Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
amadeo
Just when I think life can’t get any stranger, Nonna proves me wrong.
Sitting in the tiny living room of the cottage, listening to her explain the situation to her cousin I’ve never heard of before is surreal.
It’s like I don’t even know the woman I grew up with, but in a good way.
She led an interesting life before settling down with a family in the Midwest, and I want to know more.
“Uh-huh. What do you need from us?” Nonna asks. “Hold on. I’m gonna put you on speaker.” She hits the button on the phone. “Okay, Lou, go on.”
“Alright,” Lou says. “I can be there in about two hours. I’ll get the watch and the papers.”
Lou has a sharp New York accent that makes him sound like he’s an actor right out of a popular Mafia movie.
“Then I’ll get the plan rolling. Tony can handle the delivery.”
“Uh, Lou? Hi, this is… the man of the hour,” Balt says. “I’d like to hear how you plan to get this news to Vin. He’s not easily fooled.”
“I got you, man,” Lou says. “Here’s the plan. My contact in New York will source the body to match your looks. You’re going to send Vin a message that you’re returning to the city to give him all the information he needs. That way he’ll be expecting you.”
“Okay.”
I squeeze Balt’s shoulder to remind him he’s not alone. I can see the concern all over his face.
“Mike is going to book a hotel room and a man matching your description will check in. Unfortunately, Mike will be found floating in the bathtub, dead from an apparent overdose. The identification, the gold watch, and the paperwork will be there. The water will help bloat the features and there won’t be any reason to do a deeper dive on the investigation. ”
“Suicide.” Balt nods solemnly. “Vin will buy that. Especially if there’s a note. He wouldn’t expect me to be clever enough to pull this off without his help.”
“I was gonna ask for the note next,” Lou says. “Go with the ‘no way out’ angle.”
Balt clenches his jaw. “Are there any other choices?”
“Sure. The other option is a fluke shooting. Poor Mike got caught in the crossfire. It’s harder to pull off but not impossible. We put you in a shitty hotel, stage a shooting, and the body is found outside the building.”
Balt looks at me, but I shrug. I’ve never had to plan the perfect death before.
“If I can offer a suggestion,” Brogan says. “Go with the shooting. It keeps you looking innocent. Suicide has an air of guilt to it.”
“It won’t matter what he thinks after this,” Balt says. “I’ll never go back.” He rubs his forehead. “I am leaning in that direction though, simply because it avoids involving hotel staff, and if there aren’t any witnesses around, no one is traumatized by this.”
“We can do that,” Lou says. “I can even make sure one of my guys ‘finds’ the body, if you will. With no witnesses, other than people hearing gunshots, we’ll avoid involving others.”
“How closely will this… body resemble me?”
“Unfortunately the bullet obscured some of the facial features, so the body will be identified using the obvious methods—identification documents and personal effects.”
Balt nods, glancing at Nonna. “And how will Vin find out?”
“He’ll be the last used number on your phone.
He’ll be contacted to see if he’s next of kin and all that.
He’ll probably come down to identify the body or send one of his guys.
Then he’ll know. He’ll be given the watch, your identification, and the folder with the information you had for him. He’ll see it with his own eyes.”
Balt sits back on the sofa, staring straight ahead. “Any other options?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t know if it works in this situation though.”
“What is it?”
“A mob hit. For that to work though, it would mean either Vin put a hit out on you or someone in his camp is trying to make a name for themselves. It’s a more complicated setup to make it believable. Do you know if anyone wants you dead?”
He shakes his head even though Lou can’t see him. “No. Vin wants his money. If I’m dead, he doesn’t know where it is, and anybody attempting to take me out wouldn’t know I had plans to reveal it.”
“Right,” Lou says. “So, option one or two? We can get started right away.”
Balt looks around the room for a few seconds before exhaling slowly. “Two. It’s the most direct route and involves the least amount of people.”
“Got it. I’ll be there in less than two hours to get your stuff.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Anything for family. See you soon, Coretta.”
“Bye, Lou,” Nonna says before ending the call. She pats Balt’s leg, smiling. “You’re almost free.”
Balt’s face flushes with emotion as he leans forward and throws his arms around Nonna. She chuckles with surprise but returns his hug, rubbing his back.
“It’s all gonna be fine,” she says.
“Thank you.” He sits back. “Uh, I need to call my sister and tell her what’s going on.”
Nonna scrunches her nose. “Are you sure you want to give her a heads up? If anyone contacts her, it makes it harder for her to deny it.”
“Hmm, true, but I have to tell her something.”
“You’ll figure it out.” Nonna gets to her feet. “We’ll give you two some time alone before Lou gets here. Come on, Brogan.”
The two of them leave, and I sit quietly next to Balt. I have a feeling he’s still processing all of this. He leans against me and I wrap my arms around him, kissing the top of his head.
“I’m conflicted,” he says after several minutes of silence.
“Over losing your identity?”
He shakes his head. “No. I don’t want to traumatize Lorelei. I think I have to tell her. I don’t want her to think I died the same way our parents did.”
“In a house fire? I’m confused.”
Balt bows his head, gazing down at his hands. “Yeah, about that…”
“Was that a lie?”
“Not completely. They were in a fire, but they were probably dead before it started. Killed by a business associate of my father’s. A rival family to Vin’s.”
“Your dad was…”
Balt nods. “He was trying to get out of dealing with them. He wasn’t one of them, not really, but he did some work for them.
He tried to end his business with them and they didn’t like that.
To the authorities, it looked like an electrical fire, but me and my sister were well aware of the real culprit. They made sure we knew.”
“Oh, Balt.”
“The threats kept coming, so I did the only thing that made sense to me at the time. I contacted Vin for help. I told him I’d do anything if he could keep me and my sister safe.
It worked, but I inadvertently ended up in the same place my dad did.
” Balt scoffs. “He used to tell me never to get involved with them, that they’d never let me go. He was right.”
“I can’t imagine how that feels.”
“Honestly, it was fine for a long time. They left me alone and I did my job, but I knew who I was working for. I knew where the money came from, and I was complicit in making it look legit. I didn’t just work for criminals, Deo. I became one.”
“Okay, yeah, but you didn’t mean to. What choice did you have? End up dead? Your sister too? Your dad’s choices forced your hand. Nothing against him. I’m sure he was a good man.”
“He wasn’t. He was cold and sometimes cruel, but he had a hard life. I know he loved us in his own way. He tried to make my mom leave and take us away so many times, but she wouldn’t go. She stood by him through it all.”
I rub Balt’s hand, unsure what to say next.
“I can’t put Lorelei through that. I’m calling her.”
“I support you, whatever you want to do.”
He huffs a laugh, turning his gaze to me. “Why? I’ve put you and your family in such a weird spot.”
“Why? I thought I told you why earlier.” I shrug. “I fell for you and the man you are, not who they tried to make you. You’re a good man. I see your heart, Balt, and it’s amazing. You’re worth a few bumps in the road.”
He shakes his head.
“Besides, I think Nonna secretly likes this.”
He chuckles. “She’s into it, isn’t she?”
“Yep. Probably takes her back to her youth and the days with my grandpa.” I lean close and kiss his cheek. “We’ll get through this. Together.”
“You realize you’re too good for me, right? But as long as you’re okay slumming, I’ll take it.”
“Stop that. I don’t fall for losers. Okay, historically speaking that’s inaccurate, but I’ve turned over a new leaf, just like you. We’re starting fresh.”
He nods. “I like that. No past, all future.”
“That’s right.”
Balt lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses it. “Thank you for everything. Trusting me, letting me in. The past few weeks have been the best of my life so far.”
“You mean that, don’t you?”
“I absolutely mean it. I’m gonna be the man you think I am. A hundred percent legit from here on out.”
“Do you think you can be happy here in little Robin’s Grove, Wisconsin? It’s a quiet life.”
“I could use some quiet, but to be honest, I’ll be happy wherever you are. Besides, we’re not far from any big city if we want it.”
“True.” I brush my fingers across his cheek. “I don’t know what we can pay you yet. I’m sure you’re used to making a lot of money.”
Balt cups my face in his hands. “Love, I’ve been wise with my investments over the years. If I never made another dollar, I’d be fine.”
“So what you’re saying is crime does pay?”
He chuckles. “Unfortunately, yes. The retirement benefits are pretty shady though.”
We both laugh before falling into each other and sealing our new life with a kiss. I pull back slightly, bumping our noses together.
“Call your sister.”