Perhaps picking away at those scabs had distracted me from the time because I heard cars pulls up on the driveway, and when I looked through the windows, I realised it was time. It was time to go and get my son.
****
The level of noise rose in the living room, people started to move. Robert and the guys left the office. Mack pulled Taylor into his arms, whispered into her ear. Jonathan cupped Patricia’s face and gently kissed her. Robert walked over to me.
“Are you ready?” he said.
I nodded.
“Remember, you do exactly as I said, nothing more. If you don’t, so help me, Brooke, I’ll…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, instead he pulled me to his chest.
His heart was beating hard and his muscles were tense. I heard him grind his teeth. I’d never seen him so pumped before.
As I walked to the stairs, I passed Sam. He reached out and our hands brushed against each other’s.
“Please…”
“I will. I’ll be back soon,” I replied.
He hadn’t needed to finish his sentence; I knew what he was about to say. I looked over to Evelyn who had her hands to her mouth and gave her a small smile.
There were four cars on the drive. Richard had returned with one, Dan and Gary stood by the driver’s door of two and Travis took the fourth. I stood still, a little unsure where to go. I felt a hand on my back and a gentle push towards the one Gary was standing by.
“This one,” Mack said.
Before I climbed in, I watched each of them, excluding Robert, check a gun before holstering it. I slid across the rear seat and waited for Mack to join me.
“When we get him, you get back in this car immediately, okay?” he said.
“What’s going to happen? Why was Robert the only one without a gun?”
“Because they’ll frisk him. They’ll be expecting us to arrive armed, but we don’t need to give them another weapon. Brooke, they’ll be armed themselves. Now, put these on.”
He handed me a bag. I saw the hood of a dark sweatshirt and wondered why I needed to wear it. I didn’t question anything as I emptied the bag beside me.
“You know this isn’t the way Robert wanted it? He didn’t want you anywhere near this but it’s the only way we’re going to get Gerry. You’ve become their security. They believe Robert will comply to their demands if you’re involved. If you don’t do exactly as you’re told, things will turn very ugly, very quickly. Right now we believe we have control, they think they do. I know you’re strong willed but, on this occasion, don’t fuck about,” Mack said.
“Mack, I just want my son and to get the fuck out of there,” I replied. I didn’t need telling twice.
We drove towards the river and into an industrial area. It looked like it might have been a port many years ago. The road was unmade and we bumped along until we came to a derelict yard. Weeds had grown through the cracked concrete ground. There were a couple of metal shipping containers and a brick building with broken windows. Perhaps there had been a fire at one time; the walls were dark with soot. Surrounding the yard was a metal fence and an open gate. The car in front, which I assumed contained Robert, drove through and parked outside the building. We followed but stopped short. I looked through the rear window to notice we were the only two cars.
“Where has everyone gone?” I asked.
“They’re here. There are a lot of people here, Brooke.”
I scanned the yard. I couldn’t see anyone. Gary kept the car idling and I watched as Robert exited his car. Franco and Travis joined him.
“Why is Franco here?”
“He’s mediating for the moment. He’s a respected man. Expect someone to come to the side of our car, they won’t go to the front or rear.”
“Why not?”
“So we can’t run them over.” He spoke as if sitting in a yard with armed men was an everyday occurrence.
Four men left the building holding aloft revolvers. Robert, Travis and Franco raised their arms. I couldn’t hear what was being said but watched as the men kept their distance but circled the car. One looked over to where we were parked. I watched Gary raise his hands too. Robert, Franco and Travis turned towards their car and placed their hands on the door. As they were being patted down, a tap to one of our windows made me jump.
On the opposite side was a man pointing a gun at us. It was some sort of machine gun, the type of gun from the movies Gerry liked to watch.
“Stay calm, don’t make a sudden move and don’t scream,” Mack whispered.
“Hand on the seats,” I heard.
“Put your hands on the headrest in front of you, slowly,” Mack said.
I did as I was told. My heart was racing so hard I was finding it difficult to catch my breath. After being patted down, Robert, Travis and Franco were ushered into the building.
I silently prayed.
“Stop it. He can see your lips moving and he’ll want to know who you are talking to,” Mack whispered.
My legs had started to shake with fear. I bowed my head, willing the tears that had formed not to roll down my cheeks and closed my eyes.
A blast of air and the sound of my door being pulled open had me raising my head with alarm. An arm reached in and grabbed mine; I was pulled from the car.
“Stay calm,” I heard Mack say.
I stumbled as my feet hit the ground, and I angrily shook off his hold before looking up into his face. Carlo stared back at me with a sneer.
“Brooke, it’s so good to see you again,” he said. His Italian accent was heavier than I remembered. I didn’t reply.
“You, out,” he called over my shoulder.
I kept eye contact with him, refusing to show just how terrified I was. A car door opened and closed. A minute later, Mack joined me. The machine gun toting prick handed Carlo a revolver, and I assumed it was the revolver Mack had inside his jacket.
Gary was still sat in the driver’s seat of the idling car. Machine gun man shouted over to him.
“Keys.”
The engine died and a set of keys was thrown on the ground at Carlo’s feet.
“Carlo, you know what she’s here for. You know she’s not involved. You’re breaking the agreement,” Mack said.
“Fuck the agreement. She killed my father.”
“No, she didn’t. I killed your father.”
“She made it happen.”
“Do you know why your father was killed that day? I don’t think anyone ever told your mother, to protect you and your sister, of course. Your father arranged for children to be brought into the US. Do you want me to tell you what those children were used for, what abuse they suffered at the hands of men?” Mack replied.
“You’re a fucking liar!” Carlo shouted.
“Do you remember Kerry? You danced with her at my wedding,” I quietly said.
“Shut the fuck up,” Carlo replied.
“I took her with me that day. Your dad was there with two men, two Albanians. They took Kerry from me; one cut her throat because she fought back. Your father worked with those men.”
I could see the hand that held the gun start to shake very slightly.
“If you have a heart, if you love your family, let me get my son and go,” I whispered.
“That is not my decision to make.”
“You wanted to talk to me, or at least for me to know it was you who put a bomb in our hotel. You know you killed Sofia, don’t you? Sofia was like a grandmother to you and you killed her.”
“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’ll put a bullet in your son and I’ll make you watch,” he said. Spittle had formed at the corners of his mouth and he was breathing heavily through his nose.
“Then you will also be responsible for the death of your sister, your mother and every other family member you have. If you hurt my son, I will make it my life’s mission to hunt you and yours down. You see, kill my son and I have nothing to live for, I have nothing to lose.”
A breeze
had picked up. Warm air dried the tears on my cheeks and gently whipped my hair around my face. Dust was dragged from the ground and swirled around our feet. A thumping sound came from above, getting louder by the second. We all looked up to see a helicopter flying by. It was its closeness to the ground that had me worried. The wind picked up and the dust became a whirlwind around us.
“In the building, now!” Carlo shouted.
He grabbed my ponytail and dragged me behind him. I heard a noise, a noise I couldn’t quite place, and a swish as something flew past me at high speed. I heard a scream and watched as Carlo fell on one knee to the ground. He still had hold of my hair and he pulled me down with him. He struggled to get up and when he did, he limped the last few paces to the building’s door, dragging me behind.
Mack grabbed my arm as I found myself propelled through the door, landing on my knees in a room. I took a second to catch my breath before I heard a sound that caused every muscle to tense, every nerve ending to spark, my heart beat faster and adrenalin to flood my body.
“Mom!”
I sprung to my feet, instinctively following the sound. Gerry was struggling in the arms of Lucia. I made to run towards him just as Mack grabbed me from behind to stop me.
“Mrs. Stone, it’s good of you to join us.”
Until that point, I hadn’t looked around the room, my focus had been solely on Gerry. I slowly turned and wished to God I hadn’t.
The man from the photograph, Matteo, was sat in a chair, and the arrogance flowed from him. He held a huge cigar in one hand. Behind him were two men, both holding revolvers. Just off to the side was Robert, and it was what I saw there that I wished I hadn’t.
He was on his knees, a gun held to the back of his head. Travis was standing a little apart from the group, again with a gun held to his temple.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Matteo said.
Carlo limped towards his mother. The front of one leg was soaked with blood.
“This is not good, Roberto. You said you were not armed, you said you would not bring enforcement, yet that idiot has been shot,” Matteo said, waving the cigar in the direction of Carlo. “No matter, his use is over,” he added.
I watched as one of his men walked forward and grabbed Carlo by the hair, dragging him from the room. Gerry was struggling. Lucia had a hand over his mouth to stop him from screaming out. The hatred I had for her was becoming difficult to contain. It was bubbling through my veins. Lucia reached out to her son, the fear evident in her eyes. She looked from him to Matteo and I wanted to laugh. I wanted to tell her she was about to feel the same pain that I had been consumed by.
Lucia looked at me, her eyes were beseeching, and all I could do was smile bitterly at her.
“Now that is dealt with, shall we move on?” Matteo said. All eyes turned back to him.
“Brooke, you have a decision. A life for a life, my dear. Which one will it be? Which one pays for Luca?”
I stood silent for a moment, until what he had said dawned on me.
“No!” I screamed out. I took a step but the arms still wrapped tightly around me brought me to a halt again.
“Keep it together, there is a plan, keep it together,” I heard Mack whisper in my ear.
I struggled against him knowing full well I’d never break free from his grasp.
“Is this what you wanted? You know your husband was trafficking girls. He allowed Kerry to be taken and killed. You know what he was doing, right?” I screamed at Lucia. Her eye widened.
“You know your son killed Sofia, don’t you? Franco, tell her. Tell her where Sofia is right now.”
I was sobbing, Gerry was sobbing.
“Enough, Matteo. You know the decision, now let her take Gerry and get the fuck out of here,” Robert’s voice boomed.
“But we are having so much fun, Roberto,” Matteo replied.
“No,” I whispered. “God, no.”
Robert looked at me and gave me a small smile.
“Did I tell you today that I loved you?” he said.
A silence followed before I exploded.
“You want to marry that!” I spat as I looked at Lucia.
She had started to cry. “I’m sorry, this wasn’t meant to happen,” she said.
The door to the building opened, light flooded the dim room. A man shadowed by two others walked to the centre. He stood for a moment looking around, and then made his way over to Robert.
“Compare, why are you on your knees?” he said, his arms were widespread. His accent was so heavy I only just understood him.
He reached out a hand and beckoned Robert to stand. He embraced him, kissing both his cheeks, which I knew to be a sign of respect. The one holding the gun to Robert’s head took a step back, lowering it.
“You have shown me great disrespect, Matteo,” he said.
Matteo’s mouth hung wide.
“You have caused pain to my family,” he added.
“Your family? I didn’t know…”
“Enough, I didn’t ask you to speak.”
“You, you let that child go now,” he had addressed Lucia.
She complied immediately and Gerry ran into my arms. I collapsed to my knees and hugged him to my chest. He shook from head to toe.
“Please, I didn’t know…” I heard Lucia say.
The man held up one hand to silence her. Whoever the fuck he was, he commanded the room, clearly feared by all but Robert and Franco.
“Franco, my dear friend, please take the woman and child. They don’t need to see anymore.”
Franco walked towards me. “Wait,” I said. He turned to look at me.
“Thank you,” I said. My voice caught in my throat, my words sounded like a sob.
“I can assure you, these men, and her, will pay for the pain you have been put through. You will have no trouble from them again.”
“Rocco…” Matteo began.
“You do not address Mr. Sartorri by his given name,” Matteo was informed by one of the men standing to the side of me.
I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. It was my turn for my jaw to hang loose, for my eyes to widen in shock. Holy Fuck—the can of snakes!
“Move,” I heard Mack say, but I was rooted to the spot.
“Go now,” Robert said, noticing my hesitation.
I picked Gerry up and ran for the door and to the car. Gary held the rear door opened. I cradled Gerry’s head to my chest; I didn’t want him to see the bodies on the floor or the blood that had spread into the dirt. Nor did I want him to see the men standing by the side of a helicopter, machine guns slung over their shoulders. I threw Gerry across the backseat and climbed in. Mack followed. Before the door had fully closed, we were roaring away, leaving Franco to return to the building.
“Oh, my baby,” I said as I cradled Gerry to me. He hadn’t said a word.
The tears would not stop. The sickness had returned but not in fright, in relief. My body was on the verge of collapse. I just needed to make it through another few hours. Gary made a call; just three words were said.
“On our way.”
We were halfway home before Mack spoke.
“Not a word, Brooke. You cannot say a word.”
“I… Oh, God, Mack. She thinks he’s dead. How…?” I was totally lost of words.
“It was the only way. He’s the most powerful man you’ll ever meet. Probably the most dangerous too. You’ll never meet him again.”
“Franco knew. All this time, he knew. Oh, poor Ev.”
“There was a reason for it. Don’t destroy her, leave it be.”
I had kept Gerry’s head cradled to my chest. I’d covered his exposed ear and I hugged him fiercely. I look down at him. I couldn’t see his face but could feel his thumb in his mouth.
“Baby, talk to me. It’s okay now, you’re safe. Can you talk to me?”
He didn’t respond.
“Mack, I need a doctor immediately when we get home. I don’t care what you say to them, but
please, sort it for me.”
He nodded. I laid my face on my baby’s head and watched as the tears I couldn’t stop soaked into his hair. My body shook with the sobs I could no longer contain. I cried out.
****
The gates to the house were open when we approached. Evelyn, Taylor, Patricia and Susie were standing just beyond them. They ran, following the car as we roared up the drive. I waited for the car door to be opened and slid my legs out, carrying Gerry in my arms. I ran for the house and straight to his bedroom. I kicked the door shut behind me; I didn’t want the room filled with people. I laid Gerry on the bed, and he immediately curled into a foetal position. I sat beside him.
“You’re home, baby. You’re home,” I said gently, stroking his head, comforting him.
His eyes moved to look at me and I noticed he was biting his lower lip, blood had crusted where he had bitten so hard. A single tear leaked from his eye and rolled down his cheek.
“Let it out, Gerry,” I whispered.
He opened his mouth and screamed and screamed and screamed.
I sat beside him, gathered him into my arms and let him scream until he lost his voice.
The bedroom door gently opened and I looked over to see Harley. I was about to ask him to leave, to let Gerry settle but the look on both boy’s faces stopped me speaking. They stared at each other, and I felt Gerry gently nod his head. Harley climbed on the bed and lay facing him. They didn’t speak at all and after a minute or two Gerry’s breathing had deepened. He fell asleep. Whether he was exhausted from lack of sleep, or whether he was shutting down, I wasn’t sure. In times of stress in the past, he would often sleep a lot, his way of coping, I guessed.
Harley went to move and as he did, Gerry reached out and gripped his arm. He hadn’t woken but seemed aware his ‘brother’ was about to leave. I stood and whipped off the sweatshirt, undid the Kevlar vest I’d been made to wear underneath and threw them to the floor.
****
I replayed the events of the past couple of days in my mind as the minutes passed by. I wasn’t sure how to move forwards, how to help Gerry get over the trauma he must be going through. If he would speak, I’d have an understanding, but his silence worried me. I hoped Mack had done as I asked. There was no way I, or Robert, were capable of helping Gerry through this. We needed outside help.
Fallen Angel, Part 4 - A Mafia Romance: Fallen Angel Series Page 13