by DJ Parker
Answering on the fourth ring, I could hear the sounds of an Italian woman in the background moaning her pleasure.
Battista answered, “Chi cazzo è?” (Who the fuck is it?)
“Andriano.”
“Mio fratello. Hai scelto il momento sbagliato per chiamarmi.” (My brother. You picked the wrong time to call me.)
“Sei stato ad ascoltare le strade?” (Have you been listening to the streets?)
“Cosa c'è di sbagliato?” (What’s wrong?)
“I need some information on a hit out on the Balducci family. Don Capparelli is dead, and I need to know who is next.”
“Done. Ciao” (Bye).
Looking down at my phone, I contemplated calling my right hand, Nicolai. Although he was always my right-hand man, Nicolai was more like a brother than a cousin. It was no secret that I had trust issues, but when it came to Nicolai, I was comfortable with closing my eyes and following his lead. Shaking my head, I struggled to process the thought that someone in our top ranks was conspiring to bring down the Balducci Empire. Though I contemplated the idea, I knew that Nicolai deserved to know about Lucas’s findings just as much as I did. Dialing his number, I pressed my phone to my ear and waited for Nicolai to answer. Answering on the third ring, Nicolai’s scraggly voice came on the line.
“Secure the line,” I told him.
“Okay.”
A few minutes later, an unmarked number was highlighted on my screen. This must be Nicolai calling me from his burner phone. Picking up immediately, I could hear the change in Nicolai’s voice.
“What’s going on?” he asked
“It was one of our own that did the hit.”
“Fuck, are you shitting me? There’s a traitor among us.”
“I need for you to account for everyone and make sure that no one leaves town,” I ordered.
“Are you safe?”
“For now. No one must know what is going on. I have Battista pressing his
ear to the streets.
“Do you really think that this shit has ties to Italy?”
“I’m not taking chances. I need to account for all of the people who wanted Capparelli dead and pick them off one by one. Someone must’ve gotten Capparelli’s shit. I need to know who and trace back steps to get to the source of our Judas-”
Just then, I heard faint screaming coming from upstairs. “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”
“Mommy?” I heard Nicolai ask. “Where the fuck are you?”
I quickly ended the call and climbed the stairs two at a time. Darting to the room, I nearly broke the door down as I entered the bedroom. Flipping the switch, I saw Jasmine sitting up screaming at the top of her lungs. Brushing past me, Simone ran over to her bed.
“I’m here baby,” Simone soothingly said as she slid Jasmine onto her lap. “What’s wrong baby?”
“Nana was in my dream,” Jasmine blurted out as she wrapped her arms around Simone’s neck.
Earlier tonight, Simone said that Acelia had a dream about their great-grandmother, and now Jasmine woke up screaming. Sadness tugged at my heart as I remembered what my daughters witnessed. Vowing to spend the rest of my life protecting them from all of life’s ugliness, I walked over to Simone and Jasmine. Simone’s eyes were now shut as she rocked Jasmine back and forth. Looking at the woman that I love tending to our child sent a chill through every part of my body. This was the only sight that I wanted to see for the rest of my life.
Standing before them, I watched as Simone became lost in a silent melody as our daughter’s arm loosened its grip on her neck. Reaching over, I stroked Simone’s cheek as her head nestled against our daughter’s hair. Snatching in a breath, Simone’s eyes widened as I gently picked Jasmine’s sleeping body off of her. Shifting her body into my arms, I held my daughter close to me briefly before laying her body against the mattress. Standing up, Simone watched as I placed a light kiss on Jasmine’s forehead before placing the sheet over her sleeping form.
Walking back to Simone’s bedroom, I stood back and took in the view of Simone climbing back into her bed. Feeling my dick awaken from its nap, I looked at Simone with a need as potent as the air that I breathed. Her tousled hair cascaded down her back, giving her an alluring sex appeal that caused my balls to swell. I gave her body a break from all of the hard fucking that I put on her. She should be well rested and ready for me.
“I don’t think so,” Simone said as she fluffed her pillow and flicked the switch off on her lamp. “You need to go sleep in the hallway.” Leaving me hard as a rock and unfulfilled in the dark, I reluctantly fought back the need to walk over to Simone and stick my tongue in every hole of her body in order to get her to feel what I was feeling. Exhaling an air of frustration, I left the room with all determination to punish her body tomorrow.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Vincenzo
“You can make this easier on yourself. Just tell me where he’s at.”
His head hung low as he used his last bit of energy to shake his head “no”. The kid had heart. From the outside, Kevin looked like a wimp that moved wherever the wind blew him. Surely, if there was anyone who knew where Andriano was at, it had to be him. But, for the past 30 minutes Kevin has denied knowing about Andriano’s whereabouts.
“You leave me no other choice,” I said, as I threw my cigarette on the floor and pressed my foot against the bud. Leaning to the side, I shuffled through my bag of tricks and pulled out a bushing hammer. Rubbing my fingers over the rigid ends of this textured hammer, I watched as Kevin’s eyes became filled with fear.
“HELP!” he screamed out. He was so gullible, as I easily led him into the alley behind The Land. Popping the trunk open, I snuffed him with the butt of my gun and pushed him inside. Tying his hands with the robe, I masked his mouth with tape and wrapped a scarf around his eyes. Driving to Jersey City, I dragged him inside of the old abandoned factory.
Laughing at his futile attempt, I had to enlighten him before he lost his voice. “No one can hear you.”
Circling him like a predator, I said, “You know, this old building was used as a safe haven, a bunker of some sort. People—mainly the poor destitute class of the great USA would flock to this tunnel when they heard about the possible nuclear war.”
Sighing, I looked down at him before saying, “Now, it has become my own personal torture chamber.”
Slamming the bushing hammer down on his kneecap, I watched as the pain distorted his face to be unrecognizable. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t even scream, rather his mouth became agape. The blood seeping through his jeans was now leaking onto his sneaker.
Looking at the center between his legs, I asked, “Did you just piss on yourself?” Finding humor in his plight, I continued to chuckle. Slamming the bushing hammer against his other kneecap, I watched as Kevin’s head drooped low.
“Look at me,” I commanded while grabbing a fistful of his hair. “Tell me what I need to know.”
“He’s in...”
Dropping the bushing hammer to the ground, I grabbed his shoulders and shook him before shouting, “Where is he? Tell me goddamnit!”
Panting, Kevin’s head bopped a few times before his eyes rested on mine, “He’s in Charlotte, North Carolina.”
“Liar! Do you really have a death wish?” I shoved him and walked away. Running my fingers through my hands, I could not believe the gall of this guy. “Tell me the fucking truth, you lousy piece of shit.”
“It’s the truth,” he said breathlessly. Gasping for air, he continued, “He bought a house in North Carolina. All of the paperwork was faxed over last week.
Grabbing his chin, I asked, “Where is the paperwork?” His head tilted back as his eyelids started to become thin slits. “Answer me, damn it!” I roared.
Slapping his face a few times, he finally said, “It is in the safe in my office.”
Gripping his hair again, I asked, “What is the combination?”
Wincing in pain, Kevin quickly answered, “285964.
”
Releasing my grip on his hair with a firm shove, I picked up the bushing hammer. The grimace of horror that appeared on his face the moment he saw the hammer again was completely priceless.
“I told you everything that you needed to know,” Kevin stuttered as he shifted in his seat.
Walking around him, I asked, “Did you really think that I would let you go?”
“I promise,” he cried out. I won’t say anything,” I’ll do anything. Please,”
Stopping in front of him, I leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I promise to make it quick.” Sliding my pistol out from the back of my waist, I pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger.
~****~
Typing the code, I held my breath as I awaited my prize. Hearing the vault door pop open, I exhaled a sigh of relief. The vanilla colored folder was placed in the center, as if waiting for me to find it. Lifting the flap, I brushed through the file with my fingers in search for the address. Stopping, my eyes zeroed in on the address next to Andriano’s name.
Reaching for my cell phone, I angled my camera to capture images of the address. Wait, this can’t be right. Skimming over the address once more, I couldn’t think of one good reason why Andriano would purchase property in North Carolina. Something did not feel right, and the only person who may have answers would be Nicolai. Hearing commotions outside, I quickly placed the documents back into the vault and closed the door.
Making my way to the door, I slyly opened the door and stuck my head out to see if anyone was in the hallway. Exiting the office, I closed the door and felt more determined to carry out my plan.
“What were you doing in there?”
Feeling uneasy, the fine hairs on the back of my neck stood straight as my throat tightened. Turning around to face my brother, I exhaled and said, “I was looking for Andriano. I have this business deal that I wanted to discuss with him. Do you know where he’s at?”
Nicolai’s cold eyes bored into me, causing me to second guess my confidence. Frozen in place, I waited for Nicolai to see through my deception. Walking closer to me, Nicolai asked, “His door is always locked. How did you get in?”
Stopping in front of me, Nicolai’s sturdy eyes tore through me as beads of sweat formed around the nape of my neck. Wrapped in perspiration, I felt my whole body become like a human torch. “Is this an interrogation? Why are you asking me all of these questions?” I managed to ask as my frazzled mind drifted off to the endless possibilities of how Andriano’s going to react.
“Answer the question.”
Turning to face the door, I reenacted the whole scene. “I just turned the knob and found the door to be unlocked. I walked inside and called out to Andriano, but found that he was not there.”
“The camera showed that you were in there for quite some time. Why?” He continued with the questioning immediately after I answered.
“I waited because like you, I found it to be strange that Andriano’s door was unlocked. So I waited. I thought that maybe he came back from…wherever the hell he was at.”
His face became relaxed, as he replied, “No, he’s still out of town.”
“Do you know where?” I asked, pressing my luck.
“No,” he said as he pulled out a set of keys and locked Andriano’s door.
Turning away from him, I exhaled and said, “Tell him that I was looking for him.”
“Where are you going?” he called out from behind me.
“Out of town for a few days. I’ll be back by the end of this week,” I responded as I walked away from him.
~****~
Driving up the hill, I watched as the rest of the world became more isolated as I neared the mansion planted at the top of the hill. The large piece of property was gated. Unable to drive any further, I parked the car alongside of the road and walked the long trail to Andriano’s mansion. This is so typical of Andriano’s style, I thought as I ventured up the hill. He lived a secluded life and extended that trait to his home. From afar, the gates appeared to be about my height level. But, the closer I walked towards it, the higher the gates appeared. It was impossible for anybody to climb and jump over the gates. Eyeing the cameras around the vicinity, I tugged on my baseball cap and straightened my collars to cover the sides of my face. Adjusting my sunglasses, I did everything to make sure that I concealed my identity. Unzipping my duffle bag, I pulled out my technology disengagement device and cut the power on. Smiling, I waited for the system to completely deactivate all codes. Walking closer to the gates door, I smiled before wrapping my fingers around the handle and tugging.
“What the fuck?” I mumbled under my breath as I attempted to tug again. Flicking the button on the device once more, I knew that somehow there must have been a glitch the first time that I flicked the button. Relaxing, I shook my head and attempted to tug the handle again. The gate did not even budge.
Shit, I thought as I pulled viciously on the handle a few more times before walking away. Turning around, I glanced over at the mansion and felt even more infuriated. Feeling discouraged, I walked back to my car. Sitting in the car, I began punching the stirring wheel to vent out my frustration. How am I going to get Andriano now?
Chapter Thirty-Four
Simone
Stretching my arms into the air, I counted back from ten as I felt all of the bones in my torso release the tension that hid in between. Wiggling my shoulders and bobbing my head, I finally felt ready to hop out of the bed. Grabbing my robe, I wrapped the sheer material tightly around me before making my way to my dresser. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I couldn’t face the shame that I felt. It seems like I was repeating the same mistakes that I made five years ago. The only difference between then and now is that I’m older and should know better. Being on birth control was an added bonus.
No matter how I looked at it, sexually frustrated or not, I knew better than to trust Andriano. Frankly, I didn’t trust my damn body when he was concerned. He was the only man who could cause my body to overheat like an inferno but have the right equipment water down the blaze. Still, I had to learn how to avoid his sexual pull that seemed to gravitate around the both of us. I don’t understand how he can confuse our sexual chemistry for love. The only love that came out of us was our daughters. But, a sexual language that only we were fluent in watered everything else down. What love could be there when for almost a year, Andriano lied about everything? I fell in love with the man he should’ve been. Being young, naïve, and inexperienced back then, taught me greater lessons that pre-fixed my ideas of the kind of man that I was seeking today. In the end, I was left pregnant and in the greatest battle with my heart while Andriano was marrying another woman.
Scoffing under my breath, Andriano must’ve really believed that “serving” Josephine with divorce papers was going to guarantee an all-exclusive pass to my heart and my life. He only has access to the lives of my daughters, but that’s only under one condition…he must part ways with La Cosa Nostra. He must choose a new set of values and loyalty for my daughters. Making up my mind, I knew that it was time to tell the girls that Mr. Balducci is their dad. I could only imagine how confused their faces will be as I tried to explain this foreign concept to them. Looking at the time on my table clock, I nodded my head as I thought, I have enough time to get the girls ready, grab breakfast and take them to their day camp before picking up Victoria from the airport.
Grabbing my wide-tooth comb, I looked at my hair and felt that I needed a change. Brushing my hair into a ponytail, I felt confident with my newfound clearness.
~****~
Andriano
Hearing giggles encircling my face like a mask, I opened one eyelid and saw each of my daughters towering over me. Shutting my eyelid, I stretched my arms and quickly wrapped them around their bodies. A filter of laughter escaped their tiny bodies, causing my heart to skip a beat at the indescribable sensation.
“Do you know what happens to the little girls who disrupt their daddies while they
sleep? Huh?” I shouted in an animated tone, causing the girls to giggle even louder.
“No,” Olivia managed to squeeze out in between laughing.
“We have to eat their fingers and toes, like this,” I informed them as I grabbed each of their feet and hands and proceeded to bite them with my lips while tickling them. Each of their faces became red from the array of laughter that escaped their little bodies.
“Did you girls really wake up Mr. Bald—your dad up from his sleep?” Simone asked as her eyes remained focus on me. The glint that shimmered in her eyes left as quickly as it appeared.
“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!” each of the girls squealed as they attempted to recover before finally jumping to their feet and running over to Simone.
Taken aback by Simone addressing me as their dad, I was not prepared for the pride that surfaced from the depths of my skin. There’s no other feeling that can relate to being called dad. Our daughters gathered around her as they stared up at her in awe. Although the sight warmed my heart, it couldn’t take away from the pain that lurked near my heart. I truly missed out on everything.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Simone
“Would you like some pancakes?” I asked Andriano the moment he entered the kitchen holding Acelia in his hands with Jasmine and Olivia trailing behind him. One after another, they each asked Andriano questions about random things. I knew that they did not catch onto me referencing Andriano as “dad”, but I planned to rectify that over breakfast.
“Yeah, sure.” He answered as he sat down at the kitchen table with the girls.
Peeking over my shoulder, Andriano took the seat that had a full range view of me and the stove. Pulling the chair out, he positioned himself to take a seat with his legs spread wide, aligning with his broad shoulders. Even though my back was turned towards him, I knew that he was staring at me. The thought of his penetrating eyes watching my every move sent shivers down my spine. Last night was a reminder of how easily I can become lost in Andriano again.