Clean Slate (New Mafia Trilogy #2) (6 page)

Derek and Jason arrived
a few minutes later. Once again they were dressed nicely. Both had on black
dress pants and long-sleeved dress shirts. Derek’s was green, like Chelsea’s
top and Jason’s was navy. I noticed his gaze travel from my legs to my chest
and he flashed his cocky grin when he saw I was watching him.

           
“Do I pass inspection?” I asked and he laughed.

           
“Oh hell yeah, that’s a big yes.”
 
He held his hand out and I grabbed it. We
filed out to Jason’s metallic blue BMW, which was parked next to my red one. He
held the front passenger door open for me while Derek did the same for Chelsea
with the rear.

Thirty minutes and a traffic
jam later, Jason pulled into a parking lot of a strip mall. When I got out of
the car, I instantly smelled the tangy odor of garlic and onion that hung in
the air. We walked up to an Italian restaurant and I almost wanted to turn
around, but after an internal debate decided I needed to get over my fear. This
wasn’t Franco’s, the restaurant owned by Dominic’s aunt and uncle. Philadelphia
was thousands of miles away.

Jason kept his hand on
the small of my back as we followed the hostess to our table located near the
pianist. I found the soft music, combined with the murmur of conversations
around us, relaxing.

Our server, a young guy
with dark, slicked back hair, came around and took our drink orders. He
scrutinized our driver’s licenses. When he returned with a bottle of wine, I
ordered one of my favorite entrées. From the first forkful, I couldn’t help but
compare the eggplant parmesan to Dominic’s aunt and uncle’s recipe. There was
no comparison; the sauce here had a metallic aftertaste, like it came from a
can. Uncle Franco and Aunt Gloria’s sauce was always homemade with chunks of
tomato, onion and garlic swimming in the thick gravy. I was hungry so I ate, but
didn’t dive in with my usual gusto.

After dinner we went downstairs
to the bar. It was set up like a jazz club with bistro tables scattered
casually about. Candles flickered on the table tops. This along with gas
lanterns on the brick walls were the only light source. The low ceilings added
to the intimate, grotto-like atmosphere.

We ordered cocktails
and the waitress quickly returned with our drinks. She kept glancing over at
Jason and bent lower so her chest was eye level, but only when placing his drink
down. Even though Jason and I were just friends, the waitress pissed me off. It
was brazen of her especially the way his arm was draped across the back of my
chair. We could have been a couple for all she knew. I leaned closer to Jason
and placed my hand on his knee. He looked down at me and smiled, not once
establishing eye contact with the waitress. Chelsea, who rarely missed
anything, gave me a knowing wink before turning her attention back to Derek.

While we were sitting
there, a band began setting up on a small stage by the dance floor. Once they
warmed up, they began playing oldies from the fifties and sixties. Jason stood
and offered me his hand, which I accepted and he pulled me onto the dance
floor. Derek and Chelsea were right behind us and I give my best friend credit,
this was not at all like the scene at Dirty. When the band started playing
Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin, Jason gathered me in his arms and spun me
around. When he set me down, I placed my head against his chest. He smelled like
citrus and cedar.

           
“Any more unexpected visitors?” He whispered in my ear.

I started to tense up
and he immediately began to massage my lower back. “No, I think he got the
hint.”

           
“Good, I’m here for you, you know that, right?” I nodded
and inhaled his scent again, relaxing even further against his sturdy chest. We
stayed close like that until the band took a break. Since Chelsea had to be at
work early in the morning, we left. Jason held my hand as we walked to the car
and didn’t let go until we were back at the apartment.

Chelsea and Derek
quickly abandoned us, disappearing into her bedroom, leaving Jason I standing
in the entryway. We stared awkwardly at each other until Jason took a step
forward, closing the distance between us. Slowly, giving me all the opportunity
in the world to back away, he lowered his mouth to mine.

We were both breathless
when we separated. “I think it’s safe to say we’re gravitating towards FWB
status,” Jason teased and kissed the tip of my nose.

           
“I blame the dress,” I said and consumed his lips again
before we moved into the living room.

Chelsea and Derek were
behind closed doors probably doing what Jason and I were about to do. I fell
backwards on the futon, pulling Jason with me.
 
This time my body responded. Every nerve ending was humming and my heart
was pounding with anticipation.

We had reached that
point where we could either stop and preserve our friendship or cross over the
line into something more. Jason stared into my eyes, silently asking
permission. I moved up and started kissing his neck while unbuttoning his
shirt, answering his question.

I was reminded of one
important thing that night: I was alive and that needed to be celebrated.

Jason held me close
while we slept. Our bodies were spent after giving in to each other. I felt
secure in his arms and woke refreshed after a dreamless sleep. Jason must have
felt me stirring as he was soon awake and tracing circles down my bare back.

           
“That tickles,” I giggled and flipped over to face him.

           
“You were amazing last night,” he said, touching his
forefinger to my lips and I kissed it. He then ran his finger between my
breasts and down to my belly button. Goosebumps appeared in its wake.

           
“You weren’t bad yourself.”

           
“How did you get that scar?” Jason’s finger had traced its
way back up and now moved gently across my shoulder.

I looked down at his
chest and away from his gaze trying to come up with a story. He lifted my chin,
reestablishing eye contact.

           
“I, um…I had a bizarre accident. I was on my bike and hit
the curb. There was a piece of rebar sticking up out of the concrete and I
landed on it. It went straight through.” I rolled over closer to Jason and he
strained his neck to look at the back of my shoulder.

           
“Wow!”

           
“Yeah, the doctor said I was pretty lucky, had it been
any lower my lung could have been punctured.” At least this part was true.
Jason kissed the scar and worked his way up my neck. My lips were waiting for
him.

Chelsea’s door clicked
and we heard it swish across the carpet when it opened. Our kissing slowed down
as we listened further. They wouldn’t see us right away since the frame of the
futon obstructed the view. Jason moved the blanket up to cover our nakedness.

Light footsteps came
down the hall and Chelsea appeared in the living room. When she looked down and
saw us on the futon her jaw dropped.

           
“Well I guess the whole apartment was a love fest last
night,” she said with a grin.
 
I felt my
whole body flush.

           
“Are you hungry? I’m famished!” She walked into the
kitchen and started pulling pots and pans out. Derek wandered in wearing only
his boxers and yawning.

           
“Man, am I glad I took today off from work,” he
stretched. “How ‘bout you bro?” He didn’t seem surprised to find us together.

           
“Yeah, except I’m working tonight.” Jason reached over
and grabbed his boxers off the floor. I had only been wearing my dress and
underwear, which were clear across the room. Jason helped me up and I stood
behind him to wrap the blanket around me then made a quick exit to get some
clothes on.

Jason and Derek were completely
at ease with each other hanging out in their underwear. I had a picture in my
head of their college days at their frat house lounging around half naked. The
atmosphere was relaxed as we ate blueberry pancakes.

I was happy.

PHILADELPHIA

DOMINIC

I answered the door to
let my cousin Dante in, who was followed by my brother, Anthony. They crossed
over the breakfast bar where Natalie’s brother, Grant and his fiancée, Miranda
sat. Joey D., one of the bouncers at Crimson, leaned against the bar.

           
“Thanks for coming over on such short notice. First, I
want to make it clear that this meeting is more than just about Natalie. Yes, I
love her and want her back. We know about the contract out for her, so I fear
for her safety. This is just part of it. We have all disagreed at some time or
another with Uncle Marco and how he’s running the organization. His ways are
archaic and even barbaric. Remember what happened to Brittany.”

They all nodded,
remembering the horrific rape that Brittany endured under Marco’s consent; an
assault that led to Brittany taking her life. Recalling the bruises around
Natalie’s neck, in the shape of my uncle’s handprint, my hands clenched into
fists and I felt a vein throb in my neck when my pulse increased. While Grant and
I had killed both Luigi Genovese, the man who almost raped Natalie, and the men
who raped Brittany, it didn’t resolve the issues within the Grabano family.

           
“Miranda, I know Marco is your father,” I continued, “but
he has made it clear that there is no place for women in the organization
except as toys.”

           
“You’re right. It will always be the good old boys club.”

           
“Not if we force change. We’re the next generation and
with Rocco Nucci putting pressure on Uncle Marco plus with the fallout from the
Five Families in New York, there’s a chance for us to take advantage of the
chaos.”

           
“What are you proposing?” Grant asked.

           
“We have the numbers and we know the operation.”

           
“Dom, as much as I agree with you, you’re talking about
going against our family,” Miranda said. “You yourself said family is
everything.”

           
“The recent events have me questioning that. Your dad handed
Brittany and Natalie over to be playthings without hesitation while my dad and
Dante’s dad stood by allowing it to happen.”

Miranda blanched and
looked over at Grant, who was staring intently at me, his eyes following my movements
as I paced the kitchen. I ran a hand through my hair and came to a stop in
front of the stove. “What do you guys think? Will you stand with me?”

           
“Yes,” Grant said instantly. Joey D., Dante, and Anthony
quickly followed suit. I met Miranda’s gaze, her green eyes so similar to mine,
one of the many Grabano traits we shared. She reached for Grant’s hand and
nodded.

My shoulders relaxed
and I started to smile when there was a sharp knock on the door, which
instantly put me on guard.

Everyone froze and
looked at the front door. “Were you expecting anyone else?” Grant asked in a
whisper, drawing his gun out from the holster strapped to his side.
 
I shook my head. There was another knock
followed by a muffled male voice. “Yo Dom, it’s me, Johnny.”

I turned toward Dante.
“Did you invite your brother?”

           
“No, I told him I was stopping by though.”

I crossed the room and
opened the door. My cousin Johnny, Dante’s younger brother, stood there with
his arm poised to knock again.

           
“Oh hey, Dom,” he said and stepped into the condo. When
he saw everyone gathered in the kitchen he smiled. “Good, I’m glad you’re all
here.” He dropped the backpack he had hooked over one shoulder and unzipped one
of the pockets, pulling out his Macbook. Within seconds he had it fired up and
was pulling up the internet.

           
“Johnny, what’s this all about?” Dante asked, sliding his
chair closer to his brother.

           
“So, I was on YouTube earlier and clicked on this
trending video of a bar fight in California. Here, look.”

Everyone moved so they
stood behind Johnny. He expanded the video to full screen and hit play. The
quality was pretty poor and there was a lot of background noise, but I didn’t
notice that. All I saw was Natalie being yanked on by a guy before she stomped
on his foot with her high heel. After that I watched as two men, one with really
blond hair, rushed in and started fighting the guy. When the bouncer broke up
the fight, whoever was filming followed the two men as they stalked away from
the fight. Natalie, who was standing with a girl who looked familiar, stepped
closer to, and put her hand on the arm of the man with blond hair to keep him
from jumping back in. “Pause it!” I snapped.

           
“Jesus Christ!” Grant growled. “That’s fucking Chelsea. I
should have known she’d go to her. I even called her to check and she told me
she hadn’t seen or heard from Natalie.”

           
“Who the fuck is that blond guy?” I asked, running my
hands through my hair, feeling the familiar throb as the vein pulsed. “Play it
again.”

Johnny hit replay and
we watched the initial struggle and how Natalie tried to walk away. I admired
Natalie’s instinct to use her shoe as a weapon and she looked good. I couldn’t
help but notice the way her dress hugged her curves. The thought of running my
hands over those curves as she writhed beneath me was distracting, but the
sight of her touching the blond guy tempered the surge of lust.

           
“What bar is this?” Grant asked. Obviously he was able to
keep a level head and I was appreciative.

           
“Some bar called Dirty in Los Angeles. It was taken a
couple of weeks ago,” Johnny answered.

           
“I’m going after her,” Grant said and fished his cell
phone out of his pocket.

           
“Wait, Grant, slow down,” Miranda walked over to him and
put her hand on his. “I guarantee you’re being tailed with hopes that you lead
them right to Natalie. We need to be smart about this.”

           
“Fuck, she’s right.” I said, sinking onto the leather
sectional.

Silence descended as
everyone thought about a solution. My brother spoke first. Anthony’s green
eyes, the same shade as mine, were bright with excitement. “How about this:
Dom, you and Grant split up and go in different directions. Like, one of you
goes to Vegas and the other to Seattle. Anthony and I can get you some fake IDs
so you can rent cars and shit without being traced, then both drive to L.A.”

           
“What do you mean fake IDs?” I asked.

Anthony exchanged a
look with Johnny before answering. “Johnny is really good with his computer and
he can hack into the DMV database. He changes pictures, addresses, etc…
 
After a few days, he goes back in and changes
everything back to normal; meanwhile the altered license has already been sent.
We have quite the business going at school. As far as credit cards go, we can
use one of those Visa gift cards, but imprint it with your new name so it looks
legit.”

Dante and I stared in
awe at our younger brothers, both seniors in high school, as they revealed
their criminal operation.

           
“That’s a solid plan,” Grant said. “How long until we get
the new IDs?”

           
“Usually 7-10 business days,” Anthony said.

           
“Okay, get it going and we’ll table the earlier
conversation until after we get back with Natalie. Dom, are you cool with
this?”

I glanced at the frozen
video on the screen of my girlfriend touching another guy, “Yeah, let’s bring
Natalie home.”

It seemed like a solid
plan at the time.