Capu Page 8

  “I’m not here on business.”

  “Sounds like business to me. You curious about Tahvo and his men?”

  “You know him?”

  Dino chuckled. “Yes. You could say that. Our relationship isn’t the best. Tahvo’s connected to the Armenians and the Turks. He plays a dangerous game there. But it gives him power. Not much.”

  “Any connection between the missing women in Vegas and Tahvo?”

  Dino shrugged. “Possibly. There’s a connection to all of us when girls go missing.”

  Carlo looked away. He wasn’t the moral authority on how to treat a woman. Since falling in love with Shae, he saw that clearly. “I want a meeting.”

  “With Tahvo? May I ask why?”

  “He’s threatening someone I care about,” Carlo said.

  “Not safe. You go in with Tahvo; my family comes for the ride. We are not going to lose one of Giovanni's capus in Vegas.”

  “Can you arrange it? Now?”

  Dino nodded. “I got a few questions. Is Gio interested in expanding his business investments in Vegas? My father would be open to the discussion.”

  “Like you said, I’m a capu. I don’t know what tickles the boss when it comes to business. Just do what I’m told. You can reach out to Lorenzo and further that conversation.”

  “Will you share that we were accommodating during your visit? If we help you deal with this Tahvo situation?”

  Carlo winked. “I’ll sing your praises.”

  Dino nodded. “Let me make some calls.”

  He left the booth. Carlo sat back. He waited. After about thirty minutes Dino returned.

  “We set?”

  “Not for Tahvo. That’ll take more work. He’s not receptive to a friendly chat.”

  Carlo arched a brow. “Then what is the plan?”

  “You wanted to know about missing girls?” Dino asked.

  Carlo nodded.

  “I know someone who might have information. Will that work?”

  “Yes. It will work.”

  Dino finished off his beer and then tapped his knuckles on the wood surface of the table. “Good. Let’s go pay my boy Bobby a visit.”

  ***

  Carlo followed Dino closely. They traveled through Vegas to hotels that were either abandoned or close to it. Several had homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk. Dino pulled up to a place called The Pelican. He drove around the back of the hotel. Carlo parked next to Dino. He got out of the car. Dino approached. He gave Carlo two guns. “I didn’t want to give it to you at Hunters Tavern. We were being watched.”

  It should have occurred to Carlo that they were being watched the moment the bartender said the strip club was owned by the Armenians. He nodded that he agreed with Dino’s decision. He put a gun to the back of his pants, under his belt, and pulled out his shirt. He then put the other gun in the car.

  Dino didn't use the back door to the hotel. He walked over toward steps Carlo didn't see which led below. There was another door. He knocked on it twice. A man came out. He looked Dino over and then allowed them to enter without being searched. The smell of the kitchen was strong in the lower level. He glanced around to tables of men gambling. Some looked up. Most didn't. They played cards under clouds of smoke. He walked with Dino to a back room. Inside a man with bright red hair, a red beard, and a lumberjack shirt stood up. The man was taller than Carlo. Reminded him of a Viking. He had to be six-foot-seven or eight.

  “Dino!” The man said. And the men gave each other a fraternal embrace.

  “Thanks for seeing us. This here is Carlo. He’s visiting America. One of Giovanni Battaglia’s capus.”

  “Ah! Carlo, welcome!” He extended his hand. “Lots of respect for your boss. Does he have plans to visit the city?”

  Carlo shook the man’s hand. “Not sure. He might.”

  “I’m Bobby, but most call me Boa. Have a seat.”

  Carlo sat in the chair, and Dino stood.

  “You been checking up on Tahvo?” Boa asked.

  “We want to know about his dealings with girls. In particular, a few missing women. Friends of Carlo.”

  Bobby nodded. “That nasty motherfucker. He’s been snatching girls and dumping them on the streets. I think he took two of mine. I can’t prove it.”

  “These girls aren’t hookers. They work the clubs, dancers, some in the Vegas shows. Private parties type of thing.” Carlo said.

  “Doesn’t matter. You dip a pinky toe in our business you become many things. Tahvo wouldn’t make the distinction if the girl caught his eye. How many gone?”

  “Six.”

  “Six? Hmm?” Boa stroked his long beard.

  “What is he doing with them?” Carlo asked.

  “No,” Boa shook his head. “Rumor has it he sends them to San Diego. For seasoning. Then he pushes them into the trade through Mexico. I hear he ships them in containers to the Arabs, Africans, whoever wants to pay.”

  “Why is he taking girls? I thought he was importing them? He brings more and more girls into the city,” Dino said.

  “No, he wants what he can't get. Blacks, Blondes, the Chicanas all have to be American. Taken from here.” Boa continued. “Fucking greedy bastard. The Turkish are helping fund him.”

  “I thought the Turks and Armenians hated each other?” Carlo frowned.

  "Yeah, they do. But they band together to go against all the families in Vegas. Weird. It’s America. Things are different here.”

  “Does he have a weakness?” Carlo asked.

  Boa frowned. “Only one I can think of is his spoiled kid. Son goes to UNLV. He’s about twenty. He keeps him out of the business. My guess is he’s weak. Look, I say we deal with Tahvo, but it will be messy and bad for business if we do it now. Bring too much heat with all these commissions coming on board to shut us out of the city.”

  “I’m an outsider. Not messy for me. Can you give me some more details on his son?”

  Boa looked to Dino who nodded. Carlo picked up a pen and paper and wrote down everything, including anything about this kidnapping ring that runs through San Diego.

  Chapter Eight

  Two weeks later and Carlo was frustrated. Shae worked with her girls who performed at the casino and pretended nothing was wrong. Those unemployed were given rooms in the hotel. All on Carlo's dime. He spent much of his time escorting the girls to jobs that couldn't be canceled and rescheduled. Making sure they were safe from the clients and Tahvo.

  Things were far too calm. Carlo itched to make a move and end the standoff. And Dino had yet to deliver on his promise. It was a matter of patience, and Carlo was about out of it. To motivate Dino and his family, Carlo made promises that he had no power or influence to fulfill. He was never to represent Giovanni in business matters. Lorenzo and Giovanni would be furious. That too made Carlo jumpy.

  He sat at the blackjack table deep in thought. Every time he lost a hand he doubled up on the next play. And so it went. He was supposed to meet Shae for lunch in the Forum. He missed her. Since it started, she'd spent all of her time with her girls. When she came home, she soaked in a bath because her pussy was tender from the piercing, and then curled up in his arms. He didn’t know when his bambina’s sex drive would kick in. Abstinence was driving him crazy.

  “Sir? Mr. Giordano?”

  Carlo glanced up.

  “You have an appointment upstairs. I was sent to come get you.”

  Strange request. Carlo nodded and cashed out his chips for a few hundred dollar coins. Then he followed the man off the gambling floor. They took the escalator up, and then went up again in an elevator. When they exited to the spa floor, Carlo rolled his eyes. He had half a mind to decline the offer. He didn't need a massage. He needed Shae.

  “This way, sir.”

  Carlo was led into the spa room, and a woman greeted him. She was a short petite Asian with hair that hung past her waist. She smiled at him and gave him a polite bow. "Hi, my name is Kim. I will be your masseuse. Please come with me."
>
  He was taken to a locker room. “You can change in here. Please use one of the lockers to put away your clothes and join me. There is a robe to select. Fully undress please.”

  Carlo looked at his watch. The massage must have been the way Shae intended to cancel their lunch date. He grunted his displeasure and did as the masseuse requested. He could use something to loosen the tension coiled in his neck and back. Once changed he was brought to a private room. Candles were lit, soft music played. Carlo removed his robe and laid face down on the table. His face fit into an open cushion. The woman put a thin towel over his backside. She then rubbed heated oil over his shoulders and back. To his surprise, it was relaxing to have the warm oil rubbed over his skin. She did a few techniques that were soothing. He drifted under the rhythm of her tiny, beating hands.

  “Excuse me, sir, I’ll be right back,” she said. “Just lie still.”

  Carlo barely heard her or noticed. He had drifted deeper into a restful peace. After a second or two the door opened and closed and he could hear the woman return. In the past, the massages he had from professionals were centered around his shoulders and his back. This woman didn't start there. Instead, she cupped the top of his head like you would a cantaloupe. She began scratching his scalp with her nails. To his surprise it felt good. Far too good. He'd never had a head scratch before from anyone but his mother as a kid. And the technique didn't end there. Where his neck met his skull the masseuse found a hollow spot. She put her fingers there and gradually increased pressure as she pushed down. And with her other hand she reached around to his jaw to his chin and gradually pulled his head back. He felt the tightness in his neck snap like that of an overstressed rubber band. A tension coiled and released from the muscles in his neck, and then a cooling feeling of relief coursed out through all of his muscles down his spine, shoulder, and arms.

  “Mmm,” he breathed.

  The release of tension increased his circulation and awakened his senses. And just when he thought of drifting again into blissful peace, her hands spread out to his shoulders. She had strong hands. They gripped and kneaded his skin, and then her fingers lightly worked on muscle relaxation. Carlo was groaning. He couldn't stop. His lids fluttered, and he groaned. Her hands went to his hips. And then the towel was removed. His eyes opened. She began to massage his hips and his butt. When he lifted to object, she reached beneath to grab his cock. Carlo sat up.

  Shae smiled.

  “What the hell?”

  Shae let go of his dick and removed her pink robe. She was naked. “Lie back down.”

  Carlo turned over.

  Shae climbed on top of him, and he offered his hand.

  “You miss me, baby?” she asked.

  He groaned.

  “I know. I’m here now.” She turned and faced his feet while sitting on his torso. Her sex was wet, hot, and plump on his bare skin. Her mouth went down on his dick and her ass lifted. He had a tempting view of the jewel beneath her juicy ass. Shae jaws suctioned, and her throat worked around the deep swallow. He found her mouth soft, warm, and wet. The only hard brush was the ball on her tongue. It glided and then moved strangely as she curled her tongue around his dick between sucks. No. Her mouth didn't have the muscle control her vagina did. But each time Shae swallowed his dick, pierced tongue or not, he wanted to blow harder than from vaginal sex. She grabbed the root of his dick, and her tongue lavished and licked before she swallowed again. She then drew her mouth off and licked up one side and down the other, as if his dick were an ice cream scoop on a cone. And then her mouth and tongue relaxed to take him so deep he tapped the back of her throat. Carlo cursed out loud. Shae released him.

  “Hold on for me, baby. I need you,” she pleaded. “Today is the day!”

  Carlo opened his eyes, half-dazed. She revealed a condom, and he frowned. "We have to be careful, Carlo. So we don’t exchange fluids, I’m still very sensitive.” She smiled. She eased off the bench and washed her hands. Then she opened the condom and returned to him. She rolled it down his length. She was back on top of him. Carlo closed his eyes and smiled.

  “Look, baby, open your eyes. I want you to see!” she said like an excited school girl.

  Carlo opened his eyes. Shae used two fingers to draw up the lips of her vagina and part them for him. He could see her piercing glisten. She then guided his cock into her with the other hand. Carlo loved the feel and the sight of his entering her pussy this way.

  “Ah, don’t that feel good, baby," she said and eased down on him. "So yummy, Carlo. Be gentle, okay, baby, let’s take our time.”

  He ran his hands up her thighs. His cock was swollen, getting impossibly harder because her pussy was clamping down on him. Tight, wet heat squeezed his dick, and she rode him like an American cowgirl. His woman had moves. And she was the one who asked him to be gentle? They found and matched each other’s rhythm. It was only then Shae let go of the lips of her pussy.

  “Yes, baby, oooh, baby it feels so different and good. It hurts a little, baby, but it feels good too,” she panted. Carlo slipped under her spell. His head tilted and his chest arched. He didn’t want to hurt her, so he let her hurt him. By riding his dick front to back, and back to forth, and him doing nothing but working his hips. The beast him wanted to tear into the pussy he’d been denied for weeks. The lover in him wanted the lesson. And she was giving him one in patience, and submission. Something contrary to his life.

  “Hold it, baby; that's right. Ah, yeah! Like that. I like it, give me more. I missed you so bad. So bad. Sooooo bad.”

  He tried. It was hard. The mounting pressure had his pelvis cramping and his chest tightening. A hard fuck, he could control. A slow, sensual ride from the woman he loved was a different matter. He was weak. His eyes began to tear from the strain. He tried. He breathed through his nose, and bit down on his tongue and held on. Shae kept moving. She brought his hands up to her breasts. He squeezed them both. The piercing of her nipple slipped between his fingers.

  “That’s right, baby.” She rolled her hips. “Squeeze my titties and hold on. I’m almost there. Oh yes! Yes! Yes!” she screamed, and then moved harder and faster. He broke. He hoped it wasn’t too soon. He exploded, almost to the point of tears he was flooded with so much emotion.

  Shae dropped on him and panted.

  After a few minutes, she lifted her head. "That was good. Did you like it?"

  Carlo couldn’t catch his breath to speak. “I got to go clean up. Get dressed. I sent the girls shopping in the Forum, so we got the suite to ourselves.”

  “Shae,” he said and lifted on his elbows. She eased off him and picked up her pink robe. “We need to talk, sweetheart. There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Okay, Carlo. We’ll talk,” she said and blew him a kiss. Carlo peeled the rubber off his dick and sat up, dizzy. The woman was stronger than any drug on the market.

  ***

  After mind blowing sex they, ate in the spa, and then returned to their room. Carlo was so tired he made Shae put on her Shalimar lotion, and then laid against her breast. But for the first time since he found paradise with her, a nightmare surfaced in his sleep. A nasty one. Shae was the missing girl, and he found her after they did the most unspeakable things to her. He shot up in bed, nearly hollering out her name. It scared his lady. She demanded to know what was wrong. Carlo paced before the bed in nothing. He’d delayed the conversation for three days. But time was short. He knew it. He’d have to make a move soon. His girl had a right to know.

  “I think Tahvo has taken your girls,” Carlo said.

  Shae frowned. “But I told you, Carlo, they aren’t here in Vegas working the clubs.”

  “That’s because he’s sending them to San Diego. To be seasoned.”

  “What does that mean?” She asked. “To be seasoned?”

  “You know what it means, Shae.”

  “No, I don’t. Why would he do that to my girls? They aren’t street walkers. He has his girls. More girls than anyone.”


  “Because he can. Typically, things like this don’t reach the boss.” Carlo sat down. “I think it’s Spyder who is doing this. Targeting your girls. Tahvo may or may not know. I doubt he cares.”

  “We need to call the police!” Shae got up. “We filed a missing person report, but they never did anything about it. That’s the reason I stopped trying. But if they are doing this, sending them to San Diego, we need to call the cops.”

  "No. You want to see your girls again; then we need to go get them."

  “What? We? We can’t. How?”

  “I’m working on the how,” Carlo said.

  “He’s dangerous, Carlo. This isn’t Italy. You can’t go up against him alone. And if you do and it draws attention to you, Giovanni won’t be able to protect you.”

  Carlo gave her a small smile. “I’m never alone. This is something I can do. Trust me. I’ve known a lot of Tahvos. Remember when I told you I like to remember Italian poets? Their poems?”

  Shae nodded.

  “Dammi la tua mano e corriamo uniti per tutta la vita,” he said.

  “What does it mean?” she asked.

  “It means, give me your hand and we will run together our whole lives. Trust me. That is what I am saying. Can you trust me?”

  “Yes. I trust you,” she hugged his neck. “I don’t trust them.”

  “Good girl. Now let’s find your friends.”

  Chapter Nine

  The next day Carlo and Shae decided not to leave their room. He was waiting on Dino to call with his special delivery. Shae didn’t ask what the delivery would be. She just snuggled him and watched a movie. When the show got boring, they made love. He held her, and they stared at the television for a while longer before he picked up the remote and turned the television set off.

  “You never talk about your past,” he said.