Dirty Assets

by Rumer Raines

  “Adele, NEVER threaten to go the police. EVER. As far as Garth, it’s as good as done,” he says and I can’t believe how cold his tone is.

  I turn my back to him and grab my cell phone. I head to the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I need to get out and he isn’t going to let me leave willingly. I look through my contacts and pull up Frank’s information. I hit the call button and after two rings he answers.

  “Hello?” Frank answers.

  “It’s Adele. I need your help.” I ask as I start to cry.

  Frank listens to me cry and complain for almost ten minutes. He doesn’t say much and I can tell I put him in a bad position. He tells me that he’ll send someone to pick me up and I apologize to him for bringing him into the mess that is my life. Before I hang up Alex starts knocking on the bathroom door. I tell Frank to send someone quickly and hang up on him.

  “Adele, you can’t stay in there all night!” Alex yells and I decide to be a grown up and to leave the bathroom. I open the door and refuse to make eye contact with him as I brush past him. I walk into the bedroom and grab my back pack and go back into the living room and fall onto the couch. Alex follows me and sets in the chair next to the couch.

  “What are you doing Adele?” he asks and I ignore him.

  “Okay. I guess this is what they call the silent treatment? I am not used to any woman doing this to me, so I guess you’ll be the first,” he chuckles and I still ignore him.

  We sit for twenty minutes and I continue with the silent treatment. Alex doesn’t budge and sits next to me staring at me as if that will get me to talk.

  “Is this going to go on all night, Adele?” Alex sighs and I can now hear the anger in his voice.

  “No. I won’t be here all night” I tell him.

  “Where do you think you’re going exactly?” he practically spits out.

  “Frank is sending someone for me.” I look over at him and give him a phony smile.

  “You called Frank?” he asks as he sits up in the chair.

  “Yes,” I tell him as I meet his angry eyes.

  Alex

  I can’t believe that she called Frank. I stand up grabbing my phone and I head into my bedroom. I dial Frank’s number hoping he hasn’t set anything in motion.

  “Hello,” Frank answers on the first ring.

  “We need to talk,” I tell him and I hear him sigh and I can hear him scuffling around.

  “Alex. I told you NOT to touch her, didn’t I? All you had to do was be nice, stop harassing her, and not fire her.” He is practically scolding me, at which, I roll my eyes since I am a grown ass man.

  “Frankie... I am handling shit on this end. Just take care of your business in New York. How are Lola’s parents?” I ask trying to calm the situation.

  Frank laughs and I can practically see him tilting his head back and counting to ten before continuing.

  “Don’t fuck with me, Alex. I am sending someone to pick Adele up. She, apparently, doesn’t feel safe staying with a someone in the mob. Especially, not one who I threatening to commit murder,” Frank says and I close my eyes and look at the ceiling. I thought I could trust her, but apparently, I can’t. Now I must wonder who else she’ll tell. Maybe she isn’t even over her husband, maybe she wants to go back to him. I shake my head and look towards the bedroom door. Fuck that. There is no way she is going back to him. If he hit her once, he’ll do it again. Chances are if she ran, he had done It several other times. I am not letting her slip through my fingers. She’s mine and I’ll make sure she knows it.

  “Anyone that comes to this house to take her will be shot,” I warn Frank and he starts to laugh.

  “We’ll see about that, Alex.” he says as he hangs up.

  Adele is still sitting on the couch with her arms folded and holding her backpack. She is obviously waiting to be rescued from me, too. I will not let her go. If anyone knocks on that door, I’ll pull out the gun that I keep hidden and I’ll shoot them. I already warned Frank. If he’s smart, he’ll caution whoever he sends before they come. I sit across from her and I stare at her. She stares into space, determined not to look at me. One hour later, Adele is startled when there is a knock on the door. I reach under the sofa and pull out my gun. I tuck the gun into the back of my pants. Adele’s eyes widen when she sees me and I walk to the door to find out who the hell my victim will be.

  Thomas is standing at the door. I can’t believe he would come or that Frank would send him. Thomas’ eyebrows lift when he sees me and he starts to shake his head.

  “I guess you warmed up to the new girl, huh?” Thomas asks and I roll my eyes at him.

  “Thomas, if you’re here to pick her up, you’re wasting your time. I am not letting her leave with you. I already told Frank that I would shoot the person that came to get her,” I inform Thomas and he starts to laugh and I narrow my eyes at him.

  “What the hell are you laughing at, I am not being funny. I am dead serious,” I advise him.

  “I know you are, Alex. I’m not here to pick her up. I am here with the person picking her up and I would really love to see you shoot her,” he chuckles as he turns to watch someone approach the doorway.

  Within seconds, I am eye to eye with my mother and she gives me a big smile.

  “Hello, Alex,” she says and I turn to glare at Thomas.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I grit out from behind clenched teeth.

  “Don’t use that language in front of me, Alex!” My mother scolds me and I look between her and Thomas.

  “What are you doing here, Ma?” I want to know, still narrowing my eyes at Thomas.

  “Frankie called asking me if I could use the company. I have been lonely since Alexis moved out, so I told him Adele could stay with me,” Ma explains as I run my hand through my hair.

  “Oh, hell, no. Her staying with you won’t be safe for either of you,” I say while Ma rolls her eyes at me.

  “She will be perfectly safe. I can’t get into my house without being questioned. Besides, he sent Thomas to make sure we’re not followed. Now, where is she?” Ma demands as she walks past me into the house.

  “Hello, Adele. I’m Frank, Alexis, and Alex’s mother. You’ll be coming home with me where you’ll be safe. I have plenty of security and Thomas will be driving us home and he’s a pro at not being followed.”

  Adele looks between the three of us and I can see she is not certain. I am not certain about any of this shit either. I do have to admit, Frank outsmarted me. He sent the one person I can’t threaten, to take Adele.

  Ten minutes later, I am watching Thomas leave with Ma and Adele. I grab a beer and start to pace in front of the sofa. For the first time ever, I am lost. Adele made her choice. She could have decided to stay, but she didn’t, so I should move on. I grab my keys and go to the club. I head upstairs to the office and Oliver is sitting at the desk like he owns the place. He looks up at me and smirks.

  “I thought you were taking time off to take care of Adele?” Oliver asks as I pace the office.

  “I thought I was. I am done with her, Oliver,” I tell him and he puts his hand on his chin waiting for me to continue.

  “I tried being nice to her. I tried to protect her and be the man that everyone thinks I should be. It bit me in the ass and I don’t care what happens to her. If her husband finds her, so be it.” I grunt at him. I stop pacing when I hear him chuckling. “What the hell are you laughing at?” I growl as I turn to him.

  “You are full of shit. This is the first decent girl that you let yourself be exposed to. Normally you’re into skanks that are after your money or the drugs you can offer them. Adele is this beautiful, innocent girl that needed your help. You helped her, spent time with her and started to care about her. I am not sure what happened tonight, but you care about what happens to her. That’s the part that is pissing you off,” Oliver says as he leans back in the chair.

  “I told her too much, Oliver. I told her and she went into panic mode and called Frank. He s
ent Ma to pick her up,” I tell him as I sit across from him.

  “What exactly did you tell her?” he asks.

  “She knows we’re Mafia. She also knows that her husband is a dead man walking,” I answer and Oliver shakes his head at me.

  “Why in the hell would you tell her that, Alex? What if she goes to the cops? If anything does happen to him, she’s a liability,” Oliver yells and I realize how I fucked up with Adele.

  Adele

  I am not staying at the Deluca family home. Thomas takes me to a condo that is right outside the city. It’s a beautiful two-bedroom condo and Nick meets me at the door. I give him a hug and he steps outside to talk to Thomas. I toss my backpack on the sofa and notice the condo is open so you can see every room from the door. Nick steps back inside and looks at me with a sad look on his face.

  “I’m sorry, Adele,” he says and I nod my head.

  “Not your fault. How long do I have to stay here?” I ask.

  “At least until Frank comes back in a week,” Nick answers.

  “Will you be taking me to work?” I ask and he closes his eyes and shakes his head.

  “You’re done with the club, Adele,” Nick informs me and I gasp in disbelief. I need that job!

  “Wait... did Alex fire me for leaving? I need that job, Nick. I need to make money so I can get out of Chicago.”

  “Alex didn’t fire you, Adele. Frank did.” My heart sinks and I fight back my tears.

  After a few days, I start to feel like I am on house arrest. We don’t leave the condo and Nick spends most of his time on the phone with his girlfriend while watching me sit on the couch. I am not sure how much daytime television one person can take, but I feel like I am at my limit. I need to get out of here and feel the breeze on my face. My days are a routine of wake up, shower, and sit on the couch. Nick notices me going stir crazy and ask if I want to play a card game. Is he serious? I don’t want to play a card game, I want to leave the condo so I can see another people. The only people I have seen in days are the ones on TV. I ask Nick if we can go out and he refuses.

  “How long have we been stuck in here, Nick? A week? Frank should be back by now!” I yell at Nick as he sits next to me watching TV.

  “It’s only been three days, Adele,” he patiently says and I clasp my aching head in my hands.

  “I think I would rather call Garth to tell him to pick me up, than to sit in here another day,” I complain to Nick and see his eyes widen.

  “Are you serious? Is it that bad being stuck in here with me?” he wants to know. I hasten to reassure him.

  “Nick, it is not you, but I haven’t been out in three days. This is worse than house arrest. Can we please go somewhere?” I plead with him.

  Nick and I finally leave the condo. He doesn’t take me into the city, but we do go to a movie and to a steakhouse afterward. Nick chose the movie, which is some action type movie that I don’t have much interest in. I have enough action in my own life. The last thing I need to watch is a story about someone on the run. I look over at Nick and he is into the movie and stuffing popcorn into his mouth. I think back to the movie night I had with Alex. It felt so good to lie in his arms. I wish I was with him right now. The movie finally ends and we go to a steakhouse. I ask Nick about his girlfriend and he gets quiet. I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about his personal life, but I ask anyway.

  “What’s her name?” I ask him as I wait for our food to arrive.

  “I really don’t like talking about my personal life,” Nick sidesteps the question as he grabs a piece of bread.

  “Oh, come on. My life sucks so at least tell me the juicy stuff in yours,” I coax him.

  “No,” he says.

  “Okay. What does she do?” I ask and his eyes widen as he looks at me.

  “For a living! What kind of work does she do, Nick.” I clarify my prior question.

  “She owns a store at the mall,” Nick responds and his hand, holding the bread, stops midway to his mouth as his answer lingers in the air between us.

  “She owns a store at the mall? Wait a minute...” I narrow my eyes at him as the waiter sets down our plates in front of us. I can tell Nick is relieved at the interruption.

  Once the waiter leaves, Nick practically knocks the table over when he jumps up from his seat.

  “I’ll be right back, I need to run to the restroom.” He walks quickly away from the table and I watch as he wipes his forehead while heading to the bathroom.

  A few seconds after he’s gone, his cell phone rings. I look at the restroom door and the ringing phone wondering if I should answer it. I pick up the phone and it shows the caller’s name…Alexis.

  I drop the phone back on the table and look up to see Nick heading back to the table.

  “Is she pretty?” I ask while Nick is cutting his steak.

  “She’s beautiful,” he states as he eats his steak.

  “What does she look like?” I ask as I narrow my eyes at him.

  “Adele…,” he starts.

  “I just want to know what you’re into. Blonds? I can see you with a blond,” I tell him and he narrows his eyes at me.

  “She isn’t blond. She has long, dark, beautiful hair,” he reveals and I notice his eyes darken, thinking about her.

  “Alexis called while you were gone. You don’t think Frank and Alex would like you two dating?” I throw the question out there because all we have is time.

  Nick stops chewing and looks between his phone and me.

  “Alexis and I are complicated. There is shit she doesn’t know about her family or me. Things that no one wants her to find out including me.”

  “She doesn’t know they are Mafia?” I ask and he glances around the restaurant making me wonder if said that too loud.

  “She doesn’t. What makes you think they are Mafia?”

  “Alex told me,” I tell him and Nick chuckles.

  “That guy will get everyone killed one day,” he says and I realize that I am no longer hungry.

  “Does Alex and Frank know you're involved with her?” I continue to pry as he pays the check.

  “No, and I would really appreciate it if it stayed that way,” Nick warns and I nod my head letting him know his secret is safe with me.

  I have been on house arrest for one month. I know Frank is back, but he hasn’t bothered to check on me. I ask Nick about it and he just says they are looking for Garth and once he is found we can resume life. Nick and I leave the condo twice a week now. Normally it’s a movie and dinner and then back to our little prison. While Nick is in the shower, I go check my phone for any messages or to see if I had any missed calls. I have nothing and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little hurt. I thought that Alex would at least call to check on me. It’s been a month and he hasn’t tried to reach me at all. I am so desperate, I even look at my missed calls and nothing. I decide to go to bed early and I cry myself to sleep. I miss Alex.

  Alex

  I rub my forehead listening to Frank at another one of his damn meetings. I have no interest in anything that he is saying. I look over at Oliver and he is hunched over with his arms on his knees. Oliver looks over at me with raised eyebrows.

  “Alex!” I hear Frank yelling my name and I turn back to look at him.

  “What? I snarl back at him.

  “Will you please pay attention? I am not talking to hear my own voice.”

  “I am paying attention. I am sorry for not sitting on the edge of my seat for this shit.”

  “I asked you a question. If you were paying attention, would you mind answering it?” Frank tilts his head back and asks.

  I let out a sigh and run my hand through my hair again. “Please repeat the question.” I request.

  “Are drugs being run through the bar?” Frank ask me and I look back over at Oliver.

  “Why in the hell would you ask me that?” I question Frank and I am pissed that this has somehow gotten to him. The truth is we don’t sell drugs at the bar. There are dealer
s in the area surrounding the club, if they want to continue it, they give me a cut. No cut and they are out of business. They drop off my cut at the bar and from time to time I may test their supply. They do not, under any circumstances, sell at the club. I also make it known to them they aren’t to sell to kids either.

  “I used to be a cop. I have seen some familiar faces in the club that I know to be dealers,” Frank explains as he looks between me and Oliver.

  “Drugs aren’t being sold at the club, Frankie. I wouldn’t allow that shit,” I reassure him and it’s the truth.

  A few hours later, I am standing behind the bar mixing drinks. It’s a busy night and we are down one waitress. I never thought we needed her to begin with, but now I can feel her absence. The customers have even requested her and I can hear the other girls tell them that she no longer works here. I can feel the disappointment that I see in some of their faces.

  At the end of the night, I help Teddy clean up and I notice that Angie is hanging around instead of leaving. She walks up to me and smiles. She asks if I want to grab a drink and hang out. I look at her and she is the last person I want tonight. Despite my better judgment, I tell her yes. A few hours later I am on my couch and Angie is sitting on me, unbuttoning my shirt. She is kissing my neck and grinding against me. I must wonder if she even notices that I am not one bit hard for her. I have one person on my mind and it’s a girl with dark hair and eyes. She has a smart-ass mouth and is very feisty. The girl I want decided that she wanted nothing to do with me and I haven’t heard from her in over one month. I need to get my mind off that girl and focus on the one determined to get me hard.

  I look over at the clock and see that it’s almost two thirty in the morning. Angie pulls back and looks at me.

  “You don’t seem to be into this, Alex. Am I doing something wrong?” Angie asks.

  I sigh and sit up putting her on the couch and off me. “I guess I am just tired, Angie. How about I call a cab for you?” I ask as I grab my phone.

  “You want me to leave?” Angie asks in annoyance.