ASCENSION (16 page)

The manager remained at the door as Vincent interjected himself amongst the
c
elebratory
group of women surrounding
Alfonzo.
The women were in their early twenties
mostly college
students on winter break out for a good time. Their
scantily clothed bodies left
nothing to the
imagination
.
Apparently, they found what they sought.

E
xpensive
bottles of
Krug Brut
champagne
lined the circular table where
Alfonzo sat
holding
the
gir
l
on his lap
.
She was kissing his neck with her hands inside his shirt
g
iving him false attention paid with cash.
There was a
broad smile
plastered
on his
boss’
drunken
face
and e
xtracting Alfonzo from his admirers
was going to be a difficult task.
In Alfonzo’s in
toxic
ated
state he needed the direct approach and
to hell with
diplomacy.

Vincent leaned over Alfonzo’s shoulder and said, “Alright
boss
time to go.”

A chorus of
disappointing
groans followed.

Alfonzo waved him
away
,
“Nah Vin we’re having a party
.”

The
young women
maintained
a
protective
cocoon
around their handsome benefactor
and
Vincent rolled his eyes
. D
iplomacy was
definitely not a viable option.
Alfonzo’s speech was slurred,
“Like I was saying
Lis
a
,
right
?
”
H
e
held
up
the
key to his
prized
Audi dangl
ing
it in front of the girl
, “
I got
a present
for you
.
”

Vincent
circled the table and seized the key from his boss’ hand,
“Whoa-not tonight ladies
. S
orry
Al
you
’re not giving your car away to anybody. It’s time to go home to your
wife
!
”

“Wife what wife?
Y
ou should have seen
my
wife
last
night
practically fucking Franky on the dance floor. Man
, s
he looked HOT!” Alfonzo said loudly, “
G
uess what?”

“
What?
”

“She
took off her ring and you know what that tells me
?”

“No
.”

Alfonzo sputtered, “
I don’t have a wife. She rather
be
with Franky…so fuck it…I’m over her.”

Vincent said nothing. He’d seen Franky’s
battered
face.

“
I would never treat you like that
,”
the girl on his lap
said as she
gyrated
her bottom over Alfonzo’s crotch.

The intimate
act
spiraled
Vincent
into harsher action
.
He pulled the girl off
Al’s
lap
then
hoisted
a drunken Alfonzo from his
seat
without a struggle
.
He held onto
the young man
as he grabbed one of the th
ree hundred dollar bottles of
c
hampagne and
tucked
it under his arm.
No
sense in letting the pricey stuff get
wasted on some
college
kids!

“Party’s over
, it’s t
ime to go!”

‘H
ey
,
Vin
…
you
killin
g
my fun
.
”
A
lfonzo
stammered
.

“
Y
ou have a
flight
to
catch
in
five hours
.”

Alfonzo chuckled and his head drooped, “
That
’s…that’s
right
.”

Vincent
managed to get him out the room. The manager ushered them
t
hrough the empty hall to a
private security room
which led out to the
restricted
garage used for VIP’s.

“Thanks, I’ll send someone to settle the tab.”
Vincent said over his shoulder.

The manager dismissed the offer, “It’s settled.”

The sun
peeked over the horizon
as Vincent
maneuvered
Alfonzo
’s uncooperative
body
into the passenger side of the
Audi.
He
fastened
the man
in
as if he were
securing a child
. T
he stench of alcohol caused his
nostrils
to
flare
.
Usually, Alfonzo held his liquor
better than most,
unless his intention was to get stoned. He’d seen many
macho men take bullets
but when it came to a woman; Vincent scoffed,
they were like
fragile glass. He experienced
an identical emotional
pain
when his ex-wife left him after two years of marriage. She couldn’t accept his lifestyle and it rocked his world.
H
e frowned at the thought
then placed
the
champagne
bottle on the floor behind Alfonzo
’s
seat and closed the
door. In a couple of hours
Alfonzo was certain to have a massive hang-over. He hoped he enjoyed himself because he’d pay for
it later.

Vincent gestured to the Mercedes parked along the ramp to come forward. Emilio drove
up
and stopped right behind the Audi. He stuck his head out the window, “How’s he doing?”

“Wasted.
Keep close, okay?”

Emilio nodded and Vincent wedged his massive frame behind the w
heel
of
the sports
car
. He adjusted the seat and found more leg room.
“Goddamn
little car
!
”

Once he got settled he started the car and revved the engine.
The
car
zipped quickly
across the ramp leading from
the
lower parking
level out
to
the
street
. H
e eased off the gas pedal
and the
powerful
sports car de
celerat
ed
.
Alfonzo’s
head
bounced against the headrest
as the car jerked
.
Vincent switched gears
testing the
car
’s handling and adjusting accordingly. Cars were like women, you had to be gentle at first,
soften
them up
before
fuck
ing
their brains out.

Alfonzo’s
flaccid
body
slipped against the door and
a series of
drunken ramblings ensued,
“
Watch
Franky he’s
too
friendly with my wife
.
”

Vincent
chuckle
d.

“
I’m fucked-up
!
”
Alfonzo
announced
as he
fought
with
the seatbelt in an effort to
sit forward
. The seatbelt won
. E
xhausted he
slumped
to the leather seat
defeat
ed
.
“Yep!”
Alfonzo
laughed aloud then swiveled his head to
tell
Vincent
a joke
, “
My wife told
me to go
to hell
,” he put
a
finger to his lips, “
sssshhhh
, don’t tell her
I
’m
already
there.”

“
I got a room
next door.”
Yes indeed, his boss
was t
oasted.
It amused him to hear the r
ants of a love-struck drunk.
Too bad, he and Selange were having mar
ital
problems. Thing is most marriages do. The trick was working through them…together.

“
I thought she loved me.”

Vincent listened.

“
She slapped me. Can you believe it, seriously why the hell
did
she slap me?”

Vincent frowned. No, he could not believe it. Selange was a
kind
woman
,
if she struck Alfonzo he probably deserved it.

“
Fuck
it
,
Vin
. I’m done
!
”

V
incent spoke only because
Alfonzo
required
a reality check
, “
I
f you
were
done
,
you
wouldn’t be
so
fucked up
,
now would you?
”

M
arty
sat at Nico’s side
pray
ing
the injured man awakened
and
it
appeared
his
pleas
were answered.
Nico blinked
.
His eyelashes were singed from the blast
.
Marty
cautioned
him to open them slowly to avoid
tearing
the
sensitive skin
treated with medicated burn cream.

Nico experienced a painful
stinging
around his eye
lids
a
s
he focused on the
familiar face seated
by
his bunk. It was
his contact man
,
Marty.
“
How long have I been out?
”

“
A
bout
three
hour
s
,
”
The man
answered in a sing-song
Bajan
voice.

Nico looked around
to see he was on a boat
.
Likely a yacht judging by the décor.
H
e
slid up
on the small bunk
and it moaned under his weight. A bandage covered his shoulder and he touched it.

“
Don’t do that!” Marty cautioned.

It was too late
. T
he burning elicited a hiss from Nico’s mouth. The pain traveled down his shoulder like a fast moving incendiary and he fell back until it subsided.

Nico looked
inquisitively
at
Marty,
“How bad
?”