MOAN: The Cantonneli Mafia

by Sophia Gray

  I stared at him. Becoming a hair stylist wasn’t ever something I’d thought of before, but the idea wasn’t exactly unappealing. In fact, I kind of liked it. I’d still be working on people, just like a doctor, but I wouldn’t be doing anything life or death. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d probably be really good. I’d always been incredibly precise when it came to doing things like that, and it didn’t seem like a terrible idea.

  “That actually doesn’t sound bad,” I admitted, sipping my second glass of wine. I’d been drinking more in the past couple of weeks, but I still wasn’t quite used to the warm, cuddly feeling that came over me whenever I’d had a little too much to drink. I understood how people became alcoholics. After my first glass of wine, I wanted another. And after my second glass, I started feeling powerful. It was an addictive feeling.

  “Good,” Calvin chirped. “I’ll talk to my boss and let you know.” He rolled his eyes. “Mr. Thing over there decided not to call me back,” he added. “I can’t believe I got stood up!”

  I patted him on the shoulder. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

  Calvin laughed. “That what happened to you, too, babydoll?”

  I pulled a face. “I wish,” I said sourly. “No. Kimmy ruined everything. She…” I trailed off. It didn’t matter anymore, right? I had no one to keep a secret from. “She told someone that I was dating my boyfriend in secret, and then he had to break up with me.”

  Calvin frowned. “I thought this guy was really into you.”

  I sighed and pushed my hair off my forehead. “He was,” I admitted. “I actually dumped him.” I glanced down at the floor. “We….he’d asked me to marry him. It would have made things easier. But then this other guy said that he couldn’t stay in his club and have me, too.”

  Calvin furrowed his brow. “Were you…dating someone in an MC?”

  I blushed and glanced down at my hands in my lap. Calvin had painted my fingernails a bright pink and I had to admit, they did look really cute.

  “Yeah,” I admitted after a second. “Kimmy took me to one of their parties a few months ago. I met him there.”

  Calvin’s eyes bulged and he looked at me. “Wow,” he said. He let out a whistle and I blushed even harder. “Look at you, little badass girl! You didn’t need me at all!”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said modestly. “We broke up. I mean, we can’t be together. Our lives are too different. You know that, right?”

  Calvin sighed. “Babydoll, if it’s love, of course you can be together.”

  I sighed. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I said. “Can we just go out already?”

  Calvin nodded. “I’m taking you to the coolest place,” he said. His eyes got big and I noticed for the first time that he was wearing mascara and eye shadow. “You’re just going to die!” He grabbed my arm and pulled me up off the couch. As much as I tried to copy his mood, I couldn’t. Calvin’s good humor was usually infectious. But as soon as I started trying to have fun and relax, Cade’s face popped into my mind.

  Thirty minutes later, we were waiting outside of a painted brick building in downtown Madison. There was a huge line of people snaking around the club and I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. It was finally starting to get cold for the winter, and I realized that I’d need to buy a new jacket. A thought crossed my mind that made me want to cry: Cade holding me in his arms, wrapping a flannel sheet around my body and helping me stay warm.

  The thought disappeared as I glanced up at the dark, moonless sky. Clouds were racing across the horizon and I realized that we were probably going to have a bad storm soon.

  “Is this place cool or what?” The line started moving and Calvin squeaked with excitement. He put his hands on my shoulders and jumped up and down.

  “Yeah, I guess,” I said with a shrug. The line pushed forward and we were suddenly in the entrance to the club.

  Everything was painted a bright, true red and the lights above us were dim and tinted. I had to really squint to see everywhere, and I could barely see Calvin’s face even though he was standing right next to me.

  “I don’t really like the look of this place,” I said softly.

  “Oh, come on,” Calvin teased. “Don’t be such a wuss.” He linked his arm with mine and marched me forward towards the bar. As I glanced around the club, a shiver ran through me. Were these the kinds of places where Cade dealt E? What if he was here right now, working for the Prophets?

  The thought sent a ripple of excitement through me. Thinking of seeing Cade filled me with half elation, half anxiety, and I began to glance around through the crowd, looking for his muscular frame and messy blond hair.

  When Calvin handed me a glass of something pink and floral-smelling, I hefted it to my lips and chugged. The wine from earlier had already worn off, I wanted some real liquid courage, just on the off chance that I did wind up running into Cade.

  “What do you think?” Calvin turned to me and practically yelled in my ear. “Isn’t this awesome?”

  I looked around. The dance floor was full of couples dancing together, some grinding on each other, some a few feet away making elaborate movements through the air with glow-sticks and bright flashing lights.

  “I don’t know,” I mumbled. “I don’t really know if this is my scene or not.” The alcohol bubbled through me, warm and sticky and comforting, and I tried to move my head along to the beat of the music. What would happen if I really saw Cade here? Would he be mad at me? Would he beg me to come back?

  I pouted when I realized that I had absolutely no way of knowing.

  “I’m going outside,” I called over my shoulder. “I wanna get some fresh air.” Without waiting for Calvin to join me, I darted through the crowd and through the big double glass doors of the club. The nighttime air felt cool and crisp and I closed my eyes, slowly walking into the parking lot and letting my shoes drag on the asphalt.

  “I miss you,” I said aloud. My eyes watered up with tears and I blinked before looking down. “I miss you so much.”

  Obviously, there was no answer but I felt chills glide through my body nonetheless. As I walked further and further away from the pulsing beat of the club, I heard a sound behind me like a twig snapping. Suddenly, I was afraid. A chill of fear ran down my spine and I shivered. When I glanced over my shoulder, a man in motorcycle leathers was walking towards me with a leer on his pale face.

  “Hey,” I said shortly. “I don’t have anything on me.” I stepped backwards, feeling a wave of anxiety crest over my body.

  The guy grinned. He reached out with both hands and beckoned towards me. When I shook my head, he stepped closer. “Come on,” he said with a big grin. “I ain’t gonna bite you.”

  “No,” I replied. I swallowed hard, feeling my body shake. “Leave me alone!” Breaking into a run, I let out a screech of fright as a strong hand wrapped around my arm, gripping my flesh. It was a hand stronger than mine, and although I struggled, the man eventually pulled me close and wrapped his arms around my body. A putrid smell of stale smoke and booze washed over my face and when I looked up, I was horrified to read Demon Catchers on a patch on the man’s jacket.

  Chapter Thirty

  Oh no. Oh shit. These guys are not good, they’re going to hurt me.

  “Stay right there,” the man ordered. He gripped both of my arms and held me against his bulky, muscular body. I could feel that the flesh of his palms was scarred and calloused. Cade’s hands had always been kind of soft, but this man was grizzled and older.

  “No!” I yelped. I tried to break free of his grip but he shook me firmly. The man who’d stared at me walked closer.

  “Bruno, she’s a little spitfire,” he said, spitting on the ground and letting his eyes travel down my body. “I think she needs a little refreshment for the big trip home!” Both men threw their heads back in laughter as I struggled in vain against Bruno’s firm grip.

  “Yeah, Dante,” Bruno said in a low voice. “She�
��s a pretty little thing. You be gentle with her!” They laughed again and I started to feel like I’d be sick. Before I could move, Bruno reached into his back pocket and pulled out a damp rag. He came towards me and pressed it against my nose and mouth. Instantly, my mouth was filled with the taste of noxious chemicals. I tried to cry out, to call for help, to scream for Calvin, but when I opened my lips, I began to feel faint and lighthearted. When I realized they’d drugged the material, a streak of fear flashed through my body. It was coupled with something else, though, something warmer that made me feel safer, calmer somehow. I closed my eyes and began to drift off.

  When I woke up, I let out a shriek of fright. I was in a dark room, and there was a massive pain in my head and my back. As I tried to move, I pitched forward. My arms weren’t working and it took me a few seconds to realize that they were tied tightly behind my back. The blood had been cut off and both of my hands felt swollen and numb and painful. I groaned as I tried curling my fingers into fists.

  There was a dry laugh and I looked up to see a beaten-up older man seated in a chair to my left. He raised his eyebrows at me and snickered. “Feelin’ a little tied up, girly-girl?”

  I swallowed hard. “Who the fuck are you?” The sound of my voice made me cringe—it was high and squeaky, like a little girl’s. “Are you a friend of Calvin’s?”

  “Who the fuck is Calvin?” The man squinted at me. “Bitch, no. I’m a fucking Demon Catcher.” He pointed to a patch on his leather vest, which I couldn’t read in the dim light of the room. “You remember anything, sweetheart? Like getting picked up by my guys in the parking lot?” The man coughed and spat wetly on the floor. There was a faint scent of iron in the room, and I realized that he’d just coughed up some blood.

  When I closed my eyes, it all came rushing back. I’d been grabbed in the parking lot after I told Calvin that I was going to get some air. My eyes teared up and I sniffled in fright. The Demon Catchers had kidnapped me. And I had no idea why, or what they wanted from me.

  “Honey, you remember yet?” Without waiting for me to answer, the man burst out laughing. “You were havin’ a little fun with Dante and Bruno, my men. They said you were a little spitfire, had to chloroform you!”

  I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. So that’s what had been on that rag. I felt stupid for not recognizing it more quickly—I’d studied the effects of chloroform last year, in biochem.

  “Right,” I said softly. “What are you gonna do with me?”

  The man glanced at me and even in the dim light of the room, I shrank back from his gaze. His expression was crude and he let his eyes travel down my body, staring at my breasts and exposed legs. “Well, I could fuck you right now,” the man said. Chills ran down my spine at the thought of his old, grizzled and broken body on top of me. “But I don’t have the energy right now, girly.” He shook his head. “Maybe I’ll call some of my younger guys in here and let them run a train on you. That sound good enough?” He laughed again, seeming oblivious to my intense discomfort.

  “What do you want with me?” I glanced into his eyes and tried not to look away. “I’m just Vanessa. I’m a college student,” I added.

  The man shook his head. “I don’t give a good goddamn about what your name is, sugar,” he said. “All I know is that your boyfriend, Cade Mitchell, is a real fuck-up.” He glanced down at his body. “He fucked me up pretty good. And here in this world, the real world, we have a little thing called revenge.”

  I swallowed hard. “So what are you gonna do with me?”

  The man shook his head. “Look, bitch, it’s gonna be better for you if you can learn to keep your yap shut. You got that?”

  I bit my lip. “Can you please shift the way my hands are tied? They’re cutting off my circulation.” I shifted forward and rolled my hips so I could lift my arms a fraction of an inch in the back. “Please?”

  The man laughed. “Short fuckin’ chance of that, sweetheart.” He shook his head and whistled. “I was born at night, but not last night.”

  My heart sank and I leaned back against the wall. What the hell did these guys want with me? They obviously thought I was connected to Cade, but maybe they’d let me go if I told them that we’d broken up. I decided that as soon as they’d let me go, I’d have to call Cade and tell him about what had happened. I didn’t want anything happening to him next. After all, this was scary enough without anything weirder going on.

  “Hey,” I said softly. “You know that Cade and I broke up, right? His lieutenant, Rudy, told him that he couldn’t stay with me and stay in the Bleeding Prophets. So I dumped him.” I tried to act as nonchalant as I possibly could. “So you know, you really don’t have much business with Cade anymore.”

  The man stared at me. “You fuckin’ kidding me?”

  Yes! He bought it! “Uh, no,” I said. “Come on, I’m just a college girl.” I tried to sit up straighter, although the pain in my back was intense. “I’m pre-med. I don’t have time to date some biker.” I rolled my eyes and swallowed hard. I’d never been a good liar, but then again, I’d never had to lie like my life depended on it either. “Really,” I added. “I always thought Cade was kind of a fuck-up. Definitely not the kind of guy that I could end up with.”

  The man stared at me. “Well, it’s good that you realized that now.” I frowned at the hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Because I fuckin’ killed him.” He grinned at me and my stomach plummeted. “I fuckin’ killed him real dead, girly. He ain’t around anymore.”

  “What?” Tears came to my eyes and I looked towards the ceiling of the room willing them away. “What did you just say?”

  The man laughed. “I said I killed him.” He shook his head and stood up. I noticed that he was limping, and cradling his arm like it was broken. As he stepped closer, I saw that the shadows on his face were actually dark bruises, and that he had dark circles underneath each eye. “I killed him.” The man raised his eyebrows at me and chuckled. “Fuckin’ good thing, too. That asshole was trying to push pills in my goddamn territory!”

  For a horrible and brief moment, I thought I was going to be sick. The bile rose up in my throat and I gagged, coughing and tilting my head back so I wouldn’t choke. Cade was selling pills in Catchers territory. That’s why Rudy told him to break up with me. Because he was so freakin’ distracted over me that he sold pills to some Catcher clients! This is all my fault! The tears that had welled up in my eyes began to brim over and drip down my cheeks. I sniffled and coughed as my nose filled with hot liquid snot. It dribbled out of my nostrils and over my lips. The taste was salty and bitter and as I realized that Cade wouldn’t ever be able to wipe my tears away again, I cried all the harder. My hands were useless behind me and I felt so vulnerable, so scared that I was bawling like a baby in front of this murderer, this asshole, this dangerous man who’d hurt the only person I’d ever truly loved.

  “So I guess you feel a little bad about that breakup now, don’tcha?” The man laughed at his own joke, throwing his head back and exposing a mouth of gnarly teeth. “I guess you don’t really care too much about what kind of man Cade Mitchell was after all!”

  “Why did you kill him?” My words were broken and jagged and I shuddered as a new wave of hot tears leaked down my cheeks. “Why? Why did it have to be him?”

  “Because he’s a fucking punk, that’s why,” the man said heavily. He leaned forward and grimaced in pain; I could tell that his arm was really bothering him. “He fucking came after me and attacked me for no goddamn reason!” He waved his arm in the air and let out a sharp, mangled cry of pain. “He fuckin’ broke my goddamn arm!”

  I frowned. “But why…why would Cade do that?”

  The man stared at me. “You are a real dumb bunny for a college kid, you know that?” He whistled. “Shoot, honey. He was probably real mad about that breakup.” He raised his eyebrows at me and shook his head. “So really, if you hadn’t dumped him, we probably never woulda killed him!”

  Shock pulsed through my
body and I gasped. For a brief moment, I couldn’t even breathe. My lungs felt like they were filled with lead instead of air and I began to cough and gag and heave towards the floor as thought I were going to be sick for real. The bile that had risen up before came back and spewed out of my mouth, hot and bitter and stinging my teeth and tongue. I tasted stale alcohol and stomach acid, all mingled together in a horrible cocktail of betrayal. This was my fault. I’ve as much as killed him myself. If I hadn’t been so stupid, so pigheaded, why did I have to do that? I felt wracked with guilt and pain as I thought about the heartbreak I’d caused Cade. If I hadn’t hurt him like this, if I hadn’t broken off the engagement, we’d be fine. Sure, Rudy would be pissed, but Cade would be alive, and that was what really mattered.

  I gagged and spat the last of the vomit out of my mouth. It landed on the floor in a stinking pile. The smell was almost enough to make me throw up again, but the man looked circumspect, like he was used to the noxious smell.