Blood Ties - A Magnolia Novel

by Ashley Fontainne

  Karina inhaled a deep controlling breath, lowering her voice. She stared at Ranger’s back. “P.C., huh? Okay, how about this: I decided to sneak away one weekend and surprise Cal. To my shock and horror, I found my former significant other in the arms of my best friend. They were displaying mutual affection for each other at very close range. I succumbed to an outburst of anger and escorted said friend out the door in a rough manner. Made sure my significant other was fully aware of my thoughts and feelings at the moment by expressing them verbally. In a moment of weakness, I threatened bodily harm and our relationship terminated seconds later. That was about sixteen months ago, and I am still finding it difficult to let go of some of the emotional baggage I still carry from that day. There. How’s that for P.C.?”

  Finally bringing her wet eyes up to her mother’s, Karina expected to see all sorts of emotions. What she didn’t expect was to see a huge grin.

  Humor danced behind the green orbs and then LiAnn erupted with laughter. “You are my daughter. No doubt. The only difference between us is that, back in my younger days, I wouldn’t have just threatened. I would’ve sliced them off.”

  For a second, Karina was stunned and unable to form a word. Then she threw her head back and laughed as well, her tears a mixture of sadness, relief and joy. The unleashing of her pent-up emotions she’d suppressed for so long wasn’t as difficult as she’d expected.

  Minutes later, they were back in their room and preparing for bed. When her head hit the pillow, Karina was out cold.

  LiAnn couldn’t get comfortable. The hotel mattress was too soft and the sheets felt like sandpaper against her skin. Oh, who was she kidding? Sleep refused to come because her mind was racing with a myriad of thoughts. The worst was the anger she seemed helpless to control.

  Stifling a sigh, LiAnn focused on the rhythmic breathing of her daughter. Karina’s light snoring made a smile appear. How content the sound of her only child sleeping made her feel.

  LiAnn couldn’t decide what bothered her the most: the pain her child suffered or how in the world Karina kept what really happened from her. Years of being a detective had made her keenly adept at reading others, so how did she miss such a monumental event in her daughter’s life?

  Because she is cut from the same cloth you are, LiAnn. A small tear trickled down her face and she swiped it away in a huff of anger. LiAnn didn’t realize her daughter had inherited the same ability to hide her pain as she possessed.

  LiAnn fluffed the pillow for the third time, then forced her eyes to close. Yes, this move is just what we both need. A fresh start in a new place, close to our family. The way things should be. Far, far away from the two men who crushed our spirits and left our hearts a pile of mush.

  5

  Becoming a Pawn

  Nick Shonnert ran his fingers across his brow and wiped the thin sheen of sweat away. As he did, he felt the creases in his skin and a slight tremble in his fingertips. He wanted to groan but kept his mouth shut. With a nervous glance, he shifted his eyes to his watch and winced at the time. It wasn’t even nine yet and the temperature outside was already so stifling that the air conditioner in the building couldn’t keep the place cool. Numerous residents had complained about the system to staff members over the last few weeks, pissing and moaning about the lack of basic needs, in comparison to the exorbitant fees they paid to reside on the property. When the daily staff meetings took place, nervous employees would skulk into Nick’s office and give their reports of the daily activities at not only Green Pastures, but all of the other properties owned by the company. Normally, he ignored the petty grievances from the old windbags who lived at the sites, but even he couldn’t ignore the fact the ancient air conditioning unit at Green Pastures needed an update.

  But Nick could have been sitting on a block of ice during a snowstorm in Alaska and he still would be sweating bullets. At precisely nine a.m., his cell phone would ring, and no matter what number was calling him, the person on the other end of the line would be the same. Caesar Calvanio always called the next day after a drop-off and always from a different number. Nick wondered, as he stared at his own cell on his desk, how many disposable phones the old gangster had purchased during the last several years. If Nick had to guess, the answer would be hundreds.

  His legs shook, as they did every time before, during, and after any interaction with Caesar. Nick’s thoughts wandered back to the night of terror that shifted the trajectory of his life, and made his world a living Hell. A shudder of fear shot up his back as Nick recalled the soulless eyes inches from his own as Caesar laid out his new business module.

  After hours of terror, pain, and witnessing the freak show of all Caesar’s numerous battle wounds, Nick could see the tattoo of the leaping black panther with claws extended that spanned between Caesar’s shoulder blades. When Caesar flexed his thick back muscles, the imposing image danced with sickening grace. Had Caesar suddenly sprouted a pair of long white fangs and fur, Nick could not have been more terrified.

  “You’re going to hire some new caregivers for the facility in Hot Springs. Don’t worry, we are going to start small, do a test run there first. My associates, Franco and Carmella D’Nucci, just recently started some new businesses in town. One is an elder care agency, and Carmella will provide all the on-site help Green Pastures will need to keep the residents happy and healthy. Our little test run will be on two marks we’ve already selected. When Carmella’s crew gets all the identity and financial stuff gathered up from our two test subjects, she will hand the information over to Franco. Of course, we will already have the information you obtained on our marks, compliments of copies of their files. Oh, and let me give you a little piece of advice here: make sure the information you give us matches what Carmella comes up with. If it don’t, then your organs will live on, just not in your body.”

  “Sure, sure, no problem. I will copy everything in the files you need,” Nick choked out, his vocal chords barely able to function any longer.

  Caesar’s lips formed into a smile, but there was nothing kind or warm behind it. “I like this new attitude of yours, Nick. Don’t you, Carmine?”

  Carmine nodded his head. “Oh yea, Boss. He’s like a little lamb now. Just took a bit of persuading, that’s all.”

  Caesar turned back to Nick. “Now, once Franco gets all the scoop on each person, I call you to set the date when these people are going to have a heart attack or stroke. Your job is to have the managers at each facility trained to call only one ambulance service. The other new business venture in town needs some financial support as well. Place is called Lombardo’s Ambulance Service. They will send a wagon right over to take the ailing resident to the hospital. Oh, don’t look so worried, Nicky! I’m not going to have you do any killing. You aren’t made out of the right cloth for that. The caregivers will make sure things look natural. The doctor will pronounce them dead and Lombardo’s will happily return to pick up the body from the hospital morgue and take them to the funeral home.”

  Nick felt the rock in his gut lesson a fraction. At least I won’t have to do any killing.

  “Another associate of mine owns a chain of funeral parlors, three of which are right here in Central Arkansas. You ever heard of Slumber Land?”

  Nick couldn’t find the muscle control to make his throat unlock, so he nodded his head in agreement.

  Caesar’s smile grew wider as he clapped his cold hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Good! See your job responsibilities aren’t as difficult as you probably originally thought, huh? You just remember the rules and don’t stray from them. Because if you do, the next time we meet here will be your last.”

  Nick thought his heart was going to explode. It was beating so fast and loud, he was finding it difficult to hear all of what Caesar was saying. He had never been so terrified in his entire life. Listening to the two men, who could have easily walked onto the set of The Godfather and landed a role, casually talk about murder like they were discussing where to plan their next vacation
, made Nick’s mind begin to shut down. He finally understood the rest of his life would be controlled by a mafia gangster. There was no way out of the business situation. He wouldn’t jeopardize the lives of his family.

  Nick began to feel lightheaded. For some odd reason, he thought back to his previous excitement of finding a private investor to quickly further Happy Days Retirement Living’s obsessive acquisition of distressed senior housing properties. How foreign the memory of happiness seemed now. He didn’t even care about how he was going to explain this new investor to Teri without revealing why they must continue the relationship with Caesar Calvanio, especially after he bought The Magnolia House. That little hurdle seemed like a speck of dust, compared to the mountain his new business partner intended for Nick to climb.

  His body and mind were on the verge of collapsing again. Nick didn’t make a sound, not even a whimper, when Carmine untied him and helped him stand. Once Nick was able to stand unassisted, Caesar and Carmine walked him to their Lincoln Town Car and placed him in the back seat instead of the trunk this time. Not a word was spoken during the drive until they pulled up to Nick’s office. When the car came to a stop and the door unlocked, Caesar turned around from his spot in the front passenger seat and said, “Every Monday morning at nine, on the nose, I will call you. Never, ever miss that call, Nicky. Ever. Oh, and have a great evening with your wife and kids. Tell them their uncle said hello.”

  After Nick stepped out of the car, he forced himself to walk and not run. Enough cowardice had been shown already, and felt the need to retain some dignity. After all, he’d saved his family from suffering violent, horrible deaths tonight.

  Even though he had to trade his soul in exchange for their lives.

  Nick jerked when the phone on his desk rang. Glad to be yanked back from the horrid memories, he welcomed the distraction of work. Without looking at the display on the office phone, he snatched the receiver up. “Shonnert.”

  “Nick, we need to talk.”

  The sound of the irritated voice of his ex-wife, Teri made his heart race. Their divorce three years ago almost destroyed him. He couldn’t blame Teri for packing up the kids and leaving him. Nick knew he hadn’t been the greatest husband or father in the world pre-Caesar Calvanio, but post-Calvanio had turned Nick into a husk of his former self. He couldn’t explain the real reasons behind his sudden weight loss, insomnia or quick temper to his family. Poor Teri assumed his sudden change in demeanor meant he was seeing another woman. It cut Nick to the bone when Teri voiced her worries, for he had never, not once in all their twenty years together, broken their vows.

  Nick may have been guilty of shady business dealings and had a brash, cocky attitude and lack of concern for the welfare of his employees and residents, but he adored Teri and the kids. For her to immediately assume he was cheating on her, added to the mountainous pile of stress already on his strained shoulders. In the end, he couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation for his sudden inability to perform in bed that Teri believed, and she left him.

  They didn’t speak anymore unless the kids needed something she couldn’t provide. Even though her tone was harsh and distant, it still sent shockwaves of grief and remorse through Nick’s heart. “Morning, Teri. What…what do we need to talk about?” he responded, trying to hide the pathetic, hopeful tone in his voice. What he wanted to hear was Nick, let’s talk about us. I miss you. But he knew that would never happen. Once Teri’s mind was set, nothing would change it.

  “The school called this morning. Said your check for this semester’s tuition for Sabrina bounced. The financial aid director also said she tried to contact you all last week, even left several messages, none of which you’ve returned. If the money isn’t in their hands by noon, Sabrina will have to drop out this semester. That’s just not acceptable. Period. She only has one more year left, Nick! You should have told me you couldn’t afford this semester. I mean, I realize you are probably broke from spending money on your latest play-toy, but that shouldn’t stop you from ignoring the financial duties to your children. God knows you’ve ignored every other duty as a father and husband.”

  His heart skipped two beats. “I…oh shit, Teri. I didn’t know. I swear.” He shuffled through the stacks of pink messages on his desk, something he hadn’t done in a week. Sure enough, there were four notes to call the U of A financial aid office. “Oh damn, I just found the messages on my desk. I’ve been really swamped at work. Things are hectic and…”

  Teri cut him off before he had a chance to finish his thoughts. “Don’t try to concoct some bogus lie, Nick. I learned a long time ago how to read you, and I can hear the bullshit in your voice. Just make it right. Today. I’m not asking you to do anything for me. I’m asking for your child. And her future. Can you do that? Or, do I need to prepare myself to drive to Fayetteville and pick up our daughter, then trash her father the entire way back?”

  Before he could say a word, or mention the fact that Sabrina and Shaun had already heard their mother trash their father enough during the last three years, his cell phone buzzed on the desk. Nick’s mouth immediately went dry and his heart rate tripled. “I promise, I’ll make it right before noon. I’ve got to go, Teri. Duty calls.”

  “Is that her name? Duty? Jesus, Nick. I always figured you for a Candy or Tiffany kind of guy,” Teri retorted.

  Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and slammed the receiver back in its cradle, unwilling to listen to the hatred spewing from the mouth of his ex. He answered his cell. “Good morning, sir. Sorry it took so long for me to pick up. I was…”

  “No need to apologize, Nicky Boy, although I do hate waiting. But I won’t let your lack of promptness spoil this glorious day. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and I woke up with a smile on my face after a fitful night’s sleep. Cherish each and every day. Embrace every moment alive. That’s my motto. The older you get, the more those words ring true. Of course, they also ring true for those who are close to the end of their time here above the ground. Know what I mean? Can’t help but wonder if last night’s package savored his last remaining moments before he went on to the next world. What do you think?”

  Goose bumps popped up all over Nick’s body. The casual callousness of Caesar’s words made him feel sick to his stomach as the acid churned and boiled in his gut. Last night’s drop wasn’t just the body parts of some random stranger. They had once belonged to Caesar’s own flesh and blood, and the man was talking about it like it was just another elderly stranger whose time had unnaturally expired. The heartlessness of it all made Nick’s head spin and his gut roll into a tight knot. He reached into the side drawer on his desk and snagged an antacid, then popped it into his mouth. Nick was acutely aware from his own personal experience of how cold and soulless Caesar could be, but he’d been nothing more than a business connection to Caesar. Ray-Ray was his nephew.

  Though he was still unaware of all the particulars surrounding Caesar’s decision to end the life of Ray-Ray, it didn’t really matter. The deal was done, and not by the hands of Caesar or his freaky goon friend, Carmine. On instinct, Nick looked down at his hands, almost expecting to see residual blood stains from his part in the death of Ray-Ray. For a second, his vision blurred as the sound of the gunshot that ended the boy’s life rang inside his mind. Nick remembered the sensation of the cold barrel pressed against his forehead, the overwhelming fear at the choice he was being forced to make. The heat of his urine as it trickled down his legs when his bladder gave out. Nick’s choice was to end the life of Ray-Ray or have his own brains splattered on the dirty concrete floor by Carmine.

  He actually considered letting Carmine pull the trigger and end his misery. After all, Sabrina and Shaun didn’t have much to do with him anymore, and resurrecting a relationship with Teri was completely out of the question, so what did he have to live for anyway? Years of being Caesar’s chimp on a tight leash were wearing down on him, the constant fear of being caught by the police and worries that one misstep would caus
e Caesar to hurt Teri or the kids, made Nick’s nerves paper-thin. He had no hope any more. Nick was taking so much medication, his bathroom cabinet rivaled a pharmacy. He had high blood pressure, an ulcer the size of a small baseball, and a wicked case of psoriasis, acid reflux, a weak bladder, and other ailments. Would it have really been so bad to just let it be over in a boom and flash?

  Yet, in the end, he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger as tears streamed down his face. When Caesar whispered in his ear that if Nick failed to perform his assigned duties, he would be the first of many Shonnerts sporting holes in their heads, what choice did he have?

  “You’re uncharacteristically quiet this morning, Nicky Boy. What’s the matter? The heat getting to you? I know the new air conditioning unit hasn’t arrived yet. Or is it something else, like your ulcer acting up again?”

  Nick crushed his lips together and tried to force his mind to slow down. He had to think and pick out the right words to say, for they could very well be his last. “I’m sorry, sir. Just got off the phone with the ex. Kid problems. Nothing I can’t handle, though. So, I assume the package was delivered without any problems, correct?”

  There was a long pause and he wondered if he’d chosen the wrong thing to say. Nick winced when he finally heard the old man clear his throat and respond.

  “Well, that’s good to hear. Always had faith in you and your abilities to handle difficult situations, Nicky Boy. The sacrifices and things we do for our family to keep them healthy and happy, huh? But, enough of that topic. I don’t like to get involved with personal issues of my employees. Bad business, you know? And you are correct. Things went as smooth as silk last night, although that is not the reason for my call this morning.”