by Jake Biondi
Patrick smiled. “Thanks again. I look forward to seeing you soon.”
Emmett watched as Patrick headed toward the door and then returned to mingling with his guests.
Nearby, Gino’s cell phone started to ring while he was talking to Justin. He pulled out his phone, saw that is was Bella calling, and stepped away to take the call.
“Bella, is everything okay?”
“Gino, I’m sorry to bother you, but something strange is going on here at the mansion.”
“What is it?”
“These men are here and they’re going through every room. Your aunt told me to expect them because they’re upgrading the security for the house.”
“Upgrading security?”
“Something isn’t right about these men.”
“Bella, just keep an eye on them. Camille’s here in Chicago so I’ll get to the bottom of this. You did the right thing calling me. Thank you.” Gino ended the call and returned his phone to his jacket pocket as Joyelle rushed up to him in a panic.
“She knows,” Joyelle said, almost out of breath. “She knows.”
Gino put his hands on her shoulders. “Who knows? What is the matter?”
Joyelle paused and took a deep breath. “Your aunt knows about the baby. That it’s Marco’s.”
“Camille? How?”
“I have no idea. But she just told me. She said the baby was going to inherit an empire and that I should be careful that nothing happens to my baby like when I lost my twins.”
“She said that to you? Dammit.” Gino looked around and then looked back at Joyelle. “Listen to me, Joyelle. You need to stay calm and not worry. I will take care of my aunt. I will take care of everything. No one will know about the baby being Marco’s until you want people to know. I promise. I’ll take care of my aunt...trust me.”
The party concluded late and it was near dawn by the time the last few guests left and the staff had cleaned The Boys and the Booze before heading home. The camera crews and reporters had finally gone, the search lights were removed, and Max and Emmett stood alone in their establishment.
“We did it,” Max said, pouring Emmett one final glass of champagne.
“What a night,” Emmett sighed. “Was it everything that you hoped it would be?”
Max handed Emmett his champagne glass and then poured one for himself. “It was...until now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I guess I imagined that at the end of this amazing evening we’d be climbing those stairs up to our condo together. Instead, I’m about to head home alone.”
“I’m sorry,” Emmett said.
“You have nothing to apologize for. It’s my fault and no one else’s.”
Emmett sipped his champagne. “So what’s it like...living in his apartment?”
“Living at Dustin’s? It’s okay. It’s temporary. Most of my stuff is in storage. It feels like staying at a hotel, nothing is my own.”
“Have you heard anything about how he’s doing?”
“I’ve visited him once.”
“And?”
“It was a very quick visit. They have pretty strict rules. He seemed to be doing okay.”
“That’s good. I hope he gets the help he needs.”
Max drank some champagne. “Is there any hope for us, Emmett? I love you so much and I miss you.”
“You cheated on me, Max. Do you know how much that still hurts?”
“I want to make it up to you.”
“That takes time and healing. Right now, all I can offer is my friendship and, of course, to continue being your business partner. Please, let’s just celebrate that tonight. We set the city on fire tonight--”
“--thankfully, not for real, like last time,” Max interjected.
Emmett smiled. “Exactly.”
Max put his glass down on the counter. “I should get going -- we have to be back here in a few hours for the parade.”
Emmett hugged Max. “I’ll see you in a few hours then.”
“Good night, Emmett.”
“Good night, Max.”
Emmett watched Max leave the building and then headed upstairs to his bedroom.
Night quickly faded into a new day and as the sun rose, so did thousands of Chicagoans eager to get a great spot from which to view the festive Pride parade, one of Chicago’s largest annual events. Wearing colorful outfits and some holding banners or flags, people from all over the country lined the streets to get a glimpse of the amazing spectacle.
Before heading over to the parade, Gino found himself in the hallway of the Waldorf Astoria Chicago outside of his aunt’s room. Pounding on the door, Gino could have awoken everyone on the entire floor. Eventually, Camille came to the door.
“What is it?” Camille asked, still half asleep.
Gino blew past her and went into her suite. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Camille closed the door before responding to her nephew. “Good morning to you, too.”
“Bella told me about the ‘security people’ at the mansion. What, exactly, are you up to?”
“Up to?” Camille asked as she walked over to the table and poured herself a cup of coffee. “I’m having security upgraded, that’s all.”
“Security at the mansion is already top-notch.”
“Is it? You can never be too careful, especially now that it sits empty so often.”
“Empty? There’s an entire household and grounds staff on the premises every day.”
“Regardless, I thought an upgrade would be a good idea.”
“Let me remind you that the mansion is mine. You’re only a squatter there.”
Camille sipped her coffee. “Thank you for the kind reminder of my status.”
“And Joyelle told me about your threat.”
“Threat? Oh, my. She must not only be emotional because of her pregnancy but delusional as well.”
“She’s not delusional. She told me that you know that her baby is Marco’s. I don’t know how you know -- and I really don’t care -- but let me make something very clear, Aunt Camille. If you ever -- ever -- breathe one word about her pregnancy to another living soul or threaten Joyelle again in any way, I swear to God, I will kill you. Do you understand?”
“You’re being a bit melodramatic, don’t you think?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Camille. You have been warned. Stay out of my way -- and stay out of Joyelle’s business,” Gino declared and then left the suite, slamming its door behind him.
Camille took another sip of her coffee. Then she picked up her phone and dialed a number.
“It’s me. How did the search of Gino’s penthouse go?” Camille paused. “Nothing? Dammit. And the mansion?” Camille again paused for a response. “Nothing there, either? Damn. We have to find that key one way or another.”
Across town, the man sat at his desk facing the collage of Cole photos on his wall. Then he looked down at the newspaper on the desk in front of him. He silently read and re-read its headline “Famed Fashion Model To Wed Mancini Mogul,” which hovered over a photograph of Derek on one knee proposing to Cole.
The man picked up a knife from the desk and used it to shred the article and photograph into tiny pieces. “No!” he yelled and then drove the knife into the desk top so it stood there on its own. “No!”
At the same time, Cole stood at a podium at the corner of Belmont Avenue and Halsted Street at the heart of Boystown for his press conference. He fielded questions about the Cio clothing line, about being the grand marshal of the parade, about his coming out process, and about his engagement. As he responded to question after question, fans gathered around to catch a glimpse of Cole or snap a photo.
Once the press conference concluded, Michael and others transported Cole north to the Cio-sponsored float on which he would be riding. The float was magnificent -- several levels high and featuring several male models showcasing Cio swimwear. After pulling off his outer clothes to reveal the Cio swimsuit he was wearing, Co
le took his place on the top tier of the float.
At the insistence of Derek, Gino had agreed to allow Michael and him to also ride on the Cio float as extra security for Cole. They took their positions on the tier of the float immediately below Cole alongside Gino. The other models stood on the lower two tiers of the float, which led the parade along its route.
Several floats behind the Cio one was The Boys and the Booze’s float. Also beautifully decorated, the float continued the Carnivale theme of the gala the night before. Nick DiCristina, as well as several of his other dancers and Jensen, danced on the float in their Carnivale costumes from the party. Emmett, Max, David, and Adam also rode atop the club’s float.
As the parade made its way south along the route, fans cheered and waved flags. Some people on floats threw candy, beads, and other items into the mass of people in attendance. The festive mood of the day contagiously spread throughout the crowd.
High above the parade, the man crouched down on a roof top, hiding behind the tall, stone cornice work that spanned the perimeter of the roof. He carefully positioned his hand gun into one of the open spaces in the cornice.
As the Cio float made its way in front of the building on the street below, the man adjusted the gun, aiming toward the top tiers of the float. When his moment came, the man pulled the trigger. The noise of the crowd below drowned out the sound of the gun firing as the bullet sped toward its target.
People’s cheers of joy turned to cries of horror as a body fell from the upper tiers of the Cio float onto the street pavement below. Those along the parade route ducked down and fled from the street in every direction as the body lay motionless in the street. Danger doesn’t always hide in shadows.
Episode #48
Life is precious and unpredictable. People come into the world and leave it in unique and often unforeseen ways, sometimes naturally and sometimes because of the actions of others.
Fortunately, Michael Martinez was wearing his bullet-proof vest during the Pride parade, so when the bullet fired from the roof top hit him, he lost his balance and fell off the float, but survived basically unscathed.
Both Cole and Derek had insisted that he be checked out by a doctor regardless and brought him to St. Joseph Hospital where his brother Mateo Martinez gave him a thorough examination.
By the time the exam was finished, several of Michael’s other friends and colleagues had arrived at the hospital to check on him. Keith Colgan, David Ciancio, Emmett Mancini, Hugo Martinez, and Jensen Stone joined Cole and Derek in the waiting area.
When Mateo entered the room, the men flocked to him.
“How is he?” Keith asked as the others looked to Mateo for his answer.
Hugo asked the question again. “How’s Uncle Michael?”
“He’s fine,” Mateo said, trying to calm the men. “He’s just fine. He’s got some bruising on his chest, but that’s about it. That vest saved his life.”
“Thank God,” Cole sighed.
“Can I see him?” Keith asked eagerly.
“Sure,” Mateo agreed. “I’ll take you to him. Then we need to get him home to rest for the remainder of the day.”
“Give him our best,” Emmett told Keith, who followed Mateo out of the room.
Jensen asked, “Who would do such a thing? Shooting into that crowd like that?”
“Could have been a hell of a lot worse,” Hugo added.
“That bullet may have been intended for me,” Cole said.
“What are you talking about?” Derek asked.
“Michael was standing right in front of me. He was there to protect me, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean someone was trying to shoot you specifically,” Derek said.
“Derek’s right,” Emmett agreed. “That float was moving when the gun went off. The fact that Michael got hit could be completely random. We just don’t know.”
“Actually, I think we do,” David declared.
Emmett looked at Derek curiously. “What are you talking about?”
“I think Michael’s being targeted for being gay.”
“Uncle Michael is being gay bashed?”
“Why do you think that?” Cole asked.
“I haven’t told anyone this because he told me not to, but a while ago his car was graffitied with the words ‘die fag cop.’”
“What?”
“Why didn’t he do anything?” Hugo asked.
“You know your uncle. He tries to act like nothing bothers him. When I told him to do something, he said, ‘What do you want me to do? Call the cops?’”
Derek smiled. “Sounds like Michael.”
“We still don’t know that the two incidents are connected,” Jensen observed.
“Or that the bullet wasn’t really intended for me,” Cole added.
Derek put his arm around his fiancé. “There’s no sense jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts.”
“That’s true,” Emmett agreed.
“On the other hand, I’m going to demand that Gino get you more security,” Derek told Cole. “It’s not worth the risk.”
Camille Ciancio entered the room.
“I just heard about your friend,” she said. “I hope he’s okay.”
“You heard about Michael and you came to the hospital?” David asked.
“That’s compassionate of you,” Derek added.
“I was here for a meeting. I am building a wellness center here in your bastard brother’s honor, remember?” Camille snapped.
Emmett tried to diffuse the situation. “It’s nice of you to check on him. He’s going to be fine.”
“Thank goodness,” Camille said. “Please keep me posted.”
Camille smiled and left the room, heading down the hallway in search of Mateo. As she rounded the corner and headed toward his office, she saw Rachel Carson, who was also looking for Mateo.
“You,” Camille said. “You’re like an annoying piece of lint I just can’t seem to get rid of.”
“Get out of my way, I’m looking for Mateo.”
Camille smiled. “Still trying to sink your claws into him, eh? You just don’t get it, do you? He doesn’t want you. He’s too smart for that.”
“Oh, he wants me all right. In fact, I’m carrying his child.”
Camille laughed. “Where? In your pocket?”
“Laugh and make all the jokes you want, but it’s the truth. I’m pregnant with Mateo’s child.”
“Well, maybe the good doctor’s not as smart as I thought.”
“He knows a good thing when he sees it. And we are going to get married.”
“Just like you were going to marry my nephew Marco? It’s true it took him a while to figure out what you are, but he eventually did and dumped your skinny ass. The same will be true for Mateo.”
“What’s your interest in Mateo anyway? Why do you even care?”
“I just don’t like seeing trash like you bringing other people down,” Camille declared as she continued down the hallway.
Alone, Rachel mumbled, “Watch out, bitch. You’re next.”
Inside the examination room, Michael was putting his shirt back on when Keith entered the room. Without saying a work, Keith took Michael in his arms and held him tightly.
“Thank God you’re going to be okay.”
“I am, Stormy,” Michael said, running his fingers through Keith’s hair. “I told you, I’m Superman.”
Keith smiled. “Don’t even joke. You could have been killed.”
“Naw.”
“You have a waiting room out there filled with people who love and care about you, but they knew I had to see you first. You asked me last night about my feelings and whether or not I’m conflicted. I’m not. The thought of losing you made everything crystal clear: I love you.”
“Thank you, Keith. I’m not going anywhere. Like I said, let’s spend time together and try to get ‘us’ back on track. That would make me very happy.”
Keith kissed Michael as Emmett peered i
nto the room from the hallway.
Meanwhile, in his apartment, the man looked at the front-page headline of the newspaper on his desk: “Gunshot causes panic and outrage at Pride parade.” The article beneath the headline featured a large photo of Cole, Derek, and Michael on the float prior to the shooting and other photos of the horrified faces of parade viewers after the gunshot.
The man used a knife to shred Michael’s face in the photo. Then he painted a red heart around Cole in the same photo. He carefully tore around the heart and stuck the photo of Cole onto the wall with the other photos.
At the same time, Keith and Emmett were walking north on Lake Shore Drive from the hospital.
“I’m glad Michael’s going to be okay,” Emmett said. “He’s very lucky.”
“Yes. David and Hugo are taking him home and Hugo is going to stay to make sure he rests, which won’t be easy. He’s so stubborn sometimes.”
Emmett smiled. “Like someone else I know.”
“Exactly,” Keith agreed.
“I saw how you reacted to the shooting and I also saw you kiss Michael in the examination room. It’s obvious how much you love him.”
“I do,” Keith said.
“That’s a good thing,” Emmett declared. “Honestly, I have been thinking about a lot of things lately, including you and me. Sleeping together that day a while ago was wonderful, but it probably shouldn’t have happened.”
“We were both lonely and needed to feel wanted,” Keith added. “I don’t regret it at all. We have a special connection, you and I.”
“We always will. You were my first love and I meant it when I told you that I’ve forgiven you for the things you did. I love you and I want you to be happy. And I think us trying to work on getting back together would be a mistake. Your future is with Michael, not me.”
Keith put his arm around Emmett. “Why are you always so wonderful? I’m so lucky to know you.”
