by Harley Stone
Great Uncle Carlo showed up with Nonna and a car full of fresh pastries, so Bones and I hurried out to help unload trays of homemade cannoli, frittole, and macaroons. Nonna kissed my cheek and popped a frittole in my mouth before offering one to Bones. Still warm from the oven, the Italian fried donuts filled with custard and sprinkled with sugar were the best part of the meal.
My brother, Dante, opened the door for us while talking on his phone. "Hold on a sec, babe," he said into the phone, then covered the mouthpiece with his hand as Nonna kissed his cheeks.
"Hey, Angel. Bones," Dante said, walking past us and resuming his phone conversation before we could respond.
Bones leaned over and muttered, "Look, even your little bro has a honey."
I flipped Bones off and followed Nonna into the kitchen.
***
After dinner, I tucked Georgio and Luciana in. They begged me for a story, so I read Where the Wild Things Are as my two favorite monsters piled on top of me and passed out. I carried Georgio to his own bed and headed back downstairs to say my good-byes and collect Bones.
Bones was in the middle of a game of horseshoes with Great Uncle Carlo and a few of my father's goons, cash piled high on the card table beside the horseshoe pit attesting to the seriousness of the game. I stood back and watched the men pitch horseshoes for a moment, ready to head home but not wanting to interrupt.
My parents joined me. Father pulled up a chair and sat, tugging Mamma onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him adoringly. A small pang of loneliness speared me, making me realize I wanted a relationship like that, with someone who knew all the messed-up shit I did but still looked at me like I hung the fucking moon.
"Wanna put some money on the game?" Father asked.
Who would I bet on? The man who was practically my brother, or my great uncle. "Never bet against family," I muttered.
Father chuckled, clapping me on the back. "I've taught you well."
I'd learned that lesson from him while he was standing over the mutilated body of one of his distant cousins who'd broken our Omertà, or code of silence, and flipped on the family. There's a Sicilian proverb Father likes to quote... "He who is deaf, blind, and silent will live a thousand years."
"What's going on with that phone deal you made with your buddy Johnny?" Father asked.
I tensed, wanting to discuss anything but the phone deal. It had been almost two weeks since the family had lifted a hundred and fifty unlocked new-gen cell phones. I'd been brought in on the deal because each of the phones came with a built-in tracking device. Removing them without giving away our location had been tricky and included a four-hour ride in the back of a box truck with a chip fryer. Father had asked me to recommend a buyer, and because I wanted to impress him with my contacts, I suggested my friend from high school, a loosely-connected fence by the name of Johnny Dominas.
Johnny had jumped at the offer to work with my family, but didn't have the money upfront. Father, feeling unusually gracious that day, gave him one week to sell the phones and come up with the dough. I'd made the drop and arranged a time and location for the payout. Everything was going as planned until Johnny didn't show. Even worse, he'd vacated his apartment and skipped out. Bones had all of his contacts searching for the weasel.
Since admitting I'd lost the fence would disappoint the old man, I said, "We're working on it."
Father's eyes narrowed. "Can you get my money or not?"
Father had four core values: family, respect, loyalty, money, usually in that order. Ripping him off affected all four, and he saw it as pissing on everything he held dear. I didn't want my friend to end up dead, so I was hoping to find him before my old man put a target on his head.
"Yes," I said with more confidence than I felt. "I'll find him."
Father frowned. "You never lose sight of someone who owes you. That's bad business, Angel."
His displeasure felt like a knife in my side. Especially since I knew he was right. I'd allowed myself to be suckered by friendship.
"Yessir."
"I never take my eyes off anyone." He watched me for a moment before reiterating, "Anyone."
"I know you don't."
"Well, apparently Johnny doesn't know a goddamn thing. Not only did your boy blow my money at the track, but he also has a good-sized marker there. Now he's hiding out, thinking I don't know where he is and what he's been up to."
My stomach sank. Johnny was the definition of stupid.
"Sounds like your friend needs a little motivation... a little reminder of why he needs to pay his debts. You know what you gotta do, Angel."
Mamma smiled encouragingly at me. She'd done the same thing when I was twelve and about to leave with Father to make my first hit and become a made man.
"Oh luce dei miei occhi," Light of my eyes - my mother's nickname for me. "Marianis must become lions because we live in a world of predators. We have to show strength and power so they do not think we're weak and try to attack us. Your father has worked very hard to bring us to the top of the food chain--to turn us into lions--and now you must be brave and strong enough to keep us there. Understand?"
"Have you ever popped someone?" I asked.
She smiled down at me and nodded. "The first time, you were a baby and one of our enemies came for you. He didn't care that you were only a few days old, he wanted to extinguish the family line. I sent him straight to hell where he belongs. We protect those we love." She bent and retrieved a small pistol holstered at her ankle, hidden beneath her dress pants. She held it in the air for me to see. "Sometimes this is the only way to do that."
Yes, I knew what I had to do. "Where is Johnny?" I asked.
Father patted me on the back. "Patience, Angel. I'll give you a call later this week."
"Yes sir. I'll wait for your call."
Bones was done with his game. Ready to go home, I waved him over.
"Luce dei miei occhi," Mamma said, stopping me to wrap me in a hug. "A friend wouldn't have put you in this position. Remember that."
Knowing she was right, I nodded and headed out.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Angel
WEDNESDAY MORNING, I got a call from the old man about a conference room I needed to bug. He'd been tipped off that a few of the city officials would be holding a meeting there and wanted full audio and visual installed. Since time was limited, I called in two of my team to help. They met me and Bones at the hotel, where we paid off Father's contact and got to work.
As soon as I finished and started the Hummer, Tech came over the screen. "The boss wants you at room ten-twenty-eight of the Ozone. Says your friend's all tied up and ready for his warning. Knock five times."
As we drove to the Ozone, I steeled my resolve. I'd trusted Johnny and he'd screwed me over. He deserved what was coming. Hell, he was lucky my old man was giving him another chance.
"All tied up, huh?" Bones chuckled. "Can't wait to see what that means."
I wasn't so sure I wanted to know, beings that Father could have a pretty twisted sense of humor.
When we reached the casino, we handed the Hummer over to a valet and headed in. Taking the elevator to room ten-twenty-eight, Bones gripped the gun under his coat while I knocked. The door swung open and Bones stepped in front of me.
"Room service," he said, drawing his gun as he entered.
Rustling noises came from the hotel room. I kept the door propped open with a foot, and my hand on the gun inside my jacket pocket, watching the hallway.
"Bring your ass in here, Angel. You gotta see this," Bones said, laughing.
A brunette wearing a slutty maid's costume and holding a feather duster welcomed me. Chewing on her bottom lip, she gave me a sultry smile and pointed to the bed where Johnny lie naked and tied--spread eagle--with fuzzy red ropes to the posts of a queen bed.
"He's been a very naughty boy," she said.
Johnny looked from the maid to Bones, to me, his eyes widening and his mouth hanging ope
n.
I thanked the maid for her help as I stepped past her and glared down at him.
He closed his mouth.
"My pleasure." The maid plucked a business card from between her breasts and handed it to me. "The name's Candice. If there's anything else I can do to help out the family, don't you hesitate to call me, sugar."
The color drained from Johnny's face. "You set me up."
Candace glanced over her shoulder at him and laughed. "Honey, you really thought I was doing this for you? Sorry, but you cannot afford me." She grabbed a trench coat from the coffee table and slid it on over her costume, stepped into a pair of pumps, and headed out the door, swinging her hips as she went.
Dreading the task ahead of me, I used a device finder to scan the room. A small camera was hidden in the smoke detector above the bed, aimed at the scene. Recognizing the design as one of my own, I left it where it was so my old man could keep an eye on me. If he wanted a show, I'd damn well give him one.
I picked up a discarded blanket from the floor and threw it over Johnny's nakedness, then I dragged a chair over and sat, facing the putz.
"Angel, I can explain," Johnny started.
I stared at him and shook my head. It was far too late for explanations.
"I'm working on a plan. I'll get the money. I promise."
"I warned you not to screw with my family."
Sweat beaded on Johnny's forehead. "They said it was a sure thing. An opportunity to double the money and prove I can be an earner. It was gonna get my foot in the door."
"A sure thing, huh?" I asked.
"Yes. I swear to you. I wouldn't have done it otherwise."
"You shouldn't have done it at all. That wasn't your goddamn money to gamble with."
Bones stepped closer to the bed. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck, loosening up. Johnny looked from me to Bones, and his eyes widened. He tried to scoot up, but his bonds held tight.
"I-I-I'm gonna make this shit right. N-n-no need to do anything crazy. You know I'll get the money. Y-y-you know I'm good for it," he stammered.
I shook my head, frowning at the dumb bastard. "If only it were that simple."
"W-w-we go back a long time, me and you, Angel. I-I-I'll fix this."
I chuckled, wondering if he thought I was stupid enough to buy his promises again. Wondering if he thought I had that kind of power. There was a fucking camera on us.
"I hope he lets you live long enough to do that, really, I do. But in the meanwhile, what about me? I have a boss to answer to. I vouched for you, and you left me hanging. How do you think that makes me look?"
Sweat rolled down the side of his face. "I-I-I--"
"It makes me look like a goddamn fool!" I spat.
"But I never--"
My gaze shifted to his face. The fear in Johnny's eyes made me sick. It made me hate him for being weak, and hate myself for becoming his boogeyman, but he needed to know the consequences of his actions. If Johnny didn't wise up, and come up with the money, he wouldn't last the week.
"They won't kill you," I said, keeping my tone level. "At least not right away. No... they'll make an example of you. They'll break you. They'll find what's the most important to you in the world, and then they'll take it away. Then, when you're already broken, that's when they'll come for you. That's what happens when you fuck with the family."
"But I didn't mean anything by it. You know I'll--"
Bones lunged forward, punching the bound idiot square in the jaw. "Enough excuses! Shut the fuck up!" Bouncing back, he shook the sting from his hand.
Johnny's eyes watered. He opened his jaw, as if to gauge the pain, and it made a clicking noise. His beak of a nose started to leak. He tried to wipe it on his shoulder only to wince at the pain of moving his jaw. I forced myself to watch every pathetic, pained move he made, knowing I'd inadvertently put him in this position. I never should have recommended him. I should have realized what an idiot he was.
Bones paced a few steps alongside the bed before stopping to point a finger in Johnny's face. "You're lucky to still be alive. And now you got Angel's ass on the line. So help me, if you don't pay--" Bones raised his fist, glaring daggers at Johnny.
Johnny paled even further, if possible. "I'll pay! I'll pay! I swear! Oh God, I swear."
"Now?" Bones asked. "You gonna pay right now?"
"Now? I don't have it right this minute."
Bones flexed, his hand still poised to strike.
"But soon. I'll get it soon. I swear!" He turned toward me. "Please, Angel."
My silence added tension to the room. We marinated in it as I let ice fill my veins. When I felt cold and detached enough, I leaned back in my chair, lowering my voice to the menacing tone I'd heard my father use when he played the part of the boogeyman.
"I gave you a fucking shot and you disappointed me, Johnny. I should cut your thieving hand off and bring it to my old man. That's what they used to do in the old days."
Johnny's bottom lip began to quiver.
"I'm not carrying your goddamn hand around. If it comes down to me hacking off your body parts, I'll take you out myself. You feel me?"
He nodded.
"Good. You can't hide from us. We'll find you wherever you go and we'll make you pay. Someone's gonna contact you and tell you how to pay, and so help me, you better damn well do it, Johnny."
He nodded again. "I will, Angel. I promise. Thank you for letting me go... for giving me another chance."
I laughed, sounding near maniacal. "Oh, I'm not letting you go yet."
"But I'll get you the money."
"Yep. And I'm gonna leave you with a reminder as to why it's important you do. Bones, will you please release Johnny's left hand. You're right-handed, right, Johnny?"
Johnny nodded again, his eyes wide with terror as Bones circled the bed and untied his left arm. It fell to the mattress, and then Johnny pulled it close, trying to hide it with his body. "What are you gonna do?" he asked.
Bones chuckled, and the sound made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
"Give me your hand," Bones said with a smirk.
Sometimes I worried that Bones enjoyed the work a little too much.
Johnny looked from his hand to me. "Two days. I can have the money in two days, max. Maybe sooner. Let me call my mom and she'll get me some--"
"Your hand, you damn mammone!" Bones shouted.
Mamma's boy. Bones's old man had split when he was young, and he'd spent his childhood providing for his mom and brothers. My friend had no tolerance for money-leeching mamma's boys.
Johnny's body began to shake. He slowly eased his hand toward Bones. Fear hovered over him like a storm cloud.
My stomach clenched. Johnny had been my friend once, but he'd taken advantage, bringing us to this point. It was his fault. He was the dumbass who gambled away my family's money, but I'd given him the opportunity. Never again.
Bones would do the deed for me; all I had to do was ask. But this was my mess to clean up, and I couldn't afford to show weakness or grace. Father wanted me to learn from this and I would. I stood and leaned against the bed.
"Hold him," I told Bones.
An objection formed on my friend's lips, but he knew better than to voice it. He held Johnny's wrist with both hands and waited.
I gripped Johnny's pinky finger. It felt so small and delicate, trembling in my hand.
"Angel, no. Just give me two days. Please." Johnny writhed on the bed, trying to get away. "I'll pay. You know I will."
I couldn't handle his begging anymore. I released his finger and picked up his discarded sock, stuffing it into his mouth. His eyes kept pleading, but they were easier to avoid than his mouth. I returned my attention to his pinky. Gripping it, I twisted hard. The bone cracked. Johnny screamed behind the sock, and the smell of urine filled the room. I gripped his next finger and did the same thing. Another scream.
I broke all four fingers on his left hand, then I stood and told Bones to release him. I
was so pissed at Johnny for putting me in this position that I wanted to break his entire hand.
"We're not friends, Johnny. Not anymore. No friend of mine would try to screw over my family."
Tears ran down his face. I didn't care. We left him like that, his feet and other hand still tied to that damn bed, lying in his own urine. He'd get free, or the maid would find him. Either way, Johnny would know there'd be no more leniency from my family.
And maybe, just maybe, fear would be enough to save his life.
CHAPTER NINE
Markie
"TURN AROUND; LOOK back inside," the attendant said.
When I did, she strapped a cable onto my back.
"Now face me."
She clipped another cable on my front.
"Put your hands on the rail." She pointed to the side.
I gripped the green railing, peeking over the side. Everything looked so different from up here, like miniature buildings, being swarmed by ants. I'd had my eye on the Ozone jump since I flew into Vegas, and now that Ariana was finally feeling well enough to come with me, I had to go through with it.
"I'm gonna do some checks now," the attendant said. Before I could respond, she shouted, "Lead's on?"
"Good!" someone inside shouted back.
"Back's on?"
"Good!"
"Clear!" Then to me, she said, "Now bring this hand to the left side."
She guided me through the movement until my arms were stretched from rail to rail with the platform and open air in front of me. The sight stole my breath away. Vegas, mountains, blue sky... it looked like a postcard.
"Hands at the end of the rails. Toes on the edge."
I scooted forward until I could see straight down. Eight hundred and twenty-nine feet of air, no parachute, no trampoline, just a bullseye on the ground.
"Here she comes! Three, two, one, go."
My feet refused to move.
The attendant gave me a little push to start me moving forward.
I could have resisted and changed my mind, but then I'd forfeit the money I'd paid and look like a big chicken. No way. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I had to take it. I leaned forward, stretched my arms out, and jumped.