Dirty Assets

by Rumer Raines

  “Maryann, if you don’t want to help me, please help Adele,” I plead with her and I notice her weight is no longer against the door. Maryann walks back to the small door opening and looks me in the eye.

  “Adele? What does Adele have to do with anything?” Maryann asked me and I can see her eyes as they start to tear.

  “Garth married her after you faked your death,” I tell her and she lowers her head and starts to cry.

  Adele

  I stare at the knife on the counter wondering if I should do it. I don’t know how much more of this I can take from Garth. He is stripping away every little piece of my soul. He proves that I am worth nothing to him. I am not even sure why he would bother looking for me if he doesn’t even like me. I think about Alex and wonder what he’s doing at this moment? Is he working at the club? Has he moved on and is he with some other girl? I close my eyes shaking off the very thought. I look towards the phone wondering if I could sneak in a call to him, but I realize I don’t have my cell phone so I don’t have his phone number. A few seconds later as I am lost in my thoughts, Garth and Rose wander into the kitchen.

  Rose walks over to the fridge and Garth follows as he presses himself into her back. I can’t believe how gentle he is with her when he is forceful when dealing with me. I narrow my eyes at them as he kisses her neck and wonder if I could get him to treat me like that? The last thing I would want is for him to touch me anywhere, but if I can get him to trust me, I can get out of here. Garth senses me looking at him and turns his head giving me a smirk.

  “Can we talk, Garth?” I ask him as I look between him and Rose. He looks back at Rose and she closes the refrigerator door. They both move to the table as they watch me and I continue to look between the two of them.

  “I would like to talk to you alone,” I tell them as Rose starts to laugh. Garth looks me over and nods his head towards the door for Rose to leave. She gasps as if she is offended and throws her arms across her chest like a child having a temper tantrum and stomps out of the kitchen as we both watch her.

  “What is it, Adele?” Garth asks and I can tell he is annoyed that I even want to talk to him.

  “I was hoping that we can work on our marriage,” I tell him as I swallow the vomit that is threatening to appear. I hate this man and the last thing I want to do is work on our marriage. I am only making a deal with the fucking devil.

  “You want to work on our marriage? What do we need to work on exactly?”

  “Well for starters, maybe you can get rid of Rose? I don’t think you should have your girlfriend roaming the same house as your wife,” I say to him and he has the nerve to laugh. I slide my chair out and start to stand when Garth grabs me by the arm forcing me to sit back down.

  “You don’t like Rose?” Garth asks and I roll my eyes, which makes me think of Alex.

  “I don’t want to share you with your girlfriend. If you truly want this to work, she needs to go,” I stand firm telling him what needs to happen if he wants this to work out.

  “What if I cool things off with Rose? I’ll tell her that she shouldn’t hang out here anymore. Do you think I’ll actually trust you enough to leave you here alone during the day?” Garth asks me and I close my eyes to give him exactly what he needs to hear.

  “I won’t leave, Garth. I made a promise to you when you let Alexis go.” I remind him and he closes his eyes and sighs. I watch Garth as he pushes his chair back from the table and he looks me in the eyes as he lifts out of the chair enough to pull down his pants and shorts and he sits back down. I notice that he grabs his penis and he starts to gently move his hands up and down as he watches me with dead eyes.

  “You want Rose gone? You’ll need to prove to me that you alone can keep me happy, Adele,” he tells me as he continues to stroke himself and I stand to walk over to him. I lower myself at his feet and slide between his legs. I replace his hands with mine as I stroke him and he lets out a rough groan while pumping himself into my hands. His moans become louder and I hope that Rose doesn’t walk back into the kitchen to see this, then again maybe I do want her to come in and see this. Perhaps then she would be so upset she would leave on her own.

  “I don’t want to come in your hands, Adele. I want you to climb your ass up here and I want you to ride me,” Garth says and I close my eyes as I take my hands off his now hard dick and I lift my dress, opening my legs to climb on top of him. As I position myself, Garth puts his hands on my hips and moves me in place so that he can ram himself inside of me. I gasp and grab his shoulders as he thrusts inside of me and it feels like these are thrusts of anger. I moan as he continuously lifts himself and slams inside of me and I can feel my eyes starting to water as he holds my neck. I can only pray that he comes quickly so this ends soon. When Garth finally comes, he pushes me off and pulls his pants back up as I fix my dress. Garth looks at me with disgust and he goes to Rose. After ten minutes or so, I follow Garth and see him standing at the open front door. He slams it shut and turns to look at me. Garth practically stalks towards me as I stand to watch him as he approaches.

  “I asked Rose to leave and she won’t be back.” Garth puts his hands on my chin lifting my head. “If you make me regret this, You. Are. Dead,” he threatens me and I shiver. I already know that Garth killed Nick, so he won’t hesitate to kill me too. I nod my head letting him know that I understand.

  “Don’t worry, Adele. I’ll fuck you before I kill you,” he says as he walks away leaving me stunned and scared.

  Alex

  Maryann sits across from me crying while I glance around the room. Everything in this room seems very simple. There isn’t heavy furniture, everything could have come from Ikea. She doesn’t have girly crap all over the place. No pictures or flowers. There isn’t even anything on the damn coffee table. This woman is ready to move on a moment’s notice. She walks out of the room and returns with a Kleenex and sits down crossing her legs.

  “I’m sorry. You don’t want to sit here watching me cry,” Mary Ann apologizes and she’s right. I have questions to ask her because I need to find Adele. We found the house she lived in with Garth, but it was empty. The house was so fucking clean it didn’t look like anyone had ever lived in it. He was even smart enough to not leave a forwarding address. We can’t find them anywhere. I have a feeling that Mary Ann can help. If she is running from him, she would have to keep track of him, wouldn’t she? You can’t hide from someone if you don’t know where they are.

  “How long were you married to Garth?” I ask her and she inclines her head giving me a questioning look.

  “Too long,” she answers.

  “How long is too long?” I ask.

  “Years,” she states tersely and I roll my eyes. I move to the edge of this Ikea chair hoping I don’t break the damn thing

  “Mary Ann, I really need your help. This conversation will take years if you only give me generic answers.” I run my hand through my beard, waiting and I notice her watching my hand.

  “How about you answer my questions first and then I’ll answer yours.” She suggests. I close my eyes and sit back waiting for her questions to start. I look at her and nod my head so she knows to start with her damn questions.

  “Who are you to Adele?” she asks and I think of Adele. I think back to holding her and making promises to her.

  “I am the man that loves her and will kill this fucker if he hurt her,” I tell Maryann. She sits up stunned and I’m feeling a little stunned myself. I just said that I love Adele. Do I love Adele? Is this what this feeling is? I have never committed to any woman before but I feel like I can commit to Adele in a heartbeat. When I find her, I will never let her go. I can honestly understand why Frank married and knocked up Lola so quickly. If I have my way, the minute I get Adele back in my bed, she will have my kid inside her. She won’t even have to marry me if she doesn’t want to, my kid will tie her to me forever.

  “How did you meet her? I am sure Garth wouldn’t have allowed the friendship,” Mary Ann asks
which brings me back to the present.

  “Alexis went on the run. She met my sister and my family owns a nightclub. She started working for me at the bar. She was safe, but somehow, he tracked her down and kidnapped Adele and my sister. According to my sister, Adele agreed to go back home with him if he let her go. We found their house, but he had it cleaned out and they have moved.” I tell her.

  “Are you not telling me something?” she asks further and I look at her and shake my head.

  “There is something missing in all this. Why don’t you just go to the police?” she asks and I chuckle because she is intelligent. I can tell she won’t buy any of my bullshit and I might have to be halfway honest with her

  “Adele had a bodyguard. Garth killed him,” I tell Mary Ann and she gasps, covering her mouth.

  “Why aren’t the police looking for him then? If you know he killed her bodyguard, why don’t the cops know? And what kind of club owners can afford putting a bodyguard on someone who works for them?” She asks and I take a deep breath and squeeze my temples. This girl is not going to be easy to get information from.

  “What is your name?” she asks me.

  “I told you… after pleading with you for twenty minutes at the door. My name is Alex,” I remind her.

  “What’s your last name?” she asks and I close my eyes before reopening them to stare at her.

  “DeLuca,” I tell her and her mouth forms an “O” as she looks at me.

  “I am sitting with the Mafia?!” she practically screams as she looks towards the door. I know she thinks she is about to bolt, but she isn’t going anywhere. I just hope that Thomas is still outside or at least nearby. I may have to stick this girl inside his trunk to take her home with me.

  Maryann and I both stand and I walk towards her and lifting my hands. I don’t want her to think I will hurt her, but she needs to sit her ass down and talk to me. I come within inches of her and her eyes widen and she raises her arms like I have pulled a gun on her. I roll my eyes and lower our arms.

  “Maryann… I am not going to hurt you. Please sit down so we can talk.”

  “I am right, aren’t I? You’re the Mafia?” she asks me and I sit her down and fall to my knees in front of her.

  “Mary Ann. All I want is to find Adele. I won’t hurt you, but I need you to answer my questions please.” I throw in the please so she knows I need her help and to appear to be nice. Adele told me I came off as a jerk and I can’t be a jerk if I want this girl to help me. Mary Ann shakes her head and I start to ask my questions.

  “How long were you married to him? I ask her.

  “Five years.”

  “Did he hurt you?” I ask and I already know the answer. If he beat up on Adele I am sure he did the same thing to Mary Ann and I am correct, she nods her head.

  “Yes. I think it was his hobby. He loved to cause pain. The worst part is he would hurt me then force himself on me. The man doesn’t have a gentle bone in his body.” Mary Ann tells me and I can see her eyes go empty. It’s almost like she goes back in time. I close my eyes thinking about him doing the same thing to Adele. I promise that he will feel ten times the pain that he caused Adele.

  “I found a picture of you and Adele in her bag. How did you know Adele?” I ask her as she looks back at me.

  “Adele and I worked together before Garth and I got married and he forced me to quit my job. He didn’t let me let me have friends or have any family visits. The only person that he liked and would let me spend time with was Adele. I guess it’s for obvious reasons now, the bastard. She never knew that he was abusive. Garth is smart, he would only hit where bruises could be hidden. He was so charming when she was around. Adele will never know it, but she was the reason I was able to escape. She invited me on a river boat trip and Garth could never say no to her, so he let me go. I went with her knowing I had no plans to ever go back home.”

  “What did you do?” I ask her and I know what she did. She jumped her ass off the boat.

  “I made sure it looked like I was drinking a lot. When no one was watching, I jumped off the boat and swam back to land. I knew everyone would assume I got drunk and fell overboard. I watched with a group of people as lifeguards searched the lake for me. I felt awful watching Adele cry for me. I felt even worse when Garth showed up and he held her. I knew he would try something with her, but I didn’t think she would marry him. I got away from him and my best friend took my place.” Mary Ann tells me and she wipes a tear away.

  “Mary Ann… I need your help. Will you help me find Adele? I can keep you safe,” I plead with her and she looks into my eyes.

  “How can you keep me safe? He is a monster,” Mary Ann says. I place my hands over hers comfortingly.

  “My family is Mafia,” I tell her and she nods her head in acknowledgment.

  Mary Ann is not looking me in the eye and I don’t like it. She is not going to help me and I need her. I think I lost any hope of her helping me when I told her my family is Mafia. I suppose that would make me less than credible when it comes to trust. I look back at Mary Ann and she is staring into space and I need to bring her back to the present with me.

  “Will you help Adele?” I ask her again needing her to confirm with me that I can expect her to help.

  “How do I know that she isn’t running from you too? I know Garth isn’t an angel, but if you’re in the Mafia you can’t be a boy scout either.” She looks me over and I close my eyes to figure out how I can get this girl to trust me.

  “What the hell do you want? Character witnesses?” I snap my mouth shut when Mary Ann narrows her eyes at me. The last thing I need is to piss her off.

  “Could you get one that isn’t related or working for you? Or maybe even better, someone that won’t think you’ll break their legs if they don’t say what you tell them?” Mary Ann tells me with major attitude in her voice and I am at my breaking point. I start to pace the room as Mary Ann watches me with suspicion.

  “How can I prove anything to you, if you won’t believe anything I present to you?” I ask her and Maryann shrugs her shoulders and I become the bastard that so many have told me that I am. I kneel in front of her placing my hands on her knees and look her in the eyes.

  “What do you think will happen if you refuse to help me, Maryann? What will Garth do if he finds out you're alive? I have someone watching this house right now, Maryann, and if I leave they will keep watching it until I call them off. You can either help me or become my enemy. You don’t want to be enemies with the Mafia,” I tell her as I squeeze her trembling knees. I can see the fear in her eyes and I feel bad, but I need her to find Adele. I would never hurt her, but I won’t let her know that. I will threaten her and make her fear me until it gets me Adele. I will apologize to her once Adele is back in my bed.

  “I will help you,” Maryann quietly tells me and I shake my head.

  “Ok. Do you want us to stay here or do you come back to my place?” I ask her.

  “What? Why would I need to choose either?” A nervous tremor colors her voice.

  “I don’t trust you, Maryann. I need to keep an eye on you at all times,” I tell her as run my hand through my hair.

  “I said I would help.”

  “You agreed to help, but not of your own free will,” I remind her and she stands up and turns her back to me.

  “Where was Adele staying?” she asks and I wonder where this conversation is going.

  “She was staying at my sister-in-law’s old house. When Garth found her, I moved her in with me.” At that, Maryann and she turns around to look at me.

  “Let’s go to your place. I ran once and Adele ended up paying the price. I won’t screw her over twice.” I nod. I don’t care if she stays with me or I plant my ass in this house. It takes Maryann twenty minutes to pack a bag so she can stay at my place. While I was waiting, I called Thomas to let him know what was going on. I am on my bike, so I’ll need him to give her a ride to my place. Thomas doesn’t like the idea at all, but I could
n’t care less. I will do whatever it takes to find Adele. When Maryann comes out of the bedroom with her bag, Thomas and I are waiting for her. Maryann jumps when she walks in the room at the sight of Thomas. Once I called him and explained what was going on he came right over and didn’t need to ring the doorbell since I was waiting for him.

  Thomas stands up and grabs Maryann’s bag from her hand without even saying a word to her. I can’t help but notice that he looks her over after taking the bag and I see the flash of something in his eyes. Thomas takes the bag and walks out the door telling us that he’ll wait outside. I look back at Maryann and she looks like she is going to make a run for it.

  “Why did he take my bag? I said I would stay with you!” Maryann practically yells at me, but she looks back towards the door knowing that Thomas is right outside.

  “You will be staying with me. I am on a motorcycle and It would be safer for you to be in a car,” I tell her as Maryann appears to take a deep breath and lets out a sigh.

  “Thomas will bring you to my place. You will be safe with him, he just looks mean,” I say as I give her a smile to calm her the hell down.

  “Alex, just so you know, I will not tell you anything if I start to feel that Adele was your prisoner,” she tells me as we head to the door and I nod. I already knew that I would have to gain her trust before she tells me anything. Garth abused both Maryann and Adele to the point they learned to survive with walls. They aren’t quick to trust anyone or anything. I guess after what they have both been through, that’s a good thing. I’ll do what I can to tear down some of Maryann’s walls so she tells me what I need to find Adele. I have no other option, but I don’t have much time since Adele is with a monster.

  I pull into my driveway, as Maryann and Thomas are getting out of the car. I grab Maryann’s bag from Thomas and nod my head letting him know that he can leave. Maryann and I walk into the house and she looks around in amazement. I stand and watch her as she touches everything and practically falls onto my leather sofa and throws her feet up onto my coffee table. My eyebrows lift as I watch her heels scrape across my wood table, but I bite my tongue as I pull out my phone and I see it’s a text from Thomas.