The Scorpion's Tale (35 page)

“Joaquin, I really don’t care about……”

“I do,” Joaquin interjected. “I don’t wish to
see you meet the same fate as Veeksburn or the others he’s slain.
There are very few of us left and I want you to have a better end
to your life than this!”

“What about the detective? He expects me to
meet him.”

“His destiny is bound with Steven’s. The
Scorpion has granted him safe passage to the island. What will
become of him, I cannot say.”

“So you, the detective, and Steven are going
to this island to meet the Scorpion?”

“Yes, but there will be two others; Nick
Manzione and his Italian girlfriend.”

“Pierro’s boy?”

Joaquin nodded.

“What’s Nick got to do with this?”

Joaquin shrugged.

“I swore to Steven’s mother that I’d protect
her son. I won’t break my promise.”

“I understand, but I also know Francesca
would not want you to needlessly sacrifice your life. She still
cares about you.”

Charlie looked away.

“She’ll be at peace with your decision,
Charlie. She’ll understand. There is no upside to continuing this
journey. You can’t help Steven. If you try, you’ll only ensure your
own death.”

Charlie slouched back in his chair and stared
at the ceiling. He looked totally exasperated. “I’m tired, Joaquin,
and way too old for this bullshit!”

“Then you agree to return to Chicago?”

“No. I made a promise to Francesca and a
promise to myself.”

Joaquin smiled fondly. “That’s why I so
admire and respect you, Charlie. I knew you would do the right
thing. But I had to warn you, my friend.” Joaquin patted Charlie on
the shoulder with a special ring he hadn’t used in years. The
hidden needle pierced through Charlie’s shirt. Charlie suddenly
grabbed his chest and collapsed. An attendant passing by with a
walkie-talkie quickly summoned aide and within minutes paramedics
were attending to Charlie. Joaquin assured the paramedics that he
would be at the hospital within the hour, as Charlie was wheeled
past him.

Joaquin smiled sadly at Charlie. “Don’t
worry, Charlie. Now you’re going to be fine.”

-------------------

Giovanna and Nick remained at the gate after
learning their flight was delayed for thirty minutes. Nick could
not remember a time when Louie and Pete were not there to watch his
back. He was on his own and his nerves were frayed. Nick took out
his cell phone and called his uncle.

“Nick, where are you?” Alberto asked.

“There’s been a slight change of plans,
Uncle. Gia and I are going to Quito.”

“Quito?” Alberto shouted. “I thought you were
coming home.”

“No, but I’ve sent Pete, Louie, and Braulio
home.”

“They’re not with you? Are you crazy?”

Nick carefully chose his words, sensing his
uncle was about to explode. “Uncle, I’ve been informed that the
Scorpion has accepted a contract on me and Giovanna.”

“A contract on you? That’s absurd! Who would
have the audacity to put a contract on your life? Where are you
getting this bullshit from?” Alberto screeched at the top of his
lungs.

“Steven Capresi informed me about the
contract.”

Alberto seemed genuinely surprised to hear
about Steven. “What could Capresi possibly know about a contract
with the Scorpion? Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?”

“I’m not taking any chances. I sent Louie and
Pete to kill the Brazilians, but they had already been taken out.
It’s too much of a coincidence.”

Alberto remained silent as he digested the
new information. “Why are you going to Quito?”

“To meet Steven. He thinks together we can
kill the Scorpion.”

“You’re both insane! I forbid you to go!”

“I have to hang up now,” Nick said, cutting
off his uncle. “I love you.” Nick had never before been so
blatantly disrespectful to Alberto, but there was nothing further
to discuss.

“Stay right here,” he told Giovanna. “I’m
going to the men’s room.”

As soon as Nick disappeared, a female airline
attendant approached Giovanna.

“Excuse me, but are you Ms. Fratore?”

“That’s correct,” Giovanna answered,
momentarily forgetting her new identity.

“I have an urgent call for Mr. Jimmy Peters
from Pete. He told me that you were traveling with Mr. Peters. I’m
extremely sorry to bother you, but he said it couldn’t wait.”

She looked down the concourse to see if she
could spot Nick. “I’m afraid Mr. Peters is in the men’s room.”

“Since it’s urgent, would you mind taking the
call? I can take you into our office for privacy.”

Giovanna looked down the concourse for Nick
again. “I guess I can take the call for him.”

The attendant smiled at her. “Follow me,
please.”

Giovanna followed the attendant across the
concourse into a small office marked ‘employees only.’ As Giovanna
walked into the office, she was immediately grabbed from behind,
and a cloth saturated with chloroform was pressed over her face,
rendering her unconscious. She was lifted into a wheelchair,
wrapped in blankets with her face hidden by a scarf, and taken into
a service elevator.

Moments later, Nick returned to find Giovanna
gone. He thought she must have gone to the ladies’ room so he sat
down and waited. He decided to call Steven, who picked up on the
first ring.

“Nick, where are you?”

“We’re booked to Quito.”

“Who is ‘we’?”

“Giovanna and I.”

“Are you airborne yet?”

“No, but we’re at the gate and taking off
shortly. We should be there in a few hours. Where should we meet
you?”

“You need to go to a hotel called Casa
Habana. I’ve made all the arrangements. Call me when you get
there.”

“Where are you?” Nick demanded, agitated by
Steven’s elusiveness.

“We’ll talk later.”

Steven hung up, infuriating Nick. It was
clear that he was going to have to play by Steven’s rules a little
longer, until they were face to face.

Nick scanned the waiting area with no sign of
Giovanna. He called her cell phone several times, only getting her
voicemail. When the boarding announcement was made, Nick knew
something was wrong. He got up and walked up and down the concourse
looking for her. His cell phone rang and the caller identification
showed it was Giovanna.

Nick exploded into the phone. “Where the hell
are you? We’re boarding!”

Nick heard an unfamiliar female voice on the
other end. He froze.

“There’s been a change of plans, Mr.
Manzione. Listen carefully and follow my instructions. The New York
flight that your men are traveling on has already departed, so you
don’t need to waste your time trying to reach them. We’ve been
watching everyone in your little group. If you deviate from my
orders or try to use your cell phone, she dies. Do you
understand?”

“I understand,” Nick said, biting his
lip.

“Good. Get to the front of the terminal and
I’ll call you again. You have five minutes. If you’re late, kiss
her goodbye.”

-------------------

Nick’s phone rang as he reached his
destination.

“Mr. Manzione, there is a yellow taxi bearing
number 8987, a few hundred feet to your right. Enter it.”

Nick opened the door and got in. The driver,
without acknowledging him, drove into the cargo area behind the
terminal, and eventually into a hidden tarmac where several private
jets were parked. The driver pointed toward a Falcon 50 jet, where
an attractive woman in uniform stood at the bottom of the
staircase. Nick collected his bags and walked over.

“Are you the sweet young thing who has been
delivering my instructions?” he asked sarcastically.

“I am, Mr. Manzione. Are you ready for your
flight?”

“Where is Giovanna?”

The woman smiled politely and pointed up the
jet’s staircase. “She’s already comfortably seated.”

Nick realized he had no bargaining power.
“After you, then,” he said, extending his hand toward the
staircase. She entered the cabin and ducked into the first row,
allowing Nick an unobstructed view of Giovanna. Her mouth was
taped, but she still tried to communicate with her eyes wide in
fear. As Nick turned in the direction Giovanna was looking, a hard
object crashed down on his head, rendering him unconscious.

A huge man lifted Nick’s body into a seat and
handcuffed his wrists. He then ripped the strip of tape off
Giovanna’s mouth, causing her to wince in pain. He grinned and
pointed toward the front rows. “Feel free to move about the cabin.
Perhaps you’d like the empty seat next to Mr. Manzione?”

-------------------

When Detective Johnston reached the gate, he
looked for Charlie, but could not find him. The detective moved out
of the path of the deplaning passengers and called Charlie on his
cell phone. An elderly man came forward and raised his hand toward
the detective. Johnston looked at the man suspiciously.

“Are you Detective Michael Johnston?” he
asked.

“Yes. Who wants to know?”

“I am Joaquin Ordonez. I am here to meet
you.”

Detective Johnston shook Joaquin’s hand as he
surveyed the waiting area. “Where’s Charlie?”

“Charlie had a medical emergency. I think it
was his heart. The paramedics were here forty minutes earlier and
transported him to the hospital. I thought you’d want to speak with
them so I took their business cards.” Joaquin handed a card to the
detective.

“Thanks,” the detective answered.

Johnston dialed the paramedic. “Officer
Castro, this is Detective Michael Johnston of the Suffolk County
Police Department in the State of New York. I’m at Miami
International Airport with Joaquin Ordonez, and I’m calling to
inquire about the condition of Charlie Ponte.”

“Excuse me detective, but can you tell me
your interest is in this gentleman?”

“I just arrived in Miami on a flight from New
York, and I’m working on an active case with Mr. Ponte and Mr.
Ordonez. I wanted to check on him.”

“Okay, detective. Nothing personal, I’m just
covering my ass.”

“I know,” Detective Johnston replied, “I do
it all the time.”

“Mr. Ponte is doing fine. It wasn’t a heart
attack, but they’re going to run some tests. His blood pressure
spiked and his pulse was abnormal. It may be stress-related or an
allergic reaction, but they probably won’t know until tomorrow.
He’ll be kept overnight for observation.”

“Thanks.”

Johnston closed his phone and closely
regarded his new traveling companion. “It looks like Charlie will
be fine. So what are we doing, Joaquin? Are we flying to Quito
tonight or tomorrow morning?”

“Neither,” Joaquin answered. “We’re not going
to Quito at all.”

“Why not?” Johnston asked.

“Because Steven’s changed his plans and he’s
going somewhere else.”

“Are you going to tell me where we are
going?” Johnston asked, unable to disguise his impatience.

“I don’t know. All I know is that we have a
flight tomorrow morning on a private plane. The change in Steven’s
itinerary was waiting for me at the gate when I arrived.” Joaquin
showed him a fax with instructions.

“Am I supposed to believe the Scorpion sent
you this fax?”

“Yes, that’s the way he communicates.”

“He’s expecting three of us.”

“And only two of us will be on that
plane.”

“What does this mean for us?” Detective
Johnston asked.

“Only the Scorpion knows.”

-------------------

Nick awoke as the jet made its final descent.
His head was throbbing. Giovanna was asleep next to him, her head
resting on his shoulder. He tried to move his head and a sharp pain
flared throughout his skull. He attempted to grab at the pain and
realized his hands were in handcuffs.

The plane made a hard landing on a runway
bordered by a tropical forest. Nick peered out the window and
surveyed the runway; an old, poorly maintained asphalt strip with
missing chucks of pavement. There was no sign of civilization. The
jet came to a stop and the large man emerged from behind the
curtain separating the front compartment where Nick and Giovanna
were seated. He had a disingenuous grin on his face. “I trust you
had a pleasant nap, Mr. Manzione?”

“Yes, I did, dickhead. It would’ve been nicer
without a baseball bat to my skull.”

“Actually, it was my fist.”

Nick raised his cuffed hands and felt for
cuts on his scalp, but only found an extreme welt on the top left
side.

“Don’t worry pretty boy,” the big man
scoffed. “You’re still an Adonis!”

“Where are we going now?” Giovanna asked.

“
You
are getting off this plane and
taking another short trip. Please follow me, Gorgeous.”

“What about Nick?” Giovanna asked,
concerned.

“He’ll be coming later. For now, we need to
keep you two separated. It’s a self- insurance program!” he
chuckled.

Nick tried standing, but a firm hand pushed
him back into his seat. He looked over his shoulder to see the
woman attendant pointing a 38 snub nose at him.

“I’ll have to keep you entertained for a
while, Mr. Manzione,” she said playfully, grinning at Nick. “I’m
sure we’ll find something to do, but if you misbehave, I have no
qualms about shooting your pretty face off.”

The man stepped toward Giovanna and extended
his hand. “It’s time to go.”

She looked pleadingly at Nick.

“Go ahead, Gia,” Nick said calmly. “There’s
nothing we can do now. I’ll catch up with you soon.”

Nick watched from the window as she got into
a waiting car.

Steven boarded a bus to Tena at the Terminal
Terrestre Cumanda in Quito. The first part of the drive crossed the
Tumbaco Valley and passed through several villages. Beyond the
valley, the road became steep and winding as it entered the high
Andean Plains. As the bus climbed higher it began to rain,
enveloping the bus in low-lying clouds. When the bus emerged from
the cloud bank, the terrain had changed into a treeless landscape,
only to be replaced by lushness as the bus descended into another
valley where the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared.