Alfonzo (35 page)

Damn, they were hugging his ass!

His hand steered in the direction of the Diaz’
,
of
its
own volition.

The
nurse heard the monitor’s shrill beep and hurried into the room. Luzo Palazzo
lay motionless with his head elevated in the hospital bed.
The patient flat
-
lined.
A Do Not
Resuscitate
Order required her to follow protocol.

She notified the attending
physician, who came immediately
checked the patient’s
vital signs then declared Luzo Palazzo deceased at
5
:15 a.m.

The nurse began the notification process
as another nurse disconnected the
intravenous tubes, oxygen and
monitor
.

She reached Mr. Alberti who sighed and said, “
T
hank you
.
”

Alberti frowned. Luzo was gone and
it was his duty to d
o everything to help his son transition into a new role. He was uncertain if Alfonzo were ready for such responsibility but he was a good teacher.
Once the boy matured then he’d divulge the entire history of the Giacanti family.
For now, what he’d been told by Luzo was enough. Soon, Alberti would guide the wayward punk in the ways of the Giacanti’s –and when
he was certain of the man,
more
truth
s
would be
come
unveiled.

He called Alfonzo.
The cell
rang.

***

The intruder listened to the incessant ring
ing.
It was t
ime to act. He slid quietly up the stairs hugging the wall in the direction of the sounds emanating from the room.

T
he sound of lovemaking ceased and a male voice said loudly, “
Now
, you expect me to come there now?”

Freddie
hovered in the hallway beneath the recessed lights, listening.

Alfonzo hung-up the telephone and turned to Selange. Their
lovemaking
interrupted
by Alberti’s call.

“Is something wrong?”

His eyes caught the surveillance monitor,
‘
What the hell?
’

Alfonzo put his finger to his lips
and reached for shorts. He slid them up and removed his weapon from the drawer. He gestured to Selange to stand against the far
wall.
He
glanced on
ce more at
Selange as she hurried to a corner
pushing her arms in his shirt.
Her hair cascaded
over the bright collar and she swept it back with her hand as she fumbled to button it.
He frowned, Freddie was here
and it was time to end the cat and mouse game, once and for all!

The
door
flew
open and Alfonzo squeezed off a shot striking
the intruder
in the arm
but two wild shots careened into the room before the assailant stumbled backward into the corridor.
Alfonzo advanced taking advantage
of Freddie’s
lack of coordination and discharged a bullet in his chest. The vermin writhed
in pain.
Alfonzo kicked the gun away from the man’s hand and stepped over him
and
aim
ed
between his eyeballs.
Finally, he
got the chance to look the man in the eye. The same man who killed so
meone he loved.
He wanted Freddie to feel the terror, to see how easy it is to shoot
,
but
the
difficult
y of cowards
to accept death.

Blood flowed from the man’s torso onto the parquet wood.

Freddie
clutched his chest, “Fuck you punk!”

He stepped on the man’s torso and he shrieked in agony as Alfonzo’s foot dug into his wound.
A sinister smile crept along Alfonzo’s lips at the sound of the man’s pain. He knew such pain, lived it ever
-
since the death of his uncle and it felt good to hear the bastard responsible experience the torment. –But hearing any sound from the mouth of Freddie angered him and he knelt down hard on his chest, stuck the gun in the scum’s mouth then someone shouted.

“Alfonzo, don‘t…the
f
eds are here!”

He turned to see
Nico
barreling down the
hall.
Soon, he closed the
distance, “Hurry,
get rid of the gun
!”

Footsteps echoed on the stairs just as Alfonzo rose, “Up here!” He shouted
and the hallway
filled with law enforcement
.
They converged
upon
the man
bleeding on the floor
.
Alfonzo stepped away
and he immediately thought about Selange. Freddie
’s
gun discharged, didn’t it?

‘Shit,
Selange!
’

He
rushed into the bedroom and
found Selange
lying
on the floor, blood
spreading across
the
side of the
white shirt.
He dropped to his knees and
place
d her head on his lap
, “
It’s
okay…you’re going to be okay
, babe
.”

She
smiled weakly, “So this is what catching a bullet feels like? Y
ou and Fifty Cent make it sound so glamorous but
this shit
hurts
.
”

His hand pressed against her side to slow the bleeding but it seeped through his fingers in a colorful
spill
and
clung to his
tan
skin. He
spoke softly, “
Stop trying to make me laugh, it’s not working.
”

Her eyes were beginning to close as if she were about to nap, “It doesn’t hurt
anymore
.” She breathed, “Don’t leave.”

Tears flowed openly, “
I’m not going anywhere
bonita
but you have to h
old on…
Selange stay awake…keep talking
.”

Her eyes fluttered
open
, “I
’m trying…I love you…Alfonzo I’m getting tired
,”
then her eyes closed and she lay motionless in his arms.

Nico yelled, “Somebody get a fucking ambulance, someone’s shot in here!”

Alfonzo cradled Selange
. His head dropped in despair. His body felt cold, his heart turned to stone and he sat there
knowing her blood was on his hands because he had been too weak to let her go.

Nico turned away
;
this
is exactly what he
feared
would happen.
The paramedics burst into the bedroom and Nico walked over to help the young man to his feet.

CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN

Alberti
answered the cell, “Um-hum.”

He recognized Dominick‘s voice.

“
Check your attachment
.”

“Gra
zie
, our mutual friend will be pleased.”

Alberti disconnected the call and walked to the young man
covered in blood
standing in t
h
e hospital
waiting room.
“It is done.”

The head
swivel
ed and he saw his old friend in youthful days. The young man’s
eyes
did not smile, instead they glinted in fury.
“Show me. I want proof!
”

Alberti nodded, “Certainly.”

Alberti
reopened
the picture in
his cell
and showed Alfonzo the
photo
. The
grotesque
image of a
severed blonde head
belonged to the woman who set this entire tragedy into motion. Luzo’s deceitful wife, Gina!

Bloodstained hands
balled into a fist. He spun
around and
pound
a
wall
.
The force
cracked paint
and
le
ft
an indentation
as evidence of
his fury.

“Death was not good enough for her!”

Alberti delete the picture then
tucked
the phone away, “
But she
cannot
plot
anymore which is
good.”

The younger man
relaxed. He sighed and
turned to stare toward the door
of the
ICU.
“She’s pregnant, y
ou
know.”
He
said almost inaudibly.

“
It is a
wonderful blessing.
She will
recover and all this will be a memory.
”

“I
can’t let
anything happen to her…
to my family
.”

Alberti understood
,
he lived with the same fears every
day. Yet, he could not imagine
a life without his wife and lovely daughters.

“If you love her…then
love her
,
but to protect her you know what you must do.
”

The young man nodded,
“I wouldn’t forgive myself if …”

Alberti stood beside the young man, “
It is better to
live with
love then die without it.
You
r father learned this too late. Do not make the same mistake.”

“
W
hat about the danger?”

Alberti lit a cigar, “There is always danger for the living.”

Alfonzo cocked his head to observe the old man. Luzo w
as lucky to have such a friend.

“
Put that out, this is a hospital!” A nurse admonished.

Alberti winked at Alfonzo, “Life’s a risk,
to hell with fate, make your own
rules
!
”

The beachs
ide home overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. Its spectacular view now home
thanks to the constant harassment by the Feds and local NYPD. Alfonzo stood at the rear of the house and watched the figures running and laughing
along the beach. The dark haired boy stopped and pointed toward him and began to
wave.

Alfonzo waved back at his son, “
Hola
Salvatore.”

Barefeet
, he trekked through the sand toward the boy.

“
Papa
aqui
,
mirar
!”
A voice exclaimed from behind his wife.

Alfonzo laughed as his son darted toward him.
Once he collided with his legs he
lifted
his son
high in the air
and
the short legs kick
ed
excitedly as
Alfonzo
kissed
the
plump
cheek
. He twirled the boy
around until
he
became dizzy
then set him down on his feet
.
He waddled unsteadily then fell backward on his butt laughing.

Selange reached
Alfonzo
and he placed a
n
arm around her
waist.

“How was your trip?”

“Uneventful, I’m just glad to be
home
.”

Salvatore played
in the sand.
He inherited his father’s ocean blue eyes and
his mother’s intelligence.

The boy looked up,
“D
a
d
my present.
”