It took Hazel a while to process what she had just seen, but eventually, she did. She hadn't seen the meeting take place on her laptop because she couldn't have. It took place in the only room she didn't think to bug. Antonio met Mr. Black in Phillip Orwell's office.
It all made sense now. When Don Martino implied Mr. Black was in the cartel meeting, he did not mean the latter was there physically. It would have been easy to run a hidden camera from the meeting room to Philip's office. Her skin began to crawl.
Hazel pressed her face against one of her soft pillows. She could not bring herself to believe the father of her unborn child was one of the most wanted criminals in the United States. Philip Orwell was Mr. Black. She screamed into the pillow.
Chapter 4
"We need to talk."
Antonio glanced at Martino who was sitting on his bed. The only time his father ever said those words was when he wanted to discuss something unpleasant.
"What's the problem?" Antonio asked. He was in his father's room in their mansion located at the heart of Greenville. He had just delivered Philip's plans for the new shipment to his father. It was nearly midnight, and he was still trying to decide whether to go to his room or go back to Hazel's.
"This girl you've been seeing, Hazel Coleman?" Martino said.
"Yes. Yes, that's her name."
"You've never told me about the girls you date, ever. So, when you mentioned her to me tonight, I immediately reached out to Simone."
"Don't tell me you've been looking her up. To what end, dad?"
"I had my reasons. Simone got back to me a few minutes ago. She played you, son. She's not who you think she is."
"What do you mean?" Antonio's heart was racing. His father was not one to make light of such issues. Something was definitely wrong.
"Simone began with her records."
"And what did he find?"
"They all checked out. She was clean. Perhaps, too clean, especially for a woman who would end up working in a bar. She had the kind of clean records that would come as perks for working for an influential government agency."
Antonio laughed. "Don't tell me you suspect her because she has a clean past."
Martino shook his head. "No. There's more. I had Simone speak to our informants. You know, the ones who saw Rico with the Feds? They claim a woman perfectly matching this girl's description was one of the Feds they spotted. In fact, it would seem she led the group."
Antonio backed away from the bed, almost tripping over his own feet. It was all coming together now. Her sudden interest in him. The questions she kept asking about his family. She had been pumping him for information all along.
"Are you okay, son?" Martino asked with a worried frown on his face.
"Yes, I am. I'm just a little confused is all."
Martino sighed. "Don't be confused. You know what to do. We have no idea how much she already knows. Your family needs you, Antonio. I need you."
Antonio's heart sank. "What would you have me do?"
His heart beat even faster as his dad said, "We have no choice but to silence her, for good. I want you to visit her tonight, son. And I want her dead before dawn."
"Are you okay? You don't look too good," Antonio said when he walked into Hazel's living room. Her face looked disturbed, and he could see the faint traces of dried up tears under her eyes.
"Yes, of course, I am," she said, flashing him a smile he could clearly see was false. "Have a seat while I go make you that martini."
"If you say so," he said and took a seat on one of the couches. She walked away and out of sight.
Antonio exhaled. He reached behind his shirt and felt the butt of his 9mm pistol. This was his chance. It was late, so no one had seen him come in. All he had to do was walk straight to the kitchen and put two bullets in her back.
Hazel was not like the others whose lives he spared. If he let her go, she would be the end of him and his family. She had betrayed and used him. Made a fool of him. Made him tell her things he would rather have kept to himself while she laughed inwardly and planned his downfall. She had to die. His hand tightened on the butt of the gun.
"Two glasses of a martini made with vodka coming up." Her voice seemed to be coming closer. She must have finished earlier than he expected and was on her way to the living room. He braced himself. This was it. A bullet to the forehead would end all this for good.
Hazel appeared in the living room holding a tray of drinks. At the sight of her face, Antonio felt something snap deep within him. He was filled with a sudden sadness and longing. His hand slipped off his gun and came back into the open, empty. He could not do it. He could not kill the woman he was falling in love with.
"I have to leave."
"Why?" She dropped the tray on a couch.
"Something else came up. I'm sorry." He rose from his seat and made for the front door as fast as he could. Gripping the handle tightly, he opened the door.
"Wait!" Hazel screamed behind him.
Antonio turned. She was staring at him, the tears falling off her eyes now without restriction.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Hazel said, "There's something you need to know."
They were seated on the same couch, staring into each other's eyes when Hazel finished her story.
Antonio said, "You just outed yourself to a suspect while working undercover. Why?"
She sighed. "I don't know. There's something about you, Antonio. You're different. I knew it the moment I saw you spare Rico's life."
"I'm not," he said. "I'm just a man who doesn't like senseless murders."
"And that makes you different," she stated.
Antonio shook his head. Hazel noticed a faraway look behind his green eyes. "You remember the orphanage manager I told you about? The one who used to hurt me. Mr. Webster, we called him back then."
"Yes, I do."
He continued. "After adopting me, Martino brought me to his home in Greenville. One night, he called me away from a game of dice I was playing with little Nico and took me for a ride in his car. We stopped at the Southside bridge in the middle of the night.
"Martino opened the boot of his car, and I saw a terrified, tied up, and gagged Mr. Webster. My father brought him out to stand before us. Then he handed me a gun and asked me to shoot Mr. Webster as payback for all the maltreatment, and to prove myself worthy of being a Fabrizzi. I had never held a gun in my life, much less shot one, but I was consumed by hate and terrified to lose my new family. So, I shot him, repeatedly. I shot him until he fell over the bridge and into the water.
"So, you see, Hazel. I'm no saint," he concluded.
Hazel froze. She could not bring herself to speak. Antonio looked so vulnerable to her now. When she looked at him, she did not see a cold-blooded gangster. All she saw was a young boy desperate for love and acceptance. Used and abused by a bloodthirsty father, but still growing up to have a more compassionate heart than he had any right to have.
"All the more reasons you don't deserve to go down with him," she said. "I can save you, Antonio. Please let me save you."
"What do you mean?"
"I bugged the bar. I saw you come out of Philip's office, so I know he's Mr. Black. I still haven't told my superiors. Run away with me. Once we are safely out of Illinois, I can tip off the FBI about my findings. They'll round up the cartel in no time, but you would have been safely away."
He stared at her. "If you already know Mr. Black's identity, why haven't you reported your findings?"
Hazel's gaze dropped to her knees. "Philip wouldn't hire me unless I slept with him. So, I did. And it resulted in a baby. I guess I was a bit reluctant to send the father of my unborn child to jail."
He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I guess we've both broken rules tonight. My father knows you're a Fed. He wants you dead, and I came here to kill you. I just couldn't bring myself to do it."
Hazel's eyes widened. "We need to leave. We need to leave now!"
Antonio seemed con
fused. He said, "I know we do, but it's fine, he won't do anything until I report back to him."
"All the more reason for us to leave now. You've been away for way too long. There's every chance he might come looking for you," she said rising from her seat.
He rose. "You're right. Do you need anything?"
"No," she said. "But we are taking my car."
In two minutes, they were out of her apartment, and she was driving them through the dark streets of Greenville. The streets were empty that night, so it didn't take long for them to reach the exit of the city.
They were on the outskirts of Greenville when he finally spoke to her. He was sitting beside her on the front seat.
"So, what are you gonna do about your unborn baby?" he said.
She glanced at him. "To be honest, I'm not so sure. This wasn't supposed to happen, so I think it would be better for everyone if I abort."
He sighed. "I know this is your decision to make, but before you make a final decision, I want you to ask yourself a question. Do you love your baby?"
Hazel tittered although his words made her uneasy. "What does that even mean? I... I hardly know... "
"Don't over think it," he interrupted. "Just wait until this whole shit blows over, then ask yourself if you love your baby or not."
She smiled. "You really are a weirdo," she said. "Who would have..."
She could not complete the sentence. Antonio shouted all of a sudden, and in the same instant, a bright light bathed the interior of her car. She turned to her left just in time to see the black jeep slam into the side of her car.
The ringing in her ears made it difficult for her to think properly. Her vision, although blurry, was clear enough to see the wreckage that was her car. The bumper of the car was crushed in by a large tree. Blood dripped from a cut on her forehead.
Her head throbbed painfully, but she was able to look around. The car was no longer on the road but in the bush. The most alarming fact was Antonio was no longer by her side. She couldn't see him at all. Did the force of the crash throw him out of the car?
She kicked open the car door and stumbled out into the open. The jeep that hit her car was parked on the road, empty. Its bright headlights illuminated the area. Four men were walking in her direction. She recognized Don Martino accompanied by his brother Simone and two other men she had never seen before. They all had glowing golden eyes. Martino pulled out a gun and pointed it at her.
"Hold it right there, bitch," he said.
Hazel took a regretful glance at her car. Her weapon was still in her glove compartment. She glanced back to look at the men strolling towards her. Then she spun and dashed towards the woods. She heard the gunshots, but none of the bullets touched her. She was sure one would any second. The cover of the thick bushes was still meters ahead, and she was an easy target at the moment. There was no way she could make it there on time.
Something large and dark appeared beside her. Still in full sprint, Hazel turned her head to see a large panther, black as night, running to her side.
"Antonio," she said. It growled in reply. Then it brushed its side repeatedly against her thighs. Not stopping to think of what would happen if her interpretation was wrong, she swung her arms around the animal's neck and flung her leg over its back. The second she was balanced on its back, the panther appeared to double its pace, even with her added weight.
The gunshots were coming from further away now. In a matter of seconds, the two were deep in the thick woods. Once they were out of harm's way, the panther stopped dead in its tracks. Confused, Hazel got off his back to look down at him. The moonlight was bright enough for her to see clearly. What she saw caused her heart to sink. They were dead meat.
"Your limb," she said, staring at its bleeding left forelimb. It was twisted in an odd direction. She asked, "Did you break your arm in the crash?"
She wasn't certain, but the panther seemed to nod its head in reply. Hazel grimaced. She could only imagine the level of pain he had to endure to get her to safety. No doubt, the effort must have aggravated the injury.
"Lovebirds!"
Hazel's heart skipped a beat. That was Martino's voice. And it didn't sound far off.
"We have you surrounded. I can see the trail of blood you left. I'll be damned if your traitorous asses could have made it more than a few meters," he said.
Hazel took a worried glance at Antonio. His green panther's eyes were alert as could be. She said, "The woods is a big place. We have to wait it out until they give up and leave or go further into the woods."
They crouched low behind the bushes and listened to the men walking around in circles. A few minutes later, Martino's voice rang out once more.
He said, "I wish I could stand here and talk about how hurt I am that you sold us out for a piece of ass. I wish I could say how much you betrayed my love for you. But I can't. And you know why? I can't say those things because they'd be lies."
He continued. "You see, I'm not surprised you turned out like this. You are a pussy, Antonio. Always have, always will be. I never loved you. Hell no! Neither did Nico. We tolerated you though. Somehow, you were so hungry for affection, you mistook that tolerance for love."
"The reason, I came for you at the orphanage is not because I wanted another son. The cops were clamping hard on my werebears, so I needed someone, something faster, more agile, less conspicuous in the dark. I needed a tool, so when I heard about you in the orphanage, I just couldn't miss out. Werepanthers are rare around these parts, you know?"
Hazel could almost hear the panther’s breathing getting faster. Its body looked tensed and rigid. She whispered, "Don't listen to him, Antonio. He doesn't deserve the satisfaction of your anger. I need you to stay calm."
But Martino was not finished. "I didn't have you kill the guy at the orphanage because of what he did to you. The bastard had been keeping tabs on you after you left. He threatened to out me to the government because of the help you rendered in trafficking drugs. The dumb fuck actually gave a damn about you and died for it. Funny how it was you who pulled the trigger, ain't it?"
Before Hazel could mutter a word, Antonio had dashed past her towards the direction of the voice.
"Damn it!" she cursed and ran after him.
Despite the injury to its limb, the panther was a lot faster than her and was soon out of sight. She quickened her pace in an effort to meet up. That was when she heard the shot. It resonated throughout the woods and was followed by loud roars. Shouts could be heard from the other three cartel members scattered around.
Hazel resumed her sprint, terrified of what lay ahead of her. When she finally reached Antonio, she witnessed a scene she never believed she could see a few weeks ago. The panther, still very much alive, albeit bleeding heavily, was engaged in a savage battle with the largest bear Hazel had ever seen.
Despite its natural ferocity, the panther's wound was working against it, giving the bear the upper hand. Hazel heard noises behind her. From the sound of it, the other men were only a few meters away. They would be on top of them any second. Something on the ground caught Hazel's eyes. It was a 9mm pistol, smoking at the barrel. She guessed Martino must have misfired before the panther pounced on him and knocked it out of his hand.
The two battling animals were oblivious to her presence as she picked up the gun. The three men came into the scene almost simultaneously, albeit from different directions. Taking a deep breath, Hazel let her FBI academy training kick in. She raised the gun and took aim all in a split second.
Simone took the first bullet. It struck him in the head, and he crumbled to the ground. The other two men did not stand a chance. She put a bullet in each of them before they could even raise their hands. They both dropped dead.
She spun around to aim at Martino the bear, but the only thing she saw was a massive paw swinging towards her. It struck her arm hard, causing the gun to fall out of her grasp as her body slammed against the ground.
The bear was almost on top of her now
, saliva dripping from its mouth. It looked like it was about to pounce, but suddenly, it let out a loud roar of pain. The panther had its teeth sunk into the bear's right leg.
As the bear lashed at the intruding panther, Hazel reached for the gun which had fallen a few inches away from her. It noticed this and tried to claw at her. But Hazel was too fast. She grabbed the pistol, spun her arms around and pulled the trigger. The bullet carved a hole in the bear's head. It dropped to the ground in front of her, lifeless.
Hazel rose to her feet. Her legs wobbled slightly. The panther stood staring down at the dead bear. Even though she could not fully understand it, there was no denying the sadness in its growls.
Chapter 5
Antonio watched the horse's munch happily on the new set of hay he brought in for them. Every one of the five horses had a stall filled with fresh hay. He stood there, looking at them like he always did from time to time ever since he began working as a field hand a year ago.
"That is one sexy shirt," a familiar voice said behind him.
Antonio turned. She stood before him wearing a blue top and black jeans. On her face was the same smile she had, the last time he saw her at the airport a year ago.
"Hazel, I… I thought I'll never see you again," he said. He spread out his arms, and she ran into it.
She said, "well, faking your death in the car crash meant I had to stay away from you for at least a year. Here I am. How has life in Kentucky been?"
He replied, "It's a nice change. Very peaceful. Come meet the horses."
Hazel sat with Antonio on a small bench in the stable. They had been taking for almost an hour since she arrived.
"Why is that stall empty," she asked, pointing to the only stall without a horse.
"It's newly built and unused. The stable is expecting a new arrival this week," he replied. Then he turned to her, "Has Nico been good?"
"Yes. He, Phillip, and their associates are going to be locked away for the rest of their lives."
The Baby Shift- Illinois Page 3