| |
Three days after he arrived at his parents’ house he felt better physically, but he was still in the dumps. It cut that Luke walked out on him. Not that Saks didn’t deserve a blow upside the head. He did get stupid about Chrissy. But they were brothers through the Spawn, and that wasn’t just thicker than whiskey, it was thicker than blood.
All this Rob Gibson explained to him when he came to visit. Rob worked with him, that was true, but had just started. Luke hired him just before the stuff with Chrissy started. He didn’t have much time to get to know him. All he really knew about Rob was that he retired from the DEA, and that in a long, strange, and convoluted story he was Luke’s wife’s birth father.
So Saks was surprised when Rob showed up, and his mother didn’t look too thrilled to see the biker with the full gray beard now sporting the leather coat of a Spawn. But when he handed her a bunch of flowers and a gift card to the grocery story, she eased up.
A little.
“You didn’t have to do this, Mr. Gibson,” his mother said.
“Ma’am, I’m sure you don’t think much about us Spawn. But we think a lot of Saks, here. You can do what you want with that, but I’m sure Saks is more than eating his share. I don’t know where he puts it, but he downs more than anybody else in the club. I swear, at the summer barbecue he eats half the pig himself.”
“Barbecue?”
“Sure. We roast a pig, and put corn on the cob in the fire pit, and—”
Good lord, Rob was overdoing it...though he did attend the pig roast last summer.
“Rob, don’t get my mother started on food. It’s her number one passion, after which trail her children and husband.”
“You sure don’t look like it.”
“Like my son, fast metabolism.”
“I envy you both.”
“Are you hungry? I did bake a ricotta pie this morning.”
“Thank you, ma’am. But I really came to get Saks out of the house for a few minutes. I know the couple times I was laid up, I’d have done anything to get out. If he’s up for it.”
“I’m up for it.”
“Good. Then let’s go.”
Saks’ mother gave him a look that said he was crazy. “Take things easy.”
“We’re just going for a ride, ma’am,” said Rob.
“On a motorcycle?”
“No. I have a car.”
“Since when—” said Saks, but Rob cut him off.
“Time’s wasting, Saks.”
With questions in his mind, he followed Saks out of the house and out to the street of small cookie- cutter homes from the fifties. The day was bright and sunny, which would have made Saks happy any day except this one. He didn’t trust Rob’s motives. “Where’s this car of yours?”
“Not mine,” said Rob. He pointed to a Cadillac that looked suspiciously like Chrissy’s.
“Wait a minute.”
“Hey, Saks.” A dark-haired woman stuck her head out of the window. “Remember me?”
Gloria? “What the hell?”
“Get in.”
“Nah,” said Saks, and he turned to go back inside but Rob put his hand on Saks’ bad shoulder and he stopped.
“Listen to the woman, Saks, and don’t be pigheaded. There’s serious shit going on, and there’s only one person who can fix it.”
“I don’t want to have anything to do with the Serafinis.”
“Bullshit.”
“What do you know about it?”
“Come on, Saks,” called Gloria. “We don’t have much time.”
“I’m coming with you to make sure they don’t pull some nonsense but, really, man, just get in the fucking car.”
Rob spoke with such seriousness that Saks did it, though he was questioning his sanity. Rob opened the back door for him and when Saks sat, pulled the seatbelt over to the clip.
“Hey,” protested Saks. “I’m not two.”
“Sorry, man. Safety first. And your wing is clipped. I know what that’s like.”
Saks noticed Marcus was behind the wheel. “What’s this about, guys? Where’s Chrissy?” His stomach dropped when he realized she wasn’t here.
“Chrissy is about to make the biggest mistake of her life and we have to stop her.”
“Yeah,” said Marcus, starting the car.
“What’s going on?”
“Chrissy quit her job and took one with this big shot who promised her all sorts of money. But Rob checked into him and found out he’s a huge scum bag. She won’t listen to me, but she’ll listen to you.”
“The guy’s an ass. All about taking what he wants from women, then asking after if they liked it,” said Rob.
Saks ground his teeth. “Chrissy’s a big girl. She doesn’t want me. Or my help.” But Marcus was on the highway now and they were speeding north. He could only guess they were heading to Bradley International Airport.
“Tell me how the hell you got involved in this plan to save Chrissy from herself,” said Saks, glaring at Rob.
“Gloria showed up at the shop a couple days ago, looking for you. She told me her story, and I didn’t give it any serious thought. But the name she told me, James Pearson, rang a bell. So I checked him out through my sources, and he’s bad news, Saks. He’s involved in international crime on a scale we haven’t seen. Drugs, sex-trafficking, gun deals, extortion, you name it he’s got it on the menu.”
“Sex trafficking?” said Saks. His mouth ran dry.
“I don’t know if he wants her for that. But he might think with her family connections she won’t care what he does for business.”
“In a world of bad, Saks,” said Gloria, “he makes the devil look like an amateur.”
“And the worst thing is two of his assistants,” said Rob. “Well, one has disappeared. Another turned up floating face down in a Venice canal.”
“Oh shit,” said Saks. A cold chill ran up his spine. “Why’re we heading to the airport?”
“Because Chrissy’s getting on his private jet and leaving the country,” said Gloria, her voice cracking with worry.
“And you come to me at the eleventh hour because...?”
“Because there’s nothing I can do legally from keeping a consenting adult from leaving the country with a man who has no charges pending here.”
“So,” said Saks sourly, “not retired.”
“Look, I won’t apologize. I have my reasons.”
“Luke won’t appreciate you lying to him.”
“I’ll worry about Luke later. Right now, I don’t want to see your girl get in over her head.”
“She’s not my girl.”
“Oh yeah?” said Gloria, turning in her seat to stare at Saks. “Then why has she been crying for three solid days?”
“Crying?” said Saks.
“Like a river.” She glared at Saks. “You mess with my sister and leave her to pick up the pieces?” She glanced out the window. “Here, Marcus.”
Marcus turned off at the exit to a regional airport.
“Pearson is rich, Saks,” said Rob. “He has a private jet.”
A gate guard stopped them and Rob opened the window on Saks’ side and pulled out his badge. “DEA,” he said.
The guard looked at the badge. “I’ll have to call this in.”
“Go ahead,” said Rob. “But time is of the essence. I can have your job if we miss the plane taking off.”
“Go through. I’ll call it in now.”
“Which runway is James Pearson on?”
The guard checked his computer. “He’s not on the runway yet. His plane is still at the hangar, but his flight slot is in half an hour.”
“Which hangar?” said Rob insistently.
The guard pulled out a brochure with a map and marked the space. “Here.”
“Thank you,” said Rob. “Your country thanks you.”
“No problem, Agent Gibson.”
“Go,” said Rob when the gate opened.
Marcus listened to Rob’s directions and reached the hangar section but they were forced to park the car at a barrier.
“Let’s go,” said Rob. “It’s just a few doors down.”
Saks and Gloria followed Rob as he nearly sprinted down to the entrance. Gloria offered Saks her shoulder. “Lean on me and I’ll help you.”
By the time they came to the service entrance of the hangar, Saks saw Rob talking animatedly to Chrissy.
She stood there, gorgeous in a black suit and white button-down, with her golden hair tumbling down her back. “And why would I believe anything,” snapped Chrissy, “that a Hades’ Spawn tells me?”
“Chrissy,” said Saks.
Her head jerked up at his voice. “What,” she said angrily, “are you doing here?”
“Crying for three days, eh?” he said under his breath. “I need to talk to you.”
“The time for talking is over, Saks. I’ve said everything I have to say to you.”
Saks stepped forward. “Baby.”
“Don’t ‘baby’ me.”
A man in a dark suit stepped from the doorway behind the service desk. He eyed Rob, Gloria, and Saks with an unfriendly stare. “Chrissy,” he said, “it’s time to go.”
“Can I have a minute, Mr. Pearson? My sister and her friends have come to say goodbye.”
“Hurry. We only have a certain amount of time to take off.”
“Thank you, Mr. Pearson.”
Pearson disappeared behind the door again.
“Chrissy. Don’t go with that man,” said Saks.
“What? Jealous?”
“No! For Heaven’s sake. He’s an international criminal. You don’t need to get messed up with him.”
Chrissy laughed bitterly. “You’ll try anything, won’t you? I already heard the international criminal story from my sister. Just give it up, Saks. It’ll be better for both of us.”
“It won’t be better for me.”
“Too damn bad, Anth—”
Saks grabbed Chrissy and pulled her lithe body to him and melted into her curves. He slanted his mouth onto hers and poured all the passion he felt for this woman into the kiss.
“Chrissy,” said Pearson more sharply. “It’s time to board now.”
“Please don’t go,” whispered Saks. “Stay with me. We’ll figure things—”
“Chrissy,” said Pearson.
“Excuse me, Mr. Pearson.” For a millisecond, Saks’ hopes soared. She was going to tell this Pearson asshole to stuff it. Then Chrissy pushed Saks away. “I can’t stay, Saks. We both know it. Now let go of my arms.”
Reluctantly, Saks stepped away
Without looking back, Christina Marie Serafini walked through the service door and out of his life.
Again.
––––––––
THE END
Making of Them
