“With my life I guarded them,” the clerk said.
Tommy pulled out a check for a hundred thousand dollars. A check he wrote in the thirty-minute drive it took to get to Bellevue. “The handwriting is a little shaky,” he said to the clerk, “but any bank in the world will cash it.”
The man smiled, with tears in his eyes. “Thank you, sir. This money is life-changing. Thank you so much!”
Sal hung back briefly, just to remind the clerk to keep his trap shut, and that he didn’t see anything or help anybody at all. The kid understood. Excited though he might be, he fully understood.
And then Tommy headed out of that store, out of that town, and made his way, with his family in his grasp, all the way back home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
They stood over them like protective guards.
Tommy and Grace, hand in hand, unable to take their eyes off of their two, sleeping angels. The children were asleep in Tommy and Grace’s big bed. They both wanted to sleep in that bed, and their parents saw to it. What they hadn’t expected was how peacefully they would sleep. They’d always heard how resilient children could be; how they could bounce back far easier than most adults. They were seeing it in their own children, with their own two eyes.
“But I still want Tony to talk to them,” Grace said, staring at her children. Tony was Tony Sinatra, Big Daddy’s second eldest son and a well-respected clinical psychologist.
“I want Tony to talk to all three of you,” Tommy said, and looked at Grace. “That ordeal wasn’t any picnic for you either.”
Grace smiled a weary smile. Leave it to Tommy to always be thinking about her too. “No, it wasn’t,” she said.
“And I know you,” he added. “You were worrying sick about those children the entire time, and trying to figure out how you could bargain for their lives in exchange for yours.”
He was right about that too. “That was the worst part of it,” she said. “If it was just me, I could have handled it better. But to think Des and TJ were with me? That was the unbearable part.”
Tommy removed his hand from hers and placed his arm around her waist. “You’re safe now,” he said. “You and our children. And I’m going to make sure it stays that way.”
“I know you will, baby,” Grace said. Then she looked at him. “Ready?”
“Are you up to it, is the question?”
Grace nodded. “Yes. As long as whoever did this is still out there, I’ll answer any questions they have. I know they’re looking out for our best interests.”
Tommy smiled and leaned her against him. “You’re a good woman, Grace,” he said and kissed her on the forehead. They looked at their children one more time, and then made their way downstairs: to their still very concerned guests.
After Grace and the children returned home to hugs and cheers from their very happy relatives, and with still no leads to run down or follow up on, they all agreed that everybody should get back to their own children and families. Tommy promised to keep them posted every step of the way, and Grace made clear that if he didn’t, she certainly would.
Hammer and Amelia, along with Big Daddy, had already left. Mick and Roz were about to leave, too, on Mick’s plane, along with Trina and Gemma on Reno’s plane, but they wanted to say goodbye to Grace first. Mick wanted to ask Grace a few questions. Sal and Reno, Tommy’s running partners practically his whole life, were staying put.
When Tommy and Grace made it back downstairs, Trina and Gemma took charge of Grace, sitting her on the sofa amongst their group. Tommy sat down, too, on a sofa occupied by Reno and Sal, and Mick was in a chair, with Roz sitting on the arm of that chair. And that somberness that blanketed the home, was now filled with hope again. Everyone had exhaled.
Although small talk ensued, with the women more concerned about Grace’s emotional wellbeing, Mick needed answers.
“The men who approached your SUV,” he said, looking at Grace, “could you recall what they looked like?”
“Really Mick?” Trina asked. “Can’t you at least give her a moment to decompress?”
“It’s okay,” Grace said, patting Trina’s hand. They all viewed Reno’s wife as the mama bear of the family. But Grace understood Mick’s concern. He just wanted those bastards caught, and she did too.
Grace looked at Mick. “I couldn’t see any of them because their faces were covered the whole time,” she said. “And it all happened so fast. We stopped at a stop sign on Amber Street and before I knew anything, all of these men had surrounded us, and they all had guns. We couldn’t do anything. Then we were blindfolded and taken away.”
“But where did they take you?” Mick asked. “How far away from Amber Street?”
Grace shook her head. “I don’t think it was all that far. But I can’t judge it. I was just trying to take care of my crying children, and protect them from those armed men. I don’t remember how far.”
“Was it as far away as Bellevue?” Sal asked. “That’s like a half-hour drive.”
Grace was shaking her head. “It didn’t seem to be that long at all. No. It wasn’t that far. Wherever they took us, we were still in Seattle. I’m pretty sure of that.”
Mick nodded. “Good. That’s something to work with. Can you remember anything else? Smells? Sounds?”
“No,” Grace said. “Nothing.”
“Did anybody mention a name?” Sal asked. “Sometimes they slip up and say somebody’s name.”
“No.”
“Did they say anything to you?” asked Reno. “Did they ask you any questions?
“I’m sorry, guys, but no. Nobody said anything to us. They blindfolded us, put us in this vehicle, and then drove us away. That’s all I remember.”
Mick exhaled. “Okay,” he said, and then rose to his feet. It was time for him and his party to leave. Tommy was grateful they had come at all.
But as they all went outside, to pile into those SUVs, with Reno and Sal kissing their wives goodbye and walking them to the SUV, Tommy and Grace remained inside.
“What do you want, babe?” Tommy asked her. “I’ll give you anything you want.” And he meant it.
Grace smiled. “A hot bath will do the trick,” she said.
“A single or a double?” Tommy asked.
Grace laughed. She knew what he meant. “A double,” she said. “Always!”
They got into the warm tub inside the bathroom of one of their downstairs guestrooms. Grace sat between Tommy’s legs with her bare back leaned against his bare chest, both of them sipping juice in individual glasses, and a quietness came over both of them.
Tommy could feel Grace’s tight ass pressed against his penis. And he was having an erection because it was her. But he wasn’t about to go there. He just wanted to hold his wife, and be with her, and be grateful that they were back together again. It was closer than either of them could possibly imagine. He was relishing the moment.
“Relaxed?” he asked her as she moved closer against him.
“Very,” she said. Then she smiled. “So are you,” she added.
Tommy smiled too. He knew what she meant. His penis was so aroused that it was already fully erect and pressing, like steel, against Grace’s butt. “Sorry about that,” he said.
“What’s to be sorry about?” she asked. “Some things can’t be helped.”
“That is true.”
Grace lifted up slightly, took his fully aroused penis from against her ass and slowly guided it inside of her. When she felt his precum slowly ooze out, she became instantly moist. And Tommy, grateful for what she did, began slow-motion strokes that relaxed both of them.
He kissed her neck as he fucked her. “Thank you,” he said to her.
“Are you kidding? I love it too!”
Tommy smiled. She might have, but he knew it was nothing near how she made him feel. And to not have to ask for it, or have to give clues to get some, despite her ordeal, was an incredible feeling to Tommy.
After several minutes of strokes tha
t kept them on the edge of cumming, Tommy leaned her even closer against him. “Relaxed?” he asked her again.
“Very,” she said as he continued to push deeper into her; as he continued to fuck her with a rhythm that made her so relaxed, she was drowsy. “You have a wonderful way of calming me.”
“Is it me,” Tommy asked, “or this water beneath us? Water has a way of calming you too.”
Grace smiled. “Yes, it does,” she said. “That’s what kept me from panicking.”
Tommy didn’t understand what she meant. He was too wrapped up in how she made him feel. He didn’t bother to ask what she meant. He just wanted her, at that moment, to release and relax.
And she did. So much so that she finally broke down and came. It was a cum that was as sweet as his lovemaking had been.
And he came too, almost simultaneously with her. They both grunted and groaned as it all came out. They both felt it and loved the way it made them feel. And for both of them it was a release of the day’s burdens.
They felt free.
And after they came, they remained where they sat. They were totally content and thinking of nothing more than the moment in front of them. And the peaceful sound of the water still sloshing beneath them.
But then Grace sat upright. And she was stunned. Because she remembered what she had said. “I remember,” she said.
Now she had Tommy’s attention. “You remember what, babe?” he asked her.
“The water.”
“What water?”
“There was running water outside of the van they put us in. That’s what kept me from panicking. That’s what I meant when I said that. I remember running water.”
Tommy was intrigued now. “Was it water like it was raining outside?” he asked her.
“No,” she said. “Like a waterfall. Or a fountain. That kind of running water. I kept hearing water running.”
At first, Tommy was trying to think of places around town with waterfalls or fountains. It seemed as if he remembered something to that effect. Something that was so unremarkable that it slipped his memory. But something was in the recesses of his mind.
And then, as he fought through the fog, he remembered. He remembered it vividly! “The carnival!” he said.
Grace turned to him. “The carnival? What about it?”
“When I took you and the kids to the carnival. Remember that?”
“Yes.”
“The guy who was following us, Stanley Mayflower, was standing by a waterfall at the carnival.”
“He was?” Grace asked.
“Yes,” Tommy said. “And an old van was parked right by that waterfall. Right near it.”
Grace turned all the way around to face Tommy. “Are you serious?”
“I remember it because I told my guys to tail him, and I told them where he was standing at the carnival. He was near that waterfall buying shaved ice. And I told them about an old van being right near him.”
“But I didn’t hear any carnival activities or anything like that,” Grace said.
“That’s because the carnival shut down this past Saturday. They packed up and left Sunday. I remembered some guy who worked there saying, when we were buying cotton candy, how he hated the fact that they had to pack up and move to the next town.”
Tommy slid his dick out of Grace and lifted her body enough so that he could get out of the tub.
But Grace was still floored. “You think we were parked at the carnival? On the grounds where the carnival had been located?”
“Yes,” he said as he grabbed a towel. “It’s normally a park, and it has a waterfall. It's a little-used park except when circuses or carnivals come to town.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Get my ass over there,” he said as he dried off.
“I think I should come too, Tommy,” Grace said.
“You? Why?”
“I may remember something else. It may trigger something else for me. If we want them caught, we’ve got to do everything we can to catch them. I think I can help.” Then she shook her head. “But the children. One of us will need to stay with the children.”
But Tommy had given her suggestion merit. “Reno will stay with the children,” he said. “Nobody’s touching them with Reno as their guard.”
Grace smiled, standing up in the tub. “I know that’s the truth.”
“And you’re right. I think you should come too,” Tommy said.
“But do you think that van will still be there? They dropped us off in Bellevue. That carnival, at least the park where it had been, is right here in Seattle.”
“I know. And that van might very well be gone. But it’s worth a check.”
Grace agreed.
“Come on,” Tommy said and opened the towel for her, wrapping her in it, as she got out of the tub.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
It was still there. Near the waterfall. That same old van Tommy remembered.
“How you wanna handle this, Tommy?” Sal asked. He was driving their SUV.
“Pull up behind it,” Tommy said. He sat on the front passenger seat. Grace sat in the back. All three had guns. “I’m going to see if anybody’s inside.”
“Just walk right up?” Grace asked.
“Just walk right up,” Tommy said.
“Don’t worry, Grace,” Sal said. “I’ll be covering him.”
Tommy turned around and looked at her. “But you stay inside,” he told her, “I don’t care what happens. You stay put until we get control of the situation.”
“I will,” Grace said, nodding her head.
Tommy saw something in her eyes, and he realized it was fear. She was still probably traumatized too, just like their children. “It’ll be okay, babe,” he said. “Alright?”
“I know it will,” Grace said. She had that kind of confidence in Tommy. “And I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You just be careful. Please.”
Tommy said that he would, and got out. He also had his loaded Magnum at his side.
Sal got out too, his gun at his side, as Tommy made his way around to the driver’s side of the van. They were some fifteen feet behind the van on purpose: in case there was an issue, they would have room to maneuver. But so far: nothing.
Even when Tommy made it to the driver side door, and peered into the front seat, he saw no one. But he could see the back seats of the van had a curtain covering it. He couldn’t see what, or who, was behind that curtain.
He attempted to open the door but it was locked. He knocked, but no answer. He began walking toward the back of the van, mouthing the word locked to Sal as he headed that way.
But before he could make it to the back, a window suddenly was broken out from the side and Sal saw the barrel of a shotgun easing out.
“Tommy, down!” Sal yelled fiercely as the shotgun aimed his way.
Tommy hit the ground as the shotgun blasted, and then crawled to the back of the van, while Sal crouched down at the door of the SUV and fired bullets in the direction of the shotgun. It worked, because the shotgun suddenly disappeared back inside of the broken window.
But as soon as Tommy made it back on his feet, he heard the van cranking up.
“He’s heading out!” Tommy yelled, and began running back toward their SUV.
Sal jumped into the SUV and cranked up, too. But the van began backing up, rather than going forward, and was headed straight for Tommy.
Grace saw it first. “Tommy, watch out!” she screamed, as the van sought to smash him between it’s back and the SUV’s front.
But Tommy heard Grace’s cry and saw that look of horror in her eyes. And without looking behind him to see what she meant, he dived onto the hood of the SUV. The van crashed into the front of the SUV with a violent crash, and Tommy was jolted into the windshield, cracking it. Grace cried his name, but he was okay.
Sal was shooting at the van, attempting to take out whoever was inside of that motherfucker, but the driver shifted gears and took off awa
y from the SUV, this time trying to get away.
As soon as it began driving away, Tommy jumped off of the hood, got into the SUV, and Sal sped off after the van.
“Are you okay?” Grace was asking him urgently, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“I’m alright,” he said, squeezing her hand, although his body felt the sting of that jolt. “Stay with him, Sal,” he urged his brother. “Stay with that bastard!”
Sal stayed with him. The van’s driver sped through that park, knocking over some of the concession stand booths that had not been taken down when the carnival left, without regard for anybody’s property.
“There’s a street on the backside of this park,” Sal, who knew Seattle like the back of his hand, said as he drove. “His ass is heading for that street. I’ll bet my Bugatti he’s heading for that street!”
Tommy pressed down his window. “Drive toward the side, Sal,” he said to his brother. “Get down, Grace, and stay down!” he yelled to his wife.
Both did as they were told and Tommy leaned out until he was sitting on the frame of his door’s window, aiming his gun.
“Go over some more,” he said to Sal. “I need a better shot!”
Sal drove closer to the edge, and Tommy got his look. But he waited. There was a steep curve coming toward the end of the park, a curve that the van had to successfully steer in order to get to that back street. Tommy decided that would be his moment.
And as soon as it happened; as soon as the driver swerved around that curve, giving Tommy a very momentary but perfect view of the side of that van, he took his shot. He fired a round, not at the driver: they needed him alive. But he fired at the tires. The front tire, specifically, to disable the van quicker.
And it worked. The tire blew just as the van was still rounding that curve, forcing it to lift and drive on two wheels. But then the driver overcorrected badly, which caused the van to start wobbling from side to side and then to lose all traction and flip violently, only once, but with a devastatingly hard dropdown, landing on its roof. It began swerving as if on a turntable around repeatedly on that roof, and then it just stopped.
Tommy Gabrini: A Family Man Page 14