The man looked around at his friends who all looked tongue tied and said, “Nico has a second warehouse on Centre Street near the Red Hook Terminal.”
“Motherfucker!” Davide was going to lose his head. There were two warehouses and they’d come to the wrong one. Lori could be dying at this very moment.
“Let’s go,” he said to Johnny/Vinny.
“What do we do with them?”
He was going soft just as Raffaele had accused. He actually considered letting them go, but one of them could get word to Nico or Hector, and Davide would no longer have the element of surprise. “Kill them all.”
He left then and heard Johnny/Vinny calling someone on his cellphone. Three men came from outside. Davide walked out but not before he heard a flurry of activity followed by gun noise and screams.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” he kicked at the warehouse wall in frustration. He’d been wrong and the time was ticking. Hector wanted him, that was for sure. But Hector also had little patience. He’d probably already gotten the full story from Lori. But even if he hadn’t he would kill her. Hector always acted before he thought. And right now he was probably hurt that Davide had betrayed him. If Davide had to guess, he would guess that Hector wanted to hurt him more than he wanted to kill him. And now he knew of the only way he could hurt him. He probably didn’t know that he could accomplish the two things he wanted so much by just one action. Kill Lori and he would kill Davide too.
“You okay sir?”
Davide hadn’t realized he was still kicking the warehouse wall and pulling at his hair. “Fine Johnny. Let’s go.”
“It’s Vinny.”
“Right. You were very quick in there. No wonder Raffaele thinks highly of you.”
Vinny accepted the compliment with a nod. “Should we let him know?”
“I’ll call him.”
They’d already wasted about two hours and he was ready to get on with it. He dialed Raffaele’s number.
“It’s me.”
“I heard about Red Hook”
“How did… never mind. Should we go in now? I don’t want to wait.”
“But now Hector’s expecting you. If he’s there of course.”
“If I wait and find her dead, I won’t be able to live with myself.”
“If you go in now and get her killed will you live with yourself then?”
Davide hung up and sighed. Raffaele was probably right. But he wasn’t sure he could go one more night without her.
“Hey boss, one more thing. One of the men in there, the short fat one, said something about Hoyt. Swore he’d overheard it from Nico but didn’t know anything else about it.
“Hoyt?”
“Yup.”
“What the fuck?”
CHAPTER THIRTY - TWO
“Wakey Wakey Ms. Brinkley.”
I could hear a voice, very very far away but for some reason I couldn’t will myself to move towards it.
“Despiertate!” The same voice commanded. I was just so tired. Couldn’t they let me be?
“Bring the water!” the voice said.
The water? Oh no no no no no. Not the water, I was shivering as it was. I couldn’t…
Water splashed on me that instant waking me up and pulling me upright on the seat.
“You’re awake. Good. I couldn’t sleep either. Want to know why?”
I tried making myself comfortable but all my limbs hang limply where they’d been strapped. No circulation. I groaned.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Your boyfriend made a brave, very valiant effort to rescue you last night.”
By now I could tell it was Hector’s voice even though my eyes still couldn’t seem to focus.
Davide? Davide was here?
“Unfortunately not here Ms. Brinkley.”
I frowned. I couldn’t tell if I’d asked my question out loud.
“He, for some reason assumed we had taken you to New Jersey. See, my very good friend Nico got a call from one of his men. The man was supposed to be amongst those guarding the place last night but by some stroke of luck, had to come in later than usual. He found the place deserted which alarmed him. He called Nico who assembled more men to search the area. They found five dead bodies in a container. So what do you think we should do? Do you suppose your boyfriend knows where we are? Hmm?”
He looked at me expectantly. As if I would waste any remaining energy on his games.
“No answer? Well, let me tell you. We’re going to move you out of here right now. Then- ” he paused for dramatic effect, “then we’ll wait for your boyfriend. He just might die before you do. Then you can join him.” He smiled. “They always did call me a romantic and who can deny it? I’ve created my real life Romeo and Juliet.”
I registered this but didn’t respond. My skin felt clammy and I could feel the drip drip drip of sweat or blood. I wasn’t sure. I could hardly bring myself to think about Davide’s impending death. It wasn’t that I didn’t care. No. I just wasn’t sure what I could do. I felt numb. I truly wished that Davide would let it be. Would let me go. I was halfway there anyway. It felt good to know he cared. That he looked for me. But we couldn’t both die in the hands of Hector. Where was the justice in that?
As soon as that thought registered, it fortified me. I had held up and not let out a word about Davide’s connection to Raffaele. If I’d done that much, then I could stay strong for Davide. I could stay alive.
“You know, I’m getting really tired of talking to myself Ms. Brinkley. But I’ll forgive you this time. Next time? You won’t be so lucky. Now pack your bags, we’re leaving.” He started to walk out then turned. “Oh, I almost forgot that unlike last time, we don’t have your suitcase.” He laughed, a loud guffaw that rattled my bones.
“Pedro! Time to move her!” He announced.
“Pedro appeared, together with Ignacio and another man. He undid my binds and I fell on the ground right next to his feet.
“Any other day I would have loved you at my feet, but not when you look like dog shit.” He put his arms under my armpits and started dragging me. I wanted to fight, to kick around, to do something. But with all my bruises and with uncooperative limbs, I didn’t seem to have any remaining motor function.
Ignacio and the new guy walked in front of us with Hector behind us. I heard a phone ring.
“Si,” Hector said. There was a pause where I assumed the person on the other side was speaking though I couldn’t hear what he or she was saying.
“I’m sure he knows. He’s nothing if not thorough”
Pause.
“We’re moving her now, then we’ll come back and wait for him.”
Pause.
“Do you know how long ago he was there?”
He groaned.
“And none of your men know about the cement place?”
Pause.
“Bueno. We’ll move her then come back. Gracias amigo.” He hung up. So they were going to come back and wait for Davide. I wished for the umpteenth time I could warn him but it would take a miracle and I seemed fresh out of some.
Once outside, I was surprised to see that it was still dark. Hector had said ‘good morning’ hadn’t he? Pedro picked me up and threw me at the back of the van. I heard a crunch and pain shot up my arm. If I hadn’t broken all my bones, that would do it.
Seconds later, we drove off.
CHAPTER THIRTY - THREE
Davide watched the van drive off. “Vinny, stay here and monitor the place. Await my signal and make sure you don’t make yourself or your men known.” He was shaking from both adrenaline and anger and was having a hard time calming down. He’d gotten a glimpse of Lori. Thankfully she was still alive, but seemed to be barely hanging on. He wondered why they were moving her, somebody must have alerted Nico of the murders at his warehouse in Jersey.
But that suited him just fine. It meant Hector knew he was onto him. He ran back to his car and got in. It wouldn’t be hard to follow the van, but it would be almost impossible
to follow it without their knowledge. Luckily he’d had the foresight to do something about it. Another thing on his side, they were all Spaniards who didn’t know much of New York. He was ready to beat them at their own game.
He checked the device in his hands and started driving. The van was already out of sight. He had to do this fast. He drove from Centre Street, down Garnet, onto Smith and finally to Hoyt. Not without breaking a few more driving rules along the way. He needed the fastest route and luckily for him, there were not very many cars at that time of the night.
He parked his car between two cement mixer trucks and got out. Crouching low, he got out his Berretta and waited. Five minutes later the van showed up. He’d had the idea to put a GPS tracker on the van once they’d arrived at the second warehouse. He hated surprises like the one back in Jersey, and if they were going to move Lori, he’d know where they’d take her.
One of Vinny’s buddies had supplied a GPS tracker together with a device that transmitted GPS coordinates once they were entered. So Davide knew they’d be headed to Hoyt. That, and the fact that the dying man had mentioned Hoyt. He’d suspected but more so hoped, that they’d use the longer route to Hoyt Street and they had.
They got out of the van and Pedro went to the back. He shouted something then dragged a bloodied Lori out. Fucking shithead. He would enjoy watching the lights fade from Pedro’s eyes when he killed him oh so slowly.
Davide stayed close to the shadows and followed the men. He didn’t want to think about the significance of Hector bringing Lori here. According to the information he’d gotten from Raffaele, there were a lot of dead people, Nico’s adversaries mostly, who disappeared into thin air, bodies never to be recovered. Raffaele suspected that Nico used his property’s proximity to a cement factory to bury dead bodies under layers of concrete that no one would suspect or ever recover.
Raffaele had actually seemed impressed. Even berated himself for not having thought about it. Davide had never questioned his life. He’d even gone as far as saying it was a calling. But the more he thought about Lori, the more he realized he needed to get out. But if Lori didn’t make it, he was going to take out a lot of people before he went down.
He watched Hector pull the garage door and they all went in. Wondering just how many people would be inside the building, he moved in closer. Lying low, he watched Hector and Pedro leave. So they’d left Ignacio with Lori. He hoped to God he would not be outnumbered. The van drove off and he stood up. This was it.
He was wary of alerting Ignacio if he dragged the gate open but he had no choice. He pulled the gate open with barely a squeak. He raised his Beretta and walked in. The garage was dark but even without the benefit of a light, he could make out cement bags arranged in piles. It all led up to a door and he walked towards it. He paused to listen, straining to catch any sounds from inside. Nothing. Taking a deep breath, he pulled down the latch and came face to face with Ignacio.
They both had their guns raised.
“Hermano! I wondered why Hector was back so soon but I’m glad to see it’s you,” Ignacio said smiling as he lowered his gun.
“Where’s Lori?” Asked Davide not lowering his own weapon.
“She’s in the back room. I’ll show you.” Ignacio immediately turned and started walking away. Bad move showing his back. Davide wanted to shoot, but something just didn’t seem right. Ignacio was too relaxed.
“You can lower your weapon Hermano. We’re on the same team remember?”
“Are we?”
“I couldn’t help Lori or I would have alerted Hector. You know that. But I would never have stood by and watched them kill her.”
“Why would you help her?”
“Because she means something to you Davide, why else?”
Davide kept his gun raised, mind working miles a minute.
“Look, we both know we’re the only intelligent people in all of Hector’s people.” Ignacio continued. “This would have come to pass sooner or later.”
“What would have?” Davide asked.
“No seas tonto Davide. Don’t play stupid. You of all people understand how annoying and disgraceful it is to be led by a fool in a gang of fools.”
Davide didn’t say a word.
“I was planning to approach you all along. We can lead it better Davide, you and I. Imagine all the ways we could change the Cartel? All the money we’d make? The respect we’d get. The Italians knew well enough how to be organized in such things, but you would know that wouldn’t you?”
He paused as if waiting for Davide’s input. When nothing came, he continued.
“That would be where you come in. Organize our people, and with my IT skills, who knows how far we could go?”
Davide had long stopped listening. His ear cocked, he heard it clearly. The almost imperceptible sound of a gun being cocked. There was definitely someone behind him, and if he wasn’t wrong, another one on his left. He couldn’t be sure if there were more.
“Drop the gun Davide,” Ignacio said, voice deeper, as if he hadn’t been talking about them ruling the world together only seconds ago.
“Davide lowered his gun and three men came out of the shadows. From what he could tell, they were Nico’s men.
“You came close to saving her Davide. Close but no cigar.” He laughed. “Don’t you love these American phrases?.” He paused. “It’s a pity, Hector would have loved to see this. Now move towards that wall very slowly. Attempt anything and it’s a bullet in your head.”
Davide did as he was told. He moved very slowly, at the same time pressing his right pocket as discretely as he could. Five, Four, Three, Two…
The first shot rang out and ricocheted on something. Davide leapt to the ground. He noticed Ignacio doing the same, but Nico’s men either wore bullet proof vests, or thought they were invincible because all three of them started charging towards the direction the shots had come from. Davide noticed Ignacio on the ground dragging himself towards the other room and ran up and grabbed his Beretta from where he’d dropped it on the ground.
“Not so fast!”
Ignacio turned, very close to reaching his piece. Davide had no desire to prolong this. He pulled the trigger and Ignacio slumped, blood oozing out of him. He rushed to check the pulse. Dead. He quickly stood up. He could still hear shots ringing out not very far from him. He was happy he’d agreed to split Raffaele’s men, twenty to Centre Street and ten to Hoyt. They would be able to handle the three men.
He inched closer to the door Ignacio had come from. His chest felt tight and he was having a hard time holding on to the gun with all the sweat that was accumulating on his hands. If there were more men in there, he’d be fucked. He raised his gun and went in. There in the center of the room sat the love of his life, bound on a seat but hanging forward. If it weren’t for the ropes binding her, she’d have long fallen off.
He ran towards her and checked for a pulse. There but very faint. He was losing her. From what he could see, she had a broken arm, possibly some broken ribs and definitely a broken shin. Her face was swollen so much he felt tears form just by looking at her. He felt like the lowest of scum, bringing her into his world.
He untied her and picked her up, holding her close. Right then he heard footsteps. Fuck it, he wouldn’t be able to carry her and reach for the gun in time.
“Davide, I’ve checked the building and there’re no more people.”
He breathed out a sigh of relief. It was one of Raffaele’s men. “And Nico’s men?”
“Dead.”
“Any of ours?”
“Yeah, one. Feliciano.”
He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to sound like an asshole because all he could think about was that he had Lori and only one man had died.
“Right. Have someone pick up the body and let’s go.”
They got out of the building and Davide walked quickly to his car. He placed Lori in and looked around, noticing for the first time that the sun was coming up. Hector woul
d start wondering about his whereabouts soon, and if he called Ignacio and no one picked up, he would know something had gone wrong.
He looked at the men, all awaiting instruction. “It’s getting light out so go back home and we’ll…” he was interrupted by a phone call. Vinny.
“Hector’s heading out.”
Fuck. Time to get out of there.
“Leave. We’ll assemble to debrief later.” He looked at the men, “that goes to you too.” He got into his car and drove as fast as he could out of the vicinity. It was getting too light to confront Hector. People would be heading to their jobs and schools and wherever else. He would have to deal with Hector later.
He glanced at the back seat and looked at Lori. She was his first priority. Get her looked at, and he would find Hector later. Even if he had to go to the ends of the world to find Hector, he would. He finally allowed himself to relax. He had her. She would make it. She had to.
CHAPTER THIRTY - FOUR
Davide drove straight to Raffaele’s house in Queens. He needed Raffaele to get Luca the doctor, taking Lori to hospital would attract too much attention.
Raffaele was awake when Davide got there. Davide had always wondered when the old man slept. He carried Lori to his bed and looked at her. She was ashen and so cold he was starting to wonder whether she’d pull through.
“Luca is on his way,” Raffaele said.
Davide nodded. He got up and went to the bathroom. He caught his reflection in the mirror, he looked like shit ran over twice. Wetting a small towel, he went back and placed it on Lori’s forehead. Raffaele was still standing there. “You can go to bed Raffaele, I’ll wait for Luca.”
“Nonsense. She means a lot to you. I’ll wait till you get the good news.” As if on cue, they saw a gray Mercedes Benz pull up on one of the cameras in the room.
“That should be him. I’ll bring him in.”
What seemed like a lifetime later, Luca closed the door of the bedroom behind him and came to address them where they stood outside the room.
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