Blood in the Golden Palace

Chapter 5: Angelo

Chapter 5: Angelo“What the hell do you mean you got caught?” Nikki demanded.

“I mean I got caught.”

“You said that already. I mean how. And by who?”

“Whom.”

“Don’t get smart with me, asshole. You’re in some serious s**t, you know this?”

Angelo ran his hand down his long, tired face. This was not how he had imagined his Thursday would go.

First, there was the harrowing wakeup call at the ungodly hour of six A.M. There were rumors of a raid on one of their local store houses, but when Angelo arrived, he was met with nothing but strange looks. After that, there was a follow-up to one of the DeRossi syndicate’s latest gun acquisition. Apparently, some of the weapons were manufactured with shoddy, low-shelf parts, which had Don Luciano foaming at the mouth. Something about not being able to trust black market arms dealers these days. Angelo barely had time for lunch before Nikki was blowing up his phone to badger him about interviews. He entertained a couple, but found most of the candidates either too young, too loose lipped, or just too stupid for even the most menial tasks. So by the time that some of his boys had gotten word to him that Jim, one of his south corner drug runners, was skimming off their books—far more than a bar tab here and there—Angelo was not in the greatest of moods.

It wasn’t often that Angelo had to conduct this sort of business at the Palace. In fact, if he could help it, he’d like to handle all “family” business outside of the nightclub grounds. It wasn’t good policy to mix the two too often. But when he came in to find Jimmy also sneaking a bit of booze from the bar, Angelo was at his limit. And so, he had the two day guards drag Jimmy down the stairs and into the storage down below.

It was only fitting that they now had to deal with a breach in security.

Nikki, who had interrupted a most important spa day in order to heed her brother’s call, folded her arms and leaned against the bar. “Pops is going to have a field day,” she said. “Weren’t you the one who insisted that the Palace was fool proof?”

“Yeah well.” Angelo glanced at his two day guards, both of whom were loitering awkwardly next to Jimmy, unsure of their next set of orders. “Apparently, somebody here has a smoking problem.” Lifting his own cigarette from the ash tray, he approached Jimmy, who flinched when he was just an inch too close. Angelo took a drag and blew the smoke in poor Jim’s face.

“You’re free to go,” he said, “for now. But if you turn in your sales next month and I find so much as a f*****g dollar out of place, you’re losing a knuckle for every penny, you hear me?”

“Y-yes, Mr. DeRossi. Yes, absolutely.”

Angelo turned to his day guards. “Get him out of here.” They obliged, leaving the siblings to themselves. Nikki downed her second glass of white wine and stood from the bar.

“You realize that if you can’t get control over this situation, Pops is going to pull the Palace out from under you.”

“I know, Nik.”

“I don’t think you do, Angelo. Because you don’t have to hear about it. I do. ‘Oh, it could have been such a beautiful gambling hall, Nicoletta. Oh, your brother has made such a mistake.’”

“Yes, thank you for the regularly scheduled guilt.” Nikki scoffed and paced out into the floor, deep in thought. A silence settled between them. “Look, I can handle this.”

“Yeah?” Nikki turned with a scowl. “Then f*****g handle it.”

A door slam echoed from the far end of the Palace, and both Nikki and Angelo turned to see Luciano storming his way over to the both of them. From the sight of his red face, he was not happy with the situation. “What is this, what is this?” he repeated in a rage. “You call me, you say some girl has seen your business? How sloppy do you conduct your business, Angelo, for some child to spot you off the street—?”

“You make it sound like I was shooting up guys on the sidewalk, Pop.”

“You may as well have!” Luciano threw his hands in the air to make his point. “Figlio di puttana, what do you have between your ears if not a brain? Cheese?!”

Angelo took a deep, steadying breath. It was difficult to be the level headed one in a family full of flailing Italians. Fortunately, he’d had a lot of practice. “Look, I’ve met this girl a couple of times, all right? She’s harmless.”

Luciano was ready to blow a fuse. “Harmless? Harmless? She speaks to the police, it does not matter how ‘harmless’!”

“Does she have anybody important in her life?” Nikki asked. “She got a big family or something?”

“No,” said Angelo. “As far as I’m aware, she lives alone, maybe with a roommate. No real family to speak of.”

“Great.” Grabbing the bottle of wine by her empty glass, Nikki poured herself a third drink. “Then let’s get rid of her.”

A cold pit opened up in Angelo’s stomach. Fortunately, he didn’t need to be the one who objected. Luciano did it for him. “No, no, Nicoletta. We do not kill women.”

“Pops, it’s the 21st century. This ain’t 1930s Sicily, we got feminism these days.”

“No.” Luciano swiped the air, putting an end to the discussion. “Santa Maria, if your mother heard you speak like that she would drown in shame.”

“Ashamed of what? Killing women or feminism?”

Finally, Angelo stepped up. “Listen, both of you. Please.” Once he was sure there would be no more interruptions, Angelo continued. “This girl is a babe in the woods. Trust me. All I have to do is keep an eye on her, she won’t go to the cops.”

“You?” Nikki snarked. “You sure you don’t have some ulterior motive there, Ange?”

“Bite me, Nikki. Look, I keep her close, keep her in my sight, keep her relaxed and cared for, and I swear to you both you won’t see a cop on your doorstep any time soon.”

Luciano and Nikki glanced at each other. He knew it was a gamble, but what other choice did any of them have, short of Nikki’s suggestions? Finally, with a wave and a nod, Luciano gave Angelo his blessing, and Angelo headed down the hall to Penny’s door.

He paused outside of it and pulled out her phone. A couple of text notifications sat on her screen asking her how the interview went. Angelo tapped the phone to his hand, milling through a few ideas. Once he had settled on a plan, he knocked, gently.

“Penny?” he called. “I’m coming in now.” He waited. No response. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside. There was Penny, curled up on the couch where he left her. Her makeup was smeared with tear stains, and her clothes were disheveled. Closing the door behind him, Angelo took a chair and sat in front of Penny. She kept her eyes glued to him, frozen on the couch. Angelo held up his hand to speak, and Penny flinched. His fingers retracted, and he decided it was best to just keep his hands at his knees.

“Are you hurt?” he asked. Penny lifted her head somewhat, but gave him no answer. Angelo looked her over. “Well, you’re not bruised. That’s good. I hope I didn’t grab your arm too hard.” He tried smiling, but got nothing in return. Angelo cleared his throat.

“All right, listen. This is a real bad situation for both of us. But I’ve figured out a way to make it work. I need your help for that.” Penny twitched at the word “help.” Angelo pulled her phone into view and Penny’s eyes honed in on it. “Here’s what I need. You need to call or text your friends. Tell them that you’ve been offered a lucrative secretary position. It’s so lucrative, in fact, that it comes with room and board, and you’re going to be moving out effective immediately.”

Penny’s face fell. “Move out…” she breathed. “You mean I…You’re…?”

“This is the only way out of this situation,” Angelo said quickly. “Believe me, I don’t want this. But either you get cozy in my guest room at home, or my sister dumps your body in the bay.” Immediately, Penny was about to cry again, and Angelo felt panic rise to the surface. “But that’s not going to happen,” he added quickly. “I promise, I promise that won’t happen to you. All you have to do is make sure your friends aren’t suspicious, and I swear to you nobody’s gonna harm a hair on your head. Okay?” Penny took a couple of shuddering breaths. After a moment, she shakily reached out for the phone. Angelo laid it in her hand, but didn’t draw away quite yet.

“I’m trusting you,” he said firmly. “Don’t make me regret it.” Weakly, Penny nodded, and Angelo removed his hand. She steadied herself, and once her tears were wiped, Penny dialed a number. Angelo heard it ring, and fortunately, it went to voicemail. Penny put on the best smile she could.

“Hey Viv!” she said, her voice struggling to remain bubbly. “You’ll never guess what happened. I got a job. But uh…it’s a live in job, so I’m going to have to move out soon. It’s…it’s a secretary job, I think. Anyway, I’ll get my stuff. I’m sorry this is so sudden…” She hesitated. “You’re a great roommate. I love you. Bye.” And she hung up. Penny stared at her phone. “I’ll send Daisy a text—”

“No.” Angelo laid his hand on her phone, and once again took it from her possession. “I’ll send Daisy a text. And don’t worry about getting your things from your old apartment. I’ll hire movers.” Penny slunk deeper into the couch and tightened her arms around her knees. Angelo noticed that the phone had locked automatically after her call to her roommate. “I need your phone combination.” Penny was still. After a moment, Angelo flipped the phone around, offering her the screen. “I won’t look,” he promised. As she typed it in, Angelo kept his eyes averted, and only looked back when the phone clicked open.

There were so many things Angelo wished he had the bravery to tell her. About how this wasn’t her fault. About how sorry he was that this had to happen to a nice girl like her. Or about how he would do his damnedest to make sure that she was comfortable and safe while in his custody. But he knew that none of that would make the situation better. And so instead, he stood and once more left the room, locking it as he stepped away.

With a heavy heart, he went to Penny’s texts and opened up the log titled “DAISY.” In it were endless questions about how the interview had gone, and how Penny was able to focus talking to a good looking guy like Angelo. He sent the following reply:

Hey!! He offered me a PA job! $$$! I’m starting ASAP so I won’t be able to put my 2 weeks in :( Can’t talk much, there’s already a lot to do. :))

Daisy’s response came immediately: Girl!! OMG congrats!! is he nice!?

Angelo hesitated. He glanced back at the door. There were a lot of sins on his roster he wasn’t proud of. But nothing felt quite as tainted as what he texted next:

He’s the sweetest <3

* * * *

After a long and arduous conversation with his family, Nikki was charged with running the Palace for the night; no doubt a favor she wouldn’t let Angelo soon forget. Luciano was placated for now, and Angelo managed to smuggle Penny out back without them having to interact with her. The last thing Penny needed was further stress. Rather than calling up Hank, Angelo thought it best to drive out in the car he drove in with. Despite the price of Angelo’s Porsche, that twinkle in Penny’s eye the last time she was in a fancy car was gone completely. Instead, she stared out the window, still clutching her body close. Angelo thought it was best to give her space, and so, the drive was quiet.

As they came to the gate, Penny’s attention was finally pulled to Angelo’s estate. With it being so early, the details were easier to see in the sunlight. Angelo DeRossi owned about five acres of land, totally walled off from the outside world. Around the center structure was a small crop of dense trees, a wide open garage, and a terrace for entertaining. The house itself was mid-century modern, featuring wide windows and a sleek, black and gray outer facade. Angelo glanced to his right to see if perhaps this would pique Penny’s interest. To his relief, her despair was replaced by awe.

Angelo drove up to an empty spot in the garage. Once parked, Angelo got out and opened Penny’s door for her. “This way,” he said, directing her to the garage door. Opening it again, he allowed her to walk inside.

The living room was wide and chic. Leather couches surrounded a black marble fire place. Matching bookshelves lined the walls, housing both beautifully bound tomes and small sculptures and pieces of art. On the far end was a kitchenette, also furnished with dark, metallic colors. A massive television occupied the left most wall, which was mostly glass, with the exception of a few structural pillars. Penny took it all in.

“You live here all alone?” Well at least she was talking to him.

“Yeah. Just me.” Angelo took off his coat and hung it on a rack. He reached out to offer to take Penny’s, but she shied away. Angelo dropped his hands. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.” Keeping his eyes averted, he walked Penny down the hall toward the guest room. He opened it, and gestured inside. A beautiful king bed laid under dark cotton sheets. A wide window faced the small forest, and a personal television hung on the far wall by the door. There was an open, empty closet, bathroom, and lavish plush rug. Penny walked in, clutching her arms.

“I’ll call the moving company tonight. You don’t need to worry about anything.” Penny was silent. Angelo loitered. “Obviously, I’m not going to be able to leave you here alone. You’re going to be under twenty-four-hour surveillance. At least for now.” That got Penny’s attention, and she turned.

“I really am a prisoner, aren’t I?”

Angelo sighed through his nose. “Just for now,” he said. “Until my father is satisfied that you can be trusted.”

“And how long will that take?”

“I don’t know.”

The pair stood awkwardly, Penny clearly trying to hold back her emotions. Angelo, with nothing else to do with his hands, fidgeted with his cuffs. “I can get you anything you need. Food, medicine, clothes. And when I’m not around, I’ll tell my boys to make sure you’re comfortable.”

Penny sat on the bed, hands gripping the edge on either side of her. “I…Can I have a minute?”

Angelo’s heart fell. “Sure. Let me know when you’re hungry.” Penny said nothing. With no goodbye, Angelo turned and left the room, closing Penny’s door gently. However, he lingered. Silently, he pressed his ear to the door and listened. It was faint, at first, but within was the distinct sound of desperate, helpless sobs.

Angelo headed to his personal bar for a drink.