Chapter 7: When Worlds Collide

What is it really

That motivates you

You can't decide

So I'll be your guide

Who is the light and who is the devil

Now this is what it's like when worlds collide

10:30 p.m. The Funhouse Tower Room, Mr. Clav's office, Bridgeport

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"A shame. Such an ugly shame."  Mr. Gambino stared at the front entrance of the gaudy red room carefully debating if this was really what he wanted. How did this look? Him, a prominent business man, well polished, poised,  groomed, and clean, having come from old money seen with...with this. Clav a tacky, flashy, sleazy nouveau riche who obviously had no taste or class what so ever and had been breed by ill mannered twits! Or at least that was what his circle would say. And you know how that goes; No circle approval, no overall gain. Still Mr. Gambino couldn't help but to think in the back of his mind. As sleazy and ill breed as this man was he surely could use his profit.

"Mr. Gambino are you coming?" With no further thought he decided to go through with it. Why not take a gamble when it could have a huge payoff?

 Clav's office reminded Mr. Gambino so much of a whorehouse with all the women that ran rapid in the narrow and long space. Only difference was that the women were so much younger, a little too young, and the room smelled of wild berry incense instead of sweat and musk.

"Come Gambino sit down won't ya. Candy darling go fetch him a drink from a bar" Clav nodded his towards the red headed girl in all black.

"What will ya have good ol' Gambino." A drunken smile played on his face. It was also obvious that he hadn't bathed in a day or two.

"Cognac with a splash of scotch." With that he added. "And please call me Mr. Gambino."  This place had to be the luxurious scum of the earth. A high-end place, unknown to the regular world, owned by an amateur. This girls, not even real women. Pity was all he felt. The day my Eugenia was ever caught dead  in this place would be the day I would turn over in my grave.

 Clav changed his playfully drunken tune. Mr Gambino was different than the others. He wasn't some young fool who he could con easily out of bunches of money and they would be to foolish to notice. Mr. Gambino was much older and wiser. He was highly educated, refined, business savvy, and  knew his shit well. Clav had better play his cards right or his ass and his business was grass.

"So what proposition do you have in mind Mr. Gambino."

"I actually have a lot in mind Mr. Clav. I just need a little help from you."

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11:00 p.m. The Funhouse Play Room

There she stood, perched at bar waiting for something or someone perhaps. It didn't matter. All he knew was that he had to say something to her. If he didn't it would continue to eat him up inside. The wanting to know. The craving nagging feeling that he needed confirmation to know if she was truly okay. And only then would he be able to possibly forget about it.

 

Todd kept debating if whether or not he should make a move. The new guard Bruce that watched him like a guard dog does a house wasn't letting him out of his sight one bit. Plus he felt if he made one move it would get back to Clav. And he knew that would be a very bad move.

"Romeo Ms. Accardi is here to see you." Tonya the cute petite button-noised receptionist or party host as they were called told him.

"Thanks sweetie." He flashed her a smile that made her tiny chocolate face blush bright pink. "Hm" Todd thought to himself. "With all the things in my life falling apart I still manage to get women to smile."

"Lets go." Bruce trudged ahead making sure to keep a watchful eye on Todd. Well it seemed like Ava would have to wait. Todd really hated guards.

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Ms. Accardi waited patiently in her seat. Her bright amber eyes focused on the stairwell ahead. Mentally she didn't have a reason for coming here. Unlike most of women who came here to shell out wads of money on young lads and pour out there miserable lives to the toys she didn't need that. She was almost perfectly happy. Ignoring all the minor mishaps that she refuses to discuss with anyone her life was how she wanted it. She got to stay home, work less, and spend most of her time doting on her four children; one girl and three boys. Though it was mostly her boys since her daughter and eldest child had gone to live with their father two years prior. They sill kept in touch by phone and e-mail but just didn't see each other often.

Once a highly devoted and ambitious young journalist who climbed her way to the top by hard work and tears, she was lucky to have married very well and live a more than comfortable lifestyle. Now she only works on occasion and while she loves her job, she payed less attention to it when her first child was born. Though other things in her life have fallen apart she still holds them together miraculously like her momma had taught her.

"Mam I bring you Romeo." "Eee" she thought to herself. This man was frightening. With his huge build, washed out facial hair and hair, and huge glasses he looked  much like a mugger.

"O..okay" she said, her voice trembling.

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Thank you Ms. Accardi. Thank you. Todd silently thanked his Lovely who by purposely striking up a detailed conversion with Bruce that surprisingly distracted him gave him a few minutes to go try and find Ava. He had to be quick about it. Bruce would only distracted for so long. Luckily he found her outside of the club. She had her eyes fixated on the pool. What was she doing?

 There was a long silence before Ava finally looked his way. "Hey T...Todd can I talk to y...you?" she was nervous.

Todd placed his had on his neck to wipe the sweat that was forming. He had been wanting this moment for so long yet it made him nervous.

 "I ... I just want to say thank you. You know for helping you. It was really nice of you doing that for me. You didn't have to."

"Yeah but I wanted to." They both smiled. Apparently they both got to say what they wanted to.

Suddenly as if caught up in a moment they found themselves held tightly in each other's arms. The embrace lasted for a few seconds then they finally released. They found themselves blushing but didn't know what for. Maybe it was just understanding. Maybe it was something more.

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It was exactly one o' clock. Ms. Accardi was preparing to leave the club so she could get home to her boys when she someone out the corner of her eye.

"Carlotta!" Mr. Gambino shrieked. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Why are you here! Where are the boys?"

"No Valentino don't question me! Why are you here!"

"Don't worry about me."

"And don't worry about me. Goodnight!"

On the drive home Ms. Accardi pondered what he could have been doing there. If only she could have guessed.

Chapter 6: A Touch of Grey

Oh well a touch of grey, kinda suits you anyway

That's all I had to say if its alright

I will get by, I will get by, I will get by, I will survive

Todd stared idly at the evil bartender watching as he carefully mixed the devilish ingredients  into the cup preparing the horrid glass with the demonic substance used for sin that he was about to use. A sinner's glass for a perfect sinner. Tossing a wicked smile that could go for days the evil  man placed the cup before him  which he sadly couldn't resist.

Todd couldn't but sadistic evils at work around him today. They poked, prodded him, begged him to come play. And him, being a huge sucker just couldn't resist. It didn't start out that way. It had begun neural, calm, maybe to calm for his life.

It was sunny out, about 75 degrees. Highly unusual for a day in March here in Bridgeport where the it seemed as if the skies were always dull and cloudless and the temperature stayed in the mid-sixties up until mid may. Todd saw this as the perfect occasion to have the top down on the convertible taking in the smog filled beauty of the city as he cruised to his punishment.

Todd pulled up to the restaurant at exactly 11:00. He searched the room for Mr. Clav with no avail. That was until he saw him hugged in a corner with a very young girl that was not his wife.
"That old fucking pervert!" Todd thought to himself. Though he wasn't so sure why he was surprised. Mr Clav, the club's owner, had been known to fool around with much younger girls. The younger the better filled his sick mind and he sure wasn't afraid to show it.

"Mr. Clav I'm ready! Whenever you are!" Todd shouted to the top of his lungs hoping to embarrass him. It was about time the old pedophile learned that you can't just do who and what you want. Mr. Clav in the girl both looked towards Todd's direction. The girls hallowed pale cheeks blushed with vibrant rosy color. On the other hand, humiliated as everyone looked in their direction, lost all the color in his overly tanned face. His eyes piercing burning red flames darted at Todd.

"See you some other time babe. I got a rodent to kill." Todd smirked. He had a long history with Clav. He knew his antics well.

He did however feel pity on the girl. She looked so young! She had to be about only seventeen. Her body was frail and thin. Her hair was grungy and dirty. Her makeup was terrible. Plus her clothes were so worn! Her face held this innocent childlike saddness. It looked hopful, but lonely. Strong, yet broken. Todd knew the type all to well. She was a runaway. And that jerk was using her.

"Todd please sit." The white haired old man with the dyed hair and blonde streaks commanded him to do.

The man's face was almost frightening with his protruding cheeks do to multiple plastic surgeries. His luxury suit and cheap ugly and outdated shirt that he wore with open buttons screamed tackiness. It didn't help that he frowned the whole time to.

"Listen kid." Clav spoke like was talking to a five year old. "I'm not going to go into details about policy seeing as how you staring working here when you were seventeen and have be active for seven years. I will say however its never good to mettle  in someone else's business. Now what happened with Adora and Mr. Dean had nothing to do with you."

"He was trying to rape her!" Todd protested,  his eyes fuming with fire. "I had to help!"

Clav laughed. "Silly kid. You can't possibly call yourself a man after saying that. Amother man 's affairs is amother one's privacy."

"This is stupid!" Todd protested.

This time Clav was not amused. "Listen here little lost boy. Don't forget I made you who you are today. I'm like your Peter Pan, taking you to a Neverland of never being broke. Without me you would have died on the streets or been locked up like all the rest. You were a statistic and I saved you. If anything you oew me."

Todd was quiet then. Clav had touched a seirous nerve. One that dug at him and ate him alive.

"Anyway I'm not going to fire you because I do have some sort of feeling for you boy. Instead your on probation. I will have someone watch your every move like a hawk. If anthing is reported you will be fired on the spot. Got it? Good"

On that note Todd hopped into his car hoping for some calm and clarity with a drink.. or mamy from  his favorite bar. It was a same old ratty place but it suited him. It was dark and vague just like himself. Perhaps even darker than his past.