Animus (18 page)

“You better call Sal, he’s home waiting for you to take him to the gym.”

“Yeah, will do. Give the twins a kiss and hopefully I’ll make it home before they fall asleep.”

“
If you say so. Bye.”

He grimaced. Somebody was pissed. He called his son, told him the same lame story, promised a do-over and then headed out the office to see about Sergio.

The manager of Sergio’s building hadn’t seen Sergio either and upon Alfonzo’s request let him in the apartment. He looked around the spacious duplex finding nothing out of the ordinary, well expired milk in the fridge wasn’t anything shocking for a bachelor; however there’s an internal alarm Alfonzo possessed that screeched.

Something’s not right, this isn’t like Sergio.

He went through Sergio’s caller ID and found the number with the 718 area code, it was the only one repeated during different hours of the day. Sergio’s sister, the cop is who he called. The voice that answered was male, with a distinctive tone. Tyree…say what? “Holá Tyree, this is Alfonzo.”

“Mr. Diaz, hey. How are you?”

“Bien. But, I have a problem maybe you can help me to understand.”

“Okay.”

Alfonzo detected nervousness. He gestured to his Capo to bring him a pen and paper. “Mi problema is this, how do you know Sergio?”

The Capo put the pen and paper in front of his boss and stepped back. Tyree hesitated, never a good sign and anybody familiar with Alfonzo’s temper never did. “Well, um, I’m engaged to his sister.”

“Congrats on the engagement to the policia, mi amigo. You kind of never mentioned this, why’s that?”

“Um…you didn’t ask.”

A sneer from the sexy mouth. “Tienes razón. But, let me share something with you doctor. I am allergic to the policia; I break out in a rash.”

Quiet.

“Let’s try it this way, I’ll ask a question and you give a truthful answer, yes or no is how it’s played, comprende?”

“Yes.”

“Bien. We begin with question numero uno. Do you know where Sergio is?”

“Yes.”

“Numero dos. Is he there?”

“Yes.”

“Numero tres, cuatro y cinco. Is he hanging out, drinking beer, chilling?”

“No.”

“Muy bien.” Alfonzo scribbled on the paper and showed it to his Capo who immediately walked across the room and made a call. Alfonzo spoke to Tyree. “Do not go anywhere, not even to the store. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Very good. Take care doctor,” he replied and then disconnected.

The Capo got off the phone a minute later. “Someone’s going to check it out.”

“Bien.” Alfonzo looked down at the phone, wondering what kind of trouble Sergio was in. He also wondered if it had anything to do with Spignelli. The man was found dead outside his club; the same club where Nico had to rescue Sergio and Tony.

Ah, shit!

His gut started kicking and kicking and kicking.

Another phone call was made. He got Tony.

~ ~

Tiffany just returned from the powder room. Today was her birthday. Tony’s treat was a five star dinner in the city and it was as special as the present he had given to her before they left home. The sweet man actually asked her to marry him. Believe it? After all these years he popped the question. Hell yeah!

She eyed the sparkly two carat round diamond on her finger, from where else Tiffany Jewelers and wanted to faint. If this was the engagement ring, then hell what would the wedding ring look like? Smiling she returned to the table. She noticed he was on his cell and read his face before he opened his mouth.

“Yeah, okay. Will do,” he said to the person on the other end before putting his phone away.

“Okay, I understand business. I do Tony, but please not right now. It’s after hours and you’re off the clock.”

She was right.
Of all the days to get a call from Alfonzo, this wasn't it. He’d done the nine to five, put his soul into his work, and made it there on time every day for past few weeks and the one day he planned to spend time with his lady, boom! “Listen, I have to do something. It can’t wait. How about I make it up to you when I get home later?”

Tiffany frowned. “Are you serious?”

“I don’t play, you know that about me. If I say it’s important, know that it is.”

“More important than me?”

“Nothing’s more important than you,” he said signaling for the check.

“Then prove it.”

The light brown eyes a shade higher than his skin dulled. “I did, by asking you to marry me.”

The check came, the Black Card inserted and he slumped back waiting for the wait
er to return with his receipt. Tiffany didn’t understand nobody ignores a call when it comes from the top guy. He’d gone to Alfonzo, basically asked for more responsibility and this was his chance to show the man he had what it took to do the job. Besides, it was an extraction. Get dumb-ass Sergio to a safe-house and then check-in.

Simple.

Except simple is complicated when you have a lady who wants normal when you’re an abnormal man.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Ari hugged the pillow, bogarting the entire bed. Nico didn’t mind though, he sat on the floor with his head to the floral skirt rocking Semira to sleep. He didn’t have tits to breast feed, which Ari opted not to do after the first week because she said the girl’s gums were like teeth. Thanks to the generosity of Amelda, the pantry was packed with a year supply of formula. Apparently, Sophie’s daughter had become another of Ari’s new friends. Hell, even Sophie was smitten with his wife, which made Nico smile. But most shocking of all is the relationship between Selange and his wife. Nico nearly fell over when he learned Ari would be working from home for Selange’s charity. When he asked about it, his adorable wife shrugged. “Old habits die hard sweetheart; I need something to do besides sexing you and taking care of kids.”

“I see.”

“Hey, are you jealous that I stole your friend?”

“Ah, sweetheart, I don’t think you want to see me jealous. It might not be pretty.”

“Oh, I’ve seen you jealous, you don’t fool me. That mouth of your goes tight and you get horns and…”

He laughed thinking about Ari’s teasing. He was glad she loved Sicily and wanted to stay in this home. In Sicily she said she fe
lt free. Besides, her parents had already booked a trip to Rome for next year, this was the ruse to visit and to top it off they said they loved the place so much, they may come back during the Winter which also happens to be during the boys birthday season.
Slick.

His doll fell asleep and he gave the tiny face a huge smack with
on the cheek, carefully stood and placed her sideways, yep –always sideways Ari admonished when putting an infant to sleep.

He’d been out of the loop with the baby thing, heck his boys were nearly men. Sophie managed to get them in a private school to finish their studies and in a few more months they were done and on their way to college. Anywhere in the world they wanted to go, Nico
supported, except America because they’re supposed to be dead. Darren considered Oxford, and Nico figured, why not. They had new identities and his boys were worthy of the Ivy Leagues. Well, with Aaron, he wasn’t sure. Anyway, whatever they wanted to do, as a dad, he’d be there either way. He loved his boys unconditionally.

When his ladies were out cold for the night, he went to check
on the boys and found them in Aaron’s bedroom behaving suspiciously. They had the deer in the headlights expression. “Hey what’s popping?”

“Please dad, stop trying to use slang. It sounds corny when you do it,” fresh mouth Aaron said.

“Okay,” Nico replied as he crossed the floor to the bed, searching with investigative eyes for anything out of the ordinary. A hand movement from Darren had an uncool sounding dad reaching down and lifting the cover. “What the fuck is this you guys, how many times have I said hands off, you shitheads?” Nico exclaimed pulling his laptop from beneath their less than genius hiding place. His eyes bore into the boys and then went to the screen. He figured they weren’t able to move fast enough when they heard him coming and that’s why the video continued running. He growled making a sound similar to an animal when cornered by a predator. Nico glared at the brutal images on the HD screen. The bakery shelves were familiar as well as the victims being lined up to the wall and executed. He did a double-take; it wasn’t Sergio in the video but a trio in black, slight of build with their faces in ski masks. Another closer inspection and his head snapped up, removed the flash drive and slapped each boy in the head. “How much of this did you see?”

“Uh, a lot
,” Darren admitted.

Nico shut down the laptop. “Boys dammit, you can’t go behind my back and do shit like this. Your mom is going to have my ass.”

They pointed fingers at each other. Nico tucked the small device under his arm as they went at it, calling each other liars but it didn’t matter. Sergio was the biggest fibber of all. Why hadn’t he just told the truth dammit?

In the video Nico had noticed something that required him to make a late-night run. “I have to go out. If your mom wakes up lie for me since you guys
are pros.”

Aaron spoke up
, “Hey dad was that real?”

“No,” Nico spat. Let the nosy
teen’s debate all night whether it was a movie or real life. He dressed in a hurry, grabbed his handy-dandy backpack like Diego and was on his way to the reserve where some slippery cats lived.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“This is good mama Johnson,” Giuseppe said between mouthfuls of linguini.

Mr. Johnson glowered through-out dinner, angry his wife continued the farce to keep Shanda from leaving before he got there. The scene when he came home was straight out of the Twilight Zone. A guy in his living room watching TV, and Giuseppe Dichenzo seated at his table with a glass of his best wine and a huge platter of pasta stuffing his face while Shanda fed the baby in the high chair. His wife was sitting there too, holding a conversation with the fool.

Giuseppe did not stand when he arrived. He wasn’t intimidated by Mr. Johnson’s presence. “Buongiorno,” he’d said and continued eating.

The pretense was over the minute the brute finished. “You’re not taking my daughter anywhere or that baby.”

Giuseppe wiped his mouth and then sipped the wine. “Brutto!”

“My daughter and our grandson are better off with us.”

The wine was terrible, fermented in America undoubtedly. He checked the label. Napa Valley, U.S. A.
“Aye!”

“If you care about my daughter you’ll let her go on with her life. Your kind is bad news.”

“Stranzo, are you finished?” Giuseppe finally addressed the irritant.

“No I’m not.”

Giuseppe checked his watch. The plane was refueled and waiting. “Ah, but I am. Shanda is Carlo packed?”

“Yes, we’re ready.”

“Baby girl, what are you doing?” Mr. Johnson asked his daughter pitifully.

“I’m going dad. I love you, but I’ve stayed long enough.”

“Is he forcing you girl, you can be honest?”

“No he’s not. I want to leave.”

The crest-fallen expression did not move Giuseppe an inch. “You see, she has a mind. You forget at times, I think.”

Mr. Johnson pointed a finger at the smug face. “You shut the fuck up. This is my home and my daughter. I don’t know what type of brainwashing you guys did on her but this is not my daughter speaking!”

“Por favore, do not use the bad language in front of my bambino. Speak without vulgarity in his presence.”

“I’ll say whatever the hell I please you bastard!”

“Oh really?” Shanda broke in. “All the reason why I can’t sit here another minute. You claim to care about the baby, you damn hypocrite. Talk about brainwashing, you and mom are masters at it. You’re probably responsible for my phone going missing now that I think about it. If you want to visit and act like a civilized human being then you’re welcome, but if this is how you’re going to behave in front of the baby, then stay the fuck away!” She lifted Carlo from the chair and carried him outside before Giuseppe could say a word. “Let’s go Giuseppe, get me the hell out of here!”

Mr. Johnson jumped to his feet
to go after his daughter and Giuseppe blocked his path. “Ah, from whom does she flee now?” He leered, wanting to break the thick neck. If he struck Shanda’s father, then just as he manipulated his daughter, the American criminal system would follow. He was on the man’s property, but once he was on neutral ground, nothing would prevent his fist from cracking Mr. Johnson’s jaw. For now, Giuseppe had what he came for, his family. “Do not force my hand.” He put his face very close. “I do not wish to put a bullet in your skull in front of your wife. Sit, capisce?”