

"Alright, we'll do it your way, if Marcella agrees. When are you meeting her?" Anthony asked.

"In about an hour. Isaac is dropping off some paperwork for me, and then I'll head to the restaurant. I'll let you know if she agrees and get started on the groundwork tonight. I came straight here to see if there was an undercurrent from the Tatar or AFP that we should know about before proceeding," Armando looked between his brothers.

"As far as we can tell, everyone has assumed the investigation is now ended and is looking toward the trials of those arrested," Anthony confirmed.

"Marcella and Noah have serious concerns that Suebi sympathisers are sabotaging her investigations from inside the AFP, and her contact has all but confirmed this. Are we sure of those we believe we can trust?" Armando directed his question to Claudio, but looked at all of his brothers as they frowned at him. "The assets list is missing several large items, if Olivia's story is true, and if Marcella pulls off this deal, I have no doubt that we will be able to prove the validity of everything she has said. That could make those hiding assets nervous enough to do something stupid to stop this deal and the raid."

"It's true that some internal investigations are occurring, and there have been unconfirmed reports of involvement from ASIO in that investigation," Claudio confirmed.

"Marcella's a smart girl with good instincts," Gianni nodded. "We have probably underestimated her, badly." He pursed his lips thoughtfully and considered that she would have had to hone those instincts over her lifetime, as well as her resilience to remain as brave and forthright as she was. He had a lot of respect for his nephews, Armando's sons, and he knew many men who would not go toe-to-toe with them, yet Marcella constantly did just that, rather than giving in to their dominant personalities.

"I believe that I could find a role for her among us, if she wanted to stay in our city," Claudio grinned.

"I believe that Noah already has a role in mind for that young lady," Armando chuckled. "If he can get out of his own way and show her how valuable she is to him instead of playing games."

*****

Marcella looked over at Noah as he pulled the car into a parking space at Wharf One. He had been unusually withdrawn since she had left him to speak with his father, and it bothered her that Armando could have said something to make him withdraw from the easy, if caustic, banter that they had engaged in over the last few days. If truth be told, she wasn't sure that she wanted to know what had been said to make him so pensive, but the silence was becoming uncomfortable.

"Before we go in there, spill it," Marcella said as Noah shut off the engine and went to open his door. "What the hell is going on? Are you and your Dad selling me out now? Is that why you won't look at me properly or talk to me?"

"What? No! I would never!" Noah looked horrified by her accusation but remembered his father's words. She thought of him as her blackmailer, not her friend, or possible future lover, husband, soul mate, and he let out a depressing sigh and shook his head slowly. "I wouldn't do that to you, Marcie. That's not what this is about."

"Then tell me what the hell is going on with you?" Marcella frowned at him, her body buzzing with anxiety.

"I wish that I could have thought of another way to make you let me help you, but I couldn't. You wouldn't let me, or anyone. I wish you could see me as your friend, someone who cares about you. I don't like that you see me only as your blackmailer or that you see my family as prison wardens or worse because of what happened at the hospital. Most of all, I wish that you could speak as honestly to me as you seemed to be able to with my Dad." He sighed and stepped out of the car, leaving her speechless. He knew that he couldn't release her from their agreement, not yet anyway. He needed more time to show her his commitment to her and his willingness to compromise, to have her in his life for longer than the agreement stated, much longer.

Marcella was halfway out of the car before he had made it around to open her door for her, but he helped her none-the-less and took hold of her hand as he led her inside to the restaurant that his father had nominated. She was quiet now, thinking over his words. He was the one blackmailing her. This was his game they were playing. She had wanted to do this alone, so that no one got hurt if she was wrong in trusting Vinnie. He was the one that had forced her hand, and she had just been trying to keep him safe by talking to his father. If he backed off, he wouldn't be at risk if her plans didn't pan out. Couldn't he see that she did that because she did care what happened to him?

Armando saw the young couple enter and frowned. They both looked anxious and even a little sad, and he wondered what had happened in the last two hours to change their demeanour so greatly. He stood as they were shown to the table and smiled at them both as they took their seats and the waiters fussed with the napkins, telling them the day's specials, and taking drinks orders.

"I think I have a workable scenario that I would like to put to you." Armando addressed Marcella directly, once they were alone. This was her show. Noah was following her lead, and he wanted to show both of them that he understood and supported that, no matter how strange the agreement, blackmail, or the game that they were playing with each other's emotions.

"Go on," Marcella said, liking that he wasn't beating around the bush but had come straight to the point.

"It's not out of the realms of possibility that someone might have approached Olivia's legal counsel to make the deal for the house. If I tell the family and AFP that it was me, then you won't have to run interference from your friends and your brothers." He included Noah in the conversation now. "You could manage the deal yourselves, and just pass the information to me about the raid, and I could set it up from our end. You would still be at risk from Suebi backlash if you met with Bea again, but you would be safe from interference from my nephews and sons, because I would be handling everything on that side from an anonymous source." Armando laid out the plan that he and his brothers had agreed was the best course of action.

"It could be difficult to coordinate with a third-person chain like that," Marcella mused and fell silent as the waiter reappeared with the wine that Noah had suggested, and she had agreed to, earlier.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked once Marcella had tasted the wine and nodded for him to fill up the glasses.

"I, umm," Marcella started glancing down at the menu, unable to concentrate on it.

"Would you like me to order for us, so that you can continue your conversation with Papa?" Noah offered helpfully.

"Thanks," Marcella nodded, hoping that he would stop sulking. He hadn't talked over the top of her to take charge, but had rather given her a choice, just like he had with the wine, and she could see that what he had said in the car was affecting him deeply. Armando had obviously shared some of the things she had said about his sons, and she felt bad because, in the last two days, he had done nothing but offer her friendship, support and more, if she wanted it. He had blackmailed her into letting him into her plans, but she was also honest enough to admit that she had given him no other choice. She would have left him there and run if he hadn't threatened her the way he had, and surprisingly, she was enjoying having him around, despite her misgivings.

"How would it work, with you as the middle man?" Marcella asked as Noah gave the waiter their order, saving Armando the trouble of ordering as well. He knew both of his dinner companions well enough to know what they would enjoy from the menu.

"In the courier satchel that I have in the cloakroom is a secure phone, a copy of Olivia's deposition, with notes marked around the edges, and names of individuals not yet arrested or discovered highlighted. You need to read it and know it well before your next meeting with Bea. You need to know who she is willing to turn on and those that might be part of a faction she is involved in," Armando began explaining.

"You think that she is part of a faction that wants to take over and rebuild the northern clan?" Marcella asked.

"Part of or leading it," he confirmed. "The puzzling thing is why she wants the house so badly, and the fact that she called it her home."

"She lived there. She was the housekeeper, according to Olivia, and was kind to her, nursing her when she was badly injured and caring for her needs," Marcella said, as if that was enough to convince her of why Bea wanted the house.

"That's exactly right. She was staff, an employee. It was Remington's home, Olivia's home, it was Bea's place of work," he argued. "If she cared for Olivia as much as she claimed in her deposition, why didn't she stop Royce from hurting her so badly? Why didn't she help her get away, instead of enabling him to brainwash her and abuse her the way he did?" Armando asked, not expecting an answer.

"I agree that there is more to Bea than we know," Noah joined the conversation. "I was also wondering about her attachment to the house. It could be a status symbol in the clan, like a traditional headquarters, perhaps," he suggested.

"I believe Royce built it, but that is an easy thing to check with the council. Any other theories?" Armando asked.

"At the risk of sounding all cloak and dagger, the body from the murder that Olivia witnessed was never found. What if..." Marcella paused, not liking her own thoughts. "What if their methods of disposing of victims are hidden on the estate?"

"The AFP has been over that place with a fine-tooth comb. If there were something to be found, it would have been," Armando stated, unequivocally.

"True, but we also know that Royce had people in the AFP. Maybe the person Bea works for now is one of them, and they plan to rebuild the organisation, all the while knowing exactly what the AFP is planning and doing?" Marcella argued.

"She's got a point there," Noah agreed. "Bea did not seem concerned in the least about the AFP, but she definitely wanted someone else to approach them with this information. If the people in her faction do indeed work for the AFP, it would explain why she was released so quickly, and why she is so sure that Kairos will be released soon."

"Geez." Armando scratched his cheek as Marcella had seen Noah do so often. "That's some theory."

They stopped talking as the waiter returned with their meals. Noah had ordered her a taster plate that consisted of a range of house specialities, including duck and plum spring rolls, which were one of her favourites, pork belly, barramundi, scalloped potatoes and a small side salad. She was in heaven, not realising how hungry she had become, and enjoying having a range of smaller portions to taste and enjoy. The men both had large, marbled wagyu steaks topped with seafood in a mornay sauce that looked wonderful as well. She would have to remember this place for future dinners, she thought to herself. Not that she intended on sticking around after all was said and done.

They continued to talk through their plans at dinner and to muse over why the house was special to Bea. By the end of the dinner, and talking through their tentative plans once more, Marcella had to admit that Noah was right. They had needed help, and Armando had come to their assistance, not only willingly, but with ways to keep her at a safe distance from any family interference with her plans. With Armando on her side, she felt the pressure of what she was trying to accomplish lessen. He hadn't criticised her or tried to take over, but rather took some of the heat from her by acting as a middleman between her and the AFP. The fact that Noah was right sat less well with her, but she could grudgingly give him that much credit.

"My parting advice, for what it's worth," Armando said as they walked through the car park to their respective cars, "Is to make the most of tomorrow. It will be the last day that you have on your own for a while once this raid happens. It will be far worse than when you found Olivia's boat because I will have to out you as my anonymous informant, and you will have to tell them about your meetings with Bea and her request for the house," he said seriously. She won't be in any danger from us as an informant, but the backlash from the clan is something that she may not be happy about. We will deal with that when the time comes. Relax tomorrow. Do something fun and then come back fresh to do what you need to do."

"Thank you, Armando. I appreciate all your help and advice," Marcella said quietly then rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She felt his arms wind loosely around her as he embraced her, and she froze for a moment before pulling away and stepping back, to put space between them. He was still a Table man, despite everything, and there were few of those that she trusted.

"Thanks, Papa, for everything," Noah mumbled and hugged his father and pounded his back lightly twice. "Let everyone know that I am fine and content doing my own thing for a few more days."

"Will do," Armando smiled and turned toward his own car with a quick wave.

"Would you like to drive?" Noah asked as he unlocked the car.

"I've probably had too much wine with dinner." She waved the question away.

"No more than me. Plus, you ate a huge meal, so you should be okay to drive," Noah said, giving her the option again as he approached the passenger side door to open it for her.

"It may have slipped your notice, but I am a lot smaller than you, so while two glasses won't register in your system, it will in mine." She gave a half smile and slipped into the car while he held the door open for her.

"Fair enough," he said and returned her smile then walked around and slid into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Just so you know," he said in a soft voice, "I did notice. I notice everything about you, Marcella." Then he put the car in gear and began the drive back to StarCity, and they both fell back into the silence that had plagued their drive to the restaurant.

It was late when they pulled into the valet parking, and without thinking about it, Noah moved to her side and supported her with an arm around her waist as they walked to their room. It took him a moment to realise that she wasn't fighting his familiar touch, and he tried to hide his momentary surprise before looking down at her. She must have been tired, or at least too tired to fight with him.

Marcella didn't freeze when Noah slipped his arm around her, helping her from the car and into the hotel. In fact, she felt Noah's warmth as they walked so closely as to feel the heat that radiated between them. She was tired of fighting the attraction that she felt for him, had always felt for him, from that first day when he had picked her up at the airport, when she had mistaken him for an employee, a driver sent to meet her and escort her to the Zenati's. She gave a small smile at how he had failed to react to her faux pas, instead just carrying on as if she had said nothing.

She was tired of their constant flirtatious teasing. While it was fun, it had to end or move to the next level. She wanted Noah, and she was pretty sure that he wanted her now, even though he hadn't in the beginning. What better way to find out how much, or if it was just a game to him or not, than now, while she was in control of their partnership. She could take the lead and put him on the spot. He would have to put up or shut up, once and for all.

"Everything okay?" Noah asked, seeing her frown as he looked down at her again and wondering what she was thinking. "Are you rethinking the strategy with Papa?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just... let's go back to the room. It's been a big day," she sighed, not wanting to have the conversation that she was about to embark on in the lobby of the hotel.

"Whatever you want," Noah smiled and continued to walk with his arm around her, enjoying the feel of her small body partially melded to his side. It was with more than a little disappointment that he let go of her when they reached their room so that he could unlock and open the door. He watched Marcella as she walked in ahead of him and then turned to shut the door behind them, expecting her to continue into the bedroom to change.

"Oomph!" Noah let out a large breath as Marcella barrelled into his back from behind, taking him by surprise and pressing him against the closed door. "Marcella? What?" He moved to turn around, but her words stopped him.

"Stay right there," she said softly, moving her arms around his waist and pushing her body against his from behind, like she could imagine he would like to do to her. Her height was a problem she hadn't considered in this position, but not an insurmountable obstacle, she thought with a grin, as she let her hands run over the muscles in his abdomen up to his chest. Then she ran them back down, teasing at his belt above what she could only assume was a rising erection, but she didn't let her hands fall that far down to check if he was hard or not, yet.