Southern Comfort (12 page)

It was wonderful and she both wanted the ride to be over and wanted it to stretch on. She knew that this moment would be one she'd remember forever. That wanting that filled the whole of her, and the anticipation of what was to come.

Whatever happened next, this moment would live in her memory forever as one of the most powerful of her life.

What she did not expect, was the impact that sent her careening into the window.

Chapter Ten

Rodrick stood when Giancarlo Moretti entered the room. He couldn't remember ever being this nervous, but then he'd never been invited to the home of the head of a crime syndicate. And who got invited for drinks at eleven o'clock at night?

"Mr. Becke, at last we meet." Giancarlo smiled as he crossed the room and extended his hand to Rodrick.

Rodrick clasped his hand, noticing how Giancarlo placed his left hand on top their clasped ones. It seemed a bit familiar for a first meeting. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Moretti."

"Please, call me Giancarlo. After all, if what my Gina tells me is true, we're going to be family."

Rodrick nearly swallowed his tongue. What the hell had Gina told her father?  He forced a smile to his face and glanced at Gina, who was sitting on the sofa looking every bit like the cat that had swallowed the cream.

"I know we haven't made it formal and –" She lifted her left hand and waggled her fingers. "There's not a ring on my hand yet, but I just couldn't keep it to myself anymore, darling. Besides, you know it's important to me that you get Daddy's permission to make it official."

Rodrick wished for a hole to open up in the floor and swallow him. If  his mind was still functional, Gina had just roped him into asking Giancarlo for her hand in marriage. He looked at Giancarlo and the look on the man's face told Rodrick he had not deduced incorrectly.

"I—forgive me. I had not quite anticipated this moment happening tonight and – and I fear I'm not quite prepared."

"What is there to prepare for?" Giancarlo asked and then gestured to the couch as he took a seat in a chair opposite the couch. "Please sit."

Rodrick sat stiffly beside Gina, wracking his brain for an appropriate response.  He had to tread very carefully. Giancarlo Moretti was not just a savvy crime boss, he was a monster.  Gina had boasted to Rodrick how her father's last wife had gotten
what she deserved
, when she tried to turn state's evidence against him.

Her body had been found nailed to a wall, literally, her eyes and tongue cut out and her body disfigured from burns that were ascertained to have been inflicted with a torch. In short she'd been tortured before shot in the head

Gina had taken pride in the fact that her father had carried out the torture personally.  Her remark had been "the bitch got what she deserved."  Rodrick was horrified.  That sort of thing should be relegated to fiction.  For someone to be that much of a psychopath was chilling.  For his daughter to take such pride in it made her just as frightening and deadly.

. "Sir, "I – I wanted to be prepared with proof that I have the means to take care of Gina she deserves.  My respect for her and for you demanded that I not formally ask you for your daughter''s hand in marriage until I proved proof that she would be taken care of in a manner she deserves and one that shows honor to you."

Giancarlo dismissed Rodrick's words with a wave of his hand. "I need no such proof, Ricky. I may call you Ricky?  I am comfortable that there will be no indictments against you. And I do not need proof of a divorce. A widower is a preferable state for a man who is to wed my only daughter."

Rodrick nearly threw up. He felt his gut clench and nausea rise up his throat. He swallowed hard, coughed and cleared his throat. "Pardon?"

"Daddy's simply stating the obvious, Ricky. If you have to drag it out in divorce court it will take forever, and when it comes to that Daddy always says that no one but the lawyers make out like bandits in divorce."

Giancarlo chuckled when Gina giggled at her own remark. Rodrick couldn't find any humor in any of it. They were talking about murdering his wife. "Sir, with all due respect, I believe I can make Analise see reason and –"

"I doubt that." Giancarlo interrupted. "You're talking with someone who has been through this more than once. Believe me, women are never satisfied regardless of what you offer. You either marry for life or come to peace with becoming a widower. Divorce is a hell no man can endure.

"Personally I prefer to gut them before they can cause me such annoyance, nevertheless, it is your decision. I understand that most of the funds your wife absconded with were put into your son's name. Somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty-three million?"

Rodrick cut Gina a look. It was like a kick to the head knowing that she'd told her father everything. He'd been insane about her for three years, dreamed about them having a life together. He thought she loved him, that she could be trusted. How wrong he'd been.

"Yes, about that." He didn't have the guts to do anything but answer.

"And surely you can speak with your son about returning the money."

"Uh, well, actually as I understand it, most of it was put into some kind of trust and Analise is the trustee."

"Interesting." Giancarlo got up and went to the bar to refresh his drink. "And I suppose that if something were to happen to your son – something like say, a tragic accident, the trust would revert to your wife?"

This time the fear had Rodrick bolting to his feet and looking around frantically for an exit. He spotted the door to the balcony and ran to it, flung it open and dashed across the to the railing, where he proceeded to vomit all over Manhattan.

When he had nothing left to retch, he spat, wiped his mouth and tried to compose himself. It was crystal clear that he was not just out of his depths, but swimming in shark infested waters. He couldn't sanction the murder of his family.

He whirled as he heard the click of heels behind him.  Gina crossed the balcony to him.  "Are you okay?"

"Fine.  Fine.  Just an upset stomach.  Something I ate?"

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes glittered in the dim light and for the first time he saw her for who she was.  Beneath that beauty and artifice was the soul of evil.  Tonight wasn't meant to be a proclamation of their love and devotion.  It was meant to be a test of his mettle.

She'd set him up by telling him about her father's last wife and the manner in which Giancarlo had disposed of her.  It was a prelude to the demand that he act in a like manner.  Get rid of Analise and David if that was what was her father demanded.

"I'm fine, darling."  He turned away as he answered, afraid she'd see the lie on his face.  He was anything but fine.

"Ricky, listen to me."  She stepped up beside him and lowered her voice. "All you have to do is play along. My father can get make your problems vanish if you give him what he wants.  So give it to him.  Once you have his trust, we'll use your position and power to our advantage and gain a firmer hold in his empire."

He turned his head to look at her and she smiled.  "You just have to prove your loyalty.  I'm his only daughter, his little girl. He might be unwilling to hand over the reins of power to me, but not to you.  You bring legitimacy to the table.  And the ability to clean a lot of money. He's not stupid.  He sees the advantage of having you in the family."

"And what advantage is that to us?"  Was she campaigning for her father's benefit or her own?

"It positions us to take over."

"Take over?"  Taking over a crime syndicate was the last thing in life he wanted.

"Yes.  My brothers can be eliminated.  Once they're gone I'm the sole heir. If you establish yourself as my father's right hand and something should happen to him then that enables me to take the throne.  We'll have it all."

Rodrick pondered it briefly, forcing his mind into what it was most adept at, namely analytical thinking. At this point it did not come as a surprise that Gina wanted to use him to help her eliminate her father and wrest control of his empire.  However, he didn't believe that her ambition would stop there.  While she might end up as the heir to the kingdom, she would never be allowed to run the family syndicate.  Other powerful families in the syndicate would see the Moretti family as weak if they were ruled by a woman.

She needed him as her puppet.  She could never rule on her own and he'd never have the stomach for her way of life. She'd have to get rid of him and find a more suitable replacement.  One she could control from behind the scenes but a man the rest of the syndicate would accept.

"We shouldn't discuss this here, Gina.  Let's rejoin your father, shall we?"

"You're right.  We don't want him to be suspicious, but you're with me, aren't you, Ricky?

"How could I not be?"

Her smile sent a chill sliding over his skin.  He had to find a way to not just get away from her and her entire family, but a way to be safe from them. An idea occurred to him. It was risky and might land him in prison, but at this point prison seemed a step up from where he was headed with the Moretti family.

They returned inside. "I apologize. Must have been the shellfish at dinner. I don't feel one-hundred percent, so would you mind if we took this up at another time?"

"Of course, Ricky. Don't worry yourself about details. You're almost a part of the family and I always take care of family. Don’t I, sweetheart?" He directed the last question to Gina.

"You better believe it. I'm going to go, too, Daddy. Why don't we all meet for dinner tomorrow. Your favorite restaurant? Nine, sound good?"

"Perfect. It's a date." He looked at Rodrick. "See you then...son."

Rodrick managed a nod. "Yes, sir. See you then."

The moment they were out of the penthouse, he looked at Gina. "Darling, I really am feeling unwell. Perhaps it would be best if you stayed at your place tonight – just in the off chance that this is something other than the shellfish. There is a nasty flu going around and I wouldn't want to infect you."

"Don't be silly, Ricky. Besides, I had my flu shot.  And we have a lot to discuss." She pulled out her phone and summoned her driver. As they made their way to the elevator and during the ride down to the street level, Rodrick could think of only one thing – how to get away from Gina as quickly as possible and set his new plan into motion.

*****

Riley saw the blur of black headed toward them a split second before the impact, which gave him just enough time to stomp the accelerator. Lucky for him that was enough to have the oncoming car hit his truck just behind the driver's side door in the left rear panel, instead of on the door panel.

"Riley!" Annie screamed at the exact moment gunfire sounded.

The driver's side window exploded and he felt the spray of glass against the side of his face.  A moment later the other window shattered.

"Hold on!"

The impact sent the back end of the truck skidding around to the right, threatening to go into a spin. Riley could have turned the steering wheel to halt the spin but instead, turned with it, braking just enough that the truck ended up behind the car that had hit him.

He punched the accelerator and Annie screamed again. "What are you doing?  Are you crazy?  We're going to—"

The rest of her words were cut short as the truck rammed the car from behind. It was enough to send the other car careening off the road and into the ditch.

Riley slammed on the brakes and threw his truck into park. He opened his door and felt Annie's hands on his arms. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find out why they ran into us. Just stay here."

"He's got a gun!"

"Just stay."

"No, I'm going with you."

"Annie, stay here." He pried her hands from his arm and climbed out of the truck. The driver of the car was just climbing out of the car when Riley reached it. There was no weapon in his hand.

"What the hell?" Riley yelled at him.

The man wasn't all that tall, but was stocky with a barrel chest and thick neck. "Fuck you, mother fuck—" That was all the man got out of his mouth before Riley punched him.

It stumbled the man back into the car door with blood spurting from his nose, but it didn't stop him. He pushed off the door and dove at Riley. It was like being hit by a bulldozer. Riley was lifted up off his feet and propelled backwards with the man bent over and plowing him like a football player determined to make a tackle.

Riley pounded on the man's back but it had no effect. His foot slipped and over backwards he went with the bulldozer on top of him.

A shriek preceded Annie suddenly pouncing on the bulldozer's back. She dug her fingernails into the man's face, gouging at his eyes.

Riley pressed the advantage her intervention  provided and landed a few body blows. Luckily the man was soft in the middle, so it winded him. But not enough to stop him. He rolled off Riley, taking Annie with him.

She ended up under the man, screaming and kicking. Riley scrambled to his feet and kicked at the man's head. Bulldozer yowled and rolled off Annie. She wasted no time rolling over and scrambling away like a crab, getting to her feet as she moved.

Riley grabbed her and jerked her behind him. That's when Bulldozer hit again. Fists flew and they took it to the dirt with Annie getting in a few good kicks of her own.  Twice the man made a lunge for Annie and twice Riley managed to drag her out of the way.  The second time earned him a kidney punch that had him nearly going to his knees. The man had arms like a damn pile driver.