Tom cleared his throat. The nurse was startled. She didn’t hear him come in. She sighed with relief when she noticed Tom. Both were oblivious to the chaotic incident at the cemetery.
“She’s doing fine, today,” The nurse said with a smile. Tom smiled back.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” the nurse added, walking out of the room then shutting the door behind her. He was glad his Grandmother didn’t attend the funeral. Her heart wouldn’t have been able to take it. She wouldn’t have survived the shooting and she may have been dead already.
“Tommy boy!” she called out in a weak voice as she forced a smile.
“Grandma!” Tom said, smiling back. He kissed her on the forehead then sat beside her, on her bed.
“You look rough. What happened?” she said, noticing that Tom’s shirt and suit was dirty.
“Fell!” Tom replied, reluctant to say the full truth.
“Don’t lie to me, boy! You smell of gun powder! Means you have been playing with guns,” she replied with a hoax voice. Tom held his Grandmother’s hands, reluctant to reply.
“You know, you’re my favorite Grandson. You remind me a lot of your Grandfather!” She said, as if fantasizing. “Oh when we were young…good old days… We thought we could conquer the world together. Had more boys than we could handle! And then, the whole family fell into shambles when your Grandfather died. Danny, your uncle, found a way to bring the Olivetti name back to life with minimal illegal work, of course. He reduced the drug trafficking. No more street jobs, no more gangs and no more killing or at least minimal, killing. There was more money than ever,” she added. Tom said nothing as he listened to her words.
“Mafia law, oberta—vengeance will never die. That’s why trouble keeps recycling,” she said as she coughed. Tom held her hand tighter.
“It’ll be okay,” Tom said.
“I know it will be okay. You’ll be in control soon,” Cecilia said. Tom’s eyebrows ascended, surprised by her words.
“What do you mean? “ Tom asked.
“When the time comes, you’ll understand. I know more than you think. Being a wife of the most feared mob boss has given me the connections to the information I want,” She added. Tom sighed as he remembered what he came to ask for.
“Ricky Raymond—the girl I accidentally killed, what happened to her?” Tom asked.
“Why’d you ask?” she replied.
“A client of mine has somebody I really care about. The only way to fix this is to give him what he really cares about,” Tom replied. Cecilia smiled as she coughed again
“I handled everything son. Damon will get his truck of goods back and Ricky Raymond will be part of the package,” His grandmother replied.
Two large men dragged Nina into a warehouse. She screamed, but to no avail. The warehouse was mostly dark. Trickles of light struggled to infiltrate the roof and walls through the tiny holes. It smelled like dead rats and spilled oil. The dust was eminent and cobwebs filled the corners. Damon dragged her to a chair then tied her down himself, as his men watched.
His bald head had trickles of sweat. He looked exhausted. He sighed as he gazed at Nina. He was frustrated and she could tell. The day didn’t go as he had planned. Tom was supposed to be in the warehouse, bleeding, not her.
“Let’s hope your boyfriend loves you enough to come for you. If not, for every hour I wait here, I’ll write a letter of my name on your breasts with my knife,” Damon said, pointing a knife to her chest.
“Fuck you!” Nina yelled.
“Whoa!” Damon’s bodyguards said, surprised by her bravery. Damon glanced at his guards then glanced back at Nina. “I might grant your request soon. When I’m done fucking you, I let them have turns,” Damon replied. They licked their lips. “Y-eah,” one of them said as he grabbed his crotch. They all laughed.
Just then, his Phone rang.
“Yes? Who is this,” Damon said in a stern voice. His frown changed to a smile.
“Oh I was just about to call you,” Damon added then put the phone on speaker. It was Tom.
“I’ll give you what you need, just make sure you don’t hurt her!” Tom said. Damon laughed. “For every mark I see on her body, I’ll triple it on yours,” Tom said, threatening Damon.
“Ah ah ah you aren’t in the position to make threats pretty boy,” Damon replied sadistically. “If you want to see her alive and untouched, I want you and my money by day’s end,” Damon added.
“I want to hear her voice!” Tom said. Damon hesitated, paused then put the phone close to Nina’s mouth.
“Tom, I’m okay!” Nina said. Just then, one of Damon’s guards slapped Nina on the cheek. She screamed in pain.
“Urgh! I warned you, Damon! Do not lay a finger on her!” Tom yelled in anger. His frustration was sensed, on the phone.
“I don’t have to touch her. I’ve got soldiers ready to do the job for me,” Damon replied. Tom’s heavy breathing was in the background.
“I have an offer for you!” Tom said. “Speak!” Damon replied. “I want Nina back with me tonight and I’ll give you your merchandize,”
“What merchandize?” Damon asked curiously. “The truck of your goods, dumbass,” Tom replied.
“How did you get it back from the cops?” Damon asked.
“Same way you got John Baker out of Jail. I have friends working with the police,” Tom replied. Damon laughed then paused.
“Since I had to go through all this trouble to get what belongs to me, a truck of cigars isn’t enough,” Damon added.
“Exactly! That’s why I’ll refund half of the money back to you,” Tom added.
Damon paused for a moment, stared at Nina and then stared at his guards. “How do I know this isn’t bullshit?” Damon asked.
“Cos I don’t fuck with family!” Tom said. Nina was partly surprised Tom considered her as family. She smiled, but the pain on her cheek was unbearable.
“Hmm okay….”
“One more condition,” Tom added.
“I knew it. What do you want?” Damon asked.
“John Baker!” Tom replied.
“That’s not a problem. I already shot the scumbag who betrayed you. I don’t like the man either. He talks too much and has nothing to offer,” Damon laughed.
“Good! Then you have saved me the time to punish him,” Tom replied.
“Your truck along with your cash will be on the south east corner of Sixty-Seventh Street. If you bring the girl along, I’ll bring the keys to the truck and you may drive it away,” Tom added.
Damon folded his arms and paced around for a while. He couldn’t tell if Tom was sincere or if he was walking into a trap. “No police must be involved or she dies,” Damon replied.
“Criminals don’t call the police for help!” Tom said abruptly.
“Let’s do it my way! My men will bring the girl somewhere in central park. If they don’t get a call from me confirming that the money and the drugs are there, she’s dead. I’ll check out the truck myself to make sure this isn’t a trick. If it is, I’ll make sure she cries before going to sleep permanently tonight. And hey…she’s too damn sexy to go to sleep without a little something, if you know what I mean. We will be having fun with her all night till she’s sore,” Damon said then hung up the phone.
27
Don Olivetti’s guards drove closely behind Don Olivetti’s car, suspiciously. The car was moving further north—the opposite direction from Don Olivetti’s residence.
“Where the hell is he going?” a guard said to himself, managing to stay close to the car. Finally, it occurred to one of the bodyguards to check who was driving. Don Olivetti’s guard switched lanes then drove faster to catch up with Don Olivetti’s car. He waited till he was side by side to see who was driving Don Olivetti. The windows were tinted, it was impossible to see through. Shit.
Suddenly, Jack wound the window of the car down then smiled at them.
“Shit! It’s Jack,” one of them said as the four men in the car
brought out their guns. Just then, a random car honking beside them hit the side of their car. The car swerved uncontrollably then gained control again. It gave Jack enough time to speed ahead.
As if planned, the blue caravan driving in front of them stopped in the middle of the road. The person who honked at them previously stopped abruptly at the side of their car.
The guard driving tried to reverse, but a car hit him from behind. They were boxed in. They couldn’t drive either way. A man in the blue caravan, dressed in shorts and a holiday t-shirt, came out.
“Shit it is a tourist,” one of the guards said as the man approached their window.
“Damn tourists!” the other guard said as he waited patiently for the ‘tourist’ to approach the window. “This doesn’t look good,” another guard said. The man in shorts signaled them to put the glass windows down.
“Hi I’m sorry my car broke down…” he said as he tossed something into the car and ran off.
The car in front and the car behind drove off.
“What the fuck?” the guards said to himself. It was a small round object the size of a baseball. He fumbled with it.
“Grenade!” one of the guards said. It was too late. The car exploded into a ball of fire.
Don Olivetti watched as his bodyguard’s cars veered off the road and exploded.
“What have you done?” Don Olivetti said to Jack. He was scared. He tried to unlock the car doors. He was unsuccessful. He tried to pull the windows down, he was unsuccessful. He tried to break the glass, it was bulletproof and impossible to shatter. Don Olivetti glanced at Jack. He had a smile on his face the size of a clown’s.
“It was a necessary precaution to keep you in and others out!” Jack said, in an unsympathetic tone.
“You do realize the cops are going to be all over this?” Don Olivetti said.
“No worries, it was staged like an accident that led to an explosion!” Jack said. “That’s what the report will say.”
“Where are you taking me to?” Don Olivetti demanded. His inability to trust had always kept him alive. He was hoping the trust he had for Jack would pay positively.
“You don’t need to know…sir,” Jack said with a straight face. Don Olivetti tried to contain himself. He analyzed his environment for escape routes. Making a phone call was futile at that point. Even if he tried to describe it, he didn’t know exactly where he was. A smile emerged on his face.
“Sanchez wants a forced meeting,” Don Olivetti said after recognizing a familiar landmark. It was a safe house his father had used to discuss matters that couldn’t be discussed over the phone. As they drove closer to the location, there were fewer cars and fewer people around.
“As promised!” Jack replied with a smile.
Tom paced around the house like a confused puppy. He had called his father to relieve him from his worrisome burden. His mother was relieved to hear that he was okay, but all insisted on remaining at Don Olivetti’s mansion till his arrival. He was surprised by how much his father underestimated him. “So many things I have to worry about!” Tom said to himself.
“The truck is on its way. It should be delivered soon. Your grandmother did well on her promise,” Dean said as he walked into the room Tom was in.
“Good! Good! What about Purio Maccuzo?” Tom said in a disgusted look.
“I have men handling it boss. They’ll be bringing him in. He was pretty easy to find,” Dean replied.
“Make sure nothing happens to him until I see him,” Tom replied. He sighed heavily as he looked into the mirror, in his father’s private study. The smell of furniture paint was still eminent in the room; proof that no one except his father, stayed in that room.
“I shouldn’t have taken her along,” he thought. He broiled in anger as he imagined Damon’s men abusing her sexually. He unconsciously sat down on his father’s chair, for the first time, as he stared blankly at the table. Problems seemed to pile up all at once; his Grandmother was in a critical condition, his uncle was dead, Nina had been kidnapped and his family’s life was hanging on a thread because of his stupid actions. What more could go wrong?
Just then, Bernard, the butler, knocked on the door. “Yes?” Tom said, trying to sound casual, as Bernard walked in.
“Tom – Uhm, I have news,” he said.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this, but I haven’t been able to. You’ve been busy,” he added.
“Speak Bernard!” Tom replied impatiently.
“A girl called Donna has been calling the house phone lately, telling me she wants to talk to you…” Bernard said in his British accent. His indoor tuxedo was looking sharp as ever. Tom always wondered why he never had any marks on his clothes.
“Okay so…” Tom replied.
“Well, I tried to tell her to stop calling the house phone, but she told me something really disturbing…” Bernard said.
“Well…” Tom said impatiently.
“She said something about having a baby. She said it was yours…” Bernard said. Tom paused for a whole minute, wondering what to say. Tom sighed.
“Um I don’t know. I kept it away from your parents. It’s been a secret since she told me some months ago,” Bernard replied.
“Months??? You wait for months before telling me this?” Tom replied, stomping his hands on the table. The ornaments on the table shook and Bernard tensed up.
“I…I’m sorry. I was looking for a good time to tell you. You haven’t been home…and since you’re alone in the house, I figured this will be the best time to tell you,” Bernard replied nervously. He was scared. Just then, Dean walked in.
“Is everything okay?” Dean said to check in on the distraught look Tom had. Bernard was quiet, expecting Tom to respond to Dean’s answer.
“I just discovered something from Bernard,” Tom replied.
“What?”
“Donna’s pregnant for real. It’s not a rumor,” Tom answered.
“Who the hell is Donna and why is she your problem?”
“The chic from the party, Francesca’s friend?” Tom replied. Dean couldn’t hide his shock. “What the fuck! Haven’t you heard of a condom?” Dean asked.
“Remember who you’re talking to!” Tom said as he paced around the desk area.
“I…I’ll be leaving now,” Bernard said as he walked out of the room.
“Hey! Come back here!” Tom yelled out to Bernard. Bernard froze in fear.
“Get me her number,” Tom said.
“Sure!” Bernard said, sighing in relief as he walked out. “So what are you going to do?” Dean asked.
“I don’t know for now. Get me to Purio Maccuzo first!!!” Tom said in an agitated tone.
28
Jackdrove into what looked like an abandoned fishing warehouse on a dead end road. There were other cars parked, in front. The warehouse faced the ocean and was by a dock of abandoned fishing boats. Don Olivetti glanced around for signs of hostility.
“Get out!” Jack said. Don Olivetti frowned at Jack’s hostile tone.
“Piece of shit! Don’t talk to me like that!” Don Olivetti replied as he got out of the car.
“Choose your words wisely from now on and you might live to see another day!” Jack replied as he held Don Olivetti and walked him to the door. Don Olivetti questioned Jack’s loyalty. A small peep hole opened on the door. They could see an eye. The person behind the metal door then cranked the door open. A loud metal screeching noise erupted as they entered.
“You brought him!” a man said in surprise as he saw Don Olivetti. Jack smiled back in response.
“They’re in the other room!” the man added as he walked along with Don Olivetti to a darker room. Don Olivetti looked around. There was only one ceiling light. The smell of Cigars filled the room and Don Olivetti could here glass tumblers cling as a man in the shadow poured a glass of wine into a cup.
“Danny Olivetti!” the man said as Don Olivetti struggled to adjust his eyes to the darkness, to see who it w
as. Don Cruccifixo moved into the light.
“You!” Don Olivetti said.
“Yes! Me,” Don Cruccifixo said, handing Don Olivetti a drink.
“No thanks!” Don Olivetti said. Don Cruccifixo smiled. He gulped the entire drink to prove it wasn’t poisoned.
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead!” Don Cruccifixo replied.
“What do you want? A truce? An alliance? Cos last time I checked your son in-law’s father wants my head,” Don Olivetti replied. Don Cruccifixo laughed.
“Not just his father. Every Sanchez and every member of the Cartel wants your head. Heck, there’s a two million dollar bounty to anyone who brings you in dead or alive and that’s just the bonus,” Don Cruccifixo replied dramatically, like he was showing off his black suit.
“Well, that’s comforting,” Don Olivetti replied in a surprisingly relaxed tone.
“How’s your brother, Walter?” Don Cruccifixo asked. Don Olivetti froze.
“Leave him out of this!” Don Olivetti replied.
“Why?” Don Cruccifixo asked.
“Because he’s my brother…that’s why,” Don Olivetti replied.
“You know, I’ve been doing some thinking. No one knows, but me and probably you,” Don Cruccifixo started. Don Olivetti responded with an expressionless face.
“A man of great intelligence couldn’t kill his brother’s son,” Don Cruccifixo added as Don Olivetti stood, speechless. He was completely afraid of what Don Cruccifixo was about to say.
“Aha you do know what I’m talking about. I know my grandson Pablo isn’t dead. Yes?” Don Cruccifixo asked, but got no reply from Don Olivetti.
“You couldn’t kill a boy that special. Could you? Walter and Catherine’s relationship couldn’t happen because she had to marry Billy De Sanchez—a dirty Mexican. But, Walter’s seed was already in my daughter,” Don Cruccifixo continued. Don Olivetti was speechless. All his life, he had tried to hide the truth from everyone and now, it had been exposed.
Olivetti: Inception Page 18