Resist Me

by Samantha Lee

  Pio stood to take the drinks from his wife, “Thank you.” He put the drink in front of Antony and sat with his.

  “We will watch it. Gino called me.” Pio said looking at his son.

  “Yeah, I met with him today. He is still on board with our operation. I gave him a good deal.”

  “I know, he called to tell me that he supports you. Having his support is important. He likes you.”

  “That’s good news. How do you think the Family will react when they hear about Donnie’s daughter?”

  Pio shrugged, “I don’t know and I don’t care. I am getting old son. I need you to step up, but if you can’t handle a few situations, I can’t step down.”

  Antony looked at his father, “I am handling it.” Pio nodded, his eyes wondered off, he was somewhere else, thinking about something else, then he said, “Things are changing son and I think the time will come soon when you will need to take over the Family. I will not allow anyone else to have it.”

  Antony responded, “When you are ready Papa, there is no rush.”

  “Good, good. Now, when will I have grandkids?”

  Caught off guard by the sudden change in conversation, Antony spit his tea out over the table. Pio laughed. “Do you at least have someone special son? You need someone who can handle your life, and walk down those dark alleys with you. Luecette was fierce when she needed to be, and understood her role as my wife. Do you understand what I am saying.”

  Antony smiled, “Papa I know. It isn’t going to be easy to find someone, but I think I found a woman who will walk with me.”

  Pio smiled hesitantly, “When do we meet her?”

  Antony grinned, “Soon.”

  Pio’s smile fell, he stood on a sigh. He walked to Antony, and placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Protect it all son,” he said, then walked out of the study.

  Antony sat a while after his father left, he was unsure what he was feeling. Something was wrong, but he could only deal with one problem at a time.

  ***

  “Mr. Carbonaro.” Antony heard Areyanna’s voice at his door. She had taken to calling him Mr. Carbonaro after they came to an understanding. He didn’t care, whatever it took for her to get over it. He waved her in.

  “I want to let you know I have moved into the office next door.” She said.

  “Great, sit please.” Antony said.

  Antony stood from his desk and walked to his sofas and sat across from her. Last night had been an eye opener, if he couldn’t trust Sandra, he damn sure couldn’t trust Areyanna. She had come on to him on his first day, and if she came on to him, she would have come on to Torre. Except, Antony knew the way Torre used his women. He used them as props. “I need to know what you are planning.” Antony asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You did fuck Torre didn’t you?” Antony asked.

  “What? No!”

  “Don’t lie to me. What did he ask you to do?”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about Mr. Carbonaro.”

  Antony twisted his cufflink, “Two things, are you ready?” She nodded, “Good, here’s the first, Torre is nowhere near as scary as I am, and I mean not even close. Second, did you know Jim was the last person who sat there,” he pointed to her seat, “and tried to lie to me? Do you know where Jim is now?”

  Areyanna shook her head, “Exactly,” Antony said, even though he actually had nothing to do with Jim’s disappearance, but he wasn’t above using it to prove an important point to Areyanna.

  Antony watched her body language, she struggled with a decision, it was when she stopped wringing her hands that he knew she would confess. “He was gentle at first, he acted like he really liked me. I thought we made love, I thought he was the first man who made love to me, and appreciated everything about me, not just my looks.” She paused, “Then he started getting rough with me, he pulled my hair and made me have sex with him, whenever and wherever he wanted. He-he hit me a few times.” Tears spilled from her eyes. “He changed. When I asked him why he was treating me like that, he blamed you. He said, if I could get you to be with me, he would be happy again, and treat me better. He wanted me to find out your routine, like, when you left home, and go out on dates.”

  The last part was interesting, the rest was normal, Torre had always dogged his steps. “Any date stand out? Was there a date he was pushing for?” Antony pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to her.

  She sniffed, “Yes, a ball, tomorrow. He was really upset that I couldn’t get you to ask me to go with you.”

  Antony grinned, interesting he thought, what was Torre planning? Only one way to find out. “Then would you come with me to a charity ball tomorrow?”

  She looked up at him, the rim of her eyes were red from crying. “You mean it?”

  “Of course, I will pick you up at seven tomorrow. Why don’t you go home today and take off tomorrow to get ready.” Antony said.

  Areyanna nodded.

  “I want things to work out for you Areyanna but don’t tell Torre why I asked you, he may get angry you told me.” Antony said. He lied, he didn’t care what happened to Areyanna, she made her bed and she would need to lay in it. Torre wouldn’t kill her, he was sure of that, but somethings are worse than death. The way Torre intimidated and beat his women made many wish for death.

  Areyanna left his office, he closed the door behind her. Fucking idiots. He was surrounded by fucking betraying idiots. He pulled out his phone, “Sal, I need you.”

  “Sure thing boss, what’s up?” he asked.

  “I need you to put three alternating tails on Areyanna Oliver. They cannot be seen. She is leaving my office for the day so I need this to happen right now. Call me when it is done. I want to know everywhere she goes and who she meets up with.”

  “Got it boss,” Sal said and hung up. His next call wouldn’t be so easy.

  “What’s up Tony?” Daemon asked when he answered his call.

  “Change of plans. I have a real date to the party tomorrow. I still need Yvette there and a few others. I am almost sure something is going to happen and I plan on seeing it through.”

  Daemon was silent, “What do you want Yvette to do?”

  “You said she is a good shot?” Antony asked.

  “The best,” Daemon said.

  “Then I need her protecting me from above, and you and Ice can come in as my bodyguards.”

  “That would leave her by herself. I don’t feel comfortable with that.”

  “You don’t feel comfortable with what?” Yvette asked. “And don’t you dare hang up that phone. You were talking about me, and I deserve to know what you were talking about, especially if it has something to do with tomorrow.”

  Antony sighed, “You don’t fucking close your door?”

  “I didn’t know you would call about this, I thought you wanted to vent about last night.” Daemon said.

  “When have I ever done that?” Antony asked.

  “I thought recently we had grown closer…”

  Antony cut him off, “Shut up Daemon. Shut the fuck up.”

  “Daemon what is it.” Yvette demanded.

  Daemon sighed, and put his hand up to Yvette. “I am putting you on speakerphone,” he told Antony.

  Antony wasn’t ready for Yvette to find out that he knew she was still alive but he also didn’t have the luxury to wait any longer. Things were happening faster than he anticipated, and she was either going to walk with him into the dark, or run away like everyone else. He couldn’t be bothered with which one she chose right now.

  “Good,” he said.

  “Okay Antony, you are on speaker, tell us your plan.”

  “Hello Yvette,” he said refusing to call her Archer.

  Yvette stood frozen, she couldn’t say anything, the man she missed and feared had found her. He knew where she was. How long had he known? It didn’t matter, she wasn’t going to be afraid now, then the transformation she accomplished over the last two almost th
ree months would have been for nothing. She was stronger and in control. If she needed to cry, or be afraid she would do it on her own time, in private. Not now. Not in front of Daemon and certainly not in front of Antony.

  “Hello Antony, it’s nice to hear your voice.” She said, happy that her voice didn’t betray the riotous emotions, she was still working hard to control.

  “I bet. I know you have a lot of questions, and one day I hope to have the time to answer them, but not right now. I am in a little bit of an emergency at the moment, and I need to put that convo on hold.” Yvette eyed Daemon distrustfully. He rolled his eyes and said, “Archer, we need to focus on business, then we will deal with the personal stuff. You got me?” Daemon asked.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Watch it Daemon.” Antony said.

  Daemon rolled his eyes, “Just get on with it Antony, my head is spinning.”

  “Daemon and I were discussing the logistics for tomorrow. There was a small change of plans. I am bringing Areyanna with me as a date instead of you, but in turn I want you outside in a car far from the house, I mean, watching the house from afar. We will need backup outside if things go bad. Ice and Daemon inside as my backup. I believe there will be another attempt to take me out.” Antony said.

  “What! Another one? By whom? And why do you sound so fucking calm about it?” Yvette asked.

  “Someone from inside the Family, and being calm is the only thing I can do.” Antony said.

  Daemon pipped in, “I was telling Antony if Ice and I went in with him, that would leave you outside alone, and I don’t like that.”

  Daemon entered the conversation to voice his reservations, “Then put someone else with her,” Antony said.

  “No, I don’t like people near me when I am doing long range coverage,” Yvette answered automatically. “I mean I can do it no problem. We know the schematics of that place like the back of our hands, and trying to catch someone up to speed would be useless, and they would get in our way. How many targets are we talking Antony.” Yvette asked.

  Antony was impressed with the change in Yvette, she was in control, strong, holding her own, a far cry from the woman who couldn’t keep herself together during a shootout. “I don’t know how many, I only have a strong hunch but nobody is showing their hands for the most part.”

  “Right, what about Areyanna, we will need to add her protection to the our plan Daemon.” Yvette said.

  “Right, what is her deal? Does she have any training is she with the Family?” Daemon asked.

  “No,” Yvette and Antony said at the same time.

  “Okay, we can work in another person, Ice and I can handle that. So to sum up this conversation, we have a hot situation with multiple unknowns, a clueless civilian, and we are low on backup?” Daemon asked.

  “Sounds about right,” Yvette said.

  “Then this should be fun.” Daemon said with a wide smile on his face. He covered the phone and mouthed to Yvette. This plan will change, we will talk later. She gave him a thumb’s up, and he took his hand off the phone.

  Yvette ran a hand through her hair, “If I were a group of idiots, and I planned a grab and dash, I would watch for the perfect opening, like when you are going to the bathroom, you won’t scream because you don’t want the attention—”

  “I wouldn’t scream regardless.” Antony said interrupting Yvette.

  “Of course, you would just walk to your death willingly.” Yvette said.

  “Like a man.” Antony said, and Daemon grunted his approval.

  “Ugh, the point I am making is, I can cover you, but I won’t be worth jack shit, if you get pulled somewhere I have no visual.” Yvette said.

  “She makes a good point Antony, you’re going to have to go pee before you leave the house like a big boy.” Daemon said. “Ouch, Yvette your pinches hurt worse than bullets.”

  “Why don’t you two keep your hands to yourselves, and focus on the task at hand.” Antony said the irritation in his voice was clear, “Yvette is right, I would handle it the same way. So I need to let myself get grabbed. And you all need to allow them to take me off the property. That’s where I will find out who is behind all of this. My boys and yours Daemon should be ready for the extraction at the drop location. I need at least one of them alive, I have a few questions.”

  “I am still unsure about how this will work, if I can’t see you when you come out. What if they use a back door or private entrance. I can’t be everywhere at once, and what about Areyanna?”

  “Ice and Daemon will be inside and they can tell you what door I leave out of and you need to get there, and what about Areyanna?” Antony asked.

  “You can’t leave your girlfriend alone without anyone watching her. What if they kidnap Areyanna to get to you?”

  Antony laughed, “Daemon, can you give Yvette and I some privacy?”

  “God yes,” Daemon said and left his office closing the door behind him.

  “How have you been Yvette?” Antony asked.

  “Fine and you?” Yvette could be civil.

  “I have missed you,”

  Yvette laughed, “So much you ran to another woman’s arms? Or did you do that at the same time you were trying to fuck me?”

  “Areyanna is not my girlfriend, as a matter of fact, the only reason I am going with her is because my enemy is using her to get to me, and I have to let him believe it worked.”

  “But it didn’t?” Yvette asked.

  “No.”

  “Oh,” Yvette whispered, “How long have you known I was alive?”

  “Since the beginning, but I didn’t know where you were, so I called Daemon with the intent to hire him to help me find you. To both of our surprise you had been right there all along, so I kept your secret and watched over you.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted you to feel safe and I wanted you to grow stronger. Most of all I didn’t want you to run again.” Antony said.

  “I am not running, I like it here.”

  “You know tomorrow you might need to kill are you okay with that?”

  “No, not really, death isn’t something I ever want to take lightly, but I also don’t want to see the people I care about hurt, so I will do what I need to.”

  Antony smiled, she was perfect, he thought. “What are you doing tonight? Can I take you to dinner? Don’t say no, because I don’t know what tomorrow may hold for me.” Antony was a real asshole for using that line but all is fair in love and war.

  “I don’t know Antony, I should really be practicing,” Yvette said.

  “Repeat my last sentence back to me.”

  Automatically, out of habit, she repeated, “Don’t say no—”

  “Stop there, so you did hear me. What time should I pick you up?”

  Yvette laughed, “That shit doesn’t work on me Antony, I will go out with you but only because I want to, not because you bullied me into it. Not because you went all repeat after me and shit. I will do whatever I want to do, now, you repeat what I just said.”

  Antony was smiling like an idiot, real smiles, real joy, that only Yvette could pull from the recess of his dark soul. “I will pick you up at six tonight, wear something comfortable, where we are going there will be a lot of food.”

  “Okay.” Yvette said and hung up.

  ***

  Antony called home, “Hello Madre, do you feel like meeting my girlfriend tonight?” Antony asked.

  “Oh, Pio, Pio,” Antony heard his mother running with the phone to his father, “Pio.”

  “What Luecette, and do not run you will hurt yourself, I am on the phone hold on a moment Luecette. Torre, I want an answer to my question and it better be something I want to hear.” Antony heard Pio drop the phone on his desk, “Now, my love, what has you running through the house?” Antony made a note to ask his father what was going on with Torre when they saw each other at dinner.

  “Antony wants us to meet his girlfriend tonight.” Luecette said excitedly.

>   “Tonight, it is already one in the afternoon. That is not enough time to make a good meal.”

  Antony heard shuffling then he heard his father’s voice, “Antony, why did you not ask us this yesterday when you were here?”

  “I didn’t know that I was going to see her tonight.” Pio was silent for a moment and Antony could hear his mother mewling in the background.

  “Okay, your mother will make something for dinner, bring her to meet me.”

  Antony smiled, he was bringing Yvette to meet both of them but his father didn’t see it that way. “See you at six thirty.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “He fell for the pretty blond” Torre said to Donato as they sat at the plastic table in the prison library.

  “So she will give us what we need to track him?” Donato asked.

  “Yes, did you tell your men the plan? We have to grab him when nobody is watching. I am sure he won’t be alone, but his guards can’t be everywhere at all times, and that is when we will take him.”

  “Hmm, yes, it wasn’t easy getting tickets to that party.” Donato said.

  Torre ignored him, “I have another problem. The old man found out that I came here. He must have someone here watching you, so be careful.” Torre said.

  “I guessed as much, I am accused of trying to conspire to murder his son. What did you tell him?”

  “His wife cut off the conversation, but I don’t plan on telling him anything. I am sick of the Carbonaro family. I am done dealing with them.” Torre said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “You will see. I have a plan.” Torre said smiling against the rim of the tea cup he carefully drank from.

  ***

  Antony pulled up to Daemon’s place, Yvette was waiting outside, the wind blew her hair in her face, she pushed her hair back, his breath caught, and his heart skipped a beat, she was really beautiful. Antony jumped out of the car and opened the door for her.

  “What’s with the valet service?” Yvette asked.

  Antony grinned, “Too formal?”