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I realized that the vehicle had slowed down to a crawl and after a minute, I heard the driver’s side door shut. Then the back door opened, and my eyes were flooded with light. Johnny walked in and clipped a mechanical arm to the chair and removed the bolts that locked it to the floor of the van. He refused to look directly at me as he worked, and I could feel the shame in his demeanor.
The arm moved me out of the vehicle and down the small ramp that had been set up. I was dragged through the building, which I realized was some sort of meatpacking plant. I looked around and saw rows of metal hooks and long lines of conveyor belts. I saw the sign on the wall and recognized the plant. It was on Vasquez’s side of the city, from what I could gather. It was a plant that had been shut down because of a flu outbreak, which had spread across almost all the workers.
I opened my mouth to scream, hoping someone would hear me. Just as the beginnings of the screams escaped my mouth, Leonardo whipped the side of my head with the butt of his gun, knocking the air out of me. He moved the gag back into my mouth and Johnny continued with the chair until I was in front of a blinding light. I stopped and looked up, seeing that someone had set up a camera and it was pointed right at me. On the other side of the camera was a car, blasting its lights at me.
The doors of the car opened, and three men walked out. The oldest of the three took one look at me and smiled.
“Hello, Maria…Leonardo has told me many great things about you. My name is Vasquez. How about we get started with the camera?”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Angelo
Of all the feelings I had ever experienced, somehow this felt like the worst. I felt as if I had just lost something that I could not replace, not by a longshot. I wanted to blame it on the alcohol, I wanted to say I was intoxicated. But that was not the reason. I was a bad person. It was determined by who I was, and that was why I had said all those things to her.
I knew I was hurting; I had lost everything: my family, the trust of those closest to me, and now the woman I loved. I loved her, truly I did. And that was what hurt the most. I should have seen it coming, I should have known that at some point the family would come to that. After Benny left, I started seeing the signs, but I thought I would be alright because I had my Maria by my side.
I wanted to believe that as long as I had her, I could fix everything. But nothing was fixed. Vasquez got his way, people were dead, and the family was in ruin. I couldn’t bring myself to sleep, my chest hurt, and the alcohol would not fade from my system. I walked out into the balcony and looked out over the city. I had heard the conversation between Dorothy and Maria, and I knew how much I had hurt her. Where would I even find the words to apologize? I was hurting from something else, and I had lashed out at her. She had just wanted to help.
That was all she did, and all she had ever done. Maria helped me. I did not know I needed it, but she helped me become a better person. She had helped me stay alive, and she had helped me find love. Now she was gone, and with the way she had left, I was certain that she would not be coming back to me. I had fucked everything up, and now she was out there in the city, all alone, on her own. She had no phone or money; she had just left. Even her card was still in her purse up in my loft.
I grabbed a bottle of scotch and popped the cap off, taking a seat in one of the chairs where we used to have breakfast. It felt wrong, not being there with her. I looked across at the other chair and saw it empty, and even after I pictured her in it, it still felt wrong. I had to get her back, I had to apologize. But who would come back? I had lost my empire, and if things continued the way they did, then I could see Fisher or someone else rise to my position and take the title from me.
I looked up at the sky, I began to wonder… Did I even need to worry about Vasquez? Maybe, the problem was me. I was the one who could not run the family, and this was the universe telling me that my time was up. Maybe Vasquez was right, and I did not have what it took. I heard the elevators open behind me, and I felt my heart stop. Had she come back? I turned around to see Dorothy walking towards me with a tray.
She walked up behind me and placed the tray on the table before taking a look at me. I locked eyes with her and saw a look of concern on her face. “What?”
“I’m sorry sir, but I think you need some rest.” Dorothy began, and then she reached for the bottle on the table. I looked down at it and saw that it was empty, and I began to wonder when I had finished all of its contents. “Please, eat something. I’ll draw a bath, and after that you, perhaps you could try to get some rest.”
“I’m fine.” I turned and looked at the food, and the delicious smells washed over me. Then I turned back to the chair where Maria was supposed to be, and I realized truly that she was gone, and that I had not been dreaming. “Take the food away.”
“Why?” Dorothy asked, shocked. “You have not had anything to eat since last night, and you have had more than your fair share of alcohol.”
“I’m not fucking hungry! And I don’t need a damn lecture tonight, okay?”
Dorothy gasped and then looked over the balcony. She ran a hand through her hair and looked back at me. “But, Mr. Preston, it’s morning already.”
I blinked hard and concluded that she was right. I had been staring at the same spot in the chair through the night, and I did not notice when the dawn had come. I looked at breakfast and realized that Dorothy always brought that in by eight, which meant that I had either been so focused on the chair or I had fallen asleep. Either way, I had completely missed it. I shut my eyes and shook my head, trying to clear it.
“I know how you are feeling right now, and I might...”
“Don’t,” I began, pointing a finger at Dorothy.
“Sir?”
“Do not try to pander to me, don’t talk about knowing what I’m going through,” I warned, not wanting to hear it.
“She was my friend too, you know. All the nights you were away, I was here with her. We talked and had fun. I miss her too, and I wish she would come back. But even if she does return, this is not the state you want to be in when she arrives. You can’t just sit here and continue to feel bad for yourself. There is so much to do.”
“And you are the one to tell me that?” I asked, glaring at Dorothy.
“My apologies.”
I watched as she walked out of the room, the first sobs shaking her body as the elevator doors parted. She had not taken the food with her, and another look back at it made me swear. I didn’t want to be reminded of what I had lost, but the entire floor, the pool, the bed,everythingreminded me of Maria. Where I had held her hands, where we had made love, and where we talked about our lives.
Right now, it felt entirely empty; everything felt empty. I sat out for another half hour, trying to imagine all the times we had spent together. But ultimately, I knew Dorothy was right. I could not sit there and sulk. I had to find a way to get things back. I had to get the family back. Fisher and my men were out there doing whatever they wanted, and I had to fix that. I had to call them back and resume control of what was rightfully mine. I walked over to the desk and pulled out my computer.
I opened it and realized that I had gotten a new email. Clicking on the email, I found a video embedded in the message with a strange link. I clicked on the video, and it began downloading. My stomach grumbled as I realized that I was starving. So, I got back up and went to grab a few of the sandwiches Dorothy had left out there. Regardless of how I felt, I did not have to speak to her like that. Dorothy had stuck by me, the only one who was still left behind, and I was pushing her away too.
