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I slowly and carefully searched around each door, and into each room, walking cautiously, looking into any place someone could be hiding. When I was sure no one was downstairs, I headed upstairs.
My heart began racing as I stood at the bottom of the stairs thinking, What next? My head had filled with all kinds of possibilities. Suppose someone had found Romeo in here, and took him hostage, or worse, killed him as revenge for Angelo.
I held my breath because I didn’t want to face that. Then I realized I hadn’t locked the door to Nico’s bedroom. Realizing it would be my fault if anything happened to Romeo, I rushed and climbed the stairs two steps at a time and then I saw the door wide open and I walked slowly as I counted each step, because I didn’t want to face it just yet. I held my breath and hoped nothing had happened to him, and I was being unnecessarily fearful.
When I entered the room, I knew Romeo had gone, but not with anyone else. Clothes were missing, drawers were left open, as if someone was searching for something, and the safe over Chad’s bed where a painting of Nico had hung, had been opened and left that way. There was no way Romeo could have opened it. Chad must have left it when he rushed out in a hurry with Nico. I glanced down at a shiny coin on the bed, and I knew it had to have been left by someone, and Chad hadn’t completely emptied the safe.
There were gold bars and coins missing, but I wouldn’t know how many until I spoke to Chad and Nico. There was no getting around this. I had to speak to Nico.
I slumped down onto the bed and called Nico. “Nico, did you take all the gold in the safe?”
“I have to check with Chad. He was the one in charge of that.”
“Count the bars,” I instructed him.
“Wait a moment. What the fuck is going on?” I didn’t answer.
I heard the sound of clinking and then Nico came back. “There’s three missing. Chad must have forgotten to get the rest. And there’s a matter of coins, but I don’t know how many. Don’t tell me someone robbed us?”
Not wanting to tell Nico about Romeo, I tried to work around it. “Well, fuck, did someone get the rest of my gold?”
“Yeah.”
“Who?” I tried stalling and Nico caught on, and said, “Was it that fucking Romeo? Didn’t I tell you to take care of him.”
“I didn’t think you meant—” I couldn’t say this over the phone, and I stopped short of saying what I really wanted to say.
“That’s exactly what I meant. He’s trouble, and wait a minute. So it was Romeo, and you didn’t follow my instructions... How many times are you going to do this? Every time I give you an order, you question me. You’re supposed to be my right-hand, but if you allow a boy to come between us, then I can’t trust you, and I have to consider someone else.”
“You do what you want, Nico. I’m tired of this anyway. We’ve been doing this kind of shit for too long. We have enough money where we can walk away—”
“Do you expect me to walk away from my casinos and everything I’ve built—”
“Our father built this, you inherited it. He never wanted us to get bogged down in this kind of life, but you embraced it to his dismay. I never wanted it, but father said for me to watch you to keep you from fucking up like you’ve done. I don’t want this anymore, and I’m tired of being your watchdog.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Take what’s mine and get out.”
“I think you forgot something. I control all the assets, and if you want anything, then you have to bring me that boy who stole from me.” I couldn’t tell Nico that I didn’t want to. I wanted to be with him. Nevertheless it wasn’t the right time, or the place to be discussing what had happened.
“If you don’t find him because I assume you don’t know where he is, or you wouldn’t be asking me questions, you’d be asking him the question about where the other gold bars and coins are.”
“They don’t amount to no more than ten thousand if that.”
“It’s my money, and he stole it. No one is going to steal from me. If you don’t find him, then I’m sending someone who will.”
“I’ll get him.”
“I’m going home. I see that you can’t do anything without me,” Nico said.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. It’s too soon, and word on the street is Alonzo is convinced you offed his brother.”
“I can take care of my own business. And I wouldn’t worry about Alonzo if I were you. Do I look like I’m worried about that bitch? You know, Dante, it seems your heart isn’t in it anymore.”
When I hit the red button, I was angry. Angry that I had to work to get my own money from my brother, and work because I had to keep Nico from finding Romeo and killing him. I told Romeo to leave Nico alone. I told him to wait for me, but he did what he wanted, and if I didn’t find him soon, Nico would put a contract out on him. I’d seen him do it for much less than ten grand.
First I had to locate some contacts to help me find his whereabouts, and then I had to narrow it down and think like him. Who the fuck could think like a twenty-something year old? He’d go somewhere he could blend in and where it was cheap to live. Not back to his parents because of obvious reasons. And I didn’t know his real name. I’d say he’d done well covering his tracks for now, but everyone in this country left a footprint and I’d find him eventually. I hoped it would be soon, and before Nico did.
