The air in the room went on alert.

“What’d you hear?” Eddie asked but he knew the answer, he’d heard about it too.

“I heard that Marcus called in a favor. Ren Zano went for a visit. Balducci tried to avoid him, Zano was persistent. Zano reported to Marcus that Ricky had a black eye, a broken nose and what looked like fingernail scratches from his brow down his cheek,” Hector answered.

Eddie waited.

Hector didn’t make him wait long. “Balducci told Zano he got in a bar fight.”

Eddie leaned forward. “Hector, you have to stay cool.”

Hector drained the glass again, bent forward and tagged the bottle for a refill. He emptied the bottle in his glass, returned it to the floor, leaned back and trained his eyes on his brother.

“This is not a situation where you stay cool,” he said it calmly, belying his words but there was no hidden meaning to what he’d said and it was clear just how much he meant it.

“What’s this woman to you?” Eddie asked.

“She’s mine,” Hector replied.

Eddie leaned back and tore his fingers through his hair then dropped his arm.

He knew what that meant; he’d felt it too about five minutes after he decided he’d stop at nothing to get Jet in his bed. Now he and Jet were getting married.

Eddie went on, “When you were there, did she give you more than information on her father?”

“Yes and no. She let the mask slip once. She let it slip again today so now I know who’s hidin’ behind it.”

“And this means?”

“This means she’s mine. No one touches what’s mine. And they sure as f**k don’t beat her, rape her and leave her broken. Did you see her f**kin’ house?”

Eddie shook his head but he knew what Hector meant. “Lee did the walkthrough with Matt. They took pictures. He told me about it.”

“I went there this afternoon. It looked like –” Hector started.

Eddie interrupted, “It looked like she fought him, used everything she had. They’ve got the rape kit. They’ve got Jack, Luke and your testimony. The doctors and nurses at the hospital. Zano’ll testify, he told Marcus he would. And they’ve got the photos of the apartment looking like a war zone. She walks into a courtroom and the jury gets a look at her and Balducci, they’ll make up their mind before the evidence is presented. According to Indy, she looks like a f**kin’ fairy princess, Ricky Balducci resembles an ape. She presses charges, he’s f**ked.”

“She refuses to talk to the police. Didn’t see them at the hospital and then she was discharged and went to stay with friends. The cops followed, they were turned away at the door.”

“She has to press charges.”

“You don’t know Sadie.”

It was then Eddie asked the six million dollar question, “Do you know Sadie?”

“I know that whatever she has in her mind is gonna stay there. That woman has a will of steel. She had to, livin’ with Townsend. When she woke up this morning, she asked to take a f**kin’ walk.” Hector leaned forward and shared, “You should have seen her Eddie, covered in blood, couldn’t hold herself up, arm hangin’ useless, wearin’ nothin’ but a torn up nightgown. She wakes up from that and she asks to take a walk, says she wants to stretch her legs a bit. Dios mio.” Hector sat back again and muttered. “Will of f**kin’ steel.”

Eddie let this sink in too but he looked pleased about it.

Finally he said, “Then we take Balducci down another way.”

Hector responded immediately, “I know what way Balducci is gonna go down.”

Eddie shook his head. “Lee’s on it.”

“There’s only one way a man pays for doin’ that to a woman.”

Eddie leaned forward at the tone of his brother’s voice. “Hector, listen to me. Lee’s going to dismantle his operation. He’s already workin’ on it. Marcus is on board. Zano knows Sadie and he’s pissed. He’s going to his Uncle Vito to bring the Zanos on board. Doesn’t matter, Lee and Marcus have already made it their f**kin’ mission.”

Hector knocked back the rest of the Jack, kept his eyes on his brother but didn’t reply.

Eddie kept trying, “Sadie’s covered. The car was towed for repairs, Vance has already been in it, planted a tracking device. Tonight he’s wirin’ her store. When she settles, he’ll do the same to wherever she stays. She’ll be protected.”

Hector stayed silent.

“Mi hermano you gotta be smart,” Eddie advised.

“How smart would you be if you came home to your house a disaster, finding out Jet fought for her life before having her wrist broken, her shoulder dislocated, her ribs broken, her cheek ripped open, her eyes blackened, her nose bloodied and she’d been violated?”

Eddie pressed his lips together.

“That’s what I thought,” Hector finished.

Eddie didn’t give up.

“Let Lee do his work. Concentrate on Sadie.”

“Sadie’s lost to me for now. She needs time.”

Eddie’s brows went up. “You’re backin’ off?”

“Yeah, I am. I waited before, I’ll wait again. This time she has a deadline, I’m givin’ her a month.”

At that, Eddie smiled.

Then he said, “Okay then, promise me you’ll work with Lee.”

“I’m not working with Lee but I’ll talk to him. He’s not heading this operation, I am. Lee, Marcus and Zano want in, I’m good with that. But when Ricky Balducci goes down, I want him to know I brought him down, I want him to know why and I want to make the f**k sure he stays down.”

Eddie sat back and nodded.

Then he said, “You know I’ll do –”

Hector broke in with a warning. “I don’t intend to play clean.”

Eddie’s black eyes turned glittery. “Like I was sayin’, you know I’ll do what you need me to do.”

It was Hector’s turn to smile.

Chapter Four

Hash Marks

Sadie

One month later…

“Ralphie, get away from the window,” Buddy ordered.

I lifted my head to see Ralphie holding the curtain wide and standing, bold as you please, staring out the window.

“It’s Hispanic Hottie this time,” Ralphie informed us and then Buddy and I watched him wave.

Oh my.

“Hispanic Hottie” meant Hector was sitting outside in a brown, old model Ford Bronco probably drinking coffee. I could visualize Hector lifting his chin at Ralphie’s wave. I could visualize it because I’d seen it before, several times.