Page 22 of Kingpin
“Ugh, your mother is gonna fucking kill me,” Dad says as he looks down at his watch. “I didn’t even realize what time it is. Here Dominic, take the keys and go start up the car. I’m gonna wrap shit up here and I’ll meet you down there.”
I take the keys to the Cadillac and make sure I have everything before walking out.
“Later, Frankie,” I say as I open the door.
“Take it easy, Boy Wonder,” Frankie replies.
I make my way through the casino floor and the lobby and take the elevator down to the garage. It’s eleven at night on a Wednesday, so it’s pretty quiet down here. I can hear the echo of my steps as I walk through the concrete structure, and as I approach Dad’s car I pull the keys from my pocket, but I accidentally drop them.
“Shit.”
I reach down to pick them up, and as I’m reaching, I hear footsteps echoing, getting louder and louder as someone runs towards me. I go to look up, but before I can see anything, I feel the pain of a kick to my stomach.
I can’t breathe. I fall to the ground in the fetal position trying my best to get some air into my lungs, but it’s barely working. My eyes, however, are working fine, and I can see Alfonse Cestone standing over me. He has a small knife in his hand and the look on his face says he’s ready to use it. Hewantsto use it, and there’s no way he would’ve touched the son of a made guy if he didn’t plan to.
“Dominic Collazo,” he says, glaring down at me as I gasp for air. “Didn’t expect you to be down here alone like this. Was waiting for Frankie to come out so we could give him a little message, but since you’re here, it’s even better. I think Donnie will really get the point if it’s you.”
Alfonse lifts his foot and sends it crashing downward, stomping me in the head. My skull bounces off the concrete and my vision immediately goes blurry. The pain is intense and I feel like I’m about to pass out. My hearing is muffled and I’m pretty sure I’ve lost all control of my body. I see Alfonse, but there’s three of him and they’re all dancing around and through each other. I think he’s talking, too, but I can’t make out the words. It’s like his voice is playing on a recorder in slow motion, deep and slow.
I’m too confused to be afraid, but I see Alfonse drop to his knees and bring the knife to my face. The tip of it is near my cheek, then I can sense it’s near my neck. I want to move, but I can’t. He leans over me and I feel the prick of the blade on my throat, but then I hear a loud pop that makes me jump.
Just one pop, and Alfonse is gone.
I’m staring at the blurry ceiling of the garage with my back on the cold concrete. I hear muffled voices and words I can barely understand—something about sending a hand somewhere, and dumping something else in the river.
“Dominic,” I hear a voice say. I think it’s my dad. “Dominic, are you okay? Come on, get up. We gotta go.”
I feel my father lift me up off the floor, but I’m still groggy. Everything is still blurry, but as my father helps me walk to the Cadillac, I look back and see a body on the floor, and there’s blood.
I know it’s Alfonse.
Even through blurred vision, I know I just saw a dead body for the first time. More importantly, I just saw my father kill a man.
