Endings & Beginnings: Book Three of The New Mafia Trilogy

by E. J. Fechenda

  Grant’s breathing was slow and deep aided by the intubation. “Hang in there,” I said, squeezing his hand not knowing if he could hear me, but hoping the words sank in anyway. “Miranda and the baby are going to be okay. You protected her, Grant, now you need to get out of here so you can keep on protecting her.”

  I heard the door open and close behind me. Looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Dr. Hyashi, I was surprised to see my mom. She didn’t hesitate like I did, but rushed right over to stand next to me. Her eyes were red and her damp eyelashes were clumped together with tears. She hugged me and I moved aside so she could take Grant’s hand.

  “Oh Grant, you were always a brave, fearless boy,” my mom said. Her voice cracked; roughened by emotion. She smoothed his hair back with her other hand and adjusted his blankets so he was fully covered. “You always take on so much without it being asked of you.”

  My mom slipped her hand into mine and tugged me closer. For the first time in a long time we were all linked together. It was a shame that it took a tragedy to do it. I vowed then to stay by Grant and help him recover. He had cleaned my bullet wound, changed the bandages and suffered through helping me bathe. Now it was my turn.

  Chapter 17

  DOMINIC

  A uniformed police officer led me to a small, windowless room where I sat down on one of two chairs available around a square table. He left me in there and shut the door, which had a narrow window at the top. A fluorescent light above the table buzzed and flickered. I had been stripped of my personal belongings so had no idea what time it is was or how much time had passed. I hoped Grant was okay. He sure as hell wasn’t doing well before I got cuffed and escorted away. The stricken look on Natalie’s face as I left made me feel so helpless and I feared that this event would send her running to California again, just as we were beginning to find our way back to each other.

  I wanted to punch the table, throw chairs and rip the door from its hinges to let off my frustration, but the little camera in the corner with its red eye trained in my direction, forced me to remain calm. It was bad enough they had legitimate charges on me; trashing police property wasn’t going to win me any points with the judge.

  Minutes, possibly hours, crawled by as I sat in that small room alone with my thoughts. When I heard the door open it was with relief and I welcomed whoever was going to walk through it - I needed to get out of my head. That was until Agent Phillips stepped into the room and sat down across from me, dramatically placing a manila folder on the table. Fuck, I so didn’t want to deal with him.

  He smiled and extended his hand out for me to shake it. “We met briefly after your Uncle’s murder, Special Agent Doug Phillips, FBI.” I ignored his hand, choosing to stare him down instead.

  “I remember.”

  Agent Phillips flipped the folder open and began humming as he shuffled through several pages. Curious, I peered over and saw pictures of numerous crime scenes. I recognized Uncle Marco’s, and the Two Tonys. Their corpses looked different on the pictures, less graphic. Once again, I forced myself to remain calm.

  “What are you doing here, Phillips?”

  “Did you know I recently accepted a new position with the FBI?”

  “No and I really don’t care,” I said, leaning back in the chair and folding my arms across my check, giving the Fed a hard stare.

  Agent Phillips looked up from the file. He smirked and leaned back in his chair as if mimicking me. “I’m now in charge of the Organized Crime Task Force.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled, drumming his fingers on top of the file.

  “Do you want me to throw you fucking a party? It’s kind of hard to do that in here, but it can be arranged.”

  “No. That won’t be necessary, I’ll celebrate when I get forensic results back.”

  “For what?”

  “For a match of your DNA left at other crime scenes. All it takes is a hair or a partial fingerprint. Now that you’re in custody, you’re mine.”

  I put my mask on, the one where I was indifferent to everything going on around me. There was no way that I’d give this asshole the satisfaction of knowing he had me rattled because guaranteed I left a piece of me behind at a crime scene. Things got messy and even when we called in a cleaner, how thorough was he?

  Agent Phillips regarded me, his smirk faded when he didn’t get a rise out of me. I knew better than to say anything without my attorney present. Marco always coached us on what to do if we got pinched.

  “I might not need Natalie after all,” Phillips said and he watched me, waiting for me to snap. Oh he was good, he knew my weakness. I continued to feign indifference and stared blandly back at him.

  At that moment the door swung open and Dante walked in followed by my dad and our attorney who looked down his nose at the Fed. “I’m Mr. Grabano’s council, you need to leave.”

  The fucking balls on this guy! He was worth every penny to keep him on retainer. I smiled at Agent Phillips and waved good bye when he grabbed his folder and stalked to the door, which earned me a disapproving look from both my dad and the lawyer.

  Once the fed was gone though, I became serious again. I needed to know when the fuck I was getting released and if there was any validity to what Phillips claimed.

  Before I could ask any questions, my dad pulled me out of the chair and gave me a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay, son.”

  “How’s Grant?”

  “Last I heard, he’s stable, but in intensive care.”

  “That’s good, really good. How’s Natalie holding up?” I asked Dante.

  “She’s at the hospital. Uncle Al is keeping an eye on her,” he answered and sat down on the edge of the table, unbuttoning his suit jacket first. Dante was always dressed like he worked in corporate America.

  I was relieved to hear about Natalie. She was still around, that was a good sign and would have to be enough until I got out and saw her in person. I ran a hand through my hair and paced the length of the small room, which didn’t provide a lot of space to work off my nervous energy.

  “Does Mom know what’s going on?” I asked my dad.

  “Yeah, the whole fucking family knows. It wouldn’t surprise me if she and your Aunt Gloria are plotting a way to bust you out of here,” he said with a smile, briefly breaking up the serious expression that had taken up residence on his face.

  “That’s all we need.” I sat back down. “Okay Seth, tell me what’s going on?” I said to my attorney. Growing up he was always Mr. Horowitz, but now that I was in charge, we were on a first name basis.

  “The good news is I’m positive I think I can get the unlawful possession of a firearm charge dropped.”

  “Great.”

  “Now for the bad news and that has to do with the FBI. Agent Phillips is doing everything he can to keep you in custody. Without the other charges, you’ll free to go. Do you know why he wants to hold you?”

  “Yeah,” I said and eyed the camera in the corner warily. There was only so much I could say. Any conversation about murder could be twisted and used against me as admission. At least that’s what I learned growing up.

  Seth nodded, “I do too. Do we have reason to be worried?”

  “There’s a possibility,” I said and looked over at my dad who was leaning over the table frowning. He was wearing a dark blue Grabano & Sons t-shirt that was covered in sawdust and must have been on a job site when he got the call. He had cleaned up many a crime scene in his lifetime and knew more than anyone there was a strong likelihood that evidence would be found linking me to one or more homicides. I was never one for God, especially after going to Catholic School, but at that moment I prayed.

  Chapter 18

  Natalie

  My mom and I sat in a waiting room at the end of the floor. Al had left to find me a change of clothes. There were a few other people in the room with us. One woman watched the television with glassy eyes while an older couple were huddled against each othe
r and seemed to be asleep. Windows looked out over the Camden Aquarium and waterfront. If I had binoculars, I’d be able to see Dom’s condo across the river.

  We sat in silence holding hands. I laid my head back against the chair and closed my eyes. All of the shock, adrenaline and various other emotions had drained me and while I was completely exhausted, nervous energy made it impossible to sleep.

  Familiar voices forced me to sit up. Miranda entered the waiting room followed by Cici and Paulina who were clearly upset, especially Paulina. She was tugging on Miranda’s t-shirt as if trying to stop her. That’s when I realized Miranda wasn’t wearing regular clothes and not a hospital gown.

  “You’ve been discharged?” I asked.

  “Yeah and they had to wheel me out to the car in a wheelchair in order for me to come back in as a visitor. So here I am, where’s Grant?”

  “Let’s go see if it’s okay for you to go in. He’s in rough shape,” I warned her as we walked towards the nurse’s station.

  “In sickness and in health, right?”

  “You need to be prepared so you don’t get too stressed.”

  “I get it, Nat, and I’ll be okay. I need to see him.”

  Moments later Miranda stood outside Grant’s room with her hand poised on the doorknob. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail making her look years younger, not a newlywed and expectant mother. Straightening her shoulders, she took a deep breath and opened the door, slipping inside. I waited for her, leaning against the wall across the hallway like Al did for me.

  About ten minutes later a nurse went into Grant’s room and Miranda came out. She was pale and her face was drawn. I knew exactly how she felt after having seen both Dom and my brother unconscious and injured.

  “God, I could use a drink,” she joked in a shaky voice.

  “Don’t let your mom hear that, she’ll put you on lockdown.”

  Miranda laughed and agreed with me. She was quiet and reflective as we walked back to join the others. Visiting hours were almost up, a passing nurse reminded us. None of us wanted to leave, but didn’t have any choice. Al had returned and handed me a shopping bag from Target. “New clothes – you might want to change since the media is still downstairs.”

  “Good idea.” I pictured the reporters as hungry sharks drawn to bloody bait. I changed in the bathroom, which could have served as a walk-in refrigerator. I never understood why hospitals were always so cold. My t-shirt was crispy from the dried blood by this point and that completely grossed me out so I threw it away. My shorts weren’t too bad, but I decided to toss them out too. They were one of my favorite pairs, but the memories of today left them tainted. As I was getting ready to leave, my cell phone rang. I saw it was Chelsea calling and immediately answered.

  “Please tell me you’re okay and you were not at that mall with Dom!”

  “Wait, how do you know about the shooting?”

  “It’s all over the freakin’ news and it’s trending on Twitter. I take it you’re fine since you answered your phone.”

  “I was there and you’re right, I’m fine, but Grant isn’t.”

  Chelsea gasped. “How bad?”

  I told her what I knew and explained that we were getting kicked out of the hospital for the night and I’d give her an update in the morning.

  “So you’re not coming home on Thursday. Is there anything I can take care of for you here?”

  “No, I’ll call Callie at Dirty and let her know what happened. If she can’t hold my position open, so be it.” It was a bar waitressing job after all and I was easily replaceable. I’d have to figure out rent and bills, but those were the least of my concerns.

  “Do you need me there?”

  “No,” I said and my voice cracked. I sniffed back tears, overwhelmed that she even offered.

  “Oh don’t cry then I’ll cry and I’m at work, damn it!”

  I laughed and promised to keep her posted on Grant’s condition. Chelsea was my best friend, more like a sister to me, and talking to her made me feel better. The hallways were empty and half of the overhead fluorescent lights were off. As I was walking towards the elevators to meet up with everyone, an announcement was made over the PA system that visiting hours were over.

  Miranda was going to her mom’s house with Cici and Al was going to check in with Dante and Rico on how things were with Dominic, but he was taking my mom and I back to the hotel first. We were crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge, heading into the city, when my phone rang again and I was surprised to see Victor’s number on the display.

  “Why am I not surprised that you’re involved in the latest shooting tragedy?”

  “You assume a lot, Drago.”

  “Well, Princess, if Dom was there I figured you weren’t too far behind. Am I right?”

  Damn it, he hadn’t known me very long, but he already knew me too well. “Am I that predictable?” This light banter was just what I needed to take my mind off of everything, unfortunately it didn’t last long.

  “I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing and to give you a heads up, Gio saw Dom get brought in and is expecting a call from someone. He wants guarantees that business isn’t affected. Can you pass the word?”

  I glanced in the front seat at my mom and Uncle Al. My mom was looking out the window, but I could tell she was eavesdropping by the tilt of her head in my direction. Al didn’t try to disguise it, and our eyes met in the rearview mirror. I’m sure the mention of Victor’s last name got his attention. “Later,” I mouthed and he nodded, focusing on the traffic again.

  “Yes, I can do that. Thanks for the notice.”

  “No problem. Now that business is out of the way. How are you and what the fuck happened?”

  I told him about Grant and that I didn’t know what was going on with Dom except he had lawyered up, but Dante and Miranda were fine. He didn’t need to know about Miranda’s scare. From what I heard Gio was old school and wasn’t too keen on women being a part of the business. He might see her pregnancy as a weakness.

  “Doesn’t sound too bad and Grant will be okay. If he’s as stubborn as his sister, he’ll be back in action in no time.”

  “Hey, I’m not stubborn!”

  “Ha! I call bullshit, Princess. Call if you need anything, alright?”

  “I will, thanks Victor.”

  I hung up with a smile on my face and I held onto my phone in case someone else called. Leaning my head back against the headrest, my eyelids fluttered closed. A headache had been slowly building and my eyes burned from all of the crying.

  Before long, Al was pulling up in front of the hotel. He got my mom’s suitcase out of the trunk. “Mom, go on in, I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay, Nat,” she wheeled her suitcase behind her and only once she was inside the lobby, did I talk to Uncle Al.

  “What did Victor want?” he asked.

  “He asked me to pass along a message from Gio. Dante needs to call and assure him its business as usual.”

  “Alright, I’ll let him know. Why did Victor call you?”

  “Well, I guess you could say we’re friends,” I said and he raised his eyebrow. “Friends, Uncle Al, nothing more. Sheesh!”

  He smiled then and pulled me into a hug. “Glad to hear that, Nat. Now go get some rest, it’s been a hell of a day.”

  “Goodnight,” I said and stepped out of his arms and met my mom in the lobby where was waiting. I had two nights left for my reservation and since I wasn’t going right back to Los Angeles, I needed to figure out where to stay. Fuck it; I thought to myself, I’ll deal with that later.

  When we walked past the old suite where my mom had stayed she stopped. “I have a different room now, Mom,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “Malfunctioning key card reader – so they moved me to another suite.”

  “Oh.” We continued down the hall, our footsteps muffled by the carpet, and I let us in to the other suite. “It’s just like the other one,” she said, looking around the
small living room and kitchenette.

  We branched off into our separate bedrooms and I hit the shower, eager to rinse the rest of the blood off my skin. I didn’t realize, until I washed my hair, that the ends were covered in it. My hair wasn’t pulled back so it was possible that it got dragged through blood at some point. I shuddered at the memory of Grant’s lifeless body being resuscitated as I stood by helpless.

  After crawling into bed, sleep remained elusive even though I was exhausted. I couldn’t get my mind to power down and I kept thinking about Grant. Life was short and his could have ended right there on the mall floor, but it wasn’t his time just yet. The city had quieted outside by the time I drifted off to sleep with one last thought bouncing around my brain: none of us knew when our time was going to be up and I still had some living to do.

  Chapter 19

  DOMINIC

  I spent the night in a holding cell with two other criminals; a drunk guy who was arrested for DUI and an eighteen year old high school senior who tried to hold up a 7-11 for cigarettes, rolling papers, and a case of beer. We kept to ourselves, especially the drunk guy who passed out and didn’t wake up the entire night, not even to use the toilet, opting to piss his pants instead. His funky ass was rank by the time the officer came around in the morning to take us in for our arraignment hearing.

  Dante, my dad and Seth Horowitz were waiting for me in the courthouse. They sat in the row behind me and Agent Phillips occupied the row diagonal to mine. A guy that looked like Phillip’s clone, who I assumed was another Fed, sat next to him. After a few hearings, it was finally my turn. Seth and I stood up when the judge addressed me after reviewing the case folder.

  “Mr. Grabano, under ordinary circumstances you’d be fined and would have at least a misdemeanor added to your record, but you did a hero’s work yesterday. Several people have come forward claiming that your actions saved several lives.” He pushed his reading glasses up on his nose and looked at me from over them. “Next time, register your firearm and carry a permit. This isn’t Philadelphia. Now, according to the FBI, you’re still a person of interest, so stay out of trouble. Understood? ”