by Nova Rain
“Donny, what are you doing?!” I exclaimed, my face twisting with surprise. “You’ve already given me too much. I can’t take your money.”
“Yes, you can, and you will,” he addressed me in a stiffer tone. “I understand you might feel bad about taking it, but don’t. This is a loan. You’ll pay me off when Michelle gives you your old job back.”
“I hate to break it to you, but that’s just wishful thinking,” I uttered, my voice lower than usual. “You don’t know Michelle like I do.”
“No, but Joe promised to help you out,” he stated, setting the money into my hand. “He got pretty upset when I told him about you and his sweetheart. He’s been trying to convince Michelle since Saturday. She hasn’t budged yet. You and I are going over to their place in Westchester tomorrow morning. Maybe seeing you will tip the scales in your favor.”
Slapping his hand away crossed my mind. Despite his statement, taking his money just didn’t feel right. Yet, feeling his palm pressed against mine and seeing that determination in his eyes shaped my decision. Besides, he and I had had enough arguments. I wouldn’t allow my pride to start another one.
“Thank you,” I spoke in a near whisper. “I’ll pay it back. I promise.”
“You’d better,” he chuckled, returning to his seat.
Had he not mentioned his plans about visiting Michelle, I would have been thrilled. Donny had put aside his inhibitions and agreed to date me. To add to that, the grim man who had been pushing my buttons for the past twenty-four hours was gone. In his stead, was the usual, playful guy who had charmed me. Still, the imminent meeting with Michelle moderated my joy. It sparked a sense of anxiety within me, one that would not go away until she and I came face-to-face with each other.
Chapter Fifteen
Ava
Predictably, my mood didn’t change during the night. It remained the same, even when I woke up with Donny by my side.
I’d had high hopes for that. In my head, the first time this would happen would be nothing like what did happen. My thoughts were that after a night of passionate sex, we’d sleep late. Once we awoke, we would pick up right where we left off. Another encounter later, he would leave, and I would cook lunch.
Reality was nowhere near as sexy. Other than a few more kisses, he kept his hands off me. We shared the same bed as if we were a couple of eighty-year-olds. To make matters worse, his alarm clock went off at six o’clock. It was still dark outside when I opened my blurry eyes. But in spite of the fact that I’d had just three hours of sleep, I didn’t complain. Westchester was a long way from Manhattan. To get there fast, we had to beat the morning traffic.
With the rain hammering down, Donny and I set off from the city. I watched raindrops slam into the windshield, feeling a burden on my chest. My mind traveled back in time, to the moment when I disclosed my activities to Michelle. A little voice inside was furious with her. She’d had no right to treat me like that. I was in the wrong, yes, but she had kicked me out of her life without even taking a moment to think what it meant for me. Then another voice rose, one that wasn’t mad at her at all. It mentioned what she and I had been through over the years. We shared a bond; a fight could not change that. That part of myself wished that she had the will to see that, too. If she didn’t, I would go back to Manhattan empty-handed, well-aware that my friendship with Michelle was beyond repair.
I had envied my old friend the first time I’d laid eyes on her new house. Just like everything else that morning, this feeling hadn’t changed. I loved the neighborhood. It was quiet, like it’d been taken out of a much older time period. The house itself gave off vintage vibes. It was a little too big for my taste, but I could still picture myself living in there. If anything, it was an upgrade from my house.
I wound down my window, wondering how I should start my approach. The sound of the rain lashing down onto the curb flew into my ears, crisp air meeting my skin. Just when I was about to speak, more muffled sounds baffled me. Michelle and Joe’s loud voices were in the air. In particular, his voice overshadowed hers for a few moments before her frustrated screams followed. I looked over at Donny, at a total loss for words. As I did, I heard the noise of glass breaking. To my disbelief, I even caught a small vase flying out of the shattered living room window. It rolled across the lawn, serving as a warning of what was going on inside.
“We shouldn’t have come here,” I murmured, shaking my head in disapproval. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t care if they’re killing each other in there,” Donny declared, gripping his door handle with firm fingers. “We’re going in.”
“Are you deaf or something?” I wondered, stepping out. “They’re in the middle of a fight for God’s sake!”
“You probably don’t know this, but they’ve been fighting for a while now,” he informed me as the front door was yanked open. Halting just inches from the doorframe, Joe looked at his friend first and then me.
“I’ll be damned,” he groaned and looked back at Michelle. “A friend of yours just arrived. Let’s see if she can talk some sense into you.”
“That’s our cue,” Donny smiled, taking me by the hand.
This is a mistake.
Those words were on the tip of my tongue. I did mean to confront her. She and I had some unfinished business, but the timing was terrible. I had seen Michelle snap more times than I could count. It took her a while to cool off. Until then, having a conversation with her was almost impossible.
“Let me guess,” Donny suggested, strolling into his friend’s home. “You were fighting because you decided to go after the bomber.”
“That’s right,” Joe affirmed with a nod. “She keeps saying ‘the police are on it.’ I don’t trust them so much.”
“Nobody does, man.” Donny assumed a lower voice, patting him on the shoulder. “Nobody does.”
“Where is she?” I asked, my eyes on Joe.
“Upstairs,” he replied, throwing a quick glance at the staircase down the hall. “You’re my last chance, Ava. If you can’t convince her I’m doing the right thing here, I don’t know who can.”
“I’ll try,” I said, leaving them behind me. I padded up the stairs, a feeling of uncertainty enveloping me. In truth, I had no idea how or where to start. Our friendship? My job as her advisor? Or would it be her denial in allowing Joe to be the man she had fallen in love with in the first place? The worst part of all this, was that the two of us needed to discuss everything. Maybe we wouldn’t do so that day, but, somewhere along the line, we would have to.
Stepping onto the top landing, I looked into the bedroom to my right. A large portion of her bed and the hardwood floor filled my view. Michelle’s sniffle was loud and clear, telling me that she was very close indeed. I tiptoed towards the wall across from me, catching her faint voice. Leaning left, I snuck a peek through the open door. Michelle was staring at her reflection in the mirror, tears streaming down her eyes.
“God, I’m falling apart here…” She sobbed, picking up a tissue from the box in front of her.
That phrase brought back a memory in the blink of an eye. It hadn’t been so long since I’d used it. I had said the exact same words to Donny on the night we spent in his apartment. Alas, they had a major effect on me, one that eliminated my desire to be civil to her.
“Oh, no, no, no!” I spoke in a frustrated voice, taking a step to the left. “You of all people don’t get to say that!”
“Ava?” Michelle yelped, spinning around to face me. “How long have you been standing there?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I stated, attempting a strict tone, sauntering across the bedroom. “So, you’re falling apart. Why?” I asked, tapping my index finger on my chin in mock ignorance.
“Get out of here, Ava,” she said in a weak tone, tearing her gaze away from me. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“Hell, no! I’m not going anywhere!” I shouted, my eyes sizzling with anger. “Look at me. I’m Michelle.” I thinned out my v
oice to mimic her. “I’ve got a boyfriend who loves me to death, a five-bedroom house, and my purse is too small for my hundreds. God, fate has been so cruel to me!”
“It’s not that simple,” she pointed out, her tone steady. “Did Joe tell you anything?”
“Actually, it is that simple,” I disagreed. “I was falling apart when you fired me. I lost my best friend and my job in seconds. Thank God Donny was there for me when I needed someone.”
“Donny?” Michelle squinted at me, surprise written all over her face.
“Yeah,” I nodded, drawing nearer to her. “The guy I used to consider a jerk turned out to be a great friend. He also paid off my debt. We’re dating now. Isn’t it amazing how life can surprise you sometimes?”
I couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say about all that. My sarcasm and my irony had gone unanswered. I was sure that I’d get her comeback in the next few moments. However, it seemed that Michelle’s mind was too burdened to bother with something like a response. She hung her head in despair and squeezed her eyes shut, letting out another sniffle. Leaning forward, she reached out both hands to me.
“Do not expect my support,” I snapped using an emphatic tone and taking a step back. “You took away my job. You took away my friend. I’d have gone back to stripping or dealing coke if it wasn’t for Donny. Face it, Michelle. Money changed you. You have a good boyfriend, and what do you do? You try to tame him. Donny calls him a lion. He knows him a lot better than I do, so, I’m not going to argue with that. The guy wants to find whoever bombed his mall, and you want him to sit on his ass and do nothing.”
“It’s too dangerous, Ava!” Michelle yelled, her voice riddled with frustration and fear. “He could get killed out there! Both of them could!”
“Wow… I’m shocked.” I pressed my hand to my chest. “Two henchmen can get killed in action? Wake up!” I shouted in her face. “Tell me something. What did Joe do when you met him? Was he, I don’t know, a car salesman? A bank teller? No. He was a henchman. And if you want to get through this, you’re going to have to trust him like you did once.”
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she whispered, a tear spilling from her eye. “He’s out. He’s trying to live a clean life.”
“Well, it did,” I uttered, my voice dropping to its usual volume. “So, suck it up, and let those three go out there and do what they know best. Stop holding Joe back. You and I both know that they’re stronger together.”
I turned on my heels and headed for the door at the end of my phrase. Before I could reach it though, her voice stopped me in my tracks.
“I’m sorry, Ava,” Michelle muttered, holding in a sob. “I was horrible to you,” she continued, striding across her room. “I can’t even imagine how much I let you down.” She made her voice sound sweeter, stepping around me. “Will you forgive me?”
“Come here,” I whispered and wrapped my hands around her back. In a moment, our bodies were locked in a tight embrace. I felt her shaking in my arms, her long curls tickling my cheeks and my neck. “It’s over now.”
“No, it’s not,” she disagreed, leaning back. “I gave you a chance to quit stripping, and I treated you like crap.”
“You forgot my first piece of advice when you accepted that will, Michelle,” I remarked, wiping tears off of her cheeks. “Don’t make any rash decisions. I made a mistake, but you shouldn’t have gone down so hard on me. You should have taken some time to think things over.”
“I know,” she sighed, her eyes locked with mine. “It took me three days to get a good night’s rest after that stupid thing happened.”
“Let it go,” I urged, my lips curving into a smile of hesitation. “Believe me, you’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
“That’s right,” Michelle agreed. “I was scared out of my mind back when those three were fighting Santone. How in the world can I go through all that again?”
“We can do it together,” I suggested. “And if we get bored, we can always call up Helena.”
“Oh, God…” She giggled. “You’re making it sound fun. It’s not. Trust me, it’s not.”
“You’re right, but you should remember who we’re talking about here,” I remarked, putting some force in my voice. “Those three have been fighting their way out of trouble for years. They’re all still alive, which means they’re good at it. Have some faith in them. I know I do.”
“I’ll try,” she said on an exhale. “Who’s going to break the big news to them?”
“That would be me,” I smiled, pushing her aside. “Donny, Joe…” I called out their names, heading to the staircase. Both of them were staring up at me, hands in their pockets. “Would you like the short version or the long version?”
“The short version,” Donny was quick to respond.
“Alright.” My smile widened. “Michelle is okay with you going after the bomber of Joe’s mall. Now, go hunt that son of a bitch down. Call us if you find out anything worth mentioning.”
“You got it.” Donny flashed me a wink, whereas Joe nodded in appreciation to Michelle.
I watched them leave, a mixed sense of fulfillment and satisfaction spreading through me. I had won back both my old job and my friend. Our nasty argument was a thing of the past. I was prepared to forget it and move forward, because Michelle and my new line of work were much too important to me. I hoped she wouldn’t linger on it, either. Neither of us could afford clinging to bad memories. Such a mistake would drive us apart, this time for good.
Chapter Sixteen
Donny
“Let’s kick the tires and light the fires.”
That was my last phrase before Joe switched on the engine of his Landcruiser.
Destination? Shandaken. Bryan and Jimmy had been up there for days, hiding from our enemies. As the powerful SUV roared onto the interstate, I felt my confidence rising. Joe had promised to help out, but it was clear that he had spoken too soon. His sweetheart was causing him—and us—problems, because she refused to face reality. With that issue resolved though, he was free to focus on the case. United, we could find those who wanted us dead, and deliver our own punishment. We had nothing to fear. In fact, it was our rivals who should now fear us. Not so long ago, we conspired against a Mafia Don, killed him, and came out on top. Some people in the organization suspected us, but none of them could prove our involvement. All they had were rumors and hearsay, and although shooting people was common in this life, nobody was shot without at least a shred of proof.
The scenic route to the Catskills sparked conversations between me and Joe. Neither of us had forgotten the tough times we went through when Joe had discovered the true identity of Michelle’s father. It was a time full of tension, tons of adrenaline and a huge desire to break free of the Santone family. We had done some bold and spectacular things, like blowing up his meth super lab. The atmosphere in the car on our way back to Joe’s cabin back then had been just unbelievable. We had been all celebrating, all smiling and cracking jokes, because we knew we had made a dent in his cash flow.
But, once we’d covered that, the mood in my friend’s SUV changed. I didn’t know what was going on in Joe’s head, but what killed my high spirits was simple. If Eric Santone’s cousin was the one who’d blown up that mall, it meant we were not done with that family yet. Worse still, getting to Kevin wasn’t going to be a picnic. He lived three thousand miles away, in a city none of us had ever been to. We knew jack about Los Angeles. And if there was one thing I’d learned in all this time working for the Mafia, it was that knowing the lay of the land was crucial. We just couldn’t run around in that city relying on maps.
The big wheels of the Landcruiser ripped through a patch of snow on the side of the road as Joe turned right and onto his property. The cabin looked like it could use some repairs. Planks on the outer walls had been scarred by hail and snow. There were small holes in quite a few of them, visible even from ten feet away.
A sweet, familiar scent hit my nostrils while my gaze roame
d those walls: Burning wood. Along with the relaxing effect of the fireplace, it was one of the things I’d missed from our time on the mountain. Following Joe in, I found Jimmy banging on the keys of his laptop, whereas Bryan was pushing logs around with a fire iron.
“How’s your holiday, bitches?” I asked, flashing each of them a smile.
“I wouldn’t call chopping down an eighty-foot tree a ‘holiday,’ man.” Bryan spoke, a hint of discomfort in his tone. “You’d run out of firewood, Joe. I went down the slope yesterday. I had to carry that tree up here all by myself, because the computer geek has ‘very delicate hands.’”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true,” Jimmy interjected, not taking his eyes off the screen of his laptop. “I can’t risk so much as a paper cut, let alone carrying a tree.”
“Enough with the bullshit, kid,” Joe groaned. “What have you found so far?”
“Just about everything there is to know about Kevin Santone,” Jimmy announced, easing his computer off his lap and onto the coffee table in front of him. “He’s fifty-three, divorced with two children. I’m not sure what you’ll make of this, but he’s still in New York City. He’s staying at the AC Hotel in Manhattan. And judging by his checkout date, he’s got no intention of leaving anytime soon. It’s March 18th.”
“That’s fifteen days away,” Joe remarked, his face twisting into an expression of confusion. “The mall opening was on February the 20th. Can anyone guess why he’s planning on staying in town for almost a month?”
“That’s easy, buddy,” I maintained, bringing my gaze over to his. “He’s a stockbroker. He’s checking out things on Wall Street.”
“Or he’s planning to take out his cousin’s killer,” Bryan assumed, strutting towards me. “He figures four weeks are enough to find him and get rid of him. Once it’s done, he’ll probably check out sooner than March 18th.”