by B. B. Hamel
“Thanks,” she said. “You don’t have to be nice to me, you know.”
“Why not?” I asked, still staying there.
“My uncle’s going to be pissed with you. And I tricked you into it.”
“It was stupid to think you wouldn’t run,” I said. “No real reason for you to stay, not after we took away your phone.”
“I didn’t understand,” she said and looked at me with these pleading eyes that sent a thrill up my spine. “I had no clue. Do you know what I mean?”
“I hear you,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.
She opened her mouth then shut it again. I kept my fingers there until she pulled away and brushed past me. She got to her feet and walked to the stairs, moving fast, like she was physically forcing herself to run away. I watched her go and got to my feet again.
“When he comes to talk to me, I’ll tell him it wasn’t your fault,” she said.
“You do that,” I said. “But it won’t matter.”
She clenched her jaw. “Can’t you just be a little appreciative?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, sweetheart, I can’t. I murdered a guy today for you, and I’ll murder some more if I have to. You should let that be enough.”
She shut her mouth and hung her head. “Yeah,” she said. “You did do that, didn’t you?”
Without another word, she walked up the steps. I watched her go, a strange mixture of emotions moving through me. I was tempted to follow her, but I knew she needed time to process.
Instead, I cleaned up the first aid kit, put it back into the bathroom, and went into the kitchen to make lunch.
At least I can get some food for both of us.
Killing always made me hungry.
8
Clair
I stayed in my room under the covers for the next few hours as the day slowly waned. Luca came up early on in the afternoon and put a plate of food outside my door, but didn’t come in. I got up and ate in silence, though I barely tasted anything.
The world felt gray and broken.
I watched a man die. A man that wanted to hurt me, a man that wanted to torture me and take something from me, all because some uncle I didn’t even know left me money and property. I didn’t want any of it, didn’t need any of it. I gladly would give it away if it meant nobody would come after me ever again.
And yet I couldn’t. I didn’t have access to any of it, not yet at least. The legal proceedings were still ongoing, as far as I knew anyway.
A couple hours after sundown, I heard a car pull up outside and park. I heard a door slam shut, and then another. I heard voices, familiar voices, and heard a knock on the door downstairs.
I got out of bed and made myself presentable. I put on a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of yoga pants. I piled my hair up in a bun on my head. I stared in the bathroom mirror at myself and could have sworn I still had blood splatter on my cheek and chin, still could taste it in my mouth.
I turned away and walked out of my room, went down to the steps.
I heard them speaking in the living room, low and quiet.
“— too important,” my uncle was saying. “From now on, I need your eyes on her.”
“I’ll do what I can, sir,” Luca said.
I walked down the steps and both men turned to me. My uncle’s bodyguard stood by the door and stared at me, his eyes hard and unreadable. I stepped into the room and felt like a little girl about to get punished by my parents.
“Hello, Clair,” Uncle Luciano said.
“Hey,” I said.
“I hear you had an eventful day.”
I glanced at Luca and his expression was hard and unreadable.
“I did,” I said. “Luca here saved me.”
“That he did,” Uncle Luciano said. “But he also seems to have failed in making you understand your situation.”
“I think I understand it now.”
Uncle Luciano shook his head and leaned up against his cane. I walked further into the living room, putting myself between the men and the kitchen. I crossed my arms and wanted to move from foot to foot in nervous anticipation, but I controlled myself.
“I’m not sure you do,” he said. “You see, that man that tried to take you, he was a part of a cartel. Do you know what that means?”
“Sure,” I said. “Like one of those Mexican drug gangs.”
“Exactly,” Uncle Luciano said. “That’s exactly right. They’re called the Jalisco, and they’re one of the more powerful gangs in Mexico, though some of their power has waned in recent years.”
“I don’t get why they’d want me,” I said. “Aside from the money.”
“We’ve been at war with them,” Luca said. “They’re like cockroaches. Every time we kill a nest, there are ten more nests just waiting and breeding.”
Uncle Luciano smiled and gestured with his cane. “Luca is correct in his assessment,” he said. “The Jalisco have proven very difficult to destroy. They’re weaker than they used to be, but they’re also less centralized, more spread out. That makes them harder to kill all at once. They keep shipping more men here, selling drugs to some of the lesser gangs, keeping their business afloat through sheer will.”
“If you don’t do business with them, then how do you get drugs?” I asked.
Luca looked surprised at my question and Uncle Luciano laughed. “That’s none of your concern,” he said. “Suffice to say that we have other arrangements.”
“Of course,” I said.
“The Jalisco need money,” he said. “They need a big cash infusion if they’re going to keep their little guerilla war going.”
“And they think they can take me?” I asked.
“That’s right,” he said. “That man was sent here to kidnap you, something the Jalisco and the other cartels are very good at. They’d extort everything from you, every penny, every scrap of land. And truth be told, the land is what they’re really after.”
“I don’t understand that,” I said.
“Fazio left you some important real estate,” Uncle Luciano said. “Buildings in downtown Chicago, buildings worth hundreds of millions of dollars. If the Jalisco could get their hands on all that money and property, they could easily take control of Chicago and set up a new base in North America.”
“You’re their best chance at survival right now,” Luca said. “That makes them dangerous.”
I chewed on my lip as I digested all this. “So all the money that Uncle Fazio left me just turned me into some target for this… this cartel?”
“Exactly,” Uncle Luciano said.
“And because they’re desperate, they’ll do anything to get at me.”
“Which is why I’m here,” Luca said.
“We should have explained all this in detail before,” Uncle Luciano said. “I should have made it clear how much danger you were in, but I didn’t think you’d believe me.”
“I believe you now,” I said.
“I hope so.” He shook his head and sighed. “That stunt in your apartment building is going to cost me. I have contacts in the police force and some pull in city hall, but making this disappear is going to be tough. I’m going to walk away from this slightly diminished, and I can’t afford that right now.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know it’s my fault. Luca’s been doing everything right, you can’t blame him”
“I don’t fully blame Luca,” he said. “But Luca is also aware that he shouldn’t have let you go in the first place.” Uncle Luciano sighed and rubbed his face. “I believe I’ve been fair.”
“You have, sir,” Luca said.
Uncle Luciano seemed to nod to himself for a moment as he leaned on his cane again.
“I’m going to return your phone,” he said. “Luca can give it back to you, if you want it.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“But I need you to swear that you won’t leave this house. Not until the lawyers have been through everything and we can make your inheritance
airtight.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said.
“Good.” He nodded to himself again. “Very good.” He turned to head toward the door. “Then I’m going to leave you in Luca’s hands. Please, no more stunts.”
“Uncle, wait,” I said.
He turned to me, a frown on his face. “Yes, Clair?”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “I mean, are you going to take some of this money, is that what you want?”
He gave me a bitter smile. “I have plenty of money,” he said, his tone sharp. “I don’t need a dime of yours.”
“I know, it’s just—”
“You’re family,” he said. “And as much as you hate me, as much as your mother’s taught you to despise me, I’m not such an evil bastard that I’d turn my back on you when you need it.”
He looked at Luca, nodded once, his eyes narrowed and sharp, then headed to the door. His bodyguard opened the door and helped him outside. I watched them go, feeling like my body rang like a bell. The door slammed shut and Luca walked over and turned the bolt closed.
He turned to me and I couldn’t meet his gaze. I looked down at the floor, feeling like an idiot. He walked over and lingered in front of me for a moment.
I looked up into his handsome face.
He didn’t seem like a monster. He cooked, drank wine. He smiled at me, made jokes, teased me.
He murdered men though, killed them in cold blood.
“You hungry?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “I think I’m going to sleep.”
“Good idea.” He brushed past me and his hand moved across my leg, touching me slightly. I felt a chill and watched as he disappeared into the kitchen.
I turned toward the stairs, my head dizzy, ears still ringing.
“Clair.”
I turned back. He stood in the kitchen doorway and held out my phone.
I walked over and took it. He pressed it into my hand and held it there, staring into my eyes.
“No more running away,” he said.
“No more running,” I said.
“Good.” He released the phone. “I’m cooking. If you change your mind, come down. Or shout and I’ll bring something up.”
“Thanks,” I said and turned away.
I didn’t get why he was being nice to me. I got him in trouble, made him have to kill someone, and he’s still trying to feed me, trying to be kind.
Monsters like him weren’t supposed to be handsome and nice to me.
They were supposed to be bastards.
But maybe monsters came in all shapes.
I walked to the steps and went up, trying not to think of that man’s brains splattering from his skull.
9
Luca
I let Clair sleep in the next day. She stayed in her room until around ten in the morning, when I finally heard her stirring. She showered and came downstairs, her eyes red and puffy like she hadn’t slept a wink.
“Morning,” I said. “Coffee’s in there, but it might be stale.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I don’t mind. So long as it wakes me up.”
She wore the same yoga pants from last night, plus a gray shirt cut off at the midsection, showing off her flat stomach and firm breasts. I followed her into the kitchen, leaned against the door, watched as she got a mug and filled it.
She took a long sip and looked at me.
“We should do something today,” I said.
“Can we… do that?”
I shrugged and made a shaky gesture. “Probably.”
“My uncle might get mad.”
“But I have a feeling you’ll go insane if we just stay in here.”
“Is it safe?”
“I won’t take you somewhere that’s not,” I said. “And the Jalisco don’t know about this place, so they won’t be able to follow.”
“I don’t know.” She chewed her lip.
“You can sit up in that room and sulk all day if you want,” I said. “I wouldn’t blame you, I mean, it’s not every day you see someone killed right in front of you.”
She looked away then down at her mug, took another sip. “Yeah,” she whispered.
“So you can sit up there and keep running it through your mind, over and over again, or we can go out and do some stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” she asked.
I spread out my hands. “Anything you want.”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“I have some errands I can run then,” I said. “Some little jobs. You might enjoy it.”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I’m not really interested in… whatever you do.”
I laughed and raised an eyebrow. “What do you think I do?”
“Sell drugs?” She sipped her coffee. “Shake down small businesses? Scare children?”
“None of the above,” I said. “I have guys for all that shit, including scaring children. Kids actually love me, I’m a lot of fun.”
“You kill men.”
“I do kill men,” I said. “When it’s necessary and they piss me off.”
“Did that guy piss you off?”
I stared at her, not sure why she didn’t get it.
“He hurt you,” I said. “I couldn’t let that go.”
“So you killed him for me then.”
“That’s right.”
She opened her mouth then shut it again. She walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. I tracked her with my eyes.
“Are your ears still ringing?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “Well, a little.”
“That’s a good sign. You’ll get used to it sooner than later.”
“Used to what?” she asked. “Killing?”
“No, the ringing. But killing too, if you stick with me.”
“I’m not sure I want that.” She held her mug in both hands, blew on it, sipped it again.
“Come on, let’s go do something,” I said. “I promise, no killing.”
She watched me, sipped her coffee, and sighed like she was about to do the most annoying thing in her entire life.
“Fine,” she said. “But nothing illegal. I don’t want to get arrested on top of everything.”
“Nothing illegal,” I said. “Well, nothing that illegal.”
She opened her mouth then shook her head. “Let me get changed.”
She stood up and went to slip past me. I grabbed her wrist as she went by, and she stared at me in surprise.
“No need to get changed,” I said, my voice low. “You look good like that.”
Her eyes drifted along my face, hung on my lips. She pulled her wrist away and I let her go.
“I’ll get changed anyway,” she said, and headed to the steps.
I watched her go up with a smile on my face. That girl was trouble, at least I was making her trouble. I really couldn’t help myself. There was something about innocent little Clair that drove me wild. Even though she was related to some of the hardest, most dangerous men in the whole damn world, she still seemed like she hadn’t been corrupted yet, like she’d been shielded from it.
That attracted me, like a bear to honey.
I slipped my dark sunglasses on and pulled into traffic. Clair sat next to me, slumped in her seat, her knees up on the glove compartment, her head against the side of the door. It wasn’t the best position to be in, just in case we got attacked while on the road, but I figured we were safe enough.
“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked.
“Seeing some friends of mine,” I said. “I owe them a visit. And they owe me some money.”
She groaned. “Of course. We’re doing something illegal.”
“Not illegal,” I said. “Just… a little illegal. Relax, this is fine, don’t worry about it.”
She grunted and shook her head. She wore a pair of tight dark jeans and a button-down navy shirt. Even though her attire was a little conservative, she still looked like she belonged on a runway. The girl’s l
ong, lean legs and tight, pert body drove me goddamn wild no matter what she wore.
I crossed over the Schuylkill, heading back east. I angled north and found myself in Chinatown, moving slowly through the crowded streets.
Chinatown was a mass of buildings, restaurants, stoops and shops. Signs in English and Chinese dominated the landscape, though a lot of the Chinese had been translated into English script. Chinatown was always busting, always busy, though it was only a few blocks around in total. It was like a small oasis in the city, a little world unto its own, and traffic was always heavy.
I managed to find a spot a couple blocks away and parked. We got out of the car and headed down the sidewalk. The sun was out, but a cool breeze ran through the streets as we made our way back into the crowded central section. The huge pagoda entrance that marked the beginning of Chinatown loomed large over the streets, with its traditional-style roof and bright red and gold decorations.
I wove my way through the crowd, dodging strollers and slow-moving groups of tourists. The crowd was a mix of people, some locals that lived nearby moving fast between the shops, and some out-of-towners gawking at everything around them. Chinatown could be overwhelming at first, but it was like any other place in any city.
You just had to figure it out, and then its secrets would open up.
“I love this place,” I said as Clair caught up with me.
“Really?” she asked. “I figured you’d be more of a South Street type.”
“No way,” I said. “That’s some fake touristy shit these days. Chinatown’s still got real roots here. The people that own these stores, they’ve been here for generations.”
She frowned and dodged around a group of kids talking on their phones, barely paying attention to where they were going.
“I can’t say I come here much,” she said. “I mean, it’s always so crowded. Really chaotic.”
“I love it,” I said. “The food here’s amazing. Not just Chinese, either. Lots of good stuff. There’s a Korean place I love, and a Thai place you’ll have to try, and there’s this Burmese restaurant that’s unbelievable.”