The Breakup

by Brenda Grate

  Julianna tossed her hair. “I no know him. He hafa wait and see.”

  Suddenly there was a flood of impatient Italian hurled up the stairs at them. Julianna jumped away from the wall and flung her arms around, “Hurry, hurry. The mens wait.”

  Aja raised a brow at Mia and they both pressed their lips together to keep from laughing. She’d called Mia’s boyfriend “Bastardo”, and yet, the men were still the dominant ones in Julianna’s life.

  After a short interval, they trooped down the stairs, ready for a night out. Pietro made a huffing sound and looked at his watch. Aja blew him a kiss and went to the door. Mia hung back and soon Pietro was at her side, offering his arm as she tottered around in her high heels.

  “You look like need steady arm,” he flashed perfect white teeth at her.

  Mia took his arm. Even with her heels she still only came up to his shoulder.

  Orlando took up residence beside Julianna. Aja could see her cheeks heating up as he took her hand and tucked it around his arm.

  Aja opened the door just as Marco was raising his fist to knock. He lowered his hand in ultra-slow motion as he looked her over from head to toe. He leaned closer, sniffed and closed his eyes, a huge smile lighting up his face. “Can we go back to my house instead?” he whispered.

  She felt hot all over and wished it were only possible. “Later,” she whispered back. “Definitely later.” Aja winked at him and then took his arm.

  Chapter 28

  Stephen sat at a table in the back of the dark restaurant and waited, his foot jiggling up and down. He looked at his watch for the third time when a pair of large shoes appeared in front of him.

  He expected someone sizeable, but his eyes stopped at just over five feet. The man in front of him looked like an angry child.

  “You Stephen?” The small man asked in a voice to match.

  “Who’re you?” Stephen leaned back in his chair and studied him. “Why did you call to set up this meeting?”

  “A man by the name of Henderson contacted me and said you might need a hand dealing with someone.”

  “What do I call you?”

  “Carlos. My friends call me ‘The Jackal’.

  Stephen glared at the man. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “How far will you go? Tell me, what are your limits?”

  Carlos sat in the chair opposite Stephen, his feet not reaching the floor. His hairy arms resting on the table and his bushy eyebrows didn’t match his stature. “What exactly are you looking for?”

  “I want someone quieted. You said you could handle anything.”

  A waiter approached their table and Stephen turned with a snarl, “Fuck off.”

  The waiter jerked to a stop and moved away, his hands raised in alarm. “Mi dispiace, signore.”

  Carlos didn’t miss a beat, “Who do you want me to take care of?”

  “Her name is Aja Rain. I’ve followed her and found out she’s staying at a winery not too far from town. It’s called Cielo Bello.”

  “I know the one.”

  “Good. I want her quieted.”

  “You want her teeth knocked out?”

  Stephen leaned in, his face only inches from Carlos, “I want her quieted for good.”

  Carlos nodded, his eyes narrowed. “It’s going to cost you. Big.”

  Stephen leaned back, waved his hand. “I can pay.”

  “Now.”

  “How much?”

  Carlos named a sum that made Stephen gasp.

  “You want it done or not?” Carlos made a move to leave and Stephen grabbed for his arm.

  Carlos flung his hand off.

  “No, no. I can pay it.” He reached inside his coat.

  “Not here!” Carlos growled at him. “We’ll meet outside. No one can see us together. I’ll go out the front. You see that door back there?”

  Stephen looked where Carlos pointed. “Yeah.”

  “Go out there. There’s an alley behind the restaurant. I’ll meet you there and we’ll do the exchange.”

  Without another word, Carlos got up and left. Stephen waited at least thirty seconds and then moved to the back door.

  He closed the door behind him. Before Stephen could react, his arms were grabbed and pinned to his sides, while someone else tied a blindfold across his eyes. Stephen thrashed and fought, but there must have been four or five people holding him because he could hardly move. Then someone punched him in the head and everything went hazy.

  They dragged him through the alley, and didn’t seem to care if he knocked into cans and whatever else was in the way. They didn’t say a word, just hauled him along like a sack of garbage.

  With his sight gone, Stephen found his nose picking up everything around him. He could smell rotting vegetables and other refuse. He could smell the sweat of the men hauling him. One of them wore a spicy cologne. They passed something that smelled like three-day-old fish and Stephen fought to control his gag reflex.

  The men stopped and shoved Stephen forward. He tripped on a step and slammed into a door. The envelope with the cash fell out. He heard it hit the ground and he lunged, scrabbling around, and trying to find it.

  “Had a little too much to drink tonight, did he?” one of them asked.

  “Nah, he’s just a scared little boy who got into something over his head.” The voice was beside Stephen and well below him. It was Carlos!

  “What do we have here?”

  The money!

  “Looks like we get our payoff after all.”

  Stephen struggled harder. Nothing pissed him off more than losing his money.

  Someone opened a door and dragged him through. They went down a long hallway — Stephen knew this because they kept knocking him around from one side to the other - and then through another door. Someone gave him a rough shove and he landed on his side on what felt like a leather couch.

  They sat him up and tied his hands in front of him. “You sit here like a nice boy, while The Jackal prepares to question you.”

  “The Jackal!” Stephen shouted. “You asshole! You tricked me.”

  A snicker came from the right of his ear and very close. “You’re right, he tricked you. It was like taking candy from a baby.”

  The room filled with hoots and rude comments while Stephen sat on the couch and fumed. He started planning the charges he would throw at them as soon as he got free.

  A door creaked open, then shut with a solid thunk. Footsteps moved toward him and Stephen felt sweat break out all over his body.

  The footsteps stopped in front of him, but the person didn’t say a word. The silence went on until Stephen couldn’t stand it anymore. “What am I doing here?” He tried to sound put upon, but it came out in a whine.

  “I think you know.” The voice was high and squeaky and came from about Stephen’s face level. It was Carlos, ‘The Jackal’.

  Then a large hand grabbed him around the throat and pulled him forward until he could smell what The Jackal had for lunch. Onions, garlic, tomatoes. Probably spaghetti.

  “We don’t take kindly to foreigners trying to kill our people.” The squeaky voice was somehow a lot more menacing.

  “What?” Stephen gasped.

  The hand clenched tighter and Stephen fought to pull air into his rapidly diminishing airway.

  “Don’t play coy. We know everything.” He threw Stephen back against the couch and waited while Stephen fought to get his breath back. “We want the names.”

  Stephen raised his bound hands and tried to rub off the blindfold. Someone beside him slapped his hands down. “What the hell?” Stephen shouted. “What names? Who are you people?”

  “We ask the questions here,” the Jackal snapped. “Give us the names and you might live.”

  At his words, Stephen froze. He didn’t know how to respond. Somehow they had him mixed up with someone else. He was sure of it. “What names?” Stephen whined. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Honestly.”

  “Strap him!” The Jackal s
houted.

  Stephen threw himself off the couch and onto the floor, trying desperately to get away, but the men grabbed his feet and pulled him back. One man sat on him when he wouldn’t quit struggling.

  “Please, please, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve got the wrong man.”

  “Aja,” the Jackal spoke quietly and Stephen stopped struggling. “Ah, the girl you wanted taken out? You ordered a Mafia hit on her, and we want the names of your friends. We don’t allow the Mafia to operate within our borders and we’re certainly not going to let a nobody like you bring them to town.”

  “M…M…Mafia?” Stephen gasped. “I don’t have anything to do with the Mafia. Please believe me!”

  “Strap him,” came the command again.

  The men hauled him upright and Stephen screamed in terror.

  Chapter 29

  The club was loud and they were all having a great time dancing. Aja laughed when Marco jerked with surprise and slapped at his leg. He didn’t hear his phone going off, but the vibration alerted him. He motioned her outside with him as he yelled into the phone, “Hang on! I need to go where I can hear you.”

  They stood in front of the club as Marco spoke to his caller.

  “Hey Carlos, how’s things? Oh, really?” Marco laughed and winked at Aja.

  “What? What’s he saying?” she asked.

  He lifted a finger, “What? Oh, yeah sure. We’ll come. How long until he’s there?” He nodded. “Okay, see you then. I’ll be bringing a few of my friends to see the show.” Marco said goodbye and closed his phone.

  “They have Stephen,” he said.

  “What? It worked?”

  “Yep. They want us to come to the club and watch. They have him blindfolded, so he won’t know we’re there.”

  Aja shivered and rubbed her arms. She wanted to see them scare the pants off Stephen, but being anywhere near him scared her. She was glad Marco would be with her.

  “Come on, let’s tell the others,” Marco said.

  They went inside the club and spent a few minutes gathering everyone up. They had to wait out a slow song, snickering while they watched the other two couples snuggle while they danced. Marco leaned close to Aja’s ear, his breath tickling her, “Looks like love is in the air, baby.” He pulled her into his arms and they moved with the crowd, finishing out the song.

  After the song finished, Aja and Marco gathered together outside the club while Marco told them about his friends.

  Olly high-fived Marco, “Awesome. You guys rock. Let’s go. I want to see him piss his pants.”

  They climbed into Marco’s car. Pietro got in the back and patted his lap. “You can sit on me, Mia. There’s not much room back here.”

  Mia laughed and climbed in beside Aja in the front. Aja was proud of her friend. Don’t want to let him think he’s got her too soon. But, the signs were there. Her friend was smitten.

  They drove quickly and Marco soon pulled up by the gloomy-looking building. He knocked and they went through the ritual again. Carlos’ eyes scanned the group and asked, “Any Americans here?”

  Olly laughed, not caring if Carlos saw.

  “No Americans,” Marco said with a sigh that only Aja heard.

  The door swung open and Mia gasped. Pietro moved close and put his arm around her. She looked up at him with a smile.

  “Follow me,” Carlos commanded.

  They moved down the corridor and entered the same room Aja and Marco had visited before. The scene in front of them was much different. Stephen was tied up and blindfolded. He was on the couch they’d sat on the last time they were there. He squirmed and glared at the captors he couldn’t see. Aja’s stomach became a nest of snakes and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Stephen was evil. She couldn’t stand being in the same room as him.

  There were several of the men from the club gathered around the couch. Carlos marched over to Stephen just as he whined, “What am I doing here?”

  “I think you know,” Carlos said.

  He grabbed Stephen’s shirt and yanked him forward, “We don’t take kindly to foreigners trying to kill our people.”

  Olly and Pietro moved across the floor with a grin and quiet steps. They weren’t about to let the others have their fun without them. She was glad Marco stayed at her side.

  Carlos kept shouting things at Stephen, demanding to know names, of who she didn’t know, but it was all part of the plan. They wanted to scare the shit out of Stephen so he’d leave Italy and never come back. Aja hoped it would work.

  When Carlos pulled out a knife and put it to Stephen’s throat, Marco hurried the ladies out of the room. Out in the corridor, with the door shut, he said, “You don’t need to see this.”

  Mia looked miffed, but Aja was glad. She trembled and leaned against Marco. “I don’t ever want to see him again.”

  Mia put an arm around Aja. “I’m sorry, honey. I hate him for what he did to you.”

  Julianna looked at Aja for a minute, her face unreadable. She moved to the door and Aja followed, watching as Julianna opened the door and marched over to Stephen, pushing Carlos out of the way. She slapped Stephen, hard, across the face. She stared at him for a few seconds while he quivered and shrank back against the couch.

  “Bastardo,” she spat.

  “What? Who’re you?” Stephen sputtered, obviously surprised to hear a woman’s voice.

  Carlos didn’t miss a beat. “My wife hates men like you.” He put the knife back to Stephen’s throat. “You’re going to leave town and never come back. Otherwise, we’ll make you disappear.”

  Julianna joined them at the door again, giving Aja’s arm a squeeze.

  Stephen shrank back and whimpered, nodding his head eagerly. “I’ll leave. I’ll leave. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried,” Carlos said with a growl in his voice.

  It would have been funny, all the play acting, if it wasn’t Stephen involved. Aja wanted to get out of there before his blindfold somehow got loose and he saw her. She moved away from the door just as Olly thumped Stephen on top of the head from behind the couch.

  Marco led Aja, Julianna and Mia to the car where they waited for Pietro and Olly.

  The two men came out about 15 minutes later, laughing together. Olly yanked open the door and climbed in beside Julianna. “He’s pissing himself.” Olly kissed Julianna on the cheek. He didn’t notice that her eyes got big and she put her hand on her cheek. He went on laughing about how they’d scared Stephen so bad he would avoid Italy for the rest of his life.

  They were driving away just as Carlos and the other men dragged Stephen out the front door. The blindfold fell off and as one of the men grabbed Stephen and tied it on again, she thought he looked into the car.

  What if he saw me? Aja couldn’t stop thinking about it all night.

  They dropped Olly at his hotel. He gave Julianna’s cheek another kiss as he left. “See you in the morning, all,” he said as he jumped out of the car and ran up to the hotel entrance.

  Julianna settled back in her seat with a sigh and a far-away look. Aja smiled to herself. Julianna would make a good partner for her feisty brother. He didn’t know it yet, but she could definitely stand up to him.

  Pietro got out with Julianna at her house. She said to Mia before getting out, “You want stay with me?”

  Mia looked at Aja who was snuggled up to Marco and smiled, “Sure. I’d love to.” She gave Aja a quick hug and got out of the car.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Aja.”

  Marco squeezed her knee as they drove away. “I’ve finally got you to myself.”

  He gave her a quick kiss and Aja’s stomach fluttered again. This time the feeling was pleasant anticipation.

  Chapter 30

  Marco and Aja were finally alone. Nona was in bed when they got home. They sat at the outside table with a bottle of wine and some local cheese.

  Aja leaned her head back on the wooden chair and stared at the sky. The stars were
like holes in black fabric that let the light of the moon shine through. She felt nothing but contentment, and it was the first time in a long time that she could remember feeling that way. Stephen seemed a long way away at that moment. She was happy to be with a man who loved her and treated her so well.

  Marco leaned toward her and ran his finger down her arm. Her skin prickled and the hairs stood up in response. Aja kept her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. Marco was a man who knew how to make a woman relax. It was so different from Stephen. He made Aja feel tense and on her guard every time he was around. In the beginning she mistook this for love, thinking that it was just because she was so aware of him. Later she realized it was because she didn’t trust him. With good reason.