~ Las Vegas Dead ~

by

Jim Daddio

Danielle showered, put on a pair of baggy jeans, a white mock turtle cotton sweater and a pair of black Converse tennis shoes. She put on a San Diego Chargers ball cap, large sunglasses and skipped the chore of putting on even the smallest amount of make-up. She studied herself in the mirror, wondering if anybody would recognize her at Starbucks. She sprinted to the stairs and trotted down the winding staircase. She stopped for a minute before heading out the front door. She looked around to see if the door to her father’s study was open. It was closed. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to interrupt him. She thought for a second, then decided it was best to tell him she was going out. She walked through the large living room toward the study he used as a home office. She banged on the door and waited for a response. Her father called out. She opened the door slowly and said, “Hi, Dad. Everything okay?”

“Fine, princess. Just doing some paperwork.”

Danielle stood in the doorway, looking across the room at her father behind the desk. She didn’t enter the room. She called out, “Just heading out for an hour or two.”

“Any news on the tour?”

“Oh yeah, forgot. Casey called. Starts in three weeks. Usual. Rome, Paris, London, ending up in New York with business meetings.”

“You don’t sound too enthused. Wearing thin?”

“Kind of. But you know, I’ll get excited when I get to Rome.”

“Tell Connie yet?”

“No. I’ll call her. Anything else?”

“No.”

“Okay...see ya’ later, Daddy-o.”

Tony watched as Danielle pushed on the door and disappeared. The door bounced off the hinge, but didn’t close all the way. Tony rocked back in his chair. At times he couldn’t believe what had happened to her. He still saw her as his little girl and sometimes forgot who she had turned out to be. He closed his eyes remembering her as a tall, skinny thirteen-year-old girl wearing braces and acting silly. She was far from that today.

Danielle walked quickly to her car, tossing her purse into the open car. The convertible top was down as always. The sun was riding high in the bright blue sky and a slight cool breeze slid across her body, making her smile. It was another perfect day in San Diego. She reached for the door handle, and then stopped. She forgot to bring the new composite she wanted to show Chris. She turned and skipped back toward the house.

Tony had been waiting patiently for the phone to ring. He glanced up at the door, noticing it hadn’t closed all the way. He began to get up when the phone rang causing his whole body to jerk. He grabbed the receiver before it rang again. “Tony here,” he snapped.

“Tony, my friend, this is Javier...”

“I am not your friend. Remember that,” Tony growled.

“Whatever you say, man.”

“What do you have for me?”

“All business, huh, Mr. A? Well, first...hello.”

“Come on, Javier, I’ve waited for two fucking days for this call. I have the cash and need to make something happen soon or I’ll lose it.”

“Just being sociable, man.”

“Great...now, what do you have?”

“You first.”

“Half a mil.”

The man whistled into the phone, making a screeching sound that irritated Tony. After a few seconds of silence, the man spoke. “That’s a lot of cabbage, man.”

“Can you get me the stuff...and like always, ready to sell?”

“I can get it. I can get all you want.”

“When?”

“You sure are in a rush, man. I got to think for a second. Handling that much stuff may take a few more days.”

“Here’s the deal, Javier. Today's Tuesday. Be on the twelfth tee at the club on Friday, around noon. You know the routine. Take the service road and...”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Done it five times already. Man, you must think Mexicans are dumb or something.”

“Just being sure, that’s all.”

“No problem, Mister A. I understand. I’ll be there. Bring the cash.”

“You know, Javier, I’ve always trusted you and your partners. Everybody makes a lot of cash on these deals. Let’s make this one run as smoothly as the others.”

“I see no problem...you?”

“It’s that we’re talking about a lot of cash here, that’s all. I’m trusting you to deliver the goods.”

“Just like before.” Javier hung up.

Dani grabbed the composite and ran back down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she noticed the door to the study hadn’t closed all the way. She walked over and reached for the doorknob and heard her father’s voice.

“Junior, it’s your dad. It’s all set for Friday. At the Country Club. I’m going for a big score this time. Half a mil...you heard me...half a mil. So, invite that friend of yours...Ed. I want to make sure we don’t get screwed. I don’t have a clue how many kilos of cocaine half a mil buys...”

The word cocaine hit Danielle square between eyes, like a punch from a heavyweight fighter. She stumbled backward, and slammed against the doorframe. She could feel her breath leave her body and struggled to keep from calling out. More words came from her father. “We’re not handling any grass. Just coke. We should be able to turn this into two, maybe three times that much. And tell your asshole buddies, they’ll make a ton of cash this time. I need you out there selling it all very quickly. It’s been awhile since the last time we scored, so the buyers will be ready...fucking users, that is.”

Again Danielle almost lost her balance, this time using her hands to brace herself against the wall. Her mind raced like blustery winds on a stormy night. Her father and brother bought and sold drugs? It couldn’t be true. It sounded like her father bought the drugs and her brother, Anthony Junior and his friends, sold the drugs at school.

Again her father’s voice filled the air. “We’ll make the exchange on the course at the club as usual. Tell Ed to bring his weapon. Never can be sure...I don’t know if there is going to be any trouble and I don’t know if this is going to be the last one. If we have to protect ourselves, we better be ready. He brags all the time about using his gun. So, who knows, this time he may have to use it...don’t bother me any. This is big time, Junior. I said I don’t know if this is going to be the last time. Jesus, quit whining. If things continue to run as smooth as they have in the past, we’ll do a few more. And who cares....What? What? Hey, don’t be a baby. I know you like the cash, and driving around in that fucking Porsche. So shut up. You’re beginning to sound like your mother. Remember what happened to her when she couldn’t handle it. Don’t be thinking something couldn’t happen to you...and don’t be using so much coke yourself.”

Danielle stepped away from the door, hands shaking, body on fire. She could feel her heart beating through her chest and could hear her breath exhaling from her mouth. She started for the front door. Her arm bounced off the door, making a sound and causing it to hit the frame. Tony’s head snapped up. He twisted his head to see the back of Danielle as she sprinted toward the front door. He screamed out, “Goddamn it son of a bitch!” He slammed the receiver down and ran through his office, calling out Danielle’s name. He pushed open the partially closed door in time to see Danielle sprint through the front door. He chased after her.

Danielle leaped into the car. She turned on the ignition, yanked the lever into “R” and floored the gas pedal. The tires squealed and the little sports car roared back out of the driveway and onto the street. Again with a fury, she pulled down on the shift lever and slammed her foot onto the pedal. The car twisted and turned as she held the steering wheel tightly, fighting to keep it from going out of control. The speedometer hit fifty and she was down the street and around the corner before her father made it to the street. All Tony could see was smoke from the gas pipes as the car careened around the corner and out of sight. He thought about chasing after her, but remembered his car keys were on his desk. By the time he ran and got his keys, Danielle would be far gone.