My Everything

Una Reunión de Una Configuración

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Although Rose had bugged their car to prepare us for the meeting, I was struggling to understand what was happening. My Spanish was rusty, and the translator was bringing me nothing but frustration. I found my mind dwindling as I wondered if they maybe had a clue. I had little time to myself before my phone rang. It was Rose…

“Hell-o!”

“Good Evening Ms. Russo, we have a slight problem. Angelo, Carl and Anthony seem to be headed to Charlotte’s drive, there’s a huge team of police over there doing random traffic checks. I could get a heads-up from the radio that I set up in the White Fist company vehicle. Good news is, I was able to get Brad to contact Angelo. They’re headed for Santos Drive, then they’re going to take the fly over onto Marvel Street. They can still make it on time; Brad and I are also on our way back to collect you. We’ll be there in about half an hour or less.”

“Ok, Rose, see you soon… By the way, did you get the observation room next to the conference room?”

“Actually, Ms. Russo, I could have the conference room tapped beforehand, allowing us both audio and video capabilities. All the team members will wear tiny radios for added protection and communication purposes. We equipped the observation room that was booked with a television, surround sound speakers and is sound proof. I also ordered light refreshments for the duration of the meeting. Is there anything else you would like me to prepare, Ms. Russo?”

“Thank you Rose, that will be all for now.”

“You are most welcome Ms. Russo.”

Our team spent many long hours preparing for this meeting. Despite us seeing the White Fist gang as more of a friend than a foe, this was business. We had to stand our ground and stick to the plan. Strategic operations such as these called for great tact and caused even the strongest of men to stumble.

Rose ensured that we knew every man in the boardroom like the back of our hand, from hair and eye colour to tattoos and distinguishing marks. We even knew their family history and marital status. Despite all of our preparation and the punctuality of Rose and Brad, I still found my muscles tensing as I could not predict or control the outcome of this meeting. The White Fist was already privy to the details of the contract and informally agreed. However, the meeting was still a necessary formality.

Even the most concrete of agreements often become compromised. Humans are greedy and I too found myself not wanting to share. In operations of this nature everyone was a threat, you ‘pull either the trigger or risk being shot’. We were powerful people and we prided ourselves in sophistication and it showed in our appearance. I could not risk missing this meeting. My desire to protect made me impulsive. My initial thoughts were, no matter how much these people paid, what’s mine must remain mine! However, I knew the White Fist was a rowdy bunch by nature and was willing to control by any means necessary. Despite Angelo’s warning, I felt compelled to involve the police. We needed to keep the illusion of clean hands. Although this type of thinking went against the code, I didn’t mind losing a gang member to ensure this remained a smooth process. It was easier to have a snitch quietly ended because no one likes an informant. We, therefore, needed to find a strategy. We needed to give them power on paper without jeopardizing our business, just enough to buy their silence.

On the way to the meeting, I went over the paperwork with Rose and we worked over our analysis, forecasts, and predictions. We needed to brainstorm all the potential outcomes. In my mind, I couldn’t help but ask myself what kind of stupid joke was this? How do you get a group such as the White Fists to play by the rules when rules were made to be broken?

Although I had been missing in action in Notaridge, I knew I still had to lie low. The media was creative, and they were onto us for a while. They never give up. On arrival at the conference centre, they parked the car in an empty parking lot at the back of the gray sky scrapper. In the distance, through the tinted car window, I could vaguely see what looked like an emergency exit. There was no sign in sight, and the colour of the door practically blended in with the building. Brad got out of the Vehicle leaving Rose and me behind. I watched him as he walked towards the gray door and made a call before entering. I wasn’t able to survey my surroundings before Brad returned with three muscular men outfitted in all black suits and dark shades.

“Ok ladies let’s go… this way.”

“Rose, you have all the documents from the car?”

“Yes, please Ms. Russo.”

“Ok, let’s go then”

I tugged my suit to release any kinks that had formed in transit and followed the team. They directed us to a dark, air-conditioned room with no demarcations on the door. As I proceeded into the room, I felt as though I was entering a dungeon. I was just barely able to make out the line of chairs, which were being lit by some small light source. As I felt my way through the room, following Rose’s lead, she came to an abrupt halt.

“Ms. Russo, before we commence the meeting, let’s do some housekeeping. We had equipped each chair in the room with an individual dimmable lamp, notepad and pen. At your seat, you will find a bottle of water, snacks, your radio and remote controls for the projector ahead of you. If the need arises to contact Angelo or part of the team, they will all have pagers and mobiles on them. They will hear us via radio but please note that it is customary in these meetings for participants to be stripped of media forms… We will view the entire meeting via the projector but we cannot interrupt the meeting by no means. These operations can quickly get ugly and sometimes end in violence. We absolutely cannot afford to lose a guy; we’re still on media alert. Ok, now we are up to date, let’s begin.”

I nodded in acknowledgement as I took my seat and tried to process everything. The unsettling feeling in my stomach returned, reminiscent of the burger experience in Notaridge. I tried to think of the wonderful memories spent with Diane to calm the feeling.

“We’ll be starting in five minutes, Ms. Russo.”

“Thank you, Rose.”

” You’re welcome. Brad is on call in case you need him to get our men out of the room quickly.”

I sipped some water and as Rose’s eyes met my flushed face, I screeched out, “Thank you, Rose”.

My face hardened as I focused my attention on the screen. Angelo, Carl, and Anthony were already seated as the representatives from the White Fist entered the room. The men entering the room were diverse in appearance. Everything from the ink-stained neckline to the metrosexual. Their general appearance ranged from shades of blue, olive green or chestnut eyes, short jet-black shiny hair, stubby button noses, round clean-shaven faces with a mixture of body types. Their physiques seemed to be short and bulky, or average height and slightly muscular. However, one gentleman stuck out like a sore thumb. He was tall and appeared feeble. He had a crooked, slightly pointed nose with facial stubble, a moustache, short flat salt and pepper hair and wrinkled skin with a bit of rosacea. His skin did not have the healthy bronze, golden honey hue like others, but was rather scaly. It appeared as though he was fresh out of prison with his washed out blue jeans, slightly stretched white tee shirt, and oversized jacket.

As the men settled in their seats, they began surveying the room. There were then some Spanish murmurs that bounced off the walls of the otherwise quiet room, followed by an abrupt silence. Then one man broke the silence as he shifted his body in the chair and placed his feet firmly on the floor. 

“¿Dónde está Señor Oz?”

Angelo’s face became flush as he clenched his fist under the table. I could tell that he was nervous as his body appeared feverish.

“You no understand me, señor? Let me speak in English for you. Where is Señor Oz?”

“He will not be coming today.”

“I can see that Señor Butter Finger Galante.”

“We don’t like people wasting our time!”

“We aren’t here to waste your time, sir; we take this meeting with utmost importance.”

“So where is he, Carlos here isn’t afraid to go back to prison!”

I found it hard to control my muscles as the men continued to speak in Spanish among themselves. A muscle in my jaw twitched as I clenched my fists. There was a clear state of tabula rasa accompanied by silence on the pale faces of my men. Not even a grimace or contortion. They appeared to have all had a fresh Botox treatment. I unclenched my fist, reached for my phone, and spoke into the radio.

“Angelo, whatever you do, don’t give up your phone.”

The sound of my voice created an immediate transformation on Angelo’s face. Recognition dawned on his face as his dull expression metamorphosed into a poker face. We were back in the game! I could feel it in every bone in my body. Angelo firmly gripped the chair and placed all of his force on the chair handles as he scrapped the chair loudly against the floor to come to a standing position. I kept my eyes fixated on the screen in great anticipation. As Angelo stood up, he rolled back his shoulders, making his chest more apparent. He then cleared his throat to draw attention to himself.

” Good evening, my colleagues. Let me reintroduce myself. I am Angelo and today, present with me are Mr. Anthony Butter Finger Galante and Mr. Carl Parlozzi. We are here today to complete the pending contractual agreement in which it will award you fifteen (15%) percent of the company shares in return for protecting operations in Desolation and the neighbouring communities. We ask that you once again accept our humble apologies for the absence of Mr. Oz who had to take an urgent leave of absence. We are fully aware that he is a familiar face and has been an integral asset in previous times. However, my team is equally effective and we are more than willing to offer our professional expertise. Without further ado, we ask that you kindly turn your attention to the stapled copies of your contracts found on the table in front of you. I will allow a few moments to review them individually after which we will read the contract aloud and address any concerns before signing.”

The room regained its initial silence as Angelo took his seat. I shifted my attention for a moment toward Rose. Her head was tilted in a downward position towards the computer screen. It seemed as if not even an earthquake could break her concentration. Meanwhile, Brad had half of his body through the door, surveying the hallway. My facial muscles relaxed and a slight grimace brightened my face as I once again felt like I had a team. Maybe, just maybe, there was an ounce of good still left in what felt like a callous world. The Spanish mutters returned, peaking my eardrums. I really was at a lost to what they were saying and could only imagine how Carl, Angelo and Anthony felt. The men kept their heads down and remained silent. I noticed Anthony nervously twisting his watch and Carl adjusting his tie, but Angelo didn’t flinch. The Spanish mutters became louder as the voices of the White Fists became more aggressive. It seemed like the beginning of a small agreement as their hands were recklessly released into the air, followed by the jerking of their bodies. Carl and Anthony shifted their bodies in the chair in a very unsettled manner.

Angelo then looked down and made another pass over the contract set before him. He placed his hand on his neck as though it was strained. He then titled his head from side to side and rolled his shoulders backward. Anthony leaned in towards Angelo almost synonymously, as if he was alerting him of something. Angelo then gasped as he took a deep breath and his chest contracted. He nodded, perhaps in recognition of Anthony’s remarks. I wasn’t quite able to catch what he was saying on the radio, but I could only imagine.

                                                                                ***

Carl’s voice stunned everyone in the room as the projection of his voice drowned out the murmurs of The White Fist. He read the contract with great assertion and persuasion in his voice. His tone seemed to affirm the contract as if he was verbally signing each document present on the table. The question was, would he win over the White Fists. The facial expressions of the men immediately changed. It was unclear whether the change was one of distaste from the interruption or shock. Gleamed eyes, raised brows, dilated pupils, and flared nostrils met Carl’s gaze. Carlos ran his hand hair and played with the prickly stubble on his face. He had a stern stare on his droopy sunken jaw lined face. The discomfort in Anthony’s body drowned Carl’s voice out as he appeared to be consumed by his intent to find a comfortable position in his seat. He restlessly shifted his body from side to side and clumsily made an accidental call before dropping his phone. The sound of the phone falling to the floor and the voice on the other side of the line interrupted Carl’s reading and broke the concentration of the gentlemen in the room. Carlos’ eyes became fury filled as he reached for something in his left pants pocket. His pale wrinkled skin illuminated with a cherry red hue as he grinned his teeth and lifted one corner of his mouth. The other men tried to refrain from him, repeating the words ``Calmate mi amigo.” Carlos snarled giving a dirty look to Angelo, Anthony and Carl. A vein popped out from his neck as he repeated the word ‘Traitor.’ He then jerked his hands out of the men and pointed at Anthony. The men tried to calm him but were finding it challenging. Eventually he calmed down, but his breathing was still rapid as his chest quickly rose and fell. As his face contorted, a lopsided half smile became apparent. The men turned their bodies to face each other and deliberated among themselves in Spanish. This time the deliberations were a lot more abrupt. One man turned to face our team, who by this time had fear plastered all over their colour-drained faces. He then spoke.

“Carlos here, thinks there may be a traitor in the midst. In case I didn’t make myself clear the first time, he has no fear of prison. Treachery completely violates our code and a grave offence. We are going to have to ask you gentlemen to place your mobiles in the center of the table.” The men placed their phones on the table when Angelo interjected.

“I am sorry sir, I don’t have a mobile on me at present.”

“We don’t believe you, this meeting has been tapped! You aren’t alone, are you? We told you no police.” 

“Please calm down, sir. Our love for the police is as yours. We have provided some internal security to offer an added layer of protection from the feds or any other uninvited guests. We pride ourselves in remaining under the radar and we intend to keep it that way.”

“Is that so Señor?”

Carlos scratched his beard and kept his eyes fixated on Anthony. He tilted his eyes in towards the young gentleman seated directly next to him. The young man was tidying himself by straightening his jacket and adjusting his necktie. However, Carlos’ interruption awakened a chain reaction and a new discussion among the men. It appeared the White Fist were in deliberation alone, and our men weren’t even present. I knew Anthony probably thought to himself that he couldn’t believe he missed his daughter’s birthday for this, and Carl would have probably much preferred to be by his terminally ill mother’s side. I was human too and being a woman, I sympathized with them but they took an oath. The underworld felt mercy on no man.