“He knows how to get it, I presume?”
When he didn’t answer, I thought I’d said too much, pushed him past his comfort level. He rubbed his lip as he changed lanes.
“How did your family get their money?” he asked.
“Generations of stealing followed by a few generations of legalized thievery. Now it’s all compounded interest.”
He laughed. “You’re honest.”
“Sometimes.”
“I’m going to be honest with you then.”
“Oh, this is already so much better than that meeting I cancelled.”
“My partner, he likes you.”
I was going to joke about being relieved but decided against it. This seemed very serious to him, so I shut up.
“He introduced you. That doesn’t happen every day. He’s got girls who are in the life. Like family.” He turned to me briefly then looked back at the road. “Do you know what I mean by that?”
“I think so.”
“Okay, so none of them are anything. But you? He’s lost his shit. He’s pissing himself. After today, shit’s gonna change, and I don’t know if you can handle it.”
“Are you sure he’d want you telling me this?”
“I’m not telling you anything you can use. Reason is, and I’m being honest here, I don’t trust you.”
I watched the train stops in the center of the 110. The road was relatively clear. Paulie kept left, and everyone got out of the way.
“I guess I don’t blame you,” I said.
The paper bag-brown sky of San Pedro crept over the horizon. Giant chair-shaped cranes loomed over the portal to the sea.
“Thanks for helping with my sister that night,” I said.
“No problem.”
“You were very level-headed.”
“Thanks. You too.”
thirty-five.
Paulie pulled into the docking area with a wave. Yellow and black striped barriers went up everywhere, allowing a right, then a left, to an alcove inside a parking lot that housed two trailers and a couple of cars.
“You really know how to schmooze a girl, Paulie.”
He winked at me, and we got out. I followed him to two red shipping containers fifty feet from a sheer concrete drop to the fouled water of the harbor.
“Okay, kid, here’s the deal,” Paulie said. “You’re not going to care for this, but you’re going in there with me. I am not going to hurt you. I’m not going to hurt anyone you care about. I’m telling the truth when I say you need to see something.”
I hadn’t been nervous. I knew Antonio was at the end of this journey, so I’d felt safe. As Paulie spoke, I became unsure and my heart pounded. The container had no windows or doors. Once I went in, I could be easily trapped.
“Let’s go then,” I said.
He grabbed the silver pole and yanked it down with a clack. He swung the door open, and it creaked so loudly I was reminded of a horror movie. When the triangle of light cut the dark tunnel, I had second thoughts.
“I’ll leave the door open a crack,” Paulie said.
“You coming in with me?”
“Right behind you.”
I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t feel threatened, but I didn’t delude myself into thinking Paulie would jump a pack of wolves for me, double kiss or not. I stepped up to the entrance anyway. Maybe curiosity drove me. Maybe a quest for self-destruction. Maybe I wanted to grab a little badass cred and put it in my Prada bag or walk in riskier shoes.
Two steps in, I heard wet, arrhythmic breathing. Then the door closed, and the box went dark.
“You said you were leaving the door open,” I said.
“Oops.”
The light flicked on, drowning the tunnel in flat, industrial illumination. A man was curled against the wall, his ankle chained to a hook on the side of the container. I’d thought I was nervous and scared before. But when the door opened again, I understood what it felt like to jump out of my own skin.
Paulie laughed. He leaned on the wall casually tapping his phone.
Zo stuck his head in. “There you are.”
“Come on in,” Paulie said.
“Hi, Miss Drazen,” Zo said. “How you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
Zo glanced at Paulie then the guy.
“She’s cool,” Paulie said. “Let’s see him.”
Snapping the door shut, Zo crossed the length of the shipping container in about four steps. He kicked the guy to semi-consciousness. “Hey, asshole.”
He picked up the man by the back of his collar. His face was beaten bloody, but I still recognized Scott Mabat. Zo plucked a bottle of soda from his jacket pocket and shook it before tossing it to Paulie. Paulie nodded as he passed me, tapping the bottle cap to his forehead as if tipping his cap to me. It left a dot of condensation. The soda must be ice cold.
“Time to get up, Scotty.” Paulie opened the bottle into Mabat’s face.
“Fuck!” Scott yelped.
“Welcome back.”
“Fuck you!” He spat blood.
“I know it’s been a rough night. So I brought you something pretty to look at.” Paulie yanked Scott’s face around until I was in his line of sight.
Shit. I had to decide what to do quickly, and I decided to do what I always did. Show nothing. Give nothing. Own it.
“Where’s Antonio?” I asked.
“Taking care of business. He’s on his way.”
“Fucking frigid bitch,” Scott said.
“Same wonderful sense of humor, I see.” I said.
Zo laughed long and loud then petered.
Paulie capped the soda bottle and turned to me. “So I have a problem, and I think you can help me solve it. Scotty here is the victim of my partner’s protective streak. I didn’t know he had one. But it’s there.”
Scott coughed and sputtered. “I’m gonna fucking kill you.” He stared at me then coughed again.
“You’re being paid, Mister Mabat. I have the money ready to be wired.” I clipped every word, keeping it business despite the piss I smelled on him. I refused to be sick. I refused to even have a feeling about what was happening. Now wasn’t the time for feelings, only thoughts. Cold ones. I couldn’t get muddied.
“Fuck the money,” Scott said. “I’m getting your friend’s tits.”
“See,” Paulie continued, before I could snap back at Scott. “I have this trust thing with you, like we talked about. So I looked into you, your whole family. You’re clean, but a couple of you got your fingers in shady pies. Your father could teach me something about the business.”
“And you could teach Scott something about the importance of research.”
Paulie’s mouth tightened, and I knew he was holding back a smile. “You hear that, Scotty? You taking notes?”
“I’m gonna put my fist up her little Viet-cong ass,” Scott growled at me.
“Yeah,” Paulie said. “Scotty over here is touching on something I’m getting to.”
“Make her suck my fingers after.”
“Shut up, douche.” Zo slapped Scott, sending a splash of blood to the wall.
I noticed then that there was no blood on the walls or floor. A gruesome observation, but it told me that he’d been beaten and moved there.
“Personally,” Paulie continued, “I like you. I think I mighta fucked you if Spin wasn’t already whipped. But here you are, hanging around the neighborhood, DA’s girlfriend, looking for shit. So I'm nervous. Then there you are, being introduced, and I can’t say shit. Even if it’s common sense, I gotta button it because those are the rules. Everyone’s got rules but the women.”
“I got pulled in. You forget.”
“No. I didn’t forget, and I don’t care what you do on purpose,” Paulie said. “This whole thing with Vito? Spin was already pissed he had a valet thing on the side. A straight job, no less. But then he beat his ass over some bullshit about a girl he didn’t even know. And why? Because he’s pussy whipped. Then Bruno partners up with Vito, and I got two guys Spin’s after, guns blazing. He’s beating on their friends trying to find them. Four days, my partner didn’t make no sense. Four days he forgot the rules, and everyone runs to Donna Maria looking for help. It gets so bad he’s gotta ask permission from another family to do what’s his right to do. Now I’m dragged in, thinking you must have a magic cunt.”