Rinaldo is dying.
“Who else can I trust, Evan? Who else will make sure my family is always taken care of? They’re giving me weeks, maybe not even that long.”
All I can do is stare at the floor. I can’t seem to make any of my muscles respond to the commands from my brain. I hear the creak of the bed as he stands, but it doesn’t quite register until he’s next to me. He takes my hand.
“Say it, Evan. Tell me you’ll take over my business and run it right.”
My throat is dry. I lick at my lips, but it doesn’t seem to provide any moisture.
“Please, Evan. You’re the only option I have.”
“I’ll do it,” I reply as my stomach seems to fall to my feet.
I really don’t know what else I can do.
Chapter 15—Impulsive Arrangement
My head is still spinning.
I don’t go to Felisa’s funeral. I can’t bring myself to attend, knowing Rinaldo and Lele would be there. Instead, I spend the day driving around the city in the spring rain.
There are so many things going through my head, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Between Beni’s obvious betrayal, the elusive Joshua Taylor, and my apparent takeover of a giant crime family, my brain just can’t cope.
Jonathan keeps calling, but I haven’t answered the phone. I’m sure he’s found something, and probably something important, but my head is full. I can’t handle any more information right now. Besides, my perspective is totally different.
Everything I do has always been about Rinaldo—protecting him, protecting his business, eliminating any threats—and now I have to think about it in completely different terms. I’ve agreed to it. I’ve agreed to honor a dying man’s wish. I’m going to take over the businesses completely, and now those threats are against me.
The problem is, I don’t really care what happens to me.
I don’t care about amassing money. There’s more money in my offshore accounts and various safe-deposit boxes around the country than I’ll ever manage to spend. I don’t care if the car shops and the clubs are doing well enough to launder all the money from the illegal businesses. I don’t care if the books are balanced. I’ve only cared about one thing—Rinaldo.
What do I do in six to eight weeks when he’s gone?
The only purpose I’ve had since leaving the Marines is going to vanish. I’ll be in a world that will no longer include the only person I really, truly care about. The one person I’d lay down my life for without question. I’m going to lose the one person who has ever called me son.
I end up pulling over and walking around Grant Park. My hands are shaky, and driving doesn’t seem like a great idea right now. I wander around in a stupor amongst the flower gardens instead. There isn’t much growing yet, just a few bulbs with green shoots sticking out of the ground, and there’s hardly anyone around. The rain has tapered off, but everything is a muddy mess. A couple of guys shoveling mulch from a pickup are my only company.
My eyes burn, but my face is wet only from the mist. I can’t bring myself to cry. If I did, I wouldn’t even know who I was crying for—Rinaldo or myself.
Even with everything else going on, my thoughts keep turning to Alina. I wonder if she’s got some magic touch that will help me deal with all of this, but I doubt it.
She helps though. She helps a lot, maybe more than I should let her.
Jonathan was right—I have become a little attached. Initially it was about the sleep, and then it was about the sex, but the last time we were together, it felt different. I’m not sure exactly in what way, but definitely different.
And the whole thing about her father… When I think about it, I see red. Maybe that’s what I need to do—go take care of him. I know it isn’t what she wants, but I’m going to do it anyway. If nothing else, it’s going to make me feel better.
I get back in the car and drive over to Oak Park. I still have his mug shot on my phone, and the address is easy enough to find. The apartment is a shithole next to a shabby strip mall in a high-crime area, which is perfect.
I park across the street and just watch the place for a while. Shortly after four in the afternoon, he emerges. I watch him walk next door to a liquor store and come out with a bottle in a brown sack. He heads back into the apartment.
I could just go in there and do it now, be done with it. I’m still on edge though. If I do it now, without a formal plan in place, I’m likely to mess something up. His apartment has a window, but it’s small and there’s no place around here to get into sniping position. This will have to be more personal.
A plan forms as I drive away. I need a few tools and a decent night’s sleep first. I drive over to Alina’s corner, but she’s nowhere in sight. In fact, I can’t seem to find any of the girls she usually hangs out with either.
I drive around for a full two hours, making my usual stop for gas and cigarettes. She still isn’t around. I’m getting hungry, and though I had thought to take her out for dinner, I decide to waste time feeding myself instead.
I eat, but the fast food sits in my stomach like a wad of uncooked dough. I drive around, and I get more and more frustrated when she doesn’t appear. I listen to the radio to try to distract myself, but as the time ticks by, the song lyrics start to piss me off. I slam my fist into the power button and silence the singer.