Sixty-Six

Hank was so far away inside his head, he didn’t see the beautiful sunny morning sky, the beauty of the island screaming at his eyes, flashing by his car window while they drove to a café in Fira. Velasquez wasn’t that stupid, and he would do the same if he was the one doing the shit. A meeting in a public space where everyone could see them, and he wouldn’t be able to act on him. Darryl was driving the truck and blabbering God-knew-what, as his mind was so far away he didn’t catch a word of what he was saying. His phone buzzed in his pocket, bringing him back to focus on his task. Hank reached to it, and Eli’s face flashed on the screen.

“Hank! There’s a little someone here so eager to talk to her daddy.” Eli’s cheerful voice made a smile dance on his lips, thinking of his little girl floating around him.

“Put her through, please.” He needed to hear her voice to keep him grounded.

“Daddy, where are you? Where’s mommy?” It killed him to listen to the sadness and anxiety in her voice. She missed them, mostly Melina, since they never got separated this much in her brief life. Again, it was his fault. He was inflicting pain on his daughter. Hank couldn’t shake out of his brains the feeling of racking their lives since he found them.

“Eve, daddy was there last night, but you were asleep, so I gave you a goodnight kiss. I’m going to get mommy, and she’ll be there later on, ok?” A sigh of agreement came to his ear. “I want you to do me a favor. Can I count on you?”

“Yes, daddy.” Eve’s voice trembled, hinting to him she was about to cry. Even before, when she sighed, he knew she was agitated.

“I need you to take care of Yiayiá, and this big guy by your side. Sometimes he messes everything up. I’m counting on you and the cats to take care of them until mommy gets back.” He saw Melina doing this strategy with her many times and it worked. Hopes she’d buy it again filled his heart. “Eve, daddy may have to cross the ocean and fight some monsters, ok. Remember, I love you with all my heart…” He couldn’t help himself but choke, since he had no clue the outcome of all that. The only certainty he had in his heart, he had to bring Melina back to his little girl. “I had the best time with you. Now give the phone to Eli, please. I love you, muffin.”

“Love you too, daddy. I miss you!”

“Eli, we’re getting closer to the café. Please keep them safe.”

“Don’t worry much, yourself. Linus has the house surrounded. No one can cross this place. Focus only about getting Melina back.” And he hung up.

Gosh, it was hard! He wanted a chance of a future with them, a family. He was utterly alone in this life. His dad died about fifteen years ago, Tom about seven, and his mom two years after his brother. Leaving him with no close relatives, only his mother’s sister, and her daughter, Helen. There was also Nelly, the oldest, but a car crash also took her from them about years ago, and it was when Ella came to fill the hole in his aunt’s chest. Ella became as much as part of the family, a younger sister, and he loved her as much.

His entire body tensed at the thought of not keeping them, but could he? In his eagerness to keep Melina and Eve for himself, he disrupted their life, brought danger back to it, and hurt Melina a lot in the course of his attempts, and it wasn’t right. He needed to keep them safe, even if it was from his own person. Hank turned the phone off and stared at it absently.

“What was that, man?” Darryl’s shocked question hit him. “You sounded as if you were saying goodbye.”

“Darryl, I’m worried. I have no clue how this will end up. This is too personal for me and for the first time, it’s getting difficult for me to detach myself from the problems and reset my mind to what I once was. A mobster, inside of a mob.”

“Hank, that’s where you get all wrong! Although you belonged to a mob, you’ve never been a mobster. You never acted as one, even when you had that cold semblance all over you. It opened a hole in your soul every time you pulled the trigger, and it didn’t matter if it was the cruelest gangster you were dealing with. So, today it won’t be any different.” Darryl stopped the car in an adjacent street and turned to me. “We go in there, we make him talk and keep him busy enough for Linus to work his miracle. Nothing will happen.”

“Thanks friend. I appreciate your words and trust.” Hank put his cellphone back in his pocket, shaking his head, maybe hoping for his scattered thoughts to fall in place again. “Let’s put an end to this shit at once.” He said, jumping out of the car.

“Okay guys. Are you all in position?” Darryl asked, pressing a button on his radio. “We’re walking to the target, now.”

“We’re all set, boss!” A rough voice came through.

They walked side by side with Hank mulling over Darryl’s words. He was surprised about how much Darryl could read him. Hank blamed the years of working together and having each other’s back. Eli didn’t fall too far behind, and he couldn’t forget about Matt. He was his best friend in all this, his loyal brother at heart. The four of them could communicate only by staring at each other. It was amazing. To be quite frank, they never felt part of Franco’s Mob, all of them including Matt and Ella, Franco’s children. They fell into this life by a shitty fluke of fate.

Once close to the café place, Hank inhaled deep and straightened up, slipping his Stoic façade on. He entered the place like he owned it. He wasn’t as tall as the phony god, but he didn’t miss all the eyes turning to him as soon as Darryl and he stepped inside the place. The café had a terrace overlooking parts of the island, lots of happy tourists chatting and laughing, waiters busy with in and out orders. It was about eight in the morning and the place was already full.

Looking around, by the far end corner, Velasquez stared at them with a smug grin. He had to hold himself not to erase it from his face with punches. Unfortunately, the thug was also wearing dark shades hiding his eyes, but Hank had a feeling they were as murderous as him.

“Well, long time no see, lover boy.” Even as he mocked, rage built up in his body. He wanted to kill them right there, but business first.

“Let’s cut to the chase. What do you want?” Hank asked, slumped on the chair in front of him, followed by Darryl, who put his shades up over his head and there was death written all over his face.

“You were always such a wimp. I never understood why Franco kept you around.” Darryl voiced in disgust, but the man didn’t faze.

“Because on the contrary of you,” -he signaled them at finger point- “I’ve never questioned the orders, and I didn’t betray the boss.”

“Your right, he sent you to Rikers’s Island for the fun of it.” Hank couldn’t help himself but snort a laugh at him and all his smugness evaporated, turning his face into a grimace.

“How’s your back, Hank? I’ve never gotten that much of a high from torturing someone.”

Suddenly, a sting followed by a burn. Sometimes, when he thought about it, he could still feel the iron rod burning him beyond endurance. He was aware Velasquez was trying to mess with him, so he did his best not to flinch as he answered, “Don’t worry, it was just a scratch. All fixed now. But I can see you’ve got a few new ones. What happened? Rikers didn’t treat you well?” Hank sighed, annoyed, when Velasquez's face darkened.

“You fucking bastard!” It was a snarl. Velasquez couldn’t forget they were in a public place. He had warned the waiters off when he got there, so they could negotiate without interruptions.

“Enough with these charades. I need answers! Is your sister part of this entire crap? I don’t think you put up this entire circus only to get back at me for something I don’t even know about!”

“It’s your fault Franco sent me to Rikers!” He growled. “Since you showed up at the warehouse with the big boss’s son, you’ve become an obstacle in my path. I was supposed to be his second in command, not you! You crapped on every plan I had for myself. So, yes, you owe me a lot! In the beginning, I wanted to rile you up, mess with you, play with your weakness.”

“Maybe it wasn’t me who kept you away from climbing some ladders inside the organization. You just don’t have the brains for it!” Darryl hissed at him.

“Shut it, suck up! I didn’t ask your opinion.” Velasquez growled at him, then turned to Henry. “I saw how you looked at that stupid girl when we kidnapped her. After that, I monitored you, and I had found my way to get rid of you once and for all, but my only chance was the day you went to see the girl’s old man. The day I took the pleasure of burning all my frustrations on you! Everybody saw you in his jewelry place, and since he became useless, I decided to burn him and you altogether. What I didn’t count on was this dog of yours be on the lookout, and frame me to the boss!”

Darryl and Henry stared at each other with mockery playing on their faces as Darryl lips opened in a wide toothy smile. “Like I said, asshole. You don’t have the brains to run a cartel!”

“Fuck the hell off!” Velasquez was getting pissed by the minute. “About a year before I left the prison, I got the news someone sent the boss to burn in hell, and all my plans got smashed again by no less than you. So yes, you owe me a lot, bastard. And I also know you’ve got all the old Karagianis possessions in my name.” The asshole opened a broad smile, staring at them. “Here’s my demand. I want everything in my name. It’s that or after I have my way with her, Poseidon will get a gorgeous offering by the end of the day!”