by J. S. Cooper
“What?” I asked him, a shout erupting from my mouth. How the fuck did he know what was meant to happen last night? I was pissed at myself. I hadn’t wanted to show my cards and let him know I was upset. “Who told you that?”
“Ahahaha, Luca, you know, I can’t reveal my sources or, they will no longer be sources, you know what I mean? If I tell you, I can guarantee that you’ll have them visiting the fishes in the river. However, I can tell you that you got some big mouths in that house of yours. I guess you’re not as good a boss as you thought you were.”
“Enzo, I’m not here to play games. What do you want?”
“You know what I was thinking last night, Luca?”
“No.”
“I was thinking, why does this capo, big boss of Brooklyn, this guy that is in the mafia that’s running the city, what does he want with the little itty-bitty liar Anabel? She’s not even that cute.”
I kept my mouth shut. I was not going to let him rile me up. I was not going to let him know how much I needed Anabel for myself.
“You got nothing to say there, Luca?”
“Enzo, I’m going to hang up in five seconds unless you tell me something I want to hear.”
“So you don’t care what I do to the girl. I got her standing here right next to me and I was going to put her on the phone with you, but if you’re telling me you don’t want to talk to her and you don’t care what happens to her, we can just hang up and then I’ll do what I got to do. Giuliano will do what he wants to do, and I’ll have you know he wants to do her bad. He got a thing for blonde chicks.”
“She’s not blonde.” There was steel in my voice.
“Ooh, someone’s popping an attitude. She’s not blonde. Hey, Giuliani, Luca’s on the phone and he’s telling me his bitch ain’t blonde. What is she, Luca?”
“Enzo, what do you want?”
“Let your little lady tell you what I want. Hold on.”
“Hello.” A soft voice came on the phone. I could tell it was Anabel right away. My heart broke when I heard the fear, but I resolved myself to not feel sorry for her.
“This is Luca. Who is this?”
“Luca, it’s me. It’s Anabel.”
“What can I do for you, Anabel?”
“Is it true what he said?”
“Is what true?”
“Were you going to kidnap me last night?”
“I was not going to do anything. I couldn’t care less about you, Anabel. I don’t even know why we’re on the phone right now. You got yourself mixed up with some mobsters and now you want me to help you, is that what you’re saying?”
“Luca, I didn’t get myself mixed up with any mobsters. He kidnapped me because I know you.”
“What can I do for you, Anabel? We ain’t got nothing right now. You’re nothing to me. In fact, I’m engaged to someone else.”
There was silence on the phone.
“You’re what?”
“I said I’m engaged to someone else, a very beautiful young lady called Valentina Marchese. Have you ever heard of her?”
“No, never.” She sounded like she was in shock and I grinned. The pain was already starting, I hoped.
“So exactly what did this Enzo tell you to tell me? What does he want from me?”
“I don’t know, Luca. He just said that you owe him big time. Something you did in your past.”
Oh, fuck. I kept my mouth shut. I had a feeling I knew what Enzo was worried about, why he wanted me to feel pain. He thought I most probably cared about Anabel and that’s why he kidnapped her. He thought I would do whatever it took to get her back. The thing was, he was right. I yawned suddenly. “Oh man, I think I want to go to dinner.”
“Luca, listen to me,” she said softly. “I know things ended badly between us years ago, but you know I loved you. I loved you more than life itself and when I left—”
“This isn’t about you leaving.”
“Luca, please, when I left it wasn’t because—”
“I don’t care why you left, bitch. I don’t care. The fact that you went to the CIA and the FBI and you snitched on me and you nearly got me thrown in jail…”
“Luca, you know it was about more than that.”
“No, Anabel, no. There was nothing more important than the two of us. Nothing.”
“Luca, I saw what you did. I saw what you did.”
“And?”
“You can’t do that. You can’t live your life that way. It’s not right. I couldn’t be a part of that.”
“So you decided to rat on me?”
“Luca.”
“And you think I’m going to help you now? Forget about it.” I hung up the phone and jumped up and walked over to the door. I was pissed. Why would she bring up the past? Why would she bring up the fact that she betrayed me? She betrayed our love. I thought she’d been it. I thought we were forever. When she looked into my eyes and told me she loved me, I believed in love. I believed the words that she was saying, and she’d blown it. She hadn’t known it at the time, but I was going to leave this life for her. I was going to become a better man. For her, I was going to go straight. She had no idea what she’d done. She had no idea what she’d done when she ratted me out. The number of people I had to pay off to stay out of jail. I knew why she’d done it, of course, because she blamed herself. But she didn’t know what I knew. And maybe, maybe I had to let her know. Maybe I had to let her know that it was all her fault in the first place.
The phone rang two seconds later and I hurried over to the desk to pick it back up again.
“What do you want, Enzo?”
“I’m shocked, Luca, you surprised me.” He sounded impressed.
“Why did I surprise you?”
“You hung up on your lady. You know she’s hearing me. You know Giuliani’s got his little fat fingers ready and waiting to fuck her.”
“What do you want?” I ignored the pain that pulsed through me. If I got my hands on Giuliani, I’d put his head through a wall.
“So, Luca...”
“Yes, Enzo?”
“I know you want your girl. Let’s not play games.”
“I’m not playing games.”
“She’s got a mouth on her and, honestly, she’s going to feel my hand in her mouth if she keeps up her chatter. So if you care a little bit about her having a pretty little face still, you’re going to want to come and get her.”
“I won’t be coming to get her, no.”
“You’re going to send a man? Wow, what did she do to piss you off?”
“I really don’t care about her, Enzo. What do you want?”
“I want five million.”
“Five million, are you out of your freaking mind?”
“I want five million and I want it all in hundreds.”
“Enzo, I’m going to go right—”
“Wait, Luca.”
“What is it?”
“There’s something else you should know, Luca.”
“What?”
“I got a girl that I just slept with and she told me something very interesting.”
“Does your wife know you’re sleeping with her?”
“You leave my wife’s name out of your mouth.”
“I don’t recall I said her name. I just—”
“You know what, Luca, maybe I’ll have a piece of your girl’s little pussy myself.”
“Enzo, don’t you dare touch her.”
“Or what?”
“Enzo.”
“I heard you got Valentina Marchese there. Does her father know what you got going on with this blonde?”
“Her father has no need to be in my business. He knows how this works.”
“You know the drug deal you had go down in Miami last year?”
“No.”
“Hmm, you don’t recall?”
“No.”
“Well, there was an agent there.”
“Okay. And?”
“He was there again this year.”
“Okay. And?”
“He saw you and Anabel.”
“What?”
“He saw you and Anabel, and he has reason to believe that Anabel is involved with the trafficking of cocaine and heroin throughout the United States of America.”
“Okay. And?”
“She ain’t got protection like you and me.”
“What are you saying, Enzo?”
“I’m saying if you don’t come and get your girl, after I have her, after Giuliano has her, the system’s going to have her and she’s going to go away for a long, long time. And when she goes away for a long time, she’s going to talk. She’s going to talk about that night that neither of you two have ever spoken about. And you know what?”
“What?”
“Once she talks, it’s all going to come out because you know and I know she doesn’t know everything, does she?”
“Enzo.”
“She doesn’t know everything, Luca, but if she realizes that she actually does know everything, your whole empire is going to come crashing down. She knows all the secrets, Luca. She just doesn’t know she knows them.”
Chapter 12
Anabel
I couldn’t believe the words I just heard. Out of everything that had happened to me in the last twenty-four hours, all I could think about was the fact that Luca was now engaged to some girl called Valentina. I wanted to see her. I wanted to know why her. Why was she the one that he loved? Was he going to become a better man for her? I didn’t know what to think and I didn’t know if I could even understand why I cared.
“Hey, Anabel,” Enzo shouted at me, and I looked up at him. “I’ve just been speaking to you for the last five minutes. Have you heard a word that I’ve said?”
“Sorry, no, I was in another world.”
“So you heard about Luca and Valentina Marchese, huh?”
“You know her?”
“She’s the daughter of another boss. Eh, she could have done better than Luca Cattaneo. But, you know, he’s got money. I guess that’s all the dad sees.”
“I see.”
“Don’t you worry though, girl, I'm sure, Luca will still fuck you on the side. All the bosses, they have wives, they got pieces on the side. I got pieces on the side. Shit, Monday night I got a girl. Tuesday night I got a girl. Wednesday night I got a girl. Thursday night I got a girl. Friday night I ain't got a girl ‘cause I have to have dinner with my wife and the kids because she gets kind of funny if go out on a Friday night. Saturday night, I ain’t got a girl, but Saturday afternoon, hey... well, you know how it goes.” He gave me a big wink.
“Wow. That’s a lot of different girls.”
“Well, I’m not saying that it’s a different girl every night. Some of the girls I see a couple of times a week, you know? Hey, I’m a married man. I can’t be faithful to those hoes too.”
“Wow, super inspiring.”
“I know you’re not judging me. You were Luca Cattaneo’s side piece.”
“I wasn’t his side piece. I was his girlfriend.”
“Ah, so you admit, you guys were close.”
“Yes, we were close, but as you can see from the fact that he just hung up the phone, we’re not close anymore.”
“Ah, you know, life is a funny thing, right? Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. Sometimes you’re in, sometimes you’re out. Sometimes you’re rich, sometimes you’re poor. Sometimes you’re black, sometimes you’re white.” Then he paused. “I guess that last one doesn’t really work, does it? You’re either black or you’re white, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, sure.” Wow, he was a real genius, wasn’t he? I pressed my lips together to stop from saying anything. The last thing I needed was to annoy him. He seemed like he was in a pretty good mood. I was pissed because I hadn’t been able to listen to the rest of his conversation with Luca. I don’t know what he said. “So is Luca going to come and get me?” I asked softly, not even knowing if that was what I wanted. Did I want Luca to come and save me again? Was he going to be my knight in shining armor a third time? And then it suddenly struck me. The first time he’d been my knight in shining armor, it was a fake. The second time he’d been my knight in shining armor, it was a fake. Was this third time really real? Or was this something that Luca had set up? Maybe that’s why he’d hung up the phone. He couldn’t have been that uncaring, could he? “Is Luca in on this with you?” I asked Enzo, and Enzo just looked at me with big laughing eyes.
“What? What are you talking about?”
Giuliani started laughing. “Oh my god, boss, she thinks you and Luca are in on this together. Oh my gosh, she has no clue.” He was rubbing his belly and laughing, and I couldn’t think of a more grotesque sight.
“Okay, so I’m guessing that’s a no.” My heart sank. If it had been a scare tactic, it would have worked, but I would have felt better knowing that it was a setup. Knowing it wasn’t a setup and that Enzo and Giuliani had taken me for their own nefarious purposes didn’t make me feel any better. “So what happens next?”
“We wait.” Enzo looked at his watch. “I have a feeling that Luca and his boy, Giorgio, will be here within... what do you think, Giuliani? How long do you give them?”
“I give them two hours, boss.”
“Nah, I know Luca. Right now he’s seething. He is pissed. He is mad. He doesn’t want to show he’s too mad. So he’s not going to come bursting in here. If he was really crazy, he’d be here within fifteen minutes. He’s not crazy, but he’s mad. He’ll be here within an hour.” He looked at me. “You sure you don’t want to take that shower, get yourself all prettied up for him?”
“I’m okay, thanks. I’ll be fine.” I bit down on my lower lip. My throat was so parched and I was starting to feel faint. “Is it possible for me to get some water, please?”
“She’s asking for water. Doesn’t she know she’s a prisoner of war?!” Giuliani rolled his eyes. “Where does she think she is?”
“We already know what you think,” Enzo said. “She’s not at the Hilton.”
“She’s not at the Hilton, ha ha ha.” They both started laughing and I just sat there. The whole situation felt surreal, like something out of a movie. Never in a million years would I have expected to find myself in a position like this. Never in a million years would I have expected to be kidnapped. But then I never would have expected that I’d date someone in the mafia and I had. And I never would have expected to see someone murder someone else. And I had.
“What are you thinking, Anabel?” Enzo came and sat next to me and grabbed my hand. “Are you feeling nervous? Are you feeling shy? Do you need to cry? Want to cry on my shoulder? I’ve heard I’ve got big, broad shoulders. I can hug you.”
“No, it’s okay.” I pulled my hands away from him quickly. “Please, I’m okay.”
“You know, Anabel, you remind me of someone.”
“Who’s that?”
“You remind me of my daughter.”
“Oh yeah?”
“She doesn’t talk to me anymore.” He looked to the corner of the room and he frowned. “She hates me. She hates everything that I represent. She hates everything that I am. She blames me for everything in her life that she thinks has gone wrong, and she has no idea that if it wasn’t for me, she’d be a nothing in the street.”
I kept my mouth shut. I really didn’t know what to say and I had a feeling if I said the wrong thing, he’d be angrier than I’d seen him yet. Giuliani walked over to his boss and stopped.
“Hey, boss, you did your best. You know these bitches.”
“Do not call my daughter a bitch, Giuliani, or I’ll fuck you up.”
“Yes, boss.” Giuliani backed off and looked at me up and down. He licked his lips and then poked his finger through a hole that he made with his index finger and his thumb. I shuddered at the thought of him touching me.
“Hey sexy, if your man doesn’t come soon, maybe I’ll show you what it’s like to be with a real man,” Giu
liani said and Enzo stood up with a laugh.
“Giuliani, get out of here.”
Giuliani looked at his boss and frowned, “But, boss, I thought you wanted me—”
“Get out of here,” Enzo said. “This time, I’m not joking around.” Giuliani nodded and left the room. Enzo walked over to the door and he locked it before coming back to me.
“You know what, Anabel?”
“What?” I asked him softly.
“I can kind of see what Luca sees in you.”
“Oh yeah? What?”
“You ain’t crazy like most bitches.”
“Um, okay.” I hated the fact that he kept calling women bitches, but I wasn’t really in a place to say anything to him about it.
“You’re calm. I like that in a woman. You’re calm. You’re not screaming. You’re not shouting. You ain’t telling me you hate me. You ain’t telling me you’re going to murder me. That’s good. I see why Luca liked ya.”
“Okay. Well, thank you.”
“And I know why you left Luca as well.”
“Oh?”
“I know a lot more than you think, Anabel.”
“Okay.”
“I know things that can get you into trouble, you know?”
“What do you know that can get me into trouble? I haven’t done anything.”
“But you know something.”
“What do I know? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know when you and Luca broke up, you went to the DEA, the CIA, the FBI, and you told them about something that they really wanted to know about, and they tried to bring charges against Luca and they didn’t stick, did it?”
“No, but that wasn’t my fault.”
“You didn’t give them every piece of information that you had though, did you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You didn’t tell them where it was.”
I looked at him, shock in my eyes, fear in my heart. How did he know so much? “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stammered.
“I know that you know that I know.” He smirked. “And that’s okay because I don’t really care about that. I don’t give a fuck about you. I don’t give a fuck about Luca. I don’t give a fuck about nobody, except for my wife, my kids, and myself. You hear?”
