8. Vinny
CHAPTER 8
Vinny
I don’t dare ask but I sense Rosa is feeling differently towards me. I agonize over sneaking away to the Hamptons. Maybe her seeing the real me scared her off. Or, maybe she’s only being nice to stay on my good side.
You idiot. Of course, she’d wanna stay on your good side. How does she know what’s coming?
The only way to get back to our fun times of making love after breakfast is by making her feel at ease. Extra pancakes and sausages don’t get me anywhere. Rosa’s eyes are glazed over and her skin seems dull. I nearly ask if she’s alright again when I remember the tampons she set on the counter the other day.
God dammit. How am I such an idiot?
“You gotta tell me your cravings,” I say. We’ve been sitting in silence for ten minutes and it breaks Rosa’s focus. She jolts up like I woke her out of a dream.
“Excuse me?” she asks.
I snicker. “A woman’s period can be a real bloodbath. No pun intended. I just wanna make you feel comfortable.”
Rosa laughs nervously. “Trust me, there’s not much you can do.”
“Sure, there is. Food? Clothes? Maybe a heating pad?” I list. “Whatever you need, I can get it.”
Rosa smiles again but I can tell it's forced. “I think I just need more rest.”
I watch her as she rises from the table and walks back to her room, quietly shutting the door. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's more than just hormones. The remainder of the afternoon is spent with me distracting myself with weeding and letting brisk air keep me awake. Once the sun is at its highest, I make my way back into the house. I hear a loud engine from a mile out.
Oh, no. Not today. Please, not today.
I look like an idiot as I watch a puff of exhaust form down the dirt path road. A huge escalade speeds down the road. There’s no time to think. I bolt inside.
“Rosa! This is not a drill!” I roar. I hear her rustling in the room. After my run-in with my brother, I decided we had to take things a bit further. I burst into the room and see that Rosa has already put the tape and rope around her wrists. I tighten the rope then take her down the basement.
“Just for a little bit, okay?” I remind her.
Rosa’s eyes are glasslike. I can’t imagine how terrified she is.
I race back upstairs and gather my thoughts before opening the door. The escalade pulls into the driveway and parks. I wave as my dad and another person wearing a baseball cap get out of the truck. Another victim?
My dad is an older version of Larry — bulky and tall with dark eyes. When he smiles, it reaches his eyes, but only if he’s actually happy. The last time he smiled at me, there was a dark cloud over him and it was the most terrifying thing I’d ever witnessed. I’ve only seen that look a few times; my sister’s funeral, Larry going to prison, and my mom admitting she’d had an affair. Now that time has passed, and all the sins of our family have marinated, I see it lifted from his shoulders.
“Well, there he is. I wondered if you were still alive,” he teased. I walk down the front steps and give him a tight hug.
“Pops.”
He pats me on the back. “You look good.”
I grin, fighting the urge to panic as I think about Rosa in the basement. “I feel good.” I look past him as the person with the baseball cap approaches us. It takes a few moments for me to register who he is until he takes the cap off.
“Nick?” I croak. Nick, or Nicholas Gomez, is the only friend I had growing up. He left for the army when we were freshly eighteen and I was positive I’d never see him again. Seeing him with my dad feels both nostalgic and strange. Nick never liked my dad.
“Do I not get a welcome hug?” he asks. I give him a huge hug. If I weren’t standing in front of my dad, I may have even shed a tear.
“I don’t understand. You’re back in the States? I thought you were staying in Germany for good?” I ask. Nick is a man of few words. He was the one who had my back in high school when I was getting in a mess to save the family’s reputation. When he left, he took a lot of my sense of comfort with him.
“I missed the States,” Nick says with a shrug.
“Also, could use some relief from his shit,” my dad chimes in. Nick stares at the ground, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“Old habits die hard. Besides, after I heard about Larry, I knew you all could use the extra help,” Nick explains. There’s a weird glint in his eyes as he looks past me. “Is she in there?”
I stiffen. “I wasn’t given any instructions—”
“She’s in there, right?” Nick presses.
My dad chuckles. “I need Nick’s eyes on you if this thing is gonna go smoothly.”
A lump forms in my throat. “What do you mean?”
“The girl is a lesson,” Nick answers. “We need to move strategically.”
“We?” I ask with a scowl. I glare at my dad. “What happened to staying low? Any noticeable deaths will put us back on the radar.”
“Let’s see her,” Nick cuts in. My heart rate goes up.
“What’s the rush?” I ask. Nick steps onto the front steps. My dad follows but pauses as his phone blares from his pocket.
He stares at the phone and groans. “It’s Larry’s friend.”
“What?” I yell. I know Larry has a crew in prison watching out for him but I don’t trust them.
“The Irish have been very helpful,” Nick says. My dad answers the phone and walks back towards the truck. Nick looks me up and down. I see new scars on the side of his face and down his arms. He looks a lot rougher.
“What the hell happened to you out there? You never used to be into this stuff,” I say. Nick ignores me and walks into the house. I follow closely behind him. He takes in the house then pauses at the half-open door of Rosa’s room. He eases it open more with the tip of his boot.
“Oh, Vinny,” Nick says as he shakes his head. “How is your dad gonna take this?”
I slam the door shut. “He’s on a phone call.”
“If I recall, half a million was deposited in your account to get the job done. Did you think that was for you to start acting like a sugar daddy?” Nick asks sharply. I shove him roughly into the wall but he immediately kicks me in the ribs, sending me to my knees.
“If you’re gonna go against what your folks want, don’t be so stupid,” Nick hisses. I gain my breath back and jump to my feet.
“I’m still following orders,” I grunt.
“So, you’re ready to put a bullet in her head when your dad gives the call?” Nick asks, his blue eyes wild.
“Killing her isn’t necessary,” I say.
I don’t know who Nick has become but I have no problem emptying my gun into him if I need to.
“What do you want from my dad?” I snap.
“What makes you think he has something I want?” Nick interjects.
I roll my eyes, pushing him off me. “You hated my family and what we did. If it weren’t for me being your best friend, you probably would’ve smoked me, too.”
Nick flares his nostrils. “Never too late for that.”
“What the hell do you want, Nick?” I ask again. Nick's eyes float to the basement door, then back to me.
“I have my reasons just like you got yours,” he answers. “If you wanna do your own thing, you need to be smarter.”
I have a million questions. As strange as having Nick here is, I get the feeling he’s not interested in harming Rosa.
“Fine. Note taken,” I reply.
“Get rid of all this… stuff of hers, and patch up the ceiling. The last thing your dad wants to see is that rat’s daughter being pampered,” Nick tells me.
“So… he’s late on payments?” I ask. I didn’t bother asking more questions when my dad first gave me the assignment.
Nick sighs. “They go way back. Far enough that your dad isn’t satisfied with a little ransom. He needs death to be the final message.”
I take a deep breath. “I can’t… do that.”
“Not much choice,” Nick says.
“But you just said—”
Nick shakes his head. “Look, you and I both know you’re not equipped to be like this. You never wanted it. So, get it. Find a way out and stay there.”
He pauses, his eyes on the basement door again. “If you’re gonna bring someone, be smart about it.”
“Alright, I got it. If that’s all—” I mutter with my eyes set on the front door.
Nick ignores me and opens the basement doors, taking off down the stairs. I sprint after him.
“Nick, what the hell are you doing?” I hiss. Rosa is around the corner, tied to a pipe. She gasps and tears immediately fill her eyes. I race over and stand protectively in front of her.
“Get the hell out of here, Nick,” I roar.
But Nick stares at Rosa like he’s starstruck. His eyes gloss over and I start to feel an itch creep down my spine. Finally, he comes back to himself and says, “You can’t hurt her.”
“No, and I’m not gonna let anyone,” I say. Nick takes off back up the stairs and I reluctantly follow, leaving a teary-eyed Rosa behind.
“What the hell is your problem, man?” I snap.
“I always end up cleaning up your mess,” Nick mutters. He cranes his neck to get a view of my dad outside. “Look, what I said before still stands. If you don’t want him to act, get a better plan.”
“You agree nothing can happen to her,” I remind him.
Nick sighs heavily. “Don’t do anything dumb, Vinny.” My throat is dry as he walks towards the door. As Nick places his hand on the doorknob, he pauses, adding, “He’ll expect some kind of action when he comes back.”
The thought makes my head hurt. “Fine,” I answer.
“It helps it if you have visible bruises—”
I rush to the door and open it. “I already said what I’m not about to do. So why don’t you and my dad head back.”
Nick finally walks out of the door. I slam it shut and lock it. The fantasy between Rosa and me is completely shattered. If I thought I could extend our “playtime” pretending we’re on a getaway, I was so wrong. I run back to the basement to release her and her hands are shaking terribly.
“W-what was that? Who was that?” Rosa whispers.
“My check-up,” I say.
“On me? For what? What’s gonna happen?” she asks, her voice shaking. I don’t have a good answer for her. The sweat on the sides of her face drips down. It’s obvious she has just been crying.
“Get cleaned up and stay in your room,” I order her, quietly.
“And then what?” she asks.
“Then, nothing. You go to your room and stay out of sight,” I snap as I walk back to the stairs. I hear Rosa behind me, softly sniffling.
I don’t have the heart to tell her what’s really bothering me. It’s best she stays in the dark.