Tony rubbed his sloppy beard. “I appreciate it and all, but I gotta do more than sit here and wait for your father to hear somethin’. This ain’t workin’ for me. How ’bout ya drive me down to the restaurant. I wanna to talk to some of those people Kate works wit’.
The men left the apartment and walked toward Salvatore’s car. Tony walked with his head down and shoulders slumped. He didn’t see the man coming at him, but Salvatore did. Salvatore pulled his gun and aggressively charged the man. Vincent followed quickly behind Salvatore.
“Who the fuck are you?” Salvatore said, seething.
The man put his hands in the air. “I met yas before. At the market.”
Slayers was embroidered across the chest of his leather jacket.
“Oh, yeah? Tony ain’t got no more friends in the Slayers,” Vincent said, jabbing the man in the side with his pistol.
It took Tony a moment to notice that his friends weren’t walking behind him. He looked around him, and when he saw Salvatore and Vincent with their guns drawn, he ran to them.
“Smoke?”
“Yeah, hey Tony.” Smoke looked from Salvatore to Vincent. “I told ya I was a friend of Tony’s.”
“Yeah, he’s cool,” Tony said. “What are ya doin’ here, Smoke? If Razor catches ya, he’ll fuckin’ kill ya.”
“I know that, but I had to come and warn ya.”
“Warn me ’bout what?”
There were tight lines around Tony’s mouth as he waited.
“It’s Razor, man. He…well, he got this crazy fuck to go after the chick that you’re wit’.”
“What are ya talkin’ about?”
“I’m talkin’ about revenge. Razor wants to even the score. We lost eight guys that night when we was ambushed by the mob, and ya know what that guy did to Razor. He knows he can’t wage war against the mob, so he’s goin’ after you. He’s gonna hit ya where it hurts by sending some crazy fuck after your girl.”
The blood in Tony’s veins turned to ice. He spun and ran toward his apartment. Smoke, Salvatore, and Vincent trailed closely behind him.
Tony was still on the sidewalk when he spun on Smoke. “We gotta go. That motherfuckin’, goddamn, no-good, useless prick has Kate. Where the fuck is she? Where’d he take her?”
“Let’s take this into your apartment,” Salvatore said, not wanting anyone to hear them.
Tony sat in the kitchen, his elbows cocked on the table and his hands balled into fists. “Tell me what the fuck ya know,” he said to Smoke.
Smoke sat across from Tony. He breathed deeply. “Some guy named Carnie took her.”
“How the fuck do we find this asshole?” Vincent growled and grabbed the collar of Smoke’s leather jacket.
“Look, man, I didn’t have to come here. I’m riskin’ my fuckin’ life bein’ here.” Smoke looked to Tony.
“He’s right. If the Slayers find him here, they’ll kill ’im.”
Vincent let go of Smoke’s jacket and took a step backward.
“The Slayers went to this creep’s house a couple of summers ago. He’s got this farm in western Pennsylvania…a couple of hours from here. I don’t remember exactly how to get there, though. That’s the only place I know where he might’ve taken her.”
“Tell us ’bout this guy,” Tony demanded.
“Fuck man! I hate tellin’ ya this shit,” Smoke said.
Tony leaned into the center of the table. “Tell me everything ya know. This is my wife and kid that’s missin’.”
Smoke rubbed his forehead. “Look, this guy is a sick, twisted fuck. He gets his rocks off on torturing people. Razor calls ’im in to scare the fuck outta people sometimes.”
“How so?” Tony asked, his face flushed with anger.
“He likes to control people. Ties ’em up, makes ’em suffer, not knowing what’s gonna happen to ’em. He, ya know, mind-fucks ’em. Hopefully, Carnie will stay calm. I’ve seen ’im lose his shit wit’ people—he can get real ugly,” Smoke explained.
“He’ll be calm when I put a fuckin’ bullet up his ass,” Tony said.
Salvatore hung up the phone and strode across the kitchen. “My father’s getting some men together. Let’s get on the road, and we’ll let him know where we are going.”
Of course, Johnny knew Carnie. Most of the hard-core criminals knew of him. Johnny shared all the things he knew about Carnie’s history, but he instructed Salvatore to keep the details to himself. It was critical that Tony control his emotions.
Moments later, the four men got into Salvatore’s car as they sped away from the City of Brotherly Love to find Kate.
The police on Johnny Morano’s payroll hadn’t been able to find any leads on Kate’s disappearance. Because of this and the urging of his wife, Alessandra, Johnny Morano had pledged a ten-thousand-dollar reward for information regarding Kate’s whereabouts. Johnny had also called upon several mob bosses in New York and New Jersey who were familiar with Carnie.
Johnny was sitting in his office when his phone rang. “Salvatore. Where are you now?”
Big Paulie pushed himself to the edge of his seat to listen.
“We stopped at a gas station. I’m inside the store,” Salvatore said and told him their exact location.
Johnny jotted notes on the paper in front of him, hung up the phone, and threw his pen into the wall across the room. He turned to Big Paulie, his lips pressed together tight and his jawline prominent. “Get two cars together. We need to move.”
Salvatore hung up the phone and walked back to his car. He bent into the open car window and looked at Smoke. “You sure this is the right place?”
“Yeah, I remember that broken-down tractor. See it over there in the field?” Smoke pointed.
“How ya know it’s the same one?” Tony said.
“’Cause when the Slayers stopped here, we all went into the field across the street and took a picture standin’ around the tractor. Just turn left outta this parkin’ lot, and it’s a couple of miles up the road on the right. You’ll see a dirt road.”
Salvatore pulled the car onto the road. Tony had a mixture of joy in his heart thinking about getting Kate back and violence pumping through his veins for the man who snagged her.
“The shit I’m gonna do to that mother fucker ain’t gonna be pretty,” Tony said, breaking the silence.
Vincent slapped Tony on the shoulder from the backseat of the car. “Correction, the shit we’re gonna do. He’ll wish he was never born. I ain’t never felt this much hate in my whole life. I didn’t even hate my own brother, Richie, that fuckin’ asshole, as much as I hate this dude. Dickhead don’t know how much we all love Kate.”
Since Kate had gone missing. Tony hadn’t been able to eat or sleep; he was sick with worry. Now that he was on his way to save his wife, he felt a rush of strength and angry courage. With a sincere lack of patience, he told Salvatore, “Speed it up. My wife and kid are waitin’ for me.”
Chapter One Hundred Twelve
Kate spent her time in captivity on the cold metal table in the kitchen of the old farmhouse. To her horror, Carnie wouldn’t let her off of the table for a moment, not even to use the bathroom. The first time she had to pee, she pleaded with Carnie.
“Please. I have to pee. Just let me go to the bathroom.”
Carnie giggled at her pleas. “Oh, sweet Kate. I like it when you beg; it looks very cute on you. However, you mustn’t leave the table.” He leaned in close to Kate’s face. “Feel free to go right here on the table, and I’ll clean you up when you’re finished. It’ll give us a chance to know each other better.” He gave her a sickening, perverted smile, and Kate wanted to die. After that, she would hold her bladder until he left the kitchen, but he always noticed when he returned. He would put icy cold water in a bowl, and, using his bare hands, he would wash away the urine. Kate wanted to explode every time his hands touched her between the legs.
Throughout the endless days and nights, Carnie had sliced slabs of skin off of Kate’s arms and le
gs. She had slipped in and out of consciousness from the pain and terror. When she awoke on the seventh morning of her captivity, she couldn’t feel pain anymore; instead the pain of her torture had become as numb as her mind. The acidy burn remained, but the throbbing pain had passed. It was a part of her existence now, just like breathing air.
It was dawn. Kate looked around the kitchen, which was dimly lit from the rising sun. It was a soft, welcoming shade of orange, and in that moment she felt peaceful. She watched the green leaves rustle lightly in the soft breeze outside, and she longed to feel warm, silky air against her skin. She tried to remember what it felt like and closed her eyes to momentarily leave her torture. Then her thoughts settled on the baby inside of her. She willed Tony to find her, wishing she had magic powers she could use to bring him to her. Then reality settled in, and Kate began to weep.
“Well, we’re up early,” Carnie said. “Why are we crying so early in the morning, Sweet Kate? Is it because you missed me?” he taunted.
“Mister…” Kate began.
“I told you to call me Carnie,” he growled. “I would have thought that over the last week you would have learned the basics, Kate. You call me what I tell you to call me. Aren’t you curious where I got my name? Let me explain. There’s nothing like the taste of human flesh. Of course I eat animals, like everyone does, but there is nothing as exceptional as the taste of a human. You, my dear, have proven to be the best human being I’ve ever tasted. I believe it has everything to do with the life growing inside of you. There is a splendid sweetness to your flesh and blood. You see, Carnie is a nickname that my friends gave to me—it’s short for carnivore. So now, what were you trying to say?”
Kate lifted her head from the table to look at him. “Carnie,” Kate choked out, “I’m begging you to let me go. I never did anything to hurt you, and neither did my child. I will never tell anyone about you. All you have to do is release me and let me walk out the door. I don’t know how much more I can take…how much more my child can take,” she cried.
“Oh, don’t cry, sweet child—you’re almost there. You’re so close to being free; I promise you,” he said.
Kate let her head drop over to the side facing away from him, and a wave of relief flashed through her core. He had gotten his revenge, and it was almost over. She let herself relax. Even the hard metal table under her seemed to soften as she thought about her freedom.
“Thank you,” Kate muttered.
“The pleasure is all mine. Now, what shall we have for breakfast?” he said.
Carnie went to the other side of the kitchen and came back with a loaf of bread. Kate watched as he slathered butter over the white, spongy surface. He approached Kate and held the bread to her mouth. Kate took a big bite. Her eyes closed as she relished the taste of the sweet butter dancing over her taste buds. She opened her mouth again and took another large bite.
“See, that’s a good girl. You must remain strong. It’s important that you keep your wits about you leading up to your freedom. I’ll want you to remember the last things we do together…be able to look back on these moments fondly,” he said.
When Carnie finished feeding Kate, he retreated back to the bedroom on the second floor. Kate lay on the table, waiting, her heart brimming with hope. She had endured the worst, and all she could focus on was her pending freedom. Carnie had taken his revenge, and now he could move on, and she could pick up the pieces of her life and start over, putting this nightmare behind her.
Just before noon, Carnie came back into the kitchen. Kate had drifted off to sleep and was startled when he entered.
“I’m sorry, my dear. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Kate faked a small smile in his direction.
“Such a pretty smile. Tony Bruno sure does know how to pick a woman. He’s one lucky man to have found you. I hope he realizes how lucky he has been,” Carnie said, in a trancelike state.
“Tony is a good man. He treats me well,” Kate said gently.
“Yes, I’m sure he does, and I’m certain he misses you right now,” Carnie said. He shook his head like a dog coming out of water.
“Kate, I promised to set you free, and I’m a man of my word. The only thing a real man has is his word, and I think it’s important that we are always truthful,” he said.
Kate flexed her hands and feet in anticipation of being released.
Carnie stood over her at the metal table. As he absorbed her innocence and beauty, he heard the tires of a car crunching over the gravel of his long driveway. He had been expecting Tony to find him. After all, that was his ultimate goal, to destroy Tony. He tilted his head, and his eyes opened wide. Kate remembered those warm eyes, the same eyes that had made her trust him in the first place. He was finally going to free her.
“You want me to free you?” Carnie asked.
“Yes, please. More than anything, and I’ll never tell anyone about you. I promise,” Kate managed to say.
“You promise that you’ll remember. Right?” he said.
Kate nodded and let her entire being relax. An instant later, Kate heard the car outside the house. It was coming closer. She lifted her head and pulled her arms and legs against the cuffs that kept her bound. They cut into her skin, but she didn’t care anymore; she wanted whoever was coming toward the house to find her. She attempted to yell, but Carnie put his hand over her mouth.
“No, Kate. You don’t want to scream. That wouldn’t serve you well. I need you to be quiet. You want to be free, right?”
Kate’s eyes widened and welled with tears. The car outside came to a stop near the front of the house. Carnie looked down at Kate, “Freedom at last, sweet Kate, freedom at last.” He put a rag into Kate’s mouth and covered it with thick tape.
Carnie scanned Kate’s body and ran his hand over the tiny mound, her child. He covered his face with both hands and then spread his fingers to peek at her body again. He giggled and squirmed as he walked around the metal table taking in all of her. He inched closer to Kate, leaning over her body as his stomach fluttered with an excitement he’d not felt for quite some time.
Kate now knew that Carnie would hurt Tony. She tried to scream through the gag, to warn whoever was coming inside the house, but she knew it was Tony—her instincts told her this.
Kate heard voices coming toward the house. She recognized Salvatore’s voice, his crisp and formal words. Kate’s adrenaline raced, and she held up her head, looking with anticipation toward the doorway. She saw Tony coming through, his gun pointed in front of him. In the moment that Kate’s and Tony’s eyes met, Carnie lifted his knife and thrust it into Kate’s abdomen.
Kate’s scream, even through the gag, made Tony’s blood run cold.
“Free at last, sweet child, free at last,” Carnie chanted as he wedged the knife down to her pelvis.
Vincent tackled Carnie and put him in a headlock with his gun pressed against his skull.
Tony rushed to Kate and pulled at the metal cuffs. Her eyelids fluttered. “Tony?”
Carnie’s insides felt like a festival. His joy at Tony’s heartache gave him pure pleasure. He watched Tony rush over to Kate. Her eyes bulged, and her arms and legs flailed unnaturally against their restraints, the knife sticking out of her body.
“Kate! Oh, Kate!” Tony yelled.
While Vincent held on to Carnie, Salvatore fumbled through the despicable man’s pants pockets. Finding the key, he rushed to unlock Kate’s handcuffs. Finally, Tony lifted her off of the metal table and gently sat on the floor with her in his lap. When Kate finally opened her eyes, they were bloodshot. She studied Tony’s face.
“You got here. I knew you would come,” Kate whispered. “I want to go home now.”
“Yeah, Kate. I’m here. I got ya now. Everything is gonna be OK. Ya need to hang on till we can get ya to the hospital.”
Tony kept swallowing hard, trying to keep his emotions from scaring Kate more than she already was. He looked up at Salvatore and Smoke. “We gotta do someth
in’.”
Salvatore squatted on the floor next to Tony. He looked down at the knife inside of Kate. Her blood was spilling over the blade and down the sides of her body. Salvatore looked into Tony’s eyes and solemnly shook his head. Tony rejected the quiet gesture. He shook his head and pulled Kate tighter into his arms.
“Kate, I’m so sorry,” he choked.
Kate opened her eyes again. “I’m glad you found me,” she murmured. “I was so scared.”
“I know ya was scared. But I’m here now, and everything is gonna be fine.”
“The baby,” Kate mumbled. “Is our baby all right?”
Tony’s lower lip quivered. He didn’t want to lie to Kate, but he had no other choice. “The baby’s fine. You’re gonna be fine too, Kate. I love ya so much.”
“Till the end,” Kate whispered.
Kate moved her head, burrowing deeper into Tony’s chest, soaking up the feeling of him, smelling his familiar scent. A stillness came over her, and Tony put his head to hers until her last breath pressed its way out.
Tony slumped over and began to rock. “Noooo, Kate, no. Ya can’t leave me. I ain’t got nobody else…I don’t wanna be alone again. Ya gotta stay wit’ me. Remember, it was gonna be me and you and our baby. Oooh, Kate, please don’t go. I ain’t got nothin’ if I ain’t got you.”
Wild animal sounds escaped from Tony’s mouth. He looked up at his friends. Their faces were steeped in sadness. Neither knew what to say, their grief as real as Tony’s. Smoke took over for Vincent, and he held his gun to Carnie’s head.
Vincent got down on his knees and put his arms around Tony and Kate.
“This can’t be happenin’,” Tony said to Vincent, willing him to confirm it was all a big mistake.
Tony grabbed Vincent and pulled his face closer. The two cried like children as they clung to each other and Kate.
Vincent put his hand on the side of Tony’s face. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get you and Kate outta here.”
Tony allowed Vincent to take Kate from his arms and carry her out to the front porch. On the front porch, Salvatore grabbed Tony and they held on to each other, while Vincent laid her body on the porch. They left Carnie inside with Smoke, who had handcuffed him to the metal table in the same way Kate had been restrained.
Mean Little People Page 40