“So, call her.”
“She has classes all morning. If she does answer she can’t come all the way down here to pick me up.”
“I don’t know what to tell you; it’s not my problem.”
“Can’t you take me home?” Alicia asked leaning on the hood of the bike.
Joe could not ignore the pang of lust he felt rush through his system right then. He had a sudden impulse to bend her over the bike and get deep inside of her sweetness. He imagined it would be like Heaven.
But he had stuff to do.
“I really can’t. I have work to do,” Joe said.
“Oh, come on. It’s like ten minutes away.”
Joe sighed heavily. He knew he was going to regret this.
“Ok. Hop in.”
They had just left the parking lot when Joe’s phone buzzed.
Chapter 3
“I have to make a stop first,” Joe told the girl as he drove out of the parking lot of the diner. He had just received a text from the boss telling him to stop and make the drop of the cash he’d just confiscated from Luis. Usually with an amount this small he would have just taken turned it into Marco, the treasurer for all intents and purposes in the Carliss family, but he had to do what he had to do.
Normally he would have just taken the girl home first and then come back that way to make the drop, but he was already a bit behind schedule and it was on the way. The drops changed every day anyways. The family actually employed a few guys who scouted out locations where they could hide the money and keep it out of the banks and out of circulation from the money that was laundered through the businesses. There were possibly up to five hundred different drops at any one time.
He took a few quick turns down a few short alleys. The drop that the boss had texted him was in behind an abandoned Deli that used to serve up some good sandwiches. Joe had no idea why it had been shut down. It might have been of theirs and the cops started getting wise. He wasn’t sure. There were too many little businesses to keep track of. He tried not to know any more than was necessary to do his job; it helped him stay safe.
He pulled up to the end of the alley behind the deli. The boss told him there was a bunch of little rocks with a bigger rock in the middle of them. Under that was a little hole where he could drop the cash. It was not even one of the stranger places he’d found drops.
“Stay here,” Joe told the girl as he started to get out of the bike.
That was when he heard the engine of a car pulling up on the other alley that ran perpendicular to this one. Joe felt like he was at some sort of a crossroads like you found down south.
“Hide behind the dumpster and stay down,” Joe hissed at Alicia pointing at the dumpster on the side of the alley. He was instantly pissed at himself; he knew better than to bring some random girl to a drop.
Alicia did as she was told and Joe got out of the bike with the cash safely tucked in his pocket.
The car was a Lincoln Town Car. It stopped and a man stepped out of the vehicle.
Joe recognized him as Bill McNamara. He was actually one of the up and coming bosses who had made a reputation for himself extending the business on the lower east side. He was a smarmy bastard and Joe didn’t trust him at all.
“Hey, Bill. What’s up?” Joe asked. What the hell was Bill doing here?
“Oh, the boss asked me to stop by and pick up the drop personally. I was close by so I got the call,” Bill said with that goofy grin he always wore. Joe had no idea how anyone ever took this guy seriously.
“Really? I just got the text; told me to drop the cash in the drop spot. The boss didn’t say anything to me about you picking it up,” Joe replied.
“Well, he’s a busy man. He told me to tell you. So hand it over,” Bill said.
“Sorry, I got to clear it with the boss first. You know how it is,” Joe said feeling the tension in the air.
Suddenly, Bill was pointing a gun at him. “Did you hear what I said? I am a boss. Now hand it over.”
“Ok, just chill. It’s in my pocket,” Joe said. He knew he had to time this right. Where Bill was now standing he was within striking distance. If Joe let the money get stolen from him the boss would kill him, even if a member of the family took it.
“Just hurry up and don’t try any funny business.”
Joe felt his fingers grabbing the money and he pulled it from his pocket easily. He handed it to Bill and kept his hands in the air all nice and innocent like. He was just waiting for the right moment.
There it was.
Bill dropped his gaze for a split second to glance at the money.
Joe slapped the gun out of his hand and it scattered to the pavement. With his other hand he punched Bill in the mouth. Bill flipped backwards on his back, whacking the back of his head hard on the pavement. Joe hoped that would knock the pig out, but Bill was still in it.
As Joe ran at him ready to give Bill the beating of his life he saw the other gun. Bill had a small pistol hidden in the inside pocket of his coat. He pulled it out and whipped it at Joe, ready to fire. Joe knew it was going to be close but he had to try anyway.
He flipped his body away from the shot. He could practically feel the wind from the bullet as it sailed past only inches from him. Joe landed perfectly right beside the other gun. He picked it up and fired at Bill who was aiming to fire at him again.
The bullet hit Bill in the chest and he slumped to the ground. It was a heart shot; he died instantly.
Joe double checked Bill’s condition. He was stone dead. Joe grabbed the money back from him and counted it once again to make sure none had spilled somewhere that he didn’t see.
“Oh, shit! Are you ok?” Alicia asked stepping out from behind the dumpster and running up to Joe.
“I told you to stay put,” Joe said.
“That was crazy. Is he dead?” Alicia asked.
“Yes, he is quite dead,” another voice replied.
Joe jerked his head and stepped in front of Alicia. His body was still in fight mode and he was ready for anything.
Alfred Carliss stepped out of the alleyway. Joe had no idea where he had been hiding. But he must have seen everything. By Alfred’s side was Jimmy Stubbs, his bodyguard and all around right hand gofer. Joe hated them both.
“What’s going on?” Joe asked.
“I had a feeling that Bill was the one stealing money from the drops recently, so I thought I’d set him up and catch him in the act.”
“So, you knew that he would be here?”
“Yes. I sent him to make sure that you put the drop where it belonged, leading him on like I suspected you. I knew that he would try to take it from you and might try to kill you. But I guess this is why you are my number one enforcer,” Alfred said.
“That’s pretty messed up,” Joe said as he handed Jimmy the money.
“You forget what business you are in?” Alfred asked. “That is the way this game is played.”
“Well, I’ve had enough games for one day,” Joe said.
“Not so fast,” Jimmy snarled.
“What?” Joe asked. He was begging Jimmy to make a move. He had been aching to beat that bastard into the middle of next week.
“Have you forgotten all of the rules? Who is the girl?” Alfred asked.
“Don’t worry about her,” Joe said.
“I worry about everybody. You know the rule. She has seen too much. She is not part of the family. We have to take care of her,” Alfred said.
Joe couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“What? She is just an innocent. Billy is a dirt bag who tried to kill me. She is not going to say anything.”
Jimmy pulled a pistol from his back pocket and cocked it. “You got that right.”
“No. This is wrong. You can’t do this to her,” Joe said.
“Get out of the way Joe. You know the rule,” Alfred said.
Joe knew the rule. He knew that Alfred was right about the rule. The Mafia code was one of deception and secrecy. T
hat was how they had stayed so underground and kept thriving. They were going to kill Alicia because she knew who they were and what they did. She had to die in their eyes.
Joe had to act fast.
“Ok, I’ll take care of it,” Joe said.
Alfred smiled. “That’s the Joe I know.”
Joe turned to face Alicia who was starting to back away. “When I make a move, you run for it!” He whispered. She seemed confused, and continued to back away.
Joe held the pistol that he had taken from Billy in his hand and aimed it at Alicia who was now starting to run down the alley. In a flash Joe dropped to the ground spinning and bringing the gun up to fire two shots. He hit Jimmy in the stomach with one and Alfred in the chest with the other.
Both men fell to the ground, shocked looks on their faces.
Joe bounced to his feet and ran towards Alicia, who was now standing in the alley looking in total shock.
“We have to go!” Joe shouted as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bike.
Chapter 4
The hotel was a bit of a dirt ball, but it was perfect for keeping a low profile. Joe said he had been there once or twice before looking for people who owed money to the family. They often holed up in places like this to get high or to sell drugs to others. It would be a good place to hide out.
“I still don’t see why we are running. How in the world are they going to know that you did that?” Alicia asked as she sat down on the bed beside him. He was trying to relax and he obviously just wanted to get some sleep, but she had to know what type of danger she was really in. She could not stop replaying it in her head where those men who had never laid eyes on her before were going to kill her just because they thought she knew too much.
“It will be traced to me. Every scent is always accounted for. The captains know that I went to Luis’ this morning. I texted the boss that I collected money. They are bound to know he told me to go to that drop. We can’t take the risk,” Joe said.
“What are we going to do? Are we just going to keep running?” Alicia asked.
“Well, first I’m going to get some sleep and then when I am rested we will worry about what to do.”
“And you are sure that they can’t find us here?” Alicia asked.
“Well, no place is completely safe. There is always a possibility, but I think we are ok for now.”
“Ok,” Alicia replied. “God, what a day. I just want to get my life back,” Alicia said.
“Look, I know it sucks, but you are going to have to just relax a bit. This is the situation; we have to deal with it.”
Alicia scowled at Joe. His back was turned so he didn’t see it. How could he be so damn calm? He had just killed three people. Granted they were all trying to kill him, but shouldn’t that rattle his cage a bit? The fact that he was not at all shaken up was a bit unnerving to her. She was both repelled and drawn to this man.
Even though he scared her she found herself wanting to cling to him and to do whatever he said. She doubted that he would ever do anything to hurt her, but even that she was not entirely sure of. He was dangerous and his strength was intimidating. Everything he did from the way he stood, to the tone of his voice, his style, and the way he walked screamed at the world that he was not someone to be messed with.
And it was damn sexy.
She had always had a thing for bad boys, and she was starting to realize that she might have just met the crème de la crème of bad boys.
As she lay there thinking of the day’s events she started to realize that she was exhausted too. Her eyes began to get heavy and before she knew it she was drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 5
The sounds of the footsteps were soft and eerie. He for a second thought that they were just part of his dream he was having. He was dreaming that he was running outside, but he wasn’t sure what he was running from. His feet were hitting the pavement harder and harder as if he was trying to get away from something, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was.
Was something chasing him? Was he running after something else? He didn’t know, but as he looked up at the beautiful sunny sky he had to think that whatever he was running from was really not that bad. It was nothing that he could not deal with. He knew who he was after all.
Alicia was beside him. He now heard two pair of footsteps. As he glanced over at her beautiful face she smiled at him and gave him one of those sexy winks she did that just drove him wild. There was something special about this woman. He was starting to feel something for her, something he swore to himself that he would never let himself feel.
But he couldn’t help it. She was everything he had ever wanted in the perfect woman that he held in his mind’s eye. He used to think that there was no such thing, but after today he was not so sure. There had to be a perfect ideal that he held in his mind and his heart. He knew it because he was starting to think that he’d found her.
But he couldn’t. No. He had to protect this girl and get her out of his life. He was obligated to keep her safe until then, but could he really be with someone? Was it too late for him?
He thought for a moment that he might be able to, especially now. He was unlikely to ever be able to go back to doing the work he did, at least not for the same crime family who now wanted him dead. He was tired of it anyway. He had enjoyed it for a while, but he really didn’t want to do it anymore. This was actually a perfect way out.
But he hated that he had dragged Alicia through it. She was such a sweet girl and she didn’t deserve this. But they would never stop. Their reach was far and wide along the coast. They would never really be able to hide from them. He had not even begun to meet all of the outsourced guys the Carliss’ had under their thumb.
He didn’t know what to do. Joe had always been proud of his ability to think of the right thing to do and to be able to make snap decisions. It had saved his life on several occasions. Today was a perfect point of that. But he was at a loss. For perhaps the first time in his life he was uncertain. He did not allow himself to be scared, at least not for his own safety. That was the kind of thing that would get you killed. Fear was immobilizing and it would make you second guess what you were doing.
But it wasn’t just about him this time; he had to think about Alicia. She had gotten mixed up in this mess and he felt responsible. Why the hell hadn’t he just taken her home first instead of going to the drop? It was a rookie mistake and he had known better. He was tired and had endured a momentary lapse in judgment. It had been stupid and it had been lazy. Now they were both paying the price for it.
Joe did not often make mistakes, but when he did he was man enough to admit them. But it was unlike him to dwell over a slip up. But he was not able to let this one go. He was starting to admit to himself how much he was really starting to like this girl. It was an interesting feeling and one he was not at all accustomed to. He was not sure he would ever forgive himself if something bad happened to this innocent girl because of a stupid mistake he made. That was inexcusable.
He was going to fix it. He was starting to develop an idea of what they needed to do to get out of this jam. The Carliss crew was never going to stop looking for them. Alfred’s eldest son Carmine was probably going to take over as head boss of the family if his father did not recover from the gunshot wound, which was very unlikely. Joe hated Carmine. He was ten times more ruthless than his dad and twice as smart too. He was tenacious beyond anything that he had ever seen and the man would stop at nothing to make sure that both Joe and Alicia were dead.
Something was wrong.
His eyes bounced open and he saw a flash of movement. Joe’s body leapt into action with lightning fast reflexes, grabbing the gun that had been only inches from putting a bullet in his brain and slamming it against the wall. In the darkness he did not recognize the attacker who was wearing a ski mask and dressed in black from head to toe, but he was big and strong as hell.
As Joe continued to pound the gun agains
t the wall to weaken the assailant’s grip the masked man held on with a strength that could have been possessed by the Devil himself. Joe was using both hands now to try to knock the weapon loose and pry it from his grip, but the man was insanely strong.
There were not many men who were as strong or stronger than Joe that he had ever encountered, and he had always said if he ever did meet someone like that he was not sure he would want to fight them, especially if you added a good dose of madness to that equation.
Well, here he was face to face with that man.
Joe saw the shine coming towards his face just in time as he raised his right hand up and caught the wrist that was now holding a large Bowie knife. The blade was only inches from his face and coming closer and closer.
Joe was now in an all-out power struggle against the maniac and he felt that the other man was starting to gain the upper hand.
“Joe!” Alicia yelled jumping out of the bed, having been awakened by the sudden struggle taking place at the foot of the bed.
Joe tried not to let her screams distract him. Instead he used her voice to propel him farther harder. He had to protect her.
Joe leaned his head back and cocked it like a gun. Swiftly and with expert precision he brought it forward and smashed it hard against the bridge of the attacker’s nose. He felt the nose soften, collapsing under the force of his hard cranium smashing into it like a bike wreck.
The man groaned in great pain and Joe felt his grip weaken slightly, but he stubbornly held on.
Alicia turned the lamp on beside the bed just then as she curled up in a ball on the bed. Joe could see in his peripheral the fear and the confusion that she was experiencing and he wished he could make it instantly disappear. In the light he could now see that his attacker was indeed a huge man possibly outweighing him by thirty pounds.
The ski mask was seeping through with moisture on the nose, some blood trickling out of the nostril holes. Joe used this to spur him on as he smashed his head harder and harder time and time again into his nose. The man dropped the gun and swept Joe’s legs out from under him.
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