by K. D Clark
All she could do was nod.
Chapter Ten
Cassandra
In the morning it was as if something clicked and one thing became clear. They had to figure this out. Cassandra wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Andre. They sat at the kitchen island in their sweats, both with a cup of coffee in their hands and papers laid out in front of them. Cassandra felt the clearest-headed she’d been in days despite the fact that she hadn’t picked up a joint.
“What percentage of the money is cleaned through Tempest?” Andre asked.
He was staring at the spreadsheets she’d given him along with a list of all the big names in her organization and their positions. All documents that would need to be burned after this were over.
“Between both of them about 70%. I don’t visit the one in New York much, but I have Giovanni there most of the time. He looks over the New York capos. The other 30% goes through the car dealership. The other properties are clean businesses.”
“You need some more men there?” he asked.
“In New York? It wouldn’t hurt anything, and it would get your men out of my streets here. I have Chicago covered. We need to find something permanent you can take over on your own without pissing off my whole organization.”
“Guns?”
“Go it covered. What about the Casinos in Vegas? It looks like you’re doing well with it in Montreal?” she said looking down at her own pile of papers.
Andre shrugged taking a sip of his coffee. “It’s a start, I guess.”
Cassandra grabbed a marker and rounded the island to write on the whiteboard she had set up against the counter. Andre grabbed her around the waist before she could get to it and set her on his lap. He smelled of fresh soap and the stubble on his chin tickled her neck as she leaned into his chest.
“Are we okay?” he asked in her ear. She didn’t need clarification on what he meant.
She nodded. “We’re good, Andre.” She had been hurt of course, but everything that could have been said had been and now they were in agreement. It wasn’t going to be instant. They still had things they needed to work on to get back to where they were. For now, she felt good about where things were heading. She shifted on his lap, and he sucked in a breath of air.
“Oops, sorry,” she said, jumping up. Andre’s face twisted in pain. Apparently, she kneed him a little harder than she thought.
“You want me to call the medic to stop by?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, I’m OK.”
She wrote Las Vegas on the whiteboard and turned around to see Andre mulling over the paperwork. He was right in his element. He looked like the hardworking businessman she had originally thought he was.
“Are you sure about the guns? I think you could be making a lot more there. We have our own connect in Canada, but if you could offer us a better deal, we could work something out.”
Cassandra thought it over. “Depends on what your deal is. We’re running them ourselves, but we don’t have much control over the wholesale price.”
They went back and forth for the rest of the day locked in her apartment and trying to figure out how this was going to work. No matter what she knew, her men were not going to be happy. It was going to take a lot of convincing for them to believe that going through Montreal for guns was a better deal for them. Her men were not stupid, and she was sure rumors had already spread about her and Andre. Mixing business with other organizations could be dangerous. One wrong move could mean a war between them.
“I’m going to have to leave soon,” Andre said, interrupting her thoughts.
They had moved their brainstorming from the kitchen to the living room where Chinese takeout littered the coffee table. She wouldn’t tell him how much she wanted him to stay. Even though there was an understanding between them, things didn’t feel the same and she wasn’t sure now was the time for him to be going anywhere.
“I’ve been out of the country too long; I need to straighten some things out.”
She nodded and unfolded herself from the couch. She walked to her bedside table and grabbed the jar of weed before starting to roll a blunt. She felt arms around her as she licked the bitter rolling paper before setting it down.
“You’re OK with me leaving?” he asked against her ear. The stubble along his jawline tickled her shoulder. He needed to shave.
“Yea, I get it.” The lie rolled off her tongue easily. It was probably better that he left anyway. That way she could focus on dealing with her own side of things without being distracted. Some space might be nice between them. Give her time to breathe and think. Being around Andre made her feel out of control and dazed, and that’s the last thing she needed to be as she delivered this news to Giovanni and her capos. She turned around in his arms, looking up at his face.
“Don’t lie to me,” he said his face blank, blue eyes narrowed on to her. He could always tell when she was hiding something.
She shrugged. “I get it; you need to go back home. You can’t stay gone forever. You have an organization to run and so do I.”
He continued to stare at her, obviously not believing a word she was saying. She let out a breath. She wanted to tell him she didn’t feel like everything was OK between them and that even though they had a plan in place and she understood why he lied, whether she liked it or not, things had changed. She shrugged out of his arms and picked up the blunt, rolling it between her fingers.
“Focus on your side of the business, and I’ll focus on mine.”
Andre’s jaw twitched where it looked like he was clenching his teeth. But he didn’t call her on her bullshit like she expected him to. Instead, he grabbed his car keys off the counter, dropped a kiss to her forehead, and then left without saying another word. She didn’t have time to think about Andre being mad at her or the fact that he was flying out of the country. She needed to feel normal again. She needed to get her head back in the game. She lit her blunt and took a large inhale. She slid on a pair of jeans and heels, threw her hair in a ponytail, and called Leo to let him know she would be leaving to go to the club soon.
*****
“From now on we will be supplying guns to the Montreal Mafia. We will be running larger quantities from Mexico, but Montreal will be picking them up from us. We will be marking them up 20%. In addition to that, some of Montreal’s men will be hanging around the casinos. Nothing for you guys to worry about, but I don’t want any trouble. They stay far from us; we stay far from them.” Giving the brief, Cassandra looked around the office at each of her capos cramped into her office, all wearing freshly pressed suits. Giovanni leaned against the wall behind her desk as still as stone—a silent presence but enough so everyone knew he had her back and would put anyone down that had a problem. She knew he was burning with questions to ask her once everybody left. She intended to leave the meeting with just that, but she knew her father would be disappointed. She lifted the roach up to her mouth and inhaled before relaxing back in the chair as she exhaled.
She sighed, “Any questions?”
No one spoke.
“This is not a trick, and I won’t repeat myself.” She took notice of Lucas standing off in the corner. His hands were balled into a fist. He was not happy about this, and Cassandra could understand why. In his mind, Andre had killed Calvin, but per their conversation in this office the last time, she knew he would stay quiet…for now. He’d be going to New Jersey soon to take over that crew anyway. Then Giovanni would have to deal with him.
“Why are we working with the Montreal Mafia now? We never have before; don’t you think this a little sudden?”
Cassandra raised an eyebrow at one of the men; Jonas was his name—hardworking guy who had hung around the streets a lot as a kid and worked his way up the ranks. Instead of dragging this on, she figured being honest was the best way to put all the whispers to an end.
“As I am sure most of you know of my relationship with the Montreal boss Andre. Rest assured, Calvin’s killer has been d
ealt with and we will not retaliate. We have made a business agreement that benefits us financially and keeps their men off our streets and out of our drugs. Should you experience issues working with the Montreal gang go to Giovanni as he will be sticking around for the next few months. If you have an issue with my relationship please feel free to come to me.”
The last part was a bit of sarcasm. No one would dare come to sit down and talk with Cassandra about her relationship. Not unless they wanted their nuts hung from a tree.
“Understood?”
Mumbles of “yes boss” and head nods answered her back.
Andre
He jerked awake as the plane hit the runway. He had planned to go to Tempest last night to talk some more things out with Cassandra. But he thought better of it and decided to give her the space she needed. He had stayed at his penthouse last night and caught an early flight. He had to remind himself that this was all new to her. She’s not used to answering to anyone but herself. The only drama in her life usually revolved around Cosa Nostra. She’s never had a personal life, and Andre wanted to give her time to think, even if it killed him. He got off the plane with the rest of first class and made his way through the busy Montreal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. He walked outside and nodded at the driver standing by an all-black Mercedes-Benz. As soon as he turned his phone back on, it started to ring.
“Andre,” he answered.
“How was the flight, Boss?” Felix asked over the phone as Andre slid into the cool leather seats of the car.
“Cramped. I’m flying private next time. Swing by my place in twenty so we can go over the tributes. Schedule a sit down with the men tonight. We have a lot to discuss.”
“I’m on it, Boss.” Once Felix hung up, Andre leaned back against the seat. It will be nice to start dealing with actual business instead of the front he had put on in the States. He’ll leave that to Matteo, that’s where he thrived anyway. Plus it looks like Matteo wouldn’t mind the American girls. It was 8:00 a.m. in Montreal, so he figured she’d be asleep but decided to pull out his phone and send a text message anyway.
I miss you.
Before he could put his phone back in his pocket, it vibrated.
I know :)
He smirked; he expected nothing less. It wasn’t a long drive from the airport to his house. As the car pulled around the circle drive, the house felt more massive than the last time he was here. He had gotten used to Cassandra’s small studio. He could imagine her turning this mini-mansion into a space of her own. He walked into the foyer, and the mansion felt empty. Felix was already in the dining room. Andre sat down at the unnecessarily huge dining room table and looked over a few spreadsheets that were sitting out. After a few moments, he said, “I don’t think you need me to tell you who is short on Tribute. The numbers are pretty clear to me. Tribute is in three days; we have the sit-down tonight; let’s see if he keeps it up. As I suspected, men are getting a bit wild since I’ve been gone so long.”
“How long until this is permanent? The more time you spend in the States the more they will try doing stupid shit like this.”
Andre ran a hand over his face. That is something Cassandra and he had omitted from talking about while they were coming up with the plan between their organizations. Andre couldn’t stay in the States forever, and Cassandra was so engrossed in every part of Cosa Nostra that her leaving was not an option.
“I don’t know; let’s just focus on the few days I’m here. I have some new business to discuss.”
Felix nodded as a knock sounded on the door. While he stood up to answer it, Andre gathered the few pieces of paper in front of him and stuffed them in the nearby kitchen drawer. Handshakes, pats on the back, and smiles were spread around as his men made their way into the dining room. They grabbed themselves a drink and took a seat. The men chatted as they waited for everyone to arrive. Unlike Cassandra who ruled Cosa Nostra with fear and intimidation, Andre was much more open in his approach to business. The room grew silent as Andre spoke, “As you all know I’ve been away for a minute. I’m glad to see things have run smoothly. Now that I’m back, I have a few announcements that will please everybody.”
He scanned the room, meeting each man’s eyes; they all seemed at ease as they drank their whiskey and cognac.
“We now have a new gun supplier offering a lower rate and a bigger supply. With the FEDS off our backs, we will supply to the West End Gang and Hell’s Angels, as well as sell the rest on the street for a higher profit margin. That means I’ll need a gunrunner.”
A few of his men spoke up showing interest.
“Perfect! We will discuss in further detail later. The second thing is more gambling opportunity; I will need some men stationed in Las Vegas.”
More men mumbled their interest.
“Alright, I will set up sometime later this week to talk with my new gunrunners and Las Vegas friends. Any questions?”
They looked back and forth between each other.
After a moment, Andre said, “Good, let’s eat.”
Cassandra
It was four o’clock, and usually, she would be dressed and on the way to check out a shipment they had just gotten in. She couldn’t pull her head out of the toilet long enough to get dressed or put on makeup. She wouldn’t allow herself to freak out unless she had a reason to. She finally pulled herself together enough to walk into the living room area.
“Leo, I need you to do something for me, and for once in your life do not say anything to my dad.”
Leo lifted his bald head up to meet her eyes. He was currently sitting on the couch watching the news, waiting for her to finish getting ready. In the couple of days that Andre had been gone, she had been able to get back into her routine. It felt good to get back into the flow of things, but she felt like something was missing. She and Andre had sent a few quick texts, but nothing too personal. When he got back, they needed to talk, but she was going to avoid it as much as possible until then. Keeping their organizations from having a street war was the first priority, but now she wasn’t sure what to do next, especially with what she was about to ask Leo.
“What’s up?” Leo asked.
She looked down at her phone again to double-check: two weeks late for her period. How could she have not noticed? She and Andre were sloppy when it came to sex because she couldn’t think straight when she was with him. Much less when she was under him.
“I need you to stop at the store and pick me up something.”
Leo cocked an eyebrow.
She took a deep breath. “I need you to pick up a pregnancy test.”
Leo grunted, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. He stood up and made his way out of the apartment without a word. Once he left, she rested back on the couch. She had been feeling nauseated for the last few days, but that could have be anything. She couldn’t be pregnant, not as the boss of Cosa Nostra. She pulled out her phone and called Gio; it rang two times before he picked up.
“Gio,” he answered, his voice filled with sleep. Like herself, there was a good chance Giovanni was just waking up.
“I need you to go down to the doc and check on the incoming shipment for me. I was going to go myself but something came up.”
He yawned. “Alright, will I see you at Tempest tonight?”
She looked down at her stomach. “Most likely.”
She hung up and started pacing across the hardwood floors, almost burning a hole through her socks as she waited. It felt like hours before Leo got back to the apartment carrying a plastic grocery bag clear enough that she could see the pink package of the pregnancy test inside. She took the bag from him and rushed into the bathroom. She was ready to put all this worrying and nonsense to rest. Once the test came back negative, she could get dressed and take care of what she needed to take care of. She wouldn’t let her mind wander to the possibility of anything except a negative result. Her knee shook as she sat on the edge of the bathtub and waited for the longest five mi
nutes of her life. She felt her heart drop as she walked to the sink and picked up the pregnancy test and stared at the two pink lines. Positive. She stared at the two pink lines for what felt like forever before she sat back down on the edge of the bathtub and let the tears fall down her cheek. There was no way she could do this. She had a bull’s-eye on her back every time she walked out her front door. What kind of person would bring a child into that? At the moment she wasn’t even sure where she stood with Andre. What was she supposed to do? Stay in Chicago and raise a kid while Andre was off in Canada running his own organization? She slept until four o’clock every day. Babies need to be fed every two hours. She couldn’t bring a baby into a nightclub with men who killed people and sold drugs for a living. She kills people and sells drugs for a living! She put her head between her knees trying to catch her breath. She was so stupid. She should have gotten on the pill as soon as she started seeing Andre. A baby. Andre’s baby was growing inside of her. She made the decision fast before she could talk herself out of it. She didn’t bother to get dressed instead of staying in her sweatpants and T-shirt. She quickly walked out of the apartment, Leo following close behind. They both got into the SUV, and she asked Leo to drive her to the clinic. As Leo pulled up to the clinic, he looked at her through the rearview mirror.
“Not a word to my father,” she reminded him.
Leo nodded. She sat there for a moment, just looking at the clinic. Feeling like the biggest coward in the world. It was unrealistic if she thought she could care for a child in this life. Just because she made her decision didn’t make it any easier to go through with. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry, not one tear until it was over. She could grieve afterward. Finally, she opened the door to the SUV, stowed her shaky hands into the pocket of her hoodie, and made her way inside.
*****
The sun seemed brighter as she stepped outside. The tears had long dried on her face. She looked to the street, expecting to see Leo with the SUV. Instead, she found Andre dressed in his usual business attire, leaning against his Lexus. Her heart dropped to her stomach. He was never supposed to know. The guilt instantly starting eating at her at the sight of him. He didn’t look angry or sad, just concerned. She walked to the car, keeping her eyes on the concrete to avoid making eye contact with him. When she got close enough to him, he grabbed her chin and lifted it so her eyes meet his. His eyebrows came together in a worried expression.