Page 49 of The Silent Night Stalker
Constantine suddenly frowns at what I’d just said, but he quickly recovers. “Can I help?”
“Sure, I’ll run the bath if you don’t mind grabbing two bags of ice from the freezer in the garage.”
“Done,” he says before rushing off.
I shake my head and smile, feeling pretty fucking good with myself right now.
Chapter 18
Constantine
Ittookmetwodays to find Mario Rivera. It’s not an uncommon name. It’s so common that I had to search for Alfonzo Valente. I knew if I found him, then I’d find Mario. Alfonzo was much easier to locate, especially since there were newspaper articles about him, tied to specific crimes the police couldn’t pin on him.
Still, nothing on record shows where he lives, where he has offices, if he has any, or where his regular hangouts are. The last person I want to ask is Enzo. Not only because he’d probably stop me, but this is my belated Christmas present to him. Once he finds out what they did to Enrique, I know he’ll want them dead, and I’ll be the person to deliver justice to my boyfriend.
When Enzo said he had a job later that night with Mario, instead of continuing to search for Mario and Alfonzo, I followed Enzo.
I follow him from a distance as he makes his way toward the harbor and some warehouses that are closed for the night. One of them is probably owned by Alfonzo.
Enzo pulls over and parks his car, and I stop a distance away, so he doesn’t see me. I’d already turned my headlights off once we reached more secluded areas.
There are other cars around me, so at least I’m not sticking out like a sore thumb. Then I wait.
After about an hour, a bunch of men exit the warehouse. They stop underneath a single streetlight and chat for a bit. I lift my binoculars, hoping I’ll see Mario. If he’s not there or if he’s exited a different part of the building, then I’m screwed.
But he is there, shaking Enzo’s hand before walking away alone. He lights a smoke, then gets into a black SUV and drives off. When he passes me, I duck and then quickly start my car. I make a U-turn and follow him.
There’s still a lot of traffic, even so late in the evening, but that’s Chicago for you. It allows me to drive closer to him so I don’t lose him and have to start all over again.
We make our way through Lincoln Park, which is beautiful all year, but especially in the spring and summer months. You must be wealthy to live around here.
Mario pulls into an alley and drives into a standalone garage of a large home that appears to have been built during the Victorian era. He has to come back outside to get into his house, right?
This is it. This is the opportunity I need. I haven’t made a lot of plans yet, but I’ve made sure I’m ready just in case an opportunity presents itself. And it does. Luck is on my side tonight, unless he has a family. If so, I’ll have to abort.
I quickly open my glove box, grab the syringe filled with a large dose of ketamine, and exit my car with my backpack in tow. I don’t take my time, needing to get to him as soon as he opens the door to his home, ensuring the alarm is off. This plan could lead to a lot of mistakes, but I’m not going to let this fortuitous event slip away.
I’m coming up behind him as soon as he opens the back door and turns off his alarm system by remote. I rush him, instantly plungingthe syringe into his neck, but he’s a big man. A strong man. He’s quick to act and defend himself. He grabs my arm and flips me over his shoulder and onto my back. The empty syringe falls out of my hand and rolls onto the floor while the wind is completely knocked out of my lungs.
I’m dazed for a moment, but I don’t have time to recover before Mario kicks me in my gut. Again, I’m out of breath. My entire body is clenched so tightly that I can’t get any oxygen in. The pain radiates throughout my body as I heave, trying to throw up, but like I can’t get anything in, nothing comes out.
“Who are you? Who sent you?” he yells. Then he freezes. “You! I know you!”
He reaches down and grabs my coat to lift me onto my feet before he punches my face. I can’t do anything because I’m still recovering from the kick to the stomach.
I see blackness, then dancing lights behind my eyes. The next thing I know, I’m on my back again, holding my aching face. The panic tries to take over again, making it doubly hard to breathe. I whimper and curl into myself, getting ready for a beating. But nothing happens.
I crack my eyes open to find Mario on the ground, barely moving.
Finally.
I started to worry that it didn’t take effect. That high dose should’ve worked faster. I make a note to use more for bigger men.
I shakily sit up onto my knees and take a few slow, deep breaths. I hurt everywhere, but it’s not nearly as bad as when Enzo beat me that night, maybe because I was more prepared for it this time.
I crawl over to him and check for weapons. There are two guns that I carefully remove and set aside before I try to stand. I’m a bit wobbly, but I get it together enough to grab my backpack where I’ddropped it and close the back door. Hopefully, no one witnessed what just went down. It’s fairly secluded, so I think it’s okay.
After pulling out duct tape and zip ties, I walk around the house to find a spot to wrap him up for Enzo. That’s when I notice his Christmas tree is still up. “Perfect,” I mutter. I used to hate them, but now I’m excited to give Enzo his gift.
