The Bodyguard Bk 02 Retribution

The BodyGuard Book 2

The Retribution

BodyGuard Trilogy Series

Copyright 2019 © Red Tempest

All rights reserved

This book and or any portion of this book may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the

copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

I would like to thank my two fine editors,

Barny R & Aerosick

, they helped to catch

my mistakes. Any errors that are found are mine alone as I did do some final revising.

You should read Book 1 first to be able to follow the story line

The setting takes place in New York City in the early 1950's

Chapter 1

Virgil and Sonny were inside the terminal located at the Republic Airport. Sonny's chartered plane was outside waiting for him to board.

"Well Sonny, you stuck to your end of the bargain. The phone call to Carlo was great!"

Sonny smirked, "A piece of cake."

He grabbed the brief case full of hundred-dollar bills. He looked inside one more time and smiled. One hundred thousand would take him a long way.

"Nice doing business with you Virgil, or should I say Barzin now?" Sonny said as he turned to leave.

"You know Sonny, if Luca ever figures this out. You're a walking dead man."

Virgil's plan was coming together. Barzin and his staff were dead and gone. Kay out of the way by Sonny's bullet. Nobody knew who Barzin really was or what he looked like. He could assume Barzin's Identity and keep his own. He could play both sides of the fence. He kept the money and drugs that Barzin had and stored them in a warehouse that he leased. Sonny wanted money, fun, and a way to get rid of Kay. In the end, Virgil paid Sonny off. The hundred thousand he paid Sonny was one/fifth of what he had. The small quantity of drugs found at Kay's farm house was a drop in the bucket to what he had stashed. He knew Sonny would get himself killed and he was the last loose end. Virgil wanted the power and now he has it.

Sonny stopped and turned around. "Do I look worried?"

"I would if I were you." Virgil stood shaking his head.

Sonny was careless. Virgil knew it wouldn't be long before he was dead. And it would be Luca that would do Sonny in for good. Sonny lifted his hand and blew him off. He turned around and continued to walk he boarded the plane, destination the Bahamas'. The plane took off and when it got to cruising altitude, Sonny had a gut feeling they were going in the wrong direction.

"Is the plane heading south toward the Bahamas?" Sonny called out.

The cockpit door opened, a man stepped out. In a calm, toneless voice he said. "No." Sonny looked up and chills ran through his body. All he saw was a giant of a man.

"This is for Kay."

Virgil stood on the ground and watched the plane leave. '

Too easy'

he thought to himself as he watched the plane take off. He heard a car door close and he turned around.

"Well it's done."

He turned back around and looked up at the disappearing plane.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive. The trail that I left was easy to follow. And by now Luca has to be in the plane taking care of Sonny as we speak."

"I never thought you had this in you."

"Never judge a book by its cover."

He turned back around to face the person he was talking to.

"Connie, you are beautiful."

"Thank you." she smiled.

Connie was Kay's younger sister by a couple of years. She always hated her big sister. Kay always got everything, their parents' house and restaurant. She thought Kay had the perfect man at first. But soon she learned different. It was Connie that Sonny was having an affair with. She even set Sonny up with the woman that Kay found him in their bed with. She met Virgil through Sonny. Sonny wasn't in the picture yet when Connie got married. Connie divorced her husband Bruno a couple of years after they wed. She then married Al Neri and divorced him after he was arrested and convicted of murder. Connie's first name was Constanzia. As a child she went by the nick name Zia, which is what Kay always called her. After her second divorce she changed it to Connie. Sonny was unaware that she was Kay's sister.

Connie wanted to take everything away from Kay and she succeeded. Kay didn't have clue what Connie was doing to her. Kay was all wrapped up into saving her failing marriage. Kay and Connie never communicated after their parent's death. When everything went to Kay, Connie disowned her. Kay tried to explain to her that their parents thought she was too irresponsible at her age. Connie had been left an inheritance but couldn't touch it until she was twenty-five. Connie didn't believe her and she disappeared. Kay never heard from her again. But Connie was around hiding in the shadows waiting. She wanted to get even with Kay and take everything away.

"We need to celebrate." Virgil said.

"Yes, we do. With Kay out of the picture. Sonny probably gone for good and I'm sure we will never see that Luca again. We are home free." She smiled at Virgil.

"Yes, we are. You played your role perfect by getting all the information from Sonny. He was just as dumb as..."

"Kay?" Connie lifted her brow and grinned.

Virgil smiled back. He always liked Kay. But she was too easy to manipulate a do-gooder. She deserved better than what she got. If things were different maybe he would have tried taking her from Sonny. He wished he would have stopped the wedding, but he was Sonny's best man. She looked so in love with him. He knew Sonny was only using her. But at that time, he didn't want any part of a relationship. He had other priorities and it didn't include a woman. Unlike Sonny, Virgil did his homework. He knew exactly who Connie was and that fit perfect into his plans.

Connie knew what kind of man Virgil was. She had to watch her step around him. She needed him as much as he needed her. When the need was over, no telling what could happen. They both had to play their cards right to get what the really wanted.

Chapter 2

It has been three months since Kay was shot and Luca was still mourning her death. He had disappeared. Tom couldn't find him and Luca's friends were giving him plenty of space. Luca knew Kay's death was far from solved. Things didn't seem right. He needed to get away and sort things out. He knew he missed something. They all did but what? Sonny wasn't the root of the problem. He was a loose end. Sonny's last words, "It's Barzin," kept playing in his mind. Nobody knew who Barzin was or what he looked like. Barzin could be anyone. He should have tried to get more information from Sonny, before his tragic fate with death. But Luca wasn't thinking clearly. All he was thinking about was Kay.

Tom was desperate to find Luca, so he asked Luca's friends to meet with him at his office.

"Have you found Luca yet?" Tom asked.

"No." Sal looked at the others. They all shook their heads no.

"We have to find him. There is something I need to tell him. Something he needs to know."

"We looked in all the places he would normally go." Peter replied.

"And not so normal." Paulie cleared his throat.

"This isn't a normal situation. We need to find him. I have to tell him before he finds out from someone else."

"What?" Sal cocked his head and looked at Tom. "What could be so important? The man just lost the woman he loved."

"And that is what I need to talk to him about."

"They can't pin the death of Sonny on him. He was found in the middle of the desert."

"Sonny was found lying on the ground with both legs and arms broken." Tom threw in.

"That doesn't prove a thing." Moe said.

"There were plane tire tracks in the vicinity. We all know that Luca has a pilot license." Tom said.

The room got quiet. They all knew it was Luca. But there was no proof otherwise.

"Sonny was found with a large sum of money on him with a small quantity of drugs. The authorities figured a deal gone wrong." Tom said.

Peter cleared his throat. "There's a rifle tournament coming up next weekend. I will stake it out see if he shows." Peter knew Luca would show especially to this tournament. It was the NRA championship for pistol and rifle shooting. Luca has held the title for the past couple of years.

"Listen. I know all of you stick together like glue." Tom looked around the room at Luca's friends.

He knew they all had a bond. They all held something important between them. They were more than brothers and comrades. Tom has seen them work together on many occasions. And not once did any of them miss a beat. It was as if they were inside each other's heads. He knew they could find Luca. But if Luca wanted to be left alone, then they are honoring that.

"Eight years ago, that's when I meet Luca. He ran into some legal problems." Tom stated.

"We remember." Moe spoke out.

"Do you also remember how serious, who was involved and what it took to clear his name?"

"Yes." Was heard around the room.

"Do you have any idea, what situations I put myself in to help him?"

Everyone nodded.

"After that ordeal was over and Luca's name was cleared, he came up to me and told me if there was anything that he could do to repay me he would be honored. We became friends. No, not just friends, good friends. When my daughter was being threatened the only person, I trusted was Luca. He protected her. After that we started working together on small issues. And things just transpired from there. I would never do anything to jeopardize the friendship, the bond we have. Now I say this again. It is very, very important that I get a hold of him."

The room was quiet for a few seconds. Peter cleared his throat. "So, what does this have to do with Kay?"

"That I cannot tell you because of security reasons. I need to talk to Luca. Then and only then it will be his call to fill all of you in."

The four men stood. They could hear the desperation in Tom's voice. They looked at each other and nodded.

"We will see what we can do." Sal said. They turned and left Tom's office.

Tom sat down in his chair and put his hands on his head. Tom knew when he saw Luca and told him what was going on, he would be one hell of a pissed off man. And that he wasn't looking forward to.

Peter waited for Luca to show up at the tournament. Peter stayed out of Luca's sight, he didn't want to distract to him. He also wanted to study him. He could tell from a distance that Luca was angry, hurt and confused. He knew he was playing the events from Kay's death over and over. He himself understood things didn't seem right. They all did. But in the mind state Luca was in right now he wasn't thinking clearly. Luca needed to relieve his frustrations and this tournament will help him do that.

At the pistol and rifle tournament, Luca was in the lead defending his title. The rifle division was the last part of the tournament. This was Luca's area of expertise. He had one last shot to go to win this part of the tournament and be the overall champion. He glanced up into the crowd and froze.

"What the fuck Luca?" Peter whispered under his breath. He has been watching from the stands. Luca never froze. He followed Luca's gaze, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh, My, God, Kay is that you Kay?" Luca said softly as the image disappear into the crowd.

"Hey Green Giant, finish your turn, or did you lose your nerve?"

Luca heard what his opponent said. Luca glared at him and fired the last shot. There was never a doubt that he would be the champion. The bullet flew straight and true and Luca walked away with the trophy for first place. He glanced to where he thought he saw Kay.

"Hey, Luca!"

He turned to see Peter walking towards him.

"You okay bud?" he looked at him with concern in his eyes.

"Fine."

"You don't look fine. Looks like you saw a ghost. What did you see?"

Luca shook his head. "Nothing." As he stared into the crowd.

"Listen, Tom needs to talk with you."

"About what?"

"He wouldn't say. All he said was it had to do with Kay."

Luca snapped his head around. His eyes grew dark. "What about her?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't say. We think it would be best if you went and spoke to him."

"We?"

"Yes. He called us all in for a meeting last week pleading with us. He sounded desperate."

Luca turned back and looked over the crowd.

"Kay's dead. What could he want to tell me about her?" His voice was low and chilling.

"Hey, don't shoot me, I'm just delivering the message. Whether you see him or not that's your choice."

Luca stood silent for a moment gazing into the crowd searching for Kay. He turned toward his friend but Peter was gone. Luca suddenly felt chills run through his body. He looked over the crowd one more time and his feet started moving. It seemed as if he wasn't in his own body. He was searching for something or someone. He found himself standing in front of what remained of Kay's restaurant.

'What's going on here? Am I going crazy?'

he thought as he looked around. Nobody seemed to notice him. They were moving about their business. Luca turned and started walking again trying to make sense of what was happening to him. He has been so out of touch with everybody since Kay's death, trying to figure things out. He felt like he was losing his mind.

That night as he slept, he kept hearing her voice. It was soft and she sounded frightened. "Luca... Luca... I am scared. I am lost..."

"Kay, where are you?" he called out in his sleep.

He was tossing and turning. He was running towards her voice trying to find her. She was calling for him. She sounded close but seemed so far away. He can see a shadow, but it's running from him. He called for her chasing after her. She disappeared. "Kay!" He jolted himself awake calling out her name loudly. His heart was racing. He couldn't catch his breath. Sweat beading up on his forehead. His mind was going crazy. "Son-of-a-bitch!" he shouted as he tried to calm himself down. He got up and went to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and thought

'What's wrong with you?'

But his reflection had no answer. He started the shower and enter trying to wash away the nightmare.

**********

Luca was waiting for Tom at his office when he arrived.

"Luca! My God it's good to see you! You look like hell."

"I feel like shit. So, what! I am here now. What do you want?"

"Come in." Tom quickly opened his door and they both stepped in.

"So, I hear you have been looking for me?"

"Yes. I need to tell you something before..."

"Before what?"

"It's Kay."

"Kay's dead." he said in a low voice.

Tom closed his eyes. "Luca..."

"What! What kind of game are you playing?" Luca's voice was haunting.

"Listen and listen careful. I don't play games." Tom said.

Luca and Tom had a stare down. Whatever Tom wanted to say, Luca knew it was going to be hard hearing it.

"I am listening." Luca said.

Tom turned and took a deep breath. "The night Kay was shot. We all were there, we all witnessed it. We know she was dead."

"This is nothing new Tom. I know she was dead. I held her in my arms." The sound of his voice was anger and pain. "Get to the point."

"We know it wasn't Carlo, so someone else must have fired the shots."

Luca cleared his throat. "Yes."

Tom lifted a brow as he turned and looked at him. "While you were off on your little escapade, I got a call."

"A call from?"

"The Sheriff's Department. The officer in charge of Kay's case is a good friend of mine. I know you don't want to hear this but listen to me before you say anything."

"Okay." Luca nodded and waved his hand for Tom to continue.

"Like I said, I got a call from my friend. They sent Kay's body down to the morgue. When the coroner went to do his autopsy, he put his knife..."

Tom suddenly found himself held up by Luca. Face to face. Luca had his fist buried in Tom's suit under his neck. He pulled him up off the floor staring at him. His eyes were dark with fury.

"This better be worth it Tom because, I don't need to hear the details of Kay's autopsy!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Let go of me Luca." Tom growled.

Even though Luca towered over Tom he wasn't afraid of him. Tom knew all the pain he was harboring. But he needed to tell him.

"I will say it one more time. Let go of me."

Luca finally released him.

'What the hell was Tom getting at."

He wondered.

"Get to the point. If there is one." Luca snapped.

Tom cleared his throat and straightened his clothes.

"Like I was saying, Kay convulsed. At first the coroner thought spinal cord nerve play. But then she flinched again. He quickly called for assistance."

Luca started turning pale. His stomach started to turn. "And?"

"She still was alive. She had a very faint heartbeat. The doctor figures she will make a complete recovery. They are still not sure why she acted like she died. The bullet missed her vitals and made a clean exit. They figure the shock of all that was happening to her and being shot overwhelmed her system. But in talking with the doctor, he still had no answers as to why she survived, she just did. Maybe it's her strong will to live."

Luca stood in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Somehow, he found a chair and sat. His mind was trying to comprehend what he just heard.

"Luca, Kay is alive."

"Where?" Luca choked out.

Tom drew in a deep breath. "The Sheriff's department has her in a safe house right now."

Luca stood. Anger and rage filled him. He shook from the inside out. Fire ran through his veins. He slammed his hands down on the desk.

"Why in the hell didn't you just tell me!?"

"You have been gone for over three months Luca! I have been trying to find you. I just got the call four to five weeks ago. She was in the hospital for a month after the shooting and then the sheriff's department put her into a safe house. She's still in danger. If they find out she is still alive..." Tom said in a loud voice.

"Who?"

Tom closed his eyes for a second. "We found out she has a sister. Her name is Connie. She was sleeping with Sonny. Getting all this information from him and feeding it to..."

"Barzin."

"Yes. We're pretty sure that Kay might know who Barzin is but doesn't realize it."

"She knows his name."

"Yes."

"I need to see her."

"Luca wait."

"What?"

"There is something you need to know."

"And that would be?"

"When Kay was in recovering. We were trying to help her..."

"Help her what?" he asked.

"She can't remember the past few years of her life. She knows about Sonny. And that's how we found out about Connie."

Luca turned pale. "Did you mention me?"

Tom cleared his throat. "We told her you were her BodyGuard. I didn't know what you would have wanted us to do. I didn't want to influence her. The last I remember you two were fighting. I didn't know how you wanted to handle the situation."

Luca had to calm himself. He was in love with Kay. He was torn apart over her. Now that he knew she was alive, could he walk away and let her live a normal life? Could she handle all the secrets he has kept? Would she ever trust him? His mind was going crazy. He needed time to think. He cleared his throat.

"How did you just find out about her sister? I thought you helped her before?"

Tom drew in a deep breath. "I did. I helped her with the finances for the restaurant her parents left her. She did mention her sister a couple of times, but always by the name of Zia. It was my understanding from talking with Kay they had a falling out. Then as far as I can tell, Connie/Zia went after everything Kay had, including Sonny. Connie did have an inheritance, but she couldn't touch it until she turned twenty-five. That's sometime this year. I think Connie has been stalking Kay. That's how she hooked up with Sonny. Sonny had no idea who Connie was. Connie wanted everything Kay had. What she couldn't have she destroyed."