Chapter 5 #2
“I promise I’m not bothered by the store’s actions, although I am surprised at how the kid was allowed access to the piece.
” It makes no sense how the kid could snatch this so easily.
He walked in here like he was old enough to be shopping here in the first place, and then yanked the bracelet.
Either they’re the most incompetent employees, or some other shit was going down.
“He grabbed it while the cabinet was opened for another guest.”
“Where was the woman that was standing next to him?” I ask. Initially I thought they were together, but she isn’t around.
“She was the guest we’d been opening the case for,” he remarks. He was busy assisting me, so he would not have been directly involved in the matter. I wonder how much he was aware of the interaction between the young woman and the boy.
He sighs. “She left right after, disturbed because he started to lunge at her. Although, we did receive her information, so we can easily contact the woman again.”
“Hmm…” I wonder if all the details she provided them are legit. I smell a tag-team theft in progress.
“What is it?” he asks. I’m not giving this fucker any more information than necessary. He can do his own work, or the cops can. It’s not my job to deal with his theft. Besides, it will impede my revenge. There is no way I’m letting that happen if I can help it.
“Nothing. Excuse me. I need to get going. Is everything good?” I wave at my card that he is still holding.
“Oh, yes. Here you go. Let me wrap it up.” He hands me the credit card and receipt for the tennis bracelet that cost nearly ten thousand dollars. Yes, something doesn’t add up.
“No, thank you. I already have a broken jewelry box. I’d rather just hold on to this.”
“Perhaps we can have the box repaired.”
“Another time. I really must go.” I leave the store at a quickened pace, but I remain composed.
I slide into the back of my SUV, which is thankfully now in the dry spot, and tell my driver, “We’ll head to the police station.
” The entire time, I think about what I’m going to do with him.
He needs to be dealt with. One, he accosted me and then insulted me, both of which should have had his head smashed in.
Finally, he planted a costly bracelet on me.
“Boss, when the boy goes missing, they’re going to think it was you. ”
“I’m just following up with the case. After all, I’ll be returning the jewelry and claiming it must have fallen in there in our collision.”
We pull into the lot behind the police car holding the little shit and wait for them to take him inside.
“Wait here. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.
” Before I exit, I leave all weapons inside the vehicle.
I step out and adjust my suit, ready to strike a deal with the cops in this place.
I fucking hate these bastards in here, but some of them are well aware of who I am and will understand that my request isn’t really a request, but merely a formality.
Entering the station, I address the beat cop at the front desk who doesn’t bother looking up from his paper.
Of all the sons of bitches to be working at this one, it’s my favorite piece of shit.
The one I want buried six feet under as nothing but dust. “They just brought in a little shit. I’m here to have him released. ”
“Excuse me, but do you have a name for the little shit and some identification,” he mutters, uninterested in my request or me wasting his time.
“Never mind. You’re useless, Officer Fields.” That gets his fucking attention.
His mouth falls open, and he mutters, “Hell, no. What the hell are you doing here?”
I take out my cell and call my contacts in the department.
I stare at Fields and say, “Looks like they found you a new position. That’s interesting.
” Something doesn’t sit well with me. Of all the cops in the city, I run into this asshole again.
When I received the ticket, I’d been on the south side, not here.
“This is my regular station. Maybe you’re the one following me.”
“Don’t try to play games with me, Officer. I’m not that young thing you’re fooling around with. You won’t win.”
“How…”
“Don’t worry about that.” I smile at the fucker and then get back to what I was doing. I walk off to the side, and my lawyer answers, “Yes, this is Luca. I need to discuss the dropping of charges on a suspect.”
“One of your men?”
“No.” My men wouldn’t be stupid enough to call me.
“Interesting. Give me the information, and I’ll contact the prosecutor to work out a deal.”
Fuck if I know the little bastard’s name. I should have learned his name. What the fuck is wrong with me? “I don’t have that information just yet.”
“Mr. D’Antonio?” a young officer interrupts my call.
“I’ll call you later.” I end the call and then look at the man, wondering if he has something important to say or is a minion of Fields.
“The chief will be with you in one minute.”
“Thank you.” I nod and step away. I take a seat in the waiting area, being patient while doing my best to lift the corner of my lips up just enough to give Fields the tiniest smile.
His face hardens, so my smile stretches wider.
Then, as he goes to point it out to another, I relax my expression and pull my face back, waiting a few more minutes for the chief.
I’m greeted by the station chief and friend of mine, Chief Sal Mendez.
“It’s good to see an upstanding man of the force working hard,” I state.
“Mr. D’Antonio, please come this way,” he says with a scoff.
“Are you trying to rile up Fields?”
“I’d like to do more than that, but for now, that will do.”
“Do you know he’s seeing someone that’s not his wife?”
“That’s nothing new. I probably have about five other officers who are banging someone else. Unfortunately, I’m too short on officers at the moment to kick their asses.”
“Damn,” I mutter.
“The irony is that you care about fidelity, given your situation.”
“My father always said if you can’t show loyalty to the one person closest to you, how would those who serve you ever trust you and give you their loyalty?”
“I suppose that’s fair. I’ve been married for a long time, and my wife would rip my balls off if I looked at another woman.” He shakes his head, and I know he’s right.
My father isn’t the kind to play that damn game.
I don’t know about his life before my mother because he thinks it is disrespectful for his past to ever be brought up, but he wasn’t a saint.
He had his women before her, but the day he met her, that ended.
Maybe that’s why I don’t want to settle down just yet.
“I’m not married and have no intentions of going through that trouble.”
“Don’t speak so fast; it comes out of nowhere. The right beautiful, fiery woman will knock you on your ass, even a man like you.”
I scoff, “Well, show me the little prick.”
“What’s up with this kid? Everyone seems interested in him.”
I stop him and grab his arm. “Everyone?”
“One of the officers arrested the kid about two weeks ago, and the store manager called before you arrived, wanting to drop the charges. Now you. It’s rare.”
I know the store manager planned on dropping the charges. “He planted the bracelet on me.”
“Whoa, are you serious? Tell me you aren’t going to pop this boy? I can’t let you take him out of here. He’s a kid, an orphan, a dumb kid living with his sister who is barely legal herself from what I learned.”
“I asked the manager to drop the charges so I can have the boy do some charity work for me.”
“Charity work?” He cocks his brow, crossing his arms. “I’m supposed to believe that?”
“I won’t kill the little fucking shit, but he needs to be taught a lesson about theft and framing a man like me. Besides, I need to find out if I was set up or if he was that unlucky to use me as the patsy.”
“He has to have some seriously bad luck. Let me take you to meet Noah Scott.”
They lead me into the room where the fucker is being questioned about the piece, and I stand against the door.
“Ah fuck. Don’t tell me he’s a fucking cop, too.” The kid slams his eyes shut, shaking his head.
“No, Mr. D’Antonio’s the guy you don’t want to meet after the cops let you go,” Chief Mendez says. “Now, tell us where’s the bracelet, and you’ll get off with a light sentence.”
“I didn’t take shit. Why are they assuming I did anything?” he lies. We all know he did it, but he doesn’t know the charges have been dropped and he could technically walk out of here, but then again, I could have him charged for assault.
“We caught you on camera,” Sal informs him.
“Then you know I don’t have it.” He looks at the other detective in the room, who is leaning over the table, glaring at the kid and attempting to intimidate him. I’ll give it to the boy; he’s tougher than I expected, but not as badass as he thinks. I’ll have him pissing in his pants in a second.
“We saw you toss it. Now it’s lost,” the detective continues. They know damn well he dropped it into my bag, but they’re afraid to question me.
I’m not in the mood for this. I need answers, and there is no need to beat around the bush.
This kid decided to shove me and then dared to get me caught up in a felony.
I have way too much on the line for this little shit to play games.
I push myself off the wall and smoothly walk up to the table.
“He dropped it into my bag”—then I rush forward and slam my hands on the table—“didn’t you, you little shit?
” His body flinches back in his chair, nearly falling off.
I catch him by his cuffed wrists. “Now my question is, were you just unaware of who I am, or do you just have a death wish?”
He shakes his head. “I was just trying to get away.” I can smell the fear and the piss before the sound hits the floor. Smirking, I straighten up.
“Look, Mendez, I say you cut him some slack. What is he, seventeen?” I ask.
“Fifteen.” I look at this boy, and I’m stunned. What the fuck is he doing stealing a tennis bracelet at his age, and why?
“I’ve already made a deal with the store owner that I’ll return the bracelet, and we’ll have him do some community service, so he’ll drop the charges against this little shit.” We both know that I have everything already squared away, but I have to put on a show.
“Sounds good to me,” the chief adds.
“What? I don’t need to work for free. I need to work for money, damn it. Some of us don’t have silver spoons up our asses.” The boy has a mouth on him that needs sealing. After the fact that he just pissed his pants like a little bitch, he’s getting awfully brave.
“Boy,” I snarl. “You’re talking like you have a lot of balls when you need a change of clothes.” I look at the other officer in the room. “By the way, can someone get him something else to wear, because he’s not going in my vehicle like that.”
“Sure.”
“Officer Strauss, please grab a men’s small from the lockers.” The officer nods and leaves the room.
As he does, a woman’s voice can be heard from the open door.
“Where is he? Oh my God, Tony. You have to get him out of this. He’s just a stupid kid,” I hear a sweet voice beg.
Immediately, I imagine her begging on her knees for me.
I don’t know who she’s talking to, but soon she’ll be speaking directly to me.
The next words I hear send me into a rage.