The World in Reverse

by Latrivia Nelson

  “I guess that I can understand,” Nicola finally said. He instantly saw Cory relax more. “But how did you deal with it…I mean…knowing that you were a mole?”

  Cory turned up his lips. “It’s still hard,” he said with a frown. “This is never who you intend on being.”

  Crossing over into the unincorporated county, the worry of getting Councilman Ferris out of the reach of the MPD became a null factor. The department had no jurisdiction in the county, and the sheriff’s department wouldn’t likely pull over a government vehicle that wasn’t breaking any laws. They were nearly home free.

  “So what’s in this stash house?” Nicola asked, unsure of what to expect.

  “Weapons…” Cory corrected himself. “Big ass weapons. The kind that you don’t sell to street thugs or small time gangsters.”

  Nicola was intrigued. “So all this time, he really has been operating within the city?”

  Cory smiled. “Dude, get off the job.”

  Nicola raised his hands. “Hey, I just want to know. This is my life’s work just thrown away. It would be nice to at least have the puzzles put together for me.”

  The officer in the back wasn’t so sure that that was a good idea. He cleared his throat and kicked Cory’s chair.

  Nicola looked back at him. “You don’t agree?”

  “I don’t want to piss the Medlov’s off,” the cop said, shrugging his shoulders. “Why don’t you just ask them?”

  Cory chuckled. “Do us a favor and ask Gabriel. He’ll be there when we arrive if nothing has change. If he’s comfortable telling you, then you’ll find out, but Maurice is right. There is too much to lose by saying too much too soon.”

  Agosto nodded. He could appreciate that. After all, someone had to be loyal to something. And after only a day, he wasn’t exactly one of the boys yet.

  Pulling into an upper middle class community of contemporary two-story homes and luxury cars, Cory turned down the quiet dark, dizzying lanes until he arrived at their location. It was a cozy southern-style, two-story home with red brick and white shutters in the middle of a cul-de-sac with a well-cared-for lawn, expensive exterior lighting, sprinklers running, and nice tall fencing to prohibit anyone from seeing the backyard. In no way did the house stick out; instead it set the tone for the street, appearing inviting and non-threatening.

  Nicola had to give it to the man. Dmitry was smart. He put everything in plain view and let them all run over themselves looking for his product. There was no telling how many homes just like this one were in the county under different names, and the selling of just one shipment of guns paid for the house several times over. It was a win-win for him and a big fuck you to law enforcement.

  Cory pulled into the double garage and closed it after him. Quickly Maurice jumped out to help get the councilman inside.

  “Is this place safe?” Nicola asked, looking around the garage at the organized yard tools and holiday decorations. He stepped out of the truck and closed the door. The sound echoed in the small space as well as their voices.

  “It’s got a big basement, one of the only ones in the subdivision. No one will hear a thing,” Cory said, walking around to Nicola’s side to help with Ferris’ limp body. He put on his leather gloves and tied them down at the wrist. There was no way that he wanted to touch the pedophile with is bare hands unless he was choking him to death. “Hey Maury, give him another shot will you? I don’t want him waking up in the middle of this.”

  ***

  In the master bedroom of the stash house, the sound of a woman’s erotic, sexual moans spilled out beyond the confines of the room into the hallway and down the quiet corridor, echoing through the hollow rooms like a throbbing pulse. As the men entered the kitchen with Ferris’ body, Cory and Maurice snickered to each other, while Nicola locked the door behind him.

  “The alarm code is 4545,” Cory said, dropping Ferris on the tile floor. He rose up and stretched his arms. “The fucker is heavy.”

  “No shit,” Maurice said, going to the stainless still refrigerator to get a beer. “I need a cold one before we tote his ass down to the basement.”

  The woman screamed again.

  Nicola walked to the doorway and looked through the house. There were at least six bodyguards who stared back at him, all carrying weapons and wearing suits. He turned back without saying a word to them. “Who is that?” he asked Cory as the strange woman made a low throaty noise and said something vulgar and inviting.

  “Heidi and Gabriel,” Cory answered before Maurice could. He looked at his watch. “He should be done in a minute.”

  “It takes longer and longer each time. Are they falling for each other?” Maurice asked. He looked through the refrigerator for something to eat. “It would be beneficial for her, at least, if they did.”

  “He’s not stupid. It’s easy ass man. That’s all,” Cory said, rolling his arms.

  Nicola walked back to Ferris’ body, bent down, picked him up and threw him over his broad shoulder. “Where do you want him?” he asked, annoyed by the sound of the woman. He had to get away from it. It made him miss Ivy even more. He should have been home right then making love to his wife and playing with his kids not lugging around kidnapped politicians and working for international organized crime rings.

  Cory could see Nicola’s aggravation and felt for him. “I’ll walk you down,” he said, twisting the top off of his beer. “Do you want one?”

  “Sure,” Nicola said with a huff. “It’s fucking boiling outside, even with the sun down.”

  Maurice walked to the window and looked out as more cars pulled up. “The guys are here. Looks like everyone accept Magnelli.”

  Nicola nodded. “Good. Then we can get started soon.”

  Cory led Nicola to the basement adjacent to the kitchen. Flipping on the light, they descended down a long stairwell to a full basement. One side of it was stacked with crates full of ammunition; the other side was an authentic electric chair with worn leather straps under an unforgiving halogen light. Nicola placed Ferris in the chair and Cory helped strap him in. When they were done, they looked at the man, sweating, leg wrapped, hand covered in dirty gauze and felt no remorse.

  “How long will he be out?” Nicola asked.

  “No more than an hour,” Cory said, pulling the tripod and camera out of the corner. “You said you wanted a full confession on tape, right?”

  “Yeah,” Nicola said, hearing footsteps behind him. He looked over at the stairs to see Gabriel, standing shirtless with only his jeans on. He walked over to them, still glistening from sex and stared at Ferris.

  “So this is what all the trouble is over, huh? Doesn’t look like much.” He popped open his beer. “Then again, pedophiles never do.”

  “He’ll be up in a hour,” Cory said again.

  “Do you have something to bring him to quicker,” Gabriel asked.

  “Yeah, if you want,” Cory said, ready to go back upstairs. He had seen what was done down in this basement and it gave him the creeps, but if anyone had it coming, this guy did.

  “What parts of the puzzle are we missing before we start?” Gabriel asked Nicola. He wanted to get it over with as much as they did.

  “Magnelli and his son. They are supposed to be on the way.” Nicola looked down at his watch. “Hey did you get me that phone?”

  Gabriel pulled an iPhone from his back pocket. “Yep,” he said, extending his hand to Nicola. “It’s not traceable. You can talk as long as you want to the wife.”

  “I’ve got something that I need her to do.” Plus, he missed her voice. He wouldn’t wait to talk to her, to know that she was fine and to let her know the same about him. She had to be worried out of her mind. He had told her to call her folks as soon as she got to Miami to let them know that she and the kids were safe, but he had given her strict instructions not to mention how they got there, who brought them or anything at all about the Medlov family. He was certain that she understood and that he could trust her to keep their
secret.

  “Do you guys need me right now? If not, I’m going back upstairs and grab something to eat,” Cory said, walking towards the staircase. He could hear the men talking upstairs among themselves.

  “No, you’re good,” Gabriel said, looking at Nicola. “But you, I do need to speak to.”

  Nicola raised a brow. “I’m all ears.”

  Cory excused himself on that note, and the men were left alone.

  Gabriel having been an agent way before he was a crime boss wanted to see where the man’s head was. In fact, it was imperative considering everything that he had seen. It would be Agosto’s death for sure, and he felt responsible for telling him so.

  Gabriel grabbed a seat across from Ferris and sipped his beer. “Do you know what you’re doing?” he asked, green eyes narrowed. The bright light shun down on his large muscular form and black as night hair.

  “Yes,” Nicola answered flatly.

  “It’s just that you’ve been a cop for as long as you’ve been a grown man. How are you going to deal with this once it’s all over and you’ve gotten your man?”

  Nicola answered truthfully. “I haven’t planned that far ahead yet.”

  “When I came here to this…world…I knew that I didn’t belong. And I expected a hard transition, but the incentive was that I was gaining a family more important than the one that I was losing. And by family I mean the men that I served with.”

  “I know what you mean,” Nicola said, sitting down opposite Gabriel and Ferris. “You’ve never had children have you?”

  “No,” Gabriel answered proudly. “Lately, I’ve been thinking that I don’t really need them considering my line of work. It only holds me down, makes me more vulnerable.” He thought about the botched kidnapping of Dmitry’s daughter Anya only months before and felt the goose bumps form on his arms again. He could never tell anyone but that experience had changed his life permanently. For that matter, it had changed Anatoly’s as well. “But I do know what it means to nearly lose someone you love. So, I get why you are here, I just want you to understand that why you are here to day may not be enough of a reason for you to stay committed tomorrow. The only thing about the Medlov family is that you don’t have a choice. Once you are in, you are in.”

  “Yeah, I’ve gathered that,” Nicola said, looking back at the crates. “I’m a man of my word. I’ll do everything that I said that I would do, because you all have done everything that you said you would do.”

  Gabriel clenched his jaw. “Well, let’s go upstairs. There’s a completely different thing to handle up there.”

  “Magnelli and his son…” Nicola huffed. “I wouldn’t want to be Collin.”

  “Shit, me either.” Gabriel stood up off the chair, hovering over Nicola. “Let’s get to it.”

  ***

  Collin had no idea where he was. His father pulled up to a house packed with cars and parked. Thumping out his cigarette, Magnelli pulled himself from the car and motioned for his son to follow him. He had had time to think on the drive and was finally at peace with what he was about to do.

  “Pop, where are we going?” Collin asked, glancing around the quiet, dark neighborhood.

  “A friend’s house. I told some men on the department that I’d meet them here,” Magnelli said, walking to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited.

  “Do I know him?” Collin asked. He swatted a mosquito off his neck.

  “You know a few of them,” Magnelli answered as the door opened. It was Cory.

  “Hey man,” Cory said, nodding at Collin. “Glad you could make it.”

  “It’s a fucking mad house out there tonight,” Magnelli said, stepping inside. “You know my son, Collin.”

  “Yeah,” Cory offered his hand, though his flesh crawled. “How are you?”

  “I’m making it,” Collin said, a little more relaxed. He knew Cory Hamilton from around the department. He worked for Agosto. The thought bothered him mildly, but he knew that most people on the force did know Agosto and had worked for him or with him at some point.

  The two of them walked in the house past Cory and into the chilled air. Collin could hear men laughing and talking as he stood in the foyer, which also made him drop his guard a bit. That was until he rounded the corner and saw the Medlov guards.

  “Who the fuck are they?” Collin asked his father.

  “Friends,” Magnelli said, turning to his son. The other police officers emerged out of the kitchen still in uniform and greeted Magnelli, circling around Collin without him realizing it.

  “How are you Collin?” Reynolds asked, hitting Collin on the back. He offered his hand.

  Collin knew that Reynolds had been on the force nearly as long as his father had. He offered his hand and shook it. “Good to see you,” he said, on guard.

  Reynolds shook Collins hand tight at first, and then suddenly snatched him forward, throwing Collin off balance while from behind Cory grabbed him, and then Sorrello took his weapon.

  Collin tried to fight but in seconds the men had him on the ground. Without a weapon, he was defenseless. Struggling, he looked up at his father. “What’s going on here? Let me go! Dad!” he called out for his father, but it was in vain.

  Magnelli bent over his son and looked at him. “Why’d you do it, Collin?” he asked, shaking his head. “Of all the people on the force, why’d you have to kill your sister?”

  “I didn’t kill anyone!” Collin exclaimed. “You have to believe me. Pop, please. Listen to me,” he said, struggling. His voice trembled. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

  Magnelli wanted to believe him but couldn't. “We’ll see,” he said standing back up. “Take him downstairs with his friend and duct tape his mouth. Tonight, we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

  ***

  When Ferris woke up, the first thing that he felt was sheer, agonizing pain. Pushing his head into the back of the chair, he let out a scream and tried to reach for his pulsating knee. It was then that he realized that he was strapped to the chair by his arms, waist and legs. The hot light above him had him sweating and irritated. The top of his head, especially around his balding center, was burning hot from the relentless beam off the 100-watt bulb above him.

  The thud of his heart pounding inside of his chest was nearly audible. Licking his cracked lips, he scanned the room. To his surprise, Collin Magnelli was sitting tied and bound to the right side of him in a metal chair. He looked over at him and frowned.

  “Where are we?” Ferris asked as burning sweat dropped into his eyes.

  Collin tried to speak but the gray duct tape around his mouth and head prevented him from talking. All he could get out was muffled moans. He shook his head, trying to prevent Ferris from saying too much.

  In Ferris’ haze, he could barely think. Closing his eyes, he swallowed, hurting his dry throat. His croaked words. “Agosto is alive.”

  Collin shook his head again, begging Ferris to be quiet.

  Ferris opened his eyes again, the light above nearly blinding him. “Is Cane here?”

  Agosto walked across the room. “Afraid not,” he said, coming out of the shadows. “But don’t worry. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”

  Ferris locked his tired eyes on Nicola as he drug a seat across the concrete flooring and sat down on the back of it. The guns in the holsters under his arms gleamed in the light. “We’re going to talk, and you’re going to tell me everything that I want to know.”

  Ferris snarled, despite his situation. “And if I don’t,” he said, still trying to free himself from his bonds.

  Nicola sucked his perfect teeth. “Then I’m going to kill you…slowly,” he said with a smile. “And nothing would bring me greater pleasure. I promise you that.”

  “Well, I promise you that you’re bringing a shit storm down on yourself and your family,” Ferris promised.

  Nicola shook his head. “Do you really believe that?” He looked around and then rested his bulky arms on the back of the chair. “L
ook around you, Ferris. This isn’t a hearing…this is a last stand. You’re either going to tell me what I want to know or you’re going to die…just like Sammy.”

  Ferris paused. Just what did Agosto know? His tone instantly changed. “I have money. Get me out of here and you can write your own ticket.”

  “I can write my own ticket now.” Nicola reached in his pocket and pulled out a notepad. “Just to stay on task, I’ve written a few questions down. If you answer them, then your time here will be less pleasant, if you know what I mean.”

  Ferris looked at the notebook. The pain radiated through his entire body as he tried to shift his aching bottom in the chair.

  “We’re short on time. So shall we begin,” Nicola asked. He eyed Ferris, waiting for an answer.

  “I’m not telling you shit,” Ferris spat. The saliva hung to his mouth, showing another indication that he was dehydrated.

  Cory walked over with a bottle of water out of the darkness and set it beside Nicola. Looking over at Collin, he tilted his head. “Well, at least we know that they know each other. The question is now is what else can they tell us.”

  Nicola ran a hand over his head, scratching through his dark mane. “What is Cane planning? Where is he? Where is your playground? What is your part in this? Four questions,” he said, raising four fingers. “Four questions answered and you keep your life.”

  “The police will come looking for me,” Ferris promised. “And when they do, they will bury you under a prison cell. You’ll never see the light of day again, never see your family.”

  Nicola stood up. He walked over to Ferris and stood over him. “Four questions. That’s all you have to do is answer them. And yet, you sit here like the pompous asshole that you’ve always been trying to play the tough guy.” He smacked his lips. “Okay, we’ll make it five instead of four. Who ordered the hit on my family, on Johnson , on Carmen, on Steele?” He pulled the man’s head back and stared in his blood shot eyes.

  “Fuck you,” Ferris said, trying to pull away.

  “Fuck me?” Agosto said, teeth showing. “Fuck me?” he screamed. “No, Ferris, fuck you.” He reached back and landed a dizzying blow to Ferris’ head.