In the Name of Revenge

Chapter Fifteen

FIFTEEN

Pavel was blowing smoke when he told Mancini he would be able to get the right jurors to hear Phillip’s trial. He just hoped Carlo didn’t realize it. He had no idea how he was going to make it happen. It was the first thing that came to mind and he had to save himself, save face in front of Carlo.

He was hoping he could get his revenge, long before Phillip actually went to trial. If not…well, it could be his body they find floating next in the water. Either that or he’d end up marrying Teresa. That was the last thing he wanted.

He found himself wondering for the first time if he made the right decision all that time ago. Back then, he decided revenge was more important to him than Felice and his unborn child. Maybe he should have just married Felice. They could have disappeared to live their lives as a big happy family out of the reach of the Mancinis.

Even as he thought it, he knew that would have been impossible. His father was once that naïve by believing he could take his family and run and look where it got him and his mother. No, he was in too deep with the Mancinis. They would have been found and executed just as his parents were. There was no way he wanted that for his family. No.  He came to the conclusion that he made the right decision.

He got up from the chair next to the window and started pacing from one end of his living room to the other. He often sat in the chair and looked outside whenever he reflected on past events and when he dreamed of the future he wanted to have with Felice. His mind was reeling with possibilities of a bright future, free of hatred and revenge.

His thoughts also whirled with the potential ramifications of failing. If Carlo actually figures out what I’m really up to, then what? Will the family take it out on Felice and my daughter as they did my parents? Will they kill me? Do I have enough back up to make sure they don’t? He didn’t completely trust his contacts, but at this stage of the game, he had little choice. If Carlo found out what he was really up to, he didn’t have any doubts he would be taken care of. It took him years to get this close to Carlo. He couldn’t blow it now, not when things were finally looking up.

He knew it and could sense it. Things were getting closer to the end. It would either be him or the Mancinis. There would be no—no, could be—no in between. When he stood over his parents’ graves all those years ago, he promised them he would settle the score. Even though the Mancinis didn’t know it, right now the tally was in his favor. This was one ballgame which would not have extra innings. It was the bottom of the ninth, the Mancinis were up to bat and he intended to strike them all out.

He put his teakettle on to boil. He needed something calming. He was too anxious and couldn’t stand the waiting. He wanted this to end now. He was tired of playing this very deadly game.

He wanted nothing more than to go to Felice and tell her everything, confessing his love for her. However, he knew doing that would only put her and their child in danger. Besides, he didn’t think he could handle it if she threw it all back in his face and walked out on him, as he did to her so long ago. She would certainly have every right and Pavel wouldn’t blame her, but he still couldn’t handle going through that. She meant everything to him.

His cell phone rang, bringing him back to reality.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me. You’ve got trouble.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your DMV records are being searched.”

“Why are they searching my records?”

“Seems they want to find you and question you. I know what you did. You kidnapped that child.”

Pavel quickly sat down. How in the world did the cops track this back to him? He was so careful. He didn’t leave fingerprints, of that he was sure. Pavel tried to play it off.