When Love Calls (Chapter Four)

SAND POINT
Long Island, New York
Pre-Dawn
 
The chauffeur pulled onto a tree lined private paved road. She had time to think along the stretch of mile ride.
 
Zaniyah was still chagrined her father requested her presence.
 
For once would the man just allow her to grow up she thought?
 
The chauffeur pulled the vehicle in front of a four story limestone mansion. He rested the engine, unsnapped his seatbelt and opened the door. He stepped out the Mercedes limousine and pushed the door close
 
Zaniyah always appreciated the comforts of a place she loved residing at; until the ugly business of her father’s activities somehow crept into her life; disturbing her sense of well-being.
 
The chauffeur strolled to the rear of the vehicle and opened the back passenger door. He held his hand down to Zaniyah.
 
Zaniyah clasped her hand in the chauffeur’s hand and stepped out the limousine.
 
Tango exited on the opposite side. He walked around and met Zaniyah at the rear of the vehicle.
 
Both walked up a double grand limestone staircase.
 
Several armed men patrolled the grounds of what she best could describe as being a hide away fort.
 
Most of the men bowed their head at Zaniyah’s arrival.
 
Tango lifted the metal doorknocker and hammered it against the metal struck plate.
 
The heavy armored door was slowly opened.
 
A short Italian woman looked from Tango and then to Zaniyah.
 
“Miss. Delaro, so good to see you once again.”
 
“Likewise, Miss Jikonos. Is my father around?”
 
“Yes, ma’am, he is expecting your presence in his study.”
 
Zaniyah crossed the threshold of her father’s residence. Her stilettoes echoed on the Italian marble flooring.
 
Miss. Jikonos closed the door behind Tango and Zaniyah’s entrance.
 
“Miss. Delaro, could I get you something to eat or drink.”
 
“No ma'am.”
 
Tango and Zaniyah made their way through the spacious maze of her father’s residence.
 
“I will be in momentarily to speak in regard to your foolish act.”
 
“I beg your pardon.”
 
“You may get sympathy from Domenico, but your foolishness could have cost this family.”
 
Zaniyah crossed her arms over her chest.
 
“Cost my family what? Must you remember, you work for my father not me”
 
A door was opened.
 
“I thought I heard you two.”
 
Mr. Delaro looked from one to the other.
 
“Hello father it has been brought to my attention, you need to speak to me.”
 
“Yes, step into my study.”
 
Zaniyah entered her father’s study.
 
Mr. Delaro stepped out and pulled the door close.
 
“Where the fuck was my daughter found? Dammit, I thought I advised you men to follow her at a great distance, had the tracer on her Blackberry failed. You and Domenico would have been floating in the fucking Hudson River.”
 
“Mr. Delaro, I swear the guy she was with, somehow he knew we were trailing him.” Tango cleared his throat, and when he was confronted at his door.” Tango’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He confiscated my weapon.”
 
“He fucking what!”
 
“He took my gun from out my holster; it was done too fast for me to react sir.”
 
“I hope that weapon did not have any bodies on it.”
 
“No sir.”
 
Mr. Delaro palmed his chin down.
 
“What man is fast enough to take a weapon from off a person, who has it concealed? I need everything you have on this person my daughter has the audacity to parade her ass in front of. And I need that shit related back to me A.S.A.P.”
 
“Yes Mr. Delaro.”
 
Tango rushed away from Mr. Delaro’s presence.
 
Mr. Delaro, pivoted, grasped the doorknob and opened the door. He walked into his study and pushed the door close. He looked at the back of his daughter’s head while she waited in a leather seat cross from his desk, He wished his wife were still alive, times such as this; he realized his daughter’s ear would benefit from a female perspective.
 
“Dear, some disturbing news have been brought to my immediate attention.”
 
Mr. Delaro walked around his desk and took a seat at his desk.
 
“I’m sorry father, what news?”
 
“Tango advised me, you were consorting with a…a Negro.”
 
“Wow, I didn’t see any colors, when this gentleman assisted me with my car’s mechanic failures in a downpour, escorted me to his residence, and made sure I was dry and safe.”
 
“I do not want you associating with people of.”
 
“Color.”
 
“Dammit, you watch your tone young lady when speaking to your father. I do not want you interacting with people without my approval.”
 
“Father, when are you going to realize, I am a grown woman. No more is the little girl in pigtails who you have sheltered. I have my own life, and I can make my own decisions.”
 
“Nonsense. No decent woman places herself in danger, by entering a man’s home, late at night. I will have Tango at your hip side from here on out.”
 
“Father please.”
 
“Enough said on the matter, you may be excused.”
 
Zaniyah took a deep breath, preparing to stand.
 
“One last note, I’ve already advised Miss. Jikonos, to place fresh linen on your bed. You will remain here until tomorrow morning. From there Tango would see to it you get home properly.”
 
Zaniyah looked at her father’s bent head.
 
“I have somewhere to be tomorrow evening.”
 
Mr. Delaro lifted his head. He captured Zaniyah’s eyes.
 
“You had somewhere to be. You may be excused.”
 
Zaniyah rose from the chair and walked over to the door. She reached down for the doorknob.
 
“One day, you will have to allow me to grow up, or you will be forced too,” She threw over her shoulder.
 
“Shut the door on your way out dear.”
 
Zaniyah opened the door and walked out. She pulled the door close with a rattling bang.
 
Mr. Delaro sat up; he threw his ink pen across the room.
 
“Merda!”
 
He pivoted his chair and looked out his window.
 
The sun was slowly ascending toward the eastern sky.
 
Mr. Delaro did not want to face the fact, the sins of his father, has been bestowed on him, and now has interfered with his daughter’s comfort. He knew once he stepped in the position of Don of the Delaro family, and its empire; his time and his loved one’s time and presence would be sacrificed. He still felt saddened to this day, when his beautiful wife’s life was taken from him to satisfy a vendetta among the Delaro and the Zalilinni family. He will be damn if he loses the most important person to him, his daughter.
 
There was a knock at his door.
 
Mr. Delaro twisted his leather wing-back chair around and scooted it under his desk.
 
“Come in.”
 
Domenico opened the door and entered Mr. Delaro’s office. He closed the door behind himself. He looked over at the man he would succeed through death.
 
“I’ve heard Zaniyah has caused quite a scare with her stirring on her own.”
 
“Yes. Now where the fuck was you! I take the security of my daughter’s welfare very seriously. Now if you cannot complete the task. I will assign someone else to be the top man for my security reinforcement.”
 
Domenico slightly gritted his teeth in anger. He was tired of shadowing his employer’s  spoiled brat of a daughter, and him using him as a flunky to carry out his bloody assignments.
 
“Mr. Delaro, I had to attend to that other business in the Manhattan.”
 
Domenico dipped his hand into the inside pocket of his Brooks Brother suit jacket and lifted out a rubber-band of Grover Cleveland bills. He tossed it on Mr. Delaro’s desk.
 
Mr. Delaro looked down at the wad of bills.
 
Specks of blood marred some of the bills.
 
“It appears, Mr. Chizo, is now willing to sell you that piece of land he owns in Manhattan.”
 
“Very good job Domenico.”
 
“Mr. Chizo said he will transfer the title deed to you some time tomorrow.”
 
“Good work once again.”
 
Mr. Delaro smiled at his triumph.
 
“I have one more piece of land in Manhattan I need to acquire, and then we move to phase two of our operation.”
 
“Sir, Mr. Ramo, is refusing to sell his establishment, and he is adamant about holding on to that piece of real estate property. Something about that particular restaurant is a family tradition, which just came under his ownership last year.”
 
“Then reinforce the pressure, if not burn it down. Then he will have no other choice but to sell.”
 
“Yes sir.”
 
Domenico turned and strolled over to the door. He opened it, walked out Mr. Delaro’s office, and then pulled the door close.

Early Morning
 
Zaniyah looked around her childhood bedroom.
 
Everything was in place from the day she left college and never looked back.
 
“Sadly, that did not last.”
 
She remembered her father pulled her from Yale one week after enrollment and had her enroll in a community college not too far from their compound home in Yonkers, New York.
 
Zaniyah glanced around for her purse.
 
Shit, she remembered she left her purse in Marcus’ loft. She tried to remember the telephone number he gave her at the freight elevator; he advised her if she couldn’t remember it, then she was responsible for paying for dinner later this evening.
 
Zaniyah thought of every telephone number sequence.
 
“That’s it.”
 
She lifted the receiver from out the cradle, pressed in the numbers to Marcus’ cell phone, and then placed the receiver up to her ear.
 
QUINTESSENTIAL TRIBECA LOFT
New York, New York
Early Morning The Next Day

Marcus heard his cell phone vibrating. He placed a file he was reading down on the table and lifted his cell phone. He slid it up and placed it up to his ear.
 
“Marcus here.”
 
“Good morning.”
 
“Had you slept with me through the night, it would had been a very good morning for the both of us.”
 
Zaniyah blushed.
 
“Is my beautiful woman and me still on for this evening.”
 
Zaniyah rose from her bed. She rushed over to the door, and then locked it. She walked back over to her bed and flopped back own on it.
 
“Do you really want to see me tonight handsome?”
 
Zaniyah coiled the telephone cord around her finger.
 
“With bells and whistles beautiful.”
 
His baritone voice somehow felt reassuring to her ears she thought.
 
Zaniyah hesitated with a forthcoming response.
 
‘Tango advised me, you were consorting with a…a Negro.’
 
“Baby, what’s wrong, are you still with me?”
 
“Ahh...Marcus I can’t see you anymore.”
 
“Say what.”
 
“I’m currently involved with someone at the moment.”
 
Marcus’ palmed his chin down in frustration.
 
“Was that before, you sucked my dick in my loft, or after I got on my knees and tasted your pussy to make you cum before you got on that fucking freight elevator.”
 
“Marcus I’m sorry it’s complicated.”
 
Marcus slicked his hand back through his hair.
 
“Fuck it Zaniyah, I’m out. I told you I do not have time for a child’s indecisiveness. Keep my number just in case you decide to grow the fuck up.”
 
Marcus slammed the telephone down in Zaniyah’s ear.
 
“Shit.”
 
Zaniyah leaned up and placed the receiver back on the cradle.
 
Marcus look over at Zaniyah’s purse resting on his dresser. He knew her house keys and car keys were inside, along with several credit cards.
 
“My purse darn it.”
 
Zaniyah looked back at the telephone.
 
‘Was that before, you sucked my dick in my loft, or after I got on my knees and tasted your pussy to make you cum before you stepped on that fucking fright elevator.’

“Wait a minute. Did he just call me a whore and a child?
 
‘Was that before, you sucked my dick in my loft, or after I got on my knees and tasted your pussy to make you cum before you stepped on that fucking fright elevator. Fuck it Zaniyah, I’m out. I told you I do not have time for a child’s indecisiveness. Keep my number just in case you decide to grow the fuck up.’
 
 “No man has ever referred to me in derogatory terms as such, and I will be damn if one starts.”
 
Zaniyah rose from her bed and rushed into her master bathroom.
 
 
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