Hunger, cold, and pain had pretty much overtaken me, and the fact that when morning broke, I had no way of escaping and knowing I had more of the night before to look forward to had made for a miserable time. So, I was more than relieved when I was picked up relatively unscathed from my time in desolation.
Of course, I kicked up a fuss when instead of the motel I’d been taken from, I was brought here. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what kind of place it was, and I was almost certain at this point that the Russo kid had something to do with it. My grunts and groans, which was all I could muster, had fallen on deaf ears, though, and the big burly man who hadn’t said a word in the hour it took to bring me here had just tossed me out in an alley.
I’m not sure in my more lucid moments if I should be thankful that Frank, the first one to approach me once it looked like I really was meant to stay here, had befriended me. His assurance that the place wasn’t as bad as it seemed fell on deaf ears, and I just wanted to get my bearings and figure out the fastest way out of here.
I couldn’t talk, didn’t have my phone, and had no way of contacting anyone, which made the whole situation seem worst. I had some idea of where I was, but having never been here before, it was a bit of a shock. I’d only heard of this part of town in passing but never had any need to be anywhere near this place and never wanted to; why would I? But the stress of fighting back pain from my injuries and the horror of the past two nights kind of muddled my brain, and maybe that’s why it was so easy to accept his offer of help.
Upon noticing the pain, I was in; Frank had offered to share a hit of his joint with me. I saw nothing wrong with it if it was going to help ease my discomfort because weed never harmed anyone that I know of, and it’s not like it would be the first time I’d partaken of a joint or two.
It didn’t take me long, even though it had been some time since I’d smoked, to realize that there was something a little more added to the joint, and by the time we’d smoked the second one, I was up for anything. The fact that Frank was the only one with a tent out of this bunch didn’t hurt either, so when he offered me shelter from the cold, I saw no reason not to accept.
It did strike me as odd that Frank seemed a bit more sophisticated and well put together than the others who seemed to steer clear of us once we got to talking, and his explanation of having only recently fallen on hard times more than explained the disparity. Now usually, I would’ve been very distrusting of this whole setup, but after the first couple of joints, I was feeling no pain, and with my own situation being what it was, who am I to distrust his story?
I brought up the fact that the weed seemed a bit more potent than the norm, and that’s when he let it be known that he was new to the drug and had only turned to it in the last few days to help ease his own burdens. He’d asked one of the others who in turn divulged that this particular dealer Frank had bought from was known for lacing his weed with other things, namely meth, to keep his clients coming back for more.
Since I still had my faculties about me and was indeed feeling better than I had, I saw no reason to stop, not even when I found myself naked beneath someone, not sure who; it may have been Frank, but I can’t be sure. After the hot and cold conditions of my marital bed added to the high, the sex was beyond anything I’d ever known, and so I stopped caring who or when in that first day and a half I was there.
I had a lot of energy and was no longer feeling desperate or like my life was coming to an end. In fact, listening to Frank, I started to build a new life in my head. According to Frank, he didn’t expect to be down on his luck for long and was only waiting for something to come through for him in the next couple of days. The fact that he seemed to like me only added fire to my new thoughts, and I guess you can say Frank and I grew close, forming a bond that it would take others years to build.
For this reason, I found it easy to share some of my past with dear old Frank, who listened and seemed to share my views on the whole situation. He seemed just as enraged as I when I told him about Felix’s deceit in keeping Adrienne’s things in storage, though I don’t quite recall how we got on the subject.
So, for this reason, I didn’t think twice when in a drug-induced rage, I let him talk me into going there to take care of the problem once and for all. I had no idea where the storage facility was since Felix never said, but Frank, being as smart as he is, used the process of elimination to narrow it down.
The fact that he had a car helped to reassure me that his story of having just fallen on hard times was true; I mean, how could he own a luxury vehicle had he not been who he said he was. His reasons for not living out of his car made sense too. It was more indeed more comfortable in the tent, which was roomier and warmer, with the little space heater he’d somehow rigged up using a portable battery-operated generator.
Having taken a hit just before leaving, I was feeling no pain once we started out on our little joyride. I was emboldened by Frank’s assertions that I was in the right, that Felix had done me dirty by going behind my back and keeping mementos of his ex-wife. Of course, I didn’t tell him about my part in Adrienne’s death since that was neither here nor there.
By the time we reached the place, Frank had sworn it was it, it was a breeze getting confirmation from the lady in the office who was more than forthcoming with the information, even going so far as to point out which storage unit had been rented by one Felix Fontane, since I had ID proving that I was his wife.
The more I thought of that portrait and what else could be in that unit, the more enraged I became, and even without Frank spurring me on further, I was ready to carry out my plans of revenge.
I’m sure the drug was responsible in part for my feeling of righteous indignation, but I was still in control of my senses. I grinned conspiratorially at Frank as I grabbed the can of gasoline from the trunk and even waved happily as I snuck around the back of the unit. I might’ve even hummed a ditty as I poured the gasoline all around the perimeter, giving no thought to the other structures because they had no meaning to me, and I simply didn’t care.
The first gush of flames made my heart sing; I’m not going to lie. Seeing what was left of Adrienne going up in flames went a long way to making up for the last few crappy weeks I’d endured because of her daughter. I rushed back around the front to make my escape and rejoin Frank, who we’d decided would be the lookout while I did the deed but came up short when there was no sign of Frank and instead ran smack dab into Felix, who was screaming like a lunatic.
GABRIEL
As Gianna took her first bite of Crème Glacee, I was busy watching the screen of my phone where Nery, aka Frank, one of Tommy’s underlings who I’d hired to do the job, was live-streaming the destruction of Felix and Becky Fontane. The volume was down, of course, as I’d convinced the others that I was checking on some mundane school project while they laughed and shared their excitement over being here in Paris.
Even without sound, it was easy enough to read what was happening. Nery had started rolling as soon as Becky took the gas from the trunk, and though I lost sight of her after she disappeared behind the storage unit, it was easy enough to see the flames as they rose.
As we’d planned, Nery changed location and drove out of sight across the way to a place he’d scoped out on his trial run out here, so he wouldn’t miss the arrival of Felix, who I’d anonymously sent to the location at just the right time. Coordinating this part had been a bitch, and timing was everything.