Sunday.
The air was clear and chilly, not a cloud dotted the blue sky. Ericka let her hair lay down her back and placed a knitted beret on her head. She held her Bible close to her chest as she walked toward the brick church.
She’d found the building while wandering the neighborhood. It wasn’t like she had a lot of other things to do. The city was rife with activities, but none that she wanted to do on her own. And Greg had been standoffish since their last night at the club.
The bell tolled, announcing her lateness. She’d overslept. Researching the Demarco family was an exhausting task. The information on soldiers and associates was limited. The infiltration of the group and the information obtained had been before Big Tony had named his son Frankie as underboss. Before there was an indication that they might try to get out of the mafia business. It seemed some of the people in the family had left of their own volition… or been erased. No one knew for sure. And Big Tony wasn’t talking because at this time he couldn’t be found.
Ericka reached the curb in front of the church. The squeal of tires made her turn. A black van swerved to a halt. The door slid open. It was like something from the movies.
“Get in.”
Joey Demarco was not asking, he was telling her to get into an unmarked van. It was two days before their planned meeting. This wasn’t good.
“I-I—”
“Look, I thought it could wait, but it can’t. So, get in.”
He looked ready to jump out and help her, but because of distress, not anger or violence. She glanced at the church. No one would see her leave because she was late and everyone was already inside. If she made this decision, it could be the last mistake she ever made.
But something was telling her to go. She could feel it.
She took a deep breath and climbed in. The door closed behind her. The interior was dark. The windows were blacked out and the seats were black leather. Joey sat beside her on a bench seat in the middle. He made a grunt which signaled the driver to go.
He studied his hands as he fisted them together in his lap. She didn’t think he planned physical harm, he had been about to hire her to do a job. But if he had found out who she really was then all bets were off. She’d have a limited window to explain that they didn’t want to take his family down; instead, they wanted to use them.
Yeah, that sounded so much better.
Time seemed to fly by. The van shuddered to a halt outside a wrought iron gate. The driver punched in a code, and the gate swung open. They drove up to a two story mansion covered in light tan brick. The front lawn was carefully manicured. Matching flowers of color and size dotted flowerbeds that decorated the front of the house and the walkway.
The Demarco Estate.
They had tried to get someone inside, and now she was here. For better or worse she was about to enter the snakes’ den.
Joey opened the door and urged her to climb out. She followed, trying to tap down her excitement that she was finally getting close to the family.
They entered the double front doors. The white marble floors were so shiny she could see her reflection. Dark wooden tables with marble tops held picture upon picture of men, women, and children. Framed photographs lined the walls going up a curved staircase.
Flowers lent an aroma of pleasantness.
“Who is this?”
The harsh voice came from a gentleman not much older, but very similar in features, to Joey. He was approaching from the west side, and he looked angry.
“I didn’t tell you to bring a stranger to the house. This is not the time.”
“Frankie, this is the lady I told you about.”
“I don’t care if she’s Mahatma Gandhi. Mamma said no doctors.”
“She’s not a doctor, she’s a nurse.”
Uh-oh. Her presence wasn’t approved by the underboss. If he was trying to run her off, where was the boss? If Tony was missing from here too, they were in big trouble.
“Just let her take a look.”
“I don’t like it, Joey.”
“I’ll stay with her.”
“You bet you will.” Frankie snapped his fingers. “Mickey, you, come.”
Mickey was at least 6’3” with a barrel chest and a gun holster on his side complete with gun. Too bad she’d left hers at home for the day. Or maybe a good thing. If the Demarcos searched her and found a gun, things might get even more uncomfortable.
Joey placed his hand to the small of her back. Tiny electric pulses raced along her skin. Butterflies peppered her stomach.
Fear, had to be fear.
They climbed to the second floor. Frankie opened a set of white French doors. In the center of the room sat an elderly lady unmoving. Her eyes rested forward and she appeared to be clenching the chair arms, although Ericka couldn’t be sure. She sat so still it was hard to tell if she was even breathing.
Frankie looked at Ericka. His brown eyes almost looked fiery, they were that intense. “Fix her.”
“Excuse me?” It was the first words she’d spoken, and they came out like a squeak.
“Joey says you can fix her. So do it.”
“I didn’t hear Joey say that.” Maybe antagonizing a mob boss’s son notorious for taking people out that didn’t do his bidding wasn’t the best idea. But she’d had a rough day.
“Cheeky, this one.” Frankie pointed at her.
Joey came closer. “I know you’re just a nurse, but she’s been like this for too long and we can’t take her to the hospital. Can you tell us what’s wrong?”
The pleading concern in his voice touched her heart, and she found that instead of thinking about him as a mark and part of her job, she saw him as a human with feelings.
One of her many flaws, letting criminals be human—sometimes.
She walked toward the lady, very aware that Mickey was close by with his hand on the butt of his weapon. What did he think Ericka was going to do, take the woman out with her bare hands while they watched?
“What’s your mother’s name?”
“Mary, her name is Mary.” Joey placed his hand on her shoulder when he said her name. He did love his mother, which was a good thing.
Ericka squatted before the lady. Mary didn’t move. “Mary, my name is Ericka. If you don’t mind, I’m going to look at you.”
She moved her finger in front of Mary’s face. “Can you follow my finger?”
She didn’t respond.
“I need a funnel, a balloon, some electrical tape, and a plastic tube.”
“What for?” Frankie seemed suspicious.
Mickey pulled his weapon.
A bit of overkill, but she didn’t blame them. Nothing was normal about this situation. And of course, they had no idea what she was about to do.
Ericka kept her voice even. “Well, since I didn’t have time to grabbed my nurses’ bag, I thought I would try to make a stethoscope to listen to your mother’s heart. Assuming you are still determined that she not go to the hospital.”
Frankie snapped his fingers. “Mickey, get the stuff the young lady needs.”
Mickey holstered his sidearm and shuffled from the room. Maybe he had a weak knee. That would be good to know if she needed to fight her way out. She could kick him there and take him down…
Frankie eyed her and she quickly turned her gaze back to Mary. There were things she could already tell. Mrs. Demarco was very dehydrated. Her eyes were beginning to sink in, and her lips were cracked and dry. Aside from that, a quick touch of Mary’s wrist revealed an erratic pulse.
Ericka picked up Mary’s hand. Mary squeezed ever so slightly.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Demarco, I’m going to help you.”
A tear slipped from the corner of Mary’s eye and slid down her sunken cheek.
Ericka rose to her feet and drew the two boys aside. She was an agent tasked with the job of bringing the Demarcos into the fold, and this was her chance to get in good with the family or make a mistake and get killed. Either could happen. But she had to try. Being a nurse meant she would help and being Christian meant she would show this woman all the compassion she could.
Mickey appeared with the supplies. She took them from his oversized hands. She placed the balloon over the large end of the funnel and the tube in the other end. Ericka placed the funnel to Mary’s chest and the tube to her ear.
Frankie lunged like he was afraid of the contraption, but Joey held him back.
Ericka listened to Mary’s heart. It sounded extremely slow. Then Ericka put her finger on Mary’s wrist for a pulse and held it there. With a simple count Ericka confirmed her worst fears. Mary’s heart was beating around forty beats a minute.
Ericka got to her feet and motioned the boys away from their mother. She whispered. “I believe your mother has suffered a stroke. Aside from the lack of movement, and her inability to follow my finger with her eyes, she is very dehydrated.” She paused. “Is she on a blood thinner?”
“Yes. She had an artificial heart valve inserted about ten years ago.”
Now Ericka was even more worried. “That means she needs to go to the hospital or she might die.”
“No. You’ll bring everything here.” Frankie snapped his fingers.
Mickey appeared.
Ericka looked back at Mary. She was wasting away by the minute, and the family was too afraid of the law or their enemies to help her. They weren’t going to give in.
“I have one other idea.”
Joey jumped in before Frankie could say no. “What is your idea?”
“I have a friend, a doctor, he runs a medical clinic for the under privileged. He has all the equipment needed to make sure my diagnosis is correct.”
“Let’s take her.”
“Wait just a minute, Joey. We don’t even know this girl. She could be working with the Talegeda family. Or with Buddy Malloy. Or the Rosa Cartel.” He lowered his voice on the last family. Showing they were the ones he was really afraid of.
“What do you need to know? She’s a nurse. She has to help.”
“That’s the doctor’s oath, dummy.”
“I’m sure nurses have an oath too, right?” Joey looked at her with desperation. Joey was the educated one. Obviously, his mother’s illness had affected him greatly and he wasn’t thinking clearly.
Ericka swallowed. “Um, let me call him and give him a warning.” She wasn’t going to address their concerns. She’d already done more than what most people would do that had been kidnapped.
She started to turn away, but Frankie turned her back. “In front of us.” He crossed his arms over his chest. He meant business. Guess her plan to really warn Thomas wasn’t going to happen.
“Of course.” She barely held her hands steady. The phone rang and rang.
A lady answered. “Cabo Clinic.”
“Teresa, it’s Ericka. Is Thomas available?”
“One moment.”
A gruff voice came on the line. “Ericka, long time.”
“I know. I hate to call for a favor, but I have a private patient who may have suffered a stroke. The family needs, um, private care.”
Frankie narrowed his eyes. She wished she had insisted on back up before coming with Joey, but it was too late now. Not that he was likely to have let her bring someone else along. She was a freelance nurse by statement after all.
“I see. Do you need after hours care as well?”
“Preferably, yes.”
“I’ll see you at five.” The line went dead.
Ericka put her phone in her pocket. “Can Mickey carry your mother to the car? We need to be at the clinic at five.” She grabbed her purse and shoved the strap on her shoulder. She hoped she portrayed confidence. None of this was going as planned. She’d hoped one of her other angles would have worked. Housemaid, obsessed with house cleaning. Or bookkeeper, obsessed with numbers. Instead, the support group of choice, obsessed with being around tragedy and being a nurse. Sometimes she wondered why she’d ever become a nurse. It had seemed natural, but the memories were too much, which was why she’d moved into another line of work. Apparently, the wrong one again.
“Mickey, pick up Mamma, and carry her to the car. Don’t hurt her.”
Mickey didn’t question. He scooped Mary into his arms and started toward the front door.
Frankie followed, with Ericka and Joey bringing up the rear.
“We should have gotten a medicine list.”
“What?”
“Do you know your mother’s medication list?”
“Uh, no. The doctor probably has it. I’ll text and have him send it to me.”
She nodded.
She stopped suddenly.
“What are you doing? We need to go?”
“Your mother has a physician?”
“Of course.”
“Then why didn’t you call her own doctor?”
Joey ran his hands through his hair. He looked at Frankie as he disappeared through the front door. Then he looked back at her.
“Sometimes it is hard to know who to trust.”
That she understood all too well.
“So, can we go?”
Ericka took a step forward.
Joey was close to her, so close she could smell his musk scented cologne. “How do you know this guy?”
The change in conversation threw her, but she recovered. “The military.”
He cocked his brow.
“I was a medic, and he was a doctor in the field.”
“Another disaster?” He smiled.
“Very funny.”
“Actually, I only read the sign about the disaster group. I heard you say that you were a nurse when I walked past the door at the community center. And I walked in because my mother needed a nurse.”
“Your mother needs more than a nurse.”
“You’ve done pretty well so far.”
They reached the car before she could respond. If she could have replied she would have explained that she hadn’t done anything but recommend a doctor, which they should have known on their own.
Joey opened the back door and held out his arm giving her no choice but to climb in, which put her in back with Mary and Joey. Frankie and Mickey rode in the front of the luxury sedan.
This was not how she thought she would be spending her Sunday afternoon. She thought she’d be meeting new people and enjoying a new church. She just prayed she was still alive to enjoy another Sunday when this was all over.