Seven Days: A young black woman makes a deal with a mob boss. (23 page)

"Yeah, well kill a few people and you can get a girl like this too," Nic said with a smile. Victoria was cringing inside. She didn't know whether to be shocked at Nic's words or laugh at the guys confused, somewhat scared expressions.
"I'm serious. It turns her on. The dangerous type, you know," Nic continued, in a thicker northern accent than he normally used. "That's why she likes me. It's my line of work. Capisce? Of course you do, a couple of smart operators like you know what I'm talking about, I'm sure. You know why I'm here right?"
The two guys looked at each other again, then the shirtless guy decided to call Nic's bluff. "Man, fuck you. We don't know anything about you, or why you're here, and you don't know jack shit about us."
"Sure I do. It's my job to know and she's the bait. You've pissed off some people back in the US and that's why I'm here. I've been tracking you. You're staying further to the north side of the island, in the Mandin Hotel. And I can dispose of your bodies before your girlfriends will even know you're missing. But, I'm in a good mood at the moment. Just had an intense run. I feel like letting you guys off the hook with just a warning. This time. And this time only. If you leave quietly now, I can say I couldn't find you, and you gentlemen live to see another day? Sound good?"
Both men looked like they had seen a ghost. They slowly stepped back from Nic and Victoria and turned to leave. They quickly scurried out of the bar and around the corner.
Victoria couldn't believe what she had just seen. "How the hell did you do that?" she asked.
Nic ordered a drink and sat down beside her. "It wasn't that hard. Over the years I've learned to read people very well."
"But, how did you know that stuff. Did you know them?"
"No, but I figured they couldn't afford to stay further south, so assumed they were vacationing in the north. There's only one nice, but reasonably priced hotel up north, that's close enough to here that you could make it back in an hour or so. The Mandin, and that's where spring break kids stay. And guys like that never travel alone to a place like Bali. They had to have come with girlfriends. Plus, everyone owes someone something," Nic said sipping his drink. "They were easy to pick on. It's the same method we use to squeeze info out of people we think are rats."
"Well, who do you owe?" Victoria asked.
"No one," Nic said with a straight face.
"Holy shit, there's so much I don't know about you," Victoria said, shaking her head.
"Sweetheart, you know the more important things. The only things that matter."
Victoria stared up at him. Perhaps it was the margarita, or the fact that she was turned on by dangerous men, or how sexy he looked, but she wanted to fuck him right then and there. Damn, this man had rocked her world. She might be risking a lot being with him, but she was definitely going to take the chance.
Later that night, Victoria awoke to find Nic standing by the window, looking out at the ocean. The light from the moon cast a perfect soft blue color across his naked form. Victoria watched in awe as he stood perfectly still, giving her a chance to worship the fine strong lines of his back, leading down to the most perfect male ass she had never seen.
She threw the covers from her body and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around him. She usually wasn't so comfortable with her nudity, but he was rubbing off on her. 
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing. I just can't sleep."
"You want to talk about it?"
"No. Not really," Nic said.
"Come on, you can tell me anything. I want to know."
"I'm just used to bad things following the good."
"What do you mean?"
Nic turned around. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. I think it's time for another inspection?" he asked, looking her up and down.
"Well, that depends. Are you a harsh critic?"
"Absolutely," Nic said, before twirling her around and smacking her ass.
Victoria belted out a yelp.
"Perfect," Nic whispered, admiring her body more, while pulling her towards the bed.
Their last night in Bali, Nic took Victoria to an upscale restaurant. Victoria freaked when there were no prices listed on the menu. Plus it was all in a different language and she had no idea what to order. Nic finally just ordered for the both of them, and as they waited for their food to come, Nic noticed Victoria's bright smile.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"I was just thinking that I'm going to miss this place. Everything has been so fantastic, Nic. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said, while pouring her some more wine. Victoria took a sip and then smiled at him again.
"You know, this is like a fairy tale to me. Perhaps a warped one, but a fairy tale nonetheless. I mean, I'm in a beautiful far away land, staying in a palace and dining at the most expensive restaurant I've ever been in. And just less than six months ago, I was sleeping on my parents' couch, holding down two jobs to support them, and had never been any further than where the city public transportation could take me. And it's only warped because of, well, your occupation and how we met"
"Uh huh. So if this was a fairy tale, I'd be the prince or something, right?"
Victoria laughed at the idea of Nic being a prince. "Um, I guess so."
"And if this prince asked his fair maiden to dance, would she?"
Victoria smiled again, as she took Nic's hand and the two walked to the dance floor. She held tightly to him as he whirled her around. She was truly happy. If this dance never ended, she would have been just fine with that. A part of her knew they had to go back, but she wasn't ready to share him again with his job. Or return to her tiny apartment. Or the loud hustle and bustle of the city. Yes, she could have stayed in this restaurant all night, dancing in a place with no prices on the menus, and life would have been perfect. But like all things, she knew it had to come to an end. She quickly wiped a tear from her face as he leaned down and kissed her.

Victoria zipped up her coat and said her goodbyes to a few of the waitresses before she walked out into the cold midday air. Although she was happy to be cutting her shift short, she still hadn't gotten used to being back. She could have easily stayed another week in Bali. Or month...year, whatever, it was the most magical place she had ever been. She also hadn't been looking forward to returning to work. She loved her co-workers, it was just that some of the regulars tended to get too rowdy, and some days she just didn't feel like dealing with that shit. But at least now that she was back at work, she could get her money in order again.
The cold air hit her face and her teeth began to chatter as she left Calamity's. She heard tires screech down the street just as her cell phone rang. Victoria reached into her bag, but couldn't find it. She still wasn't used to the damn thing. Finally, after a few more rings, she located it. She smiled when she noticed it was Nic's number, but before she could answer, the phone slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground between the curb and her car.
"Fuck," Victoria muttered, as she bent down behind the car to retrieve it. The moment her fingers connected with the hard, sleek plastic she heard the loudest noise and glass shattering behind her.
Victoria screamed as she covered her ears and wilted to the cold concrete. The glass from Calamity's windows sprinkled down near her, as the screeching from the tires faded away. For a moment all went quiet before she heard a series of shouting and screams. She couldn't tell if they were hers or someone else's.
She laid on the ground for what seemed like several minutes before she felt strong hands jerk her up from the ground. 
"You hurt?" Miguel, one of the busboys asked in a thick accent, as he scanned up and down her body. "You hurt?" he asked again, with concerned eyes.
"I—I," Victoria didn't even know. She looked behind him to see some of the customers running out of the restaurant and Greg waving his hands wildly.
"Everyone calm down! The police are on their way now," Greg shouted, as he turned and looked in Victoria's direction. He quickly walked out of the restaurant, the glass on the street crunching beneath his feet as he made his way to her.
"Vicky! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he shot out rapidly, as he inspected her, turning her around before looking back into her eyes. 
"I--I think I'm o--okay," Victoria squeaked out, but she was anything but. It finally just registered in her brain what happened. The loud firecracker noise, the glass shattering and screeching tires. Someone had shot at them. Someone had actually used bullets and shot at them! Victoria felt dizzy from that realization. She swooned for a second before Greg caught her.
"Whoa, come back inside and sit down," Greg said, directing them to the entrance. "I can't believe this just happened. I can't believe this just fucking happened," he said, as he sat her down at one of the tables. Tracy ran over to her and hugged her, crying and chanting "Oh my God," over and over.
Victoria heard her phone ringing again. She was still holding it in a death grip, but she couldn't find her purse. Probably still outside on the ground. She didn't even bother looking at the caller ID. 
"Hello," she croaked out.
"There you are. What time do you think you'll be here?" she heard Nic ask.
"Uh, I don't know," she whispered.
"What do you mean you don't know? I thought you were going to leave early?" he asked.
"Nic, I—oh, God," Victoria said, right before she burst into tears. She heard the sirens and could see red and blue flashing out of the corner of her eye. Someone had tried to kill them! Someone had tried to hurt them.
"Victoria," she heard Nic say. His voice seemed different. Not as friendly as it had just a few seconds ago.
"Yes," she sniffed.
"What happened?" he asked her in a low, stern voice.
"Someone...someone shot at us," Victoria cried, sobbing even harder now that she admitted it out loud. 
Silence. 
She didn't know if he was even still on the phone. She couldn't hear him breathing or anything.
"Are you okay?" he finally asked, after a few moments. His voice sounded flat, a tone she had never heard before.
At first Victoria nodded her head to assure herself, but then whispered, "Yes, I think so."
"I'll be there in just a few minutes," he said before she heard the line go dead.

Jimmy sat patiently on the couch in Nic's office as Nic dialed Victoria again. The first time she didn't pick up. Jimmy tossed another pecan in his mouth and wiped his hands. He and his wife were supposed to be going to dinner with the new couple as soon as Victoria got off work. He glanced back over at Nic and waited.
"There you are. What time do you think you'll be here?" Nic asked.
Jimmy watched as Nic's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean, you don't know? I thought you were going to leave early?" he questioned. 
Nic slowly sat down, and Jimmy saw a blank expression come across his features. Something Nic was hearing was obviously a problem of some kind. "Victoria...what happened?" Nic asked.
Then Nic's face turned white. Pale white. Jimmy rose and walked over to the desk. What the hell was going on? Nic leaned over the desk and covered his face with his hand as he listened to whatever Victoria was saying. 
"Are you okay?" Nic asked Victoria, as he glanced up at Jimmy, who mouthed 'What's wrong?', but Nic didn't answer. He just told Victoria he'd be there in a few minutes and hung up the phone. But now that pasty tint that had covered his features was slowly fading away...or actually turning into a bright scarlet color while his breath quickened. 
"Nic, what happened?" Jimmy asked, staring at the unreadable expression on Nic's face. It wasn't often that Jimmy couldn't read his best friend. "Is Victoria okay?"
"Someone shot at her," Nic quietly said, as he grabbed his keys from the desktop. "Someone shot at..." He heard Nic whisper again, but more to himself. 
Jimmy watched closely, as Nic stood there for a moment, bracing his knuckles on the desk so hard that all the color was draining from them.
"Nic?" Jimmy softly said, before everything on Nic's desk went flying off to the floor in a loud crash. 
"Mother—fuckers!!!" Nic yelled, as he rushed around his desk and out of the office. Jimmy ran after him trying to keep up, as Nic took the steps four at a time.
"Raymond! We have to go!" Jimmy hollered over his shoulder, as Nic tore out of the front door.
Raymond quickly dropped his plate of food and ran out of the kitchen, no questions asked.
Nic couldn't breathe. They shot at her?! Someone actually fucking shot at her?! Tried to kill her?! He was trying his best to keep cool. Half of his brain was telling him to remain calm, get to the restaurant, assess the situation and go from there. The other side of his mind was racking up anyone one who had ever crossed him so he could kill them. Painfully.
Raymond had slipped behind the driver's wheel of the Escalade, while Nic was in the passenger's seat and Jimmy in the back. When they pulled out onto the road, heading toward Calamity's, Jimmy asked, "What are you thinking, Nic?"
Nic didn't answer. His mind was still racing. He had to gain control and get his mind focused.
"Nic, you do realize that place is going to be swarming with cops, right?" Jimmy asked. He sighed when Nic didn't answer. Nic just continued to stare ahead through the windshield.
Raymond slowed down as they pulled up on the opposite side of Calamity's, to an onslaught of black and white police cars. "Nic, I'll go. There's no point in risking it," Jimmy suggested, as he opened up his door.
"No. I'm going," Nic stated, looking around for Victoria.
"Nic, I know you're upset, but—," Jimmy started, before Nic interrupted.
"Upset, huh?" Nic said, as he continued to stare out of his window looking for the object of his affection. "I don't think upset covers what I'm feeling right now, Jimmy." When he finally spotted Victoria, he got out of the car and slammed the door.
"I told you, I'm not sure. I didn't see the car. I dropped my phone and was looking down when I first heard the shots," Victoria recounted for the third time to a different cop. She was exhausted, shaken and just wanted to be with Nic.
"I understand you're tired ma'am, but we need to get this information while it's fresh on your mind. Now can you tell me again what time you were walking out of the restaurant," the police officer asked, while looking down at his notepad.
Victoria sighed. "I think it was—"
"Are you okay?" Nic asked, as he spun her around and glanced over her body as if she needed medical attention. Victoria immediately latched onto him wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head into his chest. Her whole body began to shake and she started sobbing. He pulled his coat open, and encased her inside with him as he kissed the top of her head several times. She knew her tears and makeup were probably ruining his expensive shirt, but she just couldn't let go.
"Nicolas Andretti the fourth...long time, no see," Nic heard a familiar voice say. Fuck. He turned around to see his suspicions confirmed. Detective Marsh was staring at him with that damn smug smile that Nic always wanted to knock right off his face. Marsh had been promoted the day Nic's father died. He remembered seeing him standing in the distance at his father's private funeral. The bastard had been following him closely throughout the years and just never seemed to really go away.
"Marsh," Nic stated dryly.
Victoria sniffled and peeked her head out from under Nic's coat. She wanted to see who this Marsh guy was. He was a skinny man who had blond hair, but was graying. And prematurely from the look of his young face.
"Hi miss...?"
"Her name is Victoria Davis, sir," the police officer who had been questioning her said.
"Miss Davis. How do you know my good friend, Nic?" Marsh asked, smiling down at her.
Victoria didn't know much about what Nic did, but she wasn't about to open her mouth and tell this man anything. But luckily she didn't have to. Nic started guiding her towards his car.
"Hold up a second Nic, we weren't done questioning her," Marsh said.
"Yes you were," Nic said over his shoulder.
"Don't forget who you're talking to, Nic. Want to take a trip downtown?" Marsh warned.
Nic stopped and turned toward Marsh. "You want to try?" Nic countered, staring the man down.
Victoria wasn't sure what to do. She sure as hell didn't want to get on any cops shit-list, but Nic appeared to be done with the conversation. She glanced back and forth between the two men, while trying to wipe her eyes and nose.
Detective Marsh's smug smile reappeared. "Well, I guess there's no reason to--if you haven't done anything wrong, now is there?" he said.
Nic turned back around and ushered Victoria across the street, towards the Escalade. 
"Don't go too far Miss Davis. I'd still like to ask you a few questions regarding the incident today," Victoria heard Detective Marsh ask in the distance.
Jimmy had transferred to the front seat, while Nic opened the door and guided Victoria into the backseat. He held her close to his body, with his arms wrapped protectively around her. But no one said a word. Raymond rarely ever said much of anything. Jimmy wasn't sure what to say. Victoria was too tired to utter another word and Nic was too busy thinking about what his next step was to talk to anyone. So they traveled in silence all the way back to Nic's house.
Victoria winced in pain from trying to pry her puffy eyes open. She sat up in Nic's bed and pushed her wild curls from her face. She glanced at the night stand for the time. 10 pm. She sighed. All the images from earlier that day came flashing back. The loud noise, screams and shattering glass. She was praying that it was just a nightmare, but she knew that wishful thinking was all in vain. But just as suddenly as those visions had come, Victoria couldn't breathe. She quickly grabbed her chest and forced herself to take deep gulps of air to calm her breathing.
She finally composed herself, walked out of the room and down the long hallway. When she reached Nic's office door she was about to knock when she heard Nic's voice, more animated than she had ever heard before. She cracked the door open and saw Jimmy and Nic arguing.
"Nic, all I'm saying is you don't know for sure that Sonny did this. It could have been a number of people," Jimmy said.
"No. I know it was him," Nic declared, with his hands locked behind his head as he paced back and forth. Victoria observed him. He too, looked exhausted.
"But what if it wasn't, I mean--,"
"It was," Nic contradicted.
"But--,"
"They shot at her, Jimmy! They fucking mowed down the front of her workplace to get to her. If you think I'm going to let them have a second chance, then fuck you," Nic said, walking around to his desk. He sat down and laid his forehead against the cool, flat wood.
'Shot at her?' Victoria thought. What the fuck? It was a drive-by shooting, they weren't targeting her. Why would someone want to kill her? Victoria remained silent, listening outside the door.
"You see, that's what I mean. You said 'they'...who's 'they', Nic? You have to be certain before you go accusing another mob boss's son of something like that. Just use your head."
Victoria pushed the door open and walked in.
Nic glanced up at the door when Victoria entered. Her eyes seemed weak and still glassy from her crying herself to sleep.
"Nic, Jimmy's right. Those people could have been aiming at anyone. I mean, they shot at the entire restaurant," Victoria said, glancing back and forth between both men.
Nic sighed and smiled up at her. "How did you sleep?"
"Alright. Are you okay?"
"Not really," Nic answered honestly. "How about you go grab yourself something to eat and let Jimmy and I finish up here. I'll join you in a moment."
"But Nic, I probably should call that guy back, the police officer that was asking all those questions," Victoria suggested. She watched as Nic just shook his head.
"No, I'll take care of this. You gave your statement and you're done. You don't remember anything else as far as they're concerned, okay?"
Victoria placed a hand on her hip. "What do you mean you'll take care of it? I'm sure the police will find the people in no time."
"I don't want the police to find the people. I want to find them so I can question them myself. Ask who hired them."
"What? Nic, leave this to the cops. Let them do their jobs."
"Victoria—go eat. I'll join you later," Nic commanded.
"Nic, I—"
"Victoria! End of discussion," Nic said, narrowing his eyes at her. She just didn't understand that he didn't want her involved in this any more than she already was.
"No, don't start that with me. It's NOT the end of the discussion! What are you planning to do?" Victoria asked.
Nic sighed. "Victoria, the less you know about me and what I do, the better for you. You can't give anyone any information if you don't know it, now can you? And that's the way I want to keep it. I don't want you getting in trouble or having to lie for me."
"Do you really think it was Sonny?"
"Yes," Nic answered. He heard Jimmy exhale noisily.
Nic got up from his desk and walked over to Victoria. She was standing there staring at the ground and shaking her head.
"I don't understand," she whispered to him, before he leaned down to capture her lips.
"I need you to do something for me," Nic said, sliding his hand through her thick curls. She looked up at him, her eyes already starting to glass over again.
"I need you to go away for a little while. Just a short time until I can get all of this handled."
"No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"Victoria, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you."
"I don't want to leave you. Plus, I have a job. The insurance company is fixing the windows tonight, so we are returning to work tomorrow."
"No, you're not. I'll talk to your manager and--," Nic tried to say, while Victoria shook her head back and forth like a child.
"No, I'm not going to let someone scare me into--," Victoria started, until Nic grabbed her head with both of his hands and forced her to look up at him.
"This isn't a fucking game, Victoria. This is real. This is serious. This hit was set up to look like gang violence. But trust me, this wasn't some gangbanger with a grudge. And I can't think straight if I'm worried about your safety every second. Your bags should be arriving her in a few more minutes, then you leave."
"What? My bags?"
"Yes. I didn't want you going back to your apartment to do it, so I had Mina and Raymond pack you some clothes. Jimmy will escort you to another location," Nic said.
Victoria pushed herself from Nic's grasp and back toward the door. "When did you do all this? And what made you think I was going to go?"
"While you were sleeping and I knew you would be going because it was never going to be a negotiation," Nic stated matter-of-fact.
Victoria scoffed. Perhaps he had a point, but this was all happening too sudden. Her life was being uprooted for what could possibly be nothing at all. Maybe she could play the emotional card. "But I love you and I don't want to go."
"I love you too, and that's the only reason I'm sending you away. Trust me, it will make sense when you get there," Nic said. He quickly glanced down at his cell phone and then back to Victoria. "Raymond's here. It's time for you to go."
In the car ride on the way to...well, wherever she was going, Victoria thought of her morning. She had woken up, had a big bowl of cereal and then went into work. Never in a million years would she have thought her day would turn out this way. One minute she's separating the marshmallows from the other bits of cereal in her bowl, the next she's caught in the middle of some mob war. Life was indeed strange. Jimmy had told her to go to sleep if she could, because they had a long way ahead of them. Her eyelids were heavy, and although she protested, she was asleep in no time.