Blood in the Golden Palace

Chapter 8: Penny-3

Once her muscles relaxed, she was quick to notice that the water jets had long since ended. Floating backwards, she let her body sink to the floor of the hot tub, her nose barely above water. Christ, I feel like a porn star, she thought. She could only imagine Angelo’s reaction if he ever found out she got off to his outdoor appliances. Though if that content in the leather box was to be believed, maybe he wouldn’t be as horrified as Penny thought…

Figuring that was enough hot tub for the day, Penny got out and padded over to the pool shack. Grabbing a fluffy towel and a doubly fluffy bathrobe, Penny dried off and covered up, tucking her clothes under her arm. Leaving her socks off, she donned her shoes and headed back to the house. Entering, she half expected to see Hank still reading the same paper as earlier. What she saw instead was a hastily scribbled note awaiting her at the kitchen counter.

Had to run. Be back soon.

Boss should be home tonight.

—Hank

Penny looked around. No replacement guards in sight. Unsure of how much time she had, Penny hurried to her bedroom, changed into something dry, and then made her way to the door down the hall. Angelo’s door.

Every time Penny snuck into Angelo’s bedroom, she was sure not to leave a single thing out of place, lest he get suspicious. Fortunately, there wasn’t much inside in danger of being moved. Angelo’s bedroom was much like the rest of the house; modern, chic and dark. A round bed in black silk sheets took center stage, next to two dimmed windows. To the right of the threshold was a sliding closet door, totally mirrored from top to bottom. Inside was fully stocked on three piece suits, jackets, vests, slacks, sweaters, shirts, belts, and everything else a suave man like Angelo DeRossi might wear. To the left of the circle bed was a night stand, with nothing but a few condoms and a loose pen usually in its drawers. Near the back sat a personal bathroom, tiled black to match the rest of his house. In it was a master bathtub, capable of holding at least three grown adults, a state of the art shower head, and a toilet with heated seating. There was also a small desk for note taking, a couple floor racks of shoes, and a few pieces of obscure modern art hanging on the wall.

Now, Penny had searched every nook and cranny of Angelo’s bedroom twice over. So far, there wasn’t even so much as a notebook, let alone a potential Wi-Fi password. But she returned again and again, as she was quick to realize a secondary goal; finding a key to the third door of the hallway. For while Angelo’s bedroom was unlocked at all times, that third door was a different matter entirely. It was a smaller room, considering the layout of the house. If Penny had to guess, it must have been a study or storage room of some kind. Which was more than likely where any and all passwords were stashed away.

Penny had just finished fishing through the pockets on all Angelo’s coats before checking his nightstand. As per usual, the first few drawers had nothing of interest. But in the final drawer she checked, at the very top, a glint of silver metal caught her eye. A single key, thrown haphazardly inside the drawer, sat innocently enough among loose papers and a nearly empty carton of cigarettes.

Looked like this was her lucky day.

Grabbing it quickly, Penny escaped the bedroom, though she was careful to check the house first before heading to the locked door. The key fit easily, and before she knew it, she was inside. What awaited her was a study far messier than the rest of Angelo’s pristine home. A computer desk sat in front of a wide window, with blinds drawn tightly to the bottom of the frame. Mountains of papers and files buried the empty liquor glasses and overflowing ash tray to the right of the keyboard. Against the far wall were bookshelves with sloppily housed paperwork and law books, of all things, and a few suggestive statuettes of female figures in front.

Feeling that time was not on her side, Penny went to the computer desk first. There were a few sticky notes along Angelo’s monitor, but none of them contained a password. She checked drawers, folders, files, nothing. She was just about ready to give up when she noticed a slim door ajar, hidden by a bookshelf. Penny went to the door and pulled it open. What she saw inside wasn’t exactly office supplies.

First, there were the harnesses. An entire row of leather straps and holsters of varying sizes, hanging in an orderly fashion on the wall by hooks. The familiar leather box sat down on the floor in the corner, and on the back wall were wooden shelves full of s****l paraphernalia on display. Whips, handcuffs, anal beads, leashes, collars, and a great many more things that Penny couldn’t identify. There was even a leather mask that wrapped around a wig head entirely leaving only holes for the nostrils and eyes. At least it was the cleanest area of the study.

Penny tip-toed inside and took stock of all Angelo’s toys. Upon further inspection, it was no surprise that just about all of them were high quality leather, glass, plastic and metal. One fold out drawer even had several pairs of handcuffs, ranging from fuzzy and playful to harsh and realistic. There were even different styles of ball gags, tucked away and organized by color, such as how one might organize their ties.

Wow I definitely shouldn’t be here, Penny thought. If I move something, he will absolutely notice. Careful not to nudge a single n****e tassel, Penny left the closet of sexy horrors and closed the door behind her. In doing so, Penny paid no attention to one of the bookshelves, which she bumped into, nearly sending it toppling over. Penny grabbed it quickly, but it didn’t keep a few choice objects to come crashing down onto the carpet.

Panicking, Penny went into overdrive, praying that she put everything back exactly where it was. She was just putting back the last nudie statue when she noticed a plain, small box, its lid wide open. A pile of letters had spilled out below, some of them years old. And all, judging from the handwriting, from the same person.

Penny hesitated. She knew she shouldn’t, but her curiosity was insatiable. Bending down, she picked up a letter and flipped it over. It was addressed to Angelo, but to an address she was unfamiliar with. There was no return postage. Carefully, she undid the flap and pulled out the contents.

My Beautiful Son,

I’m so happy to hear how well you’re doing in school. It’s important that you stay focused on your work. I know that high school is never fun for anyone, but it will be over before you know it.

Spring is lovely here at home. It reminds me when you were a baby, and we would watch the ducks together. I wish you could remember those days. When I finally see you again, I’ll take you to all the places you used to love. And we’ll take pictures. Lots of them! I bought an album just for our photos. I can’t wait to fill it up entirely.

Penny stopped reading half way through the first page. Of all the snooping she’d done into Angelo’s private possessions, this felt the most invasive. Folding it up quickly, she stuffed it back into the envelope and stared.

They must all be from Angelo’s mother…Penny tried picturing what she looked like. She must have been gorgeous, obviously. Perhaps with Angelo’s black hair and that copper tone skin. Penny imagined a gentle, generous woman with open arms and tender, dark eyes. Penny flipped over the box and filed the letters back where they belonged. Carefully, she tried to find exactly where they were sitting. Noticing some dust got displaced near the top, Penny managed to just barely push the box into place.

That’s when she heard car tires crunching gravel outside.

Quick as a flash, Penny rushed from the study, being sure to lock it on her way out, and then bolted for the bedside table in Angelo’s room. Once she deposited the key back in its proper place, Penny raced for her room as she heard the lock on the front door start to open. She jumped into bed, swiping a book from her nightstand, and tried to appear as innocent as possible.

The first thing Penny heard was a great sigh, followed up by the “flop” of a heavy coat hitting the ground. Voices echoed from the front of the house, though it was difficult to make out the words. She was sure that it was Angelo and Hank, speaking lowly. After a moment or two, Hank appeared at Penny’s open door with a smile.

“I’m leaving for the day,” he said kindly. “See you tomorrow?”

Penny smiled back. “Drive home safe.”

“Will do.” With that, Hank left the way he came, and Penny slipped from bed, following him out into the hall. Angelo was in the kitchen, helping himself to a stiff drink. His clothes were disheveled, and his eyes had deep bags. Penny also noticed a few new bandages around his knuckles and wrists. She didn’t want to imagine why he needed them.

“Long day?” Penny asked.

Finishing his drink in one gulp, Angelo set his empty crystal glass in the sink. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

Penny edged closer, hands behind her back. “Anything I can do?”

Angelo chuckled, making his way toward the hallway. “Not unless you want to fill in for me at our hearing.” Penny followed him to his bedroom. Leaving the door open, he started undoing his shirt buttons, kicking off his shoes in the process. “Tell you what, the old families had it right. Buy off as many politicians and judges as you can, never have to sit in on legal depositions ever in your life. Or practice for one.”

With no shame whatsoever, Angelo tossed his shirt aside and headed for the bathroom. As he did, Penny got a good look at his exposed back, and the tattoo that sat front and center just above his shoulder blades. It was a red wheel, lined faintly in black, with what looked like a flower on the inside. It seemed at least a decade old, and expertly done. Penny was so distracted that she didn’t even notice Angelo’s slacks sliding off his thighs until he turned, nearly naked. “Interested in a show or what?”

“Huh?” Realizing what she was now looking at, Penny gasped and turned away, hugging the door frame. “Sorry! I’ll just—!”

Angelo laughed. “Oh my God, relax. Not like I never had an audience before.” Before long, Penny heard the hiss of a shower, and she chanced a look toward the bathroom. He had left the door open, which in Penny’s mind was the sign of a psychopath, but she ignored that judgment for now. Not wanting to scurry away just yet, Penny cautiously made her way to the bathroom, but was sure to give Angelo his privacy.

“Are depositions really that bad?” she asked.

“Worse,” echoed Angelo’s voice. “You sit in a tiny ass room with stuffy ass lawyers, and answer the same questions for hours. It’s not like TV where you instantly go to a trial room. It’s months of the same s**t over and over again until you’re tempted to blow your brains out just to get a little peace. I’m not looking forward to it.”

Penny leaned against the wall, noticing a faint reflection in the mirror wall opposite Angelo’s shower. She could just faintly make out the shapes that were obscured behind the frosted glass that made up Angelo’s body. “Do you have to do a lot of depositions?”