Music to my Soul
Chapter XIV
"Hello," Lydia answered in a voice that told Paul she was expecting bad news. He had to admit, this wasn't the first time he disappointed her and he should already have been home by then.
"Lydia…I'm sorry…"
"No! Not again. Paul you promised me."
"I'll make it up to you," Paul tried.
"That's what this lunch was for, Paul," Lydia answered curtly.
Paul sighed nervously while glancing around for any sign of the gangster. "Please, Lydia, I swear to you, I've got good reasons and now, I need you to do something right away."
"What? You stand me up and you expect me to do favors for you?"
"Lydia," Paul said much louder than he had meant. The silence at the other end of the line told him that Lydia was startled. No matter how many disagreements they got into, shouting was rarely a part of them. Softening slightly, Paul pursued with still a lot of tension to his voice. "I need you to call Leonard and ask him to come get you; right now!"
"Paul, what the hell's the matter with you? You don't seriously believe that going to our neighbors will make up for you not showing up…"
"Lydia, I can't be sure," Paul said, ignoring his wife's protestations, "but I believe you might be in danger." Again, Lydia remained silent for a moment, telling Paul that she heard him but that she was wondering what to make of it. "I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it, Lydia."
"What did you get yourself into, Paul?" The fear in Lydia's voice was almost palpable.
"Everything will be fine if you stay at Leonard's today. At least until I can come get you."
"You didn't answer my question, Paul. What's wrong?"
"It's probably nothing. Just an idle threat; but I don't wanna take a chance."
"It doesn't sound like nothing Paul. And if you really believe I'm in danger, why aren't you here already?"
Paul shut his eyes tight, a gesture born as much from impatience as from the remorse he felt, while he tried very hard to steady his voice when he spoke next. "If you do what I say, you'll be safe. I've got something else to do and it's really important that I don't lose any more time."
"Losing time," Lydia exclaimed angrily. "Is that what I am to you? A waste of your precious time? What's happening now Paul? Rodney gave you the story of your life and you couldn't refuse? Even if it meant putting us both in danger?"
"Lydia, I'd never put you in danger on purpose," Paul exclaimed, appalled. "Look, Cole might be hurt or worse. I've gotta find him!"
Lydia let out a derisive laughter at this. "AH! I should've known. That eternal screw up dragged you into one of his stupid schemes again and you still care more about his fate than mine."
Paul had to drag in a deep breath at this, as he almost exploded right then and there. He pulled the handset away from his ear and stared at it for a few seconds, trying to decide what to say next. Slowly, he brought it back to his ear, only to hear Lydia's next remark.
"When are you gonna open your eyes about him? Cole is a selfish man who never gave anything back after all you've done for him."
Despite his resolve to be reasonable, this was just too much. "Enough! I never put Cole ahead of you, no matter what you think. He never even asked me to do that. However, I'm not gonna try and defend him to you. I don't have time for this. Lydia, for once, would you please do what I ask? I need to know you're safe before I can help Cole. You're only making things worse right now."
In the charged silence that followed, Paul waited tensely, wondering if it was all worth it. Maybe Cole had been right about his marriage. Yet, he loved her so damn much that the simple idea that they might not make it together was unbearable. "Lydia…" he began uncertainly.
"I'm sorry," Lydia cut him tensely. "I just got scared. Who am I kidding? I still am."
"Do as I say, please," Paul replied, as he tried to calm himself. "I promise you everything will be fine."
"How can you be so sure? You still haven't told me what it's about."
"I'll explain everything to you tonight, I promise." Before Lydia could protest again, Paul pursued quickly, "that's a promise I'll keep!"
"I'll hold you to that," Lydia uttered very seriously. "I want you to be careful," she added after a beat.
"I love you Lydia. Don't forget that. I don't know what I'd do without you and you've gotta believe that at least."
"I do," Lydia replied firmly. "I love you too," she trailed.
"Lydia?" Paul questioned with a hint of worry that had nothing to do with Cole at this point.
"Just make sure you don't get killed," Lydia tried in a would-be humorous manner. "I'd never forgive you for that."
Paul decided he might as well take his cue from her. "I wouldn't want that," he said as lightly as he could manage.
"No you sure wouldn't…"
Paul became serious again as he remembered the gravity of the situation. "Call Leonard as soon as I hang up, alright?"
"I will…although, I still find it stupid to have him come get me. He lives across the street…"
"Lydia, please…"
"Alright, I'll call him. And Paul," she added, "I didn't mean to be so harsh about Cole…I was just angry."
"It's ok," Paul answered without too much conviction. "I understand… Now I've gotta go."
"Be careful," Lydia repeated before hanging up.
Paul hung up slowly, staring at the phone all the while. He couldn't help wondering if things weren't getting worse between Lydia and him. As he left the phone booth, he firmly resolved to make sure they spent some quality time together after this mess was dealt with. However, as soon as he took this resolution, he set it aside as his worry about his friend returned all at once. "What the hell have you done now Cole?" He grumbled before climbing into his car and speeding away.
~~~~~~~~
Marco slowly awakened, feeling pain all over from the repeated hits by Luigi. For a moment, he wondered how come he was still alive as he pushed away an annoying hand shaking his shoulder. Then he heard an anxious voice.
"Are you ok man? I heard a gun shot. Have you been shot?"
The voice was shaky. Marco opened his eyes to face a young man in livery. Fear was written all over his face, but the boy still stayed by his side. Instead of answering the questions, Marco tried to stand up and nearly passed out again as a wave of dizziness coursed through him. Marco drew a few deep breaths and tried again. The boy attempted to help him up, but Marco pushed him away rudely. "Leave me alone," he uttered in a raspy voice. He could taste blood in his mouth and knew he must have been a mess, but at least, he was alive. With an effort, Marco stood up and looked around him for signs of his attacker but found none. Then a sudden chill shook him. The boy talked of gun shots… He whirled toward the spot where Lara stood earlier and sure enough, she wasn't there anymore. His anxiety deepened.
Meanwhile, the boy was insisting. "Do you want me to call the cops? You're in really bad shape."
"No cops, no doctors" Marco uttered curtly, while turning toward the boy abruptly. "Forget what you've seen here if you want to stay healthy and go back to whatever crap you're doing normally."
The boy was startled and obviously put off by Marco's attitude. However, he noticed the holster against the wounded man's chest and he decided it wasn't worth it. "Whatever you say," he uttered nervously while moving away from the gangster. All the while, the boy kept his eyes on him, as he was worried that the man would change his mind and shoot him. His stomach sank when he saw the gangster walking toward him. However, he sighed in relief when the man moved past him and headed for the back of the hotel.
Marco hurried anxiously toward the hotel room, no longer worried about being seen. If Lara had been kidnapped, he knew he would pay dearly for it. When he got there, the door was ajar and that gave him a renewed fear for himself. Hesitantly, he drew his gun and then opened the door slowly. When nothing happened, he gingerly entered the room and knew right away that his worse fear must have come true. He saw the driver sprawled on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from a gash on his forehead. Marco didn't even bother to see if he was still alive before running toward the bedroom. Once there, he grunted angrily when he found it empty. From the look of the place, the tramp had gotten her fun before anything happened to her and Marco gave the bed one last dejected look before his anxiety returned fully.
He turned back toward the sitting room and stared at the phone uncertainly. "Why me," he uttered between clenched teeth, unsure what he should do. However, he knew that running wasn't an option. They knew everything about him and they could find him very quickly. His fate would be worse if he tried. What's more, Saul didn't like the girl at all. Maybe he would be lenient if Marco was honest with him. With a shaky hand, he reached for the phone.
~~~~~~
Phoebe found the band already there and visibly antsy. Under any other circumstances, she would have simply dismissed their attitude and gone on with the rehearsal, but in her present state of mind, she was annoyed. She almost headed straight for her dressing room instead, but a familiar voice behind her stopped her short.
"Hey girl! Where the hell were you?" Paige asked without real reproach to her voice.
The intense relief Phoebe felt at this was almost overwhelming. She would never have called Paige, even though she needed a friend, but the fact that her cousin came on her own boosted her moral somewhat. "What are you doing here," she exclaimed while smiling almost happily.
"Hey well, I know you don't like me to go to the house and I was worried about you. So I figured you'd have to rehearse eventually..."
Phoebe went to hug Paige and this one was so surprised, she didn't react at first. "Hum…" Paige said at last as Phoebe pulled away reluctantly. "I see that I was right. You've got to tell me all about it."
Phoebe gave another glance toward the band and these stared back with obvious contempt. However, this time, it was rather easy to dismiss them. "You're right. I do need a friend," she replied for Paige. "Come with me."
Paige didn't question this and followed Phoebe to her dressing room.
~~~~~~
Paul went to Cole's apartment and to a few bars he knew his friend frequented but didn't find him and the more time passed, the more anxious he got. At long last, he decided that he had to take a little risk if he wanted to ascertain his friend's fate. Fortunately, he was acquainted with a guy who worked for the entertainment section of the newspaper, and he gave him a call.
"Hey John," he began as soon as he was put through.
"Paul. How are you?"
"I've got a big favour to ask of you." Paul said rather than answering the greeting.
"Hum…and if I do that for you, are you gonna slip a good word for me to Rodney?"
"Hey I thought we were friends," Paul uttered half-heartedly. He knew perfectly well that in this business, friendship was relative. John wanted in the serious news business, as he put it, but he had little credentials to support his candidacy. However, Paul was in great need of his help right then and he figured it wouldn't hurt to talk to Rodney, if only to humour John. "Never mind," he caved right away. I'll let him know you want out of the tits and overblown egos' heaven. But don't get your hopes up."
"I only need a little push thank you. So what can I do for you?"
"It's really not much. I need for you to get me an interview with Lara Love."
"Good bloody luck, buddy! Her sugar daddy's been refusing every journalist around. I tried…"
"Any other avenues besides official channels…?" Paul asked with obvious disappointment.
"Well…" John hesitated. Then he pursued in a conspiratorial tone of voice, "if you're not afraid of her entourage… and if you promise to bring me back something juicy… I can put you in contact with someone who'll get you in her dressing room."
"Like this afternoon," Paul insisted.
"Ask and ye shall receive."
"I'll bring you back what I can if you make this happen quickly."
"Huh, forgive my curiosity but…uh…. are you trying to get something on Fredo through her?"
"You're getting too curious," Paul replied curtly.
"Oh alright… Have it your way… Call me back in a few minutes…"
~~~~~~
"Alright! We're here," Paige said as soon as the door to the dressing room closed behind her. "What happened?"
"If you're worried about Fredo, don't be. He's not the problem…at least, I don't think so…"
"Oh, that sounded so reassuring," Paige uttered sarcastically. Then seeing that Phoebe was becoming even more upset, she toned it down a notch. "What's it about then?"
"Paige," Phoebe started with a hint of hesitation and a grimace. "Do you remember what happened to me? I mean…"
"Of course I remember your asshole of a father," Paige replied edgily.
"I don't mean that exactly," Phoebe corrected. "I mean…before…with the boys…"
"Oh you're talking about piano man. Or rather piano boy…"
"Yeah," Phoebe trailed. She was still uncertain about the whole thing. Yet, hearing that song had brought back so many bad memories all at once that no matter if Cole was the boy or not, he was still responsible for her pain at the moment.
"So?" Paige questioned insistently.
"I heard that song again today."
"Really? Where?"
"I…I was with this driver that you saw yesterday…"
"The hunk?" Paige questioned with a little amused smile in spite of her worry.
"Paige!" Phoebe exclaimed irritably. She wasn't in the mood for rowdy humor at all.
"Ok… so what about the song?"
"He was playing it…"
"Who? The driver?" Paige questioned dubiously. She'd heard the boy playing quite a few times as well and she couldn't imagine what he would have been doing driving for a gangster since he was obviously destined for a great career. "Why in the hell would your little virtuoso be driving for a gangster?"
"I don't believe he's the same guy…" Phoebe uttered with a lot of hesitation. "I just don't know what to think…"
"Well," Paige began as she took a seat, "I know that it must have been tough for you…all the bad stuff it surely brought back… but if he's not the one…"
"I slept with him," Phoebe blurted out without even thinking.
Paige didn't seem very surprised and indeed, Phoebe knew that she had half-expected she would do just that. "And you feel what? Guilty?"
"I feel betrayed…"
"Betrayed? Now Phoebe, don't get me wrong. I love you to pieces. However…I don't remember you ever putting much into a roll in the hay. On the contrary, I'd expect you to have seduced him and then dumped him…"
"You don't understand," Phoebe uttered nervously as she looked away.
"Wait a minute! What is it I see here? Could it be that the roles were reversed?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Phoebe uttered in a futile attempt at covering her weakness.
"Oh, oh… now that would be the most ironic… Are you falling for this guy, Phoebe?"
"NO!" Phoebe protested much too loud.
"Yes! That's it! Wow Phoebe. You mean there's a heart beating inside that chest?"
"You're supposed to be my friend," Phoebe almost whined.
"And I am. Now, I know it's not the ideal match I wished for you, but boy! If he warmed that piece of ice you call a heart, maybe I should go and thank him profusely."
"If he's that boy," Phoebe aggressively replied, "I don't know what I'll do, but whatever it is, you might end up wishing my heart stayed frozen…"
Paige was startled by the intensity of the anger her cousin displayed. She kept silent for a moment, unsure if she was waiting for Phoebe to talk or if she simply feared that anything she would say might cause an even worse explosion. "Phoebe," she said at last. "I…look, I don't want you to suffer…I didn't mean…"
"I know Paige," Phoebe cut her off in a much more subdued tone of voice. "I don't know how I feel," she added painfully after a few seconds.
"Oh baby," Paige exclaimed solicitously before she got up and hugged her cousin tight. "I didn't mean to make you feel worse…" She couldn't believe that her cousin was actually so stricken. Sure, she didn't quite let it out, but that was more emotion than she had seen Phoebe demonstrate in years.
Phoebe held on to her tight, as if she was using Paige as an anchor not to drift away. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Paige had no answer to this, but in a strange way, as she held Phoebe, she believed that she was getting back the sweet girl she used to know, and if it didn't make everything alright by far, she was still a little relieved. After another long moment of silence, Paige pulled slightly away from her cousin. "Phoebe…I know that you don't wanna hear it, but…"
"What?"
"Well… I know you feel bad about this whole song thing…but…"
"Paige, come out with it!"
"I have to try and convince you to leave this Fredo…"
"Paige," Phoebe tried to protest.
"No look…it's obvious you're having feelings for this other guy. Even if it goes no where, how can you continue living with that monster?"
"Even if I had feelings for Cole," Phoebe began tensely, "and I'm not saying I do," she added quickly. "I still won't lose the chance of my life. I told you; I'm not staying with Fredo for any other reason."
"But Phoebe…"
"No! Now more than ever, I want to succeed. I'm finally grabbing the brass ring and I won't let anyone take that away from me."
Paige was tempted to try again, but Phoebe was already reverting to her cold and determined persona. "Alright," she replied, defeated, "I just hope that you won't regret this…"
"I won't Paige." Phoebe assured her confidently. However, she wished this apparent certainty was as firm inside of her as the façade she presented to her cousin. "Thank you for being here for me," she added softly.
"You know I'll always be here for you and frankly, I believe you'll need me a lot more and sooner than you think…"
"Please Paige, don't destroy this. I've sacrificed everything for this moment. Twelve long years…"
"I…" Paige tried again, but she stopped herself, knowing that all she would succeed in doing would be to start a fight. She knew what Phoebe expected from this show. Her cousin believed that fame would somehow vindicate her. Paige wished that Phoebe took at least a measure of pleasure in this, but it was unlikely. Maybe her cousin had truly lost the ability to deal with emotions. A moment ago, Paige had seen her almost giving in, but from the look of her, she was already regaining full control over herself. Paige sadly began to wonder if she had been a help or a hindrance by coming here…
"I've got to rehearse now," Phoebe announced without even asking what Paige meant to say. In truth, Phoebe feared that Paige would talk more about Cole. If she did, the fragile hold Phoebe had on herself might not be enough to stop the torrent of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. "No," she told herself firmly as she accompanied her cousin to the door, "nothing, let alone a man, will keep me from finally achieving my goal."
Phoebe quickly embraced her cousin, cutting short the goodbyes, and then she hurried back toward the stage.
Paige watched her going with growing apprehension… As tempted as she was to stick around and hear her cousin sing, Paige decided that this place was too spooky. With a sigh, she resolved to leave, still wondering how Phoebe could willingly expose herself to such danger, no matter the prize…
~~~~~~~~
Paul met up with a shady individual in the alley behind the Pharaoh Club. The man was unshaven and wore a cap that hid half of his face. His clothes had seen better days and sported wide black stains all over them. Paul assumed he must be some maintenance worker with a very low pay. That had to be the only reason why he was risking going against Fredo and Paul thought that he got lucky on that one. However, John warned him seriously before giving him the information. As he said, he could have used it himself, but nothing would make him come to this place without the consent of the old gangster. Paul couldn't repress a chill at the thought of what he was doing, but he still couldn't turn back. With a little luck, Cole would be inside and all of his worries would have been for naught. But if not, the young singer still might be able to clue him in on Cole's whereabouts.
The man was now staring at Paul intently and this confirmed what John told him. He was expecting a substantial bribe for his services. Without a word, Paul handed him a fifty dollar bill, and the man gave him a reproachful glare.
"Hey look, I'm not here to buy the club," Paul told him curtly.
The man simply grunted unhappily while pocketing the money, and then he led Paul through the back door. They were barely inside when he suddenly pushed Paul into a shadowed corner. This one understood why when he heard footsteps coming their way. His companion was sweating profusely and it did nothing to reassure Paul. Fortunately, whoever had been there left quickly and the man signalled for Paul to follow him discreetly. After many detours and a few close calls, he ushered Paul into a luxurious dressing room. "You wait here," the man simply said before turning around and closing the door hurriedly on Paul.
Paul wasn't too keen on the waiting part. It had already been too long and his anxiety intensified with every moment. Nonetheless, as he tried to go out of the dressing room in spite of the man's warning, he heard male voices nearby and he stepped back hurriedly. Cursing silently, he held his ear to the door and waited impatiently. That's when he heard something else that gave him pause. Lara's voice was muffled but he was certain that there was something familiar about it. Paul didn't know exactly why, but he was disturbed by it. It took a long while before he could get out of the dressing room and when he did, he made his way slowly toward a spot near the club proper. The closer he got, the clearer the singing voice became. His malaise grew proportionally.
Despite the puzzlement he experienced, Paul was still intent on finding out about Cole and he tried to ignore the singing while cautiously glancing into the nearly empty club. Unfortunately, he found no trace of his friend there and he returned his attention to the songstress. Now he could see her and appreciate that she was indeed very pretty. However, she didn't look familiar to him at all. He had almost given up on figuring out where he heard the voice when, after the band started packing their instruments, the girl walked to the piano and, while caressing it lightly she began singing "the" song. Paul felt as if a lightning bolt struck him then. There was no mistaking this song or that voice. Paul knew for a fact that she wrote those lyrics herself. He was so stunned that until she stopped mid-sentence, apparently just as disturbed by what she did, he had almost forgotten the precarious situation he was still in.
He had the presence of mind to turn back toward the dressing room just as a man called Lara's name angrily from somewhere inside the club.
"Lara? Where the hell were you?" Robbie bellowed.
A chill went down Paul's spine at this voice. If he found himself face to face with Robbie, god knew what the consequences would be not only for him, but for his wife and Cole. He heard Lara respond irritably as he was hurrying back.
"Not that I owe you any explanation, but I was here rehearsing…"
"Half of Saul's men have been scouting town all day to find you. You weren't here earlier."
"If you can't get your info straight, don't try blaming me for it."
Paul didn't hear the rest as he re-entered the dressing room and hid in the closet. He cursed his bad luck again, but even if the more reasonable action would have been to leave, he still couldn't; not without knowing what became of Cole. The fact that they had been looking for Lara at once intrigued and worried Paul. What was she trying to hide? Or were they really so stupid that they didn't look in the club first? That seemed highly unlikely. He tensed some more when he heard the door to the dressing room opening and closing. Light steps moved about the room, and there seemed to be only one person inside to Paul's mild relief. He was about to peek discreetly when the closet door opened wide in front of him and Lara let out an exclamation of fright. Nervously, Paul grabbed her and covered her mouth quickly while watching the door intensely. After a few seconds, while struggling to hold on to Lara, who was stronger than she looked, Paul was half-reassured that no one noticed anything and he gave his full attention to the singer.
"Now, I'm not here to hurt you," he said in a voice that didn't do anything to reassure Phoebe. She had recognized him right away. It was mostly why he managed to get a hold of her so easily. The shock had been intense. Only seconds before, she had been musing over her options about Cole and then, she unexpectedly found herself face to face with someone whom she considered her true nemesis. While struggling to get away from Paul, she was thinking furiously. What was it? Were Cole and he playing tag-team with her? The thought was revolting and also depressing as, for the past hour, she had caught herself many times hoping that maybe Cole wasn't the monster she hated for all those years. Now it was all in question again.
"Look, I just need to ask you a few questions about Cole," Paul tried again. This got him a definite reaction. For the space of a second, Lara stopped struggling altogether only to redouble her efforts right after.
"Hey," Paul snapped, "I've got better things to do. The sooner you answer my questions, the sooner I'll be out of here. And it won't be soon enough…" Paul added with something akin to disgust in his voice. He swore to himself that if that bitch hurt Cole again, she would live to regret it. Just then, Phoebe bit his hand so hard, a blinding pain shot from his hand through his arm and he relaxed his hold on Phoebe just long enough for her to free herself.
Paul then cradled his hurt hand while trying to go after Lara again, but surprisingly, she stopped halfway to the door and didn't scream as he had expected. Instead, she turned to him. "I won't scream yet… but don't touch me again."
"You fucking bitch," Paul exclaimed, made angrier by the throbbing pain. "What have you done to Cole?"
Phoebe intended to get to the bottom of this sordid affair but she was stopped by the intense hatred she read in Paul's eyes. What right did he have to be angry? He was the one who most likely caused so much pain in her life. She almost asked him where the other boys were this time around, but decided against it. No need to let him know how much he did hurt her in the past. "I don't know what you're talking about," Phoebe said instead.
"He was with you and now he's nowhere to be found. I want answers and I won't go anywhere until I get them."
"Not that I care all that much," Phoebe began, "but what do you have against me? Your asshole friend tried to get info from me, but I didn't do anything to him and I resent that you assume I did," she pursued disdainfully. Inside, she was confused and a little shaky, but she didn't want to give Paul the satisfaction of seeing that.
"You cold hearted bitch! Cole was right. You're just a worthless whore!"
This time, Phoebe couldn't keep in the hurt and it was written all over her face as she breathed in hard before exclaiming irately. "How dare he? The louse! He's the one who tried to seduce me to get the dirt on Fredo!"
"What have you done to him," Paul repeated while mixed feelings started chasing each other inside of him. The girl had looked genuinely hurt by the insult. Could it be that Cole wasn't the only one who got caught emotionally? Yet, Cole wasn't anywhere near her and he had indeed vanished, which, combined with her own accusations, didn't seem to bode well for his friend's fate. "Did you give him up to your sugar daddy?" He asked angrily.
"I didn't do shit to him! And I don't see why I should answer any of your questions. I only have to call out and you'll be history." In fact, Phoebe wondered why she didn't do so.
"Didn't you hurt him enough?" Paul questioned even more edgily. All the anger he had against the girl of their past was coming back to him at once. The suffering she inflicted on Cole was weighing heavily on him. However, when she spoke next, Paul experienced some doubts.
"What about you? Didn't you hurt me enough? Did you have to come and destroy my life just when I'm about to become a success?" Phoebe stopped herself, wondering who she resented more at the moment; Paul, for possibly destroying her life in the past and even now; or Cole for making her feel vulnerable at a time where she needed all of her strength.
"What the hell did I ever do to you? I don't even know you…well not really…"
Phoebe puzzled over this for a moment, but she recalled that Paul never saw her face to face. It made his actions of twelve years ago all the viler as he obviously chose to hurt her without cause. Then as she mused over the fact that maybe, he really didn't know who she was, Paul confirmed that he did.
"I did recognize your voice however. How can a heartless bitch like you express so much feeling, when it's obvious that you have none? You must be the most devious creature that ever lived." Even as his anger and worry prompted the hurtful comment, Paul began doubting again. The more he spoke, the more Lara seemed to crumble.
"Get out of here," Phoebe snapped at this point.
"Not until you tell me what I came to hear."
Phoebe fought hard to contain her anger and then she headed for the dressing table. There, she grabbed one of her lipsticks and jolted the address on a napkin, which she then dropped on the floor between her and Paul. "That's where he was the last time I saw him. You and he are worth each other. Now get out!"
Paul hesitated only a moment before picking up the napkin. All the while, he kept his eyes on Lara cautiously. He wanted to ask her why she didn't care what happened to Cole all those years ago, but at the same time, Paul wondered if it was worth it. Instead, he started toward the door slowly. He already had his hand on the doorknob when Lara's question stopped him. "Did you teach Cole to play?"
There was something in her intonation that gave Paul pause, even as he answered sincerely, "Me? Hell no. I couldn't play the piano if my life depended on it." Then, he turned halfway towards her. "What did he play?"
Phoebe hesitated before answering. She was already showing too much weakness as it was. Despite this troubling thought, she still answered after a fashion. "Something I thought I'd never hear again…" she trailed.
"Surprising," Paul whispered in a low voice. He didn't need for Lara to tell him what melody that was. He was certain that was no coincidence she sang the song earlier.
"Who taught him then," Phoebe dared ask next, while the truth was already dawning on her even if she tried to deny it.
"Nobody… Cole composed that music long ago…for you…" As soon as he said the last words, Paul saw intense surprise in her eyes.
"But he…" Phoebe couldn't bring herself to continue. First off, this revelation didn't fit with her take on what happened. Why would Cole have written this melody for her only to hurt her so badly afterward? What's more, there was still the matter of his lack of skill earlier. However, telling Paul that she wondered about Cole's awkward interpretation would have been an admission of all the time she spent thinking about him since she left him at the hotel. As much as she wanted to know the answers to those questions, she couldn't bring herself to ask Paul. His face was a painful reminder of the rancor she'd lived with throughout those years, and certainly didn't help her see things differently at the moment. "Never mind. When you find him," she pursued as flatly as she could, "tell him again not to come anywhere near me. I didn't say anything to Fredo, but I can't promise I won't…" In truth, Phoebe had no intention of doing this, and that even with the mounting anger and confusion that gripped her insides. However, she also didn't want to see Cole. Not if it meant having to deal with feelings on which she preferred not to dwell.
Paul watched her intensely for a moment and then he shook his head dejectedly before opening the door and glancing about cautiously. He didn't bother to look back when he was certain that no one was around and he left the dressing room without another word.
~~~~~~~~
He was moving through a dark tunnel, and in a daze, Cole vaguely wondered if this was what it felt like to be dead. His friend's voice reaching to him from what seemed a very long distance puzzled him all the more until the pain in his forehead told him that maybe he was alive after all. Although at the moment, he didn't know what would have been better.
"Cole! Cole wake up, you son of a bitch! Don't you dare die on me," Paul said then and this time, Cole heard it much more clearly as he tried to open his eyes. However, he squinted because of the bright artificial light and closed them right back.
"Cole?"
"Would you stop screaming," Cole uttered in a low and raspy voice that he barely recognized. "My head's gonna split in two!"
"Someone sure gave it a good try," Paul attempted to quip but without much conviction. When he had found Cole unconscious, he thought for sure this was it. Even now that Cole spoke up he was only half-reassured. "We need to get you to a hospital," he added with deep concern.
"Nah," Cole grunted while gingerly assessing his injury. Even the light pressure of his fingers was enough to worsen the pain and he removed them immediately. However, he still didn't want to go to any hospital. "I don't need any quack to tell me I got hit in the head. Besides," he added while finally opening his eyes, "you always said I had a hard nut. I'll live…"
"Stubborn idiot," Paul reproached irritably. He still tried to help Cole, but this one pushed him away and slowly sat up.
Cole then noticed the pool of blood and he grimaced unhappily. Nonetheless, what really got to him was his next thought. "Phoebe!" Forgetting about the pain and dizziness, he stood up quickly and almost fell back when his body betrayed him momentarily. However, when Paul tried to steady him, Cole again pushed him away and headed for the door.
"Hey!" Paul called, realizing what Cole must be thinking. "If Phoebe is this Lara Love, you really don't have to worry about her…"
"What would you know about that," Cole questioned while turning a wondering stare toward his friend.
"I just met your sweetheart," Paul replied curtly. "In fact, she's the one who told me where to find you."
"She's ok?" Cole questioned anxiously.
"I told you. She's perfectly fine; unlike you…"
"If you think she sent the goon who hit me, I won't believe that…"
Paul stared at Cole uncertainly. If he told him what he found out, what would it do to his friend? On the other hand, maybe it would insure that Cole wouldn't return to Fredo's and at this point, Paul thought his safety was more important than the doubts he had begun to entertain about the past. "Cole…there's something you ought to know about this Lara…"
Cole didn't know what his friend was about to say, but Paul's expression was so serious that his heart sank. "What," he asked hesitantly.
Paul took a deep breath and he quickly related his conversation with Lara, along with what he found out about her; but he left out the parts that got him thinking. Now wasn't the time to confuse Cole. Throughout his speech, Paul avoided looking at him, but when he was done and Cole said nothing, Paul gazed at him uncertainly. What he saw in his friend's eyes gave him a chill.
"Goddamn bitch!" Cole exclaimed. "When I think…" Cole stopped abruptly as he glanced toward the piano and suddenly realized that something was missing.
~~~~~
Marco and Saul were standing on each side of Fredo's desk and the former handed something wrapped in a handkerchief to Saul. This one took the object without a word and then he opened the top drawer where he put it away. "You didn't touch it, did you?" Saul asked very seriously.
"No!" Marco replied nervously, too worried about his own safety to wonder about the strange request. "You said not to."
"Good," Saul said flatly. "What about Turner?"
"He was alive last I saw him, although barely. I'm sure Luigi did a number on him too…" Marco was trying to sound confident, but in truth, he was very scared. Saul had not made any comment about his lateness, but Marco knew that he shouldn't have waited this long.
He had hesitated at length before coming back here and now his eyes darted about the badly lit office, as he half-expected someone to come out of a dark corner with a gun pointed at him.
"If you're worried that the girl got taken, I can reassure you right now," Saul said then, surprising Marco. "Robbie just gave me a call. She got to the club on her own. Not a scratch on her," Saul added with obvious disappointment.
"Everything is alright then," Marco replied with some relief until he noticed Saul's inquisitive stare.
"I'm not sure that Fredo would say that, Marco," Saul pointed out somewhat threateningly.
"Look Saul, it wasn't my fault. I tried to stop Luigi! And besides, Lara's fine so…"
"No thanks to you. Now Fredo is gonna think this Turner is a hero again. That he took one for his girl…"
"But he was banging her," Marco protested.
"Fredo doesn't care… he cares only that people in his employ are doing their job," Saul commented in a falsely casual tone of voice. "What does that say about you?"
"I promise you, it won't happen again. I'll go after Luigi myself…"
Saul's lips spread into a joyless smile. "You think you could find the asshole?"
"I used to do his sister… I'm sure she knows how to find him…" Eagerly, Marco added, "I won't stop until he draws his last breath…"
"Wait," Saul tempered. "Maybe you could do something more useful than killing this trash."
"Anything," Marco answered quickly.
"If you can find this Luigi, maybe you could give him a message for Ricardo on mine and Fredo's behalf…"
"What's that?"
"I wanna meet with Ricardo…I think it's time we had an open discussion," Saul said with the look of a predator about to pounce.
Marco didn't need him to elaborate on the thought. Saul obviously intended to double-cross Ricardo. "But what if Ricardo refuses?"
"Didn't you just say you won't fail us again?"
Marco swallowed hard at this comment. "I won't…" he assured Saul, even though, he wasn't too certain how he would accomplish that. However, now wasn't the time to show his doubts to the lieutenant. Nevertheless, he still had something on his mind. "Luigi told me they had nothing to do with what happened to the boss," he tried uncertainly.
"And you believed him? Ricardo knows he's been made. It's no surprise he's trying to deny…"
"But…"
"Look, we both know Ricardo is lying, but it could work to your advantage. Tell Luigi we just want to get to the bottom of this mess and that we can't do that until we talk face to face with his boss."
"I guess it might work," Marco uttered wearily.
"Then don't lose any more time." Saul snapped.
Marco slowly began walking backward toward the door. As he turned to grab the doorknob, he wondered if he wouldn't get shot in the back. Maybe, Saul was just waiting for that… It was only when he was out of Saul's sight that Marco began to breathe almost normally. That is until he remembered the nearly impossible task that was just given to him. "I'm cooked," Marco uttered between clenched teeth before heading out of the house.
~~~~~~~
Inside the office, Saul was staring at the open drawer with obvious satisfaction. He picked up the package and cautiously unfolded it on Fredo's desk. The gun Fredo gave Cole was resting on the handkerchief. "Soon, I'll be rid of all my problems…" Saul said aloud before closing the handkerchief over the gun and pocketing it. "Soon," he repeated with a cruel smile.