Tension : A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (11 page)

Chapter 6

  Johnny cracks his knuckles as he walks back behind the bar before bending down and reaching under the counter for a glass.

  He whistles quietly to himself as he places the glass on the sticky counter top before turning around to the mirrored glass shelves and picking up a small, dark bottle of rich brandy.

“Johnny, what the hell, man?” Joe says, squinting at him as he stands up from one of the leather couches and quickly walks over to the bar.

  He sits on a tall barstool, as he leans over the bar while Johnny pours himself a stiff one on the rocks.

“She wanted to see him.” Johnny replies before taking a sip of his drink and hissing out the harshness as he exhales.

“No, we had a nice little interaction going on and you swooped in a ruined it for us.” Joe says, reaching over the bar and grabbing a few olives before popping one into his mouth.

“Yeah.” Johnny says, snorting as he nods his head. “Yeah, I’m sure you would have treated her with the utmost respect there, Joe.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Joe says, lifting his hands up in defence as he swallows his olive. “I’m just sayin’ you used to be down for that Johnny. Seems like before today, you would have been right there with us!”

“I’m still down for it, you fuckin’ idiot.” Johnny says, leaning back against the sink behind the bar as he takes another sip from his brandy. “I’ve fucked every whore in this joint, but we don’t need no more problems with outsiders.”

“Hey!” Joe says, shaking his pointer finger at Johnny. “The only one who seems to be causing problems here is you.”

“Me?” Johnny says, kicking himself off of the sink before walking out from behind the bar.

  He makes his way over to one of the brown leather couches before letting himself fall down onto it. He sighs out loudly, kicking his feet up on the coffee table before taking another sip of his drink.

“I’m not causing problems.” Johnny says to Joe as he walks back over to the more private area. “I’m the solver of problems around here and we all know it.”

“Well, you are my problem, Johnny.” Joe laughs. “Why haven’t you solved that one? Why you still here?”

  Johnny squeals as he tosses his head back. He wipes a tear away from his eye before chuckling deeply into his brandy.

  He takes a sip, wagging his finger as he swallows before clearing his throat as the room quiets and everyone hushes themselves.

  Johnny watches as Ralphie, Mr. Ambrosini’s right hand bodyguard, leads the woman who wanted the meeting out from behind the bar with his hand on her shoulder.

  He raises his hand to her, a soft, shy smile upturning his lips as they walk by, heading towards the door.

  She nods her head softly, smiling back at him as she mouths a small “thank you” before the semi-transparent curtains blur her out.

“Well, Johnny…” Joe begins to whisper. “Either it went good or it went bad. But at least she got her meeting.”

  Johnny nods, standing up from the couch as he notices his boss slowly walk behind the bar from down the hall. He pushes his shoulders back, squaring them as he walks towards the old man.

“What the girl want, boss?” Mel pipes up as he walks over to the bar with his hand wrapped around a girl in a sky blue two piece, his fly down and forgotten.

  Mr. Ambrosini looks around the room, nodding his head up and down as he purses his lips together.

“The situation is…” He starts, his voice quiet and raspy. “There are thugs running around that girls neighbourhood and she’s asked us to take them out.”

“And are we gunna?” A tall, lanky suited gangster asks.

“Mhm.” Mr. Ambrosini nods. “Why waste our chance to acquire some new area? Now, Big Joe,” He says, pointing towards the man. “You’re going to go out with this girl tonight. She’ll let you know what you’re looking for, alright.”

“Tonight? Oooh, boss, I don’t know about tonight.” Joe says, shaking his head. “My wife’s got a thing tonight, a dinner thing, heh, you know what it’s like. But, Johnny, on the other hand…” Joes says, wrapping his arm around Johnny before patting him on the chest. “Johnny over here is a
solver of problems
, if you know what I mean.”

“I really don’t care who.” Mr. Ambrosini says before gliding his tongue over his teeth under his lips. “I just want it to get done.”

  He looks towards Johnny, his eyes narrowing in on him.

“If you can get it done, then get it done.”

“No problem, boss.” Johnny says, nodding his head as he watches his boss turn behind the bar and disappear back down the hall as he walks towards his office.

  Johnny huffs, sighing out loudly before turning towards Joe and connecting his fist against the top of Joe’s arm.

“Hey!” Joe says, holding in his yelp in case the boss is still in earshot.

“I had to get up fucking early this morning and now I’m going to be up all night!” Johnny says, walking past Joe as he makes his way back behind the bar.

“Solver of problems, though, right?” Joes says, following him. “Hey, Johnny!” He calls out to him. “My thirst is a problem, too, why don’t you make me a drink?”

Chapter 7

  Amber leans against the sink, her soapy wet hands holding strongly onto the counter as she closes her eyes and quietly lets out a deep breath. Her mashed potatoes and roast beef have turned into a solid rock in her stomach, weighing her down.

  She wipes the back of her hand against her nose as she opens her eyes, standing up straight before turning her head and looking back towards her parents sitting in the living room. Amber glances over to the blinking clock on the microwave before gazing back over at them.

  They have no idea that in less than twenty minutes she’ll be having her second meeting with the mafia in as many days.

  She turns her attention back to the dishes, rinsing the last of the cutlery and placing the glistening forks on the rack to dry before picking up the towel from the counter beside her and wiping her soaking hands on it.

  Amber walks over to the oven, threading the towel through the handle to dry before walking over to the stairs and stepping up the carpeted ledges and down the hall to her room.

  She quickly grabs her sweater from the back of her desk chair before going over to sit on her bed.

“I could fucking go to jail.” She whispers to herself as she wraps her sweater around herself before resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms. “Imagine that, girl goes to jail for conspiring with the mob; thugs continue to run free.”

  She rubs her fingers over her eyebrows before smoothing out the little hairs.

“I could be jeopardizing what little we have left…”

  She shakes her head, clearing her thoughts as she stands up from her bed and walks across her room, stepping through her doorway and closing the door behind herself.

  Amber makes her way to the bathroom across the hall, gently closing the door and twisting the lock before walking over to the sink.

  She turns on the cold water tap, letting the chilled liquid run over her finger as the water pressure builds before leaning forward and splashing it against her face.

  Amber reaches for her towel, pulling the fluffy olive square from the rack and pressing it against her face. She moans softly into the plush material as the rock in her stomach only gets heavier.

  She lets the towel drop to the floor before stepping over it and opening that bathroom door back up. Amber bounces back down the stairs, letting out a slow, deep breath as she quietly makes her way into the living room.

“I’m going to go out for a little while.” She says, forcing a smile for her parents as she slips on her light brown flats. “I’m meeting a friend for coffee… I don’t know when I’ll be back so it’s okay if you don’t wait up. She just got back from Asia, so I’m sure she’s got enough stories to fill the entire night.”

“Alirght.” Her dad says, looking up at her with his tired eyes. “It’s getting late, though, so please be safe, Amber.”

“Of course, dad.” She says to him as she turns the door knob on the front door and pulls it open. “It’s just a coffee.”

  He nods, giving her a small wave before turning his head back toward the TV as Amber steps outside into the cool night air.

  She sighs as she walks down their front path down to the city sidewalk, shaking her head.

  She hates lying to her parents, but this is really something they don’t need to know. Maybe she’s doing it behind their back, but it’s all for them.

  Amber turns off of her street, looking back and forth and all around her as she walks further away from the safety of her home.

  Her heart beats in her chest as she hears the engine of a car start up and she glances behind her again, watching the black vehicle slowly begin to drive towards her.

  She picks up her pace, beginning to panic as the car doesn’t pass, but instead slows down and pulls up beside her. 

  Amber stops, watching as the tinted passenger window slides down an inch or two, a man’s voice seeping through the crack.

“Get in.”

Chapter 8

  Amber hesitates before stepping forward. She hooks her fingers under the silver door handle, pulling on it and opening the door before bending down to look inside the car.

“Oh my gosh, it’s you!” She says, recognising the man from before. “Are you here to help me.”

“You gotta get in the car.” He says, waving her in.

“But you’re the guy, right?” She asks, again nervously.

“Get in the fucking car, lady!” He says, nodding his head up and down before looking around out of his window and in his mirrors.

  Amber quickly slips inside, embarrassed as she shuts the door behind her.

“Don’t bring attention to us. Things have to be done quickly.” He says , slowly driving away.

“Sorry!” Amber says on the defensive. “It’s not like I’ve done this before! So how am I supposed to have any idea what to do!?”

“Well, you’re the one who came to us, so I would think you understand the gravity of the situation.” Johnny says, shrugging his shoulders as he watches Amber nod her head sheepishly. “But look, okay, if we’re going to be dealing with each other, I’d rather not fight about it. Just remember it for next time.”

“Yeah, okay.” She says, nodding some more, her chest aching.

“Now…” He starts, taking a deep breath in. “Where was your dad’s business? Around here?”

“Yeah, actually.” Amber says, letting out a sigh as she sits up in her seat to point it out. “About two blocks that way.”

  They drive in silence for the next few minutes before Johnny slowly pulls up beside the blackened shell of a building.

“Is this it?” He asks softly, watching Amber wipe a tear from her cheek as she sniffs.

“Yeah. This is it.” She says, gazing out into the wreckage. “Or, this
was
it, I guess.”

“Wow, they really got you guys good.” He says.

  Amber pulls on her sweater, tightening it around herself as she sits uncomfortable beside Johnny, her eyes trying to avoid the scene outside.

“Hey, by the way…” Johnny says, gently resting his palm on the top of her thigh. “I’m really sorry this happened to you.”

  She nods biting her bottom lip as she looks into his brown eyes.

“But you came to the right place, yeah?” He says, a small, sympathetic smile turning up his lips. “We’ll make it alright again.”

  Her face flushes hot before she turns away from him and pushes away his hand.

“I know.” She whispers.

  He clears his throat before pulling away from the curb.

“So, do you have any idea where these dickholes like to meet?” He asks, glancing to her as he drives. “Have you seen where they hang out?”

“Well, they’re everywhere.” She says. “Just everywhere! But if I had to pick a single place it would be across from Stoney Trailer Park at the edge of town. I have seen them there before going in and out of a boarded up house.”

“Stoney, you said?” Johnny chuckles as he does a quick U-turn. “Looks like we’re dealing with a bunch of white trash degenerates. Fucking Christ, desperate like that play so dirty because they have nothing to lose.”

  Amber nods, breathing quickly out of her nose as her heart pounds faster and faster the closer they get before the offensive sight of the crack house comes into view.

“There!” She yells, pointing from behind the window. “It’s over there.”

  Johnny turns his headlights off before coming to a slow crawl as he parks down the street, far enough away to keep any suspicion at bay but close enough to still see all the disgusting details that have plagued Amber’s neighbourhood for so long.

“Do you recognize anybody?” Johnny asks, leaning in toward Amber to whisper at her.

  She leans forward, squinting her eyes as she takes inventory of the people sitting around on the front law, drinking straight from the bottle before her eyes catch the front door open.

  Amber watches a tall man with homemade tattoos littering his sickly pale skin walk out the door, letting it swing closed behind him as he steps out onto the porch.

“Johnny.” She whispers, turning her head to make sure he’s watching, too. “That’s him. That’s the guy who threatened us. He’s the one who burned down my father’s bakery!”