The Dark Veil

Frank Ronzic sat at his table in the small flat  he rented on Chicago's near north side.  He watched the rain on the east facing windows form it's patterns of drips and drops aimlessly as his cigarette burned down slowly. 

He heard a bump coming from the upstairs neighbors-- Tony and Maria fighting again. Or making love. Sometimes there wasn't a big difference. The noise startled him as if from a dream, and he took a drag from his cigarette. He looked over to the coat rack next to the door. The empty space still haunted him. It was wear his Detective coat and badge used to hang. 

He wondered if anybody knew the real reasons why he was removed from the force. He wondered if anyone cared. The last 8 months had been a hell for everyone, but for Frank Ronzic, it seemed like he was the chief demon. 

Frank was startled from his dream yet again, but this time it was from a quick rasp at the door. "Huh?" Frank grunted in surprise. No one knocked at his door. 

"Ugh... whatever it is... I don't want it.." he snarled. 

"Please let me in, Mr. Ronzic. I need your help." The voice outside belonged to a woman. Soft, yet sure. 

"You've got the wrong guy, hun. I can't help you."

"I know who you are. And I know you can help me, Frank."

Frank stood up cautiously. He felt for his revolver in the holster he kept around his chest. He approached the door and opened it slowly. He saw a woman in a long, sleek green dress. She wore a hat to match with a sheer veil covering her face. The red lipstick she wore seemed to radiate from her face that was concealed in the darkness of the veil. 

"Who are you?" Frank asked gruffly, which matched his current appearance. Nothing but a wife beater, his tan slacks, and black socks. He was clearly out dressed by the woman at the door. 

"For now, you can call me 'M'. Let me in and I'll explain more. "

Reluctantly Frank opened the door and let her in. He awkwardly pointed to the chair across from where he was previously sitting and said, "Have a seat..." As she took her place, he nervously asked, "Coffee?"

"No thanks, Mr. Ronzic. But I'll take a light."

She took off the hat and veil and placed it on the table. 

She pulled out a long cigarette. The fashionable kind that women smoked in the movies. But it suited her. As Frank lit the cigarette, she took an long, almost sensual drag.

"Well, Miss, you seem to know my name. And a lot about me. Now it's your turn. Pony up."

"Well, it's Mrs., first of all. Mrs. DeCampo. But you can call me Monica-- assuming we work out a deal."

"Okay, Monica. But how did you find me? And what do you think I can do to help you?"

"I have connections. To very important people. And I need an investigator. So I came to--"

"I'm not a detective anymore." He cut her off. "Those days are gone."

"That's why I came to you. I know about you and read about you in the Tribune last year. You're exactly what I'm looking for."

""And what exactly are you looking for?"

In the moments of silence, sounds from Tony and Maria upstairs could be heard clearly. They were making love. Monica seemed to delight in the noise, but it made Frank uncomfortable to sit in front of a beautiful woman while it was happening. 

"I'd like to hire you. As a private eye. To find out what is going on with my husband."

"You suspect he is stepping out?", Frank asked almost astonished. 

"I know about that. I just need to know with whom he is stepping out, and any other business he might be engaged in."

"You sure you want to know, hun?"

After a long drag from her cigarette and numerous moans from Maria upstairs, she said "It's my business to know. His name is Mario DeCampo. And he is alderman for the 29th ward."

"Mrs. DeCampo, the only thing dirtier in this city than the criminals is the politicians. They make the crooks look like altar boys."

"I'm paying you $500 up front, plus any expenses you might have, expecting them to be reasonable." She set an envelope in front of Frank. 

"Why are you doing this?"

"You've heard it said that behind every powerful man is a powerful woman? The same can be said about corruption. I'm that powerful woman. I just need to know how corrupt a man I'm dealing with, so I can keep him in power."

Frank looked at the envelope but never touched it. "And in your little game, I'm just a pawn?"

"Which would make me the Queen. Men like my husband put you in the shadows. Now it's your time to stalk them from the shadows."

She stood up and grabbed the dark veil. She placed it on her head. As she turned, Frank couldn't help but be mesmerized by her sensuality. Reaching in her clutch, she threw Frank a handkerchief. "You'll want this to clean up with. I know I'd need it if I was listening to your flatmates' love making. "

She walked to the door and let herself out but turned quickly to say "You have two weeks, Mr. Ronzic. That's when Mario announces he will run for re-election at a dinner downtown. I need to know before his campaign."  With that the door slammed. 

Frank sat in a daze. The conversation felt like it must have lasted hours, but the sex upstairs was still going on. How long had it been? Ten minutes? Two? 

Frank went and lay on his twin mattress. As he heard the final grunts from upstairs, knowing Tony was probably cumming inside Maria as her chubby body drank his cum, Frank slid down his pants and began to stroke his cock. As he closed his eyes, he only heard himself murmur "Monica..." a few times. Before he knew it, her handkerchief was covered in his cum. 

--

Frank woke up in the middle of the night to the rattle of the El through his building. He thought he must be in an extended dream. But he looked at his nightstand at a cum stained handkerchief with the initials MC embroidered in red thread. Then he saw the envelope. Slowly he rose and went to the envelope. He opened it. 

Inside were fifty ten dollar bills. This was the most cash Frank had ever seen. Of course, he was close to having his hands on ten times that much... and beneath the cash was a picture of Mario and an address. Frank recognized it as his alderman's office. That would be where he would start...

The next morning, Frank took a cab and had it drop him near the office. He found a deli that sold coffee and the newspaper. He walked in and handed the waiter a quarter for both, then took a seat at the window booth. It wasn't the greatest view, but Frank was able to see most of the comings and going's. A few constituents here, donors and well to dos there. As lunch time arrived, Frank felt someone staring. "Something else or you go!" The thick Italian accent got the point across. 

"I'm sorry. I'll be leaving." Frank stood and dropped another fifty cents in the table for a tip. 

Frank hadn't seen Mario in the three and a half hours he had been there, but as he turned to walk around the block, he saw him get out of a car with a young woman. She was presumably a secretary.  But she was also something more. Frank saw Mario smack her ass as they walked through the door. 

"Pig..." he said under his breath. 

Frank scoped out the neighborhood to find more places where he could use to spy what was going on. The building across the street had a low roof. If he could get there, maybe he could see...

After a half hour of lying, he convinced the cleaning woman of the building that he was there to check the tuck pointing on the chimney. She let him in and he went to the roof. 

He slinked around and found two good vantage points. The first looked cleanly into the waiting room. The second into his office. The secretary was at the desk. She was looking busy but doing nothing. In the office sat two men in black suits across from Mario, Russian by the looks of them. He looked scared and out of control. One of the men stood up and Mario reflexively jumped back. Frank captures a few shots with his camera. He watched the rest of the scene unfold, then the two men left and walked two blocks east before getting in a car that drove them away. Frank didn't get information about the car. The Russian Mafia was making serious inroads in Chicago, and the Italians didn't like it. Frank had the feeling he was stepping into something bigger than he bargained for. 

His attention went back to the office, and he saw Mario drop his pants and walk to the front of his desk. The secretary walked in and she went to Mario and began sucking his cock. She was a cute girl in her early twenties with a dirty blonde bob. She unbuttoned her blouse and he played with her tits while she gave him a blowjob. He snapped a few quick photos. Mario then bent the girl over the desk. He smacked her ass again. Hard. He left a clear mark. Frank watched, both angry at the man cheating on Monica but also aroused. He snapped a few photos as his cock hardened at the sight of Mario fucking her. As Mario's body began to shake as he came, Frank felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned quickly and drew his gun.

The woman from the building had come to check on the tuck pointing. Frank apologized for scaring her, but she startled him. She ran away and Frank thought it best to go as well. He went back to the deli for another cup of coffee and a smoke. 

As the day ended, he saw Mario leave. Then half an hour later, the secretary left. He decided he would follow her to see what he might find out. She lived in a small apartment not far from the office. Frank watched her as she went in. He sat on a bench in a nearby park and kept watch on the door. When he was sufficiently convinced she lived alone, he went to the door. There was a small parcel marked Atkins at the stoop. Frank pulled down his hat, pulled up his collar, grabbed the package, and buzzed 2B that said Atkins. 

"Yes..." came an elderly voice. 

"Delivery for Atkins. 2B". 

"Come on in, dear."

Frank dropped the package at 2B and then thought what he was going to do next. His heart was racing. This was madness...

Based on his recon work, the secretary lived  in the room across the hall. He put his ear to the door and could hear the shower running and her voice singing softly. He found a lock pick in his pocket and quickly and quietly opened the door and slid in. He quickly looked around the apartment and found nothing of interest. As he stood at the bathroom entrance, he could see her showering. Her round ass had water dripping off it. The same ass he saw earlier bent over the desk. Frank felt his cock harden... but he tried to stop it. 

He turned and sat at the table in the kitchen. He waited for her to come out. 

As he sat and listened, he began to fantasize about the girl. She was exceptionally beautiful. That he might walk in the shower right now and take her... she would cum for him before he came inside her. But his fantasy broke off as her song grew a little louder. Frank suddenly recognized the language. It was Russian. He looked around the apartment and noticed how nice the furnishings were. It was then that he realized the depth of the situation. The girl was in the employment of the two Russian men he saw earlier. 

Before he could leave the apartment, the water shut off and she began to step from the shower. Frank didn't have time to leave. But he had to make sure she couldn't see him. He hid behind the door. She walked into the kitchen in nothing but a towel, still humming her tune. Frank pulled his revolver and put the cold dark steel at her back. 

She screamed. "Don't turn around." Frank tried speaking in his best Irish accent. She dropped her towel and Frank could feel her body begin to press against hers. 

She was speaking quickly in Russian. "Calm down sweetie. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to know the name of the men you work for."

She stammered... "why... you... want... know... men..."

"Sweetie, it will be easier for you if you just answer my question. Who are the men you work for?"

Frank could feel her body shudder in fear. He felt a tinge of guilt. Who was he? He was behaving like a criminal? He reached down and grabbed the towel. "Here. Cover up. I'm not here to hurt you. I just need the name."

She slowly stopped her tears and shaking as she covered her naked body. "Their names are Viktor and Roman. They are from city Novgorod. Same as my family. This is all I know."

Frank grabbed napkins from the table, and with them the made a blindfold and sat her at the table where he bound her hands. He did all of this lightly. He knew she could get out easily, but it would give him just enough time to escape without being seen. He gave instructions not to try and loose herself until she heard the door shut. As he prepares to leave, he couldn't help but be aroused. She looked so helpless bound there. But Frank pushed away his demons. He shut the door behind him and fled away before she could catch his face. 

Frank returned back to his flat late, and was drenched as the rain had started back up. He took off his clothes and hung them over the tub to dry. In nothing but his briefs, he lay down on his mattress. He looked over at the nightstand and the handkerchief sitting there. He pulled out his cock and stroked thinking of the beautiful Russian girl. Her sucking the alderman's cock before being bent over the desk... her wet body in the shower... her breasts heaving in fear... her skin against his body... her hands tied... 

Now the handkerchief had another cum stain...

--

Frank spent the next three days continuing to examine the alderman and his business. Mario DeCampo kept a busy schedule, but there was no doubt his most lucrative business was done in the shadows. 

On the fourth day of surveillance, the two men arrived again. Frank had called in a favor with an old buddy on the force. After a couple of pints, he was able to confirm that there was a growing crime syndicate from Novgorod. Three brothers-- the Pravkov brothers-- were the ring leaders.

Frank's source gave a positive ID on the two in the photos. He also gave a strict warning: be careful with these guys, they are ruthless. 

Frank set up in his REO near the path the two took to exit last time. His surveillance skills had returned quickly, as did his intuition. They followed an identical path. He was able to follow at a distance he assumed safe. He followed them to a warehouse in the Ukrainian Village. He watched as they went in. 

Frank sat for hours watching what was going on in the building. Not much besides rabble entering and exiting. As he lit his fifth cigarette, however, he saw a familiar face. It was the girl, the secretary. He snapped a photo and covered himself up. 

He had noticed a dock door opened close to where the girl went in. He knew he had one chance, so he took it. He walked quickly from his car to the door and slipped inside. He saw her turn into a hall of rooms and he followed as close as he deemed safe. 

He soon heard her familiar voice and a twinge went through his body. It was the secretary. They were calling her Vivica. She called them Viktor and Roman. He heard reference to another name. Sampson he thought it was...

He ventured a little closer. He looked in the room, and both men had dropped their pants. She was taking turn sucking their cocks. One of the men spat on his hand, then rubbed his cock with it before he inserted his cock into her pussy. The other brother put his cock in her mouth. 

Frank watched as the brothers both fucked her. Taking turns, they must have both cum 3 times. She was covered in their semen. Frank was rock hard as he watched, but he dare not move. This was risky. Yet her naked body being used by these men stirred up his darkest fantasies. The men both penetrated her as their final act. They finally had had enough, and she clearly had as well. 

As soon as they were done, the three began talking. It was in Russian, of course, but Frank began to pick up on clues. She was telling them about when he was in her apartment. The taller brother became belligerent. He was yelling and Frank heard the word "DeCampo". Frank knew he needed to leave. He had to get out of this entire situation. 

As he began to sneak out, he heard a gunshot. He ran to his car, started the engine, and drove as fast as he could. He finally stopped a few neighborhoods away. With hands trembling, he lit a cigarette. After a couple of drags, he reached in a compartment and pulled out a flask. He wanted to calm his nerves but nothing would work. 

He drove out of the way before parking his car to ensure he wasn't followed and took extra turns before getting into his apartment. As soon as he stepped inside it started to rain. How he wished the rain would fall on him. And that the rain would cleanse the city.

Frank lay in bed, laboring to breathe and sleep. It was no use. He finally looked over at his nightstand. He saw the handkerchief there again. He pulled out his cock and fantasized about Vivica taking two cocks, wondering if he had brought about her demise. The handkerchief now had another stain. 

--

Day six of surveillance was the most awful yet. Frank, from his rooftop vantage point, saw the alderman pace in the office when Vivica never showed up. He then saw the alderman open a drawer in his desk and nearly fall backwards. Frank knew what he had seen. The syndicate made it clear that Vivica was gone.

Around lunch Frank went back to his flat. He had a small lunch of bread and milk before grabbing the handkerchief from his nightstand. Everything ended today. He was going to tell Monica what he found out. Which was a lot. 

Mario was being extorted by the Novgorod Syndicate. Mario had been a hapless tool of the Italian Mafia in Chicago for some time, but his greed now had him pitted against the two. He must maintain loyalty to the Mafia, while also appeasing the syndicate. Frank was also fairly sure that Monica had married Mario as a way to keep his loyalty to the Mafia. She was a crime boss daughter herself. 

Monica had hired Frank to weed out the truth of Mario's double dipping. They needed someone to confirm that the Russian Syndicate was interfering. Now a turf war would ensue. Frank could only guess who would win. 

A week into his work, Frank had finally developed the crude photos he had taken. He knew to keep some for himself as leverage. He grabbed the folder of notes and photos and Monica's handkerchief and walked to his car.

He waited until Mario was driven to his home that evening and he followed. He sat outside a mansion. Mario's corruption had made him wealthy. Monica knew what she was doing. Through a window, Frank saw Mario and Monica kissing. Monica started to undress herself, but Mario didn't have time. He stopped her and walked away. Moments later he left. Frank knew he could follow, but he knew it was useless. The syndicate was probably supplying him with some other girl. 

Frank stepped out of his car and the rain began to pour. As reached the door, he paused before he knocked. He felt in this pocket for his lock pick. He first felt the handkerchief. He decided he should knock. He tapped lightly and the door gave. He walked slowly in. Why was the door unlocked? For someone so deep in the Mafia as Monica, it was dangerous. Unless... was she expecting someone?

Frank cautiously turned and shut the door. He locked it for a little more protection. He then proceeded up the flight of stairs. The well lit, luxurious mansion was a stark contrast to the dark underworld that the DeCampos used to pay for it. What would he say to Monica? What did she know already? How was she using him in the game? His thoughts continued like this as he wandered through the halls. 

He came to a room that was locked. It must be Mario's office. It had three locks. Frank picked each one. He walked to the desk and looked around. One more locked drawer, and he found everything. Frank decoded what seemed to be scheduled of Russian shipments, Mafia shakedowns, and local police beats. Mario was in the middle of all of it. He was going to help the Novgorod Syndicate smuggle weapons into their warehouse. Frank snapped a picture and locked everything up behind him.