Chapter 5
COLE
Irushed toward the front door and knelt to help Michael stand up. Vito, this brute, was just standing there with a smug look on his face. He was Moretti’s muscle man. Somebody I didn’t want to mess with.
“Vito! What the fuck are you doing here? We don’t owe Moretti anything. All our debts are paid off and have been paid off for a long time,” I said.
“That’s right, Cole, but Michael over here owes Mr. Moretti some money.”
Michael finally stood up and looked at me with a confused expression.
“Wait, you know this clown?” Michael asked.
“Who you calling a clown, Michael? I’ll smash your face through the door.”
I got in front of Michael. Apparently, he was shooting off his mouth without understanding the consequences. Vito was a very nasty person, and he couldn’t care less who he whacked.
“No one is doing anything, Vito. Take a breath. Step back, please.”
Blondie was comforting Michael, while Vito was huffing and puffing.
“Keep your boy under control, especially his mouth. Mr. Moretti wants his money soon. Otherwise, you know what happens. Let’s leave it at that.”
I do know what happens. That’s what I’m afraid of.
Vito turned around and left the club.
“Are you okay?” Blondie asked.
“Of course, he’s okay. He’s a Bennett.”
Blondie walked over to me.
“You’re so brave, the way you stood up to that thug. That’s very comforting.”
I’m scared out of my mind, but I had to show a brave face.
“Thank you, Blondie. It’s all good. You have the job.”
“Thank you, Cole. You won’t regret it. See you tonight, 10:00 p.m.?”
“Yes, that’s fine. It’s 3:10 p.m. now. We’ll see you then.”
Blondie gave me a kiss on the cheek, and Michael accompanied her out the door. Michael closed the club door and came over.
“What the hell was that?” I asked Michael.
“Dad, it’s not what you think.”
“So explain it to me. What is it?”
Michael ran his hand through his brown hair. His blue eyes reminded me of his mom. He looked so much like her.
“I’ve been gambling, trying to win some money to help you with the club. And I was winning a lot of money at first, but then I started on a losing streak.”
I sighed. I couldn’t believe what he was telling me. There was no reason for him to gamble. He’d decided to drop out of college to manage the talent for the clubs. He’d promised me that with the right marketing, we could turn things around.
“This is stupid, Michael. We’re going through tough times, but…”
Michael shrugged.
“Fine. Well, how much do you owe Mr. Moretti?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Please don’t play with me. He comes from a long line of loan sharks. So tell me the truth.”
Clearly, Michael didn’t really know who he was dealing with. Salvatore Moretti, or simply Moretti, as he liked to be called, was one of the most dangerous people in the loan shark business.
“The truth?”
“Yes, the truth. We’re not playing the guessing game here,” I said.
“It’s twenty grand.” Michael gulped.
I shook my head and grabbed my head with both hands.
“Are you insane?” I asked. “How did you allow this to happen?”
“Dad, I didn’t. I don’t know. It just did. I was winning, and then I wasn’t.”
There was a knock at the door.
“What now, Michael? Are you expecting anybody else? Any other surprises? I’ll get it this time.”
I walked over to the front door and opened it slightly. Much to my surprise and joy, it was Blondie.
“Hi, Cole. I found this hat on the floor at the end of the building. Does this happen to be your hat?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I took it and dusted it off. I loved that hat. My father gave me that hat when I turned twenty-four years old. He gave it to me as a birthday gift.
“Alright. Glad I was able to help. See you later,” she said. Then she winked and blew me a kiss.
I grabbed it with my hand.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
She turned around and walked away in those tight jean shorts and white sneakers.
I closed the door.
I stood there thinking about how this exchange felt so easy. How Blondie made me feel so comfortable, having just met her. I felt young again.
“Who was it?” Michael called from behind.
“It was Blondie. She found my black hat and came back to give it to me.”
“That’s great.”
I started walking toward Michael again.
“Look, Michael. Blondie is a sweet girl, sexy even. But I don’t know about this whole lip-sync business you’ve got going on for the club tonight. It just seems so off-brand.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. It’ll be okay.”
“I’ll tell you who won’t be okay, and that’s Moretti. I’ll have to talk to him and somehow get an extension for you. I don’t assume you have twenty thousand dollars lying around somewhere, do you?”
Michael stood there, thinking.
“Well, I could sell my car. I could get twenty-five thousand dollars for it, easily.”
“Really? Your birthday gift. Are you going to sell it to pay off the loan shark? I don’t believe you. You love that car.”
Michael shook his head. He looked down at the floor and then looked up.
“Maybe, just maybe, Mom can help me with this one.”
He shrugged as if there weren’t any other choices. It wasn’t a bad idea. I just didn’t know if Clarissa would be willing to cooperate. She’d probably think it was a scheme to get some of the money back she got from the divorce.
“I don’t know, son. Your mom loves you and all, but I don’t know if she’d be willing to part with twenty thousand dollars. Do you?”
“Dad, she needs to help me. No, she must help me. Just because you two are divorced doesn’t mean she stopped being my mom. Besides, I’m her only son.”
I don’t know about that, Michael. You may have a brother.