Suddenly Jamie came around the other side of the bed, facing him, her gun pointed squarely at his chest screaming, “Keep dicking us around asshole and I swear I’ll shoot you before she has the chance.” He finally knelt on the floor next to the bed.
“Put your hands behind your back,” I said, recovering my mojo and quickly moving towards him.
I motioned for Jamie to come around and tape his hands behind his back while I pressed the pistol firmly against the back of his head. Once his hands were secure, I looked at the girl for the first time. She was standing in her underwear on the other side of the bed, shaking.
I went over to the chair where his shoulder holster was and picked it up and draped it over my shoulder. I pushed the chair towards Jamie. “Have him sit in the chair, and wrap him up like a Christmas Goose.”
I kept my pistol pointed at him and when Jamie was almost done it finally hit me. I went over to the bed and lifted the pillow. Under the pillow was a chrome plated .45 caliber pistol. That was why he was slow playing us, stalling for time. He was waiting for the opportunity to go for the gun. Jamie saved my life.
I picked up the pistol and looked at the girl. No wonder she was shaking, she knew it was there.
“You can finish getting dressed,” I said.
My phone rang and I fished it out of my back pocket. It was Carlos. As I stared at the phone in my hand it finally hit me, the phone, that’s how they knew where I was. They’re tracking the phone. I needed to ditch it as soon as I could.
“We’re in the parking lot, we’re on the way in. What’s your twenty?” He said. I was so relieved to hear his voice.
“We’re just around the corner from the dungeon,” I said, feeling badly that I had given him such a hard time earlier. Would he forgive me for being such a pain in the ass?
“How about we meet in the middle?” he said.
“Roger that, can you please give us exactly two minutes to get there?” I said.
When he responded in the affirmative I snapped the phone shut and motioned for Jamie to hand me the duct tape. I stared at the girl as she was dressing. And even as scared as she was I could see why Jimmy wanted to spend all his time with her, she was stunning. When she was busy with the buttons on her blouse I slipped the cell phone into her purse. She seemed more than anxious to leave and it might buy us a little time.
“What’s you name honey,” I said, even though I already knew it.
“Jackie,” she said.
“Jackie,” I said, “you need to pick better friends. If I was you I’d get on the next bus home and not look back. In the meantime we need to keep this our little secret okay? Otherwise something bad might happen to your so-called friend here.”
“Okay,” she said, “can I go now?”
I nodded in the affirmative and she bolted for the door. I took the duct tape from Jamie and wrapped it around Jimmy’s face so it covered his mouth. I wrapped it as tight as I could, maybe five or six times. I wanted it to hurt like hell when he finally got the chance to pull it off.
When we stepped out into the hallway, I put the shoulder holster with the pistol and the .45 caliber in the bottom of the cart. I grabbed Jamie’s arm, “I knew you were raised on the south side,” I said, “but I had no idea you were such a bad ass. How did you know he had another gun under the pillow?”
“I didn’t know for sure, but the way he kept staring at it I knew there had to be a reason,” she said.
“You kept me from getting killed and I want to thank you,” I said.
“I just didn’t want you to kill the sonuvabitch and ruin the happy ending,” she said.
“And speaking of happy endings, let’s go get Dad, before the Chinese get us,” I said.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE
JIAN AND ALPHONSO GET ACQUAINTED
A s the service elevator continued its slow crawl to the 12th floor Jian kept trying to place the face of the woman wearing the housekeeping uniform. It was the eyes that haunted him. He could have sworn they were the same eyes as the girl in the center of the ring, the one with her arm being raised in triumph by the referee. The blonde hair could be a wig. The girl in the uniform was wearing make-up while the Facebook picture of Katrina hanging on Jian’s office wall was that of a girl wearing no makeup at all. But even if it was her, Alphonso was not with her. It must mean that he was in his office on the twelfth floor. Katrina’s phone was just there so maybe that is where they left Alphonso. They needed to find Alphonso before they could worry about Katrina.
The elevator finally came to a stop and they stepped out into the corridor. “1215, right Sergeant?” Jian said.
“Yes sir, 1215,” Sgt. Wu said.
They finally found room 1215 and knocked on the door. No answer. They pounded on the door with the same result. Even if Alphonso was inside he was either unable or unwilling to open the door.
“Maybe he’s dead,” Lt. Cheng said.
“Maybe,” Jian said. “But remember the ropes you found on the apartment floor? If they wanted to kill him they could have done it anytime. Maybe they just tied him up again.”
The door had a reinforced steel fame, not something they could kick open. “Lieutenant,” Jian said, “you take the 11th floor, Sergeant, you take the 10th floor, find a maid, a concierge, someone with a master key, tell them there is a medical emergency on the twelfth floor and we need them to open the door. Beg, bribe, threaten; whatever you have to do, just get someone up here that can open this door. We don’t want Security to know we are here, so tell them to keep it low key. Keep going until you find someone.”
The minutes crawled by as Jian waited impatiently for their return. It turned out they didn’t have to bribe anyone. Lt. Cheng found someone in Housekeeping on the 9th floor who said she could open the door for them. She was tall and good looking and Jian made it a point to read her nametag as he stood aside so she could unlock the door. The door opened and when Jian turned to thank her, Fay was already three steps away, rapidly retreating down the hallway.
They found someone duct taped to a chair in the middle of the room. A very irate someone wearing a housekeeping uniform, false tits, a blonde wig and blue mascara. When they pulled off the duct tape over his mouth he was more than happy to confirm his identity.
“My name is Alphonso Vietri, I’m the CEO of Global Entertainment. Who in the hell are you? And get me out of this damn chair,” Alphonso said.
Jian motioned for Sgt. Wu and Lt. Cheng to cut through the duct tape binding Alphonso to the chair.
He saw that Sgt. Wu was grinning like a madman as he cut through the yards of duct tape and it was only the seriousness of the situation that helped Jian to maintain his composure.
“My name is Jian Lung. I am a Captain in PLA Unit 61398, based in Shanghai. We are here to first, restore you to your rightful place as head of Global Hotel and Casino, and second, to discover the reason why the money is no longer being transferred to The Bank of China in Beijing.”
“What in the hell are you talking about?” Alphonso said, as his arms were freed and he pulled off the blonde wig. “The money is going straight to the Bank of China, just as General Chen and I agreed.”
“Not anymore it’s not.” Jian said. “At first a portion of the funds were being diverted to a Portuguese Bank in Macau. But as of three days ago, all the money is now going to HSBC Bank in New York City and none of the money is going to China.”
“It’s that bitch Katrina,” Alphonso said as his legs were finally freed and he stood up. His legs quivered as he did so. Sgt. Wu reached for his arm to steady him. “Leave me alone,” Alphonso said, brushing away his hand. “I never touched the money,” Alphonso said. “I downloaded the attachment in December and did everything I was supposed to.” He searched the faces around him to see if they believed him. When it seemed evident that they felt he was telling the truth, he said, “I have clothes in the closet. I’m going to get dressed and find that bitch and kill her.”
“You think she’s still in the casino?” Jian
said.
“Her father is down in the dungeon. She won’t leave without him. Give me a minute to wash this crap off my face,” Alphonso said, ripping off the housekeeping uniform and tossing it on the floor as he lurched into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Jian wasn’t sure if he hoped they got there in time or if he hoped they got there too late. The only thing he was sure of was he didn’t like Alphonso.
It took Alphonso a couple minutes to wash off the makeup, lipstick and eye liner. He emerged from the bathroom with a towel in his hands, drying his face as he marched to the closet. He threw the towel on the floor, took out a pair of black slacks and a sort sleeve blue shirt and quickly got dressed. He found some shoes and socks and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on. Then he went to the desk, pulled out what looked like a Beretta 92, 9mm, and a loaded magazine and inserted the magazine. He tucked the pistol into his waistband and pulled the blue shirt over it.
He turned to Jian, “Are you coming or staying here?” Alphonso said.
“I’m coming,” Jian said. “But I’d like to leave Sgt. Wu here so he can fix the flow of funds, can you log on before we go?” Alphonso nodded and sat on the edge of the chair to log on to his computer.
“Do you have any questions Sgt. Wu?” Jian said.
“I’m just curious if Mr. Vietri is familiar with Lee Wong Gaming?” Sgt. Wu said.
Alphonso shook his head, “doesn’t mean a damn thing to me,” he said.
When he was done logging on he stood up and then the three of them walked out the door and headed for the elevator.
On the way there, Jian’s phone rang. It was Lt. Cheng. “Sir,” he said, “the phone is on the move. It shows it is now on the main floor of the casino.”
“Very well,” Jian said. “Keep me informed of any changes.”
“Sir,” Jian said, “our tracking device shows that Katrina is on the main floor.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
DAD
R occo never had a chance. Jamie and I came towards him pushing the room service cart in one direction and Carlos and Rick came towards him pushing the gurney in the opposite direction and Rocco was so busy trying to figure out how these two wheeled conveyances were going to squeeze by each other in the all too narrow hallway that he never saw Carlos pulling the Sig Sauer P-228 out of his waistband and pointing it at this head until it was too late.
“Freeze,” Carlos said, and Rocco did the best impression possible of a snowman in Las Vegas in August.
“Get his gun,” Carlos said, and Rick pulled back Rocco’s jacket to reveal his shoulder holster and quickly relieved him of the gun, putting it in the pocket of what looked like a white lab coat. Rocco’s expression never changed and it was easy to see why Jimmy did whatever he wanted and Rocco let him as Jimmy was clearly the alpha male of this twosome.
“Now open the door,” Carlos said, and Rocco fumbled in his pocket for the magnetic card. He finally produced it and inserted it into the slot and the light flashed green. Rick pushed down the handle and the door opened. Rick turned to me and motioned for me to go first.
I came through the door way and there was Dad shackled to a chair, He looked thinner and pale but otherwise okay and I tried to keep my composure as Rick quickly obtained the restraint keys from Rocco and started unlocking them as quickly as he could.
“Hi Dad,” I said, “How are you?”
“I’m fine honey,” he said, “and better now.”
“I’m sorry it took so long to get here, we rescued everyone at the warehouse but just missed you,” I said.
“It’s okay honey, I know you did the best you could,” he said, as Rick was finally able to open the last set of restraints.
Dad struggled to stand on his own. I ran to him to support him and it felt so good to hold him that I sobbed into his neck. “I’m sorry,” I said, “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay honey,” he said, his voice cracking, “it doesn’t matter now,” his arms around me. “All that matters is that we’re together and you’re safe.”
“I missed you so much,” I said, holding him as tight as I dared.
“I know, I know, I missed you too,” he said.
“Johnson and Johnson?” he said, the tears running down his face.
“Johnson and Johnson,” I said, and this time I meant it. Whatever animosity I had about the past was gone; washed away in the long and painful struggle to free him from Alphonso’s clutches. I had grown so much in the time we were apart that I was more than ready to be a family again. “They didn’t hurt you did they?”
“No, Rocco here took good care of me. Where’s Jimmy?” he said, suddenly wary.
“Don’t worry Dad, Jamie and I got him tied up down the hall,” I said
“Yeah? Good for you two. That sonuvabitch is a whole ‘nother ballgame,” he said
“I’m so sorry I got you into this mess,” he said, his eyes red.
“It’s okay Dad, really, it’s over now,” I said.
Carlos escorted Rocco towards Dad’s chair and motioned for him to sit down. Rocco sat.
Dad looked at me.
“Dad this is Carlos. He rescued me the same night they took you when I ran into his bakery. Carlos was a Navy SEAL. He’s the one that tapped out CHESTY on the wall at the warehouse.”
Dad grinned, “Pleased to meet you,” he said, and stuck out his hand. “I want to thank you for all you’ve done,” he said, as they shook hands.
Carlos turned to me, “Got any more duct tape?” he said.
“Jamie and I managed to liberate a couple of rolls,” I said.
“Alright, how about we tie up Rocco here and call it a night?” Carlos said.
“Roger that,” I said. “And we need to hurry, the Chinese are here and I’m sure by now Alphonso told them where to find us.”
Rick and Jamie taped Rocco to the chair while I explained the plan to Dad. At first he wasn’t too excited about being wheeled out on a gurney, but when we gave him Jimmy’s chrome plated .45 to hold underneath the sheet just in case things went crosswise, he suddenly saw the wisdom of our idea and agreed that it just might work.
Jamie and I would backtrack down the hallway and leave out the service entrance, and join Mikey and Melinda out in the parking lot.
The original plan was for Carlos, Rick and Dad to leave by ambulance and return it to its rightful owners and we would all meet back at Carlos’ apartment. But with the knowledge that the Chinese had been tracking my phone I was wary about returning to Carlos’s apartment. “I think the Chinese know where Carlos lives,” I said. “Let’s meet as far away from here as we can. How about the last Denny’s on the way out of town, the one on Las Vegas Boulevard just before you hit I-15.”
I was reluctant to leave Dad, even for a little while, but I kissed him goodbye and said I would see him soon.
“Don’t worry,” he said, giving me one last hug as he glanced at Carlos, “I think I’m in good hands.”
“I think so too Dad,” I said. If Dad’s smile wasn’t the United States Marine Corps official Stamp of Approval, it was certainly the closest thing to it and I was suddenly as happy as I could remember. If it wasn’t for the Chinese, I would have been ecstatic.
We waved goodbye and went back down the hallway, while Carlos and Rick pushed the gurney carrying Dad past us towards the exit. We stood motionless against the wall so we would be close enough to peek around the corner and watch the exchange.
“Is this Mr. Lombardi?” The guard at the door said.
“Yeah,” Carlos said, as the guy reached for the sheet, “but I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”
The guard gave him a look.
“It’s up to you,” Carlos said, “but he mu
st have fallen after he called us, maybe hit the edge of a table and fractured his Sphenoid and the Optic Foramen; which is why what’s left of his eye is hanging halfway down his face. I mean, I’ve seen blood before, but this one is going to give me nightmares for sure.”
The guard went pale and suddenly lost interest in making sure it was the recently departed Thomas Lombardi strapped to the gurney. “Okay,” he said, making the notation on a clipboard, “he’s all yours.”
And they wheeled Dad out the door to the waiting ambulance parked just outside the door. We waited what we hoped was just long enough so it wouldn’t look like we were together and then Jamie and I walked by the same guard, past the service entrance and out into the night.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
JUST WHEN YOU THINK ITS SAFE
A s Jamie and I started the long trek across the parking lot, the cool desert air was better than money in the bank and the sight of the stars that paraded across the clear night sky better than opening night at any Hollywood premiere.
So where were the Chinese when we needed them? Perhaps the wheels of the Chinese Army grind even slower than ours, but better late than never I guess. It looked like we were getting out of Dodge just in the nick of time. Finally everything was falling into place, Dad and I had reconciled at long last and he obviously liked Carlos. Life was good, or so I thought. Because suddenly we heard the sound of footsteps. Somebody was running towards us.
Jamie and I exchanged nervous glances and almost imperceptibly increased our pace. Was it the Chinese? What if they had the done the unthinkable and untied Alphonso? I unzipped the purse and dug frantically for the Sig Sauer and hissed at Jamie to do the same. “The gun Jamie, get the gun.”
A loud cry shattered the stillness, “Katrina!” I turned and saw that it was Alphonso, he was no longer wearing a dress, but dark pants and a blue shirt and he was pointing something at me. He was too far away to tell what it was, but I had a good guess. I yelled at Jamie as I dove behind the trunk of a car, “Duck!”