Part 4 (1/2)
Billy ran his hand through a ma.s.s of greasy hair. ”Sorry about that,” he said with a nervous laugh.
Big Tony brushed past him and walked into the filthy living room. ”She better be worth it,” he said, glancing around. He looked at the kitchen and the sink full of dishes, crawling with c.o.c.kroaches. He shook his head in disgust. ”Where is she?” he asked.
”Uh, uh, this way,” Billy answered, leading the men to the little girl's bedroom.
Big Tony pushed the door open and walked over to the bed. He reached down and lifted the girl's chin. He turned her head from side to side. ”How old is she?” he asked.
”She'll be seven her next birthday.”
Big Tony looked at Sonny and grinned. ”I've seen enough,” he said. He turned and walked out of the room with the two men following close behind.
Billy crammed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, s.h.i.+fting nervously from one foot to the other.
Sonny pulled out a yellow envelope from inside his breast pocket and handed it to Billy.
”Have her ready by noon. I'll send someone for her. Make sure she's wearing what she has on now,” Big Tony said as he and Sonny watched Billy open the envelope.
Billy's eyes s.h.i.+fted nervously back and forth between the two men. ”Uh ... um, there's only fifteen here.”
Big Tony shrugged his shoulders. ”Yeah, so what?”
”Uh ... the deal was for ... for twenty thou,” Billy stammered.
Big Tony crossed the room in two steps. He shoved Billy, knocking him backward into a raggedy chair. He whipped out a gun from his waistband and crammed the muzzle against the side of Billy's head. ”You piece of s.h.i.+t. You're lucky I gave you that much,” he snarled through clenched teeth.
”Uh ... yeah. Uh ... this is plenty. Please, please don't hurt me,” Billy begged.
Big Tony pulled the gun away. He spit on the floor next to Billy's chair and then laughed as he tucked the gun back inside his waistband. He jerked the door open and looked back at Billy. ”You're pathetic, but if she's as good as you promised, I'll give you a little bonus next time. If she's not, you'll be the one paying me and make sure she's ready at noon.”
Billy waited for the door to close and then slumped back in the chair. He let out a huge sigh of relief, smiling broadly, as his dirty fingers skimmed over the stack of one-hundred-dollar bills.
The voice of a woman with a slight Italian accent came through the answering machine, waking Rheyna from a deep sleep. She had an idea of who the caller was and her suspicion was confirmed as the message played.
It was Terasa Castrucci asking if it would be possible for Rheyna to come out today to take their photos. She apologized for asking on such short notice, since the appointment was set for next week. She wouldn't be asking, except her husband's business would be taking him out of town on the scheduled date. She left her contact number and said goodbye.
Rheyna took a quick shower and poured a cup of coffee before returning Mrs. Castrucci's call. Esther, the Castrucci's housekeeper, answered the phone, told her that Mrs. Castrucci was at the hairdresser, and requested she come between one and two today, if possible. Rheyna told her she would be there, and Esther then proceeded to give her directions to the Castrucci estate.
She loaded up her camera equipment and tossed it in the back of the Jeep. She knew her way to the house from one of her driving ventures earlier in the week, making a point to drive over to the Castrucci estate to familiarize herself with the surroundings. She figured she had time to grab a quick lunch before her appointment with Mrs. Castrucci and stopped and picked up a turkey club sandwich from a little sub shop on Magellan.
After finis.h.i.+ng the sandwich, she headed for the Kelly Avenue exit. A half mile later, she turned into the Castrucci driveway.
The estate itself sat far back on the property, making it invisible from the street below. There was no doubt in her mind that it had been a calculated move by Castrucci when he built the house. She continued up and around the blacktopped drive and stopped in front of a large gate. She rolled down the window and pressed the intercom b.u.t.ton. She glanced at the large row of trees in front of her. She recalled from the estate photos that the house sat just on the other side of the tree line.
”Yeah, what business do you have?” A deep male voice barked through the speaker.
”My name is Rheyna Moretti. I have an appointment with Mrs. Castrucci.”
”Just a minute,” the voice barked again.
After several seconds, the gate opened. She drove through the tree line and felt her breath catch in her throat when the house came into view. It was more beautiful than she imagined. Just as in the pictures she had seen, the only diminis.h.i.+ng factor was the two heavily armed men walking toward her. She pulled the Jeep next to a blue Jaguar and turned off the engine. She had just unhooked her seatbelt when the driver's door was flung open.
The taller of the two men yanked the camera bag from her hands and rummaged through it while the other one proceeded to push her against the car and pat her down. Satisfied that she was okay, he nodded to the taller man to give her camera bag back. The shorter one motioned for her to follow him. Rheyna turned to see the other man inside her Jeep, searching through the glove box.
Without looking at her, the shorter one said, ”Mrs. Castrucci is expecting you.”
As if on cue, the front door opened and Rheyna instantly recognized Terasa Castrucci from the photos. She held out her hand to Rheyna and smiled warmly.
”h.e.l.lo, Ms. Moretti. I'm Terasa Castrucci and I would like to start by saying thank you for changing our appointment on such short notice and,” she nodded at the retreating figure walking down the driveway, ”please accept my apology for their behavior. Personally, I think they're uncalled for.”
Rheyna took Terasa's hand in hers and was pleasantly surprised by the firm grip. ”You're welcome, Mrs. Castrucci; please call me Rheyna, and there is no need to apologize.” Again, Terasa smiled warmly at her and Rheyna thought she was every bit as lovely as her photo.
She was dressed exquisitely in a lavender floral print skirt suit. A few stray tendrils of hair had escaped from the perfectly coifed hair and hung loosely down around her ears and shoulders. The pearl necklace and earrings she wore added to her beauty. Rheyna had no doubt they were the real thing and very expensive. Terasa Castrucci was regal, yet personable.
Rheyna followed her into the sunken entryway and let out a gasp. She then proceeded to trip up the stairs leading into the foyer, nearly falling on her face. Terasa reached out to steady her and chuckled. Rheyna looked up, feeling like a complete idiot. All this time, she had been so impressed by the outside of the house that she hadn't given the inside a second thought. She hated to admit it, but she was awestruck.
Windows surrounded the entryway, covering the entire area from floor to ceiling. At the base of the entryway steps, a spiraling black wrought-iron staircase wound its way down from the second floor out into the foyer. The foyer had to be at least forty-feet wide in all directions and opened up into the upper level of the house. Italian marble covered the floor and its pattern reminded Rheyna of the color swirl one gets when mixing chocolate syrup with vanilla ice cream.
The room was naturally bright and warm, aided by numerous skylights located along the ceiling. Structural columns-made from hand-carved marble and accented with gold leaf-shaped inlays-framed oversized doorways.
Looking toward the back and upward, she could see where the room protruded outward, as in the photos. What was missing from the photos was the beautiful ornamental railing encircling a walkway, covering the entire second floor. She a.s.sumed that a series of hallways branching out from the walkway led to the upstairs bedrooms. From her position, she could see through the doors that opened to three separate balconies overlooking the pool and the ocean. She felt as if she were standing in a museum.
Terasa looped her arm through Rheyna's, snapping her from her thoughts. She led Rheyna into what she described as the sitting room. She poured two gla.s.ses of wine, handed one to Rheyna, and then sat down on a couch in front of a large picture window overlooking the bay.
”I want you to know how much I appreciate you altering your schedule for me on such short notice,” Terasa said with sincerity.
”It was no trouble at all, Mrs. Castrucci. I was happy to do it.” Rheyna glanced around the room with admiration. ”This has to be the most beautiful house I've ever been in.”
Terasa beamed at the compliment and smiled. ”I'm glad you think so and thank you. I did all the decorating myself.”
Rheyna held her gla.s.s up in a mock toast. ”You did a fantastic job.”
Just when she thought she couldn't be surprised anymore, Caroline Castrucci walked into the room, causing Rheyna to choke on her wine. Standing before her was the most gorgeous two-legged creature she had ever seen. Caroline wasn't just beautiful-she was narcotically stunning.
Rheyna tried not to stare, but failed miserably. Starting at the bottom of her white slacks, Rheyna's eyes traveled the entire length of Caroline's darkly tanned body before coming back to the area at the base of her throat where a bright silver chain hung just above her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The clothing did little to hide her curvaceous body, and Rheyna wondered if all of her skin was that tan.
Rheyna felt a burning sensation in her cheeks and knew Caroline was watching her. She fought off an uncontrollable urge to s.h.i.+ver. She stared at Caroline's lips and wondered what it must feel like to kiss them.
Caroline's mouth curved into a smile, and Rheyna forced herself to meet her gaze. She found herself looking into the brightest and deepest pair of blue eyes ever created. She was overwhelmed with a physical desire so strong, that it rocked her to the core.
Caroline's right eyebrow shot up, and Rheyna blushed. Caroline's smile grew wider. She looked at Rheyna as if to say, ”Do-I-meet-your-approval?” and by the look on Caroline's face, it was obvious that she was enjoying their little exchange. Caroline was the first to break eye contact. She walked over to her mother, bending slightly, and kissed Terasa on the cheek.
Terasa wrapped her arm around Caroline's waist and smiled. ”Rheyna, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Caroline.”
Caroline met Rheyna's gaze and held it as she walked over. She stopped directly in front of Rheyna. She was so close, Rheyna could smell the sweet fragrance of her cologne. She held her hand out and smiled. ”h.e.l.lo, Rheyna, I'm pleased to meet you.”
Rheyna took Caroline's hand in hers and returned the smile. ”I'm pleased to meet you, too.” What surprised Rheyna was how much she meant those words.
”Where's your father?” Terasa asked, oblivious to the little exchange going on between the two women.