Tax Cut (20 page)

* * *

I awoke to find myself lying on the couch in my living room. It was dark outside. Snickers was whining and scratching at his crate door. I was dazed and my head felt foggy. A blurry image appeared in my line of sight. I jumped up and away from the figure. “No! No! It can’t be! How?” I mumbled.

“Chelsey, calm down.
You’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Dumbfounded, shocked, and confused, I said, “But…but…how? Why?”
I couldn’t seem to find the right words for a situation like this. This had absolutely never happened to me before. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t in the middle of a horrific nightmare. “Are you real?” I asked of the figment before me.

“Oh
, geez, Chelsey. I’m real. You can stop pinching yourself.”

“How are you alive?” I asked.
“Everyone thinks you’re dead, you know.” I paused for a beat. “Unless you are some sort of a twin brother that I don’t know about. And if that is the case, then how do you know my name? Heck, how did we get back here? How did you know where I lived?”

“If you
are going to interrogate me, you should let me answer one question before throwing the next question at me.”

“Fine
,” I said. “So, Question Number One. You are Vinny Buttiglieri, are you not?”

“You know that I am.
Don’t you remember taking the same classes with me?”

“
I do remember. I just didn’t know if you were some sort of a doppelganger. How did we get back to my house?”

“I brought you here in my car.”

“How did you know where I lived?”

“I found your driver’s license in your purse.”

“Were you following me?”

“No, my mother’s house backs the park. I ran into you by coincidence.”

I stood up and walked over the Snicker’s crate. I let him out back to do his business, then let him back into the house. He wasn’t growling at Vinny, which put me more at ease. I decided to leave him out of the crate. If Vinny was going to try anything funny, Snickers would protect me.

“
How are you alive?” I asked.

“It was a set-up, by the police.
I was working with them. I was kidnapped, but I knew they were coming for me. I had a gun hidden on my ankle and a bulletproof vest filled with fake blood. It was all theatrics. I got shot, but I reached down, grabbed my ankle gun, then shot Rocco Righetti. In the commotion, I jumped into the river where the police were waiting to pick me up. I’m in the witness protection program now. If they knew I was alive, they’d all want me dead for killing the mafia don.”

“Do your family and friends know you are alive?”

“No, and sadly, I have to beg you to keep it that way. That’s why I brought you home and waited for you to wake up after you fainted. You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone. You’d be putting both of us at great risk.”

“Why are you back
, then?”

“My mother has taken ill.
She’s eighty years old. I had to see her. I parked far away from her house, I couldn’t risk someone spotting my car at my mom’s place. I was walking through the park on my way there when I ran into you.”

“So
why did Rocco kidnap you and who else is involved?”

The moment I said that, my front door was kicked in by men wearing masks, holding guns and screaming at us to stay where we were.
Snickers, my dog, ran toward them, in attack mode. They shot him. I screamed, “No!” I wanted so badly to run to Snickers; I saw he was hurt, but instead, I ran to the bedroom, where I kept my gun.

One of the masked men was hot on my trail.
I tried to slam the bedroom door shut, but he stopped it with his foot. I reached toward the dresser drawer, but the man grabbed me around my waist from behind. I kicked, I scratched, I screamed. I felt his hand over my mouth. I would have bitten him, but his hand was covered in a thick, black leather glove and he was holding a cloth. The cloth smelled funny. My head felt dizzy. My lights went out for the second time that day.

Chapter
20

I awoke in the trunk of a car.
My wrists and ankles were bound by rope and my mouth was fastened with duct tape. The tears poured out of my eyes. My thoughts turned to my baby girl. I was grateful that she wasn’t in the house when this happened. I didn’t know who had me, but I suspected it was Gino Righetti. He must have seen Vinny and followed him back to my house. I was shocked at having learned Vinny wasn’t really dead after all. I thought about my poor Snickers and I cried harder. Why didn’t I keep my gun handier? Why did terrible things happen to me? I wept until I felt the car pull over. Then fear took over.

The trunk opened and I was lifted out of the vehicle. One of the goons cut the rope around my ankles, while the other pointed a gun in my face.
I was forced through the parking area of an abandoned warehouse. I could see that there was a body of water nearby, but I didn’t know where we were. It didn’t smell like salt air. I wondered if we were still in Jersey.

I was marched
down a long corridor. The building seemed old, abandoned. We passed numerous vacant rooms. I was led to a large room with dim lighting. The back of a large, leather chair faced me from behind an ornate mahogany desk. I could smell the cigar the person in the chair was smoking.

“We brought her to you, boss.
As instructed.”

Boss?
I thought.

“Take the tape off and leave her,” the voice said from behind the
chair. It was a familiar voice, although I couldn’t place it at the moment. The goon ripped the duct tape off of my mouth. It stung. There would be no need to get my upper lip waxed this week…that is, if by some miracle, I survived.

“Sit,” the voice
commanded.

I looked behind me to see two chairs.
I sat as ordered. I looked around the room, but didn’t see anything familiar. The carpets looked new, maroon in color, with an oriental pattern. The room looked expensive. I waited nervously for my impending doom.

The figure in the chair slowly turned around.

“Chelsey, Chelsey, Chelsey. What am I going to do about you?” I found myself staring down the barrel of yet another loaded gun. The gun was held by Dingo Malvagio. I was taken aback. Dingo was not who I was expecting.

“
Dingo? I’m confused,” I said. “Why am I here?”

“No other reason than you seem to have gotten yourself in the way.”

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“Oh, I think you understand a lot.
You can stop pretending.”

“I honestly don’t know anything.”

“Liar!” he growled, his anger growing.

“I swear I’m not lying.
I blacked out when I saw Vinny in the park. I thought he was dead. I no sooner came to, and these men were breaking into my house. I don’t get it.”

“Chelsey, Chelsey, Chelsey.
It doesn’t even matter if you don’t get it. You’ve crossed the Righettis and now it’s time to pay the price.”

“Righettis?
So, you work for Gino?”

An evil-sounding bark of laughter came out of Dingo’s mouth.

“Gino works for me, sweetheart, not the other way around. But that’s good that you thought that. Shows me I’m still keeping my low profile. We can’t have the enemies knowing who the real mafia don is, now, can we?”

“Mafia don?
” I asked. “Who is the mafia don, then?”

“You’re not as bright as everyone thinks you are.
It’s such a shame I have to have such a hot body like yours put down like a dog. Maybe I’ll have a little fun with you first.”

I cringed at the thought of Dingo having “fun
” with me “first.” I glanced around the room, trying to think of a way to get myself out of this mess.

“How can you be the don of the Righetti family when you’re not a Righetti?”

“Oh, look, she’s catching on,” Dingo said condescendingly. “My grandfather passed down the reins to me.”

“So your mother was a Righetti,” I said, trying to buy myself more time to figure out a plan.

Dingo clapped his hands together three times, saying, “Bravo. But I thought you would have figured that out when you went to see my Aunt Babs.”

“Babs never mentioned you.
She only talked about her nephew Gino.”

“Oh yes, Gino. The golden child.
The one with the good looks. Well, Gino may have been good looking, but Nonno Righetti knew I was the one with the good business sense.”

“But the rumors had it that Rocco passed the reins to Gino after his death.”

Dingo let out another bark of laughter. “Rocco was my right hand for many years. He got careless. People only thought he was the don.”

“If you are the don, then why are you working as a tax collector?”

“Chelsey, you sound like you don’t believe me. You shouldn’t question the man with the gun. His finger may slip and…
pow
!”

I back peddled. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.
I meant I thought you wouldn’t need a job as a tax collector for money.”

“It was all part of my plan to keep an eye on things and to remain unsuspecting.”

“Where is Vinny?”

“If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.”
The evil laughter continued out of Dingo’s wide-open mouth. “I’m going to kill you anyway, so I guess I can tell you that my men better have already taken care of Vinny like they should have the first go round.”

Still trying to buy more time to get myself out of this mess, I continued the conversation.
“Since I’m dead anyway, may I ask if the fire at the beach club was your handiwork?”

“Ingenious, wasn’t it?
I didn’t realize so many of my problems would be taken care of at once.”

“And this is all so that you can create the Village Pier?”

“Oh, the light bulbs went on, finally, huh?”

“I happen to love the idea of the Village Pier.
The hotels, casinos, shops, and housing. You stand to make a ton of money.”

“I don’t ‘stand’ to do nuthin
’. I am going to make millions and nobody is gonna get in my way.”

“Understood.
That’s why you had to take care of that couple and that man who turned up dead on the beach…what was his name? Eugene Craft.”

“I didn’t have to take care of anyone.
I have associates. I’m not a killer. I’m more of a king. I give directions. I keep my hands clean.”

King of Insanityville.
I thought. I couldn’t believe this was happening. It was beyond surreal. It was like I was in the middle of a movie or a bad dream. My fear had dissipated as I carried on the conversation with Dingo. I wasn’t sure if it was my instincts, the knowledge that I had nothing left to lose, or just acceptance of my fate. It seemed as though the Universe was gunning for me. I kept looking for a way to escape, but there didn’t seem like there was any possibly I’d make it out alive.

“Mitchell Johnson, another person who went missing. Was that your ‘associates’ as well?” I asked.

“You are quick.”

“
And the mortgage company? Is that yours also?”

“So, you
did
discover the mortgage company.”

“Yes, I know that the bribe money is being laundered through the mortgage company.
Are you buying votes for your project?”

“Boy, Chelsey. I had you pegged right the first time
; I knew you were pretending not to know anything.”

“The truth is, Dingo, that I had absolutely no idea you were involved until I saw you right here, right now.
You amaze me. You’re brilliant.”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“Absolutely not. I’m serious. I admire your ambition.”
What could I lose? Maybe if I butter him up, he’ll let me live.
He looked at me, confused. Dingo didn’t know much about me. I had barely spoken to him during the time I worked in Coral Beach.

“What you had said at the staff meeting, about redevelopment, that was so that Righetti Brothers could be the developer and get the tax abatement?” I asked.

“Yeah, and your point?”

“
That’s what I mean when I say I think you’re brilliant. No one else would have ever come up with that. It’s ingenious. Look, I know you think I somehow got in the way, but I quit the job at Coral Beach. I couldn’t stand Marc or Winifred, and I had this resident stalking me. So, I really won’t be in your way. I’m not even putting the job on my résumé. As far as I’m concerned, I never met any of you and I don’t know a darn thing.”

Moments later,
crash!
For the second time in a month, a body came crashing through the ceiling, barely missing me. Nero lay on the floor, motionless. Dingo barely reacted. He looked down at Nero, then up at the ceiling. I, on the other hand, flipped out a little. I guess I momentarily forgot that I wasn’t in my own office with Nero stalking me again.

“What the
eff, Nero?” I yelled.

Nero
rolled on his side and placed his hand on his spine. “Oh, my back,” he groaned.

“
Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time you fell through a ceiling?”

Nero groaned a little
more.

“Who is this moron?” Dingo asked.

“He’s my stalker,” I said to Dingo. I looked back at Nero. “How did you know where I was?”

“My back,” Nero whined.

“You little rat,” I said to Nero. I felt like kicking him, but I controlled the urge. It occurred to me that he must have found a way to put a video camera in my house, like he did with Winifred and Marc. I was angry and happy at the same time. Angry that Nero was stalking me in my own home and happy that I suddenly wasn’t in this alone.

“Enough!” Dingo yelled angrily. I jumped. I guessed I was never very good at talking my way out of a hairy situation. The fear slowly crept back into me as I realized
I was doomed.

“Eenie, meanie, miney, moe,” Dingo said, pointing his gun back and forth, Nero th
en me, Nero then me.

“Say
‘goodnight,’ Chelsey Alton.”

I squeezed my eyes
shut tightly. My heart rate increased until I could hear my heart pounding against the walls of my chest. I squeezed the arms of the chair so tightly, my fingers hurt.

The sound of the door being forced open and the footsteps of a dozen men rushing past me were music to my ear
s. Shouting came next. “FBI. Freeze! Dingo Malvagio, you’re under arrest!”

I sat quietly in a daze.
It took me a moment to realize what was happening. I couldn’t believe I was saved. The handcuffs went on Dingo and he was carried out of the door. EMS ran to Nero’s side. Through the fogginess in my brain, I heard my name being called frantically, “Chelsey? Chelsey?” I looked around the crowd of men and saw someone rush through the door. It was Bryce. He was dressed head to toe in black, with the letters POLICE prominently in white on his back. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and a belt filled with typical police gear—handcuffs and guns. I was still sitting in the chair. I hadn’t been able to make myself move. At the moment, I wasn’t truly able to comprehend what was happening. My brain was mush from the stress of the situation. He ran toward me, wrapped his arms around my waist, lifted me out of the chair, and hugged me. I collapsed in his arms, fully spent, and cried like a baby. With my arms around his neck, he reached down, picked me up, and carried me out to an ambulance.

Before he left me with the paramedics, he gently took my face into his hands, looked into my eyes, and said, “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Chelsey.”
He leaned in and softly kissed my lips, then continued on with what I assumed was police business.

* * *

The following week was a blur to me. I discovered that Nero had indeed been watching me on video, but I wasn’t angry about it any longer. He drove over to my place when he saw Vinny carrying me in passed out. He arrived as the goons were breaking in. He notified the police when he saw I was kidnapped, and followed their cars. He called Animal Control while he was tailing the cars, and he got them to make arrangements for Snickers to get emergency veterinary care. For those reasons alone, I would always be indebted to him. Nero was also able to provide video to the police of what happened at my house, making for undisputable evidence for kidnapping charges.

I learned that week that Vinny was safe and sound.
It turned out that the FBI knew immediately when Vinny went AWOL from the witness protection program and they were tracking his moves, which enabled them to rescue him before he was harmed. With Vinny being alive, and being a star witness for some of the illegal activities of the Righetti’s, I was off the hook for having to testify, for now anyway. There was enough evidence to lock them all up for a very long time, so I didn’t have to live in fear of Dingo and his clan trying to silence me.