by S. W. Frank
Alfonzo signed with his left hand then winked when she ripped off a copy of the forms then strut from the room shaking her head.
His thoughts traveled to the detective, Winoski or something like that. She continued to ask for a description of the attacker. It seems she wasn’t satisfied with his answer. It was dark, the little he could remember distorted due to his head injury but this morning he remembered…a tattoo. The attacker had a tattoo…. Chinese…death…a symbol. The killer finally fucked up!
Domingo suddenly appeared in the doorway, “Whoa where are you going?”
Raul, Selange and Shanda filed through the door behind him.
Alfonzo slipped his foot in the last sneaker. “I’m discharged…what you think?”
Domingo smiled, “What’s the matter you don’t like this place anymore?”
Alfonzo laughed, happy to see them, “They let all you guy’s up?”
Domingo nodded, “Sure did.”
Alfonzo eyes connected and with Selange. She looked stunning in a princess cut dress. He winked conspiratorially, time to take the flirtation to another level.
* * *
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
One month later and his body still felt like it got hit by a train. He didn’t return to the rented room uptown, instead he visited an old army medic who treated his wounds then booked this hotel. A few modifications to his appearance and ’voila’, Freddie was unrecognizable. He also replaced the Chevy weeks ago with a Honda Accord. Every day he diligently watched the news for information on the Diaz kid and every day nothing. Not one news story on the incident. He didn’t like it, the police were withholding information but why?
They knew something…he frowned…they know who I am.
That night he left the room, traveled to an overnight pharmacy bought feminine products to avoid suspicion along with sunglasses, gauze and Betadine. He tossed the bags on the bed and set about changing the dressings. He looked down at the large neatly stitched wound and scowled. If the Diaz punk was not dead, he’d finish him for free!
The cell on the bed rang and he sat down and stared at the number. Evan…again. The man was becoming a nuisance. He answered, “Yes?”
“You haven’t checked in, don’t you want to know where your car is?”
“Yeah, why not.” Obviously, Evan watched too many of those spy movies. Dumbass!
“You left your black Ford unlocked on the corner of Sixty-fourth Drive and One hundred and eighth street in Forest Hills.”
The line went dead.
Evan Graham was a simpleton eager to be rid of him now that the job was done, although he hadn’t received confirmation the kid was actually dead. Freddie threatened to expose him if he didn’t pay and the rich spineless social climber succumbed. The eyes revealed the soul of a man and Evan’s showed cowardice, a man easily intimidated.
The balance of the money better be there, all of it!
He slipped on a long sleeve shirt, put on a cap, sunglasses and stepped out the door to collect the remainder of his fee.
* * *
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alfonzo walked barefoot to the kitchen clutching the telephone to his ear. Selange had asked, “How are you feeling?”
He loved hearing her sweet voice. “Bueno…good, but I’ll feel better when I see you tonight.”
“I don’t want you driving way out here. I’m coming for you.”
He smirked, “Yeah, chica. You’d do that?”
She wasn’t an expert at flirting. He could tell as she searched for a witty answer. “You’re still not one hundred percent. I don’t want you to get into an accident or anything.”
Alfonzo took a Heineken from the fridge, “You’re not driving home if it’s late, though. I’m accustomed to dropping my women off at their door,” he snickered because he knew she’d blush and he wanted her to, “and sometimes I put them to bed.”
Her sweet voice said, “We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.”
He leaned against the counter as he popped the cap smiling. If, hell there wasn’t any doubt about putting her to bed. It’s merely a matter of how soon. But for now he’d play along, she had his attention and that’s always a good sign. “So where are you taking me?”
Selange teased, “You’ll see when we get there.”
He wanted this girl so damn bad. She kept him on edge. Having a girl plan a date left him on unfamiliar turf but it was kind of cool. He only wondered if he should bring along protection, the lethal type.
“Cool, tonight it’s your way, next time it’s mine.”
She laughed, “Don’t worry…you’re in competent hands.”
He gulped the beer and mumbled, “Umm…I hope so.”
Nah, tonight…me…her…no piece…no business only pleasure!
At eight o’clock she arrived at his place looking sexy in a black gown with a white ribbon sash around her thin waist. Her hair was pulled tightly into a fashionable ponytail displaying her striking cheekbones and feline eyes. She looked like an exotic princess, classy, regal and super sexy. “Whoa…you look gorgeous.” He complimented from the doorway then leaned forward impulsively to give her a lingering kiss.
He glimpsed a car passing, its occupant familiar. Detective Winoski. Was he under surveillance or police protection? After tonight he planned to find out. This evening he simply wanted to have a good time. If the police were following then there was no need to bring fire power, right?
She smiled against his mouth, “Ummm,” then stepped back to check him out from head to toe. He wore a midnight blue tailored suit, white custom designer shirt with a fashionable full collar, silk light blue tie which complimented his blue eyes then she did a double take…are those real diamond cufflinks and is that an authentic Jean Richard watch? Holy crap…if it’s real it costs over a hundred and twenty thousand for the Paramount Tourbillion. Wow, Alfonzo has impeccable taste!
“You clean-up nice,” she commented, not wanting to boost his already huge ego although he looked fabulous and smelled really good. He wore expensive clothes effortlessly and possessed a confident Latino swagger that caused her heart to accelerate. This is how my mom must’ve felt with Al.
Alfonzo didn’t smile, he’d received more enthusiastic reception from women. He hadn’t anticipated such a lukewarm response especially when he sought to impress her. The white designer shirt with the stylish oversized collar cost eight hundred dollars. The entire outfit not including his watch and cufflinks set him back three grand and all she could say was, ‘you clean-up nice’.
From the grim set of his mouth she surmised he was not pleased with her tepid compliment. She smiled internally at his conceit. Men this handsome craved praise but she wasn’t going to be the chick to dole out compliments simply to stroke his ego. He had to earn them.
“Let me grab my keys,” he said quietly then walked into the living room, snatched his key from a side table then returned to the foyer.
His ego is bruised. Poor baby! She seized his hand eagerly, “We have to hurry. I don’t want to be late.”
His spirits lifted. This girl surprised and elated him but he had to play it cool, she was nothing like the other chicks. She wasn’t easy to impress and didn’t need or want anything from him. He decided to be suave and not move too fast; he’d get to know her and see where it led.
They were in Brooklyn a short time later and entered the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Her surprise date was a performance of Verdi’s II Trovatore. The people climbing the stairs were dressed similarly in stylish attire. Refined, cultured, lovers of classical musical. Opera wasn’t his thing but he’d feign interest if it meant spending time with her. He suffered through the performance and almost fell asleep if not for the piercing high pitched sound emanating from the woman on the stage. He applauded at the appropriate moments and stood as everyone cheered, encore. During the long orchestral performance he watched her proudly. She caught him staring several times and blushed. When it ended he was ecstatic to finally get her alon
e.
They descended the wide stairs and she asked, “So, did you like it?”
Alfonzo had stopped to check his text messages; there was one from Antonia: 69 miss u. He typed back: ttyl @work. He apologized to his date then put away the cellular and gave Selange his full attention, “I’m not a fan of opera, but being with you made it palatable. What the heck is II Trovatore anyway?”
“It means troubadour, you weren’t paying attention were you?”
He smiled, “You were distracting me.”
She cocked her head to the side and grinned, “You’d rather go catch a game, right?”
“True.”
“Okay, then take me to a game. If you can sit through opera I think I can manage baseball, basketball, soccer, fútbol or whatever.”
“Really?” She was at his side, beautiful and intoxicating. He clasped her hand, “I’m glad you’re smiling.”
She nodded, “Me too.”
His fingers interlocked with hers. Alone and away from his boys Alfonzo surprised her. They reached the car and he let go of her hand to her quiet disappointment. She liked the feel of his hand; it was strong, warm and protective.
“Hungry?” He asked then pointed, “We’re not far from Junior’s, let’s stop in.”
Junior’s cheesecakes were the best in Brooklyn.
She entered the car then waited for him to join her before pulling off in the direction of the famous eatery. They parked and out of nowhere it began to drizzle. When they were feet from the door the rain began to fall heavily and they scurried inside laughing. He ordered a pineapple cheesecake and smiled as she poked his arm. “Hey, you didn’t ask if I like pineapple.”
A few patrons stared at the attractive well-dressed couple.
“Lo siento…I’m sorry…what do you want?”
“I want a strawberry cheesecake.”
“Anything else, how about a chocolate cheesecake I hear it’s the best?”
His eyebrow raised and she smiled at the double entendré. “I heard that, too.”
He revised the order to include strawberry and chocolate, then asked for individual slices and double Frappuccino’s for them to have now.
They moved to a table to savor the smooth creamy concoction and hot drinks as the clerk readied their take-out orders.
Alfonzo leaned back in his chair, “I know you like opera, strawberry cheesecake what else do you like?”
“I like watching cartoons.”
He laughed.
“What about you aside from sports, which is obvious?”
He watched her raise the fork to her lips and smiled as they closed slowly over the soft dessert. He nodded, “I like to travel every chance I get.”
Her interest piqued, “Where?”
“I love Spain. It’s got a rich history, also the people are cool.” He sipped the Frappuccino then sat the cup down, “I’ve visited the United Kingdom, London’s overrated but I appreciate the architecture of the old buildings, the other shit they can have. I like Rome. I visit Puerto Rico all the time and the other Caribbean islands.”
“I plan to start traveling, there are a lot of places I want to visit.”
“How about coming with me to Puerto Rico, sometime?” He slid his chair close to the table and sighed, “I was planning to go there before, you know.”
She nodded and took another bite. He didn’t need to elaborate, she read the sadness in his eyes, “I’ll love to go, when?”
“When they catch the son of…” He stopped abruptly at the sight of her unease then apologized, “I’m sorry. Tonight is not about any of that.”
“It’s okay Alfonzo. We can talk about it, I’m not going to fall to pieces.”
Alfonzo finished his drink. His plate sat empty except for a fork and a chocolate swirl from his portion of dessert. He slid the plate aside to lean forward to ask, “Has Detective Johnson said anything about the case?”
“No…no but I think I might’ve seen the killer.”
His eyes narrowed, “What…when?”
She put down her fork and looked around then back at him. “I’m not sure Alfonzo that’s why I haven’t told anyone about it.”
“Selange,” he breathed, “what did you see?”
“The day it happened I was angry at my mom when I found out she and your uncle got married without telling me. I was leaving the building and I practically bumped into this guy. I’ve never seen the guy around before so of course I looked over at him and he turned away. Like he didn’t want me to see his face or something. I didn’t get a good look at him but he was tall about your complexion and he had this mark on his arm.”
Alfonzo stiffened, “A mark or a tattoo?”
Her eyes brightened, “Yes, I think it was a tattoo.”
“Go on.”
“At the funeral I almost swear I saw the guy there, too.”
“Holy shit!” He rocked back, “Selange the dude who attacked me had a tattoo on his arm. This is crazy.”
“What does it mean?”
“Fuck if I know but I need to get some answers.”
“How?”
“The cops know something. They just aren’t telling. I’ll get somebody to talk.”
Minutes later he paid the tab, collected the cake boxes and they scurried to the car. They made it inside just as lightning illuminated the sky. An angry barrage of rain pounded the pavement and he sat the boxes on the backseat then said, “wait here a minute, I’ll be right back.”
He ran down the block to the nondescript vehicle and tapped on the window. Detective Winoski peered from behind a crack in the tinted glass.
“I need to talk to you detective.” The lock popped open loudly and he sat in the passenger seat water dripping from his forehead onto his suit, “Why are you following me?”
“Routine.”
“Bullshit.”
The handsome man wasn’t dumb, “Alright. Truth is I’m thinking maybe the perp who tried to put you ten feet under might be foolish enough to go for a second try.”
Alfonzo twisted his body to view her fully, “And why would he do that?”
“I was hoping you’d know.”
“I don’t. What aren’t you saying to me detective?”
She reached over his lap to remove the sketch from the glove compartment and he saw the silhouette of her breasts from the slits of her blouse.
“Do you know this guy?”
He took the crumpled paper and stared at the drawing. “No.”
“What about someone they call Freddie, does it ring a bell?”
“No. Is this the guy who killed my uncle and Selange’s mom?”
“He’s a person of interest.”
“Can I keep this?” he asked already folding the paper to put in his pocket.
“Go ahead.” She started the car, “How was the opera?” She smirked.
“Shouldn’t you be out there looking for a murderer instead of following me?”
“I’m going to do that as soon as you get out the car.”
He opened the door then hesitated to ask one more question, “Is Selange in any danger?”
The pretty blonde detective seemed amused, “If she keeps hanging with you it’s inevitable.”
Her eyes caressed his crotch and his lip curled at her boldness, “Let me worry about that, hope you catch this guy before someone else does.” He escaped from the car and rushed back to his date. Shit, did he actually go on a date, who goes on dates nowadays, don’t people usually just hook-up? He wondered.
“Where did you go?” She asked.
“To use the bathroom,” He lied then peered at the buckets of water flooding the windshield. “Are you all right driving in this?”
She frowned, “You better drive, it’s coming down hard.”
They exchanged seats. He looked over as she wiped rain from her face and removed a jeweled hairclip to allow her wet locks to fall unimpeded around her shoulders. On impulse he leaned over, gently cupped her cheeks caressing the curvature of h
er jaw with his thumbs as he kissed her rosy lips. Her mouth parted as he probed and tasted the velvety chocolate of her tongue. Fire ignited in his groin and his hands slid to her bare shoulders then across her breasts. Selange’s arms circled his neck as Alfonzo’s lips moved lower scorching a trail across her cleavage.
She tasted sweet….so damn…sweet. Slender fingers raked through his hair and he groaned in frustration and unbridled longing. He forced himself to stop.
“What‘s wrong…is it your shoulder?”
Alfonzo grunted, “Yeah…let me get you home.”
“How are you going to get back to your place?” She asked.
“Cab.”
“No…why don’t I just stay the night and I’ll drive home in the morning?”
His brow furrowed, “Okay.”
He drove in silence, wondering if she understood how dangerously close he came to taking her right there in the car. His cell was blowing up with calls from Domingo and Antonia which he ignored. He didn’t act on his impulses that night, instead he prepared the guest room, made an excuse about having to take care of a family emergency then paid a carnal visit to Antonia to release his sexual frustration. She was asleep when he returned. He quickly showered, climbed into his king-size bed alone and then shut his eyes.
Selange is special, don’t corrupt her. If the detective is right as long as she’s around me she’s in danger!
He thrashed around fitfully knowing she was so damn close, yet so damn far. This girl was getting in his blood.
Goddammit…this girl is making me seriously consider monogamy!
He closed his eyes and dreamt of Selange. Tonight, he played the gentleman, tomorrow he wasn’t so sure about.
* * *
CHAPTER TWENTY
Music reached their position thirty feet away. Festivities were underway at Maria Diaz’ house. They were celebrating Alfonzo’s twenty-fourth birthday. Marchese and Winoski witnessed guests emerge from expensive cars carrying gifts and wine. Impeccably dressed people beamed as they walked toward the brownstone.
