“How? How is it going to be okay?”
“First, why don’t you tell me who is searching for you?” Carlo says.
I’ve been avoiding telling everyone because I didn’t want to put them at risk, but maybe keeping it a secret is putting them in just as much danger?
“Rich took me in as a foster kid when I was twelve. I was in a group home for a few years before that and moved from foster home to foster home before that. I was in the system for so long that I don’t even remember anything about my parents. My caseworker said they were druggies. Anyways, everything seemed okay with Rich, at first. I had an older foster sister, June, who sometimes acted strange. I’d see bruises on her and sometimes she would be gone and I didn't know where she went. One day, she didn’t come back. Then, things changed for me once my body changed. He’s a monster. He did things to me that are worse than your worst nightmare. My caseworker just looked the other way and ignored it. For a few years, I was by myself, and I thought I would die. Then one day, Ari came. She made everything better. He still hurt me, but she was so sweet. She gave me something to look forward to. She was someone to protect. He never hurt her and when he started hurting me so bad, I thought I‘d die, I ran away. I promised Ari I’d come back for her as soon as I could, knowing that he is a sicko who wouldn’t touch her until she started to become a woman. Next thing I know, I was living on the streets in an alley and that’s where Marcella found me. My panic was so bad at first. I was afraid of everything, and almost everything would send me into a panic attack. She got me to trust her, gave me a job, taught me some basic skills to deal with the panic. Then, I got Ari, and here I am.”
I can see the pissed off look in Carlo’s eyes.
“Come here, honey,” Angie pulls me into a hug.
“I’m sorry for lying to you.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Angie asks in a soothing way with no hints of judgment.
“He knows the police, half of the force would be over for poker night. Plus he threatened me. Said he’d kill me and go right for Ari. One thing I learned is, he doesn’t mess around with his threats.”
“Who’s this Rich guy? I’ll kill him,” Carlo says with a menacing tone.
“It’s not that simple. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure Daws would’ve done it already. He’s Senator Richard McLeary.” I give him a second and wait for that to sink in.
“Shit,” Angie says and receives a look from Carlo because she swore.
“So, now you know. What do you think we should do? Run?”
“Not yet. I know somewhere we can go right now while I figure out our next move.” He said our next move. I’m not alone anymore. I look at these faces, and at the same time Gino and Ari come down the stairs, so I look at their faces too. I realize that for the first time I have a family and I really don't want to run.
“You did the right thing by calling me, bud,” Carlo says to Gino as he runs his hand through Gino’s hair.
The front door opens blowing in a ton of cold air and Jenny rushes in, “It’s colder than a witch's titty out there.”
She looks around at us and my swollen puffy eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Kid,s why don’t you go back upstairs for a few minutes?” Angie says.
Ari and Gino groan and reluctantly make their way back up the stairs. Jenny takes her coat and gloves off, throws them on the side of the couch and sits down.
I’m a wreck, but for the first time I’m feeling like a have a real support system. No longer do I want to keep it from Jenny. It was freeing when I told Daws, and now I feel like even more weight has been lifted. At the same time of feeling one burden starting to lift, news of Daws being what? Held prisoner? Kidnapped? Hurt? Is crushing in on me.
So, I tell Jenny the same story I just told Angie and Carlo. She holds my hand. “You’re not running. We’re going to figure this shit out together,” Jenny says giving me reassurance and wiping the tears from her own eyes.
“That’s not even the worst of it,” I say tears streaming down my face again. “I mean, that’s horrible, but Daws and Jules are being held by some guys. On top of everything, I’m so scared for them.”
Jenny’s face pales and she looks at Carlo. “Carlo, is Jules alive?”
Carlo doesn’t pick up on the sudden change in mood from Jenny, but I sure do. I thought I’ve seen her giving him looks, but could never be certain if something was happening there.
“I don’t know. I only know Jules was there because Dray was freaking out. I saw Daws, but barely.”
Jenny’s voice becomes raised, on the verge of hysteria, “You need to find out about Jules. Who has him? Get me a gun.”
“What the hell, sis? I’m not getting you a gun.”
“Then I’ll get one myself,” she says standing up and grabbing her coat.
Carlo grabs her coat from her, but she doesn't let it go. They are in a game of Tug of War. Carlo isn’t giving in and Jenny’s stubbornness isn’t letting go any time soon.
I place my hand on her arm, and try to talk some sense into her, “Mickey didn’t answer my call, but maybe you can find out some info from him. Or maybe, you can call Maura and see if she can find anything out for us. I already went to the clubhouse, and they told me they were on lock-down and wouldn’t let me in.”
She settles and let’s go of her coat. “Okay maybe you’re right.” She fishes her cell phone out of her purse and calls Mickey. He doesn’t answer and she leaves a message. Then she dials Maura next. “Hey it’s me...Not so good…I just heard Daws and Jules were grabbed…” I can hear shouts from Maura’s end, but I don’t really know what’s being said.
“Can you see what you can find out and call us back? Aubrey is really freaking out.” They disconnect the call agreeing that they will call each other right back... I don’t mind that she only said me, even though it’s clear to everyone in this room that she is equally freaked out. She might not be admitting it, but I if I were a gambler, I’d put money on something happening there.
I’m so lost in my thoughts about Jules and Jenny that I don't even realize that much time has passed when her phone is ringing again.
“Maura, I’m putting you on speaker. My mom, Carlo and Aubrey are in the room,” she says and sets her phone down on the coffee table in front of her.
“Hi everyone,” Maura says, “Okay, I couldn't get a hold of my dad either, but I talked to Skaggs. Wait a minute, he’s calling in on the other line.” She clicks over and we all watch each other in silence. The minute she is gone feels like forever.
She clicks back over and instead of talking with us she is talking to someone else, “Corbin!” she hollers, “we gotta go home.”
“What’s going on?” a man’s voice responds.
Maura finally starts to talk to us. “Sorry guys. Okay, so my dad says that they got the boys and are heading back. Someone’s hurt, he wasn’t sure who. Shit’s bad. I’m coming home.”
“Who’s hurt Maura?” the guy I’m assuming is Corbin, asks.
“I don't know. Listen guys, Dad was in the car. It sounded like the boys just got our guys back and they’re heading to the hospital. Go! Call me as soon as you know anything!”
Oh my god. What if Daws is hurt? I want to go to him. I need to keep Ari safe. What am I going to do? I have to take care of my girl, but I love Daws so much. What if he’s hurt? It could be him. It could be Jules. I don’t want it to be either, but I really don’t want it to be Daws.
So what should I do? I need to know if he is okay, but if I go there and he is fine and I put Ari and myself in more danger, then what? Or worse, what if he’s hurt and I bring the monster on my tail straight to him and he is unable to defend himself? I need to protect him.
Jenny gets up from the couch and begins stuffing her arms into her jacket, “Well, let’s go.” I can tell she is scared, but her brave mask, the one I have worn so well it’s starting to get holes in it, is telling a different story; a story that she’s strong. I wish I had her strength.
<
br /> “I can’t go,” I say sheepishly.
“You’re right. You can’t,” Carlo says agreeing with me.
“What do you mean you can’t go?” Jenny asks angrily, “Your man is on his way to the hospital and he could be hurt. How are you not rushing by his side? What the fuck? I’m sorry. I love you, but this just doesn’t seem right. I don't think you’re thinking clearly.”
“I don’t expect you to understand, but I have to make sure Ari’s safe. Daws would want that. Please call me and tell me how he is as soon as you know. But right now, I have to take care of my girl and make sure she’s okay.” I holler up the stairs for Ari to come down. I too begin getting ready, slipping on my boots, and grabbing my leather, the one Daws gave me to keep me warm, and shrugging that on too.
“I think it’s the wrong move Aubrey,” Jenny says, “but you do what you gotta do. I’m going to the hospital.”
“It’s the right move,” Carlo says, “If Daws knew there was a chance you’ve been found out, he would flip his shit.”
“Where are you taking them?” Jenny asks.
“Going to see Carmine,” he says.
Jenny sucks in a breath at the mention of Carmine, “Are you sure?”
“It’s the right thing. It’s what I gotta do,” he says. I’m not sure really who Carmine is, I think he’s Carlo’s boss but the way that this conversation is playing out, I’m just not sure. Maybe I should just grab Ari and run? I’m so sick of running.
“It’s the right thing for who?” Jenny asks.
Carlo gives his sister a glare, but doesn’t respond to her question.
“Ari honey, time to go!” I holler up the stairs.
Angie has been quiet for a while observing everything, “Why don’t you leave Ari with me? I’ll call Marcus and Vito to stay with us. The boys will watch out for us and make sure nothing happens, and that way you can come up with a game plan. We can drive through the mountains and visit my cousin. Well, she’s actually my cousin’s first wife. Her name is Betsy and not a ton of people know we’re related, since we’re technically only by marriage, so it would be a good place for us to hang out.
What she is suggesting makes sense. Maybe until I know what we’re up against keeping Ari with her and her sons would be better?
“That’s actually a sound plan, Ma,” Carlo says.
Gino and Ari come back down again. I bend lowering myself close to Ari, “Change of plans. You’re going to hang out with Angie and Gino.”
“Are….Are you sure?” She looks around the room at everyone, and I see a fear in her eyes, a fear I’m certain I put there.
“Yes. I’m not leaving you, okay? You’re just going with them while we figure this out.”
“Promise?” she says, her voice seems small and timid. Gino rubs her shoulder trying to will confidence into her.
“Pinky swear,” I say sticking my pinky out waiting for her to swear it. Our fingers link and I can only hope that I am making the right decisions.
*
We drive through Little Italy to a part of town I haven't seen yet. Amongst all of these small houses is a large home that is gated. It looks out of place. It could be the guard out front, or it could be the place’s sheer size. Heck, even the pillars and the fountain scream extravagance. This place just doesn’t fit.
We park in a long driveway that has a turnabout around a large, somewhat tacky fountain. This house screams Tony Soprano in an over the top way. There is snow on the grass but the driveway is completely void of it and the fountain also looks like someone was meticulous in making sure it remained snow free.
We walk up large marbled steps with huge pillars on each side of it. Right before we reach the massive front door, it swings open. Two men step out, both wearing dark tailored suits. One of the men looks closer to Carlo’s age, maybe mid-twenties, and the other man is significantly older. His hair is slicked back, a mix of salt and pepper covering bald spots.
“Antonio. Carmine,” Carlo says acknowledging the men giving them a pat on the back and a kiss on the cheek. I’m not used to seeing men show this type of affection. It seems like more of a show of respect than anything else.
“I’m just heading out. You going to be around later?” Antonio asks Carlo.
“I think so. I’ll text you,” Carlo responds. The men give each other a chin lift and Antonio is off. Carmine is staring at me in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable. His eyes, remind me of another man’s evil eyes. He’s looking at me intently, like if I were a tough piece of meat he would chew me up and spit me out.
“Come, let’s go inside,” Carmine says.
We follow him into the home and hang up our coats. This place screams opulence. In the foyer, a gold chandelier hangs overhead, its impressive, maybe eight feet wide. The walls are a dark blue until about halfway where a chair-rail separates it. The bottom half is red with some type of finish to it that has a gold shimmer. The red walls move up the staircases that are both on my left and on my right. You can look upstairs and see many closed doors. If I had to guess, I would say that there are at least five bedrooms up there. We walk through a living room that looks anything but lived in. The sofas look like the most uncomfortable things to sit on, not to mention they scream expensive. We follow through to the dining room that has a large dining room table. It’s a dark wood with over ten chairs and plenty of room for more. Despite the richness of the room, the air is filled with a lingering scent of cigar smoke, making it feel more like an old man’s parlor rather than the magnificent room that it is.
“I’m just sitting down for lunch Carlo. Why don't you and your friend join me.?” Carmine says this but it comes off more as a demand than a question. I keep looking to Carlo for the reassurance that this was the right place for us to be. It feels like instead of running away from the lion’s mouth, we’ve walked right into his den. We sit down at the table and he squeezes my hand under the table.
“We need to talk,” Carlo says.
Carmine waves his hand, “Now is a time to eat. We need to talk. We’ll talk. But now, we eat. You like Italian young lady?” his voice softens a tad and I drop my defenses just a little.
A woman comes in wearing one of those old fashioned maid costumes with the black short dress and the mini half apron. I do a double-take looking at Carlo like ‘this is bazaar’. She sets down a water glass in front of each of us. She walks to the other side of the room where a long credenza bar lines a wall. There are several glass decanters filled with a dark liquid.
“Scotch or bourbon?” she asks.
“Scotch, neat,” Carmine says
“Rocks, splash of ginger,” Carlo instructs. The woman looks to me to see if I want something and I give a quick shake of my head.
Minutes later, garlic bread and a cheese ravioli with a red sauce is brought out to the table. “Please enjoy. Maria is an amazing cook. These raviolis were pressed this morning.” Carmine says then takes several bites. I’m not particularly hungry. This doesn’t feel like the time to eat. I have places I would much rather be, like by Daws’ side, but maybe this man can help me, so I take a bite and then another. He’s right it’s very good and rivals any Italian dish. I’m grateful for the powerful garlic scent that is overpowering that distasteful cigar smell.
“Young lady, what’s your name?” his voice is smooth with a crispness at the end of each word, enunciating. It feels deliberate. Everything feels deliberate.
“I’m Aubrey.”
“Aubrey. nice to meet you. You can call me Carmine.” It feels late for the introductions seeing as we have already broken bread.
“Carmine, thank you for the lovely lunch.”
“It’s not often Carlo brings someone here. Especially not someone as pretty as you.”
He means this as a compliment but that overall feeling of him being creepy is back full force.
I plaster a fake smile and stare down at my food.
We continue to eat. Carlo and Carmine make small talk about football. The
woman who served us comes in to clear our plates. “Will you be having dessert?” she asks not making eye contact.
“Not today,” Carmine says patting her hand. “Would you mind showing Aubrey to the sitting room? Carlo and I are going to have a word in the study.”
“Of course,” she says and stands to the side of my chair waiting for me to follow. The maid opens pocket doors that blended so well into the wall that I didn’t notice they were there. I follow her through another large room that looks like it could hold a small banquet. It’s empty of chairs and tables accept for a few card tables pushed against the back wall. A bar sits along one wall, and I notice it’s only carpeted right around that. The rest is a shiny hardwood. I imagine, on a weekend, many people find themselves dancing and enjoying themselves in this room.
I continue to follow her through another door and into a room with rich brown leather couches. A large TV is on one wall along with a bunch of Sports Illustrated magazines strewn over a well-crafted coffee table. This looks more like a room that men would lounge in and be comfortable rather than the stuffy sitting room I envisioned. The maid clicks on the remote and the television comes to life. She exits the room.
My nerves are everywhere. I don’t feel much like watching television or being in this house. I’m on edge. I send a text to Jenny asking if she has heard anything. I wish I could will her to immediately text back. I click the off button on the remote, the noise is just making me more anxious. I stand up and walk around looking at the books on the shelves. It’s lined with history book after history book. Titles on the sides of books show names like Stalin, Hitler and Napoleon. There are books like “The Art of War” to books about why we lost Vietnam and Iraq. All of the books look well read making me believe that Carmine sees himself as someone of importance who should know how to win wars.
Time passes. It feels like I’ve been in here for forever. I have to use the restroom and don’t see one off of this room. I leave the room the way I came but I don’t see any of the staff to ask where one might find a bathroom.
I make my way back towards the dining room but the pocket doors from earlier are closed and I can’t seem to find them. I’m sure they are here, just well blended within the decor. There is another more grand entrance into the room, so I exit through that. As I leave the ballroom, I find a bathroom on the left. It has multiple stalls and I can only assume that this restroom was put here specifically for whatever affairs they have in the ballroom. I use the restroom, dry my hands, and walk back into the hallway.
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