Charlie Stella - Charlie Opera

“I’m sure you already know about the wife,” the surgeon continued. “DOA. Four shots in the chest.”

Gold stared blankly at the emergency room doors.

“What happened?” the surgeon asked.

Iandolli motioned at the surgeon to leave.

“If you need me, I’ll be around,” the surgeon said. He apologized and headed back inside the emergency room.

“There was nothing anybody could do,” Iandolli told Gold. “You have to know that.”

“I could’ve told her to leave town,” Gold said. “I could’ve told Wilkes to run off with her. I could’ve suggested the department put Gentry on leave.”

“And Mrs. Gentry could’ve went home nights to her husband instead of screwing around with Michael Wilkes,” Iandolli said. “It’s not your fault, Abe. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Poor bastard will be on a suicide watch the rest of his life.”

“Probably.”

“They pick up Wilkes yet?”

“The highway patrol did. He was on his way out of town. At least he was heading that way. His car was packed with his stuff. He had more than ten grand on him.”

“Who has him?” Gold asked.

“Us, right now,” Iandolli said. “But the Feds’ll put up a fight over him soon enough.”

Gold shook his head. “What a joke. We can’t get out of our own way, the good guys.”

“It’s a self-fulfilling nightmare.”

Gold motioned toward the hospital exit. “Why don’t you take off,” he said. “I want to hang around here a while.”

“You gonna be all right?”

“Nothing happened to me.”

“You sure? I can stay, Abe. Talking with these clowns from New York can wait.”

“Go,” Gold said. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

Charlie decided to take the taxi drive to the hospital with John Denton before heading back to Samantha’s apartment. He tried to call the apartment from a pay phone at the Bellagio but there was no answer.

Denton was quiet during the taxi ride back to the hospital. Charlie found himself feeling sorry for his wife’s lover.

“I’ll deny you were there if you want,” he told Denton. “If you’re worried about your law license.”

“I’m on camera in the hallways same as you,” Denton said. “Besides, I think that guy was right. I don’t think they’ll do anything while we have pictures.”

“Why don’t you two get the hell out of Las Vegas tonight?” Charlie asked.

“I don’t know if she can yet,” Denton said. “Besides, I think she’ll want to know you’re safe.”

“What makes you think that?”

“She doesn’t hate you, Charlie.”

Charlie nodded, then glanced at his watch. “They must have hospitals in California,” he said.

The taxi pulled into the Valley Hospital parking lot.

“You coming in?” Denton asked.

“She doesn’t want to see me,” Charlie said.

“You’re wrong. She did want to see you. To apologize, I think.”

Charlie rubbed his bruised knuckles. “This wasn’t anybody’s fault,” he said. “Look, I know better. Shit happens.”

Denton extended a hand to Charlie. Charlie looked at it a few seconds before taking it.

“Don’t forget to get those developed,” he told Denton. He was pointing at the plastic bag holding the disposable camera. “No matter what that other guy does, it’s all we have.”

Charlie gave the driver Samantha’s address, then sat back in the seat to close his eyes. He pictured his wife upstairs in her hospital room and the smile she would greet her lover with. He felt a pang of jealousy for a smile that was no longer his.

Charlie thought about the new smile in his life and how grateful he would be to see Samantha again. He hoped she was home when the taxi dropped him off. He would hug and kiss her tight. He wouldn’t let go.

Minh had delegated a second contract for the Italian mob to his wife back at the restaurant. He had stayed in touch with his men following Charlie Pellechia and immediately raced to the hospital after his sit-down with Lercasi.

Now Minh sat low behind a steering wheel as he observed a taxi from the edge of a hospital parking lot. A man got out of the cab and headed inside the hospital. Two of Minh’s soldiers were in a car farther up the street. They called to confirm the man still sitting in the taxi to be Charlie Pellecchia.

Minh lit a cigarette as he waited for the taxi to turn up the street. He watched intently as the car passed. He could see the stocky man in the back clearly. Charlie Pellecchia seemed oblivious to his surroundings.

Minh took a few drags on the cigarette before shifting gears and following at a safe distance. When his men asked if they should cut the taxi off, Minh answered in French: “ Non. Revenez au restaurant. Aidez couper celui-là. Je me charge celui-ci.”

“No,” he had told them. “Get back to the restaurant. Help cut up that one. I’ll take care of this one.”

“Tu sûr?” one of his men asked.

“ Ne t’inquiéte pas de moi, huh ,” Minh said in French, then translated to English, “No worrey.”

Once Beau removed the belt from Samantha’s ankles, he pulled her pants down. Samantha knew she had to let him get closer.

He started to kiss her feet as she faked a moan for him.

“You do like that, don’t you?” Beau whispered.

Samantha forced herself to open her legs a little.

“Yeah, baby, you do like it,” he said. He kissed up the insides of her legs until he reached her knees. Then he flattened out on his stomach to kiss up the insides of her thighs.

She could kick him in the face right then, but she didn’t think she could stun him long enough to escape the apartment. Samantha had to lie still and fake more moans of pleasure as the wife-beater crawled his way toward her crotch.

She still seemed groggy from the chloroform, but Beau guessed the anesthetic was making it easier. He licked and kissed the insides of her thighs as she continued to respond.

He could see some of her pubic hair underneath the navy blue underwear she was wearing. The sight of her pubic hair turned Beau on. He bit at his lower lip as he felt himself grow hard.

He looked to her face and saw her eyes slowly open. He paused a moment, then continued again as she closed her eyes and licked her lips.

“You are liking this, baby, ain’t you?” Beau said.

He thought she said, “Yes” as he got up off his stomach and onto his knees to get closer to her crotch.

Samantha couldn’t bear the thought of him touching her there. It looked as though he would use his mouth first. She forced herself to lick her lips when he saw she was awake. Then she arched her back just enough to bring her legs up and lay her feet flat on the floor.

He straddled her right leg as his head ducked down toward her crotch. She lowered her right leg just enough to create distance between his crotch and her right knee.

Beau’s mouth touched Samantha through her panties a split second before he gagged hard as the wind was knocked from his lungs. His face turned to a grimace of pain. She tried to kick him again as he rolled off and smacked her foot against knee. She winced from the bruise she gave herself.

Samantha was rolling away from Beau when she felt his hand weakly grab at one of her feet. She stood up and saw he was still trying to catch his breath in a half fetal position on the floor. She kicked at his face with her free foot and smashed his nose hard. Blood splattered across his face and T-shirt.

When she was free again, Samantha ran toward the front door. Her wrists were bound tightly but her hands were free enough to turn the doorknob. She heard Beau moaning in pain behind her as she struggled to open the door. She tried turning the knob a few times before she realized the dead bolt was locked. She reached up to turn the lock as Beau yelled, “You fuckin’ bitch!”