Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) (27 page)

I locked the door and cleaned up the kitchen before
going to get ready for bed. I forgot about the laundry basket of clothes on my
bed so I quickly started to put them away. When I went to hang up a sundress in
the closet, I spotted my gun safe on the top shelf, tucked underneath a stack
of sweaters. I debating getting it down and keeping it by my bedside just in
case, but realized I wasn’t afraid and didn’t feel threatened. Nights like this
were becoming more common and this made me smile. Maybe I was finally moving forward.

The next morning I woke up early and went for a five
mile run. By the time I returned back to my apartment complex, the smog cover
that hovered over the valley had begun to thin out and the sun beat down on my
shoulders. Sweat poured off my body as I stretched and did a quick cool down
underneath one of the few trees that lined the half empty parking lot. During
my run I had given myself a pep talk. I needed to find another job to get some
income coming in. I was 22 years old with a college degree and a good work ethic.
I was employable, damn it.

After a shower where I spent extra time exfoliating
and shaving, I emerged feeling better about myself. In my bedroom, I paused in
front of the floor length mirror that was on my closet door. Pulling the towel
away, I tossed it onto the bed and took in my reflection. I’d always had a love
hate relationship with my body. Years of criticism from my mom had taken a toll
and I never felt one hundred percent comfortable in my skin. Her remarks had
inspired my love for running and I guess that was the one positive because the
woman staring back at me had a nice athletic figure: toned, strong legs and defined
abs. My breasts were on the small side, but they were almost symmetrical and
perky. I turned to look at my backside, pleased with how my calf muscles flexed
with the movement and that I didn’t have a trace of cellulite anywhere.
Cellulite was the bane of Jillian’s existence as well as some of my other
friends and an affliction that I had fortunately avoided so far. Lifting my wet
hair up, I noticed the scar above my shoulder blade. This was where the bullet
made its exit and aside from a couple of light brown moles, was the only
imperfection on my back. Long gone was the broken girl who tried to drink her
assault away and lost close to twenty pounds in the process. 

Closing the closet door ended my self-speculation
and I quickly got dressed. Armed with a store brand diet soda, a slice of
leftover pizza and my laptop, I took up residence on the futon and resumed my
job search.

By the end of the day I had tweaked my resume and
applied for three potential “real jobs” plus two waitressing gigs. Even those
bars wanted a resume. I made some follow up calls for other jobs I’d applied
for, but still didn’t have any real leads, which left me discouraged. My
earlier ego boost deflated like a balloon.

That was how the rest of my week went. I had an
interview at a bar, but the manager spoke to my tits and not my face, so even
though I was offered the job, I knew better than to accept. I got called in to
work Friday night at Dirty and was psyched to know I’d have a free meal and an
extra night of tips. My BMW was running on fumes and I was a block away from
Dirty when a cop pulled in behind me. The scream of sirens and flashing lights
had me pull over. My stomach lurched when the cop didn’t drive past, but
followed me to the side of the road.

   “License, registration and proof of insurance,”
the officer said when he approached.

   “Um, sure.” I leaned over to the glove box with
the sinking feeling in my stomach increasing because I realized, right at that
moment, that my registration had expired in May and was a month overdue. With
everything going on in Philly, I’d completely forgotten, not that I had the
money to renew anyway. Shit, fuck! I screamed at myself and handed the
documents over with a trembling hand.

   “Do you know why I pulled you over?” he asked.

I looked up at the older officer, hoping to get a
read on him, but his sunglasses shielded his eyes. Based on the firm set of his
jaw he didn’t appear to be easily amused. I figured I might as well be honest
with him to see if that won me any points.

   “Because my registration is expired?”

   “Yes.” He started to write me a ticket using his
handheld device.

   “How much is that fine going to be?”

   “It depends. How long have you lived in
California?” he asked.

   “Um, six months or so.”

   “That’s longer than just a visit. Are you a
student?”

   “No, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be
staying out here, but it looks like I will be. I can get everything transferred
over. Please, if you can find anyway to not write me a ticket, I’d be forever
grateful. I am so broke right now it isn’t even funny.”

   “Mmmhhhhmmmm,” he said and started entering the
ticket again. “Do you know everyone says the same thing? Here you are in a BMW
and you’re broke. Nice try.” He printed out the citation and handed it to me
along with my license and the other paperwork.

I just about cried when I saw the amount. I didn’t
have $500 to cover it unless I used my credit card, but that was my back up for
part of my rent money. With a heavy sigh, I shoved everything in the glove box
and continued on to work.

Callie knew something was wrong when I walked in the
door and asked me. When I told her what happened she gave me a hug and
apologized for not being able to give me more shifts.

   “It’s not your fault, Callie. Reality is just
really biting me in the ass right now. I’ll be okay.”

   “Well, if more shifts free up, you’ll be my first
call.”

   “Thanks,” I said and left to get ready. Collin
was in the break room when I went in to stash my bag. We briefly acknowledged
each other, but I knew the fun, easy going friendship we had before was long gone.
Break ups sucked that way as people take sides. I was just glad Chelsea
remained loyal and didn’t take Jason’s side since her fiancé was his best
friend.

Fortunately Collin didn’t mess up any drink orders
and I was able to bring in a little over $300 in tips. The next night proved to
be just as lucrative. At least I could pay the ticket, but I still had to
actually register my car. Plus rent was due in less than two weeks. There was
going to be a lot of ramen in my future.

DOMINIC

PHILADELPHIA

Funerals never get any easier and I’d been to a lot.
When you had a large family and when your family was in the business mine was
in, death wasn’t a stranger. Anthony’s funeral was more difficult than most.
You’re not supposed to be burying someone your own age. It made me more aware
of my mortality. The church was hot and wearing a suit made it more unbearable.
When the service ended and it was time to carry the casket, all of the pall
bearers already had sweat dripping off of their heads. Grant, Dante, Joey D.,
Anthony’s two brothers and I flanked the casket and hoisted it up on our
shoulders. I could smell the polish on the brass rails, the metallic waxy scent
clung to my nose. It was a solemn procession out into the blazing late
afternoon heat. Thunderheads loomed in the distance, the increased humidity
made it hard to breathe. We carefully loaded the casket into the back of the
waiting hearse, which we followed in our own vehicles to the cemetery.

I was numb to everyone crying around me as we
watched Anthony get lowered into the ground; the white casket swallowed up by
dark earth. Anthony’s mother, overcome with grief, collapsed to her knees and
wailed when the first shovel of dirt was tossed into the hole. Anthony’s
brothers lifted their mom off of the ground and helped her to the car. That was
our cue to leave. As I approached my Mustang, I noticed Agent Phillips leaning
against the hood waiting for me. Jesus fucking Christ, I couldn’t even bury my
friend without him fucking interfering? The nerve of this guy.

   “Dominic, I’m sorry for your loss,” he said.

   “Yeah, I’m sure you’re real choked up over it.
What do you want?”

   “Just letting you know that the DEA and I are
collaborating on the investigation. Your friend had a lot of heroin on him.
Know anything about that?”

I stared past his shoulder, fixated on the grave
that the caretakers were already filling in using a backhoe to move the dirt.
“No, Anthony and I grew up together, but I didn’t know what he was into,” I
said, finally turning to look Phillips in the eye.

   “We’ll see. It’s interesting that Demetrius’ man
was the money guy. That’s a big drug deal gone bad.”

   “How’s your wife doing these days” I asked. “Her
new hair cut is hot…makes her look ten years younger - a real MILF.” Agent
Phillips didn’t say anything, but I noticed when he clenched his fists that my
comment had struck deep. “You got eyes on me and I got eyes on you. That’s how
this game works, right?” I opened my door and slid inside. Phillips didn’t move
from the hood until I revved the engine. We both knew he didn’t have concrete
evidence connecting Anthony’s death to me. If he wanted to fish for information,
I’d continue to bait him with mine.

As I pulled out of the cemetery, I saw Leo behind me
in his Camaro. He followed me all the way to Anthony’s parents’ house where
everyone was gathering to pay their respects. Leo met me at my car as I was
getting out.

   “What was that all about?” he asked.

   “Fuckin’ Feds. Seems like I can’t take a piss
without them knowing about it, but they still don’t have anything on me
otherwise I’d be arrested.”

   “That’s good.”

   “Yeah, but we still need to find out who killed
Anthony,” I lowered my voice and looked around the neighborhood to make sure
nobody was listening. “Whoever did it, had insider information.”

   “Shit. Alright, Dom, I’ll let you know if I hear
something,” Leo said. We bumped fists and walked into the house that was packed
to capacity and smelled of sweat, floral arrangements, cigar smoke, garlic,
peppers and onions. It was a distinct odor I was familiar with and always
associated with funerals.

Dante pushed his way through the crowd when he saw
me. “Where ya been?” he asked so I quickly filled him in before I was
interrupted by Anthony’s mother who was sobbing and leaning on her son, Joseph.

   “Thank you for paying for the funeral and
headstone, Dominic. Your family has always been there for my Anthony.”

   “We grew up together, we’re practically family,
it’s the least I could do,” I said and gave her a hug. She kissed each of my
cheeks leaving them damp from the transfer of her tears.

   “You’re going to find the person who killed him,
right?” Joseph asked.

   “Yeah, we’re already
working on it.”
   “Good. I want the fucker dead.”

   “Me too, man, me too.”

I left about an hour later and went back to my condo
with Leo in tow, but I sent him home since there wasn’t a need for him to hover
outside my front door. It was a relief to step inside the cold, quiet space.
The tie that I had loosened on the drive back was immediately removed and
tossed on the counter. Next the dress shirt came off, leaving me in a wife
beater and black pants. After grabbing a beer from the fridge, I sat down on
the sofa and propped my feet up on the coffee table, but I was far from
relaxed. Another shipment of heroin was set to arrive in three weeks and we
couldn’t afford another incident like last time. Not only did Demetrius and I
both lose good men, but we lost our asses in money and drugs. The short
timeline meant we needed to figure out the problem and nip it, fast. My gut was
telling me that Anthony’s death was just the beginning and something bigger was
on the horizon. Using my burner phone, I sent a text to Miranda and asked her
to call an emergency meeting with the other organizations.

Something tickled against my arm, feeling like a bug
crawling on my skin, glancing down I realized it was one of Natalie’s hairs.
Damn it, her reminders were everywhere and it brought the pain I had managed to
suppress right back to the surface. I had to remind myself it was her happiness
that mattered, not mine, and that’s why I pushed her away. Draining my beer, I
got up and went into my bedroom to change into gym clothes. Besides sex or
beating the shit out of someone, working out was the next best solution for
getting rid of the tension that had taken hold of every muscle in my body.

Later in the week, the table in the kitchen at The
Speak was once again crowded and everyone was agitated. Apparently Special
Agent Phillips and his Organized Crime team had been busy paying people visits.
Surveillance had increased making the 7:00 am meeting necessary. Switching up
our schedules ensured less tails we had to shake. The Speak made an ideal
location since the nearest traffic light or bank with any kind of camera was
blocks away. We were as off the grid as possible in the city.

   “Alright, we know the Feds are mainly targeting
my organization and they are trying to rattle me by getting to you guys. They
don’t have anything; otherwise I’d be in custody.”

   “I don’t like it Dom, I can’t have those fucks
digging around in my business,” Demetrius said.

   “Yeah, if I had known it’d be like this, I’d have
gone elsewhere,” Egan added and I didn’t like his threatening tone. He kept
making these threats like he could find a more lucrative arrangement elsewhere.
“Is this how you plan in running things?”

   “No. Everything was all arranged for the drops,
but someone talked and word got out. I know it wasn’t anyone in my
organization. How about you all? Are your people clean?” I asked, looking
around the table to check reactions. Nobody squirmed, everybody met my eyes. “I
don’t like the extra heat either; it’s a pain in the fucking ass. Make sure
your shit’s in order so the feds don’t have a reason to get a warrant or
anything like that.”

Jin and Chan remained silent throughout this
exchange so I turned to look at them. “You guys all set with this?” I asked.

   “You’ve gotten us this far, Grabano. We’re still
in,” Chan said. He straightened the sleeves of his suit jacket before clasping
his hands on the table in front of him. “I’m willing to split some of my supply
with Demetrius until the next drop. You can pay me at cost.”

Demetrius scowled, but eventually agreed. “That’s
fair. I need the product.”

   “I’ll give you some of our share too. Don’t worry
about payment,” I told Demetrius and he grunted his approval. It was a good
faith gesture so he didn’t get any ideas about blaming me for this setback. “For
the next drop, only tell those directly involved and that you trust these
people. The dates and times need to be kept close to the vest. Understood?”

Everyone agreed and the meeting broke up. Grant,
Miranda, Dante hung back with me so we could recap.

   “Has Johnny come up with anything on Giant’s shooting?”
I asked Dante.

   “Nothing yet. He hacked into the forensic
database and test results aren’t back yet.”

   “Fuck, we’ve got nothing.” I ran a hand through
my hair and pushed away from the table to stand up. “We need to figure out
who’s responsible and fast.”

   “Dom, we’re doing the best we can. Johnny knows
to check every day and to call me as soon as something pops,” Dante said.

   “I know, man, it’s just usually someone takes
credit for this shit. Whoever did this wants more heat on us. They want me to
burn.”