Seven

“A date?!”

Cassandra nodded her head. The answer she said made Jessica frown. She took a sip of her cigarette, then let out a gray vapor from her mouth. Jessica was an active smoker and she was addicted to alcohol since she started the nightclub business.

“This is good, but not great.”

“See? You can't even judge whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.” Cassandra sighed, then took a sip of the mojito she had ordered at her best friend's Sun Bright Club. “I really didn't know that my plan would turn out like this.”

“Um, but I want to know something, Casey,” Jessica said, bringing her face closer and crossing her arms on the table. “What do you think... Antonio Franches is like?”

There was silence between them before Cassandra finally began to comment. She mumbled for quite a while before she finally started to recall Antonio. “He had a face that was... memorable.”

“Is that your way of saying that Antonio is handsome?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes lazily, then she pushed away her almost empty mojito glass. “I don't want him to look handsome, Jess. Remember, he killed my parents. I want him not because I like his handsome face, but because I want revenge. Again, it's all about revenge. OK?”

Jessica gave a short snort, she lightly tapped her cigarette into the ashtray on the table. She began to take a drag and filled the atmosphere between the two of them with the nicotine-filled smoke from her cigarette. “Well, can you stop talking about revenge and just describe how you see Antonio?”

Cassandra's smile brightened, she liked Jessica's reaction to being in a bad mood. “Well, he has a distinctive scent. A woodsy perfume, maybe. And, oh, whenever he speaks... I'm kind of intimidated, he really has power over other people.”

Jessica chuckled. “Sounds like Antonio is a sexy guy, um?”

“He's not sexy.”

“Well, but you remember little things about Antonio. That's a good development.” Cassandra could only smile and roll her eyes lazily. “So what about your date?”

“Antonio said... he wants to meet me for drinks.”

Jessica's eyebrows furrowed deeply. “Are you guys going to have drinks at my club?”

“I recommended your place, but it looks like Antonio has other plans.”

Jessica's gaze turned enthusiastic, she admired Antonio's demeanor just from the story Cassandra had made up. Putting the cigarette on the ashtray, Jessica patted Cassandra's shoulder and said, “He's a masculine man. He would totally dominate you in bed, Cassey!”

“Stop talking about sex, Jess.”

“Tsk, I can't. Everyone wants to sleep under Antonio's body and you have that chance, Cassandra Baker. You are one lucky guy.”

Instead of looking pleased, Cassandra gave a short snort and crossed her arms over her chest and squinted as she looked at Jessica. “Is ‘murdered old man’ part of the luck you're talking about, um?”

“Gosh, you're so stiff. I'd better go serve the guests.” Jessica got up from the chair, she smiled and waved. “Good luck with your date. Don't forget to use a condom, OK?”

“God, this is embarrassing.”

**** 

In an abandoned warehouse, Antonio sat looking at the paper in his hand. It was a sheet of paper that had just been given to him by one of his men, Harry. He was a well-built man, tall and had many tattoos all over his right arm. Harry raised his face in front of Antonio, then he began to speak.

“Old Jenskin is preparing his escape to San Francisco. Should we stop him now, Boss?”

Antonio crumpled the paper in his hand, then squinted. “The company's loss is ninety percent. He should be crying bankruptcy, but instead he wants to go to San Francisco. Looks like the old man's trying to trick us, doesn't it?”

Harry cleared his throat confidently. “Let me take care of it, Boss.”

There was silence for a few seconds, before Antonio threw the paper he had crumpled onto the floor. Antonio stepped on the paper, then lit a cigarette and began to smoke out of his mouth. Antonio pointed at Harry. “You know I don't like leaving traces.”

“I see what you mean, Boss.”

“You can go now.”

“Okay, Boss.”

After Harry left, Ben walked over. He stuffed both hands into his pants pockets, then lifted his face. “You've been getting some bad clients lately, Boss.”

Antonio chuckled, getting up from his oversized chair. At the base camp, he was truly like a king in his own kingdom. He was feared, respected, he was also respected and needed because of the wealth he had.

“Tsk. Those are ungrateful people.”

“But by the way... are you really going to date that young lady you met at the club?”

Antonio grinned, he took another drag on the cigarette in his hand and let the smoke out of his mouth casually. He put one hand in the pocket of his black pants, while the other hand held the cigarette.

“You know that Cassandra and I didn't just meet at the club, she was at the mall opening.”

“Do you think it was planned, Boss?”

“Ben, do you think... there will be any crazy woman brave enough to step near me?” Antonio dropped the cigarette in his hand, then stomped on it hard with his shiny loafers. “She even tempted me to climb into bed during our second meeting.”

Ben nodded his head slowly.

“This is going to be something different.”

“Not just different, Cassandra Baker... will be my perfect new toy. I wonder how she'll react if she finds out... that I'm already aware of her revenge plan.”

“Does she know you killed Marvin and his wife, Boss?”

Antonio shrugged, then continued with both hands in his long pants pockets. “No one knows who killed Marvin and Annalise.”