In the Name of Revenge

Chapter Nineteen

NINETEEN

It was ten minutes after Nick was supposed to show up and Pavel was getting nervous. It wasn’t like Nick to be late. Something must be going on.

He sat at the bar drinking water. The television was on, turned to the news. The announcer was talking about a body that was found in a dumpster behind a Mexican restaurant off one of the main streets of town. Without even hearing the name, Pavel knew who it was and who ordered him put there. However, there would be no evidence linking it back to Carlo. He was too smart for that. Not even Teresa would go against her family and speak out about her dead lover.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder. Swinging around, he greeted Nick.

“It’s about time.”

“Sorry. In light of what’s happening tonight, I have some ideas. Let’s go in the back and talk.”

Closing the door behind them, Pavel said, “Before you get into your ideas, I have to tell you what’s going on. It may change everything.”

Pavel briefed him on the meeting and what was expected of him. He didn’t elaborate on who Felice and Rita Grace were, but by the look on Nick’s face, he could tell he was going to have to.

“What the hell has been really going on with you? Who are Felice and Rita Grace?”

Pavel sighed heavily and sat down in the beat up desk chair.

“Felice was a woman I was seeing a while ago. It didn’t work out and we parted ways.”

“What about Rita Grace? Is she your latest bimbo?”

Pavel grinned, he couldn’t help himself.

“No, she’s my daughter by Felice.”

“What? Why haven’t I been told any of this before now?”

“Felice told me she was pregnant and I left her. It’s none of your business as to why,” he inserted, as Nick was about to say something. “She had the baby and no one was supposed to know. Well, it seems like Morone found out and blackmailed me.”

“What?”

Nick rose from the chair he was sitting in.

“We already know Morone’s been working for the Mancinis. They had to be paying off someone. How else could he manage to become a detective? The guy’s an idiot,” Pavel said.

“Apparently not as much as you think. He’s Mancinis’ inside information, which is bad enough, but now you’re telling me that son-of-a-bitch is blackmailing you?”

“Was. I paid him off, but that wasn’t good enough for him. He went to Carlo with the information about my daughter and Felice anyway. I want to kill that son-of-a-bitch!”

“Shit! What the hell were you thinking caving in to blackmail?”

“I had to do something preventative. Don’t worry. That’s one asshole who’s going down once we nail the Mancinis.”

“If we nail the Mancinis.”

“No, once we do. There are no ifs. I’ve worked too long and too hard to get this far. I won’t be scared off now.”

“It has nothing to do with being scared off. We now have two people in danger, plus you.”

“I can take care of myself. I need your help finding Felice and Rita Grace.”

Nick started pacing the room.

“Do you realize the position you’ve put this whole operation in? You have been living a double life here. Actually, more than a double life. You have a fucking family and you don’t deem that important enough to tell me? Especially in light of the fact that you work for a mob boss? You must have known Carlo would find out and do something like this. Because you can’t keep your dick in your pants, this whole deal could be a bust!”