by Tony Farraj
“Why would Michael want him dead?” Agent Shepherd asked.
“Shouldn’t you be asking Michael?” Anthony replied.
“I’m asking you.” Agent Shepherd glared at Anthony with his deep blue eyes.
“I told you, I have no idea. Ask Michael.”
“I’m going to ask you again; why would Michael want Chris dead?” Agent Shepherd persisted.
“Listen to me; I don’t know the answers to your stupid questions.” Anthony was getting irritated with agent Shepherd.
“He’s lying!” Detective William moved in closer to Anthony. “If anyone knows why Michael killed Chris, it’s you.”
“Fuck you!”
“What did you just say?” Detective William insisted.
“You heard him.” Vinnie took several steps closer to Anthony.
“Why don’t you stay out of it?” Detective William had to be restrained by his long time partner.
“Why don’t you come over here and make me?” Vinnie began to unbutton his jacket.
The tension in that little room was building quickly and agent Shepherd knew it, if he didn’t take control, things would get out of hand quickly. “Everyone calm down. Anthony, we’ll be in touch.”
“This it’s over.” Detective William added. All four men turned in unison and walked to the front door.
Vinnie followed close behind, when they all left, he slammed the door behind them and let out a long sigh. “Holy shit, for a second there I thought we where going to have a gun battle in your fucken living room!”
Anthony leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. He thought about Chris and how they first met. How he introduced him to Mr. Mazellie and how he stabbed him in the back in front of Carlo. Anthony also had a good idea why Michael killed Chris, but he had to talk to Frankie just to be sure. “Vinnie, I need to talk to Mr. Spinelli.”
“You got it. Bruno go and get the car and pull it up to the back door. We’ll be waiting for you there. I don’t want you leaving through the front.” Vinnie walked back into the kitchen and went outside to make sure the coast was clear. He removed all obstacles from Anthony’s path to the waiting car. Bruno, in the meanwhile pulled the car close to the house, so that Anthony could step one foot out the door and straight into the car.
The black sedan made its way down the street, with Anthony hunched below the window frames. The sedan pulled into the dealership and parked in the space marked reserved. Vinnie, Bruno and Anthony walked briskly across the parking lot and into the show room. All the men made their way to Mr. Spinelli’s office.
“Anthony?” A soft voice called out to him.
Anthony turned to see Tina standing there looking as lovely as the first time he saw her. Her long beautiful hair pulled back away from her soft neck.
“I’m sorry about your mother. If there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I really appreciate your concern.” Anthony still felt embarrassed to look Tina in the face. He quickly glanced up, smiled and turned away.
Vinnie gently knocked on the door and waited for Vincent to answer, before opening.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me boss, Anthony needs to talk to you.” Vinnie answered.
“Come in.”
Anthony walked in, while Vinnie and Bruno waited outside.
“What’s on your mind?” Mr. Spinelli offered Anthony a seat.
“The F.B.I. where at my house. They found what was left of Chris floating in the lake.” Anthony said calmly.
“Michael didn’t waste anytime in cleaning house.” Mr. Spinelli added.
“I really would like to get to Frankie, before Michael has him whacked as well. I know how Michael gets when things don’t go his way.” Anthony said concerned.
“Anthony, I know you have a lot of unanswered questions, but I think you need to take it easy and let the heat die down.” Mr. Spinelli could see the disappointment in Anthony’s face. “Let’s just stick to the plan and grab him at the end of the poker night.” Vincent could see that Anthony was half-heartedly listening to him. “Is there something else on your mind?”
“I didn’t think much of it, until now. Agent Shepherd said he had a reliable source tell him that Chris was dead. I wonder how he knew that?”
“You’d know better than me.”
“Ah, it’s probably nothing. You’re right, I don’t need to go and find Frankie this early, I’ll wait a day before I have a talk with him.” Anthony wanted to do this the right way. He thanked Mr. Spinelli and walked out to the showroom floor, followed by Vinnie and Bruno. “Hey fellas, give me a second. I want to talk to Tina.”
Tina looked up from her desk and saw Anthony standing there.
Anthony was fumbling to try to find the right words to ask Tina out. “If you’re not to busy, maybe you and I can grab a bite to eat this weekend?”
“Really?” Tina asked surprised.
“Yeah, why not?”
“I just thought… You know.” Tina hesitated.
“I know, but I have to go on with my life.” This time Anthony stared deep into Tina’s beautiful eyes. He was over his shininess.
Tina scribbled her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Anthony. “Call me anytime.” Their hands momentarily brushed against each other. Tina’s skin felt as smooth as it looked.
“I’ll call you soon.” Anthony stood there still gazing into Tina’s eyes. He walked toward Vinnie and Bruno and all three men walked to the car and drove out of the dealership.
“You like her, don’t you?” Vinnie asked on the ride home.
“Sure he likes her.” Bruno answered. “You could see it in his eyes.”
“What’s not to like? She has a great body, a great smile and not to mention a tight little body.” Anthony smiled when he thought about Tina.
Vinnie pulled the car into the driveway, while Bruno walked to the other side of the passenger door and waited for Anthony to step out.
“We’ll be out here if you need anything.”
“Come on, don’t be ridiculous. Why don’t you and Bruno stay in the house; you’ll be more comfortable.” Anthony insisted.
They spent they night playing cards and eating Vinnie’s fine cooking. They talked about the family. They told stories and they laughed tell the morning light. They treated each other like long lost friends, not three strangers thrown together in an unlikely circumstance. The next morning, Anthony awoke to the sweet smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee. He even thought he heard his mother singing in the background. Anthony washed his face and made his way to the kitchen, where Bruno already had the table set. There where freshly cut flowers from the garden as a centerpiece, the orange juice looked freshly squeezed and two sunny side up eggs the way Anthony liked waiting for him the minute he sat down. In the middle of the meal, all three men where suddenly rattled when there was a thunderous knock on the front door, followed by screeching tires.
“Bruno!” Yelled Vinnie. “Stay with Anthony, I’m going out the front.” Vinnie sprung to his feet like a jackrabbit and made his way to the front door, then quickly turned around and headed back into the kitchen and exited out the rear. “No matter what, don’t leave Anthony alone.”
Bruno led Anthony to the living room, while Vinnie made his way out the back door. He could see Vinnie creeping up the left side of the house. When he was out of sight, that’s when Bruno beefed up his security. “Anthony, don’t sit on the couch, lay down on the floor and don’t move.”
Anthony did as Bruno asked, without hesitation. He could hear Bruno cock the gun and check the clip. Anthony got down as close as he could to the ground, when he heard Vinnie yelling from the other side of the door, that everything was alright.
“Vinnie?” Bruno walked to the door, still with his gun.
“Yeah.” Vinnie yelled something back that Anthony didn’t understand, but it made Bruno holster his weapon and open the door. He was standing there holding a large flower arrangement.
“Fuck you. Let me in, these things are fuckin heavy.” Vinnie bullied his way passed Bruno’s large frame.
“Well, not with that attitude.” Bruno moved aside.
“Who’s that from?” Anthony got off the floor and sat on the couch.
Vinnie put he flowers on the coffee table and handed Anthony the card. The card read: I am sorry about the lost of your loved ones. May they rest in peace. Signed Lee Hong.
Anthony folded the card and placed it back in the envelope. He placed the envelope on the coffee table and got up and walked to the front door.
“Where do you think your going? I have strict orders not to leave you alone.” Vinnie said, as he jumped up and followed Anthony to the front door.
“Vinnie don’t worry about me, there’s a bar down the street, I’m just going to go and have a couple of drinks.” Anthony walked out the door and down the street with his head hung low.
Vinnie and Bruno followed Anthony at a safe distance. They watched him duck into a small bar.
“Stay out here and keep an eye out, I’m going inside.” Vinnie put out his cigarette and stepped inside. He took a position of authority just inside the main entrance and watched Anthony order shot after shot.
The place was a hole in the wall that smelled like an old wet towel that had been sitting in the shade for weeks. The tables where covered with cup stains and burn marks left from lit cigarettes. The bar stools where torn and tattered. The foam was sticking out of most of them. The floor of the bar was covered with sawdust and what appeared to be dry blood. Besides Anthony, there were two other patrons sitting at the bar. One was a biker type, with a Harley Davidson t-shirt, with no sleeves that exposed his many color-faded tattoos. His long greasy brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He was speaking to an elderly man, who was missing four front teeth. The elderly man was old and rugged. His clothes where shabby and he looked like he hadn’t bathed in a week. The smoke form his clover cigarettes stained his fingertips.
The bartender looked up at Vinnie and glared. “Can I help you with somethin, mister?”
Vinnie smiled and shook his head.
“Well, you want somethin to drink?” The bartender asked again.
“No.” Vinnie said courteously.
Anthony didn’t even notice Vinnie standing there and he couldn’t care less. He was to busy throwing down another shot. “Hey buddy, I need a refill.”
The bartender walked up to Anthony and poured him another shot of whiskey.
“Leave the bottle.” Anthony uttered.
“Yeah, well just keep all that whiskey down fella. The cleaning lady doesn’t come until midnight.” The bartender insisted.
“Fuggettaaboutit.” Anthony mumbled.
“Yeah, well just don’t throw up, alright?” The bartender asked sternly.
“Like it’s going to make a big difference in this rat hole.”
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say not’in.” Anthony wasn’t looking for a fight. He just wanted to drown his sorrow and try to forget about his lost love ones.
“No, I believe you did say something. Go head hot shot say it again?” The bartender moved in closer to Anthony and raised his voice.
Anthony looked up from his shot glass and stared at the bartender. His eyes half shut, he mumbled incoherently and poured himself another drink.
“Hank, is this drunk giving you trouble?” The biker got up and now stood behind Anthony. “Are you given my friend a hard time buddy?” The biker gave Anthony a small tap on the shoulder.
“Look, I’m in no mood for your bullshit. So why don’t you crawl back under the rock you came from and you, Hank is it? You go do whatever you bartenders’ do and leave me the fuck alone.” Anthony reached into his pocket and threw a wade of money at Hank, then went back to his drinking.
“Why you arrogant son of a bitch!” The biker made a feeble attempt to intimidate Anthony, when suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt a hard metal barrel jab him in the mid-section.
“I believe you owe my friend here an apology.” Vinnie asked nicely.
The biker looked at Anthony. “Hey buddy, I’m… I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean anything I said.”
“Good, now if I was you, I’d never show my ugly face around here again. Because, if I catch you here again, I’m going to shove this gun up your ass and blow out your brain, you hear what I’m saying to you?” Vinnie grabbed the biker by the ponytail and pushed him toward the front entrance.
The biker stumbled and slipped on the sawdust and landed face first, by Bruno’s feet. Bruno grabbed the biker and threw him out the door.
“As for you?” Vinnie turned his attention back toward Hank the bar owner.
Hank took a step back. “Look, I don’t want any trouble.”
“I think it’s a little to late for that. Bruno, trash this shit hole.”
“You got it!” Bruno grabbed a barstool and threw it over the bar. The chair crashed against the glass shelves, bottles of liquor shattered, along with the mirror background.
The old man grabbed the half emptied bottle sitting in front of Anthony and ran out the front door.
Bruno wasn’t finished, he broke off one of the legs from a near by bar stool and started smashing the glasses Hank was stacking.
“Al right! Alright, I get the message, please mister tell them to stop.” Hank begged Anthony, who looked up from his drink oblivious to his surrounding. He tried to speak, but he was completely unintelligible.
“Next time this guy walks in here, you better treat him with the respect he deserves or so help me god, I’ll torch this fuckin place! You get where I’m coming from Hank?” Vinnie and Bruno grabbed Anthony by the arms and carried him to the car. They carefully laid him in the backseat and drove back home, where they laid him in bed and let him sleep off his drunken state.
The next morning, Anthony slowly opened his eyes, which felt dry. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. He had a hard time swallowing. His head pounded like a jackhammer and the room was spinning like a top.
“Hey Anthony, you alive in there? I brought you something to ease your pain.” Vinnie opened the door carrying a drink that Anthony could smell the minute he entered the bedroom.
“I hope that’s a glass of water, because that’s all my stomach can take.” Anthony said softly. The sound of his own voice made his head pound even harder.
“This my friend is my famous hang over remedy. It’s tomato juice, a raw egg, a shot of Tabasco and a tablespoon of whiskey. Just drink it up and I promise, you’ll feel better.”
Anthony grabbed the glass and sniffed the concoction that Vinnie had made. “I can’t, it smells awful.”
“Just drink it. It’ll make you feel better, trust me.”
Anthony brought the glass to his lips and took a tiny sip. The first thing he tasted was the hot Tabasco. “What the hell, here goes nothing.” He took a deep breath and began to consume the vile drink. When he finished, his body shivered with disgust.
“You see that wasn’t so bad. Now take these.” Vinnie handed Anthony three aspirins.
As the day wore on, Anthony spent most of it sleeping in his room and despite a restful sleep, he still felt awful. He got up and walked to the kitchen to see Vinnie and Bruno. They where sitting around the kitchen table reading the evening paper.
“Look?” Bruno shouted. “Lazarus has awoken.”
“Shhh, no need to shout.” Anthony said. “Vinnie, when is that drink you gave me supposed to kick in?”
“Did you vomit?” Vinnie folded the paper in half and continued reading.
“I don’t feel like I have, too.”
Vinnie peeked over his glasses and gave Anthony a wink and a smile. “Well then, it worked.”
Anthony walked over to the coffee pot and put his hands around the glass. It was still warm. He poured himself a cup and sat down in one of the empty chairs and grabbed the
sports section and flipped to the box scores. “Would you look at this, those bastards lost again! This time by ten.” He loved to bet on basketball, but unfortunately, the last six games his boys where getting the crap beat out of them. “I’m so sick of these fucken guys!” He put down his paper and finished his coffee.
“I don’t know why you waste your time with those losers, it not like the old days, when the where good. Either pick a new team or put your money on something else.” Vinnie said.
“I believe you’re right Vinnie and I know exactly what I want to do with my money.” Anthony got up and poured the remaining coffee down the kitchen sink and walked to his room to get dressed.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Vinnie asked.
“I want to go and see Hank about buying his bar.” Anthony started for the back door.
“How do you expect to buy it?” Bruno asked.
“Buy? By the time you two tear the place up, Hank will be begging me to take it off his hands.”
“You’re really serious about this?” Vinnie asked puzzled.
“Yeah, so are you comin or what?”
Vinnie slipped on his jacket and followed Anthony out the door. All three men pulled up to the curve and looked up at the large neon sign, with Hanks name etched in green and blue lighting. Anthony swung open the door and walked in, followed close behind by Vinnie and Bruno.
When Hank saw all three men standing just inside, he nearly jumped over the bar to greet them. “Hey fellas, how are you?”
Anthony stretched out his hand and greeted the bartender. “Hank right? I would like to talk to you about buying your bar.”
”What?”
“I want to buy your bar.” Anthony repeated.
“I’m sorry, it’s not for sale.” Hank stood firm and erect.
“How much do you make in a year?” Anthony asked. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ll double it.”
Hank stared at Anthony. “Mister, you got a set of balls.”
“Listen Hank, I want this place. Now you can sell it to me and walk out of here with some money in your pocket or I’ll just wait until this place goes under. It’s your choice, by the way this should cover the damage my men made the other day.”
