Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) (33 page)

Natalie

The next morning I woke up and immediately smiled.
Dominic and I had quickly fallen into our routine. When we went to bed the
night before, he had crawled into the left side and I took the right, but we
eventually found our way to the middle, wrapped up in the sheets and each
other. A contented sigh escaped my lips and I felt Dom stir behind me. His hand
that was cupping my breast squeezed gently and he murmured something, but it
only sounded like a rumble deep in his chest that vibrated against my back.

   “Hmmm?” I asked, rolling over to face him,
extracting my legs from his in the process.

   “I said good morning, my love.” He kissed my
forehead before nuzzling his head against my neck. Just as I snuggled closer,
the alarm went off and I groaned.

   “We can skip the barbecue and stay in bed all
day,” Dom suggested, nibbling on the skin at the juncture of my neck and
collarbone.

   “And suffer Chelsea’s wrath? I don’t think so.” I
sighed again, this one of discontent, and sat up swinging my legs over the side
of the bed.

***

A couple hours later we turned down Chelsea’s
street. Her driveway was already full so we had to park further down. Dom
expertly parallel parked the Mustang he’d rented and came around to get my
door. He carried a case of Corona while I held a bouquet of wildflowers in my
hand. The smell of grilled meat drifted toward us making my stomach growl.

Chelsea and Derek lived in a cute little bungalow
and it was little; just shy of 1,000 square feet. The porch was decorated with
hanging plants and two big hurricane style candle holders acted like sentries
on each side of the front door. I knocked on the screen door, but no one
answered so I opened it and walked right in. Chelsea was in the kitchen cutting
up vegetables for a veggie tray.

   “Oh my God, you’re here!” she screeched and dropped
the knife in her hand, crossing the room to pull me into a bone crushing hug.
Dom rescued the bouquet before it too got crushed. Setting it down on top of
the case of beer he had placed on the counter. After squeezing the breath out
of me, she stepped back, her hands on my shoulders and looked me up and down,
reminding me of Aunt Gloria’s inspections. “You’re glowing!” she squealed again
and pulled me into another hug. It had only been a little over two weeks since
we last saw each other, but she was acting like it’d been a year. She released
me and I caught my breath as I watched in amazement when she subjected Dom to a
hug. He grunted at the impact and looked at me over Chelsea’s head.

   “She’s a hugger,” I said with a shrug.

   “Dom, I’m only going to say this once,” Chelsea
said after releasing him. “I don’t agree with what you do “professionally”,”
she made air quotation marks with her fingers. “But Nat loves you and you’re
what she wants. If you hurt her again, you have to deal with me.” She was only
5’ 3” and 110 pounds soaking wet, but her stance was all business and Dom took
her seriously.

   “I understand and you’ll have to get in line
behind Grant. He warned me too.”

  “Good,” she said with a nod of her head. Satisfied
that she had done her duty as a best friend, Chelsea spotted the bouquet and
made a fuss over how pretty the flowers were before getting a vase out from
underneath the kitchen sink. “Dom, there’s a red cooler outside next to the
grill for the beer.”

He took the hint that Chelsea needed me alone for a
few minutes and grabbed the case before heading out the sliding glass door that
led to a small backyard.

   “Jason is already here,” she said. “And he knows
Dom is with you, not that it’s a big secret.”

   “Okay, thanks for the heads up.”

   “He won’t be a problem. I mean, who would want to
start shit with Dom?”

Dom was a big guy and definitely had an edge to him.
I guess once you’ve killed someone, that becomes branded on your soul. I
wondered if I gave off that same vibe, but quickly dismissed the thought as I
had killed out of self-defense, not for commerce.

   “If shit gets awkward or tense, we’ll leave,” I
promised. “I don’t want to ruin your party.”

   “Okay, we still need to talk though. Like, are
you moving back to Philly?”

   “Yes.” This answer caused Chelsea to squeal
again.

   “I knew it! Go hang with your man, we’ll catch
up.” She resumed cutting vegetables and shooed me out of the house.

When I stepped outside, I saw that Dominic had already
commandeered the grill and was flipping burgers. Walking up to stand beside
him, I slipped a hand in the back pocket of his jeans. “Did you volunteer or
kick Derek out?”

Dominic laughed and handed me a bottle of beer. “I
revealed the Grabano secret to juicy burgers and he handed the spatula over.”

I gave him a sideways glance and he laughed again.
“Just kidding, Nat. I offered so he could be a host. I don’t really know anyone
here.”

   “That’s nice of you.” Standing up on my tip toes,
I kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you’re cooking anyway. Last time I was over for
dinner, the steak was completely charred on the outside and practically raw on
the inside.” I shuddered at the memory.

   “Oh thank God you’re manning the grill,” Chelsea
said, walking up behind us, she carried a vegetable platter and was looking all
sorts of domesticated with an apron on over her orange and white print
sundress. She glanced around the small patio and yard, spying Derek in the back
by their garden shed. “I don’t have the heart to tell him he can’t grill for
shit. Collin was supposed to do it, but he’s not here yet.”

   “Well, you can relax as your guests will live to
talk about the party,” Dom winked at her and flashed his dimples. Chelsea
smiled up at him, her cheeks flushing. Turning to face me she mouthed, “Wow”
and pretended to fan herself, which made me almost choke on my beer.

I stayed by Dominic’s side and replenished his beer
as he grilled burgers, steak tips, chicken breasts and veggie burgers. A few of
Derek’s friends, who I knew through Jason, came up to say hi but kept it brief.
A few women hovered nearby, eyeballing Dominic, so I made a point to kiss him
as frequently as possible. Jason stayed off to the side and ignored me. As the
afternoon faded to evening more people showed up and the alcohol really began
to flow. Dominic was driving so when the tequila shots were passed around, I
had a couple. I didn’t notice how drunk I was until I went inside to use the
bathroom and tripped over the small lip of the track for the sliding glass
door. Placing a hand on the kitchen counter, I took a few seconds to steady
myself before walking down the hallway.

I didn’t hear Jason come in behind me.

Natalie

   “I can’t believe you’re back together with him,”
Jason slurred. His voice was so close that I yelped and spun around. He stood
less than a foot away, close enough I could smell his beer breath. “You sure
move on fast.”

   “If you remember, I hadn’t moved on from him in
the first place.” I turned to go into the bathroom when Jason grabbed hold of
my upper arm and held me in place. I struggled and he tightened his grip.

   “Let go!” I went to kick at his knee, but he
sidestepped.

   “I’m not done talking.” He leaned close and I
caught a whiff. He smelled like he’d slept in a distillery. In all the times I
partied with Jason, I’d never seen him this wasted.

   “I don’t have anything to say,” I attempted to
pull free again and only managed to fall back against the wall. A framed
painting rattled with the force. Jason seized the opportunity and pinned me.
Memories of Marco holding me against a wall and of Mr. Genovese forcing me into
submission by practically cracking my head open flashed through my mind and I
felt my lungs tighten as panic set in.

   “Does he know?” Jason’s intense aquamarine eyes,
what I once thought were his best feature, were now bloodshot and blazed into
mine.

   “Know wh-what?” I stammered, trying to draw
breath and maintain control.

   “About the deal?”

   “No. Now let me go,” I said in as forceful of a
tone that I could muster. He didn’t release me right away, but he did lessen
the pressure on my upper arms.

   “Get your fucking hands off of her!” A deep voice
bellowed, echoing down the hallway. Instantly, Jason backed off and I leaned
against the wall, shaking and trying not to lose my shit. Dominic stood at the
entrance to the hall, his fists were clenched and his chest heaved with
controlled aggression. His jaw bulged and his nostrils flared as he looked from
me to Jason. At that moment I thanked the stars that he’d left his gun in the
glove box otherwise Jason would be dead, not that I didn’t want to kill him at
that moment.

   “Natalie,” Dom said in an eerily calm tone. “What
deal and what don’t I know? You have one chance to tell me the truth. One. Fucking.
Chance.” He glared at me and I gasped at the anger twisting his face. My knees
started to shake even more, but I refused to collapse so I relied on the wall
to hold me up.

   “I wasn’t completely honest with you about why I
broke up with Jason.” I paused to swallow, my mouth and throat drier than a
communion wafer. “After Victor was shot and holed up at my apartment, Jason
took it upon himself to try to get me away from the mafia.” I glanced over at
Jason who was watching Dominic warily. Taking a deep breath, I continued.
“Jason’s dad is a lawyer and he had him draw up a WITSEC agreement with
Phillips.”

   “He what?” Dominic roared and started to charge
down the hallway. Shit, fuckitty shit, I wanted to avoid this. I jumped in
front of Jason with my hands up to act as a human shield. It worked since Dom
came to a stop, his fist raised and ready to pummel. “You’re defending him?”
Hurt darkened his green eyes and he took a step back like I had hit him.

   “This is why I didn’t tell you!” I cried out. “I
don’t want anyone else to die. I knew you’d think Jason was a risk to the
organization and kill him. So I turned down the deal, because I’m not a fucking
rat, and broke up with him.”

   “Do you love him?” Dominic asked and his question
surprised me.

   “What? No! I never stopped loving you.” I
cautiously approached Dominic and his stance loosened. I reached for a fist and
uncurled his hand, entwining my fingers with his. “I can’t be responsible for
any more death. Do you understand?”

He exhaled and his features softened when he looked
down at me. Cupping my cheek with his free hand, he tilted my face then lowered
his lips to mine. “I understand, baby. For you, Jason gets to live.” I fell
against him with relief and that’s when the tears surged forth.

   “Get the fuck out of here,” Dominic ordered and I
felt Jason rush past us. Dom circled his arms around me and held on as my body
shook with sobs. “I should have killed him for touching you. Are you okay?” he
asked, separating us enough so he could inspect my body for damage.
Fortunately, for Jason, I had come away from the altercation unscathed. Dom
wiped a tear from my cheek. “I won’t let anyone touch you like that ever again.”

   “I know,” I said. “I’m sorry for not telling you
about the WITSEC deal. That’s why Agent Phillips was so up my ass. He thought
he’d get me to crack eventually, but there was no way in hell. I’m not a rat.”

   “No, you’re not.”

   “Now, if you or Grant piss me off, I can’t make
any guarantees,” I teased and Dom choked out a laugh. He waited for me while I
went to the bathroom and when we emerged from the hallway holding hands,
Chelsea was waiting in the kitchen with her arms crossed.

   “Glad to see I don’t have a crime scene to clean
up,” she said giving me a stern look that reminded me of her mother.

   “Sorry about that, Chels. It just kind of
happened.”

   “It’s okay. I heard the shouting and came in to
run interference. Collin just showed up and is sober so he took Jason home.”

We said our goodbyes and headed out after that. It
was a quiet ride home, but not uncomfortable. I was emotionally exhausted and
ready to leave California behind. Chelsea was building a nice life and would be
okay without me. Now it was my turn. As if sensing the direction of my
thoughts, Dom lifted my hand to his lips, placing a kiss on the back. “I told
Grant you’re coming home to Philly,” he said.

   “You did? And what did he have to say about it?”

   “He’s happy and so is Miranda. They’ve missed you
too.” I smiled at the thought of being around my family again and any doubts
about my decision faded away.

DOMINIC

Natalie had drifted to sleep shortly after we made
love, but my mind refused to shut down. Looking down at her peaceful
expression, I brushed away a stray hair that was stuck to her full lips.
Caressing her arm, I checked again for any bruising from Jason, but her skin
was smooth, soft and blemish free. I wanted so badly to snap that fucker’s neck
when I saw him manhandling her. Then she defended him, fearlessly stepping in
my warpath. She definitely had a fighter’s spirit and that made me love her
even more. She mumbled something unintelligible and shifted slightly, snuggling
closer against my body.

The knot of worry and pain that had taken up
residence in my chest after I had pushed Natalie away was gone. I even breathed
easier knowing she was safe and in my arms. She was moving back home too. What
I thought would be a battle of wills had been unexpectedly easy. I killed
people, did bad things for a living, but must have done something right to earn
Natalie’s love.

Knowing sleep was never going to come, I watched
Natalie for a few more minutes before slipping out of bed. It was almost 8:00
in the morning on the East coast and time to make some phone calls. Bending
over, I grabbed my underwear off of the floor and slipped the briefs on before
walking out to the living room, shutting the bedroom door so I didn’t disturb
Natalie.

My first call was to Dante. Like the last time, I
woke him up and heard a woman’s voice in the background. “Is that the same girl
or someone new?” I asked him.

   “What?” Dante’s voice was heavy with sleep.

   “The woman I hear in the background…flavor of the
week or are you getting serious with someone?”

   “Hold on.” There was a pause, rustle of sheets
and another soft murmur then I heard the click of a door closing. “Okay, now I
can talk.”

   “So, who is it?”

   “Jesus, you’re worse than a chick, you know
that?” he said with a laugh. “Alright, don’t say anything, but I’ve been seeing
Allegra.”

   “Allegra, really?”

   “Yeah.” I pictured him shrugging and rubbing a
hand behind his neck.  “She’s cool. We’ve been hanging out.”

   “Alright, man, that’s cool. I won’t say
anything.”

With that out of the way, I filled him in on Natalie
from how we got back together to last night’s revelation about Jason.

   “That fucking dick! I’m surprised you didn’t kill
him.”

   “Trust me, I wanted to. I pictured choking the
life out of him and feeling his throat collapse beneath my hands.”

   “This deal he worked out with Phillips is dead
though, right?”

   “Yeah and it definitely died with Phillips.
Speaking of which, any progress?” I hated being so far away from things, but
trusted Dante, Grant and Miranda to run the business in my absence.

   “I spoke to Demetrius yesterday and also Ji and
Chan. They don’t know shit and respected your call on not taking Phillips out.”

   “And you believe ‘em?”

   “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

   “Alright. Grant is going to meet with Egan. Let’s
keep in touch.”

We hung up and I immediately dialed my attorney. Our
conversation was brief. Seth hadn’t heard any more from the Feds since they
confirmed my alibi. I asked him to draw up a business agreement for Natalie’s
art gallery. She wanted to be legit and do it her way. Hey, if that meant she’d
come home, I’d agree to anything she wanted. It made me sound like a big pussy,
but whatever.

I got up and made a fresh pot of coffee. With a
steaming mug in my hand, I sat back down on the futon with my iPad. I typed in
the address of the warehouse in West Philly where the torched car was found,
looking for any type of history that might provide a clue. The building had
been abandoned for five years and based on the Google Earth view, looked close
to being condemned. Big sections of the flat roof had collapsed and pigeons had
invaded, the remaining roof was covered with enough shit to make the tar look
like someone had spilled a large quantity of gray paint.

An old Philadelphia Inquirer article from 2009
mentioned the building had been owned by Mayo Wholesale, a food distribution
company, but had gone up for public auction after the company folded. It never
sold and had sat empty ever since. Another search into Mayo Wholesale was very
enlightening and I knew who had been trying to fuck me over.

   “You little cocksucker,” I hissed and snatched up
my phone, calling the airline. With my flight booked to leave that evening and
arrangements made for Dante to meet me at the airport, I went in to break the
news to Natalie.