I sat back a moment, reflecting on this mini-milestone. Not even two weeks before, I’d been at the bottom of full-on depression, wallowing in a valley of self-pity. I was so caught up in my breakup with Sara that I had barely given any thought to the bigger picture of my life. I spent no time evaluating what would have happened had I stayed in that terrible, dark, emotional place. The most telling sign of my complete and total disregard for my health and safety was my unwillingness to give any consideration whatsoever to the Vespuccis and the job I’d been hired to do for them. Throughout October, any time Maggie or Marco or Tony Vespucci crossed my mind, I dismissed it with a fatalistic attitude of what is supposed to be will be. I reached up and felt the tender spots on my face. If the Nickels family could do this to me for stiffing them, what would Vespucci do to me if I angered him? I shuddered at the possibilities. Looking back over the last week, I realized that Williams had done me a favor by paying me that initial visit. It had forced me out of my black hole of self-pity. I glanced over at Donovan silently resting against the door. Clearly, I’d turned a corner.
I stood up from my computer, stretching my arms. I walked over to the one window in the apartment and looked out at the blue sky. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the stunning ring I’d bought for Sara. Ever since I’d returned from New York and Sara had dumped me, I had been carrying it around in my pocket to remind myself of my foolishness. Even now, in the fading light of the day, the ring glowed. That day of the breakup came back to my memory in full force. I’d been on the ground in Los Angeles from New York for just over twenty-four hours when Sara walked into her condominium, the home we’d shared for almost two years, and told me it was over. I never did show her the ring. I kept it hidden in my jacket pocket, where it had been since I’d bought it. Our final lovemaking session before I left on my second trip had tricked me into believing we were on our way back, that there was hope, that Sara had turned a corner, our relations would improve. I’d bought the ring, thinking it would solve any remaining problems between us, but when Sara uttered those fatal words, “breakup” and “another lover,” I’d realized the ring represented nothing more than my own pathetic one-sided desire to be in love. Even now, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the ring. I’d considered taking it back to Mrs. Goldschmidt on my final trip to New York, to see if she would take it back and return at least some of my money, but every time I had the thought, a hollow feeling took over, so for now I was content keeping it in my pocket until I could figure out what would be the right thing to do.
“That must of cost a couple points.”
I started, not realizing Donovan was awake. “It did.”
“Telephone girl?”
“A mistake,” I said, resigned.
“Yeah, well, we all have one of those at some point. Part of the learning curve.”
“Expensive learning curve.”
“We don’t get to choose our teachers. Or their cost. If you’re gonna sell it, I know a guy.”
“Not until I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Maybe you did already.”
I was about to respond, but he’d already gone back to dozing. As my gaze returned to the ring, a certain calm came over me, a calm I could attribute in no small part to the fact that I was to be accompanied by Donovan and Luci to New York. If there was any trouble, I wouldn’t have to face it alone. I palmed the ring and placed it back inside my pocket, for some reason unable just yet to let go of what it was supposed to mean, unwilling to leave it in Los Angeles where it belonged. I wanted it with me. I heard Donovan’s voice from behind me.
“She did you a favor, Jon. Time is truth. It tells us everything we’re supposed to know.”
I looked at Donovan but his eyes were still closed. “Thanks, Donovan.”
I returned to my computer, pulling up my copious notes on the Vespucci-Balducci union. I clicked through the interviews I’d transcribed, realizing as I pored over them that I didn’t need to go back to New York to finish this story. I was missing my key interview with Vespucci, but otherwise, I had enough information to write an adequate story, one that would probably satisfy Maggie and Marco. So why was I going back? I could do the interview with Vespucci over the phone, or on Skype.
Deep down, I knew why. I wanted to stir the pot. I felt there was something off about Marco Balducci, about his relationship with Maggie. This had been bothering me from the get-go, but only in the last few days when my mind started percolating again did I pin it down. If Marco wasn’t in love with Maggie, he still had a lot to gain by marrying the Godfather’s daughter, so it was very possible that Marco was motivated by more than his feelings for her. This didn’t sit well with me. I’d been hired to write a love story and that’s what I was going to do—as long as they were in love. This last trip would ensure the authenticity of what I wrote. It was going to be an interesting trip. Thank God I wasn’t going alone.
10 Early November – New York – 3rd Trip
Luci and I sat in the airport, waiting for Donovan’s flight to land. I’d been unable to get a seat for him on our plane, so I bought a ticket on a different airline leaving the same time as our flight but with a connector in Atlanta that would delay him an hour. Luci and I spent our time talking about the Vespuccis. He had done research of his own on the Mafia, the Vespuccis in particular, through the law enforcement connections he had made over the years with his martial arts training.
“So, where does that put Tony Vespucci, according to your guys?” I asked Luci. Through the glass of the Delta terminal, I watched a 747 take off from the runway, its front wheels slowly lifting off the ground.
“There’s no question from anyone in the know that Tony is somewhere near the top of the food chain,” Luci answered. “In fact, a couple of my sources agree with Mosconi that Vespucci has become the de facto leading don of the Five Families in New York. He’s a smart businessman and has several large, successful, and legitimate operations running. As far as the law is concerned, he’s as clean as a whistle on the books. Never been caught doing anything. At least not yet.”
“Giancarlo Balducci?”
“His underboss.”
“That’s what I figured. They grew up together, best friends. I figured they’d be close.”
“Did you know Vespucci is heavily invested in Balducci’s foundry business in Italy? Provided the start-up money.”
“Really?”
“My source thinks they wanted to put business on the ground over in Italy, Sicily in particular, to connect the New World with the Old, work at building a bridge between the two. Create an Italian-American Mafia bond that would be unbreakable. The Prime Minister has been criticized for being soft on the Mafia, even accused of being connected up.”
“Marco mentioned knowing him personally. How much can you trust your source, that what he’s telling you is accurate?”
“He’s one of my oldest students, been training him for years. He’s retired CIA. We can trust him.”
“Did he tell you anything about Balducci’s son, Marco?”
Luci nodded, exhaling. “Yeah, that he’s a mean one.”
“That all?”
“Word is there’s some friction between Vespucci and Balducci about Marco’s position in the hierarchy. Balducci wants to bring him up a little faster than the Boss is comfortable with.”
Before I could ask any more questions, I spotted Donovan over Luci’s shoulder, carrying his compact military duffle and making his way down the terminal toward us. Luci and I stood up at the same time, grabbed our overnight bags, and stepped out to the walkway, waiting for Donovan to reach us.
“How was your flight?’
Donovan shrugged. “Got me here in one piece.”
The three of us hitched our bags over our shoulders and headed for the exit. Walking shoulder to shoulder with me in the middle, Luci and Donovan towered over me, lean and
muscled on one side, thick and powerful on the other side. I eyed people inadvertently stepping out of the way to give us room as we passed. No one tried to break our ranks, choosing to go around us rather than shoulder their way between us. A few minutes later, we found ourselves standing on the curb in the hustle and bustle of JFK. I glanced sideways at the faces of my companions, considering what we were doing here. I felt a risk with this trip that didn’t seem part of the normal day-to-day business. By traveling with me, my companions had opened themselves up to this risk. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Maggie’s compact Mini Cooper pull up to the curb.
I flagged her down with a wave of my hand. Luci and Donovan spotted the Mini Cooper at the same time.
Donovan spoke first. “We’re getting in that?”
Luci added, “Are we going to do two trips?”
I chuckled, “Don’t worry, I’ll sit in the back.”
“And that’ll make a difference?”
Maggie climbed out of her car to greet us, a question on her face as she realized the two giants standing beside me were, in fact, with me.
Luci leaned toward me and quietly asked, “That’s Maggie?”
I nodded.
Maggie stepped around the car to greet us. I met her at the curb, reaching out my hand to say hello. She brushed my hand away and gave me a tight hug. For a moment, my mind went blank, unable to think. Maggie stepped back to introduce herself to my friends when she noticed the bruises on my face. She reached up to touch my eye. I had completely forgotten about my appearance.
“What happened to your face, Jon?” she asked.
“Just a slight misunderstanding.” I didn’t want to explain the whole Nickels fiasco.
“How many times did they misunderstand you?”
I heard a guffaw and chuckles from behind. I looked over my shoulder. “Maggie, I’d like to introduce you to my finishing crew.”
The confusion reflected in Maggie’s eyes made me realize what that sounded like, given their size and Maggie’s family background. “Let me clarify,” I said. I pointed to Luci. “Meet Luci. He handles the visual aspects of the final product, the artwork, lay out, what photographs are used. Stuff like that.”
“Nice to meet you, Luci,” Maggie smiled.
“You as well, Maggie.”
“And this is Donovan. He handles my security.”
“Hi, Donovan.” Maggie gave him a smile as well, but then turned to me. “You didn’t have security on the previous trips.”
“Let’s just say the misunderstanders don’t seem to want to understand. So.”
“What did you do, for God’s sake?”
I looked at Luci and Donovan for help, but they remained mute. I turned back to Maggie. I was tired from the flight, I hadn’t slept much, and I couldn’t think of a good enough lie. “I wrote the truth on my last job.”
A look of disbelief crossed Maggie’s face. “One of your clients did this to your face?”
Helplessly embarrassed, I nodded.
“So you hired a bodyguard?”
“Let’s just say I didn’t want any interference while I finish up your story.”
“I could speak to my father—”
“No, no! Please. Don’t tell your father. I feel unprofessional telling you. Can we keep this between us?”
Maggie studied my face, trying to decipher my reasons for being so adamant about her silence. Finally, she seemed to make a decision and moved on without another word, turning her attention to my friends.
“Gentlemen, sorry my car is so small. Jon didn’t give me any warning,” she said, playfully admonishing me. “I would have brought a bigger car.”
Luci responded, “Don’t worry about us. We shrink on demand.”
We threw our luggage in the back and I climbed in first, followed by Luci, cramming ourselves into the back seat. Donovan commandeered the front passenger seat. Maggie hopped into the driver’s seat, taking a moment to look at the three of us in turn. “Cozy?” she asked with a grin.
She pulled away from the airport, hitting the I-678 toward Brooklyn. There was a chill in the air, November in New York, winter clearly on the way. I glanced forward, catching Maggie watching me in the rearview mirror.
“How did it go?”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what she was asking.
“Did you do it yet?”
I noticed Donovan turn away from Maggie, apparently looking out the window, the motion jogging my memory. The ring. Mrs. Goldschmidt.
“Did you propose?”
I could feel Luci’s eyes on me. This was news to him. I’m sure he was also wondering how much of my personal life I had shared with this client, something I never did.
Sheepishly, I responded, “We broke up.”
“Oh, Jon, I’m so sorry,” she said. “How long has it been?”
“The day I got back from my last trip.”
Maggie considered that for a moment. “That’s terrible. So that’s where you’ve been.”
I nodded, not sure what else to say.
“You must be so sad. I was wondering why we hadn’t heard from you for so long. Now I understand. Does she even know about the ring?”
I shook my head. I glanced at Luci, his eyes telling me everything I needed to know. He was piecing it all together now, gaining further understanding of why the last several weeks had been so hard for me. But true to Luci’s nature, he kept silent. I knew the time would come when he would want me to fill it all in for him. Embarrassed, I met Maggie’s sympathetic eyes in the rearview.
“What did you do with the ring?”
Reaching inside my pocket, I pulled the ring out for all to view. “The ring in question.” Sheepishly, I turned to Luci. “I bought it on my last trip. Maggie helped me pick it out.”
“I’m really sorry, Jon,” Maggie said.
“It’s fine. Everything happens for a reason. She met someone else.”
“She left you for another guy?”
“Yeah,” I muttered.
“How do you know?” Maggie asked.
Luci finally spoke. “Yeah, Jon, how do you know?”
I turned my head to Luci, exasperated at his egging me on.
“She told me when she broke up with me.”
“She doesn’t sound very nice”
“She’s not,” Luci responded.
With an encouraging smile, Maggie said, “Don’t worry, Jon. It just means there is someone much better for you out there.”
Luci and Donovan nodded in consensus.
“I’m glad you’re back,” Maggie added. “My father was getting a little anxious, but I told him not to bother you. That you would get everything handled in your own way.”
Apparently, Vespucci had not told her he’d needed to jump-start me with a threatening videoconference. I shoved the ring back in my pocket, vowing to keep it there until I could figure out what to do with it.
“If you want to take the ring back, Jon, I could talk with Mrs. Goldschmidt. I’m sure she’d work something out for you.”
“Thanks, Maggie. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it yet. I may keep it as a reminder of my foolishness, keep me from doing something like this again.”
I could feel Luci watching me, his look quiet and thoughtful. Then he directed his attention to Maggie. “Maggie, you should know that in my years working with Jon in his unique profession, I’ve never known him to share his personal life with a client. You are the first.”
“Really?” Maggie said, surprised. “Is that true, Jon Fixx?”
I didn’t realize I was blushing until I saw my reflection in Maggie’s rearview. “Luci’s exaggerating. But that’s basically true.”
“Does that mean you’ll give Marco and me extra attention when you write our love story?”
Marco.
Oh yeah. I felt my stomach clench. “Yes, it does.”
The car went silent for several moments. Finally Luci asked, “So, Maggie, are you excited for the wedding? Is all the planning done?”
“Ugh, the planning,” Maggie replied. “I’ve hated it! I’m not that woman. I have friends who have loved it more than anything. I let my mom and my sister-in-law make most of the decisions. It’ll be more pink than blue, and I hate pink!” Maggie laughed. “And I’d have to say I’m more nervous than excited. But that’s normal, right? I mean you guys do this all the time.”
“Completely normal,” Luci said.
“Jon told me you handle the visual look of the book? How did you end up doing that?” Maggie asked.
“He begged me to do it,” Luci answered and reached over and patted me on my shoulder in camaraderie. “As his unique business started to grow, Jon realized he was missing something, so he started talking to me about it and said he needed to add a visual element to the novella. That’s where I came in. The rest is history.”
“Is Jon the only author you do this for?”
“I don’t know anyone else doing what Jon does. He’s one of a kind, our Jon Fixx,” Luci said. “Other than that, I have my own projects.”
“He’s also a kung fu master,” I chimed in.
Maggie seemed genuinely impressed. She gave an appraising look around the car at each of us. “I have to say, you three make quite a trio.” To Donovan she asked, “How long have you known Jon?”
Donovan glanced over his shoulder at me, looking for some guidance. I shrugged, indicating he should tell the truth. “I just met him last week.”
“Oh.” For the first time, Maggie was at a loss. “And you’re his bodyguard?”
“Yup.”
By now, Maggie had jumped off the highway, choosing surface streets to continue our journey. I assumed we were on the outskirts of Brooklyn by this point.
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