by Nyssa Renay
“Of course,” Marissa replied happily. “And for you, miss?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Allie declined, watching Marissa walk away as everything suddenly clicked. Getting the best table in the house before the regulars, the free and expensive meal, the restaurant closing early, even the special honor of meeting the owner. It was all set in motion when Kevin gave his name for the reservation.
Christoff owned the bank that Kevin and his brothers had planned to rob. From what Joseph had told Allie, the brothers were supposed to steal as much money as possible with the help of two of Palencio’s new recruits to put a serious dent in Christoff’s reserve cash flow. But instead, Joseph foiled the robbery and made Kevin, his brothers, and everyone else—including Palencio—believe that Kevin and his brothers helped foil the heist, kill two of his men, and look like they’d betrayed Palencio. Now, the mob boss was coming to take care of the problem—namely Kevin—personally.
Allie’s heart was in her throat as she heard the front door slowly creak open. She looked over as Palencio and two of his top enforcers strode through the doorway and approached their table.
-18-
“Kevin?” Allie asked in a panicked tone. “Are your brothers still in the city?”
“No,” he answered. “They went back home yesterday. I only stayed here because of you. Why?” Kevin asked, noticing the three men standing near their table.
The old man in the center of the group smiled, displaying only the bottom row of his decayed and stained teeth. “Kevin, is it?” He raised his unkempt grayish-black eyebrows, casting a slight shadow over his gaunt, wrinkly face.
“Yes,” Kevin replied, smiling like he was greeting an adoring fan. “Nice to meet you, Mister…”
“Palencio.” He slowly took off his hat and handed it to one of the men beside him.
“Oh my God!” Kevin gasped. “This is your restaurant!”
“Yes…it is.” Palencio’s expression was cold and angry.
“Thank you so much for everything!” Kevin gushed. “The food and the staff were fantastic.”
“Good. I’m always happy to hear nice things about my establishments.” Palencio leered and turned toward Allie. “And who do we have here?”
Allie took a long deep breath, forcing a smile. “I-I’m Allie,” she stuttered.
“Now, see?” Palencio began pointing at Allie. “There’s the look I expected. You know who I am, don’t you, Allie?”
“Y-Yes, sir. I do,” she replied, absolutely terrified.
“What’s wrong, Allie?” Kevin asked her, oblivious. Her eyes were glued to the mob boss. To Palencio, Kevin said, “I don’t mean to be rude, Mr. Palencio, but you’re scaring my date.”
Palencio ignored Kevin and continued to stare at Allie. “He obviously doesn’t know who I am…does he?”
“No, sir,” she answered, tears welling in her eyes.
“I guess I’ll just have to introduce myself properly.” Palencio nodded and the two men next to him yanked Kevin from his chair and forced him to his knees.
Before Kevin could utter a word, Palencio began pummeling Kevin’s face repeatedly with his gloved fists. Restrained by Palencio’s men, Kevin was unable to move. Allie could barely breathe, frozen with fear as Palencio continued to beat Kevin until he was unconscious and collapsed onto the floor.
“Now, then…Allie,” Palencio turned his attention back toward her. “You’ve shown me the proper respect, and I appreciate that. But sadly, I’m not keen on witnesses. I hope you’ll understand. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you won’t feel a thing, okay?” Palencio smiled as he grabbed a dinner napkin off the table and wiped the blood from his gloves.
Allie closed her eyes, feeling the tears stream down her cheeks. She knew she couldn’t escape her fate. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. A chill ran the length of her spine and Allie felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head, but saw no one.
“La niesta stirento,” a soothing voice whispered into her ear, sending a warm tingle throughout her body. The ring on her finger pulsed with electricity, and she suddenly realized that Joseph had been hiding in plain sight all along like he did at Rosabelle’s Diner when they had breakfast together.
“Okay, Allie,” Joseph whispered. “I think it’s time to put an end to this shit, don’t you? Show me what you’ve got.”
Allie nodded, gaining confidence through her tears as she straightened up and faced Palencio.
“Interesting! I’ve misjudged you, Allie. You’re quite the brave young woman, aren’t you?” Palencio grinned, surprised that Allie didn’t beg for her life. “Maybe…instead of killing you…I should have you work for me?” he teased.
“Sorry, but I’m already employed.” Allie smirked as she slowly passed Palencio and fixed her tousled hair in a small decorative mirror hanging on the wall.
One of the thugs raised his gun at Allie’s head, but Palencio slowly raised his hand to keep the man from shooting her.
Palencio smiled wildly, fascinated by Allie’s strange behavior. “So, it won’t matter to you if I put a bullet in this young man’s head right now?” he asked coldly.
“To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Allie answered, acting indifferent. She turned away from the mirror and sauntered around the room, pausing at decorative items on the walls. “On one hand, he is absolutely the most attractive man I’ve ever dated. He’s kind, chivalrous…the type of man who’s pretty rare these days.” Allie shook her head, smiling. “But on the other hand, he did use me to case the bank he and his brothers failed to rob. I thought he was a really great guy, but—”
“What do you mean, failed to rob?” Palencio asked, eyes flashing. “In order to fail at something, you have to attempt it first. Those little bastards did the exact opposite! They were hired to help my guys rob that bank, but instead, they shot my men and backed out of the deal. They betrayed me! Now, I’m going to kill each of them, starting with your boyfriend here.” Palencio pulled out his gun and aimed at Kevin.
“Look, I would fully support that decision…if…that was what really happened, but it’s not,” Allie spoke dismissively, trying to emulate Joseph’s mannerisms to keep Palencio preoccupied. “The truth is…Kevin and his brothers were robbing that bank for you, but someone came in and stopped them. He’s the one who killed your guys, not Kevin…or his brothers.” Allie stated.
“Is that right?” he scoffed. “And how would you know this?”
“Because I was there. I was one of their hostages.”
“Well then, if what you’re saying is true, why were those assholes all over the television, telling everyone that stopped the robbery when they didn’t?”
“They were brainwashed to believe they did,” Allie replied firmly. “Trust me. He did the same thing to me, too.”
Palencio’s patience was wearing thin. “Who the hell is this guy?”
“His name is Joseph.” Allie grinned. “He’s the same man that butchered all your men at warehouse forty-eight.”
Palencio’s face turned a furious shade of red as he approached her and raised his gun to her forehead. “How do you know about that? Is he the one you’re working for?”
“Yes,” Allie answered calmly, tilting her head slightly, Joseph-fashion. “Tonight was supposed to be my night off, but if you’d like, I can bring him to you…right here…right now. But first, I need your word that you’ll spare Kevin’s and his brothers’ lives in return.”
“You’d betray your employer that easily?” Palencio sneered.
“Well, you do have me in a compromising situation at the moment,” Allie admitted. “I was having a wonderful evening until you beat the shit out of my date. I’d like to see if he’s worth a second chance. Otherwise, I’ll kill him myself,” Allie said coldly, trying to regain control of the conversation. “I’m not a fan of men who go back on their word, either.” She smiled. “And besides, what Joseph’s paying me is wor
thless if I’m dead, right? I go where the money is…what do you say?”
Palencio rubbed his chin. “I’ll tell you what. If you can deliver this man, Joseph, to me within the next hour, I’ll let you and your friend here live.”
“What about his family?” Allie asked.
“Sure, why not?” Palencio shrugged.
“So, I have your word?” Allie asked skeptically.
“Yes.” Palencio smiled smugly. “You have my word.”
“Excellent! Then we have a deal,” Allie replied, folding her arms and casually leaning against the wall, as she stared defiantly at him.
Palencio glanced at his men, all frowning with confusion, and then looked back toward Allie. “Well? Why are you just standing there? Let’s go!” he shouted. “I’m not a patient man!”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head mockingly before a cunning grin spread across her face. “I forgot to mention…he’s already here.”
Palencio’s eyes widened as Joseph stepped out of the invisible shadows right in front of him.
“Hello!” Joseph said cheerfully, tilting his head slightly as he raised his gun and shot Palencio directly in the forehead.
The room echoed with gunfire as Palencio’s body slowly slumped to the floor. Joseph and Allie stood patiently as each of Palencio’s men dropped where they stood, victims of Joseph’s reflective spells.
Within moments, the gunfire had stopped, and the only audible sounds were moans from the few survivors of the massacre.
Joseph let out a happy sigh. “That went smoothly. Well done, Allison.” Joseph quickly adjusted his glasses. “Sorry about your dinner date.”
“No, you’re not,” Allie growled as she rushed over to check on Kevin. “You let Palencio beat the hell out of him on purpose!”
“Yes, I did,” Joseph admitted coldly. “You and I both know he deserved it,” he grumbled as he walked over toward Allie.
“Probably,” she said angrily. “But I really like this guy, and if you and I are going to keep working together, you have to leave him alone if this turns into something. Understand?”
Joseph smiled. “Of course.”
“Good.” Allie acknowledged as Kevin stirred, groaning in pain. “Now heal him like you did to your leg on the plane.”
“I can’t.”
“Why the hell not?” Allie snapped.
“Because it doesn’t work like that,” Joseph argued. “Besides, he’ll be safer in the hospital under police protection for the next few days.”
“Protection from who?”
“There’s still one bounty hunter left trying to track me down, and I don’t want Kevin to be dangled as bait or collateral to get to you or me. Got it?”
Although Allie wasn’t happy about it, she knew Joseph was right. The minute she’d gotten involved with Joseph, she and everyone she was close to was put in danger. “Kevin? Are you okay?” Allie asked.
“Allie?” Kevin tried to sit up, but fell back onto the floor, clutching his side. “What the hell was that?” he moaned through gritted teeth as he struggled to breathe.
“Don’t worry about it right now,” Allie urged. “They’re gone. Just try to relax. I’m going to call for help.”
“You don’t have to,” Joseph said calmly, sitting down at a nearby table. “I already did.”
Seconds later, Detective Sanders and a small unit of heavily armed policemen burst through the front door.
“Nobody move!” Sanders shouted as the other men secured the room.
“We’ve got one alive over here, sir!” an officer called out from the far corner of the room.
“I’ve got one over here, too!” another officer announced from across the restaurant.
Sanders stared at Joseph before noticing Allie crouched down on the floor by Kevin. “Allison?” he said rushing over to her.
“He needs an ambulance,” Allie explained, slightly panicked. “Palencio beat him up pretty bad.”
“Where’s Palencio now?” Sanders asked as he frantically looked around.
“He’s on the floor behind you,” Joseph said casually as he took off his fedora and placed it onto the table.
“Let me guess,” Sanders sneered. “He magically managed to shoot himself…like those men at the warehouse?”
“No.” Joseph grinned. “I shot him myself.”
Sanders angrily unclipped the radio from his belt and shouted, “I’m going to need those EMTs to get in here. We’ve got three men down.”
“Copy that,” the radio squawked as he clipped it back onto his belt.
“Listen up!” Sanders yelled out as he stared at Joseph. “I want two men to stay with each one of the injured until I say otherwise. Go with them in the ambulances and make sure they don’t leave their hospital beds. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” The officers helped guide the medical technicians to each of the wounded as they entered the restaurant.
Allie hovered over Kevin as the EMTs carefully loaded him onto a wheeled stretcher. She was about to go with Kevin to the hospital when Sanders grabbed her by the arm.
“Have a seat, Ms. McCleary,” Sanders ordered. “I’ll make sure he’ll be safe at the hospital, okay?”
Allie sadly nodded as she sat next to Joseph, never diverting her eyes away from Kevin until the stretcher exited the front door of the restaurant.
“Now then, I think it’s time I finally get some answers from you two,” Sanders insisted as he sat down directly across from Joseph and Allie.
Joseph sighed heavily. “Such as?”
“You know damn well what I mean!” Sanders whisper-shouted, trying not to let the other officers hear him as the men began to tape off the areas around the corpses on the floor.
Joseph smiled. “You mean…like, why I let you live that night at the warehouse? And why I let you know what was going to happen here?”
“Yes,” Sanders acknowledged.
“Because Christoff and I need your help to keep control of the city,” Joseph explained.
“I told you before. I don’t work for any mob boss,” Sanders barked. “Not now, not ever.”
“I’m not asking you to, Detective,” Joseph replied, leaning back in his chair.
“Then what the hell do you want from me?”
Joseph sat there, silently staring at Detective Sanders for a few moments before speaking again. “You know? Human behavior has always been a fascination of mine.”
“Why is that?” Sanders asked reluctantly, knowing he wasn’t going to get a straight answer.
“Ever since the dawn of time, man has struggled to make society behave in a civilized manner…whether through religion and the fear of damnation, or the threat of physical harm by the enforcers like yourself if the rules were broken. But no matter how hard a civilization tries for a perfect and happy society, there is always an element of…let’s call it…indiscretion.”
“To err is human, right?” Allie stated.
“Exactly!” Joseph laughed, shaking his head. “There’s always going to be that little bit of temptation. Anger…desire…greed…they all lead to a momentary lapse in judgment. Sometimes, mankind atones for their so-called-sins to become better people, but most times, they continue on anyway, progressively getting worse. Those little white lies become easier to tell. Posted speed limits become mere suggestions instead of rules. Hell, I’ve even seen men of the cloth pick grapes off a bunch at the supermarket and eat them…never paying a cent, which to me is stealing, but acceptable according to society.”
“But there’s a huge difference between murdering someone and stealing a few grapes,” Sanders argued.
“Yet, they’re both considered immoral and illegal,” Joseph noted. “It’s all a matter of perspective. What one person may consider to be crossing the proverbial line can be the same as what another person views as normal. The same goes for this city, Detective. Right this very moment, there’s only one organized c
rime syndicate left in Bloodburg.”
“Yeah, your buddy Christoff’s now in charge of the whole damn city,” Sanders scoffed.
“That’s true.” Joseph said, staring silently at him for a few moments. “Let’s say you arrest every crime boss and bad guy in the city. You’ve cleaned up the streets of Bloodburg. But how long do you think that will last? There’s always going to be that little inkling of indiscretion that slithers in and causes chaos, and before you know it, the innocent people you assured were safe are now just collateral damage as each new crime boss comes to take down the other. Why not fight to support the status quo instead? Right now, you have a whole city being run by a crime boss who grew up here. His family grew up here; even his forefathers helped build this very city. All I’m saying is that Christoff has more respect for the people of Bloodburg than any outsider who might try to come in and take over.”
“So, what? You want me to look the other way every time your boss does something illegal?”
“Yes.” Joseph’s expression became stoic. “We want you to be Christoff’s inside man and help us keep Bloodburg under control…nothing official or dirty…but help us keep it safe and contained…keep that proverbial line in the sand as visible as possible.”
Sanders knew Joseph was right. There was no way to eradicate the evil nature of society completely, but if he could keep random acts of violence from happening, it would be worth riding the line between right and wrong. Sanders let out a long, heavy sigh. “If Christoff can get things to calm down and keep the crime hidden in the shadows, I might consider being on board. I just need time to think about it, okay?”
Joseph smiled. “Of course.”
As the three of them were about to get up from the table, there was a loud explosion just outside. The building shuddered from the blast, and there were screams and what sounded like loud pops of electricity as the officers outside were gunned down.
The few officers still in the restaurant rushed outside, only to immediately be killed in the same manner as their comrades.
Instinctively, Joseph flipped the table on its side before pulling Allie and Detective Sanders down behind it. “Stay down…and keep still!” Joseph whisper-shouted at them.
