I stop ascending and start to descend slowly.
“Where can I find this, Dino Costello?”
“He’s in Philly, as are a lot of Castellanata’s boys. You’re not thinking of going there, are you? They’re animals. They’ll waste you without even blinking.”
“I’m touched by your concern. Where’s a good place to start looking?”
“Try the bars. Dino likes his liquor.” He offers.
“Thank you, for your cooperation, Officer.” I sneer at him, as the buildings get closer beneath us.
“And one more thing. If you ever do anything illegal again…” I let go of him.
I let him fall about sixty feet, then fly down and catch him.
“Get the idea?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.” He moans, as he squirms in my hands.
I drop quickly to the ground and set him down. He staggers slightly, then turns and lurches back to his squad car.
“What was that smell?” Beth asks as she sips his coffee. “So, that went well. He looked scared.”
“He should be.” I mutter, then turn and walk away.
Beth catches up while sipping Paloma’s coffee.
“He’s involved with some dangerous men. Things can get a lot more dangerous from now on. Do you still want to come?” I say as I walk.
“Sure. You want some?” Beth says and offers me the foam cup.
I take it and lift it to my lips. It’s a cappuccino and tastes good. I take a few gulps and finish it off.
“Hey, I wanted some more.” Beth moans as I hand her back the empty foam cup.
“Sorry. I’ll buy you another later.” I say.
I wrap my arms around her and take off into the night sky again. Beth reaches into her boot and pulls out her cell phone and activates the map again.
“Philadelphia.” I say, as Beth checks the map while I fly.
I step on the gas and accelerate, leaving Washington D.C. far behind as we rocket through the sky. The bright lights blur below us as we race to our next destination.
“Whoa, slow down.” Beth says.
I ease up and fly slower over the dark streets.
I peer over her shoulder at the map on her cell phone. We’re approaching the outskirts of Philadelphia already.
I fly lower, so I can see the buildings more clearly. I see a bar not far away and swoop down, and land in the parking lot. It’s a low level flat roofed place with a garish neon sign above the door.
“This is as good a place to start as any.” I say as we walk towards the entrance.
Loud rock music blares through the doors as we approach. I take a deep breath as I open the door and lead Beth inside. Some men are leaning against the bar when we walk in. They turn and gape at us as we saunter towards the bar.
“No minors allowed.” The barman growls.
“I just have a question, that’s all.” I smile innocently up at him.
“What?” The barman asks gruffly.
“Do you know where I can find Dino Costello?”
“Never heard of him. Now get out!”
“Later.” I say and turn to leave.
I look at Beth for confirmation. She shakes her head and follows me out.
“Okay. Next.” I say and wrap my arms around Beth and take off into the air.
“There’s another one over there.” Beth says and points to our right after a few seconds.
The building she’s pointing at looks more subdued, with just an ordinary sign above the door. Warm light is streaming from inside. I land by the door and we head inside. Beth and I walk casually to the bar, where an old timer is nursing a small glass of something yellow.
“Hi. “ I greet the bartender. “Do you know a Dino Costello?” I ask.
The bartender looks at us and blinks, then sets a glass down on the bar counter.
“Can’t say I do.” He replies, then looks at us again with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you looking for him? Is he your daddy? Are you lost sweetheart?” He asks.
I know he means well, but there’s an edge to his voice when he says it.
“We’re not lost.” I say and turn to leave. “Thanks anyway.”
Outside, I grab Beth and fly up and over the bar towards a gas station.
We visit eight more bars with the same results. We chuckle at the cookie requests, at first, but after the fourth time, it’s getting annoying. I’m about ready to go home, when Beth spots an Italian restaurant.
“Restaurants have bars, right?” Beth says as we descend towards the sidewalk.
“And I owe you a coffee.” I say as I land and open the door for Beth.
“After you.” I say.
Beth adjusts her white masquerade mask, then heads inside. It looks cozy. The sound of people talking and laughing fills the air. I follow Beth to the bar and we sit down on some bar stools. People are starting to stare at us and make comments, but we’re quite used to this by now.
“Two cappuccinos, please.” I ask when the bartender comes over and starts to laugh.
After a few minutes, two small cups of frothy coffee are pushed our way. I get my purse from my Chinese lucky cat backpack and pay. I see Beth roll her eyes.
“No wonder people are laughing at us. Have you been wearing that the whole time?” Beth asks as she stirs her cappuccino.
“Yeah, why? What’s wrong with it?”
“How old are you again?” Beth asks and raises her cup and sips her cappuccino.
“I’m sixteen, so?”
“Don’t you think it’s about time you put things like that behind you?”
“No. Why should I?”
“Well, it makes you look much younger than you are.”
“My Dad bought this for me. When I wear it, it feels like…..he’s with me.” I say and sip my cappuccino.
“You wouldn’t understand.” I grumble into my coffee.
‘Britney, of course I understand. I’m your friend. I just don’t think Mitchell is going to take you seriously, if you still wear things like that, that’s all. I just want you to be happy. Okay.’ Beth’s husky voice says inside my head. ‘Have you read that book I gave you?’
A bit, yeah. I answer in my head. Then I think about Mitchell. Do I want him to take me more seriously?
I finish my cappuccino, then wave the bartender over.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” He asks.
“Just some information.” I reply. “Do you know a Dino Costello?” I ask.
He looks at us both as if for the first time.
“No, sorry. I don’t know him.” He replies, turns and walks away.
“Hey, listen up!” Beth shouts. “Does anyone here know Dino Costello?”
Subtle, Beth. Real subtle.
People murmur quietly, but ignore us. I see Beth’s eyes moving around the room while I slip my backpack on.
‘Bingo!’ Beth smirks in my head.
She turns and grins at me, then gestures with her head for me to follow her.
I follow her across the restaurant, past a family where some teens are filming the whole thing on their cell phones, towards a young man in his twenties, dressed in a smart pink shirt and black pants. He’s sitting down and eating a bowl of spaghetti. He notices us walking over and looks up warily as we approach. Then Beth walks past him and I see him relax. Beth back pedals and places a white-gloved hand on his shoulder.
“Hello, Marko. How’s the food?” Beth asks.
“I don’t know you. How’d you know my name?” He sputters as he tries to swallow his food without choking.
“That’s not important. But what is important, is that you know who Dino is, don’t you?” Beth says and pinches his right cheek. “And you know where he is, don’t you, Marko?” Beth replies. She pushes him back down as he tries to get up.
“Why should I tell you anything?” He replies.
“That’s the beauty of it, Marko.” Beth says and pinches his cheek again, playfully. “You don’t have to.” Be
th whispers directly into his ear, then she signals for me to leave.
I turn and walk away as Beth follows, while Marko hurls insults after us. A man in a dark green suit approaches. The manager probably.
“Get out and don’t come back. You are both banned.” He says and tries to push us.
Beth and I smile at each other, stop and turn to him. He’s still trying to shove us. His face is turning purple with the effort. He can’t move us an inch.
“Don’t worry, we’re leaving.” I say, turn and open the door and let Beth exit first. “You have a lovely restaurant.” I say and smile, then close the door behind me as I leave.
Beth is giggling outside as she walks along the sidewalk.
“That was fun.” She says as I walk next to her.
“Well, tell me. Where’s Dino?” I ask.
“Well, I don’t know where he is, but I do have his address.”
“Really?”
“Yep. That kid. He’s his nephew.”
I hold out my hands to her. “Shall we, then?”
She steps closer and I wrap my arms around her, just as the door to the restaurant bursts open. I rise into the air slowly, while Beth waves at someone behind us. I climb higher and fly over a Seven Eleven.
“You should have seen his face.” Beth says and giggles.
“Who was it?” I ask as I fly us a few more miles and then stop.
“Marko.”
“Come on, what’s the address?” I ask.
“Oh, right.” Beth retrieves her cell phone from inside her white boot.
She gets up the map again and then begins scrolling the screen around until she finds what she’s looking for. Beth then looks down at the well-lit streets below us.
“Right, we’re here.” She says and points at the screen.
I look over her shoulder at the small illuminated screen. It looks like we’re in the northern part of the city, near a park called Norris Square. Beth then points to a spot near the river, further south of our position.
“That’s where he lives.”
“Great.”
I bank to the left and make for the river, then follow it south slowly, as Beth tracks our position.
“Okay, stop. Now we need to go that way a few blocks. It should be near a park.” Beth says and points to our left.
I turn and fly slowly as Beth looks at her cell phone map. I see a large dark area up ahead, which must be the park that Beth referred to. I swoop lower until we’re a hundred feet above the street, then cruise along at a leisurely pace.
“That’s it.” Beth says and points down to our left.
It’s a three storey rectangular apartment building, with parking bays out front. I can’t see any skylights or doors on the roof.
“So, do we knock?” I ask.
“After you. It’s apartment 10B.”
I land on the sidewalk and check the parking bays. There’s a deep-red Corvette parked in the spot for 10B.
“Someone’s home.” I say.
Beth walks over to the main entrance and waits for me. I race over and look at the door. Beth nods to the right. There’s a series of buttons with numbers on. I press the button for 10B and wait. The adrenaline is flowing now. I’m keyed up.
“Yeah, who is it?” An impatient man’s voice erupts from a speaker beneath the buttons.
I shrug and lean closer to the speaker.
“Girl Scouts, sir. Would you like to buy some of our delicious cookies? The money is going to a charity, sir.” I say in the cutest voice I can muster.
Beth giggles behind me. I put my finger to my lips.
“Cookies, huh? Yeah, sure, why not. 2nd floor, turn left and it’s the door at the end of the hall.” He replies and buzzes the door open.
“That was easy.” I open the door and let Beth enter first.
We race upstairs and get to the door for 10B in a heartbeat. I knock gently and look at Beth. She nods.
‘It’s him.’ Beth says in my head.
I ready myself.
The door opens and an American-Italian man in his early thirties looks at us. He’s unrolling a wad of bills, when his eyes grow wide as he looks at us again. Then he smirks.
“What the hell are you supposed to be?”
I rise up from the yellow carpet and hover inches from his face. His smile disappears.
I grab him by the throat and force him back into his apartment. Beth closes the door behind us. I lift him from his polished hardwood floor with my left hand still clamped around his throat. I look into his shocked blue eyes and see my own blazing blue eyes reflected back. My irises are pulsating with blue light. I must be making a hell of an impression right now.
“What the hell are you?” Dino mutters as he tries to release my grip on him with both of his hands.
“I have some questions for you, Dino. If you tell me the truth, then we leave you as we found you. Understand?” I say.
I increase my grip on his throat a fraction. His eyes bulge and his face turns purple. He nods his head.
“Good.” I release my grip and drop him on to his black leather couch.
“You arranged for some people to vanish a few months ago and for them to be declared dead. Where did they go and who hired you?” I ask as I glare down at him.
He looks at us and runs his hands through his greasy black hair.
“I was contacted by Tony Bardino. He’s the consigliore for the Sorvino family.”
“The Sorvino family? Who the hell are they?” Beth asks.
“They’re big. They run Las Vegas.”
“Why are they asking someone like you to help them, if they’re so big?” Beth asks.
“This is Frankie’s turf, they can’t operate on the east coast without a body count.”
“What was the deal, Dino?” I ask.
I place my left foot on to his black glass coffee table and press down. It shatters loudly, making him flinch.
“Okay, okay. I arranged for some of my guys to load some people into some fake ambulances, before the cops and the real medics arrived.” He wipes some sweat from his forehead. “Then they were loaded into some removal vans and driven west to Las Vegas. I was paid in cash. I didn’t ask any questions.”
“Who arranged the bombing?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Hey, it wasn’t me, alright.” He replies as he holds up his hands.
“Where can we find this, Tony Bardino?” I ask.
“No way. I tell you and I’m a dead man.”
“How about we tell Vincent Farelli what you’ve been doing behind his back, huh?” Beth suggests, then goes to pick up his telephone.
“NO!” Dino screams and tries to get up.
I grab him and push him back down on to the black leather couch.
“It’s that, or you tell us where we can find Tony Bardino. What’s it to be?” Beth says with the telephone in her hand.
“Okay, okay. Please don’t call Vinny. You can find Tony at The Bellagio, okay, The Bellagio.”
“Thanks, Dino.” I say and turn to leave.
We’re heading to the door, when pain explodes in my head and my ears ring for a heartbeat, then stops abruptly. I turn as Dino pulls a gun from under the coach. He points it at Beth. I race forward as he pulls the trigger. I move as quick as thought. I snatch the bullet in mid-flight, then grab the gun from his hand.
“My hand!” Dino moans and clutches his injured hand.
“Try that again and this is what will happen to you.” I threaten and crush the handgun in my hands. I drop the compressed ball of black metal on to his lap and lean closer to him.
“Your criminal life ends here. Do you understand, Dino? Start over, get a new life. Got it?” I say, inches from his angry face.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
“I’m giving you a second chance, Dino.” I turn and walk towards Beth, who waits by the open door.
I turn and glare back at him. “There won’t be a third.” I say before leaving.
Outside th
e building, Beth is jumping up and down with excitement.
“You were totally bad-ass!” Beth says and high-fives me.
“Who the hell is Vincent Farelli?” I ask.
“Oh, he’s Dino’s boss. Dino thought that if Vincent found out he had done some work for another family, he’d be a dead man.”
“So, why’d he do it then?”
“Money. Why else?”
“Come on, let’s go home.” I say.
“Hey, this hero business is kind of fun.” Beth says as we lift off and fly home.
Fifteen
The next day is Tuesday, a school day. I’m yawning by lunchtime.
I carry my tray to our usual table in the corner. Beth and the others are already there, so I slide in next to Mitchell.
“Hey guys.” I greet them with a yawn.
“So, you guys have gone public, huh?” Mitchell says and then shows me a video on his cell phone.
It’s from YouTube. It shows me and Beth in the restaurant in our costumes. Oh, I guess it must have been those kids I saw with their cell phones.
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