I sat on the sofa bed and he sat on the little wooden chair opposite me.
“Claudius called me and told me what happened. I thought I’d come see you.” he began.
“How did you find out where I lived?” I knew these guys could do anything. It was just strange, because I hadn’t even been here properly yet.
He raised his brows and smiled. “Really? You know we have our ways.”
“Thanks for coming. It’s nice you came for me, and not because you thought Flynn was yours.”
He chuckled. “I changed a lot Maria. I changed a lot from the person you knew me to be.”
“So, I’ve heard. It’s strange to imagine you any other way than who you were. But I guess when you meet the right person, you’ll do what it takes to make them happy.”
I’d heard all about Amelia from years back when everything changed. I didn’t know much at the time because it was all under wraps with Raphael secrets in having a daughter. I had just heard Luc had a new toy, one he was completely into and that was how I found out we’d broken up.
“I’m sorry. I know it means nothing now, because a lot of years have passed by and everything is different, but it doesn’t stop me from telling you I’m sorry for being the asshole I was to you. You didn’t deserve that, I was just a guy who didn’t take anything serious and I didn’t treat you right.”
I lifted my shoulders into a shrug. “Apology accepted.”
“Thank you. So … with that done, you think you could tell me what’s going on with you? I know you and you wouldn’t just pop up anywhere without some kind of plan. This place Maria, the only good thing about it is that Vira’s not here, but you can’t stay here either.”
It was time to talk, but not to him. “I have to talk to Dante. I have to tell him first before anyone else.”
He held my gaze and nodded understanding. “You in trouble Maria?”
I looked at him and thought I could at least answer that question. That question that had been asked so many times. Today was one full week since I’d been here. One full week and so much had happened.
One full week since Franco was actually released from prison.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“We’ll protect you.”
I shook my head. “No, you mustn’t. You have a family. You have a family now.”
“I do. I know I do. There was a time when I told you I’d always be there for you. I meant it.” He nodded with conviction. “That’s why I’m here now and I’m going to stay with you until Dante gets back.”
A tear ran down my cheek and I wiped it away.
“Thank you, it means a lot.” It did. It told me I wasn’t as alone as I’d thought.
He was true to his words.
An hour later, the door pushed open and tears of joy rolled down my cheek when Dante came in carrying Flynn who was fast asleep in his arms. Claudius was with him.
I ran over to them.
“Thank you so much.” I was so choked up I could barely get the words out.
“Maria for the love of Christ, have as little as possible to do with that family of yours.” Claudius cautioned.
“I will.” I didn’t need to be told twice. I wasn’t going back to Vira’s ever again and as for Sophia that was it for me and her. I didn’t care what she had to say. There was no excuse. I could have lost Flynn.
I came here talking big like I could take care of myself. If I’d maintained that stubborn shit my boy wouldn’t be here now.
Luc came over and looked from Dante to me. “You good?”
“I’m cool,” Dante replied.
Luc glanced at me and offered a kind smile then left with Claudius, leaving us.
I instantly broke down and Dante pulled me into his arms.
“Jesus woman. I really wish I’d kidnapped the two of you last night.” He kissed the top of my forehead.
“I’m so sorry, I can’t believe what happened and I can’t believe you got him back.”
“Baby, this I don’t need anybody attitude has to stop. If we’d been anybody else, we wouldn’t have gotten him back. Sophia and her boyfriend were picked up in the park doing class A drugs. They weren’t even watching Flynn.”
I covered my mouth to keep from crying harder. It terrified me to think of what might have gone on when I wasn’t around.
Dante walked over to the sofa bed and set Flynn down. Curled up he looked so much younger reminding me of when he was born. He still had that baby look and sometimes I couldn’t believe how big he’d gotten, four years old. I was a mother to a four year old.
Dante shrugged out of his jacket and sat down on the wooden chair and pulled me to sit in his lap.
“I have to tell you a few things.” I thought I should just jump into it.
“I think there’s more than a few things we have to talk about.”
“There is, but this is the biggest thing.”
He slipped his arm around me and I rested my hands on his chest.
“I’m all ears Maria.”
“I got married to a monster. Flynn’s father was a monster.” That seemed like the best way to start.
I planned to just give him the rundown of what was going on. As in the recent stuff that sent us here, but I ended up telling him everything in details—all of it. Everything that happened to me with Franco, even stuff I suspected from his ties with the drug cartel.
All of it. Including that I thought I was being followed the other night and if that was true it would mean I’d have to leave Chicago again.
I talked until my eyes felt heavy and he set me down to sleep next to Flynn.
Being so drained wiped me right out. When I woke up it was morning and Dante and Flynn were talking about Ninja Warriors. He was eating cornflakes.
I straightened up to see all my bags packed. Everything I had unpacked from Vira’s yesterday were now back in the cases I’d travelled with.
Dante smiled when he saw I was awake and Flynn rushed over to me.
“Mama, Uncle Dante said he has the Cartoon network. I can watch anything I want at his house.” Flynn was so excited he jumped up and down as he talked.
I hugged him. This was the first I’d seen him awake since he got back.
I looked over at Dante and smiled. “Uncle Dante?”
“Has a nice ring to it.” He stood up, shirtless showing off that masterpiece body of his. “Makes me sound important or something.”
“You are,” I said, holding his gaze.
“Well, that’s good you think so. As my first official act as uncle I’m taking my kid with me. I’ve decided on the kidnapping route with you, if you don’t come willingly.”
“I’ll be coming.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.” It felt like the first right decision I’d made.
Other than being with him of course.
I may have fled for my life and to protect Flynn, but coming back here I’d found him. Everything had been so awful, but he’d always been here. He was my something good.
Chapter 18
Dante
“Franco Deville, aged thirty-nine, notable contracts with Pablo Ramirez and Ignacio Sanchez, part of the Sinaloa Cartel,” Gio said, reading off the details we’d just gotten from number two from the secret squad. “Arrested for the suspected murder of Donald Baker account and financial advisor fifteen years ago. Donald was the owner of Ford accountancy and investments. After evidence was found to be inconclusive Franco was released and Jason Parker was arrested for the murder. Jason had no M.O. for the murder, but an anonymous record placed him at the apartment at the time of murder. Franco Garcia was sentenced to consecutive life imprisonment for the murder of business partners, Rory Ackmean and Brian Macnara. Served two years of the sentence. Released from prison last week after evidence was found to be inconclusive. Fucking hell Dante, your girl is … she sure knows how to pick um, but shit not even Luc was this bad.”
&nbs
p; I gave Gio a long hard stare. It wasn’t like I hadn’t come to that conclusion. If Maria was on the hunt for the worst guy she could be with she had definitely hit the fucking jackpot.
I glanced around at the pictures of desolation on the reception walls of Help the Homeless. Pictures of people living on the streets, pictures of people going through a genuinely rough time.
I remembered when I used to have nightmares of that happening to Maria when we were kids. Vira used to treat her so bad and back then I couldn’t do shit. Christina was worried about it too and I sensed Ma would have stepped in if that did happen.
It didn’t surprise me that Christina had chosen to work here while she was figuring out her next steps. I was just glad she didn’t waitress at the kind of bars and restaurants Maria worked at. It was dangerous, but then I knew danger was her.
She did really hit the fucking jackpot with Franco.
Gio and I were here to meet with the current manager of Help the Homeless. He was in a meeting, so we’d sat in the little waiting area.
We must have been here for about fifteen minutes when Number Two sent over the intel which I read and passed over to Gio, so he could have a look too. Just to see what we were up against.
“Ever just think about running off to an island somewhere and living out the rest of your life in a hut?” I smirked. I was just talking out of my ass. Saying something, because my mind was a mixture of all this emotional shit.
“No, Dante I don’t fucking think of shit like that, but I get it. I know why a person would do it. This is above us.” he frowned.
Just like everything else was above us, above me.
It was out of my league, out of my reach.
“I don’t know where to begin, but I think the best idea I have is to make sure whoever she saw following her doesn’t get to dear old Franco.”
“And how the fuck will you do that Dante?”
Great question.
“Eyes in the sky and guys on foot.” The secret squad and the next line of defense while we worked on investigating Christina’s stuff. The thing was I didn’t know if it should be the other way around.
I had Donny, Saul and Lois at home with Maria and Flynn. They were watching the place. Number Two, Eight and Ten from the secret squad were doing background checks.
I knew the guys at home were the best we had aside from us as The Four. The secret squad was even better because all this shit we’d read about Franco, wasn’t stuff you could just get your hands on. Those guys were old school from Raphael’s days who were set up in secret and we only referred to them as numbers for safety and protection reasons.
Everybody was great, but the best person to be there for Maria and Flynn was me.
And, the best person to be here at this charity was also me. I’d been here before, knew the questions to ask. Even if I gave the questions to someone else it would probably work, but there was room for something not being asked right off the bat. Or fuck, even seeing something.
On the walls too were pictures of notable people who’d helped the charity out. People who’d made donations and various other gifts like buildings that were turned into shelters and also provided jobs.
I found myself looking at everything for clues.
“Hey,” Gio said tapping my hand. “We’ll do our best, with everything. I guess we just have to see how it all plays out. Then we’ll know how to proceed.”
“I wish Maria had told me this shit before. Way before she was followed. It would have been better if she’d said she came back here for protection.”
“But she didn’t come back here for that. She was fleeing and it seems like this was just a stop. Somewhere she could hideout.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“What? There’s more on your mind you aren’t saying.”
It was trivial and petty, but it just felt like she wanted to be with everyone—never me though.
“I just wonder why we couldn’t have been what we are now. I look at her and think how I always felt this way about her and it never changed. I look at Flynn and I think he should be my son. Not anybody else’s. I wasn’t a coward in the past. I wasn’t a fucking coward; I just didn’t believe in chasing someone who wasn’t into me. I don’t fucking chase anyway. But maybe that was where I went wrong. Maybe I should have.” I explained.
Gio chuckled. “Man, we can all say maybe this and that, at the end of the day if things don’t go the way we want. In this instance I’m inclined to agree that you never chase anyone who’s not into you. I felt on many occasions that she was, but you know what she was like back then. She had to be with the Alpha, not the betas and back then there really were two Alpha’s. She would have gone for Luc or Claudius. End of story. Sorry to put it this way, but it’s like wanting a Porsche, but really you love the Volkswagen. The Volkswagen is perfect for you, but you want the Porsche. So, you go after the fucking Porsche at the first chance you get.”
I laughed. “Man, you calling me a Volkswagen?” I knew what he meant, but I needed some light humor. It wasn’t like me to be so serious for so long.
“You know what I’m saying. I’m right too. Add in the fact that she had a really bad upbringing and of course she’d aim for the top if she thinks she has a shot. The husband though, I gotta say I don’t think she was aiming for the big bad wolf. Seemed like she was genuinely trying to escape the bad life and our underground world here.”
She’d said that. Just last night she’d said that. She’d thought he was a normal guy who’d just worked his way up and became successful.
She wanted normal and ended up with the worst case scenario instead.
“He’ll kill her Gio. Guys like that only have one motive when it comes to having their secrets exposed.” It reminded me of what Vinny had said about Christina. She must have had dirt on the guy.
“I know man, if he comes here …”
I tensed. I tensed in the same way I did last night when Maria told me all that she’d been through.
“If he comes here, he’s dead Gio. I will kill him, and that is all.”
Gio straightened up and nodded. “I’m with you bro. I’ll back you up.”
I turned when someone called my name.
A tall middle aged man approached us with a smile. He had to be Jerry Chase ,the new manager.
“Hi, I’m so sorry to keep you gentlemen waiting,” he began and looked from me to Gio.
We both stood and shook his hand.
“That’s okay. We weren’t here long.” I answered. I could see he looked nervous around us so I wanted to lessen the tension. Besides we’d gotten here early so it wasn’t his fault that we’d had to wait.
“Let’s go to my office, it’s this way.” He gave us a warm smile that made his crow’s feet look more pronounced.
We went to his office, up one level from where we sat.
As we moved up the set of stairs leading to it I got the distinct impression of eyes watching me. When I turned though to see who it was, there was no one.
No one had come into the reception area. There didn’t seem to be anyone around who hadn’t already seen us and was looking on as we followed Jerry.
Odd though, I wasn’t usually wrong when I got that impression.
We were seated in front of a large mahogany desk when Jerry closed the door. He then took his place before us in a leather office chair.
“So, what can I do for you both today?”
This was the part where I had to be clever and inconspicuous. Stealthy in words and in my actions.
“My family has an affinity for this charity. We’ve been thinking of doing something and we wanted ideas for fundraisers.” I glanced at Gio as I spoke.
That was my angle, I was going to pretend we wanted to do some kind of fundraising campaign. I’d cough up the money anyway, because it would be mean spirited to let him think money was coming for a good cause and all we really wanted was information.
The way his face brightened made me glad I was verging on
that path.
“That’s extremely kind of you.” Jerry nodded. “I appreciate that. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I know your sister worked for us and she did a lot during that time.”
I did mind, but I wasn’t going to show it. “Well, I’d like to do my part too. My friend and I both. I wondered if we could have a list of all the different sorts of fundraisers you’ve had over the last ten to fifteen years. I want to do something different, but in keeping with what’s been done before.”
I put it that way so that it covered everyone, didn’t specifically show that I was really just interested in the political figures, and would allow me to narrow down our list if it came to it.
“Oh, sure. That shouldn’t be a problem. I can actually print that all off for you now.”
Good, this was what we needed. No waiting or anything.
He tapped away at his keyboard and minutes later the printer started going in the corner with pages printing from it.
Jerry got up to collect them and handed them to me. There were ten pages in total with a table of names of different people with the types of campaigns they’d run.
“Thank you,” I said to him.
“Do you need anything else? We have a pack that lists some of potential ideas and we have some event organizers if you ever need to brainstorm.”
“That sounds great. I don’t have much ideas in mind. What sorts of things in your experience work best?” I was still going for vague.
“Oh well goodness. There’s big events and small events. People always go crazy for celebrities and the government officials. They spend foolish money though in my opinion on stuff that they could save on. I guess you can when you have money to burn.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“The government types in particular are the worst. They know it makes them look good to go above board and they all compete with each other.” Jerry chuckled.
“I can see that happening. I want to do something big. I guess too to honor my sister. Did Christina ever get to work on any government events? It sounds exciting, as extravagant as it is.”
“Oh absolutely. She worked with all of them.” Jerry looked proud. “She was very professional and knew how to present herself in a way we liked.”
Stolen Kisses Page 13