Chapter 3 #4
Dominique moves closer to him. “I was coming back from the restroom, and as I was passing, I heard him on the phone speaking with someone. He said something about the Italian was here, then he asked if he needed to put all of it in. He ended the call, then pulled out a vial that had some white powder in it and poured all of it in the glass. He was going to poison you, Papà. I had to stop him!”
Papà casually strolls to the other side of the room and takes out his phone from his suit pocket. He dials a number before placing the phone to his ear, then turning his back to us. I shrug my shoulders when Dominique glances at me.
When he’s finished, Papà goes to Dominique and strokes the top of her hair before leaning down, kissing it. “You did well, quello piccolo. Davide, call Antonio and tell him to get here now. Tell him to bring the men with him.”
“Sì, Papà,” I reply, pulling out my phone. Antonio answers on the first ring. “Devi arrivare qui adesso, abbiamo un problema (You need to get here now, we have a problem.)” Antonio doesn’t respond as the phone goes dead.
“You were right, figlio, he does look as if he’s seen a ghost. Tell me, Lafayette, who put you up to this?
” Papà asks, staring into his eyes. “Oh, that’s right, you can’t speak.
My quello piccolo is very crafty, no?” Lafayette blinks rapidly.
“I’m going to let her enable you to speak, and if you yell or scream, I’m going to have her finish what she’s started.
Blink twice if you understand.” Lafayette does, as he’s instructed and blinks twice. “Quello piccolo, let him speak.”
Dominique feels up his spine until she gets to the vertebrae that will unlock his vocal cords. With a push and twist, Lafayette’s jaw goes slack.
“Who are you working with?” Papà asks, getting straight to the point.
“W-water, can I have some water?” Lafayette croaks.
I stalk towards him, pulling my knife out. “Hell no, you can’t have no fucking water. What do we look like the fucking wait staff? Answer the fucking question!” Papà places his hand on my chest, stopping me from cutting this pricks throat.
“Brick...Brick Hanks!” Lafayette confesses. Papà’s brow creases, as he frowns at the man.
“Who is that, Papà?” Dominique questions.
“A business associate I just closed a deal with. It seems he was not happy with the outcome.” Papà replies before turning to her.
“Fantasma (Ghost), Lafayette said he was thirsty, please give him something to drink.” He smirks as Dominique’s eyes light up, hearing her new moniker.
A sinister grin spreads across her face, as she walks over to the wine glass with the poison in it.
“Please, don’t do this! I was only doing what I was told!” Lafayette begs as more tears fall.
Fuck him! We had no sympathy to give. Dominique snickers as Lafayette slams his mouth shut.
She swirls the wine around in the glass before she pinches his nose.
He tries to hold out, but the need to breathe was becoming more important.
When he opened his mouth to take in a deep breath, Dominique quickly poured half of the wine down his throat.
Lafayette choked, causing some of the wine to spill from the side of his mouth.
Dominique continued her process until all the wine was gone.
She hit his pressure point again, rendering him mute.
“Quello piccolo, go back with your mother, we’ll wait here for Antonio to come.
I’m going to call my former associate to meet with him tonight.
I want the two of you to join me. Davide, you know the process, but Ghost, I want you to see what happens to people who try to cross you.
Now, go before your mother comes looking for us.
” Dominique sits the glass back on the counter, before giving Papà a peck on the cheek, then patting me on my shoulder as she passed.
She gave us one last glance over her shoulder before she exited the small room.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and an older gentleman stepped in.
Papà introduced him as Walter Ganjour, the owner of the restaurant.
Walter profusely apologized as papà relayed what happened.
The poor man was struck with fear as he thought his life was going to come to an end, but Papà calmed him down when he told him he knew Walter didn’t have anything to do with it.
It didn’t take long for Antonio and the men to show up.
By the time they made it into the room, Lafayette’s dead body was lying on the floor.
Walter had the hallway blocked off to his staff and customers, stating there was a plumbing issue.
When the coast was clear, the men wrapped Lafayette up in a tarp and took him out through the back-exit door.
Momma Calista didn’t say a word when we made it back to the table. She had our food wrapped up, and the bill settled. Papà had one of the men take her home while the rest of us went to meet with the associate.
That night would be one papà, nor I would ever forget because when Dominique was finished with Brick Hanks, he too died by the hands of the Ghost. Little sister definitely had a story to tell.