by B. B. Hamel
Still, it was my responsibility to fix that shit .
And so I found myself standing with Vince a block away from the police compound lockup at three in the morning .
“Think he’ll show?” Vince asked .
“Fucker better,” I grumbled. “I’m tired and we dropped a lot of cash on this .”
Vince chuckled. “Who’s money, anyway ?”
“My own personal stash .”
“You got that kind of dough lying around?” He whistled .
“I bury it in the backyard .”
He laughed and I just shrugged. I sipped my coffee. He didn’t need to know that I wasn’t kidding .
Ten more minutes of standing around, shooting the shit before we heard steps approaching. Vince’s hand twitched toward his gun, and I just nodded at him .
The guy rounded the corner. He was tall and thin, almost like a giant stick. His dark skin almost blended in with his dark blue cop uniform .
“You the guys?” he asked as he stopped in front of us .
Vince nodded. “Are you Sanders ?”
“Yeah, man,” he said. “You got my money ?”
I tossed him a small package. He caught it and quickly opened it, checking .
“It’s all there,” I said, a little annoyed .
“Hey, man, you can’t blame me for checking. I ain’t never dealt with you people before .”
“We just want to look around. No trouble .”
He shrugged. “Frankly, man, I don’t give a fuck what you guys do in there. Just be in and out in ten minutes and we’re good .”
He began to walk back toward the compound and we followed him. Vince gave me a bemused look, and I just grinned at him .
We walked past the main entrance. Our friend Sanders glanced inside but kept moving. The guy sitting behind the desk looked like he was asleep .
We turned a corner and went down a narrow alley. Halfway down, we stopped in front of a side door that had been propped open with a brick. “In here,” Sanders said .
We went inside. “Convenient,” Vince muttered .
“Can’t go through the front with you two gangster-looking mother fuckers,” Sanders said .
I laughed. I liked him .
We moved through a series of short hallways .
“If anyone asks,” Sanders said, “you just filed an ER-3481-C report, and I’m taking you to get your shit .”
“What?” Vince asked .
Sanders just kept moving head .
We came up to a long hallway. Ahead of us was a large garage door. We stopped in front of it, and Sanders ran his I.D. badge through a small scanner .
The door began to open .
“Ten minutes,” he said. “I’ll open it again in ten. If you ain’t here, it’ll close on its own and I ain’t opening it again. Got it ?”
“Ten minutes,” I said .
“Good luck.” He turned and walked away .
Vince grinned at me. “Let’s do it .”
The door finished opening up into the outside portion of the lockup. The building was a simple square, with the center courtyard set up to act as the outdoor storage for vehicles. They kept smaller, more sensitive things inside .
The courtyard was packed with cars. We picked our way through, having to climb over a hood once or twice .
“How the fuck did they even get this shit in here?” Vince asked .
“Must be an outside entrance,” I said .
Soon enough we made it to the other side. Sitting there in front of a large garage door that likely led to the street was the truck itself .
“Here we go,” I muttered. “How are we on time ?”
“Six minutes,” he said .
“Shit.”
I quickly moved forward, slipping a pry bar from my coat. I slipped it under the back of the truck’s door and began to work it .
The damn thing was stuck .
“Give me a hand,” I said. Vince slipped out his own bar and began to work it with me .
The thing didn’t want to budge. “Fuck. We have to hurry,” I said .
“Come on,” Vince grunted. “Open, you mother fucker .”
Finally, with a lurch, the door suddenly broke free of the lock and slid up. It opened with a loud, echoing bang .
We froze .
“Shit,” I said .
But Vince was staring into the truck, wide-eyed .
“Boss, look .”
I followed his gaze .
The truck was completely empty .
“What the fuck?” I said .
Vince climbed in and walked toward the back. I followed him inside .
“Nothing,” he said .
“Think they moved it inside ?”
“Maybe.” He frowned. “We’ll ask Sanders .”
“Check the cab .”
Vince hopped out and I heard him break open the front door .
I did a quick search of the back and didn’t turn up a thing .
“Nothing,” Vince said. “And we better move .”
I nodded, hopping out of the truck. I pulled the door shut, and we began to jog back toward the other entrance .
Ahead, we saw the doors open. I jumped over a car, landing in a full-on sprint, Vince on my tail. We had to scramble over the hoods of cars, and we made one hell of a racket, but we made it, slipping under the door just in time .
Sanders stared at us. “You made a lot of fucking noise,” he grumbled .
“Sorry,” I said, catching my breath .
He began to walk back the way we had come. Vince and I followed .
“Hey, listen,” I said. “Did you look up that truck for us ?”
“Yeah, like you asked. Got the papers here.” He held out a small packet .
Vince took it and began to look through the stuff. We kept walking and ducked back into the original room, weaving our way through shelves .
We stopped in front of a fire exit .
“The stuff in the truck,” Vince said, “it’s not kept in storage inside ?”
Sanders shrugged. “Fuck if I know. What’s it say in there ?”
“Doesn’t say. Just says a truck plus cargo was stored outside .”
“Then the stuff should still be in there.” He frowned. “Why? Was it empty ?”
“Thanks, Sanders,” I said, moving out into the alley. Vince followed me .
I heard the guy mutter something about damn mobsters, but we were gone, already heading back to the car .
We didn’t say a word to each other as we walked back in front of the building again. The guy at the front desk looked as asleep as he had earlier, which was good. We probably woke up half the damn block running over those cars .
Once around the block, we stopped and leaned up against a stoop .
“Well?” Vince asked .
“Truck was empty,” I said .
“Yeah, it was .”
“I think that’s what we were supposed to see .”
“You think someone took the stuff ?”
“Yeah, I do .”
We were silent for a minute .
“Whole thing was a setup,” Vince said finally .
“Yeah, it was.” I shook my head. “But by who ?”
“The Russians ?”
“Makes no sense. They wouldn’t risk a war with us, especially not over that deal .”
“Maybe they didn’t think it was as good as you did .”
“Maybe,” I said, shaking my head. “Or maybe their organization has a few leaks in it, too .”
We climbed back into the car and Vince fired up the engine .
The drive back was full of silent plotting. My head was spinning through the possibilities, trying to figure out the players .
Everything felt like it was resting on a foundation of sand. Between the rat, the stolen shipment, and Natalie, I was torn in a hundred different directions .
And it made me feel so fucking alive .
I loved the stress. I thrived on it.
I hadn’t gotten to my position, my level of power, without being able to perform under pressure. That was what separated me from other men. I could do what was necessary even when the stakes were high as hell .
We got back to the compound around four, and I climbed out of the car. I waved to Vince as I headed back inside, and he went to put the car in the garage .
I stumbled up the steps, exhausted, ready to finally get some fucking sleep. But sitting outside my room was a small box wrapped in a bow, much like the one I had left outside Natalie’s room .
A smile spread across my face. I grabbed the box and carried it into my room .
Inside, I poured some whisky and put on a record. I smiled to myself as I opened up the card .
Memory of me is all you’ll ever have from now on. Here’s a hint: Smell is the best trigger. Natalie .
I opened the box and my smile turned into a huge grin. Inside were two panties I had sent her earlier .
And instantly I knew what the card meant by smell. I picked up a pair and lifted it to my nose .
Unmistakable. It was her smell, her fucking delicious smell. I breathed her in deeply. The girl had clearly gotten off in these, and that made my cock instantly hard .
She was crazy. I couldn’t believe she had responded that way. I mostly expected her to feel embarrassed and to maybe throw it all away. But instead, she sent me back this, the perfect response .
I smelled the other pair, smiling to myself. Scent really was the best trigger of memory, and the thought of her body came rushing back to me .
I wasn’t sure what she intended with the panties, but it only made me want her even more. I took another deep sip of whisky, remembering the way she whimpered as my fingers did their magic, working her soaked cunt, making her mine .
I put the box on my nightstand, finished off my whisky, and climbed into bed. Maybe I’d have a nice dream of her sweet pussy wrapped around my raging hard dick .
Or maybe in the morning I could make that a reality. Maybe those panties were meant to be a challenge, but I saw them as a promise .
A promise that she was going to be mine, one way or another .
19
Natalie
T he pool was surprisingly calm and empty as I sat there listening to music and paging through a magazine .
I kept thinking about my little prank that I had sent Lucas the day before. I hadn’t heard anything from him, but I knew he got the box. At least, it wasn’t sitting out in front of his door anymore .
I had a weird little feeling in the back of my head. What if he hadn’t gotten it? What if someone else had grabbed it? I would be so, so embarrassed. Worse, it could cause some problems in his crazy family .
But I couldn’t worry myself too much. He had started it, so I was assuming leaving presents like that was safe. Hopefully at least .
I sighed, looking up at the sky. I had been feeling so stressed out lately, but sitting by the water was calming me down a lot. I had always loved pools and never gotten to be near one when I was younger. Chicago was also not exactly the best environment for outdoor swimming, or at least outside of the main summer months .
Fortunately, it was a hot summer so far, which meant I could sit out by the pool in my bikini with absolutely zero discomfort .
I let out a breath, finally feeling relaxed .
“There you are .”
I clenched my jaw, surprised. I looked over my shoulder and saw my mother walking toward me .
So much for feeling relaxed .
“Hi, Mom.” I said .
She sat down in the chair next to me. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” she said .
“I know. You been busy ?”
“I guess so.” She stretched her legs out .
I hadn’t seen her since the first night we moved in. Mom was like that, always disappearing. And I figured she had already taken over her part of the house, redecorating and ordering the staff around .
“How are you settling in?” she asked .
“Fine, I guess .”
“Are you used to having staff ?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Not at all .”
“No, neither am I.” She smiled and shrugged. “But people have been so nice, especially Franklin. He’s really gone above and beyond to show me around .”
I raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Franklin ?”
“Remember the nice boy that drove us here ?”
“Sure.”
“That’s Franklin .”
I remembered him well: the creepy guy from the kitchen .
“Well good. I’m glad you made a friend .”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t call him a friend, dear. He’s still just part of the staff, after all .”
“Right. Of course .”
“He’s a very smart boy though, speaks a few languages. Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, a few others .”
“Are you taking language classes ?”
She smiled strangely. “Trying to learn a little Italian for Arturo .”
“How very nice of you .”
“Have you explored the grounds much ?”
I shook my head, looking out across the water. “I’ve tried, but it’s so big .”
“I know. Bigger than I would have guessed .”
“What do they even need all this space for ?”
“Oh, who knows? They have a lot of people in their organization. I think people stay here from time to time .”
“Their organization,” I said ruefully. “I wish you had warned me before we moved in .”
“How could I have? You probably wouldn’t have believed me anyway .”
“I know, but, Mom, the mob ?”
She frowned at me. “It’s not what you think .”
“It’s exactly what I think .”
“It’s stressful for Arturo, you know. They lost some important shipment recently .”
“I heard something about that, I think,” I said, cocking my head. “Shipment of what, though ?”
She laughed sweetly. “Who knows? Cocaine, heroine, probably something like that .”
I sighed. “And that’s okay with you ?”
“It’s a business, honey. There’s a demand, so they supply it .”
I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. Truthfully, I wasn’t exactly morally against everything the mob did. I knew they probably did some pretty awful things and broke some laws, but they were businessmen at the very core of things. But what really bothered me was the danger we were in just being in their family .
Camille had a knack for ignoring anything that was bad or wrong. She was incredibly single-minded when she wanted to be and would follow any path to achieve her goals .
And as I looked around, I knew that her goals had been pretty much achieved. She wanted wealth and power, and now she had some .
“Please try and get along with everyone,” she said. “I hear you’ve been close with Lucas .”
My head snapped over at her. “Who said that ?”
She laughed again. “Calm down. It’s okay. You’re allowed to be friends with a mobster .”
I took a deep breath. She didn’t know anything, clearly. She thought I was freaked out because he was a mobster, not because I was married to him. And because of some very wrong and very exciting flirtation .
“I know that,” I said. “He’s just my stepbrother .”
“Good. And did you meet your stepsister ?”
I nodded. “Briefly, yes .”
She frowned. “Well, good. I haven’t yet .”
“You will soon enough .”
“I hear she’s very strange.” She leaned in to speak quietly, conspiratorially. “I hear she’s crazy. Doesn’t leave her room, talks to herself all day. Attacks the staff sometimes .”
I frowned at her, annoyed. My typical mother, gossiping already. Fortunately I had already met Louisa, and I knew that most of that wasn’t true. Sure, she never left her room, and she probably did attack the staff,
but she wasn’t crazy .
“She’s a nice girl,” I said. “Just a little misunderstood .”
Mom nodding knowingly, which only annoyed me more. “Well, I look forward to meeting her .”
“I’m sure .”
Mom stood up. “Okay, I’m off to do some work. Don’t exert yourself too much today .”
“Okay. See you .”
She waved, oblivious to how annoyed I was, and headed back up toward the house .
I watched her disappear inside. Suddenly the pool didn’t seem like a comfortable, relaxing place anymore. I was agitated and annoyed, and the last thing I wanted to do was sit around and stare at the stupid water .
I stood up, pulling on a T-shirt and a pair of jean shorts over my bathing suit. I tossed my magazine, phone, and headphones into my bag. I slipped my feet into my sandals .
My mind kept going back to Lucas and the mob. How did I feel about that? Camille had mentioned a shipment of some sort, and she even thought it was of drugs .
What did I think about that? Was I okay with being a part of a family that sold drugs ?
I genuinely wasn’t sure. It was all so complicated, so complex. I doubted Lucas was actually out there selling drugs to people, but his family did likely have dealings in it .
Upset, I decided to just go for a walk and try to calm myself down .
I headed toward the barns, my mind still on the mafia, drugs, shipments, and violence .
20
Lucas
“W e must smoke the rat fuck out and kill him soon .”
I leaned back in my padded chair, listening to the other captains bicker and argue about the shipment issue. Arturo had called a meeting of the head of the family to discuss our potential moves .
Which only annoyed me. It was supposedly my operation and my problem, and Arturo had called the meeting anyway. The captains were mainly a bunch of old men, though there were a few sharp and young guys in the mix, men that I respected .
Still, it was my job, and my call. I didn’t appreciate hearing idiotic and obvious suggestions from the other captains .
“How though?” asked Ernesto, an older, balding man .
“We can offer money,” suggested Alfonse. He was sitting across from me, wearing an expensive suit and idly chewing on a cigar like the biggest cliché in the world .