An Unfinished Life

by Wasowski, Mary

  A shower helped me clear my head, and right about now I was wishing I had some of Jack’s bourbon to drink. I knew it was high quality and probably would have taken the edge off, but I was smart to decline the shot.

  I looked at my phone as I plugged it into the charger. No missed calls or even a text from Zoey. Where was she? And why hadn’t she been in touch? I was weak when it came to Zoey Steele. I had this reminiscent need for her, but who the hell knew where she was? She was another one that had fallen out of plain sight.

  No sooner after Jacob had left my bar, Sara and Ramone returned from their afternoon of shopping. She looked happy despite all that I had revealed to her in the days following her release from the hospital. I declined telling her about Jacob’s visit or Tommy’s “accident” with his knee.

  Tommy came back hours later on crutches and in a foul mood. I had given him the time he would need off so he could rest his leg and recover. He argued with me until I finally had to threaten force with breaking his other knee cap. The scene he caused with Jacob was unnecessary, not that I was happy he was hurt, but he could have used better judgment. We had just had this discussion, and then he disregarded my instructions and got a broken knee as a result of it.

  Sara bought the story of Tommy slipping behind the bar. Another lie I so easily told, but after all the shit we’d been through the past few days, this lie was a small one compared to the others I revealed. The bar was covered, and so was the restaurant if I would be called away for any reason. I certainly didn’t want to involve handcuffs or my wife see me get arrested for Michael’s murder.

  We sat down to breakfast, and I noticed how tired Sara looked.

  “Are you okay, baby? Do you think you overexerted yourself yesterday while shopping? That marketplace is huge, and I have no doubt that you didn’t walk the entire square.”

  “Very funny, Jack. Did I not choose the best vegetables you have ever seen? Those beefsteak tomatoes were huge. I can’t wait to make the Calabrese salad with that olive oil that just came in from Italy.”

  “Sara, you will not deter me from what I’m really asking by talking about food. You know me better than that, so please just tell me what’s troubling you.”

  She let out a sigh, which always told me that I was right to be concerned.

  “Jack, why didn’t you tell me that Jacob had visited you yesterday while I was out?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “So you lied instead? Yeah, that always works better than the truth.”

  “Sara, it’s not like that. I said and did everything wrong while he was here, and I didn’t want to make matters worse by upsetting you. He will be back. He’s made that perfectly clear. If I may ask you a question?”

  “Go ahead. You know I don’t keep things from you.”

  Ouch! Just like Sara to hit me where it hurts…my heart.

  “Okay, smartass! How did you know about Jacob visiting the bar?”

  “I didn’t until you just told me. You see, Jack, I too know how to play the game. You’ve taught me well enough over the years, and I always know when you are keeping things from me. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it is what it is. I can’t help you if you shut me out. We’ve talked about this more than once, and I thought we agreed to be completely open with one another.”

  “We did, baby, but subject matter like murder is not something we can just chat over coffee now, can we? This is not about me and you, so please stop making it out to be. This began with Nicolette and how I chose to handle what happened to her. I made a thousand mistakes on how I behaved, and now I need to fix that. I have Dominick breathing down my neck, which is enough to handle on any given day. Please Sara, not you too. Trust me to take care of you and to protect what we have. I swear it on the memory of my parents that I will not hurt you again. And if I am forced to keep you in the dark, then you must believe it is for your best interest to safeguard, and not to hurt you. Agreed?” I asked with hopefulness.

  I reached over to raise her chin so she would look at me. Oh, she was stubborn but knew deep down I was right.

  “Agreed, but I don’t like it.”

  “I didn’t think you would, but thank you anyway. I have to run now, so can you give me a smile before I go?”

  I would only give her to the count of three before I crushed my lips to hers. She looked up at me, smiled, and then kissed me as she placed her forehead against mine.

  “Please be careful, Jack. I need you to come back to me.”

  “I’ll be fine, baby. Please don’t worry. I love you so much. We will never be separated in this life or the next one we share.”

  My phone was buzzing in my pocket. That was Max alerting me of his arrival.

  “I have to go. Please rest today and don’t push yourself. I will call you later.”

  I kissed her once more and then quickly made my way down to see Max. I couldn’t stay one more minute in her proximity without being tempted to take her back to bed. There would be time for that when this was over.

  “Hey, boss, where to?” Max questioned.

  “Move over. I’ll drive today.”

  He moved to the passenger seat, and I took over.

  “Care to tell me where we are going?” he asked.

  “You’ll see when we get there.”

  He didn’t ask any more questions and just remained silent until we arrived at our destination. While Sara slept last night, I did some work in my office and reached out to a few contacts who could help me locate Marino. He was sly and wouldn’t do something unexpected unless he was pushed to do so.

  Dominick confirmed that Marino hadn’t been seen since leaving New York for Los Angeles, so that would place him last with Jacob, which got me thinking. This guy was hell-bent on nailing me for Michael’s murder, but he just upped and disappeared in the middle of an investigation? He was absolutely brilliant at playing both sides, but I needed to gain the upper hand on this guy before he made another move.

  There were many players in this game, one being Dominick, who could change everything completely with just a phone call. I knew I could not push him any further than I did when we last talked. He wouldn’t care who got caught in the crossfire if it came down to protecting the family and his interests. He’d already proven that when taking out LaRocha’s daughter. I had in my possession what Jacob desired most and would be willing to use it for my freedom if it came down to it. Somehow Marino was also privy to this information, and that’s what he was using for leverage on Jacob.

  No matter what Jacob’s message was that he was trying to convey yesterday, his actions were perfectly clear to me. He was acting under the pretense of the FBI, but I was also confident in knowing that if I disclosed what I knew about his dead fiancée, then the subject of Michael St. Clair’s murder would be the last thing on Jacob’s mind.

  Finally reaching our destination, I pulled the car over in a back alley.

  “We’re here.”

  “And where’s here? The stench in this alley is going to make me hurl my breakfast,” Max said as he held his nose getting out of the car.

  I took a look at the old decrepit building before me. It had the year 1939 on the side of it. These buildings were mostly used for drug houses and squatters, but it was the memory of this place that brought me here today.

  “Okay, Jack, I’m going to break the door down, and you wait for me on the fire escape. He will make a run for it as soon as I take the door down, okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, Carmine, I got it.”

  “Oh, I know you do, Jack. Don’t let the boss down, okay?”

  I did what Carmine instructed me to do and waited. Sure enough, he was right, as Mikey Marino tried to flee via the fire escape. He had nowhere to run, and once I was done with him, he couldn’t if he tried.

  “Jack, where are we?” Max asked again.

  “The burial place.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Nothing. Just stay close and fol
low me.”

  This building only had four floors to it. I was careful where to step and had Max follow my lead. This place was unstable and should have been torn down years ago, but it was to be sold off by the city for development. I never returned to this place after that night with Carmine and Mikey. I wasn’t too sure why I was here now, but when I had a feeling, I just couldn’t ignore it. I remembered the apartment like it was yesterday. The door had been replaced since then, but the apartment was the same.

  I quietly opened the connecting door to apartment 4G and peered in through the crack. It was empty, as I suspected. Once I knew no one was here, I opened the door and stepped inside to where I had been nearly thirty years ago.

  “Jackie, why are we here? This place is a hole. Let’s get out of here before we fall in.”

  “Max, quiet! I’m trying to think.”

  The one room apartment had a mattress on the floor and a chair in the corner. The small bathroom also looked better than it should have. I took a closer look at the mattress, and it appeared to be clean, definitely not one that had been here for a long time. It was recently placed here. It was obvious that someone had planned to be here very soon, or had been already. My gut was pointing me to Marino. He was just sick enough to return to the very place once used by his brother. Mikey took his life in prison, but it was here where his life changed forever by my hands.

  It made perfect sense why he was off the grid. Jacob refused him, so now he changed the game and would come at me directly, but who would he use as bait?

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. No. He wouldn’t.

  “Let’s go, Max. I have to get back to Sara.”

  We followed the same path we used to get into the building, passing a few less than desirable guys along the way. One was smoking a crack pipe and his friend was ready to introduce himself to us. We didn’t exactly look like we belonged here, but Max wasn’t playing and opened his jacket, where his gun was on full display. The guy raised his hands up and began backing up. Max wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in his brain if necessary. Thankfully it didn’t come to that, and we safely returned to our car, which was still in one piece.

  “Care to explain what the hell this trip was for? Fuck, Jack! That place should be burned to the ground.”

  “I don’t disagree with you, Max. I was acting on a feeling I had about Mikey and his brother. Dante has disappeared, or at least that’s what he wants everyone including the FBI to believe. I think his plan to use Jacob to get to me failed, and now he’s upped his game. He’s hiding in plain sight, and I have a feeling I will soon hear from him.”

  “He can’t touch you, Jack. You know that, right? We will never allow him to get that close enough.”

  “I know that, Max, but this is not just about me. It involves Jacob too. When I visited with Dominick, he revealed the circumstances surrounding the murder of Jacob’s fiancée. The family was involved with the contract that took her out, and it was her father’s screw over with the family that made Dominick react and send a message. At the time, Jacob was working some cases that directly involved some Carlucci interests. By taking out the girl, that indirectly stopped Jacob’s investigations and brought the police chief back under the family’s control. But eventually, that didn’t pan out to their satisfaction. After his daughter’s death, Joseph LaRocha suffered a complete breakdown and resigned from the force, leaving Dominick with no one on his payroll.”

  “Shit! You mean to tell me that he sacrificed his own daughter for the mighty green? He should be rotting in a grave beside her.”

  “Yes, he should. The information I have in my possession is what I plan to use as my ‘Get out of jail free card’ with Jacob. I will make sure not to implicate the family and instead point all the evidence back to LaRocha. It will be Jacob’s call on how to use it from there. I’ve been where he is, Max, and he will never rest until he sees the person responsible for her death pay for it. To suffer like he has, yeah…I’ve definitely been there. He’s a good man, and from what I know, a good cop, but I would bet everything I own that Agent Jacob Paulson would forget he’s a cop to find his own brand of justice. Every man is capable of stepping outside of their comfort zone with the right motivation. Handing Jacob her killer on a silver platter would do just that. Only time will tell if I’m right about him.”

  It had been two days since I met with Jack. I took the extra day to investigate the alleged crime family he was connected to. Johnny Carlucci, who they called “King” on the streets, was feared by all men. A man in his position was never challenged, and if you had the courage to go up against him, you had better be prepared for the consequences if you lost. He had great power and was considered to be merciless at times. Sending a young Jack Vanelle to break a boy’s back was proof enough of his ruthless character.

  This kid was going nowhere fast with the record he already had by seventeen. What made him think that he could ever cross a man like Carlucci and live to tell about it? He probably would have suffered the same fate as Michael St. Clair in prison had he not taken his own life instead.

  With Marino still MIA, Wade released all his personal files to me to look into. This was how I discovered that they were split up as children and raised by only one parent each. Dante got the better parent out of the deal. He was older than Mikey and was given a better chance at a future. He graduated high school with honors. He then graduated in the top ten percent of his class from Boston University, then went on to receive his master’s in criminal justice. With his accomplishments, it was no wonder how he landed the position he held with the FBI. To head up an entire division was a big deal, but now with his disappearance, he had put all of that in jeopardy.

  And for what…to even the score with Jack over what happened with his brother? It was a sad story, I didn’t disagree, but trying to blackmail me into being his bitch was not the way to get the justice he sought. I understood what it was to be loyal to your brothers—I had three of my own. I would do anything for them and knew they would return the favor. But this was different. Dante must have felt an incredible amount of guilt for leaving his brother and then eventually learning what had become of him. But to carry this heavy burden on his shoulders, no matter what he’d accomplished, seemed to be just a waste of time.

  I meant what I said to Marino back on that beach. Nothing could ever bring his brother back, not even pinning a crime on Jack Vanelle that I’m pretty sure he did not do. It would take an incredible amount of effort to succeed in taking Michael out, and then making a clean escape from a secured prison without going unnoticed. This was clearly an inside job, a very orchestrated one. I would be a fool to believe Jack didn’t know about it completely, but for him to be the one to actually commit the crime? No way.

  I wouldn’t blindside Jack this time. I would call him and ask to meet. If he refused, then he would have left me with no choice but to use my badge and position to get what I needed. After carefully going over my first encounter with him, I now know that was a mistake on my part.

  I’d been fucked up in my brain since California. So much information had since been revealed to me, and I felt as if I had been backed into a corner with no escape. I had to gain the upper hand on Marino, but I needed to find him first.

  I secured all my files in my room safe, then proceeded to call Jack, but was stopped with a knock at my door. With my gun in hand, I peered through the peep hole and saw no one there. I slowly opened the door to find an unmarked envelope. I dragged it into my room with my foot until I could put my gloves on, so my prints would not be on the mystery envelope.

  I re-locked my door and secured my gun. It was just a plain yellow envelope with no writing on it. I lifted the clasp to see that it wasn’t sealed with the usual glue. I was hoping I could lift a print or DNA off this, but whoever left it for me probably covered their bases.

  When I opened the envelope, I quickly realized that I didn’t have to search hard for Marino. He already knew where I was. And I also u
nderstood why I hadn’t received any texts or calls from Zoey.

  He had her.

  I was horrified with what I was seeing: graphic images of Zoey gagged and bound to a mattress. Her eyes were covered with a blindfold, but I could still recognize her beautiful face despite the mascara streaks running down.

  That piece of shit had gone mad and taken Zoey to get to me. Why didn’t I figure this out sooner? This was why he’d been off the fucking grid, because he was holed up somewhere with my woman, and God knows what he was doing to her.

  My woman? Hell yeah, she’s mine! And I was going to get her back and make him pay for ever thinking that he could touch her and get away with it. I would not lose her like I did Minela.

  Gripping the sides to the table, I wanted to scream out my fury, but I had to get myself in check and think. Think, Jacob, think!

  He must have been holding her where no one would ever consider looking. I examined the picture closely and saw nothing that stood out. Just a mattress in a corner with nothing around it but a fast food bag. If I could enlarge the picture somehow, maybe I could get a location of the restaurant and map out the area. I called Duffy right away.

  “Come on, Duff, pick up.”

  “Duffy.”

  “Duff, he has her, man! He fucking grabbed her right from under me!”

  “Slow down Jake, and tell me everything. Who are you talking about…Jack Vanelle?”

  “Marino! Fucking Dante Marino has kidnapped my girlfriend, Zoey. I just received an envelope of pictures of her bound and gagged and sprawled out on a mattress. I have to find her.”

  “Okay, Jake, calm down. We will get her back. What do you need me to do?”

  “I’m going to send you the pictures he sent me. One has a fast food bag in the background. I need the name of the restaurant.”

  “Okay, hang tight, and I will call you back.”

  I was about to explode when my phone rang with Duffy calling me back.

  “What do you have for me?” I practically shouted.