Mr. Brightside - 20. Chapter 20

Mr. Brightside

Chapter 20

The doorbell sounded, startling both Jason and Shane. The two exchanged puzzled looks.

“Are you expecting anybody?” Jason asked, getting up and heading to the living room.

“No.”

“Just a minute,” Jason called out as he hurried to the front door. He paused to check the security screen; their visitor was Detective Venturi.

“Hi,” Jason said uncertainly as he opened the door.

“Hello,” said the detective. “Can I come in, I’d like to talk to Mr. O’Neil if that’s okay.”

“Sure. I’ll go get him. Is anything wrong?”

“No...no. I just wanted to see if he remembered anything else from the night of the attack. Did a little redecorating, did you? And that camera outside is new, right?”

“It’s….it’s a long story, but yes, we decided to tighten the security when Shane moved in. And I made a few more changes to make Shane more comfortable.”

“Makes sense.”

“I’ll go get Shane.”

By the time Jason had reached Shane’s room, Shane had grabbed his crutch and was hobbling toward the door.

“It’s Detective Venturi. He wants to talk about your attack. Are you up for?”

Shane’s face looked grim, but he answered “Sure” in a steady voice. Jason offered his arm, and led him into the living room.

As he helped Shane settle in, Jason asked, “Can I get anybody something? Water? Coffee?”

The other two men both refused refreshment. Jason looked at them uncertainly. “Do I need to leave while you talk?”

“It’s informal, so it’s fine for you to stay if it’s okay with Mr. O’Neil.”

“Please stay,” Shane said, patting the seat beside him on the sofa. Jason sat, and his heart jumped when he felt Shane’s hand reach for his own. When Jason observed the detective’s eyes focus on the joined hands, he felt a brief jolt of fear and self consciousness, but it passed as he saw a small smile flash across the detective’s face.

“So, Mr. O’Neil,” Venturi began.

“Shane is fine,” Shane interrupted.

“Okay, then, Shane, have you remembered anything else from the night of the attack? The doctors said the memories might return as the brain healed.”

“Not in my case. The last thing I remember is seeing Jason and leaving Le Coq. I have a vague impression of a van pulling up beside me on the street, but I’m not really sure if that’s an actual memory, or just what I know happened. I don’t remember anything else clearly until I woke up in the hospital.”

“I see,” said Venture.

“Does it matter?” Jason asked. “Aren’t the guys who did it dead?”

“Yes….so that means I need to figure out who killed them. And it’s especially important since I don’t think the attack on Shane was random.” The detective turned to Shane. “Are you familiar with the name Pirelli?”

At the mention of the name, Jason felt a brief bit of tension as Shane’s handed tightened on his, but Shane’s face remained impassive, as did his voice when he spoke, “It sounds vaguely familiar.”

“They’re a well known crime family here in New Orleans. The men we think abducted you, the men who were killed, worked for them quite a bit.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I was hoping you could tell me that. I did some digging and found out that your friend, Viktor Pamchenko, and Adolfo Pirelli, the patriarch of the family, are known associates. Were you aware of that?”

Jason stiffened. He was afraid to speak and had no idea what he’d say if he did. But this….Viktor as a mobster...this made sense to him. It’s what he had always suspected.

“I’ve never known Viktor to do anything illegal. And as far as his friends and associates, I have met some, but so many, I can’t keep track. And he rarely discusses business with me. But I’ll never believe Viktor has anything to do with what happened.”

“Maybe not directly, but when you’re talking about the mafia, there is often collateral damage.”

“I guess so.”

The detective waited for more of a response, and when none came, he sighed. “Look, Shane, I’ll be blunt. What happened to you was not random. You were a target hit by well connected goons. And I’m 99 percent positive that even with the goons dead, you, and your friend here, are still in danger. Even with those two gone, there are plenty of other bad guys out there.”

Jason couldn’t help it, he gave a gasp.

Venturi’s eyes narrowed and he asked Jason, “What is it?”

“It’s….it’s nothing,” Jason stammered. “I’m just being silly.”

“What’s wrong,” Shane asked, turning to him with a frown.

“It’s just that…..ever since this all started, I feel like someone’s always watching me. I feel it walking to my car, driving around…..I mean…” he continued lamely, feeling self conscious under the weight of Shane and Venturi’s stares, “ I haven’t actually seen anyone, it’s just a feeling.”

“It may be nothing,” Venturi said, continuing to stare at Jason, “but a lot of time, our instincts are trying to tell us something. Listen to your gut and keep your eyes open.” He turned back to Shane, “Are you sure you can’t tell me anything about the attack or Pamchenko’s connection to Pirelli?”

“I wish I could help you,” Shane said, “but really, I don’t remember anything, and I trust Viktor completely.”

“Okay,” Venturi, said while rising. He finished in his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to Shane, “Call me if you do remember something.”

Jason walked the detectie to the door. Before leaving, Venturi paused. “Look, Jason, you seem like a good kid. Shane does, too, and I’d hate to end up investigating your homicides. I’m not sure he really understands how much danger you two are in. Be careful.”

When Jason returned to the living area, Shane was still sitting on the sofa, staring into space.

“Is it true?” Jason asked. “Is Viktor part of the mob?”

“He used to be,” Shane said. “Not anymore, not for a long time.”

“Are you sure? I don’t think that they kind of career where your employers let you just walk away.”

“He left when his wife died. I told you she was killed; it was a hit. A car bomb meant for Viktor; Nikolai witnessed it when he was just a kid. When Patricia was killed, and Nikolai was injured, Viktor pulled out. Apparently, the….I don’t know what to call them….the people he worked with, let’s say, respected him enough to let it happen.”

“Shit…..that’s rough. But…..are you sure he really left?”

“Honestly, I don’t know for sure. I wasn’t lying when I said he never talked much about work period or that sort of thing; certainly not the mob. Most of what I heard came from Nikolai, who wasn’t the most reliable source. He actually liked the idea of Viktor as some sort of Russian gangster, and based on his other exaggerations, I assumed most of what he told me was a fairy tale.

“All I know for sure is that Viktor was involved at one point 20 or 25 years ago, but I don’t know how deeply. He was devastated when Patricia was killed, especially since she was pregnant at the time. He was worried about Nikolai’s safety afterwards and left organized crime. According to Nikolai, though, he did stay in touch with the various important families….it’s not easy to do business in New Orleans, even legitimate business, without a good relationship with at least some of the families. And to stay in good, Viktor would do the occasional low risk ‘favor.’”

“What do you mean favor?”

“Like let them store something, no questions asked, in his warehouse for a few days. Or leave the alarm off and the back door to one of his restaurants unlocked so they could have a private meeting. That sort of thing. Again, this is all heresay from Nikolai. Could be true, maybe not. I don’t know for sure.”

“But that family name..” Jason paused searching.

“Pirelli?”

“Yes…..I felt it...you recognized it.”

“Yes,” Shane sighed.

“So Viktor is involved with them.”

“Nikolai.”

“What?”

“Nikolai. It’s Nikolai who was connected to them.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because it’s over.”

“How do you know? What’s the connection to Nikolai?”

“It was the Pirellis who had him killed.”

“What the fuck?! And you didn’t say anything?”

“It’s pointless.”

“What do you mean it’s pointless? Venturi told me everybody thinks it’s a home invasion.”

“Of course they do. That’s why the police say that’s what happened; that’s what the Pirellis wanted. It’s why they pay they police as much as they do; so they’ll look the other way when things like this occur. I guess that means Venturi isn’t a dirty cop, but I can tell you it’s him that’s in danger if he pursues the Pirellis.”

“And you don’t care? I mean...I can tell something weird was between you, but he was your finance, for Christ’s sake.”

“He wasn't an innocent victim.” Shane’s face was carved from ice.

Jason was stunned. “What?”

“You didn’t ask why they ordered the hit.”

“Okay...why?”

“Non payment for services rendered.”

“What services?”

“Nikolai hired the Pirelli organization to kill Corey and Rene.”

Jason’s head was spinning. “How….what….how do you know.”

“He told me the night he tried to kill me. The same night he disappeared.”

“Fuck,” said Jason, not able to think, much less speak coherently. His head spun trying to reconcile the picture of the newly engaged Shane and Nikolai with this information.

“What?” Jason managed to stammer. “What the fuck? What happened?”

“Well, I guess it’s the night to reveal everything….lay it all out in the open.” Shane sighed, then continued, “When I told Victor what had happened with Corey and Rene…..I expected, I don’t know, for him to treat me differently….to pull back, but he didn’t. He was just as cordial as before...maybe even more. And then one day he introduced me to Nikolai.

“I knew who he was, of course...the owner’s son. But he had never come in with his father. He had come in once or twice late at night when I first started, but he had been gone for several months when he showed up for lunch with Viktor. The story was that he was gathering material for a documentary. That’s what he was into when I met him. Making documentaries. I think he may have even managed to produce one.”

“The story,” Jason said. “What do you mean ‘the story?’”

“He wasn’t gathering material. He was in rehab. Third or fourth…or maybe fifth. I found out about it later; it was a court ordered thing. Go to rehab instead of jail.”

“Instead of jail for what?”

“Smacking his then boyfriend around after some party. Viktor has expensive lawyers and made it go away.”

“Neither Viktor nor Nikolai told you?”

“Viktor told me later. At the time, he, for whatever reasons, was convinced that this time Nikolai’s rehabilitation had taken and that it was drugs that had mad him hit the boyfriend.”

“So they lied to you,” Jason said angrily.

“I suppose; but I lied,too, at least by omission, so I can’t blame Nikolai.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have to understand; after everything with Corey and Rene and the Meat Rack and all of that shit, I was through with trying to live La Vie Boheme. My life was work, community college, and painting. No drinking, no partying, no living it up; in New Orleans, that practically makes you Mother Theresa. Nikolai thought I was some sweet, country innocent adrift in the wicked city, and I let him think that. I thought about telling him what had happened, but….. I didn’t. I liked the version of me I saw in his eyes; I pretended I still was that person.”

Jason’s heart ached at the thought of Shane feeling he needed to pretend to be anything other than himself. He reached over and stroked the other man’s cheek. “Don’t ever think that again.”

Shaane looked at him, pulled from the past. “Don’t think what?”

“That who you are...right now...isn’t enough. That you need to be someone different.” Jason’s hazel eyes bored into Shane’s aqua ones. “You’re perfect…..even with your imperfections. At least for me.”

Shane held his gaze. His eyes shimmered with feeling, but he didn’t respond to Jason. Overwhelmed with what he saw in his roommate’s eyes, he continued his story. “Everything was great at first. I thought Nikolai was my Prince Charming, and Viktor was like a father. He even told me….” Shane broke off.

“What?”

“Viktor said I was like the son he and Patricia never had….like the child she had been carrying when she was killed.” Shane smiled wryly, “Nikolai overheard that and , though I can’t blame him….it caused an awful fight.”

“Of course it would….I mean….wasn’t he their kid?”

Shane looked startled. “Oh no...shit, I guess that’s what you’d assume. No….Nikolai was Viktor’s son from another woman. Some fling he had before he met Patricia. He didn’t even know Nikolai existed until he was 5 or 6.”

“What? How?”

“His mother was….” Shane paused, “...kind of a party girl. When she got pregnant, for whatever reason, she never told Viktor. Then she died. Overdose. It’s unclear if it was accidental or suicide. When they went through her things, they found her diary naming Viktor as the father. It looks like it was his marriage to Patricia that sparked the final drug taking. Her parents dropped him off on Viktor’s doorstep. He insisted on a paternity test…..Nikolai was always bitter about that.”

“I can image,” Jason said in unwanted sympathy. “Was Patricia okay with taking in someone else’s kid?”

“Apparently so. She felt sorry for him, and though he was young when it happened, I know he thought she was like an angel. I know that he always blamed Viktor for her death. His mother’s, too. That was always an underlying tension. And to solve it, Viktor did what he always does….he throw money at it.”

“So Nikolai was a poor little rich boy.”

“Yes. Classic case. Resentful of Viktor, while at the time he bragged about his Russian mobster father. But I didn’t really know any of this when we started dated. All I knew is I felt like Cinderella with Prince Charming and a Fairy Godfather. But midnight struck. Midnight always strikes.”

“What happened?”

“The first problem was that stupid night club. Don de Dieu.” Shane smile was painful to see.

“What the hell is that name anyway?” Jason asked. “Who the fuck is Don?”

“Me,” Shane said.

“What?”

“Shane means ‘Gift of God.’ ‘Don de Dieu’ is the French translation. He named it after me. After we got engaged, Nikolai wanted to settle down. Viktor offered to have him work in his organization…..he owns a lot of restaurants and bars, but Nikolai wanted his own space: part nightclub, part cabaret.”

Shane sighed. “It was a disaster from the beginning. Viktor agreed to finance it, but it went over budget from the start...the decorating cost a fortune. And then it was so expensive to run. They started fighting about money, and Viktor cut him off. That’s when he started using again...and started going to Viktor’s old friends for 'loans'.”

“Did you know?”

“Not at first. I was busy with my art. Nikolai and Viktor both encouraged me to work on that. I did some murals for Viktor’s restaurants, and they had arranged a gallery showing, so I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on at the nightclub. And…..I don’t think I wanted to notice the symptoms of Nikolai’s use. But about 9 months or so ago….I couldn’t pretend anymore; the Nikolai I had fallen for was gone.”

“What happened?”

“I recognized the signs from Corey. I went to Viktor. That’s when he told me about the rehab. And Nikolai….he started to treat me differently. He began pressuring me to do things.”

“What things?” Jason asked, a sick feeling forming in his gut.

“He wanted me to agree to trying a threesome. And he wanted me to go to Colette….it’s a swinger’s club in the warehouse district. When I said ‘no,’ he…..” Shane trailed off.

“He what?” Jason asked, feeling ever more ill.

“He hit me.” The reply was so low Jason could barely hear it. He couldn’t take anymore, so he gathered Shane close to him.

“I didn’t want to leave him, even then. I felt sometimes that I had abandoned Corey to the drugs...to everything. I had heard about the fire, and even with what had happened, I was horrified, and I didn’t want something awful like that to happen to Nikolai. I wanted to help….but it got worse.

“Nikolai’s drug use keeping getting more extreme. I found out that he was letting dealers use the club. Then….” here, Shane choked up, and Jason held him even tighter. “He asked me to spend the weekend with his dealer. He couldn’t pay him anymore, but the dealer agreed to keep supplying him if Nikolai let him use me.”

“Oh my god,” Jason said, holding Shane as close as he cold, trying to absorb some of his pain. “What did you do?”

“I said ‘no’,” Shane said, tears starting to form as his burrowed into Jason’s chest. “I wouldn’t do that, not after Corey and what happened. He started calling me a whore…..that’s when i found out he knew about the porn. He said he knew that I was willing to be fucked for money, so why wouldn’t I do this for him.”

“How did he find out?”

“The drive I gave you. Someone mailed it to him.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.” Shane gathered himself, and pulled away from Jason. He dried his eyes with the heels of his hands. “He told me that he had taken care of things, that he was the only who knew I was a whore…..that the rest who knew were dead. He told me about setting up the fire. I tried to run. He started to hit me, but this time I fought back. But, he pushed me, I fell….I hit my head on a dresser. When I came to, he was gone. The living room was a wreck, the front door was open, and Nikolai was gone.”

“How do you know it was the Pirelli family?”

“I didn’t then. I called Viktor, who showed up and called the police. There was an investigation, but nothing turned up. They treated it like it was a home invasion. Viktor launched his own investigation...a private one, starting with his mob contacts. That’s how he found out what had happened.”

“He was okay with that. With his son being killed?”

“You have to understand this about Viktor. He has a very strong moral code; it doesn’t necessarily match other peoples, but he has one. According to his….Nikolai had done horrible things and deserved his fate.”

Jason felt more exhausted than he ever had, and so drained, but he wanted to know more. “So what happened. How did you end up dancing at Le Coq?”

“Viktor felt guilty since he hadn’t told me Nikolai’s history. He wanted to pay for my school, for me to live with him, to ...I don’t know….to fucking adopt me. I didn’t want that; I wanted to be independent. So I decided to go to nursing school; it seemed liked a stable career. I insisted on paying for it myself; you can make good money at Le Coq and it was flexible enough for my class schedule. And for the record, I bartended there more than I danced. It was enough for rent and tuition. It was good enough. My life was good enough.”

“Was?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure that would still be good enough.”

“Stay here. With me. Will that be good enough?”

“What?”

“Stay with me, even after you get better. Go to nursing school, work on your art…..whatever you want….but stay here with me. Let me help take care of you.”

“Jason….”

“Please, Shane. I want you here. I don’t want to ever lose you again. Will you stay with me?”

Shane stared into Jason’s pleading eyes. “After everything I’ve told you about myself, you still want me here?”

“I will always want you near me. I love you. I told you before….nothing you can say or do will ever change that.”

Shane continued to search Jason’s face; then, as if surrendering, he fell into the other man’s arms. “Yes,” he breathed. “Yes, I will stay. And being here is more than good enough.”