18. Mario
18
MARIO
I made the assumption Alice was going to the nearest bus station the instant I saw she wasn’t at the rectory, and I’m right. Her phone turned on only ninety seconds ago, and I already have a lock on her location. She’s at the Greyhound stop on Hope Street, and I am less than three minutes out. I have to get to her, stop her from boarding that bus. I have to convince her that if she does this, she’ll be leaving herself open to a huge risk. My brother’s men will stop at nothing to make sure she pays up. I can’t let that happen.
When my phone rings, I almost ignore it, but I see the call is coming from Father Thomas at the rectory. If he’s calling me, then something is going down and I can’t afford to not answer. So, I pick up the phone and flip it open, pinching it between my shoulder and ear as I say, “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Oh, dear, Mario. Alice called me. She’s in trouble. She’s at the?—"
“Bus stop on Hope. I know. I’m on my way. Did she say what’s wrong?” The tires squeal on the pavement as I round a corner and punch the accelerator to the floor, racing up the street .
“She said nothing, but she sounded afraid, and the line went dead.” His voice is thick with concern, but I don’t have time to put him at ease.
When I turn the corner into the parking garage, the phone drops to the center console and I focus on navigating the narrow driving lane between parked cars. The lights in this place are all out. My headlights barely illuminate my path. There aren’t any spots available, and I can’t waste time driving all the way to the top to find the last available spot. I round the end of the ramp, and the tires squeal again, and as the car straightens out, heading toward the elevator, I see her.
Alice runs in the path of my car with her arms waving frantically in the air. I slam on the brakes and have the door open before the car is even in park. As I slide out of the driver’s side, my gun is drawn up on aim. I see him there next to the car. His gun is aimed at Alice, and I don’t even think twice. I pull the trigger.
His body jerks as the first round hits him in the shoulder. His gun goes off, but he misses and Alice throws herself to the ground on top of her bag, screaming and covering her ears. I walk past her, continuing to unleash on the man, emptying the clip and watching him fall to the ground. Blood oozes from his body, pooling beneath him, and I know he’s dead.
For a second, I stand there and sigh hard, knowing this is only going to escalate things. If he called anyone for help, not only are they on their way, but they know where he is and where Alice was last seen. I turn abruptly and storm back over to her. My anger gets the better of me, and I grab her arm and hoist her to her feet. I’m ready to scream at her, to tell her how foolish she is, but she clings to my chest sobbing and I can’t raise my voice.
“Oh, my God, oh, God.” She whimpers and shakes, and my arms slowly wrap around her. This is the last thing we need right now, to have yet another strike against us as Paolo plans a way of finding Alice and making her pay. His anger knows no end, and he’ll tap into that when he comes full force .
I hold her for a second and then kiss the top of her head. “We have to go,” I tell her, but she’s shell-shocked. Her bag lies on the ground in front of the running car with contents spilled out across the cement. My missing gun is there too. She must’ve taken it thinking she was going to defend herself. I think of lecturing her, but it will do no good right now. She’s so shaken up, she’ll never remember what I say. Besides, I think she’s learned her lesson now.
I lead her to the passenger side of the car and open the door. Just as I did the first time we escaped Paolo’s men and headed for Our Lady of Resurrection, she curls into a ball and I have to buckle her in. Then I walk to the mess on the cement and scoop her bag’s contents back into it and put it in the back seat of the car before climbing in.
“What were you thinking?” I ask her, but my tone is soft, not harsh. I know what she was thinking. She wants a normal life. She wants freedom and a way to be happy again. She wants to be far away from me and this mess, and my brother too. But that won’t come easily, and now they’re onto her. They’ll know Hope Street is close to where we are staying, and it’s only a matter of time before they figure it out.
“Please, I just want to leave now. Just drive. Just take me away from here.” Her sobs move my heart, but I know she’ll never be safe. Paolo will hunt her down relentlessly, without pausing, until she’s his.
“Alice, shh.” I rest my hand on her knee and try to soothe her, but she’s inconsolable again. Just like the night we met. In fact, she’s so upset she rolls the window down and turns, hanging her head out, and vomits. The mess splatters on the side of the car where it will dry long before we return to the church rectory, and I will have to take the priest’s car through the car wash.
Halfway back to the church, she is calming. Sniffling and blubbing, but no more sobs shake her body.
“They’re going to find you if you do this, Alice. I can’t stop you. I won’t try to force you to do anything, but I’m afraid for your life.” Concerned is more like it. I fear nothing, but saying things like that is the only way she communicates. Or maybe it’s just that if I confess to her that I care about her, it will make it all too real should we lose this fight and my brother succeed.
She puts her window back up and stares out at the lights as I drive. She says nothing, only a shell of who she normally is. I know it’s hard on her, but this is the only way out—to fight.
“We have to be careful, baby. This sort of thing only escalates the situation more. Now we’ve killed another one of his men. The debt keeps growing, and he’s not going to be pleased.” I glance at her as I drive, but she’s stoic—motionless. I don't know what would possess her to try to run on her own after all my warnings. I knew something was up earlier this evening, but I didn’t take time to stop and find out. Now I regret that decision.
Something is really eating at her, though, something she’s not saying to me. Maybe she actually knows where the money is, or maybe she’s still planning to run. I don’t want to have to lock her up to keep her safe, but if she doesn’t start communicating with me, I may have to.
When we arrive at the rectory, the sun is cresting the horizon. Birds are singing, and the priest has coffee brewing. It slipped my mind to even call and update him, but he doesn’t ask what happened when we stagger into the living room. I drop his keys on the table by the door and nod at him.
“I’ll take it through a car wash later today.” It’s all I say to him before I lead Alice into the bedroom. As my hand rests on the small of her back, she shoves it away and moves more quickly. I notice the look of concern on Thomas’s face, but he says nothing and I follow her.
My temper is barely in check now. I’ve tried to be nice. I’ve tried to stay calm. I’m doing all of this for her, and I blew my cover just to save her. She can’t even be grateful to me for what I’m doing, and maybe I am in the wrong place doing the wrong thing. I’m confused and angry as I follow her into the bedroom and shut the door .
“You’re welcome,” I snap, and she whips around and glowers at me.
“I’m sorry, okay! I made a bad choice. You don’t have to make me a bad guy. I am a victim. I don’t want anyone to be doing any of this. I just want to be safe.” She climbs into bed and kicks off her shoes, then curls up and hugs the pillow to her chest. The blonde hair is different, but she’s still beautiful. I find myself feeling bad for getting angry, but I’m justified. I’m risking my life for her.
“You can’t just run out there and pretend nothing is happening. They’ll find you. And now if they’ve followed you to the bus stop from wherever, they may actually know where we are. Now you’ve not only dragged me into the situation, but you’re risking Thomas’s life too.” The sting of guilt sears my conscience, but it lands squarely as intended.
Alice sobs and pulls the blankets over her head. She’ll think twice before running out on me again. She is free to do as she pleases, but she’s taking her own life into her hands when she does that. The streets aren’t safe for anyone that time of night, but when the Mafia is hunting you, it’s never safe.
Stewing, I pace for a while listening to her cry, but I’m restless. I can’t sit down. I can’t think. I want to take a drive, but that’s not safe either. I have forty-four hours left until the guns I purchased are even usable. Without ammo, we’re sitting ducks. And if Paolo is smart, he’ll check the footage of the security cameras in that parking garage where his man was murdered. He’ll see the license plate on the priest’s car, and it will lead them directly here.
I need a drink, so I slip out of the bedroom, leaving the door cracked so I can hear if Alice needs me, and I go to the kitchen. Thomas is gone now, probably up to the church to begin his morning prayers. I head for the whiskey tucked in the cupboard behind the box of instant mashed potatoes, bypassing coffee altogether. I’ve been up all night again and my body is wrecked, but I won’t be able to shut down until I know Alice is sound asleep .
I pour myself a drink and sit at the table, watching the bedroom door. What she did was ridiculously stupid, and she doesn’t even realize how dangerous it was. I need to call Ervine and see if our ammo guy can speed up the plan. We may be looking at a showdown in less than twenty-four hours, and we need those rounds to fight. I also need to get my men together because we have a lot of work to do in an even shorter amount of time now.
Paolo is still going down, with or without Alice. But one thing is certain. My focus has to be on him now—on taking him out. If she runs off again, I can’t go chase her and protect her. She’ll be on her own. I brought this war upon myself, and I have to finish it once and for all. Letting my guard down for even a second will have catastrophic consequences.
It's all or nothing.