Sal Gabrini: His House of Cards

by Mallory Monroe

  “What’s his name?” Gemma asked.

  Sal knew who she meant. It was still a hard pill to swallow. “Rudy Balotti, Junior.”

  “That bitch,” Gemma said.

  “I know. I felt the same way. But then I thought about it. She was a powerless kid back then. She wasn’t a slut then. She wasn’t sleeping around on Rudy with anybody but me. Rudy called the shots. It was his boy as far as he was concerned, and he wanted him named after him. Blanche had no choice.”

  Gemma nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  He looked at her. “I’m sorry, Gem,” he said heartfelt.

  Gemma squeezed his hand. “Don’t be,” she said. “You didn’t know, Sal. How were you to know? And you’re certain you’re the father?”

  “I was arrested as soon as I found this shit out. But Tommy checked the kid out. Tommy says he’s the spitting image of our father. He was floored when he saw him, it was that much similarity.”

  “What kind of person is he? Does Tommy know?”

  “He works for Rudy,” Sal said. “So he can’t be a good guy.”

  “What does he do for him?”

  Sal’s heart squeezed in agony. “Whatever Rudy needs him to do. He’s in line to take over the whole operation someday. Rudy loves him more than life, from what Tommy found out.”

  “Did Tommy talk to the young man?”

  “No. We can’t tip our hand. We’ve got to take care of Rudy first. That fucker won’t be getting out of this alive. We’ve got to take care of him first, or he’ll continue to try to take care of us.”

  Gemma nodded. It was a painful realization, but Sal was right. Do it to them before they do it to you.

  “And after you take care of him?” Gemma asked.

  Sal frowned. “Then I’ll meet my son,” he said.

  But three days later, Sal almost met his maker.

  He was running down eight flights of stairs to stop a car bomb from exploding and killing Gemma’s parents. He was running down eight flights of stairs to stop the bomb he had ordered his men to plant.

  As soon as he opened the door of the building he was exiting, as soon as he became close enough to warn the driver not to crank up that car, the car exploded into a fireball so fierce that the impact alone threw Sal backwards. And threw Gemma’s parents, and Sal and Gemma’s marriage, to God knows where.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Mark Price yelled for Gemma to wait as she made her way down the steps of the county courthouse. Gemma was walking briskly with her briefcase by her side, and turned to see who was calling her, without breaking her stride. When she saw that it was Mark, she smiled and waited. She had just completed a two-day trial that ended in an acquittal.

  “I heard you won,” he said when he arrived.

  “I did for a change,” she responded, as they began walking down the stairs together. “I’m especially happy for my client.”

  “She’s probably shocked.”

  Gemma grinned. “She is. She kept saying, ‘we won? We won, Mrs. Gabrini? We won?’ It was so cute!”

  “I haven’t had a victory in months,” Mark said depressingly. “They may forbid me from practicing law altogether if I don’t eke out a win soon. How does it feel to finally come out on top?”

  “Feels great, Mark,” Gemma said. “Those cops knew that they concocted that so-called confession. That girl never admitted to killing that man.”

  “The judge threw out the confession?”

  “Threw every word of it out. That’s how we won. Because that’s all the prosecution had was that confession. So we won on a technicality. But hey. I’ll take victory in whatever form it comes.”

  Mark laughed. “I know that’s right!” Then he glanced down, at the little cleavage she was showing beneath her white blouse. “How about we grab some lunch?”

  “Ah, thanks, Mark,” Gemma said, glancing at her Rolex watch Sal had purchased for her, “but I’m already late for an appointment at my office. I’ve got to get going.”

  They were on the bottom floor now. They both stopped walking. “I just wanted to congratulate you,” Mark said. “And I’m still serious about joining forces with you.”

  Gemma considered him. He was a good attorney and a good friend. She just wasn’t sure if he understood boundaries. “You still want to join my law firm?”

  “I do. I’m serious, Gem! Riding solo isn’t working for me. Together we can be unstoppable. Just give it more thought, okay? I think it could be a win-win for both of us.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Gemma said. “But no promises.”

  Mark smiled. “I couldn’t ask for more,” he said, and was about to thank her for at least considering the option, when two men began approaching her. One of the men he recognized as the powerful Reno Gabrini, the owner of the PaLargio on the Vegas Strip. The other one, a young interracial man, he didn’t know.

  But Gemma knew them both. It was Reno and his son Jimmy Mack Gabrini. And they both looked distressed. Gemma knew something was wrong.

  She left Mark’s side and began walking their way. Mark wanted to go after her, to make sure she was going to be okay, but he knew Reno’s reputation. He knew her husband’s reputation. He stayed where he stood.

  Gemma met Reno and Jimmy halfway. “What is it?” she asked them. “What’s wrong?”

  Jimmy took Gemma’s briefcase, and Reno took her hand. “Come with us,” he said as they began walking toward the exit.

  “It’s Sal, isn’t it?”

  Reno nodded. “It’s Sal.”

  Gemma stopped walking and looked at Reno. “He’s dead?”

  Reno nodded no, but his look was still very grave. “He’s alive,” he said. “There was an explosion, and he’s alive. But that’s all I know. I haven’t seen him yet, and I have no details.”

  “He’s at the hospital?”

  “Home. His men took him home. The doctor met him there. We would have phoned but your cell phone is off.”

  “I just got out of court.”

  “They called your office and your office called Trina. Trina called me. She’s on her way to the house now. Give Jimmy your keys,” Reno told her. “You’re riding with me.”

  Gemma did as she was told, as all three of them hurried out.

  Mark knew it was bad by the horrified look on Gemma’s beautiful face. But he wasn’t in her sphere of influence yet. There was nothing he could do to comfort her yet. He had to wait his turn.

  Trina was already there and Gemma and Reno were just coming into the master bedroom just as he was waking up. Their personal physician was there too, but Gemma broke away and ran to Sal’s side, her heart pounding. “Sal,” she said. “Sal!”

  But Sal was moving his head from side to side as if he was delirious, and his eyes were tightly shut as if he wanted to shut out what he had just experienced.

  Gemma was glad to see he was alive, but something else was wrong.

  “He’s going to be okay, Mrs. Gabrini,” the doctor reassured her as Sal was too groggy still. “He suffered a mild concussion and he has a bruised back, but other than that he’s going to be fine.”

  But Sal didn’t look fine to Gemma. He looked as if his pain was more internal. “Why isn’t he in a hospital?” she asked. “Why didn’t you phone an ambulance?”

  “It wasn’t possible,” Reno said. “He was taking care of business.”

  “I assure you,” the doctor said, “he’s fine.”

  “Then why is he acting this way? He’s not fine!”

  Sal opened his eyes when he finally heard Gemma’s voice. But as soon as he saw her, he looked even more distressed to her. And he began shaking his head again. “Gemma, I’m sorry,” he said with pain in his voice. “I’m so sorry!”

  “It’s alright, baby,” Gemma said with emotion too. “You’re going to be okay. That’s all that matters.”

  “Your parents,” he said as he continued to shake his head. “I’m so sorry.”

  Gemma didn’t understand. She looked at
Reno and Trina. They didn’t understand either. Reno moved over to Sal’s bedside. “What about her parents, Sal?” he asked his cousin.

  “Your parents,” Sal kept saying as if he was saying it all. “I’m so sorry, Gem. I’m so sorry!”

  Gemma looked at the doctor. She was confused. “What is he talking about?” he asked. “Is he delirious?”

  “I wish I was,” Sal said, moving his head from side to side. Then he moved to sit up, over the objections of everybody in the room, but Sal was still Sal. He swung his feet out of bed and sat on its edge. “I wish to God I was talking crazy,” he said to Gemma. “But I’m not, babe.” He looked her dead in the eyes. “They were there.”

  Gemma’s heart dropped through her shoe. “But that’s not possible, Sal. My parents aren’t in Vegas!”

  “They were there,” Sal said again, with agony in his voice.

  Gemma and Trina looked at Reno. Reno was lost too. He ran to the door of the bedroom, and yelled downstairs. “Angelo! Get up here now!”

  They could hear Angelo Romano run up the stairs as fast as he could.

  “They were there,” Sal was saying again. “It was my fault. I couldn’t stop it.”

  “What’s up, Reno?” Angelo asked as he walked into the room.

  “Were Gemma’s parent’s at the scene?” Reno asked.

  Angelo looked at Sal, and then back at Reno. “Yeah,” he said, and an audible gasp filled the room. “I thought you knew.”

  “How the fuck was I supposed to know?” Reno yelled. “Are they alive?”

  Angelo shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “Did an ambulance take them?”

  “I don’t know,” Angelo said again. “I was just trying to get Sal away from there.”

  Reno understood his plight. He was just doing his job. But Gemma didn’t understand it. She ran to the phone, while Trina phoned the hospital and the doctor phoned his contacts at the hospital. Gemma phoned her parents’ cell phones. There was no answer. Her father was a banker, so she phoned the bank. They hadn’t heard from him today. Her mother was an attorney. She phoned her law firm. They hadn’t heard from her either. Gemma’s heart was pounding.

  Sal could feel her pain. “Babe, I’m so sorry.”

  Trina ended her phone call with the hospital. “They’re at the hospital, Gem,” she said.

  “Their status?” Gemma asked urgently.

  “They wouldn’t tell me. They said they can only confirm that they’re there.”

  The doctor hung up too. “Nobody knows what’s going on,” he said. “I couldn’t reach who I need to reach to ask questions without drawing suspicion. But they’re there. That’s all I could find out.”

  “I’ve got to go to the hospital,” Gemma said.

  “I’m going with you,” Sal said, and was about to stand up.

  “Sal, you can’t,” Reno said, hurrying to his side, and the doctor was hurrying too.

  But Sal was still Sal. “Don’t tell me what the fuck I can’t do,” he said, rising to his feet. Only he grimaced from the back pain. Reno and the doctor held him up.

  Sal looked at Gemma. “I’ve got to go with you,” he said with such anguish that it made them all look at him.

  Gemma stared into his eyes. He already knew the fate of her parents. She could see it in his eyes. If she left him at the house, the guilt that he carried would probably kill him before she made it back to him. She moved over and took her husband’s arm. She knew Sal too well. “He’s going with me,” she said firmly, and the doctor and Reno had no choice but to step aside.

  After removing his tattered clothing, Sal, along with Gemma, Reno and Trina, made their way to the hospital. They were all in Trina’s Mercedes, with Reno driving and Sal on the passenger seat. The ladies sat in the back. But not a word was spoken.

  Gemma was too terrified of what she was going to find at the hospital, and Sal was too engulfed in guilt. The wreckage he’d wrought to Gemma and her family could not be forgiven, he felt. Ever since she met him it had been one thing after another. He lied to her. He put her in all kinds of hurt, harm, and danger. Now his stupid ass was responsible for her parents’ death. How was Gemma going to overcome this? How was she going to be able to look him in the eye without hating him after this?

  When they arrived at the hospital, Sal was in so much pain that he could barely walk. But he walked. He pushed down his own needs and concentrated on Gemma. Although she placed her arm around his waist to help hold him up, his arm around her waist was holding her up too. Reno and Trina felt their agony as they walked behind them. They were the best couple they’d ever known. They were pulling for Sal and Gemma as if they were pulling for themselves. But they both knew that this could change the game. If Sal was right, and his bomb killed Gemma’s parents, then that would be the game changer. Gemma would have every right to walk away and never look back.

  When they walked into the hospital and up to the floor where they were told the Joneses could be found, Sal and Gemma held onto each other so tightly that they walked as if they were conjoined twins. Until they entered the room.

  When they saw Rodney and Cassie Jones lying there, stretched out on two twin beds, both Sal and Gemma nearly fainted where they stood. Not because they were dead. But because they were lying there talking to each other so casually. They were talking as if they were just shooting the breeze.

  Gemma was so happy she could hardly contain her joy. “Mom!” she cried as she ran to her parents. “Dad!”

  Reno and Trina, when they saw the scene for themselves, had tears of joy in their eyes too. They couldn’t believe it!

  And Sal. He stood still as a rock. He couldn’t even fathom how they could have lived. He saw Rudy’s man take them toward the car. He saw Rudy at the car. But he couldn’t dwell on how this could be so. He was too busy praising God that it was so. He was too busy watching Gemma’s face go from dread to joy and he was overcome too.

  He walked over to his in-laws. Reno and Trina walked over too. Gemma had hugged her mother and then her father and was now sitting on the edge of her mother’s bed. Both parents had cuts and bruises. It was obvious they had been there. But there was nothing life threatening that Sal could see. They seemed to have made out better than he did.

  Gemma got up when Sal approached them. She was happy for him too. “It’s okay, Sal,” she said and took his hand. “They’re going to be okay.”

  Tears welled up in his big blue eyes as he looked upon his mother and father in-law. And he couldn’t speak.

  Rodney Jones used to question his daughter’s affiliation with a man like Sal Gabrini. He even tried to end the relationship himself. But after he got to know Sal, and the kind of man he truly was, he became Sal’s greatest admirer. And although he knew that bombing was undoubtedly all about Sal and his dealings, he also knew Sal was loaded down with guilt because of it. “It’s okay, Sal,” he felt a need to say. And Sal looked at him. “They came to our house, forced their way in, and flew us here on a private plane. They called the head man and he told them to take us to that warehouse, where he was.”

  “He told his guy to put you in the car that exploded,” Sal said. “How could you have survived?”

  “He told his driver to go and get more supplies. They planned to keep us in that warehouse as bargaining chips for whatever they wanted. We were just going inside the warehouse when the driver got into the car and cranked up. Then it exploded.”

  “Rudy, the head man, was he inside the car?” Reno asked.

  Cassie shook her head. “He was near the car, but he wasn’t in it.”

  Reno and Sal looked at each other. Was that fucker still alive?

  “What happened to him?” Sal asked his in-laws. “Did his people take him away?”

  “When I came to,” Rodney said, “I heard a lot of commotion inside the warehouse, and it sounded like people were running out a different way. Then I remembered the ambulance coming. The driver was dead. I remember seeing that. And another guy
was dead. But yeah, the head man was put in an ambulance too. Not the one I was in, but he was placed in one.”

  Sal squeezed Gemma’s arm. “I’ll be back,” he said, she nodded, and he and Reno left the room.

  “Is he okay?” Cassie asked Gemma. “He’s walking like he’s in pain.”

  Gemma smiled. “He’s okay,” she reassured them.

  Rudy Red was in bad shape. He was closer to the car, apparently, because he got the worse of the deal by far. His guys must have thought he was dead and had no problem leaving him behind. Sal’s men took care of him and got him off scene. Rudy’s men, at least the ones that were in the warehouse, ran for their lives.

  After discovering that a Rudolf Balotti was indeed a patient there, and after entering Rudy’s room, Sal and Reno were surprised he was still breathing. But he was. And he was doing so on his own. They were also surprised that his men had abandoned him so thoroughly. Not one was stationed on his door.

  “They think you’re dead, Rudy,” Sal said as he made his way to his enemy’s bedside.

  Rudy moved his head over to look at Sal. He closed his eyes from the drugs they had undoubtedly given him. And then opened them again. “It was you,” he said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

  “You’re just figuring that out?” Reno asked.

  “Why was it you?” Sal asked. He wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth. “Why were you trying to destroy me?”

  It took Rudy a long time just to swallow. “I wanted to keep you away from him.”

  “Your son?” Sal asked.

  “Your son,” Rudy admitted. “But you’re always too quick. No matter what I tried, your slick ass survived it. Now I’m the one who’s not going to survive.”