Dirty Power (19 page)

It was some sort of industrial area. There were a couple abandoned looking buildings. Two close by and a mass of others in the distance. We were in a parking lot with shitty lights that cast everything in shadow. Bobby was standing to my right. He was cradling the hand I had kicked. I hoped it was broken. Vito was behind him. Lorenzo and T were on my left. Sal was in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. He was grinning like this was fun. Alexis was behind Sal. She looked so damn happy that I wanted to knock the bitch out.

Vito pulled out his gun. This was happening. He nodded over me at T. T came forward and kicked me again. Really, wasn’t the kick from Bobby enough?

“Get up, Cooper,” Vito said. He was the only one who didn’t look gleeful. He seemed sad. And really pissed.

“I can’t.” I coughed and focused on breathing like I’d had the wind knocked out of me.

“Get her up,” Alexis said.

Sal stepped forward. Good. He was the one I wanted to take on. I took off like a runner from blocks and hit Sal full force. As we connected, I kneed him as hard as I could in the junk. He made a high-pitched noise and dropped. Alexis moved to stop me, but I elbowed her in the face. There was a loud crack and she stepped back. A broken nose for my broken nose. I didn’t stop to see the blood pouring from her face. It would have been satisfying, but it wasn’t worth dying for.

I’d killed two of Vito’s men. Helped kill a third. But I wasn’t going to let my life balance the score.

I ran as fast as I could for a couple yards, then started weaving. I left the dull glow of the streetlight. I just had to get far enough away to make it hard to shoot me.

A crack, an explosion of sorts, rang out. The bullet hit my back and I stumbled. On the right side, down low. In the squishy good parts. I needed those parts. I knew that I had been shot, but somehow didn’t quite process that fact. I didn’t let myself process it. I just kept sprinting.

The second shot hit the back of my thigh. That one took me down. I wasn’t going to let them win though. I couldn’t. I forced myself to stand up. Fire burned up my leg. The kind of searing pain that can’t be ignored. I took two more steps before my leg collapsed. I wouldn’t be walking anywhere.

I could feel the warm, wet rush of blood soaking my shirt. The bullet must have gone straight through my stomach because the entire bottom half of my shirt was sodden. I clasped my hand ineffectually over the wound. More out of a sense of duty than to stop the bleeding. I knew that I was going to bleed out. If they didn’t kill me first.

I tried to push with my elbows and good leg. A sort of backward crawl. I got about an inch before I heard the crunch and rasp of loafers on the crumbling pavement. As I collapsed onto my back, Vito stepped into my sightline. He stood over me, a look of pity on his face. Then he pointed his gun at my head. A shot rang out. The world went dark.

If this was hell then they’d done a damn good job. But this wasn’t hell because I didn’t believe in that shit. Or heaven. Or God. Just me. I believed in me. And I was in pain. And darkness. That was the part of hell they’d done a good job on.

I couldn’t think straight. Or not straight. I couldn’t think at all really. But I could hear. Footsteps. Voices. Maybe this was purgatory. I didn’t know anything about that except that it was somewhere between heaven and hell. Which would make sense. I could hear my mom. That was heavenly. Not a far off voice either like she’d been for two years. But close and real. Except I knew she wasn’t real.

Maybe the hell part was that I could hear her and I knew she wasn’t real. As if this parade of voices of people I loved was there to torture me. Seemingly real, but so sad that I knew they weren’t. My mommy had never sounded so sad. And I’d never heard my daddy cry. Or ask me the things he was asking me. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t life. They weren’t here.

Reese and Ryan and my parents. Austin and Carson and Derek. For a moment, I even thought I heard Christopher and Breno. Which was insane because I didn’t know where I was, but I knew they couldn’t be there.

I’d done things to survive. I’d committed other sins out of pure rage. And there were things I had watched when I should have stopped them. Stopped them or walked away. Esau’s executions were on my hands. I knew that. I knew that when someone had witnessed as many murders as I had, that they couldn’t be clean. So whatever dirty place this was, I knew I was alone. My family didn’t belong here.

Was this all that death offered? A vague sense of regret that couldn’t be articulated, but couldn’t be escaped either?

No. Because this wasn’t death. Because I didn’t believe in an afterlife. Did that mean that this was real?

*

I woke up two days after I’d been shot. I didn’t know that it was two days later. I just knew it was a long, long darkness later. When I woke, I was alone. My dreams had been playing cruel tricks on me. There was no family here. Only a woman in scrubs that I didn’t know. She went off to bring back someone else in scrubs. They asked me questions. I answered them. I had questions, but I didn’t ask them. I was pretty sure no one could answer them.

But then Derek walked into the room. And I was so surprised that I thought I was dreaming again.

“Well fuck me. Vivian Cooper, you dumb bitch.”

That was when I knew it was real.

“Derek?”

“Yes, it’s me. You asshole.” He sat next to my bed and grinned at me. “When you get out of here, I’m going to punch you so hard, you’ll have to come right back to the hospital.”

“Okay.” I smiled. I don’t know why I smiled. It felt wrong. Also right.

“Fuck. I better go get everyone. They’ll kill me otherwise.”

“Is everyone here?” Those three words were really hard to say. Like pushing shards of glass into an emotional void.

“Everyone and their mom.” Derek stood. “Stay here, okay? It’s really hard to track your ass down.” He laughed at his own joke.

“Wait. Are they mad?” I asked.

“I know I am.” But he didn’t look mad.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be. We waited fifteen fucking years for you and Reese to hook up. And then you run off so we can’t even congratulate you. Low blow, dude.”

I grinned and it felt real that time. “My bad.”

“You don’t even know. Carson and I stashed a bottle of celebratory champagne when we were seventeen. It’s been gathering dust for five years. Now we can’t even enjoy it ’cause it’s gone to shit.” I laughed at him. “All right. I’ll be right back.”

I’d almost dozed off when my mom and Reese walked in a minute later. They were arm in arm and smiling. But Reese also looked pissed and my mom looked sad.

“You’re awake,” Mom said.

“Trying to be.” For real. Staying awake was hard.

Mom should have laughed at my weak joke. Two years ago, she would have. But the silence that followed couldn’t be filled with the easy familiarity of mother and child. I’d grown up. In an entirely different direction from the path she had put me on.

“I told you they were going to kill you,” Reese said.

“Yeah, well, they didn’t.”

“Fuck, I’m glad they didn’t.” Reese leaned down and kissed me. “You reek like a hospital.”

“Better than a morgue.”

My mom watched this exchange with slowly growing horror.

“Any chance you guys know what happened?” I was pretty sure I was going to crash any minute, but I needed to know what the hell was going on.

“Excuse me.” My mom swallowed hard like she was trying not to cry. Then she bolted.

“So the reunion is going well,” I said.

“She’s upset.” Reese shrugged.

“Can’t blame her.”

“Nope. Christopher has been trying, but I think she’s more mad at him than anyone else.”

“Christopher is here?” I felt my eyes close as I asked the question, but I fought and opened them again.

“Breno too. Long story. It’ll wait though. Go back to sleep.”

“Mmm, ’kay.” I closed my eyes. “Wait.” I forced them open again.

“What, sweetheart?”

“Stay. Okay?” That was hard to ask. Not because of what I was asking. Not anymore. It was hard because words were hard.

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“Always.”

I believed her. So I went to sleep.

*

The next time I woke up, it was to Breno. I was hoping for Ryan. But his father would have to do.

“Why the fuck aren’t you in Brazil?” I asked.

Breno turned away from the window he was staring out of.

“You’re awake.”

Why did people keep asking that? Obviously, I was awake. I’d never been one for talking in my sleep. Well, except for that dream where I would yell. But I hadn’t had that in a year.

“Sort of.”

Breno sat next to me and smiled in that sad way everyone seemed to have suddenly mastered. “Ryan ducked away from his handlers to e-mail us. He made it clear that we needed to come back and give the Feds everything we had on the DiGiovannis.”

“Why? They’ll probably arrest your asses.”

“He was hoping that we would have enough information for a few arrests. That way the Feds would pull you. If Christopher and I need to do time, then it is well worth your life.”

I laughed. “How’d that work out?”

“Not very well.”

“No shit.”

“No, I mean that we didn’t land in the States until after you had been shot.” Tentatively, he put his hand over mine. It was awkward, but I didn’t care because it was also nice. And I was too sleepy to give a fuck.

“Did you at least give them something good?”

“I suppose.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Cooper.”

“Don’t be. Just tell me that they got ’em.”

“I’m not privy to everything that is going on, but yes, arrests have been made. Only time will tell if they stick.”

“Got it.” I yawned.

“I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”

“Where’s Reese?” I was more curious than anything. She had promised. So I knew she was nearby.

“Your father dragged her off to get some sleep.”

“Go Dad.”

Breno kept talking, but I didn’t follow what he was saying. I just let the smooth lilt of his voice carry me to sleep.

*

After a few days, I was transferred to a different room. Some dude, I think he was my doctor, explained some shit about my being shot. I didn’t follow most of it. He said I’d lost a shitload of blood. That was from the one in my stomach. I was growing a whole new collection of scars from that baby.

The one in my thigh wasn’t bad. It had just thrown my leg into shock. That was why I hadn’t been able to run. The doctor said I’d be walking again soon. That was a plus.

He hadn’t been able to tell me why the fuck I was still alive. I asked about the bullet wound in my head. That made him question my sanity because there was no bullet in my head. I’d only been shot twice. He didn’t know what had happened to get me there. He only knew that I came in bleeding and they made the bleeding stop.

I appreciated that.

On the first day in my new, fancy room, Ogilvy came to visit me. Probably because I was finally able to stay awake for longer than five minutes at a time. Made conversation a bit easier.

“Cooper. Glad to see you awake.” Her business-like tone couldn’t hide the blend of kindness and fear lurking beneath the surface.

“Same here. Did you get the fuckers?”

She laughed. Out loud. Point to me.

“We got the fuckers.”

“What about the don?” I asked. It was a long shot, but I figured I’d ask anyway.

“After your initial exchange we got the warrant signed for his arrest. We have had a team following him for two days waiting for the signal to arrest him. He is currently in custody.”

“Wait, what? What did you get him on?”

Ogilvy looked at me like I was stupid. No surprise. “Really?”

“What did I miss?”

“No wonder you were so casual.”

“Huh?”

“You got him to admit that he was paying you ten thousand for killing Ryan. That was enough for an arrest. A nice solid case, easy conviction. Lawrence DiGiovanni isn’t going anywhere.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Ogilvy laughed again.

“What about Vito and friends? How the fuck am I alive?”

“Mr. Serra is still in ICU. He was shot in the chest. He is under arrest, but he may not wake up to face the charges.”

“Vito got shot?”

“Yes, we moved in when you started to panic in the garage, but we missed you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m so sorry.” She grimaced and shook her head. “We thought we had all of the exits covered, but there was an exit we were unaware of. You owe your life to a lovely young couple who were on their first date,” she said.

“I’m so confused.” Either she was speaking riddles or I was on some awesome drugs. Or both.

“When you started screaming from the top floor, a couple walking below heard you. I’m told that the young lady insisted that her date call the police. He was on the phone with dispatch when Mr. Serra left the garage. The woman heard screaming from the trunk of a car. They hailed a cab and followed it.”

“Seriously?” Who was this crazy bitch? I totally owed her a drink. Or some of these painkillers. Or my life.

“I know.” Ogilvy shook her head. “I’ve spoken to the young lady. She’s…strong willed.” Diplomatic. “The CPD officers who were helping us monitor your wire were contacted by dispatch. We got lucky. Florence picked up the tail based on the directions from the couple who were following you.”

“So you guys were there the whole time?”

“At a distance, yes. Florence was waiting for backup when they began shooting at you. He made the decision to move in solo. And he was the one who shot Vito Serra. Two of the men, Robert Harper and George Divine, then opened fire on Agent Florence.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yes. Thankfully, he only sustained a minor injury. Mr. Divine was killed at the scene. My team arrived in time to arrest the remaining participants. Robert Harper, Timothy Lagorio, Salvatore Mancini, Dominic Cross, and Lorenzo DiGiovanni are all currently in our custody.”

“Wait, T is Timothy Lagorio?”

“Yes. He is your friend Christopher’s brother.”

“What the fuck?”

“I believe they are estranged.”

“No shit.”

“We have recovered—”

“Wait. What about Alexis? You didn’t say she was in custody.” That one was important. At least it was to me.

“Alexis DiGiovanni? We believe that she left after the parking garage. She wasn’t at the scene.”

“Yes, she fucking was.”

“Are you certain?” Ogilvy was already reaching for her phone.

“I elbowed her in the face when I took off. Broke her nose. There’s probably blood.”

“We haven’t processed the evidence from the scene yet.” Ogilvy shook her head. “I’m sorry, I need to go. Thank you.”

After that, they had a uniform posted at my door. Why didn’t they have one before?