Alfonzo (33 page)

“Get-up!”
He shouted.

She did not stir. He knelt to touch the
thin
figure
. She jumped suddenly pushing him to the floor then struck him with a hard object in his groin. He lay there
and Shanda
fled through the open door. He heard her running for her life. H
e blinked twice to clear his head
and s
lowly
climbed on his
feet
. His balls throbbed; the bitch hit him in the nuts.
“Shit!” He grumbled, angry at himself for letting his guard down. The
large industrial door clanged
shut as
he
stumbled down the dark corridor in pursuit.
He shoved
open
the heavy steel door and looked around for any sign of the girl.

There wasn’t any
movement, only sounds from nocturnal creatures and cars traveling across the
Williamsburg Bridge. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” He fumed.
The throbbing lessened as he ran
around the abandoned building, peering under ca
r
s.
Panting, he stopped and listened. His head throbbed, “
Little Bitch!”
She couldn’t have go
tten
far
. He swore
when he found her
,
he’d beat her to death for hitting him in the nuts of all places.
His goddamn crown jewels!

CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO

They
located the dilapidated building shadowed by the Williamsburg Bridge.
It sat amongst similar rundown residential and commercial buildings.

A trio of prostitutes stood at a corner and made solicitous gestures as they drove by.
Crazy Nicky commented, “The one in the red skirt
is
hot.”

“I guess, if you like ‘
em
diseased,” Lou teased.

The men laughed raucously
,
except Alfonzo. He was deep in
thought;
these men were
likable, despite their profession.
He
was hesitant
to utilize their
expertise
or get involved with his father’s business but this was the only way to
track down
Freddie. In only a few hours they’d made headway. Got the man who hired
Freddie a
nd were on their way to a hide-out, possibly the si
te
where Shanda was held. A million dollars on the street hadn’t produced these results.
M
oney did not always constitute power.
T
he car stopped
at the site
and they exited.
The
Serano
brothers
joined them at the
entrance.

“
Me
and
Nicky
will
search the interior
,
you guys
around outside
.” Alfonzo told
them.

They were experienced men who may have taken offense to his leadership
role;
instead
they remained loyal to the Palazzo organization and Luzo’s decree.

Nico and his brother went in separate directions around the
old one
warehouse.
A
fading red sign over
the door
read: RACHMAN IMPORT COMPANY.

Crazy Nicky approached the steel door first, shielding his young boss
and
tugged at
the heavy door and it opened with a loud screech. Alfonzo squinted to adjust to the darkness. Crazy Nicky moved forward
looking around
with his
gun
pointed ahead.
Old crates, a singular desk and a broken metal chair
sat in the center of the floor. They continued down a corridor that led to what once
were private offices, alert for any sudden sounds or movement.
The offices held only discarded bottles and trash. Alfonzo moved further down the corridor and noticed two more doors. He opened a door and peered into a bathroom.

“I
gotta
take a piss.” Crazy Nicky
announced.

Alfonzo stepped out of the way and walked over to the last door
with an open
padlock
dangling from a hinge
. He
pulled the door outward and a
foul smell
caused
his nostrils
to
flare.
Crazy Nicky
a
ppeared
at his side and they
surveyed the filthy ten by ten space.
To mask the stench Crazy Nicky
lit a cigarette
then held the
lighter high in the air to illuminate the darkness.

“Somebody was here.” Crazy Nicky commented as he circled the room.

There was a fresh McDonald’s bag on the floor,
a
mattress,
a
nd a
full bottle of water and a
bucket of
urine.
“This is probably where
he had her
.”

“She’s not here now.”

T
hey heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire and raced out the door. They swiveled their heads searching then hurried toward the rear of the building where they found Lou
sprawled on the ground.
The
Serano
’s rushed from the opposite side of the building.
Lou
pointed, “
Fucker
took off that way
. He
came
from
the building next door
.”

Alfonzo patted Lou’s shoulder, “Don’t move, we’ll get you taken care of.”

Nico and the others were already
in pursuit.
Alfonzo
decided to check the adjacent building. Maybe, it was the light from the moon but he swore he saw a shadow in a window. The rear door to the building was splintered and cracked and
it gave easily. He altered his breathing until it was inaudible while listening for the sounds of flight.
He
stepped
through
darkness
aware at any moment Freddie may strike
.
Alfonzo took another step then looked down at his feet where a broken bottle rested.
This is fucked!

Crash!

The sound came from
only
feet away. Alfonzo reached for his gun, prepared
to use it, especially after the last encounter with
Freddie.
T
he
darkness of night
brought a haze
, dancing shadows at every turn and crystal moonlight cresting over stationary objects.
He listened for the slightest sound. He detected a faint noise in the westerly
direction and started forward again. Then a shadowed figure rushed from behind the crates making a run for it. Alfonzo overtook the figure and
wrestled it to the floor.
He cocked his gun once he subdued the figure until he looked closely and t
his
person was a woman.
“
Shanda?”

The girl moaned as he
rolled her
over. She looked like shit.

“Alfonzo…thank God…thank God
it’s you
.” She murmured.

His finger slackened from the trigger
. The girl was alive!

CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE

Alberti
sat in
a
chair beside Luzo’s bed. The week of waiting began to make him
weary. His old friend
was
mere skin and bones. The specialist gave Luzo a few more days.
Many of his organs ceased to function, his respiratory system compromised, he now
required continuous oxygen.

“Your divorce is final.”

“
Blessed news
,
” Luzo
feebly
replied
.
He attempted to lift his head, however the effort was
taxing on the frail limbs and he lay still.

Alberti did not assist, Luzo was a proud man despite the debilitating disease
instead h
e lit a cigar and inhaled the rich Cuban flavor of
t
obacco. He watched Luzo drift
in and out of sleep. He thought of the good old days when he and Luzo were carefree
young men with great ambitions. They’d achieved wealth, power and respect.

Luzo lived a full life. Yes,
Luzo had
countless affairs
with
women
who were
influenced by
his
position
. He seldom spoke of her, the one girl Maria but Alberti was aware of the confines of his heart.
Luzo loved Maria
and
was
enamored with her
,
but Gina’s cunning clouded his senses. Power and revenge were Luzo’s
aphrodisiac and Gina exploited
t
his insatiable despotism
until ultimately when he realized the mastery of her deception it was too late
.

In the
final stages of
Luzo’s
life, he
laid
t
here
helpless. The former
formidable and handsome
st
man in Europe
was
beaten by an enemy
that
attacked from within.
No p
ower
o
r money
could
cure him in these
final
hours
. H
e could have had Maria at his bedside
instead of an
old man with little temperance for a lingering death.
He savored the warm taste of the cigar, wondering whether his last days would be a
tale of regrets, like that of Luzo.

A nurse peered through the door, “Sir, there’s no smoking, we do have
rules
.”

Alberti smiled politely until the door closed then took another long drag from
the cigar.

“Let me have one of those,”
came
the
feeble
voice.

Alberti removed a cigar from the humidor, lit it and passed it to his friend.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a good cigar,” the dying man said.

Luzo removed the nasal cannula.

“Yes my friend.” Alberti agreed. Aware this may be their last moment together.

“We have enjoyed life, yes?”

Alberti wondered what that nosy nurse would say if she caught Luzo smoking in bed
near
an
oxygen
canister
.
“
Certainly
, we have old friend
.”

“And my son is safe?”

“
Very safe.
”

“We’ve kept secrets too long, eh?”

“For a reason, yes.”

“When the time comes you will tell him the truth about you?”

“When it comes, he will know, but for now
its
best
he thinks of me as he does
, your closest friend
.”

“I am going to meet the devil, eh
?
”

Alberti smiled, “I will be there alongside you in time. We will s
it by the raging fires and exchange stories of our wicked deeds with
father.”

Luzo nodded, “Carlo was wise in his actions long ago. You are the best of us
,
Giuseppe
.”

“
And you are the heart of us, three,
Salvatore.
” Alberti blew out a cloud of smoke
.
“I will always know you as friend
,
because you have been this to me and that is far
greater
than the blood we share,
fratello
.
”

“
Sí
,
fratellino
, friendship is greater.”
Luzo smiled, the cigar was
A
quality. He took a long pull and allowed the smoke to fil
l
his lungs then exhaled. He figured what the hell, he was dying anyway.