Authors: Stella White
''Christian tell this ass-hole, you care for me. Tell him not to be so ridiculous. Jesus, we made love last night. How could you do this to me?''
''Don't worry. All you have to do is sit tight
here,
and you can go when your father arrives,'' Christian said.
''She's not staying here,'' Fabio said. ''I want her moved. After the commotion, you caused last evening
it's
too close to the city. I'll get Alberti to come and take her to number two.''
''I'll take her,'' Christian said.
'You won't. I don't want you anywhere near her now. Get your things and leave. I've got other jobs for you to do,'' Fabio said.
''Christian,'' Amy said, a hint of desperation in her voice. ''Please, you can't let him do this to me. Please.''
Christian looked at her. ''Sorry,'' he said.
Amy flew from the bed in a rage. She threw her fists around, catching Fabio on the jaw. Christian wrapped his arms around her and held her until her energy was spent. ''You fucking lowlife,'' she said to Christian. ''Call yourself a man. You're just an apology for a man. All that Mr. Hard-man last evening. You don't fool me. You're just this asshole's stooge.'' She pointed to
Fabio,
who was holding his jaw.
There was the sound of a car on the driveway outside. Alberti came into the house sporting two black eyes. When he saw Christian, he scowled. ''Why did you take so long yesterday?'' he asked.
''So what if I did, it was no reason to get blind drunk,'' Christian said.
''Stop talking,'' Fabio said. ''Alberti when she's dressed, take her to number two and lock her up. Stay with her and make sure she gets some food now and again. Understand?'' Alberti nodded. ''Christian, come with me.''
Christian followed him outside. ''You're on collection duty. I don't want you anywhere near her anymore. Got it?''
''But...''
''But nothing. Go fuck someone else. You've fucked her for the first and last time.''
Christian reluctantly took the car he had driven there the previous evening and headed back to LA. Collection duty meant he would be taking money from business owners in return for protection.
*****
''I'm sorry Amy. Please forgive me. You mean everything to me. If you leave me, I'll hang myself.''
''On your knees. Beg for me,'' Amy said.
''Anything you want. Just stay with me. I can't live without you.''
The digital alarm
clock, that had sent a flickering green across the bedroom all night,
burst into life. Christian opened his eyes and groaned. Again he was bathed in sweat, and again he'd had that awful recurring dream. She was haunting him. He couldn't get through a night without being subjected to
it, it
was as if she was taking her revenge. For the last few nights, he'd dreamed he was so full of remorse for what he'd done, and Amy so angry, that he let her dominate and humiliate him. It didn't matter what he told himself when he was
awake
when he was asleep he turned into a soft, subservient, hen-pecked man who was so full of remorse he would do anything to appease her.
In the car on the way to his first collection, he wondered how long his dreams were going to last. He was hardly able to function during the day. He was tired, irritable, even his penchant for eyeing up pretty women seemed to have deserted him. It was serious.
''Mr. Singh, please don't make this any harder than it already is. You know the amount you and Mr. Affini agreed. There's only half of it here,'' Christian said looking in a brown envelope. He didn't even have to count
it, he
'd been collecting money for
years,
and he could tell how much was in an envelope by eye.
''Please Mr. Christian, next time double, okay?'' Mr. Singh said in a thick Indian accent. ''We're in a recession.''
''Does that stop people eating?'' Christian asked.
''No but it stops people buying luxury items.''
''Listen to me. If you don't pay in full next week, something very nasty will happen to your wife. Got it?''
Mr. Singh scowled but nodded. He knew Christian wasn't joking.
Christian walked out of the shop into the sunlight. A young man was sitting on the hood of his car. ''Get the fuck off my car, you punk,'' he shouted. The boy stuck a finger up at him and jumped down.
''Rosie, are you at home?'' he asked into his cell.
''Sure baby, come round whenever you want.''
Twenty minutes later Christian pulled up outside the mansion. He got out of the car, walked up the stone steps and rang the bell.
''Jesus you look terrible,'' Rosie said. ''What happened?''
He didn't say anything until he was sitting down on the sofa in her sitting room. ''I feel shit, and I don't know what to do about it.''
Rosie was Christian's mother. Not his real mother but the next best thing. She was fifty-five, the widow of one of Fabio's former enemies. She and Christian had met at a party and got on so well they'd talked through the night about a whole range of things, many of them deeply personal. They began to meet and talk, there was never any mention of the having sex, it was purely platonic, just two people who got on.
''Tell me,'' she said. She ran a hand through her died blonde hair and crossed her legs.
''A woman. I feel shit because of a woman.''
''Have you killed someone?''
''No. Nothing like that. I feel I have betrayed her. It was one of Fabio's jobs. I had to win her trust and kidnap her.''
''Ah. One of those jobs. Tell me, how many people had that ass-hole kidnapped in his life? It seems to be his stock-in-trade.''
''I don't know.''
''So you led a girl to believe you were a nice guy, had sex with her, and handed her over to Fabio,'' she said.
''You know me so well Rosie. I often feel I don't have to explain anything to you. I shouldn't have had sex with her. It was a horrible thing to do.''
''Jesus Christian. It's not like you to have regrets like that.''
''No, that's why I feel shit. Do you know what I've been dreaming the last few nights?'' Rosie shook her head. '' Dreams of remorse. I kneel in front of her naked, and plead with her not to leave me while she mocks me.''
''Wow.'' Rosie raised her eyes brows and folded her arms under her considerable breasts.
''What the fuck should I do? ''
''You're in love with her.''
''No way. Me? I don't love anybody but myself.'' He looked around the room and wondered how many people Rosie's late husband had robbed to get that rich.
''It's true, you are arrogant, self-obsessed and vain, but take it from me, you love her. What do you feel when you think about her?''
''Like I've let her down. Like she's important to me. But I've screwed women and abused their trust before, and never thought twice about
it.''
''So, that just proves it. You care about her.''
Christian stared at the Ming vase on the table in the corner. ''I guess so.''
''What are you going to do about it?''
''I don't know. It's too
late, she
'll never forgive me whatever I do.''
''Set her free, tell her it was a huge mistake and that you're sorry. Then tell her you love her and want a chance to date her.''
''Sorry and love are words that don't leave my mouth. Besides, Fabio will kill me if I do that,'' he said.
''The stop being a wuss. Leave her where she is and get on with life.''
''I can't. I want her.''
*****
Fabio stormed into the room and looked at Amy. She was tied to the bed by her arms and ankles.
''Why didn't you tell me?'' he growled.
Amy was lying on her back and had to crane her neck to see him. She'd spent the last few hours staring at the ceiling.
''What the hell are you talking about? Let me go. You should be ashamed of yourself. You're a bully. I'm just a young woman who has done nothing to you.''
''Your father doesn't give a shit about you, does he?''
''If you'd spoken nicely to me in the first place, I would have told you that you were wasting your time. My father hasn't bothered
with
me since I shopped him to the authorities for his lurid behavior with young girls.''
''I don't give a shit about her. You can kill her as far as I'm concerned. That is what he said to me,'' Fabio said.
''So your plan to get him back here won't work. Let me go.''
''No. I'm afraid that won't be possible. If I let you
go,
you'll tell the cops.''
When Fabio left the room, Amy screamed and tried to break from her shackles, but it was useless.
The kitchen in the terraced house they called 'Number Two' was in a terrible state.
''You're a pig, Alberti. Look at the state of this place. Clean the fuck up,'' Fabio said.
''Okay boss,'' Alberti replied gruffly.
''Her father doesn't care about
her, therefore
, he's not going to exchange himself for her. We're stuck with her. If we let her
go,
she'll go to the cops. Here's what I want you to do with her. You remember how we killed the Mayor's wife?''
''Morphine boss?''
''Yes morphine. I'll get someone to deliver it. Inject her, wait til she's dead and
dispose
of her body. Dump her at least ten miles out in the ocean.''
''Yes boss. Will do.''
''And Alberti, if you fuck up, I'll kill you.''
*****
Maria was lying face down on a sunbed next to the pool when Christian arrived. She hadn't seen him standing in the corner of the yard at her brother's house. He'd been observing her for a few minutes. He'd seen her breasts when she'd removed her bikini top to prevent white stripes. They were beautiful breasts, the type he liked. Full and heavy. Normally he would have felt himself getting hard at the sight of them, but nothing happened. It was as if he was suddenly
impotent, he
hadn't even bothered to look at any of the scantily clad young women on his journey to Maria. Worse still, here he was presented with an ideal opportunity to seduce
her,
and he didn't care.
''Maria,'' he said. She turned over, forgetting she was topless and suddenly thrust her arm across her chest.
''Jesus Christian, you frightened me to death.''
''Maria, I need you help.''
''Why should I help you? You threatened me last time we saw each other.''
''You have to tell me when Alexander
Gorev
is next coming to the States.''
She reached for a towel and wrapped it around her. ''Why? You'll only kill him.''
''I won't, Fabio might. Do you care, it was only a casual fuck, wasn't it?''
''I won't tell you. Why should I send a man to his death? You can torture me all you want, but I will never reveal when he comes to the US. Why do you want him anyway.''
''Fabio wants him to exact his revenge. He's taken his daughter hostage.''
''So wait until he comes for his daughter.''
''I don't think you understand. Fabio won't release her when Alexander
arrives, he
'll kill then both.''
''Go and rescue her then. You always play the big hard man. See how hard you can be when you're up against Fabio. You won't last a minute,'' she laughed. ''Now fuck off, you're standing in the sun.''
*****
Alberti waved to the man and watched as the car drove to the end of the road and turned left. He looked at the bottle and syringe in his hand and smiled. He enjoyed this kind of work. It turned him on. He might even have a bit of fun with her before injecting her, he thought. First, he needed a drink, though.
*****
Christian stopped outside Fabio's house and nodded to the guards who were hanging around outside the front door.
''Christian, have you come to hand in the money you've collected?'' Fabio asked as he poured himself a glass of wine.
His office reminded Christian of a lawyer's office. There was a large desk in the middle of the room and bookshelves on all the walls. Not that Fabio read much, he just had them for effect.
''Here,'' Christian said. He tossed an envelope full of cash on the table and sat down at the opposite side of the desk.
''What's this?'' Fabio asked taking the money from the envelope.
''A few couldn't pay. They promised to pay more next week.''
''Fuck you. You're going soft. I told you before, if they don't pay, thrash them. And if they still can't pay, kill them. Jesus, I'm surrounded by idiots.'' Fabio flew into one of his rages.