16. Vinny
CHAPTER 16
Vinny
T he next two weeks are brutal. I end up ditching the truck and jacking an abandoned car in a lot. I ride the coast for a few days, sometimes taking shelter at cheap hotels.
I’m far enough away from the cabin that the others will have trouble getting to me, but I’m not out of the State. I won’t be until I get to Rosa. I have no news on her and the only way for me to get close to Nick is by using my own vices.
I turn my attention to one of the few sources the Montoya men use — Sue Hardon. She used to work for my family until she got caught and spent ten years in prison. After she got out, my dad cut ties with her and she’s been under the radar ever since. She’s the only person I can trust to help me locate Nick.
Thankfully, she stays in the same beat-down neighborhood in Staten Island. After catching a ferry and three taxis, I knock on her door. The door swings open and I’m greeted by the same sharp, owl-like eyes with more wrinkles. She scans me up and down like I’m a threat.
“He’s not with me,” I say.
“What makes you think I’d trust anything that comes out of your mouth?” Sue asks sharply. I raise my shirt to show my fresh wounds.
“Because I’m on the run,” I answer.
She starts to slam the door but I catch it with my foot. “I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t desperate,” I say.
“I spent ten years in a filthy prison getting my ass handed to me by the lowlifes I put in there. What makes you think I’m willing to take that risk again?” she snaps. I see scars along Sue’s neck that drag down to her collarbone. Her mousy brown hair is thinning and she smells like cigarettes.
“I’m sick of the pull my dad has. The Montoyas have terrorized people enough,” I say. “Besides, I have someone who’s in trouble if I can’t reach her—”
“Why should I care, Vinny? You Montoyas can’t be trusted,” Sue says.
“Please, just hear me out,” I beg. Sue stalls for a few more moments before groaning and letting me inside. I follow her down a narrow hallway with a green carpet and family photos on the walls. She leads me into a small den where an older woman with a breathing tube sits in front of the TV. I almost want to ask if she’s still alive until the old woman wheezes loudly.
“We got company, Ma,” Sue says loudly. She sits down on a couch covered in plastic and gestures for me to do the same. The old woman doesn’t make another move as I cautiously sit down.
“You’ve got five minutes,” Sue says.
“I’m looking for an old friend of mine. His name is Nick and he’s been working for my father. I am convinced that he’s a mole and I need to know what his intentions are,” I say quickly.
Sue cracks a smile as she takes a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. “So, the legacy continues.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, suddenly feeling like a joke.
Sue takes a minute to light her cigarette, letting a thick cloud puff in front of her. “There’s always someone who falls from grace because they don’t like the way things are
being run. This has happened to your family more times than they’d like to admit, hence why they’d ask for my help.” Sue shakes her head and crosses her legs.
“I used to make a real living from your dad’s mess.” Sue looks around the shabby den and draws in a deep breath.
“I used to live like a queen. I got my family out of the dumps and for a while, we lived a really good life. But then it all came crashing in my face. All it took was one slip up and your dad didn’t want any ties to his mess.” She points her cigarette at me as a scowl takes over her face. “Hopefully you can see why I have no reason to help you.”
I lean forward already, knowing that the odds are against me. Technically she’s right. Sue has no reason to trust me or whatever I have up my sleeve.
“My dad was willing to take me out because I didn’t do what he wanted me to do. If that’s not a sign enough of him needing to fall from his tower, then I don’t know what is,” I say with a sigh. “I fell in love with one of the daughters of the men he was supposed to take out. It was stupid and I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. And now her life is on the line and I just wanna make sure she’s safe. If I don’t figure out where Nick is, I’m afraid that it might be too late.”
Sue is quiet and stares down at the pack of cigarettes in her hands. She shuffles them back-and-forth, occasionally looking back at her mother who takes quick feeble breaths.
“My mom had a stroke when I was in prison, and when I got out, she wasn’t the same. The last conversation I had with her, she had asked me where I put the vacuum cleaner,” Sue finally says.
“But I suppose I can’t keep blaming your dad for all the time I lost. I was the one who agreed to help with his mess in the first place.” She rises from the couch and walks over to a vanity closer to the kitchen. She opens a small drawer and pulls out a box.
“I don’t know if it’ll help much, but when it comes to tracking someone down, I have a very old way of finding them.” When she walks back over to me, she hands the box to me, then sits next to me on the same couch.
“I hope you know that when I help you, I’m only helping you, not your dad, and I can’t guarantee that this will work.”
The box feels like a boulder in my lap, and I slowly nod my head. I run my fingers over it, noticing all of those tiny scratches and grooves on the sides. I already made peace with the fact that I was no longer part of my family. It’s best that I don’t fully allow myself to feel the weight of it just yet.
“I’m ready,” I say.
Sue purses her lips and takes the box from me. “Usually, this would be the time I’d demand $10,000, but I can tell by your, eh, attire, you don’t have much to offer.”
I reach into my back pocket and pull out one of the wallets I found in the side door. It was my cousin Joey’s and had at least $600 in it.
“You have my word that the full amount will be sent to you once I’m safe,” I promise. Sue sighs, eyeing the wallet like it’s full of germs.
“Where exactly is safe, Vinny? I’m sure those idiots are on my tail,” Sue says.
“Don’t worry about that. Just locate Nick and I’ll figure out the rest.”
It takes five reheated coffees and seven hours for Sue to resurface from her office with the final news. I have the nerve to ask her how she did it, but I don’t. I don’t need the details. All that matters is that she located Nick’s exact whereabouts.
“Looks like he’s been hiding out in some safe house judging by the fact it’s underneath a store,” Sue confirms. “If I were you, I’d get there at night so no one sees you. I’ll let you stay here until it’s safe to leave.”
I frown, not sure what the catch is. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with my shit?”
Sue pours herself a coffee. “It’s been a while since I got to do what I’m good at. I remember how old you were the last time I saw you, too. It’s a shame you have to resort to such measures.”
My own coffee is cold on the table across from me. “I don’t have time to worry about my misfortune. I’ve been lost for so long that knowing what I want to do feels right.”
I spend the remaining time at her house until nightfall and finally set out on the dark road. The commute is long but I don't let it get to me. I eventually make my way to the Brooklyn safe house where Nick is hiding out. It’s underneath a small convenience store run by an immigrant family. I glide my way in and find the exact spot where Sue told me the entrance would be. Miraculously, before I barge in, I hear Nick’s voice as he jokes with one of the workers. I don’t waste any time.
I speed around the corner and pull out my gun, ready to kill him on the spot. Nick is calm though. He doesn’t hold up his arms or beg for me to think about what I’m about to do. I hear three guns cock behind me; the store owner and two other men all aim at me.
“I’m guessing you worked hard to find the exact location,” Nick says. “Which is what I wanted you to do. I tried to make it easy for you to find me.”
My entire body is shaking. “Why? So, you could tell me to my face that you killed her?”
Nick shakes his head. “Rosa is alive, Don, alright? Remember, that’s what you begged me to do. To keep her safe.”
“Spare me the act, Nick! You’re a mole! I know everything!”
Nick frowns. “Everything? There’s no way you know everything, Vinny. But I promise, you will. This just isn’t the time for you to come and see her.”
I eye the small entrance towards the safe house. I want to push past them and find Rosa. Then we can run away and forget any of this happened. “Just let me see Rosa.”
“She doesn’t want to see you right now. You tried to kill her, remember? You were going to carry out the order your dad gave. Now, if you’re smart, you’ll turn around and leave the country. Because since you’re out, I’m sure your dad is on the hunt for you and he won’t stop until you’re dead,” Nick tells me.
He’s right. But I don’t want to leave without Rosa. None of my thoughts are logical. Heat is rushing through me. I eventually drop my gun.
“This isn’t over,” I say through gritted teeth.
“I believe you,” Nick says. “I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“Why should I believe you?”
Nick shrugs. “Why should anyone believe you?”
He has a point. Up until now, I haven’t been honorable in anything I’ve said or done. It’s no wonder that Rosa hates me. I ease out of the front door until I’m back on the street. There’s only one place I can head now and I’d be lucky if I last a day there.