can expect a man and a woman asking for me any time now. When they do arrive, put them in my corner booth and bring them a bottle of our best Champagne. Then let me know.
Devonte nodded and asked, "Anything else?"
Sal shook his head and picked up the phone. Devonte took the cue, got up and left the office. He went back into the club, eyes peeled for Sal's couple.
Sal dialed Rob and Amy's contact cell phone. There was no answer. He expected none. He hung up knowing that they would call back on an untraceable phone.
Chapter 20 Roy and Amy
Rob and Amy Winebush were on the flight to San Francisco from Los Angeles when Sal called. The flight had been delayed by a thick, late evening fog laying over the Bay area. They were in first class and circling the City.
"I told you we should have driven," commented Amy looking out the window.
Rob defended his decision to fly. "This is not a friendly city for parking cars. It's a little like New York with lots of people, buildings and no room for cars."
Rob and Amy met is New York, oddly enough hailing the same taxi. Rob had just come back from a hit job in Paris and Amy was on her way to meet a potential client. They shared the cab. Amy was dropped at her destination. Rob went to his apartment. Neither thought much of each other.
A month later Rob was set to met his assignment person on the south side of New York's Central Park. He walked pass a women he thought he'd recognized. He kept walking. He circled the park and intentionally crossed paths with her this time.
He stared at her as she came around the corner. He couldn't place her, but being on the cautious side, he made sure they would meet now.
He approached her and said, "Haven't we met somewhere?"
Amy stopped and stared at him with a 'are you for real' look. Then she recalled the cab ride. "I think we shared a cab once about a month ago."
Rob's memory jogged back to that cab ride. He put his imagination back in neutral and relaxed. "Yea, I remember. You were in a hurry to meet someone. Did the date turn out alright?"
"It was business. And yes, it did work out fine."
As they exchanged niceties, each had their curiosity tickled. They ended by setting up a coffee date.
After several dates, Rob was the first one to turn serious. He was leading a profitable, yet lonely existence. He sensed, so was she.
Amy wanted to scare him off by reveling her eliminator business. Her revelation only brought them closer as he told her that he was in the same field.
Getting married was Rob's idea. Moving to Los Angeles was Amy's one condition of marriage. She wanted to work as a team but in a fresh area. One of her hobbies was watching old black and white detective movies. She fancied herself as the Hollywood star in most of them.
"I hope Mr. Venuti doesn't mind waiting," Amy said. "Making him happy would go a long way towards establishing our West Coast business connections."
The plane landed shortly after 11pm. Rob and Amy rolled their small suitcase towards the cab station. They took a cab to the Radisson Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf. They checked in, put their suitcase in the room and made their way back to the front of the hotel. They hailed a cab and went directly to the Little Nipples Club.
At the club, Devonte kept a sharp eye on the door. He knew Mr. Venuti's guests were to be handled with TLC. He noticed a man and woman at the club's entrance. He immediately perked up and walked towards the front of the club.
As Rob and Amy were surveying the club, Devonte stepped towards them. "Good evening, may I be of any service to you," he said.
Rob looked at him, "We have an appointment with Mr. Venuti."
"Are you Rob and Amy Winebush?"
Amy nodded and said, "Yes.”
"Right this way.” Devonte pointed and led them to a corner booth in the back of the club.
Devonte sat the couple. The waiter brought a bottle of Dom Perignon, Rose Champagne and two glasses. Devonte opened the bottle and poured them each a glass. He said that Mr. Venuti would join them soon.
Devonte left them and immediately went to the office. He knocked on the office door. Sal said, "come in."
"Mr. and Mrs. Winebush are here."
"Thanks, I'll be right there."
Sal was relieved that the couple had made their appointment with him. He wasn't in the mood to start searching for another hit team. He left the office and Devonte escorted him to the booth with Rob and Amy.
"How do you do?" Sal said. "I hope your flight was enjoyable." Sal had provided them with first class tickets to San Francisco and a room at the Radisson. And after the job was finished, he promised first class tickets to anywhere and two weeks holiday at the resort of their choosing.
"We ran into some fog that delayed our landing, but other than that all was fine," said Rob.
"The accommodations at the Radisson are very nice," said Amy.
"Well, let's get down to business. You come highly recommended by Carl Jewett. He says you take your work seriously and are extremely professional.” In mob terms, that meant leaving no traceable evidence, connecting anyone to the hit.
”I have a cleanup job for you. As we speak, an envelope is being placed in your hotel room. It contains all the details."
"I'm glad I didn't leave any underwear out," Amy said with a half smile.
Sal appreciated her sense of humor but wanted to keep this meeting as professional as possible. Sal smiled but cautioned. "Any future contacts we have will be through Nick Tomasi."
"How will we know who he is?" asked Rob.
"He's sitting at the end of the bar. He will nod to you as you leave the club. You can't miss the Italian nose and the pony tail on his balding head.
Sal stood up. "Enjoy your evening. Devonte will attend to your needs. It's all on the house." Sal smiled and walk away from the table.
Rob and Amy looked at each other. The job was on, but the night was young. "We might as well enjoy the scenery and the champagne," Rob said as he winked at Amy.
Amy shook her head. "Get your hard on here, because I'm going to make you suffer while I'm on top later," Amy grinned wickedly.
An hour later, just before closing, Rob and Amy slowly walked towards the front of the club. As they passed the bar, Nick made eye contact with them. Nick nodded and handed Rob his card.
The couple left the club and flagged a cab.
Chapter 21 For Help
Kitiona woke up with more questions than answers. The good cry from the night before cleansed her soul. She envisioned her father’s positive nature while stretching for inner motivation. She focused on his determined spirit
