Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) (18 page)

   “What?” I said and laughed. I always loved how
excited Natalie got over food. I watched as she took a bite and closed her
eyes, moaning softly, reminding me of other ways that I’d made her moan. My
eyes moved to her lips just in time to catch her lick them. Fuck. Thank God
Miranda and Anna chose that moment to show up as my thoughts had veered
straight into the gutter. In addition to huge portions of food, Aunt G had
thrown in an entire loaf of fresh baked Italian bread, a garden salad and an
order of garlic knots. Like always, there was too much food. The nurses working
on the floor were glad to take the salad and garlic knots. Soon we were all
stuffed. Natalie leaned back in her chair and let out a groan, patting her
stomach.

   “Your Aunt’s going to make me fat,” she said.
“I’m going to have to run and extra four miles each day this week to make up
for this.”

   “Oh shut up, Nat. You have nothing to worry
about. I’m going to be bigger than a house soon,” Miranda said with a yawn.
“Plus, this baby’s going to turn me into a giant sloth.”

Anna shook her head. “You two are gorgeous and have
nothing to worry about.”

I hated that Natalie looked surprised at her mom’s
comment. Unfortunately I knew that she wasn’t used to receiving compliments
from her.

   “Anna’s right,” I told Natalie and gave her a
wink, which caused her to smile.

After dinner we hung out in Grant’s room until
visiting hours ended. Grant woke up for a few minutes before we had to leave
when a nurse came in to check his vitals. He immediately started asking
questions about the business and in his drug addled state he started talking
about the heroin shipment. Fortunately he didn’t say heroin outright and
Miranda was able to switch topics before Anna caught on.

To avoid the media, we all left out back via the
service entrance. Uncle Al was waiting to take Miranda home and my cousin Leo
was parked next to my Mercedes. He was going to follow me over the bridge to
drop Natalie and her mom off at their hotel. I felt ridiculous and paranoid
having someone guard me when I was by myself, but I wasn’t taking any chances
with Natalie being unprotected. I was prepared to die protecting her and I knew
Leo would take a bullet for me or Nat.

When we pulled up in front of the hotel, Anna jumped
right out and said goodnight, thanking me for dinner. “You two go have some
fun. It’s been a rough week, but Grant’s turned the corner. No sense Natalie
being cooped up in the hotel with me.”

   “It’s okay, Mom, I don’t mind. I’m tired too.”

   “Natalie, go relax for a bit because I know you
won’t take the time for yourself once Grant is home and you’re going to be his
caregiver. I’m just going to take a bath and read a book.”

   “I’m sure Dom has things to do.”

   “Nope, I’m all yours tonight, Nat, and I agree
with your mom.” At this statement, Anna gave me an approving smile.

Finally, I was going to get Natalie alone. We hadn’t
had any time together where it was just the two of us since before the shooting,
when I offered her that gallery space.

   “Fine,” she agreed and it came out more like a
growl, which made me laugh. We drove in silence and I noticed Natalie’s hands
were fidgeting on her lap and she kept her face turned away from me to look out
the window.

   “Do I make you nervous?” I asked, breaking the
silence.

   “What? No!” She made brief eye contact with me
before turning to the window again.

   “Remember, I’m good at reading people.”

Natalie sighed and untangled her fingers. “Okay,
yes, I am a little bit nervous, but it’s not you. Well, in a way it is,” she
sputtered. “God, I can’t even talk straight let alone think straight around
you!” she cried out in a frustrated huff.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her frazzled state. “I
remember having that effect on you the first night we met. Should we stop and
get some tequila – will that help?”

She laughed in return. “I don’t know about tequila,
but let’s stop for a drink.”

   “Anywhere in particular?”

   “Not Crimson.”

I drove towards South Street, checking in my
rearview mirror to make sure Leo was keeping up. I parked over by Grant and
Miranda’s place on Bainbridge Street, which was a block over from South Street.
Leo found a spot not too far from us. Natalie didn’t seem to notice he was
following us, which was good. I didn’t want her to be any more uncomfortable.
With a Phillies baseball cap in place to somewhat conceal my face, I reached
for her hand and twined my fingers through hers. Together we pushed through the
crowds on the sidewalk. Loud music blared from most of the bars, but a
restaurant on the corner offered a patio where we could sit outside and talk.
Leo took up residence on a bar stool inside between us and the front door. He
had a clear line of sight of us from where he was positioned.

   “Wine, beer or will it be hard stuff?” I asked
Natalie, handing her a drink menu. We had both declined food menus since we
were full from dinner. She surprised me by ordering a mojito and not one of her
usual drinks like a rum and diet coke or vodka tonic.

   “So, you’re going to be staying with Grant and
Miranda?” I asked.

   “Yes, I’ll move in the end of this week.”

   “Do you need help with your bills or anything? I
can help you out.”

Natalie shook her head. “Things will be tight, but
I’ll be okay. You don’t need to take care of me.”

Leaning forward, I grabbed her hand, which was cold
and wet from the condensation on her glass. “I want to take care of you,” I
said and locked gazes with her.

   “I appreciate that, Dom.” She squeezed my hand
and I was expecting her to withdraw it, but she didn’t. “You’ve done so much
for Grant already. Thank you.”

   “He’s family, Nat.” I looked down at our joined
hands. “So, are you done being nervous around me?”

She blushed and smiled. “It’s not so much
nervousness, it’s just hard keeping things platonic, but I have to.”

   “Why?”

   “You know why. I love you, Dom. I’m not going to
deny that. It’s your life I don’t love.”

   “A life your brother chose.” She winced, but
didn’t pull away. “I am who I am, Nat. It’s how I was raised, but I’m trying to
be better to make our organization better…a little more legal. I need you in my
life, Nat.”

   “Your life is dangerous. People get hurt.”

We were talking in circles, rehashing the same
argument, but she was worth the fight.  “People get hurt all of the time. Like
what happened at the mall? That was a random act of violence and had nothing to
do with what I do, but because of my background, I was able to help save a lot
of lives.”

She took a sip of her drink while processing my last
statement. “Okay, I’ll give you that. The world in general is a violent, fucked
up place.”

   “But if I was a lawyer we wouldn’t be having this
conversation.”  After saying this, I realized it sounded like I was talking
about Jason, the surfer boy Natalie dated in California who was on the pre-law
track and a safe option.

She glared at me and pulled her hand away. “Same
goes if I grew up in South Philly, like Allegra. It wouldn’t be an issue.”

   “I don’t want to be with Allegra.”

   “And I don’t want to be with Jason.”

   “But you don’t want to be with me either?”

Natalie sat back in her chair and I could see her
shoulders tense up. Fuck, this was not how I envisioned the night playing out.
Running a hand through my hair, I leaned forward to close the distance between
us, but the table still created a barrier. “Natalie, I’m sorry.”

   “I’m sorry too.” I hated seeing the sadness in
her eyes and much preferred the way they practically sparkled whenever she
laughed. My hand twitched, wanting to reach across and hold hers again, but I
held back. We silently regarded each other, our drinks long forgotten.

   “So, we promised your mom we’d have a good time
tonight. How are we doing with that?” I asked.  She pursed her lips and
attempted to hold back a laugh, but let out a snort and started giggling.

   “You sure know how to show a girl a good time,
Dom,” she teased and I laughed along with her relieved that the tension between
us disappeared as quickly as it surfaced.

   “Come on, let’s go,” I left a twenty spot on the
table and stood up, holding out my hand to her, which she accepted. I nodded at
Leo as we walked past and he followed us out, staying a good ten feet behind. It
was a warm night, making the sidewalks crowded with people. Cars inched along
down South Street, their music competing with the bars. We ducked into some of
the stores and played around trying on a variety of hats in one and taking
selfies. Our earlier conversation was long forgotten by the time we stopped for
gelato. We waited in line for a few minutes, giving us time to decide what we
wanted. When we stepped up to the counter, I ordered for both of us and fished
out a wad of cash from my front pocket. I handed over some cash when Natalie
placed her hand on top of mine, stopping the transaction.

   “Should we see if your ‘friend’ wants any?” she
asked, jerking her head towards the window where Leo was visible on the other
side.

   “How’d ya know he’s with me?”

Natalie smiled and shook her head. “Dom, he was at
Grant’s wedding. Let me guess, he’s protection?” she whispered this part so the
cashier didn’t overhear.

   “Yeah, he’s my cousin. Hold on.” I hollered out
the open door for Leo and he was inside within seconds, an arm behind his back
indicating he was reaching for his gun.

   “Natalie wants to know if you want any gelato.”

   “Sure, that’d be fucking great,” he said, his
stance immediately relaxing like a cat as it watches its prey fly away.

We walked out together with our bowls in hand, but
Leo fell back again to keep an eye on things. As we approached the walkway for
a footbridge that arched over Columbus Boulevard, connecting to Penn’s Landing,
my cell phone vibrated. Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled it out, scowling
when I read the text.

   “What’s wrong?” Nat asked. “That’s not about
Grant, is it?”

   “No,” I grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring
squeeze. “I forgot I promised to do something tonight and Dante just reminded
me.” 

   “Do you need to go? I can take a cab back to the
hotel.” She actually sounded and looked disappointed, unconsciously sticking
out her bottom lip into a pout. I didn’t want our night together to be cut so
short either.

   “You can come with me, but it’s definitely not
your scene.”

We sat down on a stone bench in the shape of a half
circle. These benched line the foot bridge. Lights built into the brick
illuminated the way to Penn’s Landing. People meandered by, taking in the
skyline while traffic rushed by below, a stream of red taillights.

   “Where do you have to go?” she asked.

I sighed and leaned back against the cool stone,
stretching my legs out. “One of my business associates, Egan, is hosting a
boxing tournament tonight in the Northeast. As a sign of support, I told him
I’d attend. He and I don’t exactly get along, so this gesture will help keep
things stable with our business agreement.”

   “Egan? I met him at the wedding, right?”

   “Yeah. He’s the guy you were dancing with before
I took over.”

   “You’re a better dancer,” she teased, nudging my
leg with hers. “Seriously though, I’ll go. I’ve never watched a boxing match
before.”

   “This is a little different than the usual,” I
said, standing up and placing my hand out for Natalie’s, pulling her to her
feet.

   “How so? It’s just two guys punching each other
with big, poufy gloves.”

I chuckled at her description. “This is bare
knuckled, an old school Irish tradition.”

   “Bare knuckle?” Natalie stopped and looked up at
me, her hazel eyes wide with horror. “Gloves are off?” I nodded and she shook
her head. “That’s crazy!”

   “That’s Egan. I think he’s been punched in the
head one too many times. Change your mind?”

   “No, I’ll go. Now I’m curious.”

Leaving Natalie on the corner near Downey’s Pub, I
pulled Leo off to the side and explained the change of plans. Handing him my
baseball cap and key fob, I told him to take my car back to my condo. With his
dark hair and similar build, Leo could pass as me at a glance and served as a
good decoy. I went back to get Natalie and we continued walking back to where
we parked. When Leo hopped in the car and drove off, she turned to face me.

   “Relax, we’re going to borrow Grant’s car.” Miranda
and Grant’s row home was right around the corner and Miranda opened the door
only after verifying who was standing on the other side. She was wearing baggy
pajama bottoms and an Eagles teeshirt. She came armed with a half-eaten Oreo.
Evidence of the cookie resided in a dark spot in the corner of her lips.

I took a step back with my arms raised in surrender.
“We come in peace,” I said and Natalie laughed. Miranda popped the rest of the
Oreo in her mouth and flipped me off before turning around and walking inside. We
followed her in and I locked the door behind us.