Valencia could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she stood in stunned silence, looking at the pictures that she had just received. She stared at the pictures in her hand, wondering what she was going to do. Suddenly Valencia felt her legs get weak and she had to sit down, but she didn’t stop staring at the pictures. She couldn’t.
You killed him, pretty lady, and I’m going to prove it, she could almost hear Detective Bryant saying.
Her hands started shaking with fear and she dropped the pictures on the coffee table. What was she going to do? Soon, Valencia’s entire body was shaking. She grabbed her arms and held on tight, trying in vain to stop herself from shaking. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her heart was racing. Her entire body jerked when the doorbell rang.
Thinking that whoever left the envelope had come back, Valencia bounced up from the couch. Without giving any thought to what she was going to do if it was the same person, she rushed to the door and jerked it open.
“Hey, Vee.”
“Geno,” she said, and fell crying into his arms.
“Hey, hey … what’s wrong?” Geno asked, as he led her in the house and closed the door behind him.
He led her to the couch, and that was when he noticed the pictures on the coffee table.
“What happened, Vee? Tell me what’s wrong?” he asked, holding her as she cried. Valencia looked up at Geno, glanced at the pictures, and began to cry harder. The shaking began again, and he held her tighter.
“It’s all right. I’m here now. Nothing will ever hurt you as long as I’m here.”
That small bit of assurance seemed to make Valencia feel a little better. She did feel safe and protected there in his arms. Slowly her breathing began to return to normal and the shaking had all but stopped, as Geno rocked her.
It felt so good to have her in his arms again. So, he sat there holding her, glancing over at the pictures, knowing that they were the cause of whatever it was that had her so upset. Since she wasn’t, or couldn’t tell him what was wrong, there was a part of him that wanted to let her go, just long enough that he could look at them. All that he wanted to do in that moment was to make her feel better. That was the priority here. And she felt so good in his arms, Geno didn’t want to let her go.
“Shhh,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. “It’s all right. I’m right here, Vee. Everything is going to be alright,” Geno said slowly. Valencia nodded her head as he gently wiped away her tears. “Can you tell me what happened? What are those pictures?”
Valencia slowly freed herself from his strong, comforting embrace, and reached for the pictures and handed them to Geno.
“Somebody is blackmailing me,” she said, and told Geno the story.
“But you didn’t kill him, right?” Geno asked when Valencia had finished her story.
She shook her head and said, “No.”
After one last look, Geno put the pictures on the coffee table and sat back. “So, let me make sure that I understand this. You were being blackmailed by the dead guy, and now somebody else is trying to blackmail you with these pictures.”
Valencia nodded.
“What was the first guy blackmailing you about?” Geno asked, but the phone Valencia received with the pictures rang before she could answer. Since she wasn’t ready to answer that question, she snatched the phone up from the coffee table and answered it. But Valencia knew that it was a question that had to be answered.
“Put it on speaker,” Geno said quickly.
“Hello.”
“Valencia DeVerão.”
“Who is this?”
“Fifty thousand dollars or the police and the media get those pictures. I’ll be in touch with instructions,” the caller said and ended the call.
The phone slipped out of Valencia’s hand, she looked at Geno, the shaking returned, and she began to cry again. He took her in his arms.
“Shhh. It’s going to be alright. Nobody’s gonna hurt you as long as I’m here,” Geno said again to reassure her.
“What am I gonna do?” she managed through her tears.
“Shhh. It’s gonna be alright, Vee. You let me worry about this now. Nobody will ever hurt you as long as I’m here.”
Geno sat on the couch with Valencia, holding her until they had both fallen asleep. When he woke up the following morning, she was still asleep. Valencia looked so peaceful. Like the events of the night before had faded away. He caressed her face, remembering all the times that he’d stared at her while she slept, admiring her deep-set eyes, the slope of her nose, and her full lips. Geno kissed her lips gently, and then he picked Valencia up and carried her into her bedroom.
Now that he had her in bed, Geno stood there for a few seconds looking at her before he left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Once he had checked his gun, Geno went outside and had a look around to see if he saw anything that was obviously suspicious, before going back inside. He went into the kitchen and once he found the coffee, he made himself some. While the coffee brewed, Geno took out his phone.
“This better be important, Geno,” Xavier said when he answered.
“Sorry to wake you up, but I need your help, and Carla’s too,” he said and explained the situation.
“Don’t worry, Geno, we got you,” Xavier said, as he and Carla got out of bed.
“Thanks.”
It was after nine when Valencia woke up. She sat up in bed, yawned, stretched, and felt so peaceful. But once she exhaled, the events of the last evening came rushing back. The police had questioned her about a murder, and she was being blackmailed. Valencia got out of bed and came out of her room to find Geno sipping coffee in her living room.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Morning,” she forced a smile and sat down next to him.
“You okay?”
“No. I was questioned by the police, and I’m being blackmailed.” Valencia moved closer. “No, I’m not okay. What am I gonna do, Geno?”
“What do you want to do?”
“What choice do I have? I’m gonna pay him.”
“Do you have fifty thousand dollars?”
“In the bank.”
“Okay. But you let me handle it, okay.”
“Okay,” she nodded quickly, and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Good,” he paused. “You hungry?”
“Last night’s dinner from La Grenouille?” she smiled.
“No.” He laughed. “I noticed that you have food in your house.”
“I do. I’m doing something new; I cook these days.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah … wow,” she said, pumping her fist weakly.
Geno stood up. “Why don’t you relax, and I’ll make us some breakfast.”
Valencia smiled, remembering those delicious breakfasts that he used to cook and serve to her in bed.
“I’m going to take a shower and change clothes,” she said and stood up.
Geno got up and watched her walk away. Want some company? Was what he wanted to ask her. “You want coffee?” he asked instead.
“Please,” she said, disappearing into her room.
Now that they had finished their bacon and cheese omelet breakfast, Geno drove Valencia to the bank to get the money. Once that was secured, he drove her back to the house to wait. It wasn’t long after they got there that the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get that,” Geno said and stood up.
“You expecting somebody?”
“Yes,” he said, and opened the door. “What’s up, X?” he asked; and then he saw the other person. “Money! What’s up?”
“Came to see what you got—” Marvin began as he came through the door, and then he saw Valencia. “What kind of mess you got yourself into?”
“Valencia DeVerão, this is Xavier Assante and Marvin Simmons.”
“Good to meet you both,” Valencia said politely, and then she looked at Geno. “Can I talk to you for a minute, please?”
“Sure,” Geno said, leading her by the hand into her bedroom, and closing the door.
“That’s one fine mess he’s got himself into,” Marvin said, then sat down.
“Truly,” Xavier said, and joined him.
“Who are those men and what are they doing here?” Valencia asked as soon as she closed the door.
“You said you were gonna let me handle this, right?”
“Right.”
“Well … this is me handling it.”
Valencia looked at him. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Then let me handle this for you.”
“Okay,” Valencia said, and she followed him back into the living room, hoping that he and whoever those men were, knew what they were doing.
“So, what are we doing?” Geno asked, and Valencia took a seat on the couch.
“Carla is all setup and ready to trace the call and get a location when he calls,” Xavier said and looked at Valencia. “Do you have the money?”
“Yes,” she said, and Geno went to get it. Xavier stood up and went in the kitchen, carrying the bag he brought with him.
“Take it out of the satchel and put it on the table.”
Once the money was on the table, Xavier took another bag out of the one he was carrying and began putting the money in there.
“This bag has a built-in tracer, so in case we lose him, we can still follow the money. When he calls back with wherever he wants to meet, we’ll be ready for him,” Xavier promised, and Valencia just hoped he was right.
When the phone rang, Xavier picked up his.
“You ready, Carla?”
“Ready.”
“Go ahead and answer it, Vee. But take your time,” Geno said, letting go of her hands so she could answer.
She swiped talk and then waited for Xavier’s signal before she said, “Hello.”
“Do you have the money?”
“Yes,” she paused. “I have the money,” she said slowly. “Why are you doing this?” Valencia asked, pronouncing each word clearly.
“You bring the money and be at the Central Park carousel in one hour. I’ll call back then,” the blackmailer said, and ended the call.
“You got him?” Xavier asked.
“I got the number, he didn’t stay on long enough for me to get a location, and he turned the phone off,” Carla said, and Valencia was impressed.
She looked at Geno. She had no idea that he knew people like this, but what she did know was that she hadn’t seen him in years, and now he was working for Black.
There’s no telling what he’s capable of now, Valencia thought, and wondered if these people worked for Mike Black too.
The team had to hurry, but they made it to the Central Park carousel in time to get set up and were ready when Valencia got there. She stood there in front of the carousel, holding the phone in one hand, the bag with the money in the other, and looking around nervously. Valencia’s hands shook a little when two uniformed cops walked by her.
The phone rang and she answered it quickly.
“Hello.”
“Balto Statue in five minutes,” the blackmailer said, and ended the call.
“Wait! Balto Statue? Where the fuck is that?” she said aloud and looked around for the two cops.
“Calm down, I’ll guide you,” Carla said, and the team moved to the new drop off point. When Valencia got to the statue, her phone rang again.
“Yes.”
“You see that bench directly across from the statue?”
Valencia turned around. “Yes.”
“Go sit down, put the bag under the bench. Then you sit there and wait five minutes, and then you walk away and don’t look back.”
“What about the pictures?” Valencia asked as she walked slowly toward the bench.
“Once I have the money and I’m sure that you didn’t try anything stupid, I’ll tell you where to find the pictures.”
“How do I know that I can trust you?” Valencia asked, trying to keep him on the phone for as long as she could so Carla could get a location.
“You don’t. You simply have no alternative,” he ended the call, and Valencia sat down on the bench. She placed the bag with the money under the bench, and as she was instructed, Valencia sat there for a while before she got up and walked away.