Cole (The Leaves) (5 page)

“Cole, if you start to lose it again, I’m going to have to slap you… okay?” I nodded into her shoulder. “It’s not just about you, there are other people in there that also love Anika that are scared too. Just lean on us, okay?”

“I want to show you guys something.” I got up and wiped my face and led my parents inside. My emotions were all over the fuckin’ place. I wanted to hate my father, but I knew he was a man of his word. The line between making good on a promise or a threat was the same in his world. We walked through the house and I led them to what I’ll always think of as Anika’s studio.

“This is some love nest you have here.” My mother shot me a knowing look. I smiled and led them to the angled painting, so they could see her true talent… and beauty.

“She did this today. It only took her four hours to complete.” I’d turned on the lights so they could see.

“Raw talent.” My father said. “She hasn’t had formal training.” My mother and I looked at him, wondering how he would know anything about her. “Private lessons, natural talent. She has a gift.”

“I’m getting whiplash over here from my conflicting emotions about you. Can you please try not to… I don’t know, talk?” My mom started to laugh awkwardly, but my father stayed silent, as per my request.

“When she was finished, she asked me if I would do her portrait. I’d wanted to surprise her by giving her a series of sketches I’d been working on, but
someone
already told her.” I raised my eyebrows at my mom, then led them down to the bedroom and flipped the art pad back to the first page. “So I went to the beach and left her to discover this on her own, which she did. And, when Joe called the first time and let me talk to Anika, she said her answer was ‘yes’. I’ve never asked you for anything Father, except to be left alone to do what I loved and you never let me. You fucking get her back and when you do…” my voice hitched at the thought of not seeing her again. “When you do, you either treat her like the angel she is or get out of our lives.”

“You have my word, Cole.” He calmly replied.

“Richard, come have a look at this.” He stood over my mom as she sat on the edge of the bed, going through the sketches and my instructions I’d left for Anika earlier that afternoon. I heard him mumble something, but I couldn’t make out what he said.

“Hello?” the small voice of Aimes came into the room.

“Come on in, Aimes.” She ran to me and gave me a big hug.

“These hormones are kicking my ass. I can’t stop crying, I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t have hormones as an excuse, so I think you’re doing just fine.” I brushed her hair away from her face, knowing she was going out of her mind with worry too.

“Listen. Gus offered to go get a bunch of food; donuts, burgers, whatever… I don’t think anyone is going to sleep until Anika is here with us, safe and sound.”

“That’s a good idea. What time is it, Father?”

“Three. Daniel set everything in motion, the transfer of ownership will be set, and since I’m here, you’re here, and Giovanni’s here, we have all the signatures. Cole, I know the timing is terrible but he would like to speak to you. This wasn’t his idea. He has nothing to do with this. This is all his nephew. Giovanni’s a good man. His brother is a womanizing snake, but he knows that too.”

“I don’t need to talk to him now. I can’t. Aimes, tell Gus that would be great.” She hugged me again and went back downstairs and I began to follow. My mom went down ahead of me to assist Aimes, but my father’s voice kept me in the room.

“I thought it was just a hobby, Cole. I couldn’t understand how you’d want to step away from the business to draw all damn day, but now I see why. You tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen. You want Trinity back, I’ll talk to Giovanni when the dust settles and we’ve dealt with Joe. Whatever you want, it yours… no strings, no expectations.”

“Thanks.” It was all I could say. I left him there and went back downstairs to hear my phone start to ring.

The entire room went on high alert. Daniel yelled out, “Two minutes. The New York office arranged everything. I’ll have everything here. Tell him his uncle is here. Let him talk to him, Cole.”

I ran to the kitchen counter where my phone was sitting ominously, left on charge just in case. The room went still as I swiped the screen and put it on speaker.

“How are we progressing, Mr. Carlyle?”

“Your uncle wants to talk to you. We’re talking to the New York office now; it’s only a matter of seconds.”

“Very well, I assume I’m on speaker-phone. Zio, have you been there all evening for the festivities?”

“Si, Nipote. I’ve already signed document after document. When this is done, when you have done this for your family… where will you go?”

“I’ll be in touch, Zio. Is it done?”

“Almost. Let us speak with the girl, Joe.”

“She cannot talk now.” He spoke away from the phone, “Was that a nice dream you were having, Annie?”

“It’s very important I speak with her, Giuseppe.”

“Does Zio Franco know?” He asked.

“I called him. He knows what you’ve done for the family.”

“Will he let me see her?” His voice sounded desperate.

“Si. Now, let me speak with the girl.”

Silence.

“Did he hang up?!” I knew everyone felt the panic permeate from me.

“Yes, I believe so.” Giovanni answered.

“Do you have a number for him, anything?”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”

“It’s done.” Daniel said from across the room. “Trinity is back in the hands of the Drago family.”

“Mr. Carlyle… Cole. He was in love with that little girl, my brother, Franco’s daughter. But she was eleven when we found out. We sent him away, we lied and told him he needed to learn all he could about the ways of the vineyard and when we established the business here, we could take back our other business. Trinity was named for my brothers and me. We weren’t sure what to do with him, but after we had him followed, when we learned about another little girl, we knew he was sick and we got him out of the country, forced him to immerse himself in work. I have arranged a meeting with my niece.” He leaned close so only my father and I could hear. “He will say goodbye to her before he is taken away.”

“Taken away?” I asked. My father squeezed my arm. Oh. Right. “I see. Do you think he… do you think he’s going to k-kill…” I choked on the words.

“He’s a sick man. A desperate man, but he’s not a murderer.”

“Desperation can make people do crazy things, Mr. Drago.”

“He wants to see his cousin. Your
fidanzante
is the only insurance he has.” It didn’t give me much comfort, but it was something. The silence in the room was crushing me. “My brother and niece are staying near here. I’ve made arrangements for them to meet.”

“I need some air.” I went outside to the deck. I stood there and looked out to the black water, the little ripples of the waves on the beach as the tide made its final journey to the shore before it went out again. I smiled remembering the day when Anika watched me surf. I felt like a kid, showing off for the girl he was trying to impress. Hell, that’s exactly what I was doing. I’d never admit to her that I pushed myself that day and woke up with all sorts of aches and pains only to come back to the beach and found she’d fallen asleep while I was out trying to win the one-man O.P. Pro. I heard the door behind me. “Mom or Father, whoever it is, I just need a minute to myself.”

“It’s me, Aimes. It’s important Cole.” I turned around to see Gus and her were standing together. God, I felt immediately jealous that they were together. He wasn’t worried about her being hurt or missing… or worse. No, I couldn’t let myself go there. I’d kept myself out of the darkness all damn night, the “shadows” as Anika called it. I couldn’t check out now. But I wanted to. I wanted to so fucking bad, because then I wouldn’t have to think about the other possibility… that she wouldn’t be coming back to me.

“Cole, Aimes and I were wondering if we could start getting things ready for when Inky gets home?” Gus asked.

“What do you mean? Should I call a doctor or something? God, I didn’t even think about that. Oh my God, how is this fucking happening?!” I pulled the hair on my head as hard as I could to distract me from the pain in my heart.

“Cole…” Aimes’ voice was soft, trying to break through to me. “We have a sort of ritual we do when this happens. It won’t be happening again. I heard what that guy was saying… concrete boots?”

“Something like that.” We all understood, even if it was never spelled out.

“So, when she arrives…” she began.

“Aimes don’t take this the wrong way, but I got it.”

“You sure?”

“I am… what if…?” The doubt was settling in and festering in me.

“No, no, no. Don’t even go there. She’s coming back, do you hear me?” Aimes’ voice took on an edge I’d never heard.

“He didn’t let her talk this time.” I said, defeated. No crying, no whimpering like the weak mess I’d been for several hours. I just resigned myself to the facts.

Gus motioned to the door, “Come on man. Let’s get some food in you. You’re gonna need it when she gets here.”

Everyone was so sure. I went to the kitchen and sat down. Food magically appeared before me, as well as coffee. The coffee was exactly what I needed. My mother walked in and threw a bag on the counter along with her keys and poured herself a cup. “What’s in the bag?” I asked.

“For her hands, Cole.” I was glad everyone else was thinking about these things.

“Five exactly, Richard.”

“Thank you, Daniel.” My father looked at me. “He’ll call.”

I fucking hoped so. I left the kitchen and went back upstairs to the studio and looked out the window. The sky was just beginning to change. Anika would have a color for this. She’d tell me it was cerulean blue or something. I made the bed with fresh sheets and went back down the stairs to the bedroom. I opened the closet and took out the beautiful night gown and robe I’d bought for her, along with my matching bottoms. I went into the bathroom and got everything ready to bathe her, my beautiful girl. Finally, I went back and looked out the window again and sent up a prayer for the millionth time that night that my angel on earth would be brought safely back to me.

Anika

Something was happening.

First I heard a pounding noise, as if someone was banging on a door. Then Joe moved around the room in a panic saying something that sounded like swearing in Italian.

“Do not try to move and do not make a sound, Annie. I need to save my energy for my beloved, but if I have to waste it on you, so be it. Understood?”

I nodded.

The door closed and I heard footfalls on stairs and him trying to calm a woman. Then as clear as anything I heard, “You promised me, Joe. You promised you would come back to me if I helped you get her. I did that. Make the deal and let’s go!”

I could have screamed, but I was sure I knew who the woman downstairs was. If I was right, she had no intention of saving me.

Again I heard Joe, but I couldn’t make out what he said. But I was now positive who the woman was.

“I let you have my fucking daughter, Joe. You made me promises and then you up and disappeared when she did. You asked me to help you, I did. I’ve been waiting all fucking night for us to go.”

Then I heard something else, something I once again couldn’t make out.

Then I heard a door slam and footsteps echoing and finally Joe returned.

“Sorry about that. We had a visitor. But that person had to leave.”

That was when I saw the blood on his hand. It wasn’t my blood from earlier, this was fresh, bright, red blood. Then he did something that terrified me; in all the years that Joe had been around, all the things he’d done to me, he never threatened me with a weapon. He opened a drawer and took out a white shirt. Then he lifted his hand, the one covered with blood and twisted it to reveal he’d been holding a knife. It looked like a hunting knife, with a ragged blade, which he then cleaned with the white shirt. When he was finished, he lifted his pant leg and returned the knife to a sort of holster thing strapped to his calf.

Maybe I should have felt something. Maybe I should have been concerned he was going to use that knife on me. Obviously, he wasn’t afraid to use it on someone else. And that someone else was probably my mother. All these things went through my head and I did think about them, but there were two emotions I didn’t feel; remorse for my mother’s probable death, and fear for the possibility of mine.

I just didn’t give a shit.

I turned my eyes away from Joe and closed them. After a while, I fell asleep.

“I am not going in there.” I was absolutely terrified of the ocean.

“I’ll be with you the entire time. You won’t even get your head wet. I won’t let you go. I promise, Anika. I will not… let… you… go.” He was trying to win me over with a little pouting lip thing.

“That is not going to work on me. And besides the fact there is no way in Hell I’m going in there, I’m especially not wearing flippers and a snorkel mask.” I was attempting to throw attitude and even tried to tap my foot, but the sand beneath my feet was hampering my efforts.

“Baby, come here.” He grinned.

“No.”

“Come here.” He asked, his voice lower.

“No.” I said, but I softened.

“Come here, Anika.” The way he said it just wasn’t fair. He had a voice that should’ve been on a radio somewhere announcing smooth jazz at two in the morning.

I walked over to him.

“I just don’t see why I need to wear a mask if my head isn’t going to get wet. That tells me you’re trying to trick me, Cole Carlyle.”

“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to help you get out just beyond the break. It’s high tide, but the surf is shit. I know this area like I know my house. There’re kelp beds scattered around and when we get far enough, I’ll hold on to you, put on my mask, look in the water and when I find cute little schools of Nemos, I’ll tell you to put your mask on so you can see.”

“Ah ha! Nemo is a tropical fish. Nemo doesn’t live here, Cole!” He laughed at me. He threw his head back and I watched his Adam’s apple move against his throat.