by Amy Rachiele
“Jessie, I don’t eat shit, so why would I want to taste yours?” I call out, ready to run out the door. A metal piece of a mixer comes flying across the room. Two prep cooks have to duck before it hits the wall beside me. I laugh my ass off and keep heading outside.
“Get the fuck out of my kitchen, Carlo!” she yells. “And where is that other line cook you promised me, you prick!” I hear her as Alex shuts the door behind him.
“Why do you do that? Haven’t you ever heard of ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you’?”
“You know why… Because it’s fun. You see how red her face gets.”
Alex rolls his eyes. “I’d back off, dude, or you’re going to find a tarantula in your dinner.” He steps toward me. “I’ve heard her talking. Fuck that shit. I’d stay clear of the kitchen if I were you.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking of eating at other restaurants in the casino on the lower level.”
“You probably should. I’d back off for a while. One day she’s not gonna miss when she throws something at you.”
The high from teasing Jessie wears off as I check my phone. It’s ten minutes to eleven. My heart’s pumping. I glance around the alley; it’s empty. My eyes slip by across the street and land on the spot where we found Anya stumbling. A burn rushes from my head to my chest as deep-seated anger rises. Who would ever hurt a woman like that? Nobody has the right to beat on a defenseless woman. That’s another one of Pop’s rules—no drugs, no prostitution, and we don’t beat on vulnerable people. It is a true sign of weakness in a male. Like sucker punches, that shit drives Pop crazy. He’s killed people for doing it. If you can’t fight and look your opponent in the eye, then you’re less than human, you’re the shit we scrape off our boots.
I check my phone again. I wanted to be out here when the ambulance comes back. It’s not uncommon for Alex and me to stand out here. Many times we have to conduct some business that goes beyond the casino and this is typically where we do it.
“What about Caesar?” Alex mentions, kicking a can that is lying by the wall. It skips and jumps, rattling with a hollow tinny sound. Caesar had totally slipped my mind. Finding Anya last night has totally consumed my thoughts since the moment I picked her up and carried her inside.
“The game is on. I’m just not sure what move is next. If nothing happens before we need to collect from Ricco again, then I will put some feelers out for what’s going on with the Campuonos. I don’t think we’re going to have to wait that long.”
The engine of a truck sounds in the distance with long beeps that identify the truck as backing up. The ass of the truck makes it into the alley. It’s the ambulance returning with Anya and Doc. And anxious feeling crawls up my back, one I’ve never felt before. It’s on the cusp of being nervous and excited all rolled together.
“Let Jessie know that they’re back. Doc wanted her to eat.”
Alex raps on the door and Bobby peeks his head out. The roar of the truck engine is close, making it hard to hear voices. Alex motions with his thumb and shouts to Bobby. “She’s here. Get her lunch ready.” Bobby nods and I can’t take my eyes off the ambulance. It finally comes to a halt and the latch lifts on the door. Doc Howie jumps down.
“She did well,” he says to me. “There is no internal bleeding. There is no swelling on the brain. Those were my main concerns.” He sighs. “She wants to get out of the bed and walk.”
“Should she?” It doesn’t sound like a good idea to me; she needs rest.
Doc Howie shakes his head. “She has a lot more healing to do.”
Inside the ambulance, I hear her tiny voice. She’s giving the EMT a hard time.
“I am well enough to walk.”
“Honey, this is what we get paid for. We are getting you out of this ambulance and you’re staying on the bed. What you do after that is your business.”
The two EMTs grab hold of each side of the hospital bed and lower it toward the ground. When it reaches my height I help them. I am hovering over her head and she looks up at me. Her eyes make me feel like I got shot in the gut. I’ve been in a lot of fights but I’ve never been beaten as badly as she has been. I don’t want to admit it but it breaks my heart. No one should have to endure this. My face twists into a rage that I have to suppress.
“I can walk,” she whispers to me. My lips form a tight line and I shake my head no with force.
They are locking up the ambulance. Doc Howie and Alex are pushing the bed toward the side door to the kitchen. I reach into my pocket and grab two hundred-dollar bills and tip the drivers. “Send the invoice to La Bella Regale.” The guy nods with a thank-you. And I follow Doc Howie and Alex into the kitchen.
Chapter 15
Anya
As I am pushed into the kitchen, I immediately see Julius. He is waiting by the opposite doorway with a tray in his hand. We pass the kitchen and staff and Jessie is exactly where she was when we left. Her face is grim.
“You eat all of that, honey.” She rests her palm on my arm. “If you want more, just press the number two on the phone in your room and I will send more straight up.” The harsh woman’s face is sincere and a smile doesn’t move her lips but shows in her eyes.
“Thank you.” I don’t know what else to say. This is way too much to sink in.
“Carlo? Alex, Julius, and I have her.” In my peripheral vision, I see Carlo stiffen. He doesn’t seem to be used to be taking orders from Doc Howie. But the glances they exchange don’t really tell me what’s going on. I wish they’d just listen to me. I can walk and I have to leave. Julius balances the tray on the end of my bed; it is covered with metal domes.
Priest’s image wiggles its way into my mind and I shove him down. My chest constricts when the vision of his fists coming toward my face brings all of the reality slamming back at me. I don’t want to be indebted to these people; they’ve been so nice. This isn’t my home and they shouldn’t feel responsible for me...for what Priest did. I have to deal with it. They should be angry with me for being a part of Priest’s mission to soil the names of the casinos in Chicago.
I try to concentrate on the sights before me. I soak in the architecture of my surroundings. Whoever built this place took care to make sure that even the service areas have a personality all of their own.
“Where are we going?” I ask Doc Howie.
“To your room.”
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful but I have to go.”
“You need rest and food.” His tone is matter-of-fact.
It would be rude to run after all they’ve done for me. The elevator opens up. Julius and Doc Howie push the bed down the long hallway and stop. Julius shoves the door open with his hip and he and the doctor navigate the bed through. I stare around in disbelief. This apartment makes Doc Howie’s look plain. The rug is so plush and thick they’re having trouble getting the wheels to maneuver.
They come to a full stop.
“Can I get up now?” I ask.
Julius moves the tray to a dining table off to the left. He comes back and the doctor motions for him to get on the other side of me.
“Take it easy. The medication may make you dizzy.”
I nod, understanding. I feel tons better. Whatever the doctor gave me is a lot stronger than the aspirin that Kylie had stolen.
“May I use the bathroom?”
“Of course.”
The three of us walk slowly toward an open door. The carpet under my bare feet is glorious. I don’t need the help but it seems impolite to say so. From a distance, it looks like a bathroom. Julius and the doctor step back, and I close the door on a palatial, golden-tiled mansion of a bathroom. The tub is up high, appearing to be stacked on tile bricks for steps. I tilt over, balancing my knee on it. Circular jets are laid out sporadically across the white porcelain. I reach out, touching the surface; it is cool under my fingers.
I hear voices on the other side of the door. I remove myself from the beautiful tub and pad over to the door frame, leaning my cheek on the wo
od.
“Why me, Doc?” Julius asks.
“You need to talk to her and convince her to stay at least till she’s healed. Another beating like that she might never wake up.”
“Shit. That is fucking harsh.”
“She is closer to your age. She looks at me as an authority figure. The lifestyle she’s led makes her compliant. I want you to be on her level so that she understands how important it is for her body to heal. It’s important.”
“Carlo should be doing this… or Alex… they know how to make people do shit.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t want. We need to tread lightly.”
There’s a long pause but I wait, listening. The doctor really wants me to stay.
“I’m not a shrink, Doc,” Julius announces.
“I don’t need you to be a psychiatrist. I need you to be a friend.”
I pull myself away from the door and do my business. The soft sweatshirt material is a luxury. I push the sleeves up, wash my hands, and the water is warm immediately when I twist the faucet. The sink basin is oval and sits on top of the cabinet like it’s a regular glass bowl. I crouched down to look at it from the bottom up. It is so cool; I’ve never seen anything like it. When I stand back up the mirror above me catches my reflection, and I lean into it to get a good view of my face. I knew it was bad because it’s hard to open my eyes. They get caught short from opening all the way, the puffiness blocking them. My green eyes are barely visible through the slits.
I exit the bathroom and Julius is standing before me.
“How are you doing? Any dizziness?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m feeling pretty good.”
“Come on over here and eat lunch.” On the table next to my tray are two white square bags. Julius catches me staring at them. “These are for over your eyes. Doc Howie left them.” He picks one up between his fingers. “When you’re done eating, it’s time to go to bed.”
Julius blushes. “That didn’t come out right.” He moves to sit down in a chair across the table. “I meant it’s time for you to take a nap. We could watch some TV until you fall sleep.” He lifts the metal dome off my lunch. Stacked in a diamond formation are a selection of sandwiches cut in half.
I push the plate toward him. “This has to be for you too. I can’t eat all this.”
“My lunch break is at one. This is all for you.” He gives me a genuine smile.
“Please take some of it, it’s a sin for it to go to waste.”
“I’ll take a sandwich. But whatever you don’t eat we can also put in the refrigerator behind me. You can have it later.”
“Can I ask you something?”
Julia snatches a half sandwich from the top. “Sure.”
“Why are you all doing this?” I gesture to the room, the food. “I know you were ordered to stay with me. I’m not trying to be ungrateful but I can’t stay.” Julius is chewing and swallows when he asks, “Where do you have to go?”
“I have to go back.” He shakes his head and it’s evident that he thinks my request is ridiculous. And I get it. I’ve had my medical needs tended to, I’ve been fed, and put in a comfortable place. “Everything comes with a price.”
“You think Carlo’s family and everybody who works for him expects something back from you?”
I nod. “It’s not just that. I realized something over the past few days.” Enraging Priest, him bringing in false members, and my blatant disrespect of him has upset the small balance that we had. Emotions war inside me. It has become abundantly clear that it hasn’t been Priest keeping the followers together. It’s been me. “The people of Anointed Heavens aren’t safe without me there.”
“You aren’t safe being there!”
He is right.
Chapter 16
Carlo
“What the fuck is your problem?” In all the years I’ve known Doc Howie, and it’s been a lot of years—since I was a child—I don’t think that I’ve been as pissed at him as I am right now.
Pop whacks me in the side of the head. “Watch your mouth! You don’t talk to the doctor like that, he’s family. I raised you better.”
“Sorry,” I mumble.
Pop looks at Doc Howie. “She can stay here as long as you feel she needs to. If she were my daughter, I would want someone to look out for her. She needs an escort though. My rules are my rules. I don’t want her in any high-security areas and she’s not to learn any passcodes.”
“Should I put a fucking bag over her head too, Pop?” I can’t help my sarcastic nature. I’m angry and I don’t mean to be. Shit is coming out of my mouth like diarrhea.
Doc Howie’s features turn into a dark mask. “This is exactly why you need to stay away from her. Your personality is going to send her running out of here and straight back into the arms of the people who almost killed her.”
The thought of Priest touching her makes me nauseous.
“Carlo! Stay away from her.” Pop’s eyebrows are raised and his lips are twisted in a downward frown. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, but I’ve been hearing rumors that you haven’t been sleeping.”
I have no argument for that. I haven’t been. The most sleep I’ve gotten is about three hours at a time and maybe that’s my problem—it’s catching up with me.
“Today’s a slow day. Take an afternoon nap, clear your head. I need you at your best especially when the weekend rolls around again. Alex can take over.”
Pop turns to Doc Howie. “Have Bobby relieve Julius when it’s time.”
Pop waves his hand in our direction, dismissing us. In the hallway, Doc takes out his cell phone.
“How she doing?” he asks into the receiver.
“I see.” He pauses. “If she feels she’s well enough, I don’t see a problem. But after that she really needs to lie down.”
I am losing control. All the shit is going on around me without my consultation. The doctor turns to me. He opens the bag he is carrying and pulls out two small white pills.
“Take these. The way you are wound up you will never fall asleep on your own.” I let him drop the small pills into my hand and he strides away. I spin on my heel and walk down to the end of the hall to my personal apartment.
Inside, I head directly for the faucet in the kitchen. I grab a plastic cup off the back of the sink and fill it. I take the pills two at a time washing them down. I rip my cell phone out of my pocket, switching the ringer off, and strip down to my boxers right there, tossing my clothes aside. Housekeeping has been here and my bed is already made. My heart rate is high, I notice, as I throw the covers down the bed and climb in. I lie there facing the ceiling with my hands cushioned behind my head, not an ounce of sleep is coming. Too many things are running through my mind. The security shifts, the players on the floor, and some of the ideas I have for improving the location of the monitors. But no matter what skitters through it always swings back to the vision of Anya beaten and naked in a soiled blanket.
*****
My stomach rumbles, waking me. With a groggy head, I face my alarm clock. It’s almost seven p.m. Starving from missing lunch and dinner, I get up. I stretch out my heavy limbs. Whatever the doc gave me makes me feel like shit. I should feel better having slept. I don’t. I scrub my hand through my hair and head to the shower. Anya pops into my mind and thoughts of her here with me right now make me hard.
I dress in one of my suits I wear on the main casino floor while patrolling, all black. In the kitchen, I swipe my cell off the table where I dropped it, checking for missed calls. Nothing. That is good and kind of out of the ordinary. There aren’t any texts or voicemails. I get a bottle of water from my fridge and drink it all down. My thoughts immediately center on Anya. Is she sleeping? Did she eat dinner already? Julius will know. I call him.
“Yo,” he answers.
“Julius, how is she doing?” He doesn’t answer right away. “The girl… Anya.”
Silence. I hate fucking silence. Nothing good ever comes after
it.
“I thought you knew.” My breathing picks up and a thousand bad things shift across my mind.
“Knew what?” Oh my God! Dead is the first thing that I think of.
“She left.”
“Left? Why the fuck would she leave?” A haze of rip-shit mad seizes me. “Let me rephrase… who the fuck let her leave?” My skin is burning from the inside out.
“Uh. The doc did.”
What? He said another beating could kill her! Why the hell would he let her walk out the front door? I stab the end button, hanging up on Julius.
I got to my room phone and tap number nine. Gilly picks up.
“Carlo, what’s up?”
“Get me the address of that fucking cult, now!” I boom and the receiver of the phone reverberates my own voice back to me.
“Okay,” he croaks.
“Text it to me!” I snap, slamming the phone down.
My cell is lighting up with a call from Julius. “What!”
“She, uh…”
“Spit it the fuck out.”
“We tried to take her wherever she wanted to go...but she wanted to walk.”
“Walk?” My brows furrow. “Hurting and beat up, she walked?” This girl is fucking crazy. Maybe that is a good thing, I can catch up to her. I bet she never made it down the street. She probably passed out or something. Shit! With my phone pasted to my ear, I race for the elevator to take me to the basement garage. “How long ago?”
He pauses. “About a half an hour.”
“This is so fucking messed up. This entire place let a woman who looks like she went ten rounds with Mike Tyson just leave!”
“It wasn’t my call.” Julius gets defensive. “I tried to convince her to stay.”
“You couldn’t even convince her to let you give her a ride! Pathetic!”
