The Monster In Us

32- banG bang

I reconfigure my Bluetooth so that instead of tapping into their radio, I'm tapping into their security so I can hear their conversations even if they're not talking on the radio.

"Do you have for the weekend?" Denise asks me as I'm pretty much just staring at the computer screen, waiting for the Bluetooth connection to complete.

"No," I say shortly, not really listening to her conversation but I have to act engaged so that she doesn't know that anything is wrong.

"Do you want to go to the movies or something? My date is on Friday so we should definitely hang out," She offers.

The Bluetooth kicks into the system and I hear a lot of rustling and then Giovanni is talking. "You know how this sort of thing happens so I'm not going to waste our time. You know what I want."

Denise keeps talking and I keep listening to my Bluetooth but I nod attentively at Denise so that she thinks that I'm really listening to her drone on and on about what she wants to do this weekend.

"How am I supposed to know what you want when you haven't fucking told me?" Coleman says in response and I feel like I'm going to throw up. I have to do something. I have to get him out of here. I don't care if I have to tell this entire place who I am, I don't care if they shoot me or torture me or beat me to a pulp, I'm getting Coleman out of here.

"So what do you think?" Denise asks me.

"Sounds good," I assure her. "The movies sound good. What time?"

"Where's Vera?" Dante adds. Well, he finally said my name but the circumstances are so terrible that I barely even hear it.

"I was thinking we could go in the afternoon so that the tickets are cheaper and then we can get dinner afterwards," Denise continues chattering. I could text Sergei but I know that he won't do anything for Coleman—he's like a brother to me but I know that he's expendable to the mob. Not worth the man power to come rescue. If it's me in danger though, they'll come running.

"Dinner. Sure."

"Vera? Oh, right. You're not going to find her, she's smarter than all of you combined," Coleman says. I wish that he'd just tell them the truth. Maybe if he does, Dante will spare him considering he means something to me. And I know that after Dante finds out who I am, he'll be mad, but he won't want to hurt me so bad as to hurt Coleman. He wouldn't do that; Coleman just needs to tell him the truth.

"What movie?" I ask Denise just to keep the conversation flowing. "The one about the runaway muffin?"

"No, that's a kids' movie," She shakes her head at me. "I'm feeling a rom-com."

I hear the smack of flesh and I can only assume that somebody has punched Coleman. I have to get to him.

"Sure, whatever you want to see," I assure Denise.

"You know that this is going to be harder on you the more difficult that you are," Dante tells Coleman in my ear. I'm going to throw up, I can't sit here anymore. I know that they're in the basement but I don't know how to get there and I don't know how I'm going to get in considering all of the security they have but I'm going to try. I'm not going to let them hurt Coleman just because he's too stubborn to turn me in.

"I'll die for her," Coleman responds. I'm not asking you to, I want to shout at him. I wish that my Bluetooth could go both ways, I want him to hear me so that he knows that he needs to turn me in to save himself.

"I'm going to go call Dante," I tell Denise quickly as I get up from my chair and I grab my phone out of my pocket. Denise tells me something but I don't hear what it is and I'm already dialing Dante's number. Through my Bluetooth, I can hear it ringing.