“I know,” DeeDee said softly.
“When Al and I got together, he assured me he was done with all of that life. That he’d never again carry a gun. That we’d just live a regular existence like other folks. No drama. No Mafia. Then this happens. And I know it’s not his fault. Which makes me feel so guilty.”
Her face crumpled. “I know he didn’t want this to happen, didn’t expect it. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is happening, and it’s connected with his past. I don’t want to be horrible about it, but I just feel so worried about him all the time, and worried about me, and about you and Jake, too. This is a mess, and it just shouldn’t be happening.”
DeeDee nodded. “That sounds like a lot of mixed feelings.”
“Yes. I suppose it does, but I do have mixed feeling, just like you said.” She let out a little sob. “I shouldn’t have left my ring out there. I don’t mean I want to break up with Al. l love him so much, more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. But this is all just too much right now. And I can’t help blaming him, even if it is a little unfair. Is it unfair? I don’t even know anymore.”
“I certainly don’t have the answers,” DeeDee said. “I think he’s a good man, and he’s trying to deal with this situation in the best way he can for both of you. That doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to your feelings, though. I can see why you’re angry and confused and have just had enough. It’s a pretty big load for one person to bear.”
“Yes,” Cassie said. Then she looked down at her hands. “But it’s not just me, is it? It’s him, you, Jake and me. We can all do this together.”
DeeDee smiled. “You bet. In fact, we are doing this together. Our meeting with Betty didn’t get us that far, but it was a good start. We were very brave, the two of us.”
Cassie chuckled. “We were, weren’t we?”
“Absolutely!” DeeDee said. “And I’m sure Al won’t need the vest or the gun, really. It’s just to make him feel safer.”
Cassie frowned. “I’m fine with the vest, just not the gun… Maybe Benny could go with him and carry the gun instead?”
“Good idea,” said DeeDee. “I’ll bet Al would welcome that suggestion.”
CHAPTER 15
Al was actually relieved at the suggestion Cassie made to have Benny carry the gun for him. He’d carried a gun occasionally since his days in the mob, but it still made him feel uncomfortable. At some point he’d even vowed never to carry one again. But that was before this situation had developed.
The next morning, he put his bulletproof vest on underneath his clothes, and felt glad for the protection. He was probably being overly paranoid. He hoped he was, but anything to make him and Cassie feel safer was more than welcome.
Cassie and DeeDee decided to head down to the spa for the morning. They were also planning on going to a charity event that Hope was hosting that evening. They left the penthouse talking about massage treatments and wraps and facials. Jake wanted to see more of Chicago, so he took off with his phone set to Maps.
Benny and Al took a taxi to Porky’s gym. It was well known in the mob that in addition to his real estate projects in Florida, he had a chain of gyms, with the largest being in Chicago. Benny had also let Al know that Porky had come to town to check up on it. He didn’t trust people to do things properly for him, because of the number of times he’d been burned in the past.
Al decided not to go in with the mob angle and instead play it cool. He and Benny walked into the shining, modern gym, and went over to the sleek reception desk. “Hi there,” he said. “I wanna’ join.”
“Great,” the beautiful hard-body receptionist said with a huge smile. She took out a clipboard with a form on it and slid it across the desk.
“Thanks,” Al said. “I got a few questions before I join. I wanna’ talk to the manager.”
The receptionist looked up at him. “Anything I can help you with?”
Al thought quickly. “It’s kinda’ sensitive information. The manager is best.”
The receptionist paused for a moment, looking at him a little warily. “Okay,” she said. She pressed a button on her phone, and said, “I have two gentlemen who want to see you.” She gestured towards the waiting area, and Benny and Al sat down.
Before long the manager came in the room and stepped over to where they were sitting. He was a very pale man with a tall skinny stature, wearing a tracksuit. “I’m Killian Mathers,” he said. “Manager of Porky’s Gym. How can I help?”
“Hi there,” Al said, getting up and giving him a handshake. “Nice meetin’ ya’. Is Donald Richards still the owner of this place?”
“Yes.” Killian gave them a wary look which made Al certain he was well informed about Porky’s Mafia connections. “Do you want to speak to him?”
“Yeah,” Al said. “It’d be great to catch up.” The truth was, they hadn’t exactly been friends, but then they hadn’t been enemies, either. They’d just moved in the same circles.
“He’s usually around the gym somewhere when he’s here,” Killian said, leading the way through to the back. “You’re lucky you caught him. He’s rarely here. Usually he’s in Florida.”
“Yeah,” said Al, “I heard he’s doin’ miracles in real estate down there.”
Killian nodded. “He’s a very successful man.”
Benny was uncharacteristically quiet, which suited Al very well. Usually Benny would have launched into long stories about the old days in the Mafia, and Al was exceptionally glad he’d neglected to do so this time. The last thing they needed was for their trip to be cut short.
They walked down a long, wide, brightly-lit corridor with a shining tiled floor that looked more suited to a hotel than a gym, and finally came to a large set of glass double doors. Through these, they saw a very large workout area, with treadmills, cross-trainers, a weights area, and all other kinds of fitness machines. There were numerous people working out. The business was obviously doing well.
Killian pushed the door open. “There he is,” he said, nodding to the large figure in the weights area, lifting a barbell with huge weights stacked on either end. There was a beautiful female trainer, with a svelte figure and a long dark ponytail swishing down her back cheering him on. Porky pushed his arms into the air, locking his elbows, so the barbell was right above his head. He strained, his face, turning red, then purple, as the trainer counted down from ten to one.
“Zero!” she said, and Porky dropped the weight.
“Impressive, huh?” Killian said.
“Yeah, very,” Al said.
The trainer then leaned forward and kissed Porky on the lips.
Al laughed. “Are all the trainers that friendly, or jes’ with the boss?”
“I should be so lucky! No, that’s Mr. Richard’s girlfriend, Chelsea. Well, actually, fiancée, I guess I should say. He proposed last night.”
Porky, feeling them looking at him, stared back at them. His eyes widened and he waved at Al, though he looked more surprised than happy to see him. “Killian, come over here,” he said.
Killian jogged over, spoke with Porky for a moment, then jogged back. “He says to meet him at the juice bar in five minutes.”
“Sure,” Al said. “Where is it?”
“Back through the corridor, second door on the left. I’ll take you there, if you’d prefer.”
“Nah, that’s fine,” Al said. “We got it. Sounds easy enough.”
“Great,” said Killian. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Al shook his hand. “Nope. Ya’ been real helpful.”
Al and Benny went back through the glass doors and set off down the corridor.
“Juice bar,” Benny scoffed. “A bar without alcohol isn’t fit to carry the name, if you ask me.”
Al elbowed Benny in the belly. “Well, it’s clear ya’ ain’t used to any customs of the gym. This is probably the first time ya’ ever set foot in one.”
“You’re not exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger
yourself,” Benny said, then sniffed.
“True,” Al said. “But that’s ‘cuz of Cassie’s cookin’. Benny, you shoulda’ been at my funeral. The food was great. The pizza had one of them creamy white sauces on it. Man, oh, man it was good,” He elbowed him again. “But ya’ didn’t come to my funeral. That’s low, Benny. Real low.”
“And I won’t be going to the real one unless it’s somewhere interesting,” Benny said. “Go retire to your place in the Caymans, or some other exotic location, and I’ll be the chief mourner. Otherwise I won’t bother.”
“Charmin’,” Al said, then pointed to a sign on a door that read “Juice Bar” and grinned. “Look, yer’ favorite place.”
Benny rolled his eyes as they went in. “These millennials.”
Al laughed out loud. “Porky ain’t no millennial and neither is Killian.”
“No, but you can bet this was a millennial’s idea. We’ll be drinking a kale and avocado smoothie in a moment, I can assure you. Well, maybe you will be, but I’m not touching any of that muck, Al.”
“I know the word ‘healthy’ sounds like a disgustin’ disease to ya’, Benny. Don’t worry, ain’t forcin’ ya’ through the torture of fruit and vegetables, ya’ know, healthy things.”
Benny’s eyes flicked toward his ankle, where he had his gun strapped on under his wide leg trousers. “Good,” he said. “A smart man wouldn’t dare.”
Even though it was intended as a joke, it brought Al back to the seriousness of the moment. The juice bar didn’t have individual tables, but instead had sleek long white tables that ran almost the entire length of the room, with chairs on either side.
Al slid into one and gestured for Benny to sit next to him. “Better if yer’ at the side,” he said. “That way Porky can be opposite, and we can talk properly.” He lowered his voice. “Ya’ think he had a good reason to kill Shirley?”
“Of course!” Benny said, far too loudly. “She tried to kill him!”
“Keep yer’ voice down! Course I know that, but it was a pretty long time ago, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, but still.”
“What about me? Why would he wanna’ take me out?”
“People have their reasons, Al. Maybe you messed around with him back in the day.”
“I never did nuthin’ like that.”
“But maybe he sees it that way. Or someone double-crossed him and blamed it on you. Maybe he got some false info. You know how it is. I don’t have to school you.”
“Yeah,” Al said. Too many thoughts were bunching up in his head and confusing him. He stood up. “Whad’ya wanna’ drink?”
“Strong coffee with four sugars, full fat cream, and a generous dash of whiskey,” Benny said. “You know my style already.”
Al chuckled. “Ain’t gonna’ happen here.”
He scanned the board behind the counter, and there was no coffee on it. The only hot drink they had was green tea, and Al couldn’t stand the stuff. He knew Benny would go nuts if Al brought him back a cup of it, so. he grabbed two bottles of sparkling water and got two glasses.
“You’ll hafta’ make do with this,” he said, placing them down in front of Benny.
“Tasteless,” Benny said, screwing up his nose. He was about to launch into a long rant, but he was cut short by Porky’s entrance into the room.
“Al! Benny!” Porky said. He wiped his face with a black towel, then slipped into the chair opposite them. He shook hands with both of them. Though he smiled, the look in his eyes was guarded.
“Hi, Porky,” Al said. “Good to see ya’.”
Porky was direct. “What’s this about? I hope it ain’t no Mafia stuff. I’m out of the game. So far out of the game I’m not in the stands, not in the stadium, not even in a ten mile radius. When I say out, I mean out.”
“Good to hear,” Al said. “Me too. Or I’m tryin’ to be.”
“Heard you had a funeral,” Porky said, then snorted. “Maybe I should do the same. But I have to come back and check on this gym from time to time. So, what is this all about?”
“Long story,” Al said. “Short version is there’s a hit out on me. Think it might be connected to Shirley’s murder. Whad’ya think?”
“How should I know?”
“Well… ya’ was so involved with Shirley, and ya’ was kind of in on all that went on,” Al said. “Thought ya’ might have some info.”
“I don’t think so,” Porky said.
“You’d have a great motive to kill Shirley,” Benny said directly.
Porky drew up his lip in disgust. “Don’t be ridiculous. I was at her funeral. You think that would have been a good move if I killed her?”
“Actually, yes,” Benny said. “A great cover.”
Porky was getting purple in the face, like he’d been when he was lifting weights.
“I ain’t accusin’ you,” Al said.
“Only a bitter twisted man could have done such a thing,” Porky said. “And that’s not me. I’m engaged to a hot young gym trainer in the prime of her life. You think that’s the kind of man who goes around murdering exes from years ago?”
“Congrats on that,” Al said. “Heard ya’ got engaged jes’ last night.”
Porky beamed. “Yes. Thank you. The women in Florida all turned out to be gold diggers, or the ones I met, anyways. Nothing against Florida. I make great money there. I certainly never expected to find a good girl here in Chicago. Real wife material. But Chelsea came in for an interview a couple of years ago, and I decided to take the interview because I wasn’t happy with the hiring process. They kept hiring gorgeous stupid people. But Chelsea is exceptionally intelligent. That’s the kind of woman I need.”
“Know what ya’ mean,” Al said. “I’m married now to a lady called Cassie. She’s wonderful. And she ain’t affiliated.”
“Good for us,” Porky said. “No more dangerous Mafia women. Shirley was very close to killing me. I won’t lie, it played on me for a long time. The love she showed seemed to be so genuine. But it was all fake, of course. I spent a lot of time wishing it had been real. I even struggled to be angry with her at times, as if she’d never tried to kill me at all. That’s why I went to her funeral. I loved her, in spite of all of it.”
“You’re crazy,” Benny said. “No wonder you were a target for her. You’re too soft hearted.”
“Did you just come here to insult me? As it happens, a lot of people loved Shirley. How do you even know she wanted to kill all those people? It was orders from higher-ups. She’d have probably been killed herself if she hadn’t done it. Maybe that’s what happened this time.”
“Got any ideas who mighta’ done it?”
“No,” Porky said. “I was scanning the faces at the funeral, but didn’t get the sense the murderer was there. Of course, a lot of familiar faces were missing, what with the undercover feds sniffing around.”
Al chuckled. “They know Mafia funerals are prime pickin’s for their Most Wanted lists. Probably were a coupla of ‘em at mine too. Not that I was there to see ‘em.”
“Yeah,” Porky said. Chelsea had just walked in and waved at them. He looked distracted, and clearly wanted to go over to her. “Is that all?”
Al was frustrated – no progress whatsoever. But he had nothing else to ask. “Yeah. Thanks fer your time, Porky. All the best with your weddin’.”
CHAPTER 16
“We’re going to have to get some new flashy dresses,” Cassie said as she looked herself up and down in the mirrored wall of the hotel elevator as she and DeeDee descended to the ground floor. “I’m sick of seeing myself in this.”
“Really?” Dee said. “I’m still pretty enamored by mine.” She made a little twirl in her dress, feeling quite silly and playful. “Though I’d never say no to more glamor. Normally I’d never wear anything like this.”
“I used to dress up when I was younger,” Cassie said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve worn something so outlandish, although I can’t deny noticing we’ve turn
ed a lot of heads.”
DeeDee ran her hand along her smooth updo. “I know. I could get used to this!”
“Jake and Al better watch out,” Cassie said with a laugh. “We might just get snapped up!”
DeeDee gave her a playful slap on the shoulder. “Get out of here.”
“Perhaps I’ll find a handsome guy, say an investment banker, to whisk me away. One who’s never been in the mob.”
All of a sudden DeeDee was serious. “You’re not serious, are you, Cassie?”
Just then the elevator doors opened and they walked out. Everyone stared as they paraded through the lobby.
Cassie sighed. “Of course not. I love Al more than anything. I’m just still dreaming of a life where guns and bulletproof vests aren’t involved. Just my way of venting, I guess. But no, I would never leave Al. He’s the first person who I can say has truly loved me on the deepest level. A level I didn’t know was possible.”
DeeDee felt tears spring to her eyes. “I feel the same about Jake.” She quickly wiped her tears away. “Oh, look at me, being all silly.” She thrust her head up high. “We’re supposed to be power women, socialites attending an upper-class charity event.”
“Thank goodness it’s not affiliated with the mob, that’s all I’ve got to say,” Cassie said. “If I hear the word Mafia one more time, I think I might just lose it.”
DeeDee laughed. “Oh dear. Seems like I’m going to have to hold you back from pounding someone’s face in. I can just imagine you with your party dress, getting ready to savage someone.”
Cassie smirked. “You’re laughing about it, but I’m afraid it’s probably closer to the truth than you may realize!”
“Ooh!” DeeDee said. “I didn’t know you had such a fierce side, Cassie! Maybe you should have been the one in the Mafia. Oops. I said the word. Don’t start pounding on me in front of all these people.”
Cassie gave her a swipe with her purse, trying to look angry but laughing at the same time. “Don’t you dare even start.”
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