Tony
“Have you found her yet?” I storm into Jasper’s apartment. It’s been over twenty-four hours since Kate’s been gone, and we’re no closer to finding her whereabouts.
“Sorry, mate. Everyone is looking for that car. It’s only a matter of time.” Jasper’s staring at a computer screen, scrolling through some data base I don’t recognize. “I do have some interesting information about Luciana.”
I’m still getting used to the fact that my cousin had a child when he was a teenager. How come I never knew about this? Did he have any sort of relationship with his kid? I urge Jasper to continue.
“She was working as a waitress up until her death. She had a significant amount of debt, like two hundred thousand euros worth. She was close to getting kicked out of her apartment. I wonder if she went searching for Matteo to pay her bills. I’d put money on him being the cause of her death.”
I ponder this. As much as I want to jump to the conclusion that my evil cousin dismembered the mother of his son, there’s something not sitting right with me. “What’s the debt from? Perhaps she was into gambling. Maybe a bookie came after her.”
Jasper lets out a howl—a rip-roaring laugh from deep within. He practically falls off his chair with laughter. Tears fall from his eyes, and he’s nowhere near done. He slaps the table. I’ve never seen him act this way and honestly, I didn’t think what I said was all that funny. It was a plausible explanation.
“What?” I ask.
He speaks in between trying to catch his breath. “Do you hear yourself? Do you know who you’re talking about? Your cousin might as well be Satan and that poor woman was playing with fire. There’s no way this happened because of ‘gambling.’” He puts his fingers in the air quoting what I said previously.
Unlike him, I’m not laughing. A poor woman is dead and this kid lost his mother. There’s nothing funny about this situation. “Do you really think it was Matteo?”
Suddenly the fit of laughter is gone and there’s a seriousness to Jasper that I’ve rarely seen. “I’d bet my life and everything I have on it. This screams of your cousin. He’s an evil son-of-a-bitch. I don’t even want to think about what he’s doing to Kate right now.”
I see red. Anger surges through my veins forcing my heart to race and if I were a cartoon character, steam would come from my ears. Why did he have to bring that up? I swear to God, if he touches her…if he lays one hand on her, I will kill him myself. I’ll have no reservations about doing it. What he did before in Italy was bad. Putting her through that kind of hell again is just sick. I kick the trashcan next to Jasper’s desk.
“Whoa, chill out. No need to get worked up. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Jasper stands up and puts a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to stop me from breaking anything else in his apartment. I don’t know what to do. My hands are tied, and I have no idea where Kate’s at. I have to get to her. I feel so incapacitated.
The doorbell rings. Jasper and I both look at each other. Who could possibly be there? Why weren’t we alerted by any of the doormen? Jasper takes a gun from inside the desk drawer. I know he’s trained to use various weapons and I’m pretty sure he’s killed someone in his lifetime, but it still seems weird to see him holding it.
“Who is it?” he calls.
A female voice answers, and I immediately recognize it as Kendall’s. “It’s me.”
Jasper slips the gun behind his back under his shirt and pants before slowly opening the door. When he’s sure Kendall is alone, he opens the door completely. “What are you doing here?”
“I want to know about Kate. Have you found her? What’s going on?”
The barrage of questions makes me irritable. I roll my eyes and walk into the kitchen to get a can of soda. I could use some caffeine now. I haven’t slept a wink since Kate went missing. I pop the lid and lift the can to take a sip. The fizz floats against my skin enticing me to drink.
“Tell me you have some news. Is she going to be okay?” Kendall begins to whimper as Jasper wraps his arms around her to provide comfort.
It’s not that I don’t like Kendall. She’s a sweet girl with a big heart. It’s just that she seems a little bit like a superficial bimbo. In fact, she’s a spoiled brat. I can’t stand women like that. It absolutely drives me fucking nuts. One of the things that made me fall in love with Kate is how down to earth and real she is. Kate was given the world growing up, but she still values the simple things and can appreciate the beauty in everything big or small. There’s a certain childlike naivety to Kate, which I absolutely adore. Yet, at the same time, she’s as strong as an ox. I haven’t found many women like that.
“Not yet.” Jasper smooths her hair and kisses the top of her head.
Yet another side of Jasper I haven’t seen. I’m not sure if he’s really smitten with her or if he’s just playing the game so he can tag her ass. Whichever it is, Kendall’s eating it up.
“How can she just go missing? I mean one minute we were talking and the next she’s gone? How does that happen in broad day light on the streets of New York? There are people everywhere.”
For once Kendall has read my mind. Even though I know how crazy and dangerous my cousin is, I still can’t believe that he’d take Kate in the middle of the day. Even for him, that is a brazen move. There are so many risks associated with that. He could’ve easily been caught. I guess that’s the difference between being a professional criminal and an average guy like me. You know what you can get away with. “My cousin has no qualms about snatching people during the day. He did it last time and it looks like he’s responsible again.” The last words are barely audible as they come from my mouth.
“Oh, the doormen had this package they asked me to bring up to you. They said some courier dropped it off not too long ago.” Kendall hands Jasper a padded manila envelope.
“There’s no return address on it.” Jasper looks at me. The furrowed brow is all I need to know that he’s concerned. I nod for him to open it up.
Jasper grabs some scissors off the desk and cuts the top off. He reaches in and Kendall screams at the sight of Jasper removing his hand. There, in a plastic zip-lock bag, is a severed finger. Kate’s engagement ring instantly captures my attention. Bile fills the back of my throat. My stomach is threatening to purge itself. A cold sweat covers my body. “How could he do this? How could he dismember my beautiful fiancé?”
With my eyes frozen on the dusky finger, flashbacks of the article about Luciana fill my head. Instantly, I know Matteo is responsible for her death and dismemberment. He’s going to do the same to Kate. If he hasn’t killed her already, he’s going to take her apart piece by piece.
I finally pull my eyes away. I can’t look at it anymore. I can’t face the painful reality of what’s happened to Kate. This is my fault. I should’ve just let her walk away. I was a complete idiot thinking I could protect her. Guilt plagues my entire body. Tears engulf my eyes. Before I know it, I’m a sobbing blubbery mess on the floor of Jasper’s apartment.
Kendall bends down on her knees to comfort me. She rubs my back and the only thing I can think of is how Kate used to rub my back with her delicate hands and long fingers. Jesus, what have I done?
“Tony, it’s not your fault.” Kendall’s voice is compassionate.
If only she knew. I’m completely to blame. If I had never chosen her on that train; if I hadn’t followed her and made her fall in love with me. If I hadn’t tried to use her to get out of Italy; if I had talked her into going to the embassy in Rome, this would never have happened. Kate would be safe. She would’ve never been brutally beaten in Italy and disfigured here. If I would’ve just stayed away, she’d be living a normal happy life without having to look over her shoulder every day. I’ve failed, and miserably at that. I’ve screwed up the only true love I’ve ever known. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“It’s not hers!”
I hear the words, but they’re not computing.
“Did you hear me? I said it’s not hers!”
I glance up to find Jasper staring at me with this weird goofy grin on his face. I don’t know what he’s so excited about. “What are you talking about?”
“The finger. It’s not hers.” He holds up the plastic bag with the finger. The ring is missing.
“Whose is it?” I’m certain he’s wrong, but who am I to criticize?
He replies jovially, “I don’t know, but it’s not Kate’s.”
Kendall starts jumping up and down, clapping her hands. “That’s great! She’s okay!”
I grimace. That twit takes everything for face value. If I told her the Statue of Liberty was on top of a volcano, she’d believe it.
I look directly into Jasper’s eyes. “How in God’s name do you know it’s not hers?”
He smiles smugly. The fucker knows something I don’t, and I really don’t feel like playing his stupid fucking games.
“I ran her fingerprints in the kitchen. The finger isn’t hers. He took her ring and placed it on someone else’s finger.” The man is absolutely beaming.
I’m not sure how he can do this when someone’s finger has clearly been cut off. “Whose is it?” I demand. For whatever reason, I need to know. I need to know if it’s his baby mama’s finger. Without me saying another word, Jasper says he’s going to check. He must’ve seen it in my face. He suspects the same as I do.
“What’s going on?” Kendall looks back and forth between us, clearly trying to understand what remains unspoken.
Jasper runs off to the kitchen. I glance at Kendall and shrug. I don’t feel like explaining what’s going on to her. She’s a waste of space. There’s nothing but air and dollar signs going on in that head.
“I’m not sure.” It’s the best attempt I can make at appeasing her. If I just play stupid, she won’t expect anything from me. I’ll let Jasper fill Kendall in on the highlights. He’s the one who signed up for that shit, not me.
Jasper comes back into the living room and immediately sits down at his desk. He runs something through the scanner. Before I know it, an enlarged finger print pops up on the computer screen. Without him having to tell me, I know he’s entered it into some data base.
“It’s Luciana’s. You were right.” He eyes me as though he’s suspect of some supernatural power I have.
Kendall chimes in. “Who’s Luciana?” I roll my eyes and pretend as though I need to go to the bathroom. It’s Jasper’s job to fill her in. I need some time to think so I can figure out what angle my bastard cousin is playing.
I retreat to the bathroom, sit on the lid of toilet, and replay everything in my head. Clearly he wanted me to think the finger was Kate’s. He wants me to suffer. The question is why? What does he hope to accomplish? I rack my brain trying to figure it out, but I can’t. I’ve never done anything to this man yet he seems hell bent on making my life a living hell. In fact, if he had his way, I’d already be dead.
I ponder over all the clues. Kate’s finger, her engagement ring, the mysterious son. It’s then that I know. He’s not going to kill her. He’s going to break me down and take her in the process. He’s trying to see what it would take for me to hit rock bottom. Matteo’s a sick fucker, and I need to figure out how to play his game. He wants me to panic and lose my mind. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction. I’m going to turn it around on him, and it starts by finding Demetrio. Suddenly, a plan formulates in my head. I pull open the bathroom door with enough force it slams against the wall. I run into the living room to find Jasper wide-eyed and staring at me. He’s alarmed. He must’ve heard my exit and my stampede into the living room.
“What’s up, mate?”
Kendall also looks in my direction. Her eyes are bloodshot and watery. She’s been crying.
I ignore Kendall and focus on Jasper. “We need to find Demetrio. He’s the solution to our problems.”
Jasper squints one eye as the same corner of his mouth lifts in an ‘I told you so’ manner.
“No, really, Jasper. I have an idea. I think we’ll be able to get her back. He’s the key to saving her.” Suddenly, I’ve got Kendall’s full attention.
“What? What are you going to do? You’re the asshole who got her into this mess. Now you think you’ll fix it? She’d be better off if you were the one who was dead.”
Kendall’s words strike a chord with me. She’s not saying anything I haven’t already thought myself, but only a few minutes ago, she was saying it’s not my fault. This woman is off her fucking rocker. I remind myself to think positively about her. Kate loves Kendall, and it appears Jasper is quite smitten. If there’s one thing I admire about this woman, it’s her fierce loyalty to Kate. I guess I couldn’t ask for a better friend. She loves Kate as much as I do, and I think she’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.
“No, I need to find him. He’s the son of the man who’s keeping her hostage. If we can find him, then we’ll get to Kate.”
Kendall looks from me back to Jasper. She smirks. “Why didn’t you say so?” She reaches into her purse and pulls out a piece of paper. “He gave me his phone number when we were wine tasting. He was so cute. He actually thought he had a chance with me. Hmmphh, men. They have no idea what they’re doing.” Kendall throws a long tendril of hair behind her shoulder.
Are you fucking kidding me? As happy as I am that Kendall might have a clue to finding Kate, I’m furious that she’s had this information and didn’t bother to tell anyone despite the fact that the kid has been showing up everywhere. I eye Jasper. He needs to take care of Kendall and get the information we need. There’s no way I’m buttering that up. The only woman who needs some nurturing is my Kate, and I’m going to make damn sure the moment I find her that I make it up to her tenfold. She’s never going to want for another thing her entire life.
“Is that really Demetrio’s phone number?” Jasper is playing into this. He’s feigning disbelief.
Coyly she responds “Mmm hmmm.”
Jasper reaches out to take the paper from her hands. Kendall puts on a pouty face and puckers her lips. Are you fucking kidding me? She’s playing hard to get when Kate’s life is at stake and she has the nerve to blame me? With every passing moment, I’m getting angrier with this chick. Yet, at the same time, I love her. She loves my fiancé almost as much as I do. I’m sure she feels the same way about me. I guess that’s why they call it a love and hate relationship. We fit that mold perfectly.
Jasper plants his lips on Kendall’s. He lingers far too long. Maybe it’s just me. Perhaps I’m being impatient. I’d really just like this show to get on the road. Every minute those two spend playing house is another where Kate is stuck with Matteo doing God knows what.
Jasper finally gets hold of the paper. Without wasting another second, he runs to the desk and picks up his cell phone to call the number. While it’s ringing, Jasper maintains eye contact with me. I’m slightly relieved he hasn’t completely sold out for Kendall. Finally, he shakes his head before handing the phone to Kendall. “Leave a message, doll.”
She looks at him, puzzled.
“Tell him you want to hook up.”
Kendall frowns and doesn’t look as though she’s going to comply. Just as I’m ready to give her a piece of my mind, she begins to speak.
“Hey, Demetrio. It’s Kendall from the wine tasting. I was hoping we could get together soon. Give me a call when you get a chance. My digits are in your phone. Bye!”
I’ve never heard such a sugary voice in my life. It was like eating every type of dessert at a buffet table. I almost wanted to puke from the coma I was just put in.
Jasper takes the phone from Kendall and kisses her. “You handled that like a pro. You’re amazing!”
Okay, where did my friend go? Who is this fucking person standing in his shoes? We are seriously going to need to talk the next time we’re alone. If I had my way, that chick would be on a one-way flight to California, where she can start her acting auditions. Instead, I retreat out the door and tell Jasper to call me the minute he has anything. I can’t spend one more second in that room. Plus, I need to give Charles the update on what we’ve found so far. Hopefully, he has a connection who can locate Demetrio.