Eve (33 page)

“What the fuck is this?” a shocked Franko asked.

“Payback, muthafucka!” Bobby shouted as he squeezed the trigger.

Eve rolled out of the way just as the first shots hit Franko. The mob captain whipped back and forth as lead entered and exited his body. It seemed like an eternity before the shooting finally stopped. When the smoke cleared, Franko lay on his side, with blood leaking out of at least a dozen holes. His cold eyes stared into space as the life drained from his body.

Eve crawled from her hiding place under the table to assess the damage. Carlo had managed to slip out at some point, but with his father not being around to protect him, it was only a matter of time before he managed to piss off someone else. Cassidy's killer had escaped, but Eve had finally managed to lay her family's demons to rest. Franko lay on the ground with holes decorating his face, chest, and legs. Eve spat on his body before rushing to Felon's side.

“Oh, baby,” she sobbed, “hold on, we're gonna get you some help.”

“No,” Felon croaked. “Too late for me.”

“That's bullshit and you know it!” She screamed. “You better not die on me.”

“Eve.” He took her hand, “I love you, ma…. If I had it to do over again…I'd have told you sooner.”

“I love you too!” she cried. “Now don't try to talk. We're gonna get you to a hospital.”

“You gotta go,” he said, his voice raspy. “You gotta go.”

“Felon, I won't leave you here. You hear me!”

“Too late.” He coughed out a mouth full of blood. “Please…go.”

Eve continued to kneel by Felon's side, shaking him. His loving eyes took in her measure one last time before they glazed over. Felon was gone.

“How did you know?” she asked her uncle, without looking up at him.

“You're my blood,” he said, his expression sober. “I knew you couldn't let this debt rest no more than I could. I wish you had come to me.”

She broke down crying. “I'm sorry, Uncle Bobby.”

“You quit that crying.” He helped her to her feet. “The police will be here soon. Somebody is gonna fry behind this shit here. You gotta get outta here, Eve.”

“What about you?”

“Don't worry about your uncle.” He tossed the machine gun aside. “I should've been dead years ago. The only reason I hung around this long was to try and raise you right and settle up with Franko. It's done now, baby. Your parents can rest.”

Eve hugged her uncle tightly as they both cried freely. All those years she thought he was just a bitter old man, but Bobby had his demons too. Eve wiped her eyes and kissed her uncle's forehead. She wanted to say something, but he pushed her away. Eve took one last look at the last what remained of her life and fled into the night.

The police stormed Poppa Frank's and were in total shock at what they saw. There were several bodies lying about, but the most astonishing was that of Franko De Nardi. Uncle Bobby confessed to the murders, but the police had a hard time buying it. They couldn't see how an old man in a wheelchair had managed to murder a mob capo and his bodyguards. Like it or not, that was the story he gave them. Bobby would spend the rest of his days behind bars, but it was a small price to pay for his niece's freedom.

It had been three months since the murder of Franko De Nardi and his bodyguards. The mob had been trying to locate Carlo to find out what really happened, but he decided he wasn't ready to talk yet. Maybe they would buy his story, maybe they wouldn't. He figured, why risk it? He began traveling from city to city to stay one step ahead of his pursuers. His port this month was Philly.

The weather had begun to change, so he decided to pick up a few fall items from the mall. He strode down Market Street, carrying his bags, smoking a cigarette. Carlo had made it all the way to his car when he felt someone behind him. He tried to turn around, but the wire had already been looped over his head. The more he struggled, the tighter the noose became. After a few minutes his body dropped limp to the sidewalk.

“Eve sends her regards,” Bullet whispered. He spat on Carlo's body and disappeared into the night.

Somewhere in Monaco:

Beast drew quite a few odd stares as he stepped off the small boat. Fisherman as well as merchants stared curiously at the giant as he made his way through the port. He pulled a stack of postcards from his backpack and read the top one again. “You've always got a friend,” is what it read. He had been receiving the cards and small sums of money regularly for the last month or so. The only return address he could find was that of a small post office in Monaco. When his curiosity couldn't take it any longer, he decided to investigate.

As he lumbered down the boardwalk, he noticed a woman staring at him. She had a short black Afro and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of dimestore sunglasses. When Beast returned her stare, she only smiled. When he was within feet of her, she removed the glasses.

“Eve!” he squealed. Beast charged down the gangway, scaring quite a few people. When he reached Eve, he lifted her over his head. “How'd you get here?”

“It's a long story.” She chuckled. Before Eve had left the city, she decided to see what was behind the door that the little key opened. Inside the locker was Felon's driver's license and birth certificate. In addition to his identification, there was a large duffel bag. It was wedged in so tight that Eve ripped the bag trying to pull it from the small locker. Sticking out of the bag was a large stack of money. She peeped into the bag and saw that the stack had a lot of company. There was almost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in the bag. Eve sent a hundred thousand to Felon's mother and vanished with the rest.

“Eve, I thought you had left me forever!” he shouted.

“I told you, we'd always be there for you.” She smiled. Their touching reunion was broken up by a small pug nipping at Beast's ankles.

“What's that?” Beast put Eve down to examine the creature.

“It's a dog, silly.” She scooped up the pug.

“Looks like a pig or something.” He scratched his head. The dog let out a high-pitched bark in response.

“Her name is Cassidy. She lives with me.”

“You live here?” Beast asked.

“Yes. And you can too, if you want.”

“I don't know, Eve. This place is pretty, but I don't know nothing about it. What happens if you have to leave me again?”

“You don't have to worry about that.” She patted his cheek. “I think I'll be staying for a while. Evelyn Panelli is tired of running.”