Respect

by Aleatha Romig

  Angelina’s stance softened as she turned to the stairs. “Honey, sometimes grown-ups yell when they’re scared. You need to go back to bed.”

  “You and Dad are scared?”

  I walked behind Angelina and wrapped my arms around her waist, talking over her shoulder. “Uncle Carmine was almost hurt tonight.”

  Angelina’s face turned to me, warning me not to say too much.

  “Is he okay?” our son asked.

  I nodded and softened my tone. “He is. We’ll see him soon, I’m sure. Now listen to your mom and go to bed.”

  Angelina went up a few stairs and palming our son’s cheeks, kissed his forehead. “Good night, little man. There’s nothing to worry about. We’ll be quieter.”

  He lifted his hand to her cheek. “You’re crying.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Good. I don’t want you to cry.”

  She kissed his head. “I love you, Lennox.”

  “‘Night, Mom.”

  “Good night.”

  Lennox nodded as he disappeared to the second floor.

  “I’m sorry,” Angelina and I said in unison as she turned my way.

  She was a few steps higher than me, her lips above mine. I reached again for her waist and pulled her toward me. Her chin lowered allowing our lips to unite, bringing me the comfort I’d been seeking since before I came home.

  Angelina’s arms surrounded my neck. “I love you, Oren Demetri. I also hate you.”

  I knew exactly what she meant. Instead of saying that, I said, “Tonight, could you maybe just love me?”

  “Tonight.” She nodded as she took a step down and then another. Once we were both on the landing, we reached for one another’s hand and our fingers intertwined. Hand in hand, we walked into the sitting room. “Can you tell me what happened?” she asked.

  Sitting knee-to-knee on the long sofa, I looked down at our hands and then to my own lap. “This wasn’t the suit I wore to the office today. The suit I wore and my hands…” I lifted the one not holding hers and splayed my fingers, inspecting them. “…had blood on them. Testa said it wouldn’t clean. I needed to get out of the suit and do whatever I could to clean my hands. My car was seen driving away from the scene. The blood can’t be traced back to me.”

  Her once-narrowed eyes opened wide. “Uncle Carmine’s blood?”

  “No. I’m not sure how much I can say. Your uncle is going to be all right. Testa drove him home with Jimmy and me.”

  “Home! Why not a hospital?”

  “Because your uncle is a smart old fucker. He told me once to never be unprepared. He told me to always carry my gun.” I laughed at the memory. “Fuck. That seems like a lifetime ago. Anyway, I have. I’ve listened.”

  Angelina nodded.

  “Your uncle was prepared. He was wearing a bulletproof vest. Jimmy said Carmine would be bruised, but that’s a hell of a lot better than dead.”

  Angelina’s head fell forward, her dark hair veiling her face. Yet by the way her shoulders shuddered, I didn’t need to hear the tears. Letting go of her hand, I wrapped my arms around her and held her tighter. Kissing her head, I waited for her to speak.

  Finally, she did. “So the news was right? He was shot?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s going to be okay?” she asked again for confirmation.

  “Yes, mio angelo. He’s safe at home.”

  Angelina let out a long sigh as she wiped her cheek. “I was so scared. I’m sorry I assumed... It’s just that my emotions...”

  I kissed her again. I didn’t want to hear her apology. Not tonight. She deserved one more than I did. I was the one who gave her cause for those suspicions.

  When our kiss ended, her blue eyes met mine. “I want to go to him. I could call Mrs. McCoy down the street. She adores Lennox. She can stay with him. Take me to Brooklyn.”

  “No.”

  Angelina leaned back, her neck straightening as she searched my expression. “Did you say no?”

  “I did. What’s the news saying?”

  “They said ‘suspected mob kingpin Carmine Costello was shot.’”

  “They’re not reporting his life or death?”

  “No.”

  “We’re safer here. He told me to leave, to get rid of the car. There’s blood in it. He also told me not to come to you right away. To make an alibi.”

  “Blood? But you just said it wasn’t his blood?”

  “No. It wasn’t.”

  Her hands flew to her lips. “Oh my God. Vinny?”

  “No. Vincent is fine. He’s...taking care of things.”

  “Do I want to know what that means?” she asked.

  “Baby, I don’t even want to know what that means. The blood was Stefano’s and that of two soldiers.” Or more. “I don’t know them. You wouldn’t know them.”

  “Stefano? Is he...?”

  I nodded.

  Her eyes closed as a new tear escaped onto her cheek. “Oh, poor Theresa.”

  I hadn’t even thought of Stefano’s wife. Maybe I was getting used to all of it after all. There was something impersonal about keeping everything business. Maybe that was why it was so upsetting to see Carmine on the ground. To me, he’s more than a mob boss. He’s more than my boss. He’s Angelina and Lennox’s uncle. He’s Rose’s husband and Vincent’s pop. “I’m not sure we can trust the phones,” I said. “I don’t know what Carmine wants. If he wants to lie low, we need to let him. Vincent is taking control right now. I’d say the next move is up to him until Carmine makes his survival known.”

  Her eyes closed and opened. “Okay.”

  As Angelina agreed, a buzz sounded from the entryway, alerting us that someone wanted to enter our front gate. The hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. “Wait here.” I walked back to the entry to the small box in the wall and pushing a button, spoke. “Hello.”

  “Sir, it’s Scopo.”

  My eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What?”

  “Mr. Costello sent me to get Mrs. Costello and the children. He said to bring them here.”

  Angelina rushed to my side. “Children?” she whispered. And then without waiting for me, she pushed the button and spoke into the speaker. “Bella?”

  “Angel.” The voice was farther away, but it was definitely Vincent’s wife.

  Angelina’s eyes opened wide as we released the button. “We’re letting them in.” She wasn’t asking.

  I nodded. “Bella and the kids. Not Scopo.”

  “Fine. I don’t care. This is my house too. I’m not turning away family.”

  I would never turn away family. However, it was the escort who worried me. I pushed another button, the one that opened the gate. Turning to Angelina, I said, “Wait in here.”

  “Oren.”

  I reached for her hand. “Please, mio angelo. Tonight has been...” I shook my head and lifted her knuckles to my lips. “Just…please? Please stay inside. Let me be sure that Bella and the kids are safe...and alone.”

  Her lips came together, stopping any rebuttal she may have had. “Okay.”

  I reached for my gun and stepped outside the front door, closing Angelina inside. As I did, Scopo’s black sedan made the turn in our driveway, coming to a stop in front of me. From where I stood, I could see that he was alone in the front seat. Before I could speak, his door opened. With my nerves shot, I clicked the safety off, keeping my gun near my leg.

  Without a word or any acknowledgment of my weapon, Scopo nodded my direction and then opened the back door of the sedan.

  Bella stepped out. “Oren, thank you.” Her eyes were puffy like Angelina’s.

  “Anytime, Bella.” Placing my gun in the holster, I opened the other back door. Within the car, I was met with Luca’s questioning eyes. “Luca, come on in, your cousin’s waiting.” After helping him out, I reached inside and scooped up a sleeping Luisa. Shifting her small body in my arms, I propped her on my shoulder, remembering what it was like when Lennox was three years old and so tru
sting.

  As Bella came closer, her voice cracked. “We didn’t bring much. Just Luisa’s diaper bag and my purse. There wasn’t time...”

  I put my arm around her shoulder and motioned toward the front door. “Go on in. Angelina’s waiting.” When the door opened, I passed Luisa to my wife. All of her earlier anger disappeared as she cradled the sleeping princess.

  “Luisa,” she whispered with a smile.

  Closing the family inside, I reached back to my holster and turned back to Scopo. “Thank you.”

  He nodded. “The boss said to bring them here. I know when to follow orders. It’s not my place to question who’s giving them.”

  “They’ll be well protected. Will you see him?” I meant Vincent. That was the boss he was referencing.

  “Eventually.”

  I didn’t want more details. “Tell him they’re safe and welcome as long as he needs.” I tilted my head toward the driveway. “The gate will close behind you. The alarms are on.”

  I waited until he drove away. And then with my gun secured, for the second time in less than an hour, I entered our home and locked our door. Once the sensor alerted me that Scopo had left the property, I hit the perimeter alarm.

  Luca ran past me, bounding up the stairs to Lennox’s room.

  “Don’t wake Lennox…” My words went unheard as Luca disappeared on the second floor.

  Angelina’s voice from the sitting room came into range. “Let’s get Luisa settled, and then we can have some tea.”

  The two women came my way, Luisa now in her mother’s arms. “Make it wine,” Bella replied.

  “I’ll pour three glasses,” I volunteered.

  It seemed like that kid who’d shot Carmine wouldn’t be the only one to have a long night.

  Chapter 24

  We were surrounded with radio silence with the exception of slivered messages from Testa, being as he was the only one to come and go from our home. Telephones couldn’t be trusted. In reality, trust was a commodity that was in short supply.

  Though Testa had disposed of my car as we’d discussed, he hadn’t taken Angelina shopping for a new one or Lennox to school. Bella and the children continued their stay as we all found shelter within our walls. That was why Vincent had sent to me those he held most dear. They were secure without relying upon human loyalties. Electronic alarms, reinforced walls, and bulletproof glass didn’t break their allegiance.

  Despite our well-being, we were blind to what was happening outside our perimeter. In some ways, I presumed it was similar to those people hunkered down during a catastrophic storm. Together they were safe, yet their thoughts never went far from what would be left of their world once the doors were opened.

  Would it be left standing? Or would they find that it had been demolished by winds so devastating that nothing was left in the wake?

  With each passing hour, the lines of concern grew deeper in Vincent’s wife’s brow. She spent hours staring through the kitchen windows into the blue autumn sky. Normally a beautiful woman, within a few days she’d aged, the change brought on by sleep deprivation and sheer worry. For the children’s sake, we all tried to act as if our get-together was innocent, but even the boys acted differently, as if they could sense the overwhelming tension. Only Luisa behaved as a typical three-year-old.

  I had tried to resume life as normal on Friday morning, going into the office and leaving Testa to defend our home, but I didn’t stay long. For the first time that I could remember, my mind refused to concentrate on Demetri Enterprises. The tension was palpable, thick in the air, like dense fog covering our lives. I decided it was better to be absent than to be present and make a wrong decision.

  On Saturday I decided to attempt work again, this time from my home office. In reality I was fearful of what news would come and determined that unlike the news of Carmine’s shooting, when it came I’d be with Angelina.

  The call from Julie came before noon. We both regularly worked Saturday mornings. It was usually a time to catch up on the week’s deadlines. “Mr. Demetri, a Detective Jennings is here to speak to you.”

  “Does he have a warrant?”

  “No, sir. He isn’t asking for anything other than a moment of your time.”

  I hadn’t heard from Vincent or Carmine since Thursday night. Testa had informed me that Carmine was doing well, just sore, and was not seeing visitors. When I asked about Vincent, I was told he was handling matters for the family. At least that was a confirmation for Bella that he was still alive. Nevertheless, I was navigating without a chart over murk-covered choppy seas. Even the foghorns over the sound couldn’t help me find our way.

  I contemplated my options. Inviting the police into my home didn’t seem like the best option. For that matter, neither did seeing him in public. There were too many eyes dissecting every move. “Julie, inform the detective that I’m out of the office today.”

  “Yes, sir, I told him that.”

  Carmine’s words, you left early, came to mind. Early? What did that mean?

  “He said he can meet you and what he’d like to discuss is very important.”

  The sound of Lennox and Luca running somewhere in the house confirmed that I couldn’t allow him here. “Tell him I can be at the office in an hour. Ask him if he can come back.”

  Julie’s end of the phone line was silent for a moment, and then she was back. “Sir, he said he’ll wait.”

  Fuck.

  “I’m on my way.”

  A few minutes later as I put on my suit coat, Angelina asked, “What does this mean?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Her voice was low. “Bella hasn’t heard a word from Vincent. Our only confirmation on Carmine is Testa. Something is wrong.” She wrung her hands. “There are a lot of things wrong. I don’t like any of this.”

  I reached for her hands, tugging them apart and holding each one in mine. “I feel the same way, but what can I do? I can’t have the police coming here and seeing Bella and the kids. Carmine told me to say I left drinks early. I’m not even sure what that means. Did I see him shot?”

  Angelina shook her head. “I think it means you didn’t.” She squeezed my hands as she leaned into my chest. “Oren, please come home.”

  Letting go of her hand, I lifted her chin until her worried blue stare met mine. “I will, mio angelo. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”

  Her tired lips turned upward. “Today, I don’t want to get rid of you.”

  I nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.” After kissing her lips, I continued, “I’ve called Testa. He’ll be here soon. He has the ability to open the gate and momentarily disengage the alarms. Don’t let anyone else in. I don’t care who it is. Let Testa decide once he’s here.” My head shook back and forth. “I think he knows more than he’s saying. We have to trust someone, and I’m choosing him. I don’t want you and Bella here unprotected.”

  “You said this house is a fortress.”

  “It is. But I want someone here who can add a human element.”

  “If you trust him, I do too.”

  “Don’t use the telephone to try to reach anyone besides me. And if you call me, make it generic. I’m not sure our phones are safe. I think that’s why we haven’t heard from anyone.”

  Luisa’s whines came from the other room.

  “We need whole milk,” Angelina said, “and diapers. Bella wasn’t planning on staying this long. We have food, and she can wear my clothes and Luca Lennox’s, but diapers and whole milk and...fresh fruit would be good.”

  Now that Lennox was older, we were not well prepared on the baby front.

  “I don’t mind shopping,” she added.

  I shook my head. “Right now, I think it’s better if you all stay here. I’ll call you after the meeting with the cop,” I said. “Make a list. I’ll stop on my way home.”

  My wife’s eyes opened wide. “Do you even know where a grocery store is located?”

  I kissed her forehead. “I’ve told you
before that I’m a man of immense knowledge.”

  She shook her head. “Okay, but know this, I may get used to it.”

  “Don’t.”

  “Please stay safe.”

  Fifty-six minutes later, the doors of the elevator opened to the lobby of Demetri Enterprises. Scanning the entry, I took a deep breath. The reception room was normally bustling on a weekday, but this was Saturday. Only the weekend receptionist was present to answer phones and take messages.

  I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, perhaps a firing squad, but instead, in plainclothes sat the only other person in the room. A man staring straight ahead who turned toward me as the elevator doors opened. I instantly assumed he was Detective Jennings.

  I took a step closer as he stood. He was at least six inches shorter than me with a waistline probably twice as big. His rumpled jacket either meant that he’d been wearing it for a while or that he didn’t have many options. His tie was loosened and as I drew closer, the reeking odor of stale coffee and cigarettes assaulted my senses.

  “Mr. Demetri,” he said, his teeth yellowed by probably both of the substances that caused the aromas.

  “Detective Jennings, I presume.” I didn’t offer him my hand.

  “Yes, sir. I have a few questions.”

  Looking around the virtually empty room, I offered, “Please follow me to my office.”

  As we passed Julie’s office outside of mine and my gaze met that of my secretary, I shook my head. There was no need for her to offer this policeman coffee or any of the usual niceties that occurred when I was alone with clients. After all, Detective Jennings wasn’t a business meeting, and besides, I wanted this session completed before coffee could cool enough to drink.

  “Thank you, Mr. Demetri, for agreeing to meet with me.”

  Hanging my jacket in the closet, I made my way to my desk and sat. Despite my recent lack of sleep, I was a fashion model wearing expensive office attire compared to my visitor. First and foremost, I was showered and shaved, unlike his scruff that had surpassed a five o’clock shadow by at least twelve hours. My shirt was crisp and white, my gray silk tie straight, and my wool slacks probably cost a week of his salary. I wouldn’t even begin to venture the expense of my Italian leather loafers on his income—perhaps a month’s rent? “Detective Jennings, please...” I motioned to the chair opposite my desk. “...have a seat.”