Free Sal Gabrini: His House of Cards by Mallory Monroe

and
never discussed that part of his life.   But Gemma didn’t care what Trina or anybody else thought about Sal.   She believed him.
    Reno ended
the call with his son.
    “What did he
want?” Trina asked.    “Dommi’s acting up
again?”
    “He said
there’s a video circulating on YouTube.”
    Gemma and
Sal looked at each other, and then at Reno.   “Showing what?” Gemma asked.
    “Showing
Sal, when he was a cop, telling some racist joke.”
    Sal’s heart
fell through his shoe.   There was a time
in his past when he was that guy.   But he
was nothing like that anymore.
    “What kind
of racist joke?” Trina asked.
    Reno looked
at Sal.   “Want me to pull it up?” he
asked.
    “No,” Gemma
said.   She already knew about his
past.   He confessed it to her.   She didn’t need to see any evidence of it.   “I’m sure it plays right into the hands of
his accusers.”
    “Pull it
up,” Sal said.   He didn’t want Gemma to
see him at his worse, but if it was out there she needed to know what she was
up against.
    Reno
followed the instructions Jimmy had given him and went to the YouTube video in
question.   Then he handed his phone to
Sal.
    Trina went
and sat on the opposite side of Sal and the three of them watched the
video.   Reno didn’t bother to watch
it.   He grew up with Sal.   He knew how terrible he used to be.   But Gemma and Trina only heard the
stories.   Now they were about to witness
one.   They watched the video attentively.
    Sal was in
what appeared to be a squad room, and was dressed in a policeman’s
uniform.   He was so young that it stunned
Gemma.   He looked to be in his early
twenties.   He was handsome even
then.   But the words coming out of his
mouth weren’t.
    “Fucking
animal,” he said to his laughing colleagues.   “Wearing his pants all the way down his ass like some stupid idiot.   I wanted to pull them all the way down and
give him a swift kick.   So guess
what?   I did.”
    His
colleagues laughed harder.
    “He said he
was going to tell on me,” Sal continued.   “Said he was going to report me to IA.   I told him oh yeah?   You’re going
to tell?   Then I slammed his fucking head
into the fucking concrete.”
    They laughed
even harder.
    “‘Run and
tell that, motherfucker,’ I said.   He
shut his black ass up then.”  
    Then the
recording went dead.  
    For a
moment, everybody just sat there.   Reno
patted the top of his head, Trina leaned back, and Sal and Gemma didn’t do
anything.   They just sat there.   Until Reno’s cell phone rang again.   Sal handed it to Reno.   Reno looked at the Caller ID.
    “Jimmy
again,” he said, and answered.
    Sal looked
at Gemma.   He could see the pain in her
eyes.
    Reno hung
up.
    “What now?”
Trina asked him.
    “Jimmy says
the video is on the news.   Local and
national.   Even CNN is showing it.   All a part of their racist cop theme.   Sal, they say, is a shining example of why
minorities have such negative views of cops.”
    “That makes
no sense,” Trina said. “He’s not even a cop anymore.   He’s not like that anymore.”
    “We know
that,” Reno said.   “But the world don’t
give a fuck.”
    Then Reno
shook his head.   “The Gabrini stock is
going to be in freefall, folks,” he added.   “We might as well prepare for a bumpy ride.”
    And just as
he made that proclamation, his phone, as well as Sal and Trina’s phones, began
ringing.   Nervous board members and
jittery investors no doubt.
    Reno and
Trina stood up and answered their calls.   But Sal was looking at Gemma.   She
was the only one he was concerned about.   “I’m so sorry, babe,” he said with anguish in his eyes.   “I was the asshole of assholes.   Racist to the core.   I’m sorry I was that man back then, and I’m
sorry you had to see it.”
    “It was a
jolting thing to see,” Gemma admitted.   “I don’t recognize that person.”
    “But it was
me,” Sal said.   “I was