by A. L Long
Ryan must have been watching the ducks as well, because before I knew it, I was pulled back so I was lying on the blanket with his gorgeous smile staring down at me. Brushing a stray hair from my face, he said with a smile, “Should we show them how it’s done?”
Before I could comment, his lips were on mine. I could feel the coolness of his tongue from the water he drank as he began devouring my mouth with deep sweeping strokes. I was so consumed by the power he had over my body that I didn’t hear the young girls laughing at us in the background until a disgruntled female voice sounded behind us. We must have been a sight as their mom came up scolding us. “Don’t you two realize there are young children in this park?” We looked over our shoulders and watched as she ushered the girls in a different direction far away from us.
After we got over the initial embarrassment, Ryan and I looked at each other and began to laugh. We were both pretty sure that our public display of affection wasn’t the first time it had been seen by young children in the park. If I had to guess there were probably other couples making out at that very moment.
Gathering our things, we decided it was best to leave and finish our display of affection somewhere more private. Making our way down the path that would take us to Ryan’s car, I felt like something was going on with him. His pace was faster than normal and the way he kept looking behind us made me wonder if he might have forgotten to do something. Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned my body and asked, “What’s going on with you? You’ve been edgy ever since we left the pond.”
“We need to get back to the car. Something doesn’t feel right.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. It really made me feel uncomfortable and I was beginning to look around like a paranoid nut. By the time we got to the car, it felt like I ran a marathon. Ryan threw the blanket in the backseat, while I threw what was left of our lunch in a nearby trash can. When we were safely inside the car, there was a sigh of relief from Ryan as he backed out of the parking spot. As we headed out of the park towards Park Avenue, Ryan was still uneasy as he continued to look in the review mirror. It was only when we turned on E 57th Street that he began to relax.
Reaching his apartment building, he assisted me out of the car and to the elevator. I could feel my body tense as we waited for the car to arrive. One by one I began counting the floors as they appeared on the LED panel above the door. Counting was about the only way I could make my tension disappear so I could relax. When the elevator doors opened, we stepped inside the car, turning together to face the front. Taking Ryan’s hand in mine, I kept my eyes locked on the steel door, concentrating on my breathing.
By the time we got to the apartment, my body was fully relaxed until Ryan opened the door. Unable to speak, I looked around his apartment, paralyzed by what I saw. His apartment was completely ransacked and nothing was left unturned. This had to have been the doing of one man, Morris Gallo. I was beginning to think that Ryan had every right to be on edge at the park. Walking further inside the apartment, I squatted down to pick up a picture frame that held a photo of Ryan and Josh. It was shattered into a million pieces. I turned my attention to Ryan as he began walking towards me. “Don’t touch anything,” he demanded as I pulled my hand in.
His phone was out of his pocket and in his hand calling Peter before I could stand. Ryan paced the floor as he waited for Peter to answer. Wondering what other damage was done to his place, I headed down the hallway to where the other rooms were while Ryan talked to Peter. Pushing open the door to Nick’s room, once again the room was left in shambles. As I stood in the doorway, I began to piece together why Gallo would do this. It didn’t take me long to figure out that he was looking for his money. Another thought crossed my mind. What if he knew who Ryan was? It would totally ruin the plan to nail Gallo.
After checking all of the rooms, I went back to the living room where I had left Ryan. When I got there, he was still on the phone with Peter trying to hash out what needed to be done. Even though I couldn’t hear the full conversation, I did manage to pick up hotel and protection. Trying to avoid touching anything like Ryan had suggested, I leaned against the wall and waited for him to finish his call. Looking around the room, there was something that caught my attention hidden under a cushion to the couch. Pushing from the wall, I walked over to the middle of the room and kicked the cushion over with my foot. It didn’t make sense. There, lying on the floor, was Josh’s ball cap that he wore the day we ran into the woods. Looking back to when we found him, he didn’t have it on. It didn’t make sense that it would be here, unless someone was playing a very sick joke.
Picking it up, I turned and faced Ryan holding it straight out in front of me. Ryan quickly ended the call and took the cap from my hand. “Charlie, I told you not to touch anything,” he warned.
“Ryan, do you even know what that is?” I asked, as he began inspecting the cap. “It belonged to Josh. He wore that into the woods the day he died.”
“I guess… I’m not following you, Charlie.”
“He didn’t have it on when we found him. So, what is it doing here?” I raised my voice trying to make my point.
“It doesn’t mean anything, Charlie, Josh had dozens of ball caps. You could be mistaking this one with the one he wore,” he confessed, pointing to the bookshelf where several other ball caps were on display.
I would recognize that cap anywhere. It was the one he had at Willow Crossing. It was the same one he wore into the woods. I would bet my life on it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ryan
After I hung up with Peter, I needed to make arrangements for a safe place for Charlie and Nick to stay. Peter suggested a hotel, but even then, I wasn’t sure they wouldn’t be found. With everything that happened, I couldn’t even think straight, but to top off my already stressed mood was Charlie’s adamancy that the cap on the floor was worn by Josh at the lake. It was just another problem I didn’t have the time to deal with. I knew she was mistaken. It would be impossible for it to end up here.
Placing the cap on the counter, I turned to her and pulled her close to me. “We need to find a safe place to stay. In the meantime, we need to contact Nick and let him know to stay put at the shop until we come to get him. It is the safest place for him right now,” I admitted.
Charlie kissed me lightly on the lips before pulling her phone from her bag. Finding Nick’s contact info, she called him. There was a small pause of silence before she asked, “Where are you?”
As I waited for her finish her conversation, which consisted of a lot of ‘yeah’ and ‘maybe,’ I scanned the room and took in the damage. There was only one reason why my place would be torn upside down and that was to find the money, which wasn’t here. If I had to guess, this was the work of Gallo’s men. I was pretty sure that they picked up on Josh having a brother, based on the way the picture of us was crushed. The good thing was that we were pretty young and hadn’t matured yet. I looked a lot different now than I did back then. Even though it would be impossible for him to find out that I owned this apartment, we still needed to be cautious and put our plan in play as fast as we could. Should he by some miracle find out who I was, above everything else, I needed to keep Charlie safe.
****
When we arrived back at the shop, Nick and the guys were in the front room looking like they were just waiting for us to arrive. Aaron was also there, and he was just the guy I needed to have a little chat with. Maybe he would be able to shed some light on what Gallo was up to. We all began ambling into the conference room with Aaron in front of me and Charlie behind me. Tapping Aaron on the shoulder, I asked, “Do you got a minute before we go inside?
“Sure thing,” he stated nervously.
With everyone in the conference room, I began my interrogation. “One question for you: Do you have any idea why Gallo would have my place torn apart?”
Aaron looked at me with one of those ‘how the fuck would I know’ looks, which told me he hadn’t a clue. “Oh, m
an. This is bad,” he replied, combing his hands through his greasy hair as he began walking in circles.
His movement changed as he began heading toward the entrance. Grabbing him by the shirt, I pulled him back. “Where are you going?”
“I’ve got to get out of here,” he cursed, and he yanked his shoulder back, causing me to lose my grip on his shirt.
Something set him off for him to take off like that. We needed him in order for our plan to work. Popping my head inside the conference room, I looked to Peter and said, “I’ll be right back.” I needed to get to Aaron before he was gone. Jogging at a fast pace, I reached the entrance and swung the door open to find that Aaron hadn’t gotten very far. Without a car, his only option was to walk, and it was a long way back to the city
Jogging up beside him, I slowed my pace and began walking with him. I could see the tension flare as he began fidgeting with his cigarette. Grabbing him lightly on the arm, I got his attention, making him slow his pace. When he came to a stop, I asked, “What has you so scared, Aaron?”
“If Gallo had his men trash your place, that only means he knows who you are, which means your plan is worthless and I’m as good as dead,” he wailed.
“Come back inside, we will figure this out. We are not going to let this set us back. The plan is good.”
I was finally able to convince Aaron to come back inside the shop so that we could figure out what to do together. I knew there might be a slight chance that Gallo would find out who I was and who I worked for, but that wasn’t going to stop me from getting the bastard for killing my brother. The possibility of that was very slim, especially since there was no way he could tie the apartment to me since I requested it be placed under a trust that would be sealed until my death. As powerful as Gallo might think he was, he would never be able to get this information, unless he was God.
As we headed into the conference room, all the guys seemed to be very relaxed. Ash had his feet propped up on the length of the table displaying his black boots that he always wore, while the rest of the guys were just hanging out. My guess was that they were waiting patiently for me to fill them in on what happened back at the apartment. As Aaron took a seat, I began explaining what Charlie and I were greeted with once we opened the door. Trying to get through my explanation, I must have missed something because as quiet as she initially was, Charlie’s voice came across loud and clear. “The cap. What about the cap?”
The look I gave her was as hard as stone, even though I didn’t mean for it to come off that way. Before I could step in to explain, Peter chimed in, “What cap?”
“When we got to the apartment, Charlie noticed one of Josh’s ball caps on the floor. She thought it may have been the same one he had at Willow Crossing. I told her she was mistaken and that he had a lot of hats,” I began. “There was no reason for it to be there other than it never left, or unless his ashes miraculously came to life,” I pointed out as I looked over to Charlie who now had her arms crossed at her chest, which by all means was a very nice one at that.
Without warning, Peter confirmed, “Ryan is right. You must have been mistaken. I saw the coroner take his body and Ryan said goodbye to him at the city morgue.”
What I was about to say was not exactly the truth. I did go to the city morgue to say my final goodbye, but when I got there someone had inadvertently read the instructions wrong and began the cremation process before I had the chance. I couldn’t bring myself to tell the guys the truth mostly because I fucked up in a big way. Even though it was Josh’s dying wish to be cremated and his ashes scattered out to sea to be with Mom and Dad, I just couldn’t do that. Call me selfish, but I wanted his memory to be a good one, and having his ashes scattered around a tree with a memorial was my way of doing it, but even that got fucked up. So, my only words were, “That’s right.”
I was glad when the conversation switched back to what was more important, the plan. Taking full rein, Peter began going over the plan. I admired him for everything he had done for us. I knew I could never speak for the other guys, but I don’t know where I would be if it hadn’t been for him. Even while we were serving together, he always managed to take the lead. If there was ever a person I trusted with my life, it was Peter.
Bringing my focus back to the men in the conference room and the task at hand, Peter laid everything out in detail from the first meeting with Gallo to the exchange of the painting and his capture. Everything had to be perfect to the smallest detail. The last thing we needed was for Gallo to get wind that he was being set up. Everyone had their part to play. Nick’s part was to keep Evelyn occupied, and Aaron would be doing his by calling Gallo within a matter of hours. After that, it was up to me to steal the painting while Nick kept her entertained. I knew that once I was introduced to Gallo, I was going to be watched like a hawk. Every move I made had to be exact, calculating every move to the bitter end. Once the painting was in my hand, the exchange would be set up and the authorities would be notified. The last thing any of us wanted was for the exchange to go bad and Gallo getting away with a priceless piece of art without a trace.
We all departed the meeting with our customary goodbyes and headed in our separate directions. Charlie and I exited the shop to our new home at the Grand Hyatt Hotel off of 42nd Street. It had been a long and exhausting day and all I could think about was how much my dick was going to enjoy being inside of her. The feel of her soft, creamy skin pressed to mine. Just the thought had me hard, so as soon as we got in the car, I was on a nonstop mission to the paradise that was waiting for me.
****
I could see the hotel even though we were still a few blocks away. The dark glass that stretched up the sides of the building was amazing, especially as the flicker of lights beamed against the smooth surface. And the brass lettering on the side of the majestic building gave it an even more regal look. The valet, who was dressed in a black jacket which looked more like that of a matador than anything, was waiting for us as we pulled up. His hair was cut short, and I could see that both ears had been pierced, but he did not present a diamond stud that I was sure had to be removed due to company policy. He also appeared to have a tattoo on his left arm that wasn’t quite hidden beneath the white crisp shirt he was wearing. It was quite obvious that he held his job with dignity and respect by the way he carried himself and greeted the guests that arrived.
Opening Charlie’s door, he held out his hand to assist her and said respectfully, “Good evening, ma’am. Welcome to the Grand.”
I didn’t see her reaction, but I was certain she was grinning from ear to ear from just the formal greeting she had received. Opening the door, I got out of the car and walked to the valet that was assisting Charlie. I handed him my keys along with a twenty-dollar bill while another employee was at the trunk unloading our belongings. When our belongings were placed on the stamped concrete entrance, I handed that man a twenty as well. The way I was going, I hoped there were no other services that I would be tipping for.
Even though I had been to this hotel before, this time would be a welcomed change. The last time I was here was to investigate a theft of valuable jewelry which one of the guests reported missing. I will never forget the dismay on the gentleman’s face when we informed him that his wife left him and took the jewelry with her. Days later, the items showed up at a jewelry store and were exchanged for one necklace that must have cost a fortune. To this day we never did find out what happened between the couple, nor did we tell the man that it was a man’s necklace that was purchased. Needless to say, the divorce was ugly.
Having a private laugh over the situation that seemed like it happened yesterday, I opened the door to our suite and stepped to the side while Charlie went inside. “All the comforts of home,” I heard her say as I wheeled our luggage through the door.
As I looked around, I had to admit that it was more than the comforts of home. For one, I never had a flower in my apartment and secondly, I never had a bottle of champagne with a platter of chocola
te-covered strawberries as an appetizer. It was a very nice gesture on the hotel’s part, but this was something you would expect from a honeymoon suite rather than a junior suite.
Thinking that there must have been some sort of mistake. I walked over to the house phone and dialed guest services. It didn’t take long for someone to greet me. “Good evening, Mr. Hyatt. This is Tina. All of us at the Grand Hyatt would like to congratulate you and Mrs. Hyatt on your nuptials. We are here to serve you any way we can.”
“We’re good. Just wanted to thank you for the accommodations.” I wasn’t sure what to say except that I should have made our living arrangements myself. Leave it to Chavez to book us the honeymoon suite.
I didn’t have the heart to tell Charlie exactly why we were getting the royal treatment, especially since she was enjoying the strawberries. Closing the door with my foot, I took our bags to the large master bedroom. Setting the luggage on the bench at the end of the bed, I looked around the room, taking in the white lines of the walls so clean and crisp that they matched the tone of the comforter that was pulled tight on the king-sized bed. Even the furniture was of creams and whites, which were further enhanced by the accent pillows of various hues of the same. Waltzing over to the window, I gazed out the streak-free glass that overlooked the city lights of Manhattan, which had a magical quality from this height.
Moseying back to the living area, I kicked off my shoes and socks, feeling the softness of the shag area rug broad and flat against the wood floor. Charlie must have had the same idea because her shoes were discarded, revealing her perfectly painted toes. Before taking a seat next to her, I sauntered over to where the champagne was cooling in a shiny silver ice bucket. “Dom Perignon, very posh,” I thought to myself, pressing my thumbs on opposite sides of the cork as I forced it to pop off. The cool fog bellowed from the top, sending a distinct aroma of subdued fruit with a bit of lemon in the mix. Pouring the bubbly liquid into a crystal flute, I watched the bubbles rise rapidly to the surface in twirling little streams. Taking a small sip, my mouth was delighted by the smooth, silky flavor bringing my taste buds to life.