The Plug's Wife (17 page)

              “So, back to my questions.  Your new female boss, do you like her?  I want to know some things about her,” the man asked again.  Doon did not respond.  He closed his eyes and started praying silently. 

The man cursed in Spanish.  Doon could hear the torch being sparked up again.  His body tensed.  The men lifted him up a little higher so that his chest was almost eye level with the torch.

              “You could save yourself—this is your last chance,” the man hissed.  Doon didn’t respond. 

The man squinted his eyes and moved closer to Doon. He sprayed the torch flame up and down the frozen skin on Doon’s chest.  The sound Doon released from his mouth was unearthly.  His body bucked wildly.  The man moved the flame from Doon’s chest and large blisters immediately popped up on his seared skin.

              “Pedro Millenia. Have you heard of him, no?” the man continued with the questions. 

              Doon’s head hung and saliva dripped out of his mouth.  His body vibrated with unleashed pain.  Was it possible to feel both hot and cold at the same time?

              “Answer me or I’ll be forced to turn this thing back on,” the man warned. “I know you know who my boss is, correct?” 

Doon moved his head in the affirmative.  The effort caused his entire body to burn with pain.   

              “Good.  Good.  Pedro Millenia wants to know about your boss,” the man continued. 

Doon shook his head from side to side, but didn’t utter a word.

              “Turn him!” the man shouted in disgust.

The men holding Doon shifted him so that the skin on his back was exposed to the interrogator.

              “You will tell me what I need to know.”  The torch spit fire onto Doon’s back, buttocks and thighs.  Doon heard his skin sizzling like meat in a frying pan. 

              “When you have frostbite it is always wise to stay away from heat for a while.  If not, the skin dies and has to be cut off.  First we freeze you, then we burn you,” the man snarled. 

              “Okay! Okay! Please…stop.” Doon pleaded with his captors, no longer able to withstand the torture.

              The man removed the torch from Doon’s skin and the other two men turned Doon around. 

              “You will tell me all I need to know or you will die a very painful death? Do we understand each other, now?”

Doon moved his head.  His lips trembled as he uttered the one word that would end his current state of misery. 

“Yes.”

Chapter 14
Loyalty Has No Price

In breaking news, a man and his two young children died today in a hail of gunfire outside All Saints Catholic School on the lower east side of Manhattan.  Police say the man and his two children, a boy aged six and a girl aged eleven, were getting into a heavily tinted SUV when shots were fired.  The victims are believed to be the eldest son and grandchildren of alleged Mexican cartel head, Pedro Millenia.  The investigation into the deaths is still ongoing.

              Summer smirked as she lowered the volume on the television.  When the foot soldiers asked if they should carry out the hit with the children present, Summer gave them the green light without hesitation.  Just like Pedro, Summer wanted to send a message by shooting up the Sentinel and Doon—woman or not, she was not to be fucked with.  

              “Awww man!  You killed it with that dunk!” she heard Billy shout.

Jesse, Jr. giggled uncontrollably.  Summer smiled as she pushed open the door. 

              “Can I watch?” She asked sweetly. 

              “C’mon boss, lady. Watch me shake and dribble on this lil sucka,” Billy said playfully.  Jesse, Jr.’s little fingers moved wildly over the PlayStation 3 joystick.  Summer inhaled deeply and exhaled.  They were still getting used to each other.  Thank God for Billy or else things may have been extremely difficult.  Summer needed to find a nanny for Jesse Jr., but in the meantime it appeared as if Billy was quite a good substitute.

              The doorbell sounded.  Billy stopped clicking his joystick and looked at Summer strangely. 

              “You expecting anyone?” Billy asked. 

              “No, I haven’t heard from Mitch and Marco is out there trying to calm everyone down about their delivery,” Summer frowned. 

              “Stay here with lil man, let me go see who’s at the door,” Billy instructed. 

              “Stay here JJ,” Summer said, pulling the bedroom door behind her.  She followed Billy into the hallway as the bell sounded again.  From the top of the stairs, she watched Billy draw his gun as he approached the door.  He peeped out of the glass side panels.

              “It’s just FedEx!” Billy called up to her.  “You expecting a package?”

              “No,” Summer said, rushing down the stairs as Billy opened the door and retrieved the package. “I’m not expecting anything.”

              “It’s addressed to you.  You want me to open it?” Billy asked, his eyebrows raised. 

              “I don’t know…that shit could be a bomb,” Summer answered tentatively. 

Billy gave the box a quick shake. 

              “This shit mad light.  I’ma open it,” he said mindlessly.  He used a pocket knife and striped the sticky backing.  Summer held her breath while he peered inside. 

              “Looks like some kind of paper in here…not a bomb,” Billy reported.  He turned the box over and slid the contents onto the small glass table near the door. 

              “What the fuck? Holy shit!” Billy exclaimed. 

Summer clasped both of her hands over her mouth. 

              “It’s a fuckin’ human tongue!” Billy yelled, stepping backwards.  Summer blinked as she stared down at the swollen piece of rotting flesh. 

              “It’s Doon’s tongue. He told them everything.  He told them where I live, where we meet, where we work.  He told them everything. We have to get out of here, Billy,” Summer said numbly.  Her feet were suddenly rooted to the expensive hardwood floors.  Summer knew Jesse had a few properties left, but figured whoever sent the package knew about those places too.

              “Uncle Billy, come back and play with me,” Jesse, Jr. called out from the top of the steps.  It was his little voice that finally spurred them into action. 

              “C’mon lil man, we have to go out,” Billy huffed, rushing towards the steps. 

              Summer’s cell phone vibrated.  She looked at the screen ready to hit the ignore button.

              “Fuck!  Not right now!” she huffed, but she knew she needed to take the call. 

              She answered, her voice shaky.  She felt like her head would explode.  Things were happening way too fast.  Thank God she had Billy by her side.  Billy had taught her that loyalty has no price.  It was a lesson she would never forget.

******************

Summer rushed through the doors of the Living Spaces nursing home in downtown Manhattan.  The facility was one of the best in the city.  She knew it had to be, given the amount of money she paid on a monthly basis.

Worry creased Summer’s brow and her mouth was dry as the Sahara.  She told Billy to wait in the car with Jesse, Jr.  There was a private matter she had to take care of.  Anything involving her
real
family was private.

              “Good morning. I’m here about Elva Calvo,” Summer huffed at the young nursing attendant sitting at the circular reception desk in the lobby.  The girl softened her expression, but something about her eyes made Summer’s heart jerk in her chest.  She saw sadness in them.

              “Someone is coming down to escort you to Ms. Calvo’s suite,” the nurse attendant said.

              “Why do I need to wait? I’ve never had to wait before.”

              “Mrs. Calvo has been moved to another wing and you need an escort to access the area.  I can’t tell you much more than that,” the girl explained.  Summer eased off, trying to keep her temper under control.  Since becoming boss, Summer had become increasingly impatient and demanding.  When she wanted something done, she wanted it done right away.  Unfortunately, that approach would not work in this instance.

              Summer shifted her weight from one foot to the other.  Good thing she had thrown on a comfortable pair of J’s and some leggings for this visit. 

After what seemed like an eternity, a mocha skinned man wearing a button down shirt and khakis approached.  Summer’s heartbeat sped up.  It was the administrator of the nursing home, Mr. Halsey.

              “Ahhh, Mrs. Banks. That’s the new name, isn’t it?” the man said, extending his hand.  Summer wasn’t there to make small talk. She accepted his hand for a curt handshake.

              “Yes.  It’s Banks now,” she replied. 

              “Right this way,” Mr. Halsey said, stoically leading the way like.

Summer wasn’t feeling the atmosphere at all.

              “Listen, I’m confused.  I get a call saying that I need to come here right away.  Everyone is acting strange. Front desk girl tells me my grandmother has been moved somewhere only escorts can access.  No disrespect, but what the hell is going on?  Is my grandmother doing okay?” Summer asked, concerned.

One of her worst fears was getting a call that her grandmother had passed away.  Her grandmother’s health had steadily deteriorated since coming to the United States.  Summer often wondered if it was worry about her and other family members that was slowly killing the matriarch.

              “We’re almost there,” Mr. Halsey said calmly, completely ignoring Summer’s questions.  They entered the elevator where Mr. Halsey used a swipe card to access the button for the top floor.  Summer bit into the side of her cheek and tapped her foot.  She didn’t know how much longer she could keep her cool.  The elevator could not move fast enough for her.

They walked down a long hallway to a set of glass doors.  Mr. Halsey swiped his card again and the doors parted automatically.  Summer followed him through, her eyes wide with amazement.  She never knew this part of the nursing home even existed.  The room they entered was furnished like a penthouse suite.  A beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline filtered through the windows.  The floors were covered with thick Persian carpets.  Soothing artwork decorated the walls.  The entire wing screamed
FOR RICH PEOPLE ONLY
.  It was the type of place Summer imagined the Kennedy family sending their elderly members.

“This is the best suite in the place,” Mr. Halsey said.  She raised her eyebrows; she certainly had not asked him to move her grandmother.

“Who made the decision to move her here?” Summer asked.  She wasn’t complaining, but she could only imagine how much the new suite cost.

“Umm…I did.  You’ll understand why soon enough,” he replied vaguely.

The exclusive wing provided twenty-four hour nurses and attendants for only three patients under their care.  That meant her grandmother basically always had her own nurse.  Keeping her grandmother comfortable was one of the biggest worries Summer had after Jesse was killed.  Yet another reason she worked so hard for the business.

              Mr. Halsey pulled out a thick ring of keys and used it to open the door to her grandmother’s room.  Mr. Halsey pushed the door open inviting her in with a wave, but he stood back as if he were afraid to enter.  Summer’s heart rattled in her chest.  She immediately saw her grandmother’s form from the doorway.  Guilt and shame washed over her; Summer hadn’t visited her in weeks. Mr. Halsey left the room, locking it on his way out. Summer felt like someone had sucked the air out of her lungs with a straw.  Just the idea that her grandmother might not be around forever made her feel nauseous enough to throw up.  Her grandmother had been everything to her after her parents were gone. 

              The smell of lavender and talcum powder—her grandmother’s signature scent—filled the room.  Tears sprang to Summer’s eyes.  She moved forward at a snail’s pace towards her grandmother’s bedside.  She immediately noticed a bouquet of fresh, newly opened roses that had been dyed black sitting on the tray table at the end of the bed.  Her stomach curled.  “Abuelita?” Summer she whispered almost breathlessly.

Before Summer could react, Summer sucked in her breath as she felt a presence move in the darkened corner of the room.  She’d walked right into a trap.  A scream stuck in her throat.  The call from her grandmother’s caretakers had led her to this vulnerable position.  She had walked right into a trap.  Her family had always been her Achilles heel.  She was helpless, just like the little poor girl from Cuba.  Summer’s body trembled fiercely as the noose of fear tightened around her neck.

              “Lourdes Calvo, this is what it took to see you, huh? I had to sit at your sick abeulita’s bedside for days just to get your attention?” The familiar voice filtered into her ear.  It was a harsh, embittered whisper that sent stabbing pains through her chest. 

“Oh I forgot, you go by the name Summer now.  Or did you forget I was the one who gave you that name?  Now that you are boss, you forgot where you came from, eh?  Well, I never forget.  It’s time to pay up, no?  I thought I taught you a long time ago that you can’t pay enough…loyalty has no price.”

              Summer froze; fear gripped her by the throat.  She side-stepped, but he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.  She remembered the feel of his hands on her body and suddenly she felt very ill.  Everything about him rendered her powerless. 

“Open your eyes and look at me Lourdes.  Remember what we agreed.  I never forget,” he said.  The sight of his badly burned and disfigured face sent Summer’s mind hurling backwards in time.

                                                        *******************************

She was almost seventeen when the arrangements were made for her illegal transport to the United States.  There was no big family discussion.  She didn’t have an opportunity to voice her opinion, nor did her grandmother or her siblings.  It had been settled by her grandfather.  He made the decision because he felt he was too old to handle her.  She was known in their small village for her ruthless fighting and her skills with the pistol. Some called her
poco asesino
, a title her grandfather wasn’t proud of.  There were constant threats towards their family.  Her grandfather decided it was time to leave the island when she received a doll fashioned to resemble her with a rope tied around its neck.

“Lourdes, usted irá a Estados Unidos y hacer una vida mejor. Aquí, morirás como tu padre si no vas,”
Lourdes, you will go to America and make a better life.  Here, you will die like your father if you do not go. 
Her grandfather had announced firmly after dinner one evening.

“Abuelo, por favor! Voy a cambiar! No quiero dejar a todos ustedes!”
Grandfather, please! I will change! I don't want to leave all of you!
She had cried, her heart exploding with grief at his apparent abandonment.  All of her trouble resulted from attempts to protect the family.  She didn’t know why he couldn’t understand that.

“No habrá más discusión! Va a ir!”
There will be no more discussion!  You will go!
Her grandfather wouldn’t hear any more pleas from her or anyone else in the family.  No one knew that he left to hide his own tears.  The old man knew that if he didn’t send his granddaughter away, he’d bury her just as he had his son and grandson.  He was getting too old and his heart was weakening.  He knew his time was coming to an end soon.  He also knew that Summer was the most resourceful member of the family. He could only hope that she’d make a life in America for herself and bring the others along once she settled down there.