He glanced at the television, and disgusted by the reruns playing during the holiday season, he switched stations. His eyes were immediately glued to the television screen. There was Andreas smiling at the cameraman. He caught the end of his comment only. “I will get him. He won’t escape me again.” And then the camera panned out to include Catarina Stone standing by his side. Andreas reached his arm behind her and pulled her in close.
“Yes, we are seeing one another,” he confirmed to the reporter. He turned his head and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. And she glowed, tucking her head under his chin!
The reporter asked one more question, and he saw Andreas’ smile. Sal wanted to blow a hole in the man’s face. This bastard was ruining it all again.
“Sorry, we need to move along. We are holding up the line.” With a quick wave at the camera, he turned, Cat with him, and his hand was placed on the small of her back. He saw Andreas stroke her, and again he felt the rage within him burn. He got up and kicked the small coffee table over, displacing all the contents onto the floor. His fury continued as he picked up, everything within his reach and flung it at the walls, the floor, until, his wrath was spent. He collapsed onto the floor, raging until thumping and yelling next door quieted him.
“Cut that shit out or we’re calling the cops, you freak,” came the angry voice of his drug addicted neighbor through the paper thin walls.
Sal clamped his mouth shut. He hoped he had not yelled anything that gave him away, but after a moment of panic, he knew he hadn’t said any names. Nothing to indicate what his anger was about.
He picked himself up off the floor. He needed to get out of there. He needed to think. He needed blood.
Picking up his keys from where he had thrown them on the kitchen table, he pocketed them and slipped outside into the growing darkness. It enveloped him. Called to him.
* * *
He walked along the street, but with purpose. He pulled his hat low over his eyes and carried a seven eleven bag in his hand; it contained two bottles of coke. His ruse, if stopped or questioned. He had left his car parked there as well. It was two blocks away. Not far. The moment he saw a limo turn onto the bridge, he double backed to get his car. He assumed they were in it. It shouldn’t be long. He knew that secretary drove one of those fancy Prius’. Marino must pay her well. When his car was stopped at the light fifteen minutes later, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. He saw her car, and followed. Too easy. He would get her when she got home, before she even left her driveway and made it to her front door, he would nab her. He would get his revenge and send Andreas Marino a message. Loud and clear.
He was worried after following her for over three quarters of an hour. But finally he saw her pull into a subdivision, and he rubbed his tired eyes, and sped up. He couldn’t lose her now. Not now, when he was so close.
He made the turn and he could see her car up ahead, and so he began to close the distance.
Glancing down side streets he saw she lived in a neighborhood of beautiful homes along canals. The houses were multi-storied with garages on the bottom. He sped up, even more. He hoped she wouldn’t be pulling into a garage. He might lose her, so he closed the gap. He saw a sign. Carlota Way. He’d ask her for directions; say he lost his way to get her attention. She made a turn onto Seahorse Drive, and he was still behind her. She turned into a drive way, and he saw the garage door already opening. He had his window open ready to call out.
She was getting out of her car. Not pulling inside. He let out his breath slowly. He saw the garage was already full of vehicles. But she saw him, and began to move.
“Sorry, I’m looking for Carlotta Way,” he asked softly, not wanting to startle her.
“Oh,” she replied nervously. “You just missed it. Turn back onto Mayfair, and it is two blocks east.”
“That way,” he pointed purposefully in the wrong direction.
“No,” she laughed softly probably not wanting to wake up her neighbors. She got closer to his car, just a few feet away. He had the rag ready. Just another step, he prayed. He couldn’t let her scream. “That’s the Gulf there, so that’s west. You need to go in the other direction.”
“Okay, thank you.” He waved and she turned around.
It was now or never. He pushed open the car door, and jumped out. Popping the trunk on the way out.
“What? My God!” She called out.
But he was already on her, and the rag lightly spritzed with his family recipe was covering her face. She kicked, and bit on the rag, and his hand. He winced through the pain, and raised the rag to cover her nose. She struggled a bit more as he forced her to walk backwards towards the trunk of his car. She went limp just as he reached it. He threw her in, glad she was a slight woman, and slammed the lid closed before anyone could see or look out. It had been a mere few seconds since she screamed, and he needed to move. He glanced around for lights as he ran towards the driver side door which he left open.
He climbed inside, and slid behind the wheel. Back into drive, he drove straight down the block, to double around on the next block so he could get back to the highway. He let out his breath and smiled. He hadn’t seen a light, and so no one knew. He had hours to have fun. But first he needed to take her some place. He knew he couldn’t bring her to his apartment, but he had already thought of that. He knew exactly where he could take Miss Angela. This was going to be fun. A lot of fun. But more than that, when Andreas found her body, it was going to be satisfying indeed.
* * *
The offices of The Marino Bros: Bail, Bonds, & Bounty would be perfect. And it wasn’t far now.
He’d seen no cameras when he’d watched the strip mall it was located in. There might be some inside, he couldn’t rule that out. He needed to know if there were cameras in the rear of the building too. That was important. He did not want to enter by way of the front in case street cameras captured him bringing her in. Or some random late night traveler spotted him. Nebraska Ave was still a pretty busy street.
He pulled off the parkway and made a left. And from the sounds of it, his passenger was starting to come around. He could dose her with chloroform again if she proved too difficult. Although he really wanted to see the light fade from her eyes. It was almost his favorite part. That, and the blood. He liked the blood.
He saw the neon sign indicating the strip mall, and then at the left side the sign indicating Marino’s business. This was going to be perfect. He’d do it in Andreas’ office. It would show him who was really in control. Who was hunting whom!
The alley behind the lot looked empty and he started to drive down it. There was one large dumpster out back, and it appeared no one was lurking around. If stopped, he could say he was throwing out his trash. He had plenty of it on the floorboards.
He examined the entire back of the building, and not seeing signs of cameras, he knew it was now or never. It was nearly 4AM. He needed to get inside and take care of business. He also wanted to be out of there within the hour before any early risers were out and about.
* * *
Angela knew she was in a shitload of trouble. She cursed herself for being all kinds of a fool for falling for the man’s simple request for directions. She knew better. Her son was a cop. Several of her uncles too. She worked for four former police officers, some of whom had been detectives as well.
Her first instinct when she woke up was to fight, but after a few moments she got quiet. She had to think instead. Not panic. That was crucial. Whatever the man was up to, it was no good. She had to use her wits and get away before he could carry out whatever he had in store for her. And she had a really bad feeling about his guy. She thought it might be this Romeo that Andreas had been trying to track down for years.
She wasn’t tied up, so that was good. She had at least that on her side. She began to move. Quietly. It was pitch black inside the trunk. She felt around with her hands for something to use as a weapon. Anything she could use to catch him off guard. A tire iron would
have been perfect, but she didn’t feel anything large or bulky. Not even a flashlight. The trunk appeared to be empty.
But she didn’t let that deter her. She didn’t know how much time she had left or how long she’d been out. She needed something. Anything.
If only she had her purse. She had been carrying it, but he must have taken it. She had a set of brass knuckles. A gift to herself when she had gotten the job in this part of Tampa. It wasn’t the best part of town by any means, but the neighborhood was their bread and butter. Most of it anyway. She also had a small can of mace. A gift from her son.
She continued to feel around, but so far she only felt the carpet. It was definitely soiled, and the car, an older model from what she remembered, had definitely seen better days. She rolled over and began to feel behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the fear was making her perspire. She felt the car begin to slow and rolled back, but kept her body from making any noise. Her heart beat wildly now at the thought of him stopping before she had a chance to think of a plan or surprise him. Think. Search. She willed herself to keep looking. Not to give up and to push back the fear. Whatever he has in mind is not good she kept repeating to herself.
She needed the element of surprise. Her fingers roamed the top corner, and then she felt along the back wall focusing her efforts on the corner in the bottom praying she could find something in the seam. Her finger snagged. The carpet was loose there. Maybe there was something behind it. She pulled and the carpet began to tear. It made a ripping noise that permeated the quiet of the trunk. God, she hoped he hadn’t heard it, but she dared to pull a bit more. Again it tore. But it didn’t seem as loud this time. She gave one more small pull, and the carpet came away in her hands. It was the piece of fabric on the rear wall that had come off. It was about two feet wide, and three feet long. She pushed it behind her, and began to feel again. Nothing. Shit!
The car was slowing now. Much slower. She felt the turn, and then the jolting begin. The patch of road or whatever they were on was bumpy. They must be close and her time was running out. Just then she felt something thin and long. In the crease. Please let it be something. Please be something, she prayed. The car stopped. She plucked the object out with her fingernails. Clutched it to her and let out her breath slowly. She heard his door open. Slowly, she rolled back over. Closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. Calm herself. She slipped the object into her pants pocket and prayed. She hoped she wasn’t sweating too much. She dashed at her face with the sleeve on her shirt, and hoped he couldn’t sense her fear. She had only this one chance and she didn’t know if it would be enough. She just hoped she recognized the area, could get away, and get help.
She heard footsteps. She heard the man unlock a door. Then there was silence.
* * *
Sal found the keys to the office in Angela’s purse. He had dumped the contents out onto the seat beside him, and was surprised by what he found. Not that he was shocked because of whom she worked for and who her son was after all, but it was a wakeup call to be careful with this one. She might try something stupid. Someone who was ready for danger could be risky. But he knew he could over power her. He slipped the gun he had into the back waist of his jeans just in case.
His first look around told him there didn’t appear to be any security cameras out back. He thought about getting the woman out of the trunk first, but she might be more of a hindrance then a help. He looked at the back door. He saw nothing to indicate an alarm of some sort, but he could not be sure. He would have to risk going to the front and peering through the glass.
He walked around to the front and the street was quiet. Hurrying over to the window, glad it was the corner one; he pressed his face to the glass. No tell-tale sign of any alarm system. No small green or red lights. But that did not mean there was not something in the back. He would have to chance going in. If he saw one when he entered he would split. He’d leave her in the trunk until he was sure.
He walked back around to the back of the building cautiously. So far so good.
He reached the back entrance once more and jiggled the handle. It was locked. He examined the three keys on her key ring. He knew which one it was by process of elimination. The car key was easy. The older looking one, her house key. He picked the shiny silver one and inserted it into the lock. He heard the click and pulled.
Nothing, no alarm. Yet. It could be a silent one though. He poked his head inside and glanced to the left. Again, luck was on his side. No panel indicating a security system. He saw a long hallway, three doors on the left, all closed. One room on the right. A small light on inside indicated a bathroom. And all the way through he saw the front door and the large waiting room that served as the reception area.
He went inside. He risked it. He walked the length of the hallway. No little red lights indicating an alarm. The metal bars in front of the building were enough to deter thieves, or so the Marinos must have thought. Cocky bastards. He grinned. It was time to get Angela. Time to have a little fun.
He made his way back down the hallway. His palms began to itch. His cock began to stir.
He took a breath of air and filled his lungs as he stood over the trunk of his car. It was time.
* * *
The moment Angela saw the crack of blue grey penetrate the darkness, she moaned softly, but kept her eyes closed. Better he think her groggy. If he had done this before, he would know the effects of whatever he had used would have worn off.
“I’ve got a gun.” His statement was made succinctly. “No screaming, or it’s over.”
She opened her eyes just a crack. “My head,” she murmured.
“It will clear as soon as you are moving. Now get up. Come on,” he encouraged, placing one arm under her arm pit as she sat up. His other hand sported and waved the gun at her back and forth, weaving to indicate where he wanted her to go. She reached for the trunk’s edge slowly pulling herself out. “Come on. Be quick about it. No funny stuff,” he reminded her.
She moved a bit quicker, but wanted to get her legs under her and her bearings before she tried anything. As soon as she recognized where she was she knew what to do. She had to hurt him, and then she had to run. Simple. That was her plan.
Chapter 27
A Pencil?
As soon as Andreas ran up the drive, he knew something was wrong. Deadly wrong. The lights were on downstairs and the house was lit up in several of the rooms upstairs. He ran up the steps two at a time, and as soon as he reached for the door handle the door was flung wide open.
It was Gio. “Everything is okay. But the police are on their way. The have Angela?”
“Angela?” he queried, out of breath looking past him to see many of the other Marinos already up and about. Cat was standing at the door next to Lucas, another one of the security team members he had hired. “What the hell is going on?” he asked, waiting for someone to explain while a cold dread began to settle on him.
Lucas was the first to report. “Sir, there was a breach at your offices down town. The alarm was triggered when no one entered the security code, and squad cars were sent immediately.”
“My offices?’ he asked still clearly confused.
“Yes, sir. The squad cars on approach saw a woman running down Nebraska Ave. and she was screaming. She waved them down and one of the officers stopped to pick her up while another squad car continued to your offices. But they were too late.”
“Too late for what? What was Angela doing there?”
“She escaped. Romeo we think. But he was gone by the time they got there,” Blaze informed him.
“Fuck, no! He went after Angela?” The blood roared in his ears and he stomped into the house. “She’s okay?” he asked, looking about wildly.
“Yes,” Gio assured him as he shut the front door and was pulling him along into the study. “She got away, thank God. But, Andreas, this was too fucking close. This bastard has to go down. Go down fast, and permanently.”
Andreas saw t
he menace in Gio’s eyes that probably matched his own. Angela was like family. Fuck. She was family. She had been with them since they started their business, and mothered them all even though she was only ten years older.
Nikko handed him a bottle of water and he untwisted the cap, and drank. He glanced over the top of the bottle to see Cat still standing alone, by the door he had walked through. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. His heart twisted in his gut. This had been too close. He loved Angela. He couldn’t lose anyone else to this sick bastard.
“Sir, Angela escaped, and we have the thumb drive you gave us last night. The police questioned her, and they wanted to have her talk to a sketch artist, but I thought since you have all these DMV photos we might get lucky.”
“Good thinking.” Lucas was top notch. “We should all look at them; see if any of the pictures triggers something.” Again, he glanced at Cat. She stood silently taking it all in. He could feel her fear clear across the room. He wanted to soothe that worried expression off her face, but first he needed to hear more. He needed to know what the hell happened to Angela.
“Please, tell me all you know,” he asked.
“We got the call about fifteen minutes ago. We were about to send one of the security detail to get you, when Cat saw you come up the drive.” Again, he glanced at Cat. She stood like stone.
Gio continued. “When the alarm went off at 4:05, the police dispatched two cars. They called us around five thirty. You were already running. Lucas came upstairs and alerted us. I talked to one of the men downtown. I was going to go downtown, but the police told me Angela was being questioned, and they were waiting on a sketch artist when Lucas came up with his idea. I talked to Morrissey; he told us what he knew which wasn’t much. Apparently, the perp grabbed Angela outside her home when she arrived from babysitting at about three am in the morning. He knocked her out, drove to our office, and she stabbed him in the arm that was holding a gun with a pencil.” A fucking pencil? “He was walking her in through the back of the building, and Angela knew he wouldn’t know about the alarm system being hooked up out of sight in your office. So she knew the police were on the way. Apparently she took a chance and got lucky.”
The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set Page 87