part0039

A huge crowd was gathered with reporters waiting to get an exclusive of Jacopo, the soon-to-be politician whose numbers were rising slowly in the city’s polls. The chatter of the people there filled the air as everyone waited in suspense.

Jessica walked through the crowd, pushing her way close to the podium. Her eyes were set on the steps of the precinct and kept visualizing the moment that Jacopo would come out. She wanted a clear view of him, ignoring those who were cursing as she pushed through the crowd. She avoided the little wooden tables giving away free pins and t-shirts writing ‘Say NO to organized crime’ . That was Jacopo’s campaign slogan. He was selling himself as a philanthropist who wanted to end crime in the city of New York. Oh! How convenient?

Eventually, she reached the closest she could. There was a perimeter around the area guarded by agents carrying semi-automatic weapons, wearing bulletproof vests. Jessica glanced up at the roofs across the street. FBI snipers were positioned on every rooftop. Jacopo clearly had the support of the law enforcement on his side.

The crowd grew restless as the time passed until finally the doors of the precinct opened and Jacopo walked down the steps, surrounded by agents led by the head of the OC Task Force, David Allen and to Jessica’s surprise, her husband, Alberto Caruso standing in the back of Jacopo.

Jacopo looked at the crowd in awe and waved. He was savoring every minute he could. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the moment soak in as the light summer breeze passed through his slick black hair. A barrage of camera flashes made him look like a rock star at a Fourth of July concert. The reporters shouted, trying to get Jacopo’s attention, but he kept staring straight ahead.

Jacopo raised his hand for everyone to be silent. “Citizens of New York. Thank you all for coming here today to show your supports to the families of the victims of an incident that has stained New York’s history once again. We hope to leave these heartbroken memories behind from now on. We hope for a better future…” Jacopo sounded like a real politician mo ving his hands up and down and choosing his words carefully. Jacopo kept talking and Jessica ignored him.

For a moment, everything around her turned silent. Jessica felt like she was treading the bottom of the sea. She could see Jacopo’s lips moving, but only humming reached her ears. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she saw Alberto glancing over at her. He was shocked. Jessica place her hand inside her purse.

Alberto knew why Jessica was there. “Please, Jessica. Don’t,” whispered Alberto, only moving his lips but Jessica turned to Jacopo. She felt nothing, pulling out her gun and pointed it at Jacopo. The soft buzzing that reached her ears was disrupted as the FBI agents screamed,“That lady‘s got a gun. Get down.” The crowd ran like ants in the desert. Jessica pulled the trigger and Jacopo ducked with the bullet missing him.

The crowd was gone, leaving Jessica standing alone in the middle. Alberto’s eyes teared up and David watched with an expression of surprise and grieve. In a glimpse of seconds, Jessica was tackled to the ground, feeling a strong thrust from one of the agents. Her gun was knocked out of her hand, falling a few feet away.

Jessica landed hard on the ground, hitting her head. Tears were coming down her eyes as the agents restrained her as they put her in handcuffs. “No!” Jessica screamed. “No. This isn’t right!” She kept screaming as an agent pulled her up off the ground, dragging her towards to an unmarked police car. “No! You don’t understand. Jacopo’s the one who did the Chinatown Incident. No!” Jessica kept screaming at the top of her lungs, coughing up blood. She couldn‘t scream any longer as her lungs had given up.

The agent pushed her inside the car and locked the door. Jessica stared straight ahead in the unmarked car. She wanted to scream, but she felt weak and exhausted.

“What should we do with her?” asked an agent to David Allen who rushed towards the car.

“We can’t keep her here. Take her downtown. Hurry!” said David, turning his back to the car as the agent sat behind the wheel. Jessica could only hear chattering without words. One agent tried speaking to her but she couldn’t hear anything. Her life was ruined.

Jessica leaned back and closed her eyes as the unmarked car left the scene with two others flashing lights and sirens. She closed her eyes, and she felt a warm feeling washing over her body. It was over and time to make peace. Jessica kept her eyes closed and never opened them again.

Jessica took her last breath long before the police car reached the downtown precinct. The officers thought she was sleeping but when they discovered she was unresponsive, it was already too late. Jessica left the world unable to seek revenge and never got the chance to say goodbye.

The incident of Jessica Lombardi dying in the back of a police car reached the papers faster than Jacopo’s reaction speech about the incident. For the next month, it was the only thing that kept playing on television, daily newspapers and tabloids.

Jessica Lombardi, the daughter of the late Italian Godfather, Michael Lombardi and bride of the late infamous mafia underboss, Francesco Giuliani was found dead in the back of a police car after a failed attempted murder of incumbent mayor-in-running candidate, Jacopo Saltinotti. The ruthless woman who was one of the co-conspirators behind the tragic Bloodshed event came back to New York City to destroy its peace .

The media crucified her as more and more as wild rumors surfaced. As a result of her death, the OC Task Force’s investigation on organized crime gained national fame and notoriety. Jessica Lombardi was demonized, known as the woman who made New York bleed in less time than the Gotti family. Some citizens admired her for the raw determination she possessed while others set out to smear her name.

Coincidently, the New York press idolized Jacopo as a true survivor after the assassination attempt. This only strengthened his base of supporters. Through a series of backdoor payments and blackmailing, Jacopo had articles published in the city’s papers that made him look like a hero. Most stated were smear campaigns of the Lombardis, Baldinottis and Guilanis.