Chapter 4
Meeting The Saints
Smecker drove us to a little motel near a travellar controlled area of town. The motel was old and shabby with outside access to the rooms. Good for The Saints if they were bloodied and wounded during a hit. No walking through the lobby and having a desk clerk stare at you. Although, judging by the look of the place the manager didn't care much who came and went, as long as they paid. He parked and led us to the room at the end farthest from the lobby. He knocked twice then produced a key and entered, us following behind him quietly. The inside of the room was dark and smokey. The curtains were drawn and 2 men sat at a table each with a lit ciggerette. The darker complected blonde leaned forward to look at us, "Christa and Erika?" We nodded and removed the sunglasses and wigs we were wearing for disguise. "I'm Conner MacManus. My twin brother Murphy," he gestured to the young male sitting across from him.
"Ay, I know who you are."
He smiled a bit and Murphy began to speak, "Tell us about your husbands."
I told them the same things that I had told Smecker going into detail as best I could. I told them of people they had killed or had had killed. Their business dealings and explained the things they had done to Erika and I. As I explained every detail of their lives as best I could I could see their fury deepening. Conner never took his eyes off of me. He did most of the talking as Murphy sat silently listening. I explained the night Marco had put Erika in ICU. Erika snuggled deep into her coat and looked away. Tears in her eyes. Murphy studied her deeply, compassion burning in his eyes. He reached out and touched her, gently and brief. She looked up meeting his eyes and smiled. It was a smile I had never seen her give to a man as long as I had known her. Conner seemed to pick up on this as well, it was then he seemed to really notice the marks on my face. "Has your husband put you in the hospital as well?" I nodded. He reached forward to touch the cut on my lip. I winced and pulled back. No man had touched me other than my husband for years. And those touches I cared to forget. Conner ran his fingers through his blonde hair and leaned back in his chair. "When will be the best time for us to get them both conveniently? I would like to keep it as simple as possible. Leave no time for the others to pick up on it and try to find you two."
"They have a meeting when they return. A lot of men will be there. Alejandro De Marcetta." I stopped when I said this, reading the look in their eyes.
"Alejandro De Marcetta? The rapist?" Conner asked. I could see the look of fury in his attractive blue eyes.
"Ay, him and many others."
Murphy began to speak, "These men are evil and so are the people who they consort with. What they've done to you is awful. No man should hit a woman no matter the circumstance. They have abused their rights too long. Abused their power. An evil man is a dead man. But I do have one question for you, Christa." I turned my attention away from Conner who I had been studying deeply. "You are Irish. How did you end up married into the italian mafia?"
I sighed, I didn't want to speak of my past, of my mother but I knew they had a right to know. I took in a deep breath and began, "My Ma met my da years ago. He had seemed sweet then and she had fallen in love. She became pregnant with me shortly after she had realized my da was in the mafia. She left after my father found out. Returned to Ireland to raise me away from his life. When I was sixteen she died and I had to move here with my da and when I was eighteen he had me marry Eduardo. So as you see, I'm not pure irish. I'm half italian I was just raised in Ireland for most of my life." The two nodded solemnly.
Conner took one last drag of his cigerrette before he put it out. He looked to his brother then turned to us, "We'll do it. We want you to tell us when this meeting is when you find out. The night we schedule to do it, come here, leave at least an hour before we get there. Tell your husbands you are going out or something. Make sure you don't have a tail. Wait for us here. When we return you can leave if you wish. But we cannot let you leave until we are sure you are safe. Will that work for you?"
Erika and I nodded, "My bedroom window will be the best way for you to get in without being noticed. No one is ever around my room. I'll leave the window open and a light on. It's on the second floor on the left side of the house. There's a terrace that you can climb right up to it. That'll be the best way for you to sneak up on them." Conner nodded and wrote down a number on the back of Smecker's card. I stuffed it into my purse and Erika and I put on the wigs and glasses. We said goodbye to them.
Smecker drove us back to the diner. The whole time Erika and I sat in the back together, silent. I looked to her. She seemed nervous, fidgity. I was as well. I grabbed her hand for mutual comfort. Our eyes met and the tension seemed to receed a bit. With a squeeze I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. Soon the hell would be over. The Saints would save us.