One Last Kill

by Spenser Warren

  At least that’s what Cal had believed for the many years he’d been brainwashed under Alfredo’s rule. As he and Fonzie returned volley after volley of bullets, all while trying to keep Maria safe and calm, there was nothing Cal would rather risk his life for than ensuring Maria got to live hers.

  Cal rubbed Maria’s shoulders to comfort her, fighting his own pain as he watched Fonzie drive. “Where are we headed? We need to get Maria to a hospital.”

  “You crazy? You see all the bullet holes in us? As soon as we walk in there, our asses are thrown in jail, and Maria still might be in trouble.”

  Maria groaned upon hearing Fonzie’s words. Cal couldn’t even imagine how much pain she was in. He’d been shot many times but never to the point where he was in danger of losing all feeling. He knew if they didn’t get medical attention soon, that any shot doctors had of helping her could be for naught.

  “What do you suggest we do then? Keep driving?”

  “No, I don’t suggest we keep driving. I’m gonna take her ass to Doc Parker’s and tell him what’s going on. If he can’t treat her, he and his wife will take her to the hospital. Say she was a random girl that got shot. It’s not like they live in the safest neighborhood. Then we’ll get our asses out of Dodge. Shit’s hittin’ the fan. I can’t do no jail time, and neither can you.”

  “Maria’s life is more important than worrying about going to jail.”

  Fonzie sighed and turned to face Cal as he kept driving. “You really want to go to jail now? After taking Vinnie and Alfredo out and earning the freedom you wanted? You want out now?”

  “If it keeps Maria alive, then yes.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Cal saw Maria attempt a smile as she leaned against his lap. How she could manage to smile and look so beautiful after such a traumatic event told Cal how special she truly was. He regretted not listening to her sooner about how bad the mob life was.

  “You’re something, Cal, you know that? Doc Parker’s a good doctor. He’ll take care of her.”

  “He’s not a spine surgeon. I’ve known him long enough to know exactly what kind of medicine he’s fit to practice. They have a better chance of helping her at the hospital. Besides, we don’t know if he’s even on our side. If he hears about Alfredo and Vinnie, he’ll probably kill us himself.”

  “Take me to the hospital,” Maria cried. “Please, just take me to the hospital.”

  Fonzie shook his head and kept driving, speeding through a red light on Cicero Avenue and turning onto Sixty-Seventh Street.

  “I can’t do that, sister. I’m not getting arrested. Not today.”

  Fonzie drove, peering over the steering wheel to follow the lights that pierced the early-morning darkness. He pulled into a parking lot that looked awfully similar to the lot of the warehouse they’d just left.

  “What the hell are you doing? Keep driving or call an ambulance.” Cal realized his cell phone hadn’t been taken when he was tied up at the warehouse, and he searched his pocket for it. If Fonzie was having second thoughts about taking Maria to the hospital, Cal would take the fall. He’d let his friend get out of there to cover his own ass if he had to.

  “Hold up!”

  Fonzie shouted in a voice that was louder than Cal had ever heard him use before. It was a voice of power, a voice of authority. Cal wouldn’t have been shocked if Alfredo had shouted like that, but it sounded off coming from fun-loving Fonzie.

  Cal watched as Fonzie turned off the ignition and sat in the darkness of the car. The outside air was chilly, causing goose bumps to crawl up Cal’s arms. He wasn’t sure if the cold was entirely to blame. It could’ve easily been his worry over what would happen to Maria if they waited too long to get help.

  Fonzie stayed silent and breathed deeply in the driver’s seat. Cal wanted answers. He started to lean forward in his seat, ready to shake Fonzie into action if that’s what it took.

  After what seemed to be ten minutes of silence, Fonzie spoke. “Cal, you remember when we used to talk about getting away from all this? A day when we didn’t have to work for the mafia if we didn’t want to? Doesn’t it feel good now that it’s happened?”

  “We’re out now, aren’t we? We need to get moving. Quit dicking around.”

  Fonzie didn’t say a word. Why had he pulled into a random parking lot? They couldn’t waste any more precious time.

  Cal leaned forward, his face right next to Fonzie’s. It was time for him to take a stance he’d never taken before with his friend. He would treat him like one of his victims and take full control, rough him up a bit. It was only a sharp poke in his side that caused him to stop.

  When Cal looked down, he saw the blood-stained barrel of Fonzie’s gun—Cal’s old Glock—pointed at him. A realization washed over him. Fonzie had no intention of helping Maria, he only wanted her to suffer. But did he intend for Cal to suffer too?

  “Cal, Cal, Cal. Did you really think I would get you and Maria to the doc and let you escape? I always knew you were one tough son of a bitch. That’s why I went along with you this whole time. Someone had to be there to take you out, even if you managed to escape.”

  Cal could only swallow and blink at the man who had transformed from friend to foe. He never would’ve suspected Fonzie would turn on him. Hearing the words come out of his mouth sounded exactly as if Alfredo Petrocelli had said the words himself.

  “But why? Why not kill me on the way to the warehouse? Why not take your shot earlier?”

  Fonzie shrugged and looked up at the car ceiling.

  “Maybe I helped you because I had a little vengeance of my own to seek out by killing all those guys at the warehouse. I really meant it when I said I wanted to get out of this life and use my talents for good. Sometimes you’ve got to get in the good graces of the right people for that to happen.”

  “You mean get in the good graces of this person who’s getting you these singing gigs?”

  Fonzie nodded while jabbing the Glock harder into Cal’s ribs. “That’s right.”

  “Who is it? Who’s so powerful that they can get you these gigs? Is it Alfredo?”

  Fonzie sighed but kept the gun firmly lodged in Cal’s side. “Hell no. This is bigger than old Fredo. This goes all the way to the top of the chain.”

  Top of the chain. The Commission.

  Fonzie chuckled when he saw the gears turning in Cal’s head, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

  “How long? Does this go back to when we started staking out Caruso? MacErlean?”

  “Nah. I legitimately wanted to help you kill that egotistical prick of a mayor. Who gives a shit that we had to use MacErlean as a scapegoat to set things in motion.”

  Cal couldn’t believe it. The whole series of events that had unfolded over the last several weeks had nearly cost him, Tony, and maybe now Maria their lives.

  “If MacErlean didn’t actually know, how did you find out about the secret?”

  Fonzie sighed. “Don’t worry about that, Cal. It doesn’t matter anyway. You already made it easy for me, killing Vinnie and Fredo back in the warehouse. All I’ve got to do is kill you and I’ve fulfilled my promise. Bertucci and the Commission keep getting me singing gigs and life is good.”

  Cal didn’t know what to do. He could try to make a move against Fonzie, but he sensed a determination in his old friend that he hadn’t seen before. He had a feeling that Fonzie really would shoot him if he tried anything.

  He had to make the ultimate sacrifice if he wanted Maria to survive. Cal swallowed, his throat feeling like he was forcing down sawdust.

  “Fine. Kill me if you have to. But let Maria live. Drop her off at a hospital, then you can speed away and do whatever you have to do to me.”

  “No!”

  Maria shouted and kicked her leg forward in a flash of movement. Cal peered over his shoulder in shock at his girlfriend’s sudden movement. He was startled by Fonzie’s gun flying in the air and exploding a shot of gunfire.

  Maria screamed. Cal im
mediately feared the worst. It could have just as easily have been the rear window shattering or the close proximity of the gun blast that had scared her.

  He looked back to Maria and saw a torrent of blood pouring through the side of her shirt. He couldn’t tell where Maria had been shot, but there was no doubt she’d been hit again. Her screams of pain were far louder than when she had been shot by Alfredo at the warehouse.

  Cal ignored the threat of Fonzie behind him. The bastard couldn’t kill Cal with his bare hands if he tried. He placed his hand against the side of Maria’s shirt but only felt a small amount of fresh, wet blood. Perhaps the rest of the blood had been from her original wound. Cal lifted her shirt and examined her wound near her right rib cage. Not necessarily enough to be fatal by itself, but if it punctured the vital organs or led to enough blood loss, coupled with her back wound, it had a chance to be a killer shot.

  Cal scanned the floor of the Cavalier for something to press against Maria’s wound, to keep the blood loss to a minimum until she got to a hospital. He noticed Fonzie reaching next to him toward the floor mat, grasping for Cal’s old Glock that had fired moments ago.

  Cal delivered a hard blow with his left elbow to the back of Fonzie’s head, sending him cursing and falling back into the front seat. He climbed over the front console and landed a few hard blows to the side of Fonzie’s head, hoping he could take his former friend out quickly so he could get back to Maria. Somehow, Fonzie had managed to grab hold of the gun.

  Cal took hold of Fonzie’s right hand and pointed the weapon toward the windshield. Fonzie shot twice more, his arm unable to straighten and point the gun at Cal.

  The men continued to struggle, with Fonzie trying his best to keep the gun in his control. Cal couldn’t keep hold of Fonzie with both hands and find a way to take away the weapon. He let go, reached back, and fired a right hook into Fonzie’s jaw, causing the gun to fall out of his hand.

  Cal winced in pain after the punch, his right shoulder radiating in fresh agony from delivering the blow. He ignored the ache and dove on top of Fonzie, determined to end the fight. In that moment, he saw his friend as a traitor, someone who was so obsessed with his own escape that he had forgotten the loyalties he had to his important friendships by agreeing to kill Cal.

  Fonzie delivered a sharp kick to Cal’s abdomen, causing Cal to shout and fall on top of Fonzie. The kick was followed with several sharp right hooks to the face. Cal felt a popping sensation below his eye. He suspected his orbital bone may have been shattered.

  Cal didn’t have time to collect himself as Fonzie pulled a knife from his pocket and jabbed Cal in his injured right shoulder.

  Cal screamed and rolled off of Fonzie and into the passenger seat, clutching at the freshly opened wound. What had been a numb feeling in the shoulder intensified into a searing surge of pain as Cal tried to stop the bleeding with his free hand, all while reeling from the effects of the punch above his cheekbone and the dizzying sensation of the concussion he’d sustained earlier.

  Fonzie was up again from his seat and came at Cal with the knife. Cal reached for the door handle and stumbled backward out of the car, landing with a sharp thud on the ground.

  Cal struggled to his feet as Fonzie pursued him. He had no choice but to fight through the pain if he wanted to live. As much guilt as he felt for the crimes he’d committed since entering the mob, he knew he would become a different man. He would use his skills to save others from the evil of men like Alfredo, if only he could escape the fight with his life.

  Fonzie lunged at Cal once again with the knife. Cal sidestepped the attempt and sent a roundhouse kick to the back of Fonzie’s leg, using every ounce of energy he had to deliver the blow, sending Fonzie crashing to the ground.

  Cal leaned over him, stealing the knife from his former buddy’s grasp. It was time to convince him to give up.

  “End this charade, Fonzie. You don’t need to do this. The mob never treated you right anyway. Go back to Hollywood, land on your feet, and start your career there. You don’t need the Commission to make it with your singing. You need to end this now.”

  Fonzie shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’m in this too deep already. I need to deliver on this or I’m dead too. We can’t both win, you understand?”

  Cal knew Fonzie was right. The Commission would ensure someone came after Fonzie if Cal didn’t end up dead. That was why Cal would have to kill him first, just like he’d killed Vinnie and Alfredo in the warehouse.

  Fonzie tried to land a blow from beneath Cal, but Cal was able to block him with his forearm. Cal held the knife in his right hand and attempted to plunge down with all of his strength, to take care of Fonzie and be able to help Maria before it was too late.

  “Why can’t you just die?” Fonzie asked, his hands gripping at Cal’s wrist, doing everything he could to not give up the fight.

  “Because,” Cal panted. “I have to live for something more than myself. I’m more than a hit man.”

  A loud yell and a thrust of the hands later, and Cal had sunk the blade into Fonzie’s pectoral muscle. His old friend sank down into the concrete, bleeding profusely, his head rolling to the side.

  Cal hoped he hadn’t killed Fonzie but couldn’t waste any time discovering if he had.

  54

  Cal raced back to the car. He had to get Maria to the hospital before anything else happened.

  He wanted to help Fonzie too, despite his betrayal, especially as Fonzie grunted and writhed on the ground in pain. Maybe he would call 911 later and let them know Fonzie was hurt. Though his friend was misguided, he wasn’t the one who wanted Cal dead. That was the mob’s desire.

  Cal entered the back seat and looked Maria over. She was shaking, perhaps growing cold from the loss of blood. Cal placed his hand on her face and brushed her hair aside, feeling how cold and clammy her skin had become. He looked back at her side and saw that the blood staining her shirt continued to spread. He had to find a way to temper the blood loss from both her side wound and her back before she got to the hospital. He was thinking it would be a better idea if he called an ambulance.

  “Baby, I’m going to get you the hospital. Nothing’s in our way now. I took care of Fonzie. Hang in there. You’re gonna make it, I promise.”

  Cal wasn’t sure if he believed the last part. Maria had lost an inordinate amount of blood, and he had no idea how badly her spinal cord had been damaged from Alfredo’s shot at the warehouse. He didn’t know if any of her vital organs had been hit from the shot in the car. Things certainly didn’t look good.

  “Cal, it’s no use,” Maria said. Her voice was like a soft whisper in the wind, barely audible. “I’m dying, Cal. Can’t you see? I can’t feel anything below my waist. Just when I thought I could feel something and I tried to save you, I ended up getting shot. Funny how that works, isn’t it?”

  Cal wasn’t laughing. He shook his head in shame that Maria had to lose her life, one full of promise and hope, as opposed to his own life of crime and murder.

  “No. I’m going to call the ambulance. Even if I spend the rest of my life in jail because of what happened tonight and everything else that I’ve done, I can’t lose you. You have to live.”

  Maria sighed and tears fell from her eyes. Instead of being scared, she appeared to be open to the death she was facing. Too open.

  “You’re changing for the better, Cal. I saw the sacrifices you tried to make for me tonight. I was right in thinking you could turn it around so we could spend the rest of our lives together. You rejected your father’s evil. You saw the light.”

  Cal cringed at the suggestion that Alfredo Petrocelli was remotely close to a father figure, but he didn’t press the issue. He had to take action. Maria may have been slipping into death, but he had to give her a shot at life. He pulled out his phone to make the call.

  Maria’s arm brushed against his own. Though it was a gentle touch, the feeling of her fingertips sent shivers running up and down his spine. He moved hi
s phone back toward his pocket, tantalized by her beauty, even in death.

  “I feel it. I’m going to die. Kiss me one last time, Cal. Let me think this was worth it.”

  “No, don’t say that, Maria. Let me call the hospital.”

  How could he have come so far only to lose her?

  “Cal, do it. This will be the last memory I have. Don’t you want it to be happy, instead of seeing how miserable I look?”

  While her skin was cold, she was covered in blood, and her breath was beyond ragged, Cal couldn’t say she looked terrible. He would love her and fight for her no matter what. But he could also see that she was going to die. He’d seen enough of his victims over the years meet a similar fate. Even if an ambulance got there within seconds, they wouldn’t be able to save her.

  He bent down and placed a kiss on Maria’s lips. There was no intertwining of their tongues, no passion. There was a sense of love, even a sense of mourning, in the kiss. A final reminder of what they meant to each other, two lives in chaotic harmony.

  Cal broke the kiss and stared into Maria’s eyes for the last time. She smiled and blinked twice before looking toward the sky as she breathed her last breath.

  A river of tears poured down Cal’s face. He let out a loud, bellowing scream, confident anyone in the surrounding neighborhood would hear him, as if calling Maria’s name would bring her back to him.

  The fall of a steady rain could be heard outside the car. Pitter-patters of water made their way onto the windshield and through the open cracks and bullet holes in the damaged glass. The sadness the world was pouring on him compared little to the pain that weighed on Cal’s heart. Pain that he was responsible for. Because he had failed.

  He buried his face into his hands and cried the last of his tears, until he couldn’t take the pain anymore and his tear ducts had run dry. The only thing he could do now was escape. He felt he should pay for Maria’s death by waiting until the police found him so he could rot in jail for his crimes.

  Cal’s hand vibrated and he remembered he’d pulled out his phone to call the ambulance. He had no idea who would be calling or why he thought to answer. Part of him wished it was Maria, as if the voice on the other side would be a message from an angel.