“Come in,” I answered the light knock on my door.
“Jessie,” I ran a hand over my face to collect myself. “Um – what are you doing up here?”
She held up a new bottle of whiskey and a glass of ice. “Matt told me to bring these up.” She crossed the room and set the bottle in front of me.
“Thanks.” I poured myself a glass.
“I see you figured out my name.” She weakly joked and sat a box down on the desk. “That looks bad.”
“I’ve hurt myself worse.” My injuries didn’t hurt as much as my ego.
Jessie sat down on the desk, opened the box and pulled out a few items. She then dabbed my wound with an alcohol soaked fabric. She was so close I could smell her sweet smelling perfume.
“You looked a little sad when you got here tonight. Is everything alright?”
“A friend of mine died yesterday. I just found out before I came in.”
“I’m sorry. A close friend?”
“He used to be,” she admitted.
“An ex?”
“Sort of.” She smiled. “He – um – was my first boyfriend I guess.”
“Do you stay friends with all your ex’s?”
“I don’t know. We were sixteen and I don’t think you can really be more than friends at that age.” She spoke softly as she tended my wound. “I went to this boarding school in Iglue and I didn’t have many friends. Actually, I put up with a lot of bullying and teasing.” I couldn’t take my eyes away from her expression as she reminisced. She had this softness. This way of showing that she really cared about the people in her life. “One day I was in the gym and the girls thought it would be funny to steal my clothes and I had no clue until I took off my shirt to take a shower. I turned around and that was gone too. I was so embarrassed. I was so uncomfortable with myself then. I – it was like I just woke up with a set of breasts and I had no idea what to do with them – and I think they knew that.” She talked like she was in a trance. Like she was again in that moment of her life. “There I was horrified that they could all see me and they started throwing feminine products at me.” She sighed. “I just ran out of there so fast. Oh, I really had no idea just how cold snow could be until I was running in it wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.”
I swallowed. Just imagining her running with nothing but her arms covering her breasts aroused me.
“I don’t even know where I was going and I ran right into him.”
“Lucky man.”
She laughed. “I think I pissed him off. He was out jogging. He was in the middle of training and I think it made him mad that I was standing there topless when he was trying to keep all his focus on his goals. But he gave me his shirt even though he wasn’t wearing a coat and we were friends ever since. He was the only one who was ever nice to me.” She sighed. “Listen to me talking your ear off.”
“Sometimes it helps to have someone listen. I don’t mind.”
“I think you need stitches.” She changed the subject.
“I hate hospitals.”
She rolled her eyes and took a blue vial from the box and dabbed the Miasma laced gel on the cut. I winced as she held the skin together and put a few butterfly strips in place. It felt good to be taken care of.
“So, you’re involved with someone now?”
“Yeah,” she admitted.
“I’ve never been the type to move in on anyone’s girl. It’s always been a rule of mine.” I smiled and I took her hand, rubbing the stone as if I could make it disappear.
“Good rule.”
“You’re um – man – He’s nice to you?”
“He used to be.” Then her mouth fell open and she jumped from the desk. “I – I should really get back. It’s almost time for me dance.”
“I might have to make an exception this time.” I blurted out. “I really like you, Jessie.”
“You shouldn’t like me, Sean.” She hurried out the door.
I stood at the window, watching her the rest of the night. Intently I studied every man she spoke to. It wasn’t unusual for the dancer’s boyfriends to show up to ‘keep an eye’ on them and I planned to ban him from De’Bris the minute I knew who he was. I was used to getting what I wanted and I didn’t plan to play fair.
SIXTEEN
(Jessie)
LIFE WAS GETTING TOO COMPLICATED. I had too many emotions running through my head and I really couldn’t get any of them straight. I was trying my best to make it on my own. To cement my future. I had it all figured out – I was sure of it. I had a man. I was getting married and my work life would work itself out, but why did it feel like everything I worked toward was wrong?
My feet throbbed even though I hadn’t been on them most the night like I usually would. Maybe it was the shoes. I kicked off my heels, shoving them behind the counter and enjoyed the relief, but that didn’t help my tired arms.
I forced myself to carry drinks and food to customers who had already surpassed their limit. I faked a smile for the flirts and restrained myself beyond my capabilities when loose hands slapped my bottom. I was more than ready for the night to end.
My gaze kept looking up at that two-way mirror –Sean had stayed in his office since returning from the race and I found myself worrying over a mob boss who didn’t think twice about spilling the blood of others. That confused me even more.
I tried to focus on something else “Hey, Teen,” I stood beside the tall dancer behind the bar while we filled mugs. “What’s behind those doors along the back wall?”
“Oh, they are reserved for big spenders who want some alone time with their favorite girl.”
“And if you’re ever asked to go into one of those rooms you better do it,” Spencer spat.
Tina rolled her eyes. “It’s no big deal. Just the same thing you do on stage with a smaller audience. Just the customer and a bouncer.”
“I’m not paying you to talk,” Spencer growled.
“You’re not paying us at all,” I hissed back.
Tina lifted a confused brow. “Let’s go before Spencer bursts a blood vessel.”
We rushed back and forth. Walking swiftly from one end of the room to the other. I think I was getting the hang of serving people – finally. The best part of the night was talking to Tina.
“I have to dance. Be back in a few.” Tina bounced away in a short mini skirt and gold halter top. Damn, that woman loved gold.
I tried to memorize the way Tina walked in five-inch gold heels. On stage, Tina was fantastic, moving her body to the beat of the song, crawling close to the customers, then moving away, teasing them and leaving them begging for more. Oh, I wished I could be as seductive as she was.
“What are you waiting for?” Spencer bellowed in my ear before Tina’s dance could end. “You’re not making any money standing around.” I rolled my eyes. I really despised that man. “Are you retarded or something? Get moving!” Spencer screamed at me constantly. I felt like crying, but that was something I refused to do in front of anyone. Then it dawned on me – I didn’t have to take shit from that scrawny pervert.
“Do you know how to do anything besides be an asshole?” I asked him.
“Watch your mouth or I’ll …”
“You’ll do nothing.” I sang out, enjoying letting him know that I knew he had no real power in De’Bris.
Learning to ignore the bartender made my night a little easier, but not much. I felt unusually achy and drained.
“Waitress!” The fatigue caused my mind to skip gears and my reaction time slowed considerably. I felt out of control, a state of mind that was unacceptable in my profession. “Hey, you!”
I served the table and tried to remain calm when the guy splashed me with a glass of water to see if my white tank top was see through. What an idiot.
“Hey, Doll!” I growled and turned toward the next jerk.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I spat.
Jackson Calloway took a shot and then chased it with a swig of beer.
“Just relaxing, Cupcake.” He took his big boots off the chair beside him. “Sit.”
“I don’t have time to waste on you.”
“I’m a paying customer.” He waved a handful of bills. “Sit.”
I decided to indulge him, afraid that he would make a scene.
“No. Here.” He nodded to his lap. I ignored his request and took the chair. “Are you trying to blow my cover?” I whispered.
“You’re gonna do that all by yourself.” Jackson always found a way to get under my skin and he didn’t have to work hard at it. “Besides, I’m not ready to blow my own free ride.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re Pops wanted more protection for you, so here I am.”
I was infuriated by his admission and baffled that Rick had chosen Jackson of all the people he could have sent.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t know why you’re always threatened by me.”
“I’m not threatened.”
“Yeah, sure.” He laughed. “You can’t stand the sight of me and that’s your problem.”
“That hardly means I’m threatened.”
“You take things so literally so, let me rephrase it. You judge people who look like me and that is going to be your downfall someday. You need to learn how to trust me and you need to do it quick because you’re not the only one who wants to be on The Bureau’s payroll.”
“If you’re asking to team up the answer’s no.”
“I guess you’re not interested in a partner you can’t screw.”
I wanted to slap him for referencing my relationship with Josh that had caused me to lose my job with the Bureau. I wanted to punch him, bloody his lip and claw out his eyes.
“Why the hell would they hire you for a job like this? You’ve worked with PD for years. Aren’t you on Gianetti’s list?”
“Gianetti doesn’t care about the PD. We’re not the ones constantly in his business.” He took another shot. “I am your partner. So, deal with it – unless you’d rather get stuck with someone like young Monroe.” He nodded toward the gentleman sitting in a trench coat across the room who was snacking on cheese sticks and whispering into his wrist.
“Oh, God no,” I responded. “That kid is a real menace. What the hell is he doing in here?”
“He’s eager to set his eyes on Bolivar. He’s smart, but he doesn’t know how to blend in.”
“And I guess you do?”
“I was born a bad ass, Cupcake.”
“Are you okay?” Tina always saved me when I was stuck talking to a customer too long. “You’re up after Ashley – Matt changed the lineup.”
“Thanks Tina,” I muttered, left my tray on Jackson’s table and whispered before rushing into the back to change my wet dress. “Go back and tell Uncle Rick that I don’t need his protection. I can do this on my own.”
That was why I had taken the job at De’Bris. That was why I was dancing. That was the deal Andrew Harkins, the conniving agent in charge offered and I was damn sure going to do whatever I had to do to get my job at the Bureau back.
“Max is missing,” Jackson grabbed my hand and growled in my ear. “You know what that means? As long as you’re here – I’ll be close.”
SEVENTEEN
(Sean)
THE GARDEN. I HAD THOUGHT it a beautiful name when I had chosen it for my wife’s final resting place. Crossing its gates made one think they were stepping into an enchanted land the way the trees budded with pink, white and lavender blooms that would drift away and float in a pond that God’s creatures claimed as their home.
Swans, ducks and several varieties of fish painted a blissful scene, but it never brought me peace. Flowers and bushes landscaped the area and a swing hung from a large oak, meant to represent the joy of life, but it could not make me forget that The Garden was a place of death, a place where the statues were grave markers. A place that trapped a wonderful sweet woman in its cold ground.
“I really hate that this is the only place that I can talk to you.” I stood beneath the wings of an angel knelt in prayer.
I had come to say goodbye. I kissed a single, white rose and placed it on the green grass below. “I know I haven’t come to see you in a long time. I guess it’s because I know I would disappoint you. I’m not the same man you loved, Sara.”
I touched the place where her body laid, wishing there was not so much earth covering it.
“Dad’s dead. Been gone for some time now.” I took a deep breath. “I guess I’ve really become what he wanted, because I wasn’t sad. I felt nothing when I realized my father would never return. I only wished I had done it sooner, then maybe you would still be here … and Jacob. We would sitting at that damn dinner right now and he would be demanding those stupid mushrooms that he knew they didn’t serve.” The memory made me chuckle. “But, old man Riley would keep a small jar just for him, but he made Jacob beg anyway – remember? – Before he would give him any? You know I think that old man was the only one who could make Jacob beg – except you of course.”
I laid my back on the grass and closed my eyes. I kept my hand over her plot and soon I could see myself lying next to her as we had done in Coeur de ‘Lile that summer.
It was always nighttime in Demora and Sara had said the constant darkness was starting to depress her. She’d never seen blue skies before. She’d never ventured out of her hometown, so I took her on a road trip for our third date. We traveled four hours away and ate lunch in the park. Then laid on blankets pointing out billowing shapes in the clouds and playfully arguing over what they resembled.
Then I thought about my actions the night before and how I reacted to finding the dark skinned agent in my office in the middle of the night. I’d only gone to De’Bris to retrieve my laptop and there he was rigging my office with his tiny microscopic cameras. I’d beaten him brutally and he was still chained up in the club’s basement.
“I’m a horrible man, Sara. I’ve cheated, lied and I’ve murdered people. I’ve actually taken someone’s life.” The faces of my victims flashed in front of me. Their final pleas, their final agonizing expressions as the realization of their fate settled in their minds vividly haunted me. “I’ve taken away someone’s son, someone’s father, husband and I know how much that hurts. But honestly, I don’t care when I do it, not about anything but making them pay and I wouldn’t feel bad at all – if I didn’t think about you.” My mind was a jumbled pile of emotions and confusion. I felt like crying, but my eyes remained dry, a lifetime’s reserve used long before.
“I don’t see anything or anyone as real anymore, well except Mickie. Did I tell you that she moved out? She can’t stand me, either. Geeze, it’s like I’m stuck playing that video game with Jacob and I can’t shut it off. Now that Dad is gone – well why bother trying to go straight? It wouldn’t bring you back.”
Then I thought about Jessie and how easily I had been attracted to her and I felt sick to my stomach when I imagined that Sara had witnessed my betrayal.
“I’m crazy about another woman, Sara. I never thought it would ever happen to me again. I think it will be okay this time. I think I can leave this life behind me. I’m going to change and be the man I was when I was with you.”
On cue, a gust of wind blew and a limb from a nearby tree snapped and fell, its twigs landed on my forehead, reminding me of the light slap Sara would deliver anytime I had said something out of line. I laughed and rubbed my injury, as if she had sent me a message.
“Okay. Okay. I’ll let the cop go.” I laughed and rubbed the knot on my forehead. Then I sighed. “I need your help on this, Sara. I want Jessie in my life and I’m going to do anything I have to do to make that happen. Even if I have to play dirty. I hope you’ll turn your head if it becomes too violent.”
~ ♥ ~
“You’ve been touched by an angel, my friend.” I jerked the duct tape from the mouth of the agent strapped to an old throne. There were a lot of old props down there and I
kind of liked the old velvet thing.
“Shit!” He yelled out. I’m pretty sure ripping the tape had stung.
“Max King.” I paced, tapping my gun against my chin. “You’ve been a real pain in my ass.” I growled. “I like my privacy – especially in my office.”
“What do you want us to do with him, Boss?” Matt Divani stuck a gun to King’s temple and Grato stood nearby getting that itchy glare.
“I’m gonna let him go.”
Both their jaws dropped.
“But, before you go, Max, want to have a little talk. I have a problem that is going to be your problem real soon. And trust me it’s a lot bigger than me.” I nodded for Matt to untie the man. “Grato, give the man back his case.”
“Why are you doing this?” Max King didn’t move. “Is this some kind of trick?”
“No – no trick. I just had a conversation with my wife today and she made some good points.” I chuckled and rubbed the knot on my forehead and Max gazed like I was a mad man. Maybe I was. “Come with me.”
I led him upstairs. I sat down at my private table and offered him a drink.
“How much do you make working for the pigs, Max?” I settled in.
“If you only kept me alive to make me into one of your mules you wasted your time. You might as well shoot me and get it over with.”
“I’m not offering you a job, but I am offering you funding. For the little toys you use to get the job done – just stay the hell out of my office.” I chuckled. “There is so much you cops don’t understand. I’m not doing this shit to get richer or stay rich. What I’ve done is vital for your safety. For the whole damn town’s safety.”
“That’s bullshit. It’s just something you say to make yourself feel better about murdering.”
“When Adrian died, I discontinued collecting protection money from the businesses, but if I lose control, Max. All of that goes away. Innocent civilians will start dying again. Do you understand that?”
“And what the hell do you think talking to me about this is going to do?”
Son of a Mobster (Criminal Desires) Page 12
