By the door, a shadow arches and lunges at us. Charlie turns and tries to run, but is too late. An arm slices through the air in his direction. Behind me, Gallo grabs me by the neck. And the last thing I can see is DeSanctis's fist as he slams into my brother's face.
"Welcome to the Miami airport. How can I help you?
"Hi, I'm here to pick up a car," Joey said to the petite blonde woman at the National car rental desk. She should be in the name of Gallo.
"Rooster..." the woman repeated as she entered her name into the computer. There is nothing with that name...
"Actually, he probably booked it in DeSanctis's name."
Joey added, forcing the ruse. The Formica counters of the other car rental companies stretched the length of the terminal, but when Joey stepped off the escalator he headed straight for the National counter. After all, when it came to government discounts, there were only three companies listed by the Secret Service's travel office as "official suppliers." National was number one.
"Any luck?" Joey asked.
Examining the illuminated screen in front of her, the agent from the rental company showed a puzzled expression.
"I'm sorry... but according to my data someone has already picked up the car."
"Those eager bastards," Joey exclaimed, laughing. She knew that they would catch the first flight... any resource is good to catch a criminal. She—she opened her wallet and whispered, "United States Secret Service," displaying a gold badge. She of course covered the words "Fairfax County Police" with her fingertips, but as Joey had learned over the years, a badge was more than a badge.
Especially when it was her father's. We were supposed to meet in Miami and... Can I use her phone? She asked-. I'll try to reach you on her mobile.
Stretching the cord across the counter, the woman dialed the number Joey dictated. Through the earpiece, Joey heard the message on his own answering machine. Suddenly serious, he looked up at the woman. I only get her voice mail...
"Is... is that bad?"
"Do you have any idea where they've gone?" Joey asked in a nervous voice.
"Well, we can't really give...
"They're my mates," Joey insisted. If something happened to them...
The woman was about to say something but she hesitated.
"It's an emergency," Joey begged. Please...
The woman reached for a city map from the stack she kept on the counter and she slid it eagerly in front of Joey.
"They wanted directions to the South Beach area… That was the information I gave them.
"Anywhere in particular?"
"10th Street. They didn't give me an address, but it's a very small area..."
"I'll find it," Joey said, taking the map. How long will it take to get me a car?
The third blow hits me on the chin, and I feel the bittersweet taste of blood on my tongue.
"Leave him alone...!" Charlie yells, though he barely gets the words out of his mouth. Throwing his arm forward, DeSanctis smashes the butt of the pistol into Charlie's jaw.
-Where is the? Rooster roars in my face, raising his fist for another blow. He grabs my tie and throws me onto the couch. Tell us where he is, Oliver! You just have to say it and we will disappear from your life!
It is a simple promise and an outright lie. The only reason Charlie and I keep breathing is because we have what they want.
"Don't tell them shit!" Charlie yells, a trickle of blood running down his jaw. DeSanctis brings the gun back and this time hits Charlie in the ear. Charlie falls to his knees, groans, and puts his hand to the side of his head.
"Charlie!"
-Do not move! Gallo warns me, grabbing me by the neck and throwing me back against the sofa. "Hit him again and don't
you will get nothing! he yelled.
"Do you think we're negotiating?" Gallo yells, not letting go of my tie. He slams me against the bookcase, sending a dozen engineering manuals crashing to the floor. Without allowing me to catch my breath, he grabs me by the lapels and throws me violently against the small table next to the sofa. The lamp shatters and framed photographs fly across the room. I stagger trying to regain my balance and stay on my feet…and reach for the gun in my back pocket, but I can't. Do you know how much time you have made me lose? He," he continues roaring. Do you have any idea how much all this is costing me?
As if I were a wrestler in the ring, Gallo grabs me by the knot of my tie again, spins me around violently, and throws me against the shelf again. As I slam into it, the edge of one of the shelves hits the back of my neck and my head bounces forward. For a second I can see absolutely nothing. Still holding on to my tie, Gallo pulls me towards him and throws me back again.
And again. And every time I bump into the bookcase, a stack of books falls on my head.
"Where's the money, Oliver?" Where the hell did you hide it?
Saliva sprays from his lips. He has a small gap between his yellow teeth. With each impact, the world goes in and out of focus. I'm about to faint, but Gallo doesn't give up on his efforts. Finally, he wraps his claws around my neck and pins me against the bookcase. I can't breathe. When the pressure on my neck increases, I desperately struggle to suck in some air. I only get an empty gasp. -Please...
I can see over Gallo's shoulder that Charlie is still kneeling on the floor with his hand resting on his injured ear. DeSanctis is standing over him with a smirk. And behind all of them... I swear, something is moving in the kitchen. Before he can react, the entire room vanishes and turns to one side. It's like being underwater, being sucked under by the tide. Rooster keeps squeezing and I float back to last night. Back to Gillian. She's all I see, which is why, when I open my eyes, I almost can't believe she's really there.
Gillian bursts into the living room brandishing the glass blender jar and lands a hard blow on the back of DeSanctis's head.
When the glass hits the skull a dry and chilling sound is produced. The impact creates a zigzag crack in the side of the glass, sending DeSanctis reeling into Gallo.
When Gallo turns around looking for the source of the sound I manage to grab a book from the shelf and hit him on the head with all my might. The blow knocks Gallo off balance, which is all Gillian needs to get close fast. Gallo tries to get the gun off of him, but he doesn't stand a chance. Already with the movement in the middle of her execution, Gillian throws the blender glass forward and hits Gallo on the side of the head. But just as the glass impacts the skull, there is a loud bang… the crack gives way and the glass shatters into hundreds of tiny pieces that hit my chest. In Gillian's hand only the solid glass handle remains. On the carpet, Gallo is dazed but not knocked out. -Let's get out of here! Gillian yells as she grabs my hand. Coughing and struggling to catch my breath, I jump over Gallo and go to find Charlie, who is lifting his head off the rug. His eyes flick back and forth…first to Gillian, then to me, then back to Gillian again. He is in shock. Gillian takes him by one arm and I by the other; we lift him up for armpits to stand up.
-You are well? I ask him.
Can you hear me?
Charlie nods; he quickly regains his balance.
"Let's get out of here," he says. There is no fear in his voice. Just anger.
Gillian points the way. Not towards the front door but towards the bedrooms at the back of the house. Where she has surreptitiously entered. Her first... then Charlie... then me. But as I lunge forward, something grabs me by the ankle. And she squeezes. Strong. An electric current of pain shoots up my leg and I fall face-first to the ground. Behind me, DeSanctis has a tight grip on my ankle, refusing to let go. He is lying on his stomach and inching across the floor. His blood drips from his hairline, trails across his temple and onto his cheek.
I back up on my elbows and kick furiously, fighting to break free of DeSanctis. His nails dig deep into the skin of her ankle. I can't get it off me.
"Charlie!"
I look back desperately but my brother is already there. His heavy black shoe crushes DeSanctis's wrist. With a yelp of pain, DeSanctis releases my ankle and looks up at Gillian.
-What do you do...?
Before DeSanctis can finish his sentence, Gillian kicks out, catching DeSanctis in the temple. Her neck flexes with a terrifying noise. But that doesn't stop Gillian. Attacking ferociously, she kicks him again. And again. Her shoe hits like a brick. And again.
"That's enough," Charlie says, pulling her away from DeSanctis. From where I stand on the rug, Charlie is ten feet tall. The new big brother.
-Let's get out of here! Charlie yells, leaning down to help me up.
Not knowing what awaits us outside, Charlie runs to the back of the house. Ignoring the pain in my ankle, I follow as fast as I can, limping down the hall. Behind me, Gillian puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Keep walking," she whispers to me. We cut through the bedroom, where the sliding glass door to the backyard is wide open.
-On the right! Gillian yells.
But Charlie, deciding his own escape from him, turns left.
We came out onto a cement patio. The wall that stands right in front of us is too high. To the left, the path cuts through the backyards of the neighbors' houses, each patio connected to the next. Charlie is already at the end of the path, carrying a rusty and sun-faded deck chair to help him save the concrete wall.
-Fast! Charlie yells, already straddling the wall.
"The car is this way," Gillian says, pulling me to the right.
I look both ways, but the answer is simple.
"Charlie, wait!" I yell as I run towards my brother.
"You're crazy, it's safer around here!" Gillian insists, not giving up.
I don't even slow down.
"I'm serious," he insists. If you leave now, you're left alone.
She's a serious threat, but even Gillian doesn't want to escape alone. Shaking her head as she kicks the concrete, she runs after me.
"Come on, they'll be here in a second!" Charlie yells, swinging his other leg over the wall. Shifting the weight to his arms, he jumps off the wall and disappears.
"Wait a..." "It's too late." He has already left.
Leaning back on the chaise, I stick my head over the wall to make sure she's okay. But just as I spot Charlie on the other side, a shot rings out. Two centimeters to my left, a chunk of the top of the wall breaks into a thousand pieces, hurling small chunks of concrete in all directions. It's like a rain of sand in full face. I try to see something through the storm. On the other side of the wall and down the street, Gallo appears around the corner limping as fast as he can with his gun pointed straight at me. -Head down! Charlie yells. A second shot is heard.
I duck under the ledge, lose my balance, and fall from the chaise to the floor. With my ass glued to the ground, I look at the wall that separates me from my brother.
"Oliver!" Charlie calls me.
-Run! The Scream-. Get out of here!
"Not until..."
"Go away, Charlie!" Now!