Music to my Soul
Chapter XIII

"I won't let anything happen to you," Cole uttered as he reluctantly moved away from Phoebe and headed for the sitting room.

"Cole," Phoebe called back anxiously. "It's not me I'm worried about…"

Cole turned halfway toward her with a little smile. The implication of what she said was obvious and if it hadn't been for the circumstances, his heart would have jumped for joy. However, he couldn't help worrying about what laid behind that door. Who would come here but those who had been following them? And if so, were they coming under Fredo's order to finish them off because he didn't believe that Phoebe was safe from this gangster, no matter what she thought. He signalled for her to stay back before heading out of the bedroom. Upon entering the sitting room, a chill reminded him of his undressed state and he grabbed a bath towel conveniently hooked on the connecting door. Quickly wrapping it around his hips, he also noticed something else as he headed for his clothing and picked up the gun that ended up on the floor earlier. In the corner of the small sitting room, there was a piano. He vaguely pondered this while walking toward the outside door cautiously. Cole couldn't help wondering about the coincidence. Pianos were not usual furniture for that kind of discreet hotel. Was this suite especially reserved for Phoebe? He hadn't questioned the fact that she had a key earlier as things heated up pretty quickly. However, now it was another story. Did she bring her pianist here for more than rehearsal? Before he could go further into this unpleasant reasoning, another loud knock startled him. A voice came through the door at this moment that half-reassured Cole.

"Room service, Miss Love…"

Cole turned toward the bedroom and saw that Phoebe was watching him from the threshold. She obviously wasn't very good at following instructions, but that didn't really surprise Cole. She nodded with relief and he relaxed his stance as the hand holding the gun went to his side. He still opened the door slowly, concealing the gun behind his back, not entirely convinced that this wasn't a trick.

The young man in livery didn't seem surprised to find a stranger there instead of Lara, and it again brought an unpleasant awareness to Cole. He didn't let his feelings show for the boy however, as he opened the door wider to let him in. The bell boy noisily rolled a table topped with shiny plates into the room, while discreetly avoiding looking at the bedroom. If he noticed that Cole was hiding something from him, he pretended not to, telling Cole that he had seen it all. The boy stood at the door after completing his task and Cole realized he was waiting for his tip. Never turning his back to the boy, he pulled a few dollar bills from his pants' pocket and he extended them impatiently to him. "Have a good one," the boy said pleasantly before heading out.

As soon as the door closed, Cole gave another look at the bedroom and he saw that Phoebe was wearing a robe and coming toward the table without any apparent concern. He watched her lifting the lid of one of the plates while he slowly moved toward the piano. Cole then ostensibly laid the gun on top of the instrument.

"You didn't need that, you know," Phoebe finally said.

"I prefer to be prepared for anything. I'm supposed to be protecting you," Cole replied flatly.

His tone of voice alerted Phoebe. "Is there something the matter?"

"They seem to know you here," Cole said as casually as he could manage.

However, Phoebe picked up on this. "Hey… what's this about?"

"Nothing," Cole answered. As much as he wanted to keep the irritation from his voice, even that one word sounded annoyed.

"Are you reproaching me something," Phoebe questioned with a hint of annoyance of her own.

"I didn't say anything… yet," Cole added while coming back toward her. He couldn't help staring at the spread on the table with a renewed discomfort. "Was that the whole seduction package? Or a reward for rendered services…?" He questioned as he indicated a bottle of champagne in the center of the serving table. This time there was no mistaking his irritation.

"Wait a minute, Cole. What right do you have to judge me? I never pretended to be the perfect little woman…" Phoebe spat. She watched him with a cross expression until she met his hurt gaze. Then, Phoebe began to feel uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry; you're right," Cole offered uneasily. "I've got no business judging you…I guess it reminded me too much of what I've done quite a few times myself. It's not that easy to look at things from the other side of the fence…"

Phoebe was now more than a little confused about the way she felt. On the one hand, she didn't like the fact that Cole assumed he could judge her actions and catalogue her. But then, his change in attitude was enough to melt her anger. "I guess we make quite a pair," she said with a hesitant smile.

"Someone's gotta do it," Cole replied lightly. Phoebe barely had time to feel better before he became serious again. "You were worried earlier."

"I told you, I was worried about you. That's why I wanted to get them off our tail."

"You could simply have given up on this little interlude," Cole uttered half-heartedly.

"I'll admit," Phoebe cooed while coming to lean against him suggestively, "I'm not good at resisting my impulses…" One of Phoebe's hands slid slowly the length of his stomach toward his loins while, with the other, she was ostensibly undoing the belt of her robe. Then she smiled teasingly as she began caressing him suggestively through the thin towel. "And it's obvious you're not good at it either…"

"If you put it this way," Cole managed between short breaths.

"Are you hungry?" She questioned just as teasingly but with a throaty voice.

Cole was mostly torn between his renewed desire and his worries, but as Phoebe pointed out, he wasn't very good at resisting his impulses either. "I think I'll go straight to dessert," he said before grabbing her and crushing her lips with his.

~~~~~~~~~~

Saul hung up the phone of the office with a Cheshire cat smile spreading over his lips. He turned to find Robbie watching him closely. Saul was very much aware of Robbie's interest in Lara. In fact, he intended to use it if the need arose. Things were looking up. "Your boy did a good job," he said aloud for Robbie.

"What are you gonna tell Fredo," Robbie questioned irritably. His frustration was visible as he had guessed at what his man saw. "Goddamn bitch!" he thought. He imagined himself slapping Lara silly and wished that she wasn't Fredo's girl anymore. Who knew, maybe this time, Fredo would turn his back on Lara and Robbie would get his revenge. This idea alone made him feel better.

"I don't know," Saul finally answered. "What's the use?"

This pierced Robbie's bubble. He still promised himself that he would find a way to give Lara what was coming to her for leading him on like this. "I really think Fredo has a right to know his girl's a bitch who opens her cunt for any pretty boy that comes along…"

Saul eyed Robbie severely before responding to this. Now wasn't the time. "Fredo already knows and doesn't seem to care too much about that. However, I really think you should watch your mouth in this house if you want your balls to stay where they are."

Fredo was not there of course, but Robbie still got a chill at the idea that he could hear his comments. However, he wasn't about to acknowledge his fears in front of Saul. "I still believe the boss should understand Lara isn't trustworthy."

Saul seemed to ponder this for a moment and then as he headed out of the office, he offered, "Don't worry… soon I'm hoping to be rid of the bitch…" For himself, he added, "same for anyone who gets in my way…"

Robbie called back to him as he was already crossing the threshold. "What do we do about Turner?"

"Try to verify this stuff about the paper pusher. I'm sure there's more to this than meets the eye. On the bright side," Saul added as he turned back toward Robbie with a cruel smile, "you might be able to beat up on Turner very soon…"

Robbie didn't answer. He mostly wondered how he was so transparent. However, he knew that Saul was a smart man and he elected long ago to stay on his good side. Robbie was convinced that Saul was more his ticket to the big time than Fredo ever was… Instead of lingering on his own shortcomings, he started imagining himself beating Cole to a pulp.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Cole was exhausted but happier than he'd been in quite some time. He lay across the bed, his head resting on Phoebe's stomach, while he caressed one of her nipples lazily. The view was rather appealing from where he was but at this point, he mostly felt the need for some rest. Pearls of sweat shone between Phoebe's breasts, witness to their intense lovemaking of earlier. Now, they were both resting in silence, not wanting to risk saying anything that could bring this bliss to a crashing halt. After a moment however, Cole's remorse came to put an unpleasant damper on his happiness. He reflected that he didn't deserve this, considering the drama he had caused with Rita and her husband. Phoebe must have noticed that he becoming tense because she lifted her head from the pillow and stared at him questioningly. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Cole uttered without conviction. He still removed his hand from her breast and came to lie beside Phoebe.

She wasn't fooled by his denial as she turned toward him and caressed his forehead soothingly. "It's obvious something's bothering you…"

"Well, you can't say everything is rosy…"

"What were you thinking about just now," Phoebe insisted.

Cole hesitated. Telling her the truth of the matter would surely remind her of her own problems.

"Is it me?" Phoebe insisted with a hint of anxiety.

"No!" Cole exclaimed. "No, it's definitely not you. On the contrary…"

"Then what?"

"Well…I was just wondering if I've got a right to feel this happy after what happened to Rita…"

"Oh…" Phoebe uttered while her expression darkened noticeably. Cole was convinced that she was reminded of the former driver as he had feared. Nonetheless, after pondering this for a moment, she pursued, "You know… as bad as your involvement in that mess may seem, this Rita and her husband were also responsible for their own problems…"

"That's also what my friend Paul said…" Cole understood his mistake right away, but it was too late. He saw it in Phoebe's eyes from the moment she heard the words.

"Your friend Paul…?"

"Phoebe, I…"

Phoebe pulled away from him, bringing the sheet over herself ostensibly. "I believed you said he was only an annoying acquaintance."

Cole almost told her he'd meant another Paul. However, he didn't want to lie to her again. Paul's warning still vaguely echoed in his mind but this time, he ignored it. "Alright, I lied… I admit it…"

"What exactly does that mean," Phoebe questioned pointedly.

"Phoebe…I wasn't exactly honest about my motivation in coming to Fredo's house…"

Phoebe suddenly had a sinking feeling. Up until this moment, her only fear was that Fredo would become jealous and try to hurt Cole. She had already made the decision of trying and convince Cole to stay away from the mansion by asking him to give up this job. However, in all of this, she never imagined that he came to Fredo's for any other reason than to tune the piano; not even after hearing what Robbie and that policeman said. "What were you there for," she asked with obvious suspicion.

Cole suddenly worried that he had overestimated the level of trust he could put in her. He swallowed hard, wondering if he wasn't serving his own head to Fredo on a platter by telling Phoebe the truth.

"Cole," Phoebe questioned insistently.

He licked his lips nervously before continuing, and that even believing this could be suicide. "I was supposed to gather some evidence against Fredo," he blurted out while staring at Phoebe intently.

At first, Phoebe didn't seem to react at all, which was puzzling. Then she slowly looked away and Cole felt as if a cold wind blew through his chest. He still waited for her answer in silence.

"How were you supposed to do that," Phoebe questioned in a strangely calm tone of voice.

"I…Phoebe, I know what you're thinking but I swear to you, it's not like that…"

"On the contrary," came Phoebe's cold reply as she stood up with the sheet wrapped around her. "I believe it's exactly like that." She turned to him and he immediately saw the deep hurt in her eyes. He had no problem recognizing that expression. For the longest time, he saw it every morning while looking in the mirror.

"I swear Phoebe…things changed since I saw you first…"

"So I'm right. You were planning on using me, weren't you? When did you intend to start pumping me for information? Right now, or did you think you should wait until I fell hard for you and couldn't refuse you anything? You must have taken me for such a fool."

"No, Phoebe, no…" Cole exclaimed painfully. "I told you that things changed. You've gotta believe me."

"Men will stoop to anything to get what they want. You should be glad…" Phoebe uttered dejectedly without giving any sign that his plea touched her in any way. "I guess you managed to fool me like no one before. I'll give you that. I made the mistake of believing you could be different. I won't do it again," Phoebe spat before she turned toward the sitting room decisively.

Cole went after her hurriedly. Since he was unsure about what to tell her that would make her change her mind, he tried to keep her from leaving by grabbing her arm. "Phoebe, please…" he pleaded again but she shrugged him off angrily.

"Don't follow me, Cole. And I strongly suggest you stay away from Fredo."

Cole stared at her incredulously. "Phoebe you can't tell me you want to protect that monster!"

"I don't care about Fredo," Phoebe uttered laconically. "My only concern is that thanks to him I'll get what I've always wanted and now I know that's all I should've cared about…"

The last part of her sentence was so bitter that Cole knew he had made a crucial mistake. Phoebe was as fragile emotionally as he was; maybe even more so… What could have hurt her so badly that she became this fragile, Cole wondered even as the fear of losing her was tearing him up inside. "Phoebe, you don't wanna risk your life just for a performance. Please reconsider…"

"And then what?" Phoebe almost shouted. "I stay with you…give you all the info that you want about Fredo and then you dump me when you're done with me? Is that the plan?"

"Of course not, Phoebe," Cole told her, appalled as he was by her cynicism. "I'll protect you…" He hesitated some more when seeing her expression hardening by the moment. "You don't have to tell me anything, Phoebe. I just want you to be safe, away from him…"

Phoebe didn't answer but rather picked up her crumpled dress and put it on hurriedly. Then she turned toward the door without another look at Cole.

"Phoebe," he called again.

"Don't waste your breath. For a short while there, I forgot what men are about, but as I told you, I won't make that mistake again," Phoebe responded while keeping her back to him. Without waiting for an answer, she opened the door.

"Phoebe I…" Cole wanted to tell her that he loved her but he stopped himself. He saw her hesitating, as if she had sensed what he was about to say. When he remained silent, Phoebe shrugged irritably and went out of the room, closing the door noisily behind her.

Cole leaned against the wall while staring at the door that just closed on his hopes. Why couldn't he tell her how he felt? Then Cole reflected bitterly that anything he could have said would have sounded empty to Phoebe.

~~~~

Phoebe was heading toward the car but she stopped halfway there. Even if it hadn't been for the fact that she didn't have the keys, she knew that she was too shaky to drive. How could she have been so stupid? Because he was handsome and knew how to sweet talk her? Yet, deep down, she still wondered if he had been sincere about his feelings. What if he was? What if she was wrong and he wasn't like all the others? Phoebe shook her head dejectedly, knowing full well that she was fooling herself, but it didn't get her to move an inch as the doubts piled up inside of her.

~~~~

Marco, the man that had followed them there watched her curiously from a distance. He wondered if she was waiting for the driver. At any rate, she seemed to be on her way to the car and Marco turned back toward his own vehicle as he didn't want to be caught unaware. That's when he came face to face with one of Ricardo's men…

~~~~

Inside, Cole dressed in a hurry, at first intent on going after Phoebe in spite of his doubts. However, as he grabbed the doorknob, another wave of despair coursed through him. "What's the point," he thought bitterly. "She's probably already gone." Besides, Phoebe hadn't given him a single chance to plead his cause before crushing him just like the girl from his past. Being reminded of this only deepened his resentment as he absently walked toward the piano. Before he realized what he was doing, Cole was sitting in front of the instrument and he stared at it intently. Angrily, he hit the keys with his fists. However, instead of getting up and moving away from the piano afterward, he began playing the lullaby that had come so naturally to him the last time. Music had always been his only faithful friend along with Paul. That is before he had lost the ability to play at all or the inspiration for that matter. Now however, the pain he felt inside screamed for some form of release and the music provided that. As the lullaby ended, he pursued by hitting notes at random or so it seemed until Cole realized that he knew the resulting melody very well. It was her song… For a moment, he almost stopped. However the compulsion to play was so strong that he kept at it, soon losing himself completely in the music.

~~~~

Phoebe had been stuck in place for several minutes, unable to go back, but even less able to leave. Confusing feelings were invading her and she couldn't make sense of them. On the one hand, her anger towards Cole was intense, as she felt he betrayed her trust. Yet, she couldn't help remembering how she felt in his arms. For a while, Phoebe knew in her heart that she was safe and wanted in a manner that she had never experienced. She was convinced that she connected with him deeply, as if she could see through to his soul. For the first time ever since that awful day twelve years ago, she believed that she could fall in love. It was scary and exciting at the same time and she had been too afraid of her own feelings to tell him. However now, Phoebe was uncertain about everything. How could she have been so wrong? Was the little girl that she had been coming back to the surface and weakening her? Was she experiencing the same stupid longing she did before everything went to hell? Why was she losing it just when everything was falling into place? But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that it was only a weakness on her part, Phoebe still felt that she had to make sure about Cole. She turned toward the hotel and gazed at it intently. Then she started slowly walking back toward it.

~~~~

Marco stared at Ricardo's man with a knot in his stomach. Frankly, the idea of risking his skin for that slut was a little much. On the other hand, he knew that if anything were to happen to Lara, Fredo would have his head. "Luigi," he started as calmly as he could as he saw Luigi's hand resting near where his holster must have been. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, can't a guy stop for a little talk," Luigi answered with a phony smile.

"You're quite out of your way…" Marco replied.

"Ok I'll admit I did come here on purpose…You've been a pain to follow too and besides, I thought Robbie'd be here but you'll do," Luigi uttered with much less amenity. "Ricardo's got a problem and he thinks that maybe one of you could give him some explanation… For example why is it that your boss felt the need to kill two of our men?"

Marco thought that Luigi had some nerve asking him this, but at least, he didn't seem interested in the girl.

"Cat got your tongue," Luigi insisted.

"It seems a little strange coming from you. Ricardo's the one who tried to kill Fredo first. He had to expect some retaliation."

"What the hell are you talking about? Ricardo ain't that stupid."

"Yeah right," Marco spat while reaching slowly for his own side arm. "If Ricardo thinks playing innocent is gonna stop Fredo from getting him, he's got another thing coming."

"Ricardo had nothing to do with this."

"If he didn't do it, why's he hiding?"

"He got a tip to empty the warehouse and lay low."

Marco temporarily stopped his move toward the gun and observed Luigi curiously, but this one suddenly looked behind him and his expression changed noticeably. "Hey, isn't that Fredo's doll? Maybe if I got her to come with me, Fredo would be more willing to discuss this in a civilized manner," Luigi uttered as he took a step forward.

"I can't let you do that," Marco uttered while reaching for his gun.

Before he could grab the weapon however, Luigi saw his move and launched at him.

~~~~

Phoebe was almost at the door but stopped suddenly as she heard the music. She immediately recognized the melody and even though the pianist was less skilled than she remembered, there was no mistaking that song. Even as she stood there, paralysed by the surprise, Phoebe could remember the words she had put to it. Along with the deep hurt that was always associated with those lyrics, she soon felt extreme rage clouding her mind.

~~~~

For a while, Cole was so intensely concentrated on the music that he forgot about everything else. Then suddenly, his eyes fell on the gun still resting on top of the instrument and he stopped playing abruptly. All the pain he had kept at bay while playing returned fully, magnified by his disappointment that Phoebe didn't come back as he vaguely hoped. He caught himself wondering why he even hoped for that. He didn't deserve to be happy and he had admitted it to her. No matter what Paul or even Phoebe said, he had caused a man to die just because he was too bitter to see the damage he was doing to others. With a trembling hand, Cole began reaching for the gun, not even truly realizing what he was doing. When he picked it up, the handle felt cold but, at the same time, it was almost a relief. Maybe everyone would be better off if he was gone, he thought almost with detachment. Paul might suffer from it for a while, but Cole knew how much he had missed the friend he was to him long ago. This, Cole could never be again. Phoebe…he hesitated. He was now cradling the gun against his chest, while remembering what he told Paul. Maybe it was fate that indeed, a woman had ripped his heart out as he had feared. Maybe now, he should really finish the job.

~~~~~

Marco tried again to reach for his weapon while Luigi pounded on him with both fists. Luigi saw his move and he reached for Marco's arm, twisting it roughly while hitting him again. This time, Marco fell to the ground and he vaguely wondered if Luigi would finish him just before passing out.

Luigi almost pulled out his own gun, but he reflected that since no one noticed their spat, it was better to keep it this way. Besides, Marco would serve as a messenger for Fredo about the girl. As he thought of her, he looked back toward the hotel, but found no trace of the girl outside. Resolutely, he headed for the establishment. He debated whether to crash into the room or not, but decided to try finesse, again to keep any undue attention away from him. However, as he knocked on the door, the loud report of a gun shot startled him.

~~~~

As the cab made its way toward the Pharaoh Club, Phoebe tried to make sense of what happened. When the music stopped, she managed to move again and ran to the front of the hotel, jumping in the first cab that came along. She only wanted to get as far away as possible from this place and her own confusion. There was something strange about all of this, she finally reflected after she started calming down slightly. If she knew that she'd never heard this melody played by anyone else but the boy from her past, she also knew that this boy had been a virtuoso; no doubt destined for a much brighter future than tuning pianos for horny older women.

Yet, Cole was playing with only relative skills. She suddenly remembered her own suspicions about Cole's friend and the fact that Cole had kept the truth from her about this Paul. Maybe he knew the history they had even though the likeliness of that was minimal. Yet, what were the odds that she would meet Paul's friend and…Phoebe had to stop her train of thoughts as her feelings for Cole were resurfacing. "No," she said aloud, attracting the attention of the driver. However, while he glanced curiously at her, he said nothing as Phoebe looked away. "No," she repeated for herself. "I won't let him get to me." Phoebe managed to shut up the little voice of doubts for a while, but her longing soon played tricks on her again. "What if he didn't know? What if he simply learned the song from someone else? Maybe he was sincere…" As the cab stopped in front of the Club, Phoebe shook her head strenuously. She had to stop trying to find excuses for him. Cole still lied to her, she told herself even as she paid the fare distractedly and headed for the entrance to the Club.

~~~~

Cole jumped at the knock and the gun went off. He almost fell off the bench in utter surprise, but this jolted him back to reality as the bullet missed his arm by mere inches. Reflexively, he dropped the gun to the floor and it made a thudding sound. Then Cole hurriedly headed toward the door as another insistent knock was heard. He vaguely hoped that this was Phoebe but still wondered why she wouldn't use her key. As he unlocked it, the door came at him and hit him squarely in the face. Already dizzy, Cole tried to get a look at whoever was there, but he only managed a glance before the intruder hit him hard with a blunt object and he passed out on the spot. Luigi watched Cole for a second or two, training the gun on him while he was making sure that Cole was unconscious, and then he quickly surveyed the suite. He grunted unhappily when he realized that Lara was nowhere to be found and then he hurried out of the room, as he was certain that the gunshot would have attracted some attention. Indeed, as he was running back toward his car, he heard shouting behind him but he didn't turn to see if they were coming at him until he was sitting at the wheel. Then, he saw a boy in livery heading for Marco hurriedly, no doubt thinking that this one had been shot. Luigi didn't lose any more time, putting the car in gear and leaving the scene as fast as he could.

~~~~

Paul walked out of the Newspaper building without paying too much attention to the passersby. For once, he had decided to have lunch with Lydia instead of the grub that he always got at the greasy restaurant across the street and he was looking forward to this. He was whistling as he headed for his car but he stopped abruptly when a firm hand grabbed his forearm. Instinctively, Paul tried to shrug it off, but a hard voice warned him. "Don't move." This just as Paul felt what was, no doubt, a gun barrel pressing on his side.

"Hey, if you want money, don't you think there are easier ways to get it? Like working for example," Paul uttered with a hint of mockery that rang false.

"I just wanna have a chat with you," Robbie said as he came into Paul's field of vision. "Get in the car," he ordered then.

"You know," Paul clowned, even as he tried to remember why this guy looked familiar. In his unnerved state of mind, he couldn't really think straight and was annoyed with himself, but he still had the presence of mind to try delaying the inevitable. "I always talk better standing up. Why don't we stay right here?"

"I've got no problem getting rid of a nosy paper pusher like you right here and now. Think of how much it'll hurt when the bullet ploughs through your guts…" Robbie added menacingly.

Paul thought that the man was actually challenging him to make a move and he decided it wasn't worth it. "Alright, we'll talk in the car if that's what you want."

"Too bad," Robbie uttered as he pushed Paul rudely toward his vehicle. Paul looked around, vaguely hoping that a policeman would be on hand, but he saw no one that could be of any help and he thought that resisting would not only put him at risk but also the innocent people on the sidewalk. Sighing dejectedly, he climbed into the car while Robbie got into the back and then quickly pressed the gun against Paul's neck.

"Now what," Paul asked edgily.

"Now you drive off and we have this talk…"

Paul started the engine and put the car in gear while still looking outside for any sign of someone having noticed his precarious situation. However, no one seemed to pay them any attention. In fact, Paul thought that even if any of them had seen what was going on, fear possibly kept them from intervening.

"Move it," Robbie urged him impatiently.

Reluctantly, Paul left the curb and went through the first intersection before questioning his captor about their destination.

"It really doesn't matter. Just drive!" Robbie answered. "Now…what's your business with Cole Turner?"

Paul recoiled at the mention of his friend, suddenly worrying that the worst might have happened to him. What's more, he suddenly remembered who that man was and it only intensified his anxiety. "What have you done to him," he couldn't help asking, regretting the words the moment they were out.

"So, you do know the guy pretty well, don't you," Robbie questioned as he saw Paul's reaction. Paul grimaced unhappily as Robbie's comment confirmed to him that he had said too much. "Talk, asshole," Robbie insisted curtly.

Paul kept silent, mostly wondering if saying anything more could provoke the very thing he had feared happened to Cole.

"Don't try to play idiot with me," Robbie added while pressing the gun harder against Paul's neck. "I saw you talking to him this morning."

"Hey, I talk to a lot of guys," Paul tried half-heartedly. He knew it was too late to deny but he wanted some time to regroup and figure out what the deal was.

"The look on your face tells me you know that guy a lot more than that. Now, I'm gonna ask one more time. What's your deal with this Turner?"

Paul got a sinking feeling as he frantically tried to find something to say that wouldn't give away anything to the gangster. "What did this playboy tell you?" He finally asked, trying to sound as assured as he could.

"Seems you were pumping him for info about Fredo…"

Paul had to refrain from actually exclaiming at this. "What was Cole thinking," he thought before pursuing for the gangster. "I don't know why he would say that…"

"I've already told you not to take me for an idiot, McKail. The louse told us that you were again trying to get the goods on my boss and we really didn't appreciate it."

Paul worried anew about what happened to Cole, but so far, the gangster had not mentioned any killing so he went on with his newly formed idea. "Is that right? You know, you're right. He's a louse. If it's true that I showed a vague interest in his relationship with Fredo, I never expected that gigolo to be of any help to me."

Robbie shifted uncertainly and Paul felt the pressure of the gun releasing slightly. "Then why were you with him this morning," Robbie still insisted.

"I guess he didn't wanna tell you all how much of an asshole he is. I was trying to get an interview about his involvement in a marital dispute that ended in a killing a couple nights ago."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't know why I even bothered. The guy is trash. That stupid woman killed her husband for him and he just walked away without a second thought." Paul hated himself for every word but at this point, he figured that if Cole was still alive it was better for those gangsters to think of him as a heartless gigolo rather than a spy. In truth, Paul knew that not so long ago the description might have fit him like a glove anyway.

"You're trying to make me believe you didn't care he worked for Fredo?" Robbie questioned dubiously.

"Look, if I wanted to know something about your boss, I'd try to find a better source than a guy who's only met him a few days ago… Might I interest you?" Paul taunted while he cringed inwardly.

"Don't push your luck," Robbie uttered threateningly as the pressure from the gun intensified again.

"Hey it was just a question. Call it a bad habit if you want."

"Stop the car," Robbie ordered imperatively rather than responding to Paul's banter. When the car was at a stand still, Robbie moved closer to Paul and practically growled the next threat. "Remember this, asshole. Stay away from Fredo and while you're at it, stay away from the louse."

"If you say so," Paul uttered between clenched teeth.

"I'm warning you," Robbie pursued intently. "If I read anything about Fredo or this little conversation in your trash, I'll get your wife. I hear that she's a pretty morsel," Robbie added with a lusty intonation.

"Leave my wife alone," Paul couldn't help reacting.

"It's up to you," Robbie dropped just before heading out of the car hurriedly. Paul saw him moving away quickly while his heart still pounded wildly in his chest. As soon as the gangster was out of sight, Paul began surveying the street for a pay phone. He spotted one a little distance from his parking spot and without hesitation, he climbed out of the car and headed for it. He had to get Lydia away from the house first and then, he would try to find out what happened to Cole…