Making Moves
Las Vegas, NV
Driving around the Strip I haven't heard nothing outta LA, I was sure Mr. Giordano would have called in his favor. It's been almost a month since he got the charges against me dropped. I was starting to get even more worried since I haven't heard from my mother Jada ever since I took back control of the family. I was getting that feeling that maybe I had to much on my plate.
Control...
I had to regain control. I had to control my territory, control the people I do business with, control my personal life. Even control the times, the places, and the way I lose control. Do that successfully and you control your destiny. In this world everything counts. People are continually probing to find your weakness and when they find it, they will exploit it. Maintaining your cool counts most. Cool is a lifestyle. It earns respect, and it is respect that makes all the difference
I was cool my entire life. The Sinatra of the school yard. Nothing fazed me. I was always in control. Always focused. I earned respect. Out of control, out of sight was the way I described it. Or, sometimes, mind over everyday matters. And so I sat in my car, staring straight ahead but seeing nothing, both hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, desperately trying to regain control of my emotions
I kept telling myself to think, and not to react. I had to be smart. Maintain control. It was hard, so damn hard. Pure raw emotion was ripping apart my insides. No-good motherfucking Giordano's. Bloodsucking bastards! Kill every fucking one of them. Tear out their lungs and feed them to the dogs.
If they made a move on my mother
I would get even
I smashed my hands into the dashboard
I had to think, I couldn't afford to be stupid. Don't fuck it up. Think, don't do something you're gonna regret. I had to get back into control I had an entire crime family looking up to me. I took several long, deep, calming breaths. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my emotions
FUCKERS!
Long deep breaths, behind my eyes I felt the beginning of tears. I stopped that shit quickly. No tears, there weren't going to be any tears tonight. Not from me, not a single fucking one. Maybe later, a long time later, after I'd taken care of what needed to be dealt with
Long breaths, all right, first thing first. I needed to be absolutely certain something happened to my mother. I drove several blocks into Chinatown, stopping next to a pagoda-like enclosure sheltering two pay phones. I took the roll of quarters from my glove compartment. While the phone was ringing I was struck by a horrendous thought. I wasn't sure that I wanted her to pick up
My heart was pounding out of my chest as I dialed Jada's number. The phone was answered after the second ring. I could hear the laughter in her recorded voice
..:: Jada Hart ::..
"Hi, it's me. Either I'm here and I know it's you and don't want to talk to you, or I'm not home. Leave a message with your phone number and if I don’t call you back, you'll know which one it is"After the tone, as optimistically as I could manage...
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
'Hey, it's your one and only son. Call me at the number soon as you get this message, okay?'The number being the phone at the social club. I started to hang up, and then added, just in case
…:: Robbie Hart ::..
'I miss you mom'As I drove to her apartment on Sullivan Street, I tried to remember her schedule. I was having a hard time focusing. Maybe she went on that trip to Paris she always wanted to go on. The Giordano's had to know he was in charge and not her anymore. They were tough guys, not smart guys
I drove at the speed limit, even stopping at a yellow light. Set a steady pace, I reminded myself, no need to race. When you moved too fast, when you did things without thinking through to the consequences, that's when you make a mistake. So it was keep moving forward, but set a pace. When he got to her place, though I didn't waste time looking for a parking spot. I pulled right into a garage, the one thing every real Las Vegas citizen hates to do.
..:: The Attendant ::..
"When will you be back?"..:: Robbie Hart ::..
'When I'm back'I reached under the floor mat in the back and grabbed the keys to the apartment. In the foyer I leaned on her buzzer hard and waited for a response. C'mon, ma. I thought, please. When my mind wandered to places I didn't want to go, I willed it to focus on the moment. Finally I gave up and used my key to open the door
The apartment was on the 3rd floor. I took the wooden steps two at a time, just as I did when I couldn't wait to see her. On the second floor I heard two people arguing in the rear apartment, the one directly under my mother's. When I got to the apartment, I rapped several times on the door. Habit, mostly, this time coupled with wild hope. I didn't wait very long, though, before unlocking the door. I took a couple of steps inside and quietly shut the door behind me. The place felt empty and very cold. Then I reached under my shirt and purposefully took out my gun
I moved forward silently. I listened for any sound, searching for the slightest sign that something unusual had happened here. I walked past the bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen to the end of the hall and stepped into the living room. Sunlight was pouring through the window; specks of dust were floating through the light. But nothing was even slightly out of its place. I checked the window, which opened onto the fire escape landing. It was locked, and the wooden rod I’d jammed in there to prevent it from being opened was still in place.
No one gotten into this apartment from the fire escape
Room by room I moved through the apartment. Everything was mom-neat, where it was supposed to be. Where she’d put it. In fact, I was almost convinced that she really did fly out to Paris when I slid open the door of her bedroom closet
Her luggage was sitting on the floor, hooked to the aluminum trolley she used to wheel it through airports. I stuck the gun back in my waistband and kneeled down in front of the bag and guided the zipper around two corners. Then I flipped open the lid.
And took a deep, long breath.
Ah fuck, her travel kit was still there, with all of her makeup inside. She always referred to the makeup kit as Dracula, because without it she wouldn’t go out in the daylight. And she never traveled without it
I sat on the side of her bed. The message light on her answering machine was blinking. I hit the play button, there were four calls. The first call was from some girlfriend, a name I didn’t know. Both the second and third calls were from her Paris friend, the first call wondering where she was, the second call was her Paris friend taking a rain check. The fourth call was the call I made from the strip. It seemed like I made that call years earlier. I didn’t bother listening to it. I erased all the messages.
I just sat there for a while, head bowed, hands clasped between my legs. Eventually I lay back on the bed, as I had done so often the past few months. This time, thought, I buried my head in her pillow and inhaled her perfumed scent. I was so cold, so terribly cold, that still full dressed I slipped beneath her heavy floral quilt and pulled it over me. She’d hate this, I thought. I’m lying in the bed with my shoes on. And I had never felt so empty and alone in my life
I lay there for several hours, watching the afternoon move across the room and finally fade into twilight. She was dead; I knew that and accepted it. And as much as I fought it, as much as I tried to push the awful thoughts out of my mind, I couldn’t help wondering what they’d done to her. How had they tortured her before killing her?
That scream, that hideous scream, would live in my mind forever
He would never be free of it
What happened in this apartment? Where’d they come from? Where’d they take her? I had so many questions and no answers. My mind played games, trying to grab hold of the day and yank it back into the past, trying to see what had happened hours before
Not knowing was much worse than learning to deal with reality. It was possible; I understood that I might never know what happened to her. Sometimes people just disappeared and were never seen again. That was a fact of this life. Not knowing would definitely be the worse, having to live the rest of my life with the most terrifying nightmares my imagination could create
As the hours passed, my thoughts moved haltingly from despair to action. I couldn’t just lie here, I had to do something. I had to respond to the Giordanos. Finding her was impossible; there was no trick my mind could play to change that. I wouldn’t even know where to start looking.
Call the cops? Not happening
Somehow, though I would find the Giordano family. There was no doubt in my mind about that. I would find them, no matter how long it took, and then I would kill them all. Even Anna Stone if I had to take it to that level.
I made the worst mistake possible: I had underestimated them. And the price was my mother’s life. I just hadn’t believed that these fuckers would be go so far to get control of everything the Hart family controlled.
Reluctantly I climbed out of the bed. I straightened the quilt and puffed up the pillow. I wanted the room to look perfect. For some reason, that was really important. I stood next to the bed. One more time I leaned over and put my face on her pillow and breathed in deeply. One more time, for just the instant, she was alive. I looked straight ahead as I walked down the hallway, knowing it would be the last time I would ever be in this apartment. I considered taking just one thing of hers with me, one little thing, anything, but I didn’t.
I closed the door and locked it. Then I just stood in front of it reluctant to leave.
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘I’m really sorry mom. I should have listened to you’As I walked down the stairs, I again found myself fighting tears. It was tougher than usual this time, and some of them slipped through my carefully constructed defenses
I drove back to the Hart Mansion; Isabella was staying there while she was in town. I had to see her and pretend my heart wasn’t breaking. Go home and smile like nothing was wrong. Bringing home my work was one thing when I was living in the mansion alone.
Driving to the mansion, I tried to prepare myself. Jada, my mother, a great woman I really cared about, this really special person, had been tortured and murdered. Because of a deal I made with another family. She was dead because I didn’t want to throw away my career. Her body was probably lying in a hole somewhere. And now somehow I had to find it within myself to compliment Isabella’s cooking.
Isabella was actually in a decent mood. During dinner she questioned me at length about things for the baby. I couldn’t believe I was in position to be having another child, this time with a women I barley knew.
A one night stand gone wrong
..:: Isabella Jean ::..
“I want to order the crib tomorrow, they’re on sale”..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘There always on sale. It’s a gimmick. You couldn’t buy them for full price if you wanted to. It’s impossible’ Somehow I got through the meal. Isabella knew something was wrong
..:: Isabella Jean ::..
“You’re so quiet, you sick?”..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘Just tired’I told her, after dinner I stayed put. The way I was feeling there was no place on earth good to be, so home with Isabella was as good as any other place. Around midnight, when I was sure Isabella was sleeping, I got into bed. It was early for me, but I was emotionally exhausted. As soon as I settled down, Isabella rolled over and shoved her body inside his. That was a women’s signal that she was in the mood.
Not tonight, I couldn’t
I couldn’t even bear to put my arm around her. I tried, I just couldn’t do it. The thought of touching her while my mom…
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘I’m real tired, Bella’I closed my eyes, feigning sleep. Eventually Isabella squiggled away from me to her side of the bed. There are people who like to believe that most wiseguys eventually come to regret the life they picked. And mostly that’s not true. Mostly the life picked us. It was my heritage, in my bones. I lived it. Regretting it would have meant turning my back on my father, and there was never a moment when I was capable of doing that
I slept fitfully but dreamed I was still awake
I had no idea what time it was when the phone rang. Isabella answered it and handed it to me. I glanced at the clock. It was 4:10 in the morning, either late or early depending on your life
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘Yeah’..:: Joe Maresca ::..
“I’m real sorry Mr. Hart, to call you so late. This is Joe Maresca”It took me a few seconds to place him. Maresca was the owner of the brownstone on the strip, almost across the street from my mother’s house
..:: Joe Maresca ::..
“You think maybe you could come over here now?”My heart was pounding
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘What’s the problem?’..:: Joe Maresca ::..
“See, I’m not exactly sure about that. The police are here and they want me to let them search your mother’s apartment”Control … Control …
I was actually happy about the call. Anything was better then nothing
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘All right, gimme a little time’Isabella didn’t want to know what the call was about, are relationship was a new one. And not your typical one, but then again we meet at a party and hooked up the same night. She went home and returned knocked up with my child.
We weren’t even sure what we were
She watched me get dress. It was four o’clock in the morning and I put on a clean white shirt and a pair of jeans. She rolled over to go back to sleep. I was halfway out the door before I remembered to go back and kiss Isabella good-bye.
The price of peace
Two LVPD detectives were waiting for me in an unmarked Chevy parked in front of my mother’s building. They got out of the car to greet him and stood talking on the sidewalk
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘What’s up mang?’The cops seemed pretty decent
..:: Cop 1 ::..
“How close were you with your mother Jada?”..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘She was my mother, as close as a child and parent could be. Why what happened?’One of the detectives had a thick black mustache and large black glasses. The guy was about a cigar short of Groucho
..:: Cop 2 ::..
“I’m really sorry but I got some bad news. They found her body about four hours ago.”[/b]He paused
..:: Cop 2 ::..
“She was murdered”He waited while I absorbed that information. This was my greatest performance. That news might have sent other people reeling. I didn’t even quiver. I swallowed a couple of times, and that was it. That was all the reaction I showed. Even at that moment I kept my cool. How much information could I ask for without sounding too interested?
I bowed my head
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘What? You got any idea who did it?’..:: Cop 1 ::..
“Well, see, we were sort of hoping you might be able to help us out there”[/b]Control … Deep breaths
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘What do you mean?’ ..:: Cop 1 ::..
“She was your mother, who did she hang out with? Did she have a boyfriend? That kind of stuff”The other cop added
..:: Cop 2 ::..
“It definitely wasn’t a robbery; they left all her stuff with her. Money, credit cards, everything. That’s where we got her address from.”..:: Cop 1 ::..
“We’re gonna tell you something completely off the record. This was personal, no question. She sure got somebody pissed off. Before they finally killed her…”..:: Cop 2 ::..
“You don’t want to know the rest”..:: Cop 1 ::..
“Pretty girl like that”..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘Fucking animals’ I pinched at the corners of my eyes, as much to wipe away the sleep as the tears
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘There’s not much I can tell you. I’m mostly on the road.’..:: Cop 2 ::..
“Anything that might help?”..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘No nothing, so what did they do to her?’..:: Cop 1 ::..
“Oh man, it was brutal! Let’s just say there was no way of knowing how much of it she lived through”I nodded showing my understanding, but couldn’t muster out any words
..:: Cop 2 ::..
“We need to go on upstairs and take a look around”I managed to reply weakly
..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘Yeah, okay. I got the keys in the car. Just give them to the landlord when you’re done’..:: Cop 1 ::..
“You don’t want to go with us?”..:: Robbie Hart ::..
‘No … there’s nothing up there for me.’I was growing beyond anger and grief. My focus was riveted on only one thing: retribution! In the end all things came to that.
Revenge
I gave no thought to the police investigation. Let them waster their time, nothing was going to come out of it. There really was only one place for me to go. I was ready to accept what my mother was trying to sell me before she was murdered.
It was time to go to war with the Giordanos
And I wouldn’t rest until there entire family was buried in the fucking ground
♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥
♥ Making Moves ♥
♥ ROBBIE HART’S EDITION ♥
♥ The Shoot ♥
♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ - - - ♥ Chad Mason…
The biggest match of our short careers is upon us.
Some people thought you would be fighting Anna Stone, but she passed you up faster then a fat kid passes up a salad bar. But the insults don’t stop there Chad, you’re the world champion yet Corey Casey has been pimping out Stygian on twitter in his massive recruiting drive instead of you; the world heavyweight champion. Why isn’t he offering up the face of this promotion? Is it because your name doesn’t carry any weight out side the Insurgency walls? Or is it because deep down everyone knows your still that shy little runt, who was to scared to even cut his own promos a couple of months ago?
The world Championship title dropped in stock as soon as you and your merry band of misfits stole the belt. Stygian’s non-active world championship strap carries more weight now then the official belt. At least when James Shark handed me the High Impact championship, I took it and turned it into something worth fighting for. When I was carrying that title, everyone wanted a piece of me and I sent them all home disappointed. I didn’t have challengers opting to fight someone else. It was the total opposite; I had a line outside my lockeroom with people waiting for a shot.
You’re facing Mr. Pay Per View, I haven’t lost a PPV match since April! I was destined to be the headlining act for the biggest events of the year; can you say the same thing? Have you ever won a title through hard work and dedication? That’s not even a rhetorical question, I’m curious to see if you believe you have. Before winning the briefcase, you were the Insurgency’s own version of Carrot top; amusing but easily forgotten! Even after you won the briefcase, you pulled a disappearing act, while I was busy stealing the spotlight. It wasn’t until Sharky had one foot out the door, and you put together the job squad that you reviled a scheme to steal the IWF World Championship.
You wouldn’t even be champion if James Shark was still employed by the Insurgency
I heard what you said last week about going into From the Ashes with a master plan. But let’s get something straight right now, Chad. No one will ever outthink me. I’ve always been one step ahead of you during this whole ordeal. You had the Natural Law advantage, until I shocked the world by joining the Human Highlight Reels. The last three weeks, I’ve had your number Chad. Coasting you not one but two wins. What have you done to get in my head? You can think that you’ve gotten the upper hand, but that’s another string I’m pulling on you. I’m moving your head up and down so you believe you’ve gotten me cornered, but in all reality, you’ve lost already.
See, I won the championship two months into my career. I didn’t have to win some briefcase to prove my worth. My skill and talent spoke for me. But that’s the difference between me and you, right? You win a briefcase tournament filled with jobbers and I work my way to a championship
You’re the jobber in this match, not me
You’re a rookie in the spotlight, Chad. I don’t see why you don’t realize this. You’re fine when you’re on the under-card but when you step into the spotlight you sweat. When you step into the spotlight with a main event veteran, like myself, you try and see how that person holds up under pressure. Chad, I’ve been under the spotlight for a very long time. You’re never going to be at the level that I am at.
It’s time for you to step out of my spotlight.
In a matter of hours, you can go back to being that shy jobber. You can go back to trying to get what will be mine and you will fail. Or you can do a really good job trying to take the Full Throttle Championship. Either way, you’re never going to be called World Champion ever again. Think about it this way. When we face each other at From the Ashes, I’m going to punch you in your nose. Your nose will start to bleed. I’ll punch you in the mouth. You will begin to spit blood. I’ll kick you in the balls and you start to piss blood for a year. Then after all that, when I grab my World championship; your blood will stain your nameplate forever. That’s the only memory this title will have of you. Then I’ll go to the back and wash my hands clean of your blood.
You walk around me with the biggest set of balls I’ve seen since Cody Taylor. We all know what happened to him, don’t we? We all know what happened to him after I left his High Impact dreams shattered. He left the Insurgency to play hide the sausage with James Shark. He can’t get over the fact that I have beaten him so much because he was ‘so much better than me’, that he left the Insurgency and started his own promotion just to feel important again.
Is that what you want Chad?