“That’s a Greta….?” Cried Axle, storming across the kitchen! She’s Canadian. Well, she lives in Canada now.” Added Axle. Squatting in front of a large un-hung oil painting, leaning against the wall.
“Axle,” yelled Angela! Surprised by his sudden strange actions, regarding her surprise to him. She had rehearsed telling him over, and over, in so many different scenarios. But this wasn’t one of them.
“What’s her dam name.” Asked Axle out loud? "I know her work.” Said Axle, inspecting the back of the painting.
“Axle!”
“What’s Red up too, she’s away to contemporary and colorful, for his taste?”
“Axle please,” said Angela. “Why are you ignoring me?” Axle grew quiet.
“Honey Please,” she cooed. “I’m sorry darling I should have waited to tell you.” She pleated, trying to massage his shoulders. “I was just so excited about telling you, I just couldn’t stand it anymore.” Axle stood, jerking her hands free, still studying the giant oil painting. Acting almost as if she didn’t exist.
“Guzek, that’s it! Greta Guzek, she’s in all the galleries up north.” Angela’s heart fell. She just stood there stunned, blankly looking at his beautiful profile. Then tuned away, a dark wave of fear began to wash over her. Uncontrolled tears began rushing up. She took a few steps, and looked back, hoping for change. Axle was still standing there motionless, studying the painting.
Rage, replace her growing fears, and welled up in her. As everything that had happened, was happening, on top of her body starting to react to her pregnancy. It was all too much for her. She felt alone and helpless, and physically sick! She suddenly wanted to be anywhere but there.
Like being snapped from a dream, Axle awoke. He didn’t realize it was from hearing the door slam. He looked back to the dining room where Angela was, but she wasn’t there. He walked to the front room, and not seeing her called her name. He called her name again as he went checking the back bedrooms. A flash in his peripheral cause him to look out the window.
There was Angela running up the path to the main house, ducking under, and timing spays from several different the lawn sprinklers. He ran back through the house and swung out onto the front yard. Yelling her name.
“Angela,” he screamed out to her. But if she had heard him, she showed no sign. He mouthed her name softly as he took a few steps toward her but was stopped by the wide sprinkler spray. He stood and watched as she disappeared into a group of trees bordering the main house. Walking back to the cottage he could hear the sprinkler saying. ‘I told you, klick chuck, klick chuck, klick chuck. I told you.’
He went back inside, and tried her on his phone, but all he got was a weird sound. Stepping out again, and redialing, the phone just kept ringing. He rushed to text, but his heart sank, when he saw, and remembered his last text to her hadn’t been replied to. He typed in her name then cleared it. Then turned to go back inside, but something stopped him .
‘What the fuck kind of a family am I getting into,’ thought Axle. Walking across the lawn, stopping at the cliff edge. The panoramic views of crashing surf up and down the beach, then retreating back between the rocks was immensely powerful, but did little to sooth him; Axle was drawn to the gazebo and sat on the cedar bench, and just stared out to sea. He felt strange now somehow being there without her, like a poacher hunting on private grounds. He couldn’t bring himself to go back to Reds cottage alone.
He looked up a local cab company, but then, realized he hadn’t a clew where his suitcase was. He didn’t know it had been sent down to the cottage before they had arrived. Axle felt like a prisoner now, which only added to his misery, but he knew it was of his own making. Then for the first time, he allowed himself to think about the mystery of his unborn child.
Angela kept sobbing into Rosas arms. Rosa had been much more than a maid to her, and had actually been the next best thing to a mother she had. “I’ll go talk to him, my treasure,” said Rosa to her softly in Spanish. “He doesn’t want me, or the baby Rosa!” Rosa knew of the baby the day Angela found out herself. She found it hard to see her like this. The Angela she knew was tough and dominant. She was sick that Red had made her do the things he had. Even though Red hadn’t a clew of her pregnancy.
“I’ll bring him something to eat shortly,” comforted Rosa, stroking Angelas hair, while humming an old tune Rosa liked as a child. “What if he’s left Rosa?” “No dear, Micky told me, he’s been sitting in the gazebo all this time.”
“Oh Rosa, what must he think of us, me. I feel like such a creepy person?” Sobbed Angela.
“No sense thinking that my dear, replied Rosa. “You can never change what’s happened, and you had very little control over matters in the first place. And besides the man adores you.”
“But I did Rosa, I did....!”
“No dear, you did what you had too!” Rosa lulled her to sleep, with her soft humming, that had always worked for her. She thought of the growing little soul inside her and thought of her own lost child. When she returned an hour later Angela was sitting on the side of the bed, blankly staring at her phone.
“I’m going down to the cottage now, Micky’s going to help me. I’ve made him a nice Mexican treat, your favorite.
“Churros.” Smiled Angela!
“And Gorditas," replied Rosa."There’s some for you in the kitchen, when you’re ready.”
“Gracias Momma Rosa!”
Rosa and micky, began the long damp walk to the cottage, carrying Axles lunch. Mickey had turned off the sprinklers, that were only on because he thought they wouldn’t leave the cottage all day. Micky went on with the lunch tray, knowing Axle wouldn’t want a man around. Rosa approached the gazebo, and walked up the stairs.
"Holla Axle!” Axle turned surprised. “Ah, Holla Rosa, replied Axle, standing to greet her. They both liked each other, so there was no real tension between them. “I've brought you a little snack, its in the cottage kitchen, and a little red wine. here's a little snack before hand."
“Oh, Rosa you shouldn’t have bothered. I’m sure you've got a ton of things to do without having to fuss over me?”
“No, don’t be silly, its my pleasure, I brought you some Churros, there her favorite.” Replied Rosa, holding out the Churros while unwrapping the cloth around them. Axle excepted the treat and offered one to Rosa. “Sure, why not, thank you Axle,” answered Rosa, looking about feeling a little guilty. Axle pointed for her to sit, and he sat beside her. They both chewed the sweet doughnuts quietly, in the big gazebo over looking the blue sparkling pacific. A minute or so passed in silence.
“Funny thing," said Rosa. "This was built for her, when she was still a child, "offered Rosa. “She hardly ever came here. I think it scared her?”
“Really,” responded Axle?”
“Where's her mother, I’ve always wondered, but I could never ask her?”
“Those are things she wants you to ask of her,” replied Rosa respectfully. “She’s your woman, and she expects you to want to know everything about her. She’ll tell you what she knows.”
“Ya, I expect you’re right.”
“Go, please Axle, eat your Gorditas before they cool.”
“I feel weird in there alone, its Reds place!”
“Don’t think that way, its his gift to his daughter and you. He’d be offended if he heard you speaking like this…you can be sure of that.”
“He can probably hear us now anyway?” Said Axle, which sent them both into tears laughing.
Nikolay Alexeev, aka Draino, slipped his key into his apartment door. He stooped down to reach for mail in his dark apartment. And that was the last thing he remembered, till waking, rubbing his swimming head. It took a few seconds for his mind to jolted him to his knees. Looking around rubbing his neck, he saw the legs of men standing all around him. And like Red expected showed no fear. Draino instantly recognized Reds expensive Italian shoes standing before him, but shame had dulled his nerve to look up at him.
“Well?” said Red.
After a long silence, a boot came to Draino’s ribs, from the circle of men. Sending him moaning over onto his side.
“Well?”
“I had no choice! “Coughed and moaned Draino with his usual arrogance. A man came charging forward to kick him again. Red held out his arm. “This man,” said Red, tossing down someone’s passport?
Draino, held his ribs with one hand, and lifted the passport with the other moaning in pain.
“Look at the fucking thing asshole, show some respect!” Demanded someone in the room. Draino had to use both hands to open the passport, and cried out in pain, trying to do so. It was obvious some of his ribs had been broken. “Yes, and others,” wizened Draino, now looking very ill, and gasping for breath.”
“Go on…?" Required Red, not wanting, or expecting this much damage to happen to him. But couldn’t show weakness now. He had miss read how disliked he was by others. Details he was famous for knowing.
“They know my parents…they’ll kill them.” Draino dropped to all fours in agony. Red flipped down two more passports, Draino tried to look at them but couldn’t. “Maybe this will clear your mind,” asked Red? Red then looked over to some very scary looking man back in the shadows. Then nodded to him. The man reached into his suit and withdrew his phone and motioned for someone to Follow. Stopping, and pointing for them to retrieve the passports.
Red motioned with his head behind him to someone, and he retreated into a back room. Then came out leading Drainos old mother and father. His mother, seeing him, rushed to her son’s side and wept bitterly over him.
“After Doc here, patches you up, you and your dear parents here, are going on a little trip.” Said Red firmly. “No screamed Draino’s mother, as her husband raced to her side. “Not like that,” said Red reassuring her.
“That’s your weakness.” Moaned Draino. ”You can’t kill!”
“You wanna stake your miserable life on it?” Snorted Red, using a tone nobody had ever heard him use before. The things he’s had to do, to break this coup, were getting to him. “Look what you’ve done to them," cried Red. Pointing to his parents. “You’ve been a monster to them, ever since they brought you to America!” “Screw you,” snapped Draino! The same man raced to do him more injury, but Red stopped him.
“If things had worked out differently, I would have killed you willingly,” uttered Draino. Having to use all his strength to speak.
“Ya well, that’s the difference between you and me. I’m smart and you’re a dumb-ass! You’ll be taken somewhere, you’re not likely to ever return from. Even if you do, you’ll be black listed by my connections, you’ll be the homeless walking dead.”
“You are gonna wish you were dead, that's for dam sure. All your cards and money will be taken from you, your parents merger pensions will be sent on to them. I’m sure you’ll steal it from them. You’ll never get another card again, and don’t think we haven’t found your stash, and ties to that stinking restaurant you frequent. My accountants will enventually find anything else I've missed. You will have to eek out a miserable poverty-stricken life together. You reap what you sow."
“Red motioned for the doctor to see to Draino, while his thugs shuffled his parents away. “He should really be taken to a hospital,” offered the Doctor.
“I thought you’d say that Doc.” said Red. Motioning with his arms to get on with it?
“Your friends are getting much worse, as we speak,” Announced Red to Draino. “You really chose the wrong side this time. I'll let them know you're singing like a bird."
Draino tried to say something back, but couldn’t. “Just do what you can Doc, and follow the plan. Stay with him, till the plane.” Said Red. “Watching him doctor Draino up. “Somebody give him a swig of whisky, or whatever, for fuck sake,"yelled Red. As Draino screamed in pure agony.
“Thank you, thank you so much.” Pleaded Draino’s father, as red left the apartment, with his favorite and trusted body guards.
Four men were left with Draino, and the Doctor, with orders not to hurt him, or his parents any further. Red knew the bitter hardship they would shortly be up against. You did what Red ordered. Red found early in his career, there were better ways to handle enemies, than outright kill them. And he had long ago perfected it.
Draino took a swig, and screamed in pain, as the doctor tightly bandaged his ribs. He silently vowed to himself, he’d kill Red, and his family with his bare hands one day. Without his rage, he couldn’t imagine getting through this.
The police showed up, as a small crowd was beginning to gather in the hallway in front of Drainos door. “Move back, move back, they demanded, clear the hall now. Everyone out. There’s an ambulance on the way.” Draino was taken on a stretcher to the ambulance, followed by his parents. No one noticed that he was zipped tied under the blanket. Four quiet and mysterious gentlemen hopped into the Ambulance with the Doctor. And were never seen again.
Red was flown by helicopter, to his Bolinas estate, staying on the phone continually orchestrating, and tweaking his plan to foil the coup. Making sure his hand was in every little detail, making sure it went smoothly, and exactly as he had planned. This was to big for his generals to be left alone with it. Which was causing some resentment, by some. It showed them that he couldn’t totally trust them. When they were led to believe it was mutual?
Axle laid in bed, drifting off to sleep, and far away, deep in his subconsciousness he heard Reds helicopter landing somewhere on the estate.
Dan Ger
