by K. D Clark
“I know where its at.” She snapped. For the second time this morning she wish she could take her words back. What was wrong with her? Andre comes over in the middle of the night comforts her and stays to make her breakfast in the morning and she can’t stop being frustrated with him. Guilt settles into her stomach. “I’m sorry its just…”
He held up his hand shutting her up. “Eat.”
She nodded and they ate in silence. She scarfed the food down surprised at how hungry she was. She figured that’s just what drinking on a almost empty stomach does to you. She’s lucky she didn’t throw up everywhere. Once she finished her food and drank another glass of water her headache had subsided to almost nothing.
“Thank you.” She said
He nodded. Getting up he let the towel drop to the floor and it took everything in Cassandra to keep her jaw from dropping as he stood in front of her naked. She watched as he walked over to the small sofa and picked up the pair of sweats he wore last night pulling them on along with his t-shirt. He grabbed the keys off the coffee table and tucked them in his pocket.
“I gotta get to the office.” He walked back over to the bed bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before leaving without another word. In the empty apartment Cassandra continued to stare at the front door he had just gone through trying to figure out what had just happened.
* * *
“What did I say?” Andre asked the men sitting around the conference table. He stood at the front rubbing a hand over his face. Matteo sat at the first chair to the left of him. The only one not wearing a suit. His men probably tried to dress up before meeting the Boss. Little did they know this meeting was not going to be pleasant. Unlike Cassandra, Andre liked to work directly with his men as much as he possibly could. Andre liked to stay hands on and in the loop. That way nothing could take him by surprise. It was hard enough letting Liam take care of things in Canada but he wouldn’t let things fly under his radar here. No one spoke. The room grew thick with tension.
“Come on, speak up.”
He heard someone mumble.
“What was that?” He asked.
“You said to keep our heads down. Hands clean and focus on the product.”
“Yes. Heads down, hands clean and what the fuck do I get?” He paused for a moment before slamming his hands down on the table. “A fucking dead Cosa Nostra capo!” He locked eyes with all his men as he looked around the table. “Now, where was I unclear?”
No one spoke. Some men looked back and forth at each other while others had their eyes trained to the wood conference table.
“Who pulled the trigger?” When silence answered him Andre sat down at the head of the table. He leaned back appearing more relaxed. “I don’t expect you to rat. I expect the person who pulled the trigger to be a man and own up to his faults.”
A brief second passed before a young man near the end of the conference table spoke, “It was me.” He blurted. Andre took a moment to examine the man. He looked to be in his early 20’s or late teens with straight blonde hair that was combed back.
“Where did you come from?” Andre asked. Most of the men in his organization have moved up through other gangs like himself. Having smaller crime organizations intertwined together threw off the FEDS. When they started tracing things back to these gangs, they didn’t realize a bigger organization was at large, controlling more then they could imagine.
“Hell’s Angels.”
“You’ve been patched?” Andre asked.
The man nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Why’d you join us?” The rest of the men stayed silent as they talked.
“I heard I could move up, grow, make more money.” A hint of a smile tugged at the mans lip.
Andre smiled back. “Oh yea you can make some money. Move up. You can have anything you want in here. But first you must learn respect.” Andre pulled his Beretta M9 from the holster at his back and slide it across the table. The young man caught it before it could drop over the edge.
“Put it in your mouth.” Andre demanded, looking the young man in the eye. The man moved his hand away from the gun as if he had been burned.
“You want money right? You want to move up in this world? You want power? Lift up the gun and put it in your mouth.” All eyes were trained on Andre as if he had grown too heads.
“Andre.” Matteo whispered. He lifted his hand silencing Matteo at his side.
He leaned closer into the table. “I won’t ask again.”
With a shaky hand the man lifted the gun as if it weighted a hundred pounds. He looked around the room. As if pleading for someone to say something. No one did. He opened his mouth and placed the barrel inside.
“Now the pull the trigger.”
“Andre!” Matteo hissed again. The man shook his head as a tear fell down his face. Some of the men around the table widened their eyes. Those closest to the man scouted their chairs back, bracing themselves.
“This is what you wanted right? A chance? Here’s your chance. Pull the trigger or i’ll do it for you. Die with dignity.”
Tears now streamed down the man’s face but at those words he sniffled and sat up straighter. He slammed his eyes shut. Took two deep breaths. Then pulled the trigger. Besides Andre, each man in the room jumped. The man’s eyes snapped open. Relief flooding his face and he pulled the gun from his mouth and set it on the table. Andre wouldn’t allow a young man to die today in his office building because he had made a stupid mistake. But he would allow him to be taught a lesson.
“Respect. My words are not to be taken lightly. Next time I won’t be so generous. So like I said before heads down, hands clean, focus on the product.”
7
Chapter Six
The sun had started to set as she pulled her Range Rover around the circle drive of the mansion. She had given Leo the day off even though he had fought her on it she eventually won. She wanted to make the hour drive out to her parents house alone so she had some time to think. She parked her car and walked inside. As she stepped into the foyer the smell of pasta filled her nose. Her mother was probably finishing up dinner. Cassandra loved to cook as well. Her mother taught her everything she knew, but running Cosa Nostra didn’t leave much time for her to put her skills to use.
“Mom?” She called through the large home.
“In the kitchen!”
She kicked off her shoes. Leaving them by the front door, the same thing she used to do as a teenager. She padded through the house sitting at one of the bar-stools at the kitchen island.
“Oh my gosh, my daughter that never calls has graced us with her presence.” Her mom joked as she leaned against the counter. Her hair fell down her back in long waves much like Cassandra’s. They were similar in looks. Her father used to say Flora made that baby all by herself. Unlike the other mob wives, her mother hadn’t put on much weight as she aged. She stayed in shape keeping her curves and flat stomach. Only the slight wrinkles on her face and hands gave away her age.
“I get busy, you know this.”
“Mhmm.” Her mother waved her hand dismissing the conversation. “I missed you, so has your father he keeps talking about us having another baby, as if that’s even possible. You better give him a grandchild soon Cass before he goes crazy.”
Cassandra’s face cracked into a smile and she giggled, “Papa, just wants something to take care of. Get him a dog.”
Her mothers eyes widened. “That’s a good idea! You know he’ll hate it at first. Act like he’s too macho to be taken care of a dog.”
“Yea, until you catch them curled up on the couch together.”
Her mother smiled before turning back around and stirring whatever was in the large pot on the stove. Once she was done she sat in the bar-stool next to Cassandra. She set her elbow on the table propping her head up.
“So whats up with you Cass?”
“I need to talk to Papa about some business.”
She nodded. “You’re being careful right? You kn
ow I don’t like any of this but I at least need to know you’re being safe out there.”
Cassandra nodded. “I am.”
Flora patted Cassandra’s leg before standing. “Good, your fathers in his office.”
Cassandra made her way to the second floor and walked into the office without knocking. She’s never needed to. From the time she was able to reach a doorknob her father had allowed her to walk into his office whenever she wanted. Although she had walked in on some intense conversations Donati was having with his men. Her father would merrily wave her the rest of the way inside and tell her to close the door behind her. Her father had never hide this life from her and it now came as natural as breathing. Donati was seated behind the big wood desk eyes trained on his computer.
“Oh, Cass the daughter that never calls.”
“How’d you know it was me?” She asked as she slide into one of the leather chairs opposite of him.
He finally took his eyes off the computer sitting his glasses down and looked at her, “Because you are the only person in this world that would dare walk into this office without knocking.”
“True.”
Donati crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair his large frame taking up a good amount of space.
“Leo came by earlier. He said you forced him to take the day off.”
“He deserves it.” She said.
“Ah, but was it for his benefit or yours?”
Cassandra stayed quiet.
Her father squinted his eyes. “I didn’t raise you to be mute.”
“I needed time to think.” She mumbled.
She wished Leo would stop running to her father about every little thing.
“I heard about the incident with your capo. Calvin was it?”
Cassandra nodded. “Yea.”
“I always liked him, loyal, determined. Did you handle it yet?”
“No, that why I’m here Papa.”
“Ah so this isn’t just a friendly visit. I’m insulted .” He said putting his hand over his heart.
“No your not.” She said
“No I’m not. Go on.”
She sighed. “We got people in our streets cutting into profit, a lot. I sent Calvin to figure out what was going on. I thought he would have it handled. Now he’s dead and this is a much bigger problem then I originally thought. These guys are good Papa.”
“And you’re better you know that. Your making this a big deal and you’re getting emotional because your capo died. Where’s Gio?”
“Finishing up some loose ends in Mexico.”
“Get him here, find out whose in your streets, have a sit down and end this. It doesn’t need to get messy. You know what to do.” He said
Cassandra nodded. “Yea I do.”
Her father cleared his throat and sat up in the chair, “So what’s this I hear about a boy?”
Cassandra’s eyes flew open. “What?”
“You heard me. I have ears and eyes everywhere.”
“You mean Leo.”
He waited for her to respond.
“His name is Andre, he’s just a friend.”
Donati nodded and opened a drawer behind his desk pulling out a manila folder and dropping it on the desk in front of her.
“Andre Murphy, owns a few clubs some restaurants but most of his wealth is tied up in New York real estate and has been for awhile now.” Cassandra flipped through the folder. Copies of business license’s, photos of Andre walking down the street, birth certificate, etc.
“He goes to the office everyday.”
“You’ve been building a folder on him?”
“More then you’ve been doing.” Donati said.
Cassandra didn’t say anything because her father was right. She should have done more research into Andre. Had him followed. Make sure he is who he says. She wanted to be annoyed that her father had been digging into her private life but she had to admit she was a bit relieved.
“Just be careful Cass, now lets go downstairs. Your mom should be almost done with dinner and she won’t hesitate to eat without us.” Cassandra and Donati made their way down the stairs to the big dinning room. Dinner was usually a big event and her parents often invited her aunts and cousins over to eat. Tonight the table felt empty compared to usual. Her mom was finishing setting out plates and silverware.
“Just us tonight?” Cassandra asked.
She nodded. “Yea everyone’s a little busy right now.”
Her father sat at the head of the table. Her mom placed a big bowl of pasta in the middle along with fresh bread. Once everyone had served themselves Cassandra spoke.
“How’s the store going, mom?”
Flora ran a small bookstore not far from the mansion. She obviously never needed to, with the amount of money the mob brought in they lived very comfortably. When Cassandra was younger, Flora would argue with Donati that she needed to keep busy and if he wanted a house wife he should have thought of that before marrying her. Eventually Donati seen it as a opportunity and cleaned some of the money through the bookstore.
Flora sighed. “Its a mess right now. I hired a new girl who doesn’t know fiction from non-fiction. The shelves are a mess and we have some authors coming in next week for signings.”
“I told you, you needed to fire that girl.” Her father said.
“And I told you she just needs some training. She’ll get the hang of it.”
Her father mumbled something under his breath. Her mother just shook her head and smiled. After dinner she helped her mom clean up before promising to stop by more often.
She left the mansion and hoped back into the range rover headed to Tempest. Once she got there she wasn’t surprised that there wasn’t much business to attend to. With Calvin’s death she had her men keeping an eye out on the streets. Giovanni was still in Mexico. She called him to tell him he needed to get back and help her handle some stuff, she kept it vague. With the club seeming to have a slow night and nothing dire to attend to Cassandra found herself twiddling her thumbs. Finally she decided to make her way home.
* * *
She walked into the dark apartment, dropped her keys and the Beretta she had at her back, on the kitchen island before kicking off her shoes. It was rare she found herself at home this early in the night. She wouldn’t be tired for at least a few more hours. She raked her fingers through her hair trying to rid her body of the stress. She opened the fridge rumbling inside for a late night snack not being surprised when she couldn’t find anything. She usually just grabbed something to eat while she was out. It must of been a miracle how Andre was able to make breakfast in the morning. As she stood up to go grab her keys and find some food she heard ruffling coming from the bed. Her heart caught in her throat, and she instantly regretted letting Leo have the day off. She had insistent she didn’t need anyone following her today. She wanted all her capos on the street. She eyed the gun laying on the counter and grabbed it before turning on the light. It took her eyes a few minutes to adjust before she realized who was rolling around in her bed rubbing his eyes. She let out a breath before dropping the gun back on the island.
“What the fuck are you doing here?!” She exclaimed walking towards Andre as he continued to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He stretched and the sheet fell down enough to expose his naked chest.
He sat up in the bed. “I was sleeping.”
“In my bed?! How did you even get in here?”
He nodded in the direction of the front door as if it was the most obvious thing.
“What so you just walked in?” She asked
“No, had to pick the lock.” His eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. “Aren’t you a little early its barely midnight.”
“You know I have so many questions right now but I don’t even have the energy to deal with this.” She said before heading to the door and slipping her shoes back on. Andre jumped out of the bed at the same time pulling on a t-shirt, jeans and shoes. She watched as he grabbed his keys off the the bed
side table.
“I’ll drive.”
She thought about arguing and telling him he wasn’t invited nor did he know where she was going. Instead she said nothing and followed him out to the parking garage to the waiting Lexus. She slid into the leather seat of the car. She started to have flashbacks to what had almost occurred in that backseat just a couple weeks ago and she felt herself blushing.
“Where are we…”
“Just relax.” He cut her off. “Do you trust me?” His dark blue eyes locking with her’s. She hesitated. She thought about the file her father had showed her earlier in the day. Andre hadn’t given her any reason to suspect he was anything except the business man he claimed to be. Otherwise, she would have shot him back in the apartment. So why was she so scared?
“Yea, I trust you.” She said.
A small smile creep on to his face. “Good, put on your seat belt.”
She did as she was told and he pulled out into the empty street. She watched as they passed the quiet city a few late night restaurants and bars lighting up the sidewalk.
* * *
“I’ve never been here.” She admitted taking another lick of her ice cream cone. Andre had bought her one after they had gotten tacos at a small hole in the wall Mexican Restaurant. The sound of the flowing river put her at ease despite the cold Chicago breeze blowing across her face and through her hair.
“You’ve lived in Chicago your whole life and you’ve never been to the river-walk?”
She shook her head. “OK I’ve been to the river-walk obviously but not like this. Not just to stroll around and enjoy it. No one has ever taken me and then…I got busy.”
Andre felt a ping of sadness for the women walking beside him. She seemed so tough and put together but there was so much she had missed out on. Although Andre was a Boss himself he had worked his way up aspiring to be where he was at. He knew from his research she didn’t have friends, never went into a club or bar that she didn’t own and everyday was spent working.