“I already ate, thanks. Blaze left a half hour ago, so Andreas shouldn’t be much longer.”
Lisa looked at the clock, and it was just turning eight.
“Is Johnny up?” he asked.
Lisa nodded. “Yeah, he’s in the shower now.”
“He okay?” She heard the concern in his voice.
Again Lisa nodded. She filled a bowl for Johnny, and set it on the table along with the milk. She also poured him a glass of juice. “I think he is okay. Seeing Gio helped, although he asked if the scars would be permanent, like my legs.”
“Your legs?” Nikko asked.
Lisa pulled up the skirt she wore, revealing just a bit to Nikko.
“That bastard did that to you?” Nikko suspected Lisa had not been unscathed, but had no idea how badly she must have suffered at his hands
“Yeah, they’re old though. He hasn’t touched me in years.”
“Oh God, if I could get my hands on him. Gio didn’t say anything about that, though I heard there was some abuse.”
“Please don’t mention it in front of Johnny. I told him it was from a car accident. That is something I never want him to know.”
“Understood.” Nikko agreed. Some things kids just never needed to know.
Johnny came out then. He saw the food on the table and went right to it. His uncle joined him at the table. “So what did you think of your other uncles?”
“Well, they seemed okay,” Johnny muttered while pouring milk into his bowl.
“Andreas is on the way. They were just worried yesterday. You’ll like them, though they are not as much of fun as me of course.” Nikko teased, then added, “Being old and all.”
“Who’s old?” they heard from the doorway. Andreas walked in and gave everyone, including his nephew, a big smile. He had introduced himself yesterday but the kid had eyes only for his mother and father. He had let the kid lead the way yesterday not wanting to overwhelm him. It had also hit him like a ton of bricks. The kid was Marino through and through. It made him think of the son he’d almost had. But he pushed that thought out of his mind. Johnny was a sight to behold. He was family, and looked just like Gio had at his age. But other than introductions, they hadn’t gotten to talk. He wanted to rectify that today.
He joined them, and asked Lisa if she wouldn’t mind getting him a cup of coffee.
Seeing how exhausted he looked, Lisa got up right away. “Want breakfast?” she asked.
“I’ll have what Johnny’s eating.” He indicated the bowl.
“You sure?” she asked eyeballing him. Johnny was eating Coco Puffs.
“I’m cuckoo for cocoa puffs,” he chimed the old commercial jingle, and everyone laughed including Johnny who was way too young to remember the old advertisement.
“O-k-a-y,” Lisa drew out the word, but got him a bowl and then set it and the coffee down in front of him.
“Talked to the doctor just before I left. He will release Gio this afternoon.” He ruffled the kid’s hair before he picked up the box to fill his bowl.
“Oh thank goodness, it’s about time we got some good news.” It was Johnny who spoke the words before anyone else had a chance to utter anything.
Nikko smiled and laughed. “Dang straight. I’m with you on that.”
Andreas dug in and began to eat the cereal as Johnny watched him between bites of his own cereal. “Good stuff, right, Johnny.”
“I like it.” Johnny shrugged.
“So, I’m going to need to talk to your mom, but after that Nikko will take you guys to see your dad. Sound good?”
“Yes sir. Sure does.” Johnny slurped from his spoon.
“Please call me Uncle Andy. I’d love it if you would.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Johnny piped up and winked at Nikko who burst out laughing. He’d told the kid that Andreas was the bossy one. Everyone laughed. Andreas’ eyes crinkled in the corners.
“So, you are Marino. Perfect,” Andreas laughed. The kid had their sense of humor too. Gio was a lucky SOB.
Once the laughter had recessed some, Lisa piped in. “Actually, my lawyer is coming so we might need to push it off a bit, but we will call him. Okay? Let him know we are on our way.”
“How long?” Johnny asked, looking in his mother’s direction.
“Couple hours. We’ll be there before lunch. We can bring him something special. Why don’t you call him for me while I’m talking to Andreas,” she suggested. Johnny gave her a big smile.
“Absolutely. Where is your phone, Mom? In your purse?”
“Yes,” she smiled. “And the number to the hospital and his room is already programmed inside.”
“Cool.” He began to eat faster anxious to call his dad.
“Hey, until he gets here. The lawyer. We can teach you how to play poker. Andreas loves the game.” Nikko suggested.
“Cool, poker. I already know how. Mom taught me and we play at school.”
“You’re kidding right?” Andreas muttered around the last bite of his cereal. “Are you a shark?”
“I’m good, sir. I mean Uncle Andy. I have to warn you so it’s fair.” Everyone was smiling.
“Oh, well, we’ll see about that. I think I have a poker set under the bed in my room. It’s on. I want to grab a shower first okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll go call my Dad, then I’ll get the poker chips, and set up in the living room. That will give you guys a chance to talk.”
“Good thinking. We won’t be long.” Andreas winked at the kid.
Johnny carried his bowl and juice glass to the sink before speeding towards the bedrooms to make his call and find the poker set.
“What’s up?” Lisa asked, joining them at the table. She carried the coffee pot, and refilled both of their cups before she sat.
“I just wanted to know if you heard anything that night.” Andreas had spoken to Nikko yesterday and he wanted to get to the bottom of who had put the explosives under his brother’s car. From talking with Dan’s guys, Albert and Connie hadn’t left their apartments.
“Not a thing. The house was quiet. Gio got in late, came up to bed, and then nothing.”
“There has to be someone else involved. Nikko, I need you to call Gio’s tech guy, the one monitoring Albert’s calls. Check all his lines, not just cell and home. Heck, his father’s too. And check Connie’s phones too. Give them my email and have them send all the reports to me. There has to be something we missed. Someone else is involved.”
“On it.” Nikko was already on his phone sending out the message.
“I’m going to go grab that shower. I want to play with the kid, then meet with your attorneys, then maybe crash for a bit. I need a few hours.” He got up shaking his head to clear it. His lack of sleep in the last twenty-four hours was catching up with him.
“I got it. I’ll check in with the men following Albert and Connie and see what’s up. I’ll also check the papers, and the net for any news stories. Sometimes they get stuff before we do.”
“Good idea.” Andreas carried his bowl and cup to the sink. He turned before heading down the hall. “Lisa, we are going to get this bastard, soon. I promise.”
“I hope so.” Lisa got up to wash the dishes, until then she also needed to keep busy.
Alex arrived precisely at ten, but this time he did not have his entourage present. He was disappointed not to see Blaze, but he remembered meeting Andreas a time a two. He had started his young career in the prosecutor’s office, but had gone out on his own just before the Marinos moved to Florida.
He had the custody papers from court, formalizing Gio’s paternity, and the agreement giving him partial custody of Johnny. He also expressed his concern for Gio’s well-being. But after that, he got straight down to business.
“I have some news. We have uncovered some suspicious emails. We went back a year when we accessed the hard drive from his apartment, and I have my people looking at them now.”
“Any idea what they say?” asked Andreas.
“Do you think that person might be the Master? Maybe the other person involved and the person who put a bomb in Gio’s rental?” Nikko asked
Andreas nodded.
Nikko explained. “We know Albert and Connie didn’t put the explosives in Gio’s car. They both were home all night. Forensics is still going through it, so we don’t know if the same materials were used.”
“Don’t you think going after Gio,” Lisa interrupted, “will make Albert’s story of me putting the bomb that was meant for him in his car fall apart?”
“Good question?” Nikko piped in looking to Alex for his thoughts.
“It will if different materials were used, but he has already released a statement to the press.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I didn’t see anything in the papers this morning. What is he saying?” Nikko asked while looking for clues in the online reports.
“We got a tip from one of our beat reporters who works at the Daily. It’s going to run in the evening edition of The Daily. He is claiming that you, Lisa, are a black widow; that you put the bomb in another one of your ex-lovers cars, and that you must be stopped. I suspect forensics will reveal it was the same materials if our theory is correct and that he is behind it.”
Now it was Andreas turn to voice his concerns. “But that still doesn’t make sense, I don’t think a jury will buy that.”
“They buy most sound bites unfortunately. It’s not easy to give a person a good defense when people are quick to believe what they read as fact. Not enough people read between the lines.”
“That’s true,” Nikko muttered, remembering how the press had hounded his fiancée, believing her to be a drug smuggler.
Andreas was silent for a moment, taking it all in.
Lisa was flabbergasted. “But I didn’t do it, and a jury will have to see that. I love Gio.”
“Sweetie, you won’t be put on the stand. It’s never a good idea.” Alex reached over to clasp her hand. Andreas scowled at the action, and Lisa seeing it slipped her hand out from under his.
“There won’t be a trial.” Andreas said the words simply.
Alex looked taken aback.
Andreas continued. “We have five weeks, and we will find out who this master is one way or the other. If Connie is in contact with him via phone, and he was in contact with Albert via email, albeit it was six months ago, they know the same people. She must be passing along the messages to the master. God, I feel ridiculous even saying it.”
“The encryption is pretty tough; my guys aren’t sure they will be able to crack it,” Alex confessed.
“Look, it’s connect the dots, and they are connecting. I’ve got some people. Can we get copies of those emails sent here?” He scribbled an email address on the back of a business card he pulled out of his wallet. “I have some good guys, and they might be able to crack it.”
“Yeah, okay.” Alex took the card, “But, it stays with your people and comes straight back to us. I still don’t think whatever is in those emails will be enough though.”
“Maybe not. But we don’t have time to lose. I’m working on a plan B just in case.”
“Plan B?” Lisa questioned.
“We got to find out who the master is, and we may need to do a plain old fashioned sting operation.”
“I can’t, or don’t think, I can get court orders for this.”
“If you can’t, you won’t know about it.”
Alex shook his head. “You’ve already said too much. I need to stop you here, and say don’t for my client’s sake. But if there is something I can do, let me know. If it helps to prove Lisa’s innocence I can get warrants, taps, but nothing involving other people. My hands are tied. If the chain of evidence seeking is not precise, or out of my jurisdictional bounds, I don’t want to know.”
“Understood.”
“Okay, well, I need to get to work, and I’ll have those emails sent as soon as I get back, but we will still work on them from my end too. As soon as I hear from forensics, the bomb was a priority, so I should know soon, I’ll let you know. You’ve still got people on Rasmussen and Wheeler?”
Nikko nodded.
“Keep me posted on that. Check in every day. My secretary will patch you through. Let’s do dailies between four and five. I’ll be in.”
Lisa walked him to the door, and Nikko went to get Johnny who was hunkered down in his room playing on his tablet.
On their way to the door Alex leaned in to Lisa and whispered, “Lisa, you trust these guys? What they are doing? This is your life, and as your attorney, I have to caution you . . .”
Lisa interrupted him before he could finish. “I do, Alex. I know you are working hard for me on your end, but it’s getting down to the wire. I grew up with these guys, aside from Gio, the others are like my brothers. Believe me, they would not risk me going down, unless they were sure. I don’t know what plan B is, but I’m sure they will work out all the kinks before they do anything. That’s how Andreas operates. He is meticulous.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” he shook his head as he turned to leave. “Again, tell Gio I sent my regards.”
“I will and thank you, Alex.”
Lisa turned and was about to call Johnny. She wanted to get to the hospital, and this meeting had delayed them. But there was no need. Both Nikko and Johnny were standing behind her, and the keys were dangling in Nikko’s hand.
Albert was fuming as he hit the remote to close the panel hiding his flat screen television. The press release he made, against the wishes of his attorney, had not been handled in the way he hoped. Instead of reporting his words, in a tone that suited him, the desk reporter quoted him, then did a piece on the Marinos, one that glorified their record. The report he hoped would make Lisa look bad, and his statement had only been mentioned. The report went on to talk about the tragedy that had befallen the Marino family all the way back to the murder of their parents by the Rosedale Romeo, nearly a decade ago. In fact it had been shortly after he and Lisa married that the murder happened.
He remembered the stories of the killing spree, the rapes and mutilations that occurred practically in his back yard. He’d been in college then, completing his MBA, and had fantasized that it was him doing those things. The man had balls, and had never been caught. He respected that.
But he was still outraged. Lisa had been mentioned twice, once at the beginning of the piece, asking if she had done this to her child hood sweetheart, the reporter questioning if it were possible she was that cold-blooded. The reporter didn’t know and would leave that up to a jury, he’d said, but the Marino’s, they had been through enough. Then the man spent ten minutes bringing up the deeds of heroism, and then the tragedy that had befallen the Marinos, all of whom had served with New York’s finest. Cocksuckers!
Fuck, he wanted to scream, and throw something, but resisted the urge, he’d save his energies for something else. The master had promised to do this thing after Connie got cold feet and called him, and even he had failed him. If he were caught, the master knew he was going down as well. That’s why he’d volunteered to do this job. Lisa’s photos implicated him as well, unbeknownst to her. True, he wasn’t the man in the picture, but the partial license plate in the picture could ruin him. Lisa had him followed to catch him in the act and to reveal to his parents that he hadn’t changed his ways; he’d been screwing master’s newest slave, teaching him what master liked, and had taken him, in a rape scenario after gagging him, and chaining him in the warehouse on Porter Ave. Th
e Scene used the location to fulfill some of their darker fantasies.
The new slave had been told to go to the warehouse to drop off some papers, and Albert had been lying in wait. When the young man, deliciously young—he was twenty, but looked much younger—had come in, Albert had sprung. He had knocked him unconscious as directed. He then tied him up, suspended him from chains, and fucked him while he was blindfolded and had a ball gag in his mouth. Albert had loved it. He had taken some ecstasy that night, and had been able to ride him hard for a long time. Master had been hidden in the shadows. He loved to watch now, more than participate. But, he was training his new slave, and this had been part of the initiation.
Lisa, of course, had hired that damn private investigator, and he had taken photographs of Albert having one of his interludes. That stupid bitch, she used the evidence to blackmail his parents, to get out of his life and his apartment. The photograph she had was of him leaving, thank god, but he had kissed the slave, who was standing behind the car. He had washed him, and cleaned him, and then they had shared that kiss, behind the car. It was master’s vehicle, and showed a partial plate. One that identified it as a government vehicle belonging to a politician.
He had kept the knowledge of those pictures to himself, but had revealed it to master, when he knew Lisa might use those photos in court. Master had been angry with him at first for keeping it from him. But master didn’t know Albert faked the first attempt on his own life until Connie called him.
Now he was desperate. He wanted that bomb to kill Gio. Master said he would handle getting the bomb where it needed to be. But master had failed this time, not him. Connie had called again, and the master still would not meet with him. They might all be being followed. Albert hadn’t thought of that. He didn’t think so but if it was true, Master wanted to err on the side of caution. The master advised him to keep his activities close to home, and that even his role playing with Connie needed to cease.
Albert’s thoughts were distracted by the telltale alert of an incoming email, and the notification sound had his heart pumping wildly. It was from the master. He’d broken protocol. This was not good.
Beautiful Regret Page 20
