My jaw dropped when a giant of a man stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight. He hulked down toward the ring and I grew uneasy. If the first two fights made me anxious, this fight was going to be brutal. I imagined two boulders colliding. The air was rank with the stench of blood, sweat and adrenaline. At this stage in the evening, the majority of the crowd was drunk and their constant bellowing of cheers and taunts had grown so loud my ears were ringing. I could see how people got caught up in the excitement; this sport was something that appealed to their baser nature, but it didn’t appeal to me at all.
Egan didn’t appear phased by his opponent who stood at least two inches taller. They met in the middle of the ring, their muscular chests puffed out like two apes. There wasn’t an official referee; this wasn’t a sanctioned event, the guy in the ring in between rounds was there to make sure injuries weren’t too severe. How this guy could tell the difference was beyond me since these fights consisted of two men, hopped up on testosterone, prepared to beat the shit out of each other. They did adhere to the rule that once one of the boxers hit the mat and was down for longer than ten seconds, the match was over.
Dom placed his hand over mine, gently pulling it off of his leg. I hadn’t realized my fingers were digging into his thigh. “Come on, we’re leaving. I can tell you’re not dealing with this well.” He stood up, taking me along with him.
Dante grabbed Dom’s arm. “You can’t leave. You’ll insult Egan,” he said.
“I don’t give a fuck. I gotta get Nat out of here.” With his hand on the small of my back, Dom and I left the gym. Just being in the quieter hallway made a difference; the band tightening around my chest eased and I took a deep breath. I could still hear the fight, but it was a faint echo in comparison. The hallway smelled of fresh paint and every once in a while I caught a whiff of beer. I welcomed these scents over blood. After what had happened at the mall, my quota for witnessing bloodshed had been reached. “You okay?” Dom asked, keeping his hand on my back and guiding me further away from the gym.
“Better, thanks. That was…interesting.”
“I knew it wasn’t going to be your thing.”
“Yeah, but I had to at least find out. That whole don’t knock it ‘til you try it philosophy.
We went back to the bar where a few people lingered, but mostly everyone was watching the fights. A couple of the TV’s showed the fight, but I sat with my back to the screens. Dominic slid into the booth next to me. His hand landed on my thigh and he gave it a light squeeze. “Want anything to drink?”
“A brandy would be good,” I said, remembering when Uncle Al had ordered that for me after I first witnessed Grant killing three men, back when this all started. The magic elixir settled my stomach and blanketed my nerves in soothing warmth.
Dom returned with a glass of the amber liquid. As I sipped my brandy, he quietly studied me. “What?” I asked.
“I’m amazed you’re here, sitting with me after all you’ve been through. I missed having you by my side.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Also, you look absolutely amazing.”
Heat bloomed low in my body and it wasn’t from the alcohol. Having Dom so close to me, remembering how his lips felt on other parts of my body made my pulse beat a little faster. Even the spicy woodsy scent of his cologne triggered a response. No other man made me feel this way. I knew Dom was a violent man, but never towards me. I always felt safe, protected, treasured and desired in his presence; this duality made him so complex, but also fascinating. My brother had the same dynamic. The two most important men in my life were dangerous and powerful, yet they were capable of loving just as hard.
Chelsea told me that if I truly loved Dom, then I needed to accept him for who he is; faults and all. I knew he accepted my baggage. He didn’t turn away after Mr. Genovese assaulted me and I spiraled to my lowest. I abandoned him and dated another man, yet he still wanted me by his side. It was crazy and made my head hurt. Could I accept Dominic’s violent life, the way he was born and raised? It didn’t work out so well the first time, but I was forced into making that decision. If I entered willingly, could it be different?
I pondered this as I sipped my drink and Dom’s finger traced lazy circles on the top of my thigh. Our peace was soon interrupted when the fights ended and the bar began to fill up. Dante slid in the booth across from us followed by Jin and his men. I spotted Demetrius at another table with a tall redhead by his side. A weird energy crackled and hovered over the table as they guys came down from their adrenaline highs of watching grown men beat each other. Just as the energy seemed to be settling down, Egan’s appearance caused it to return. He pulled up a chair and sat down at the end of our table, his split lips twisted into a smirk.
“Too much for you to handle that ya had to leave, Grabano?” he asked Dom, chuckling as he clearly entertained himself.
“No. It was too much for me,” I responded.
“What, got your old lady speaking for you now?” Egan teased further. I felt Dom’s hand that rested on my thigh curl into a fist, so I placed mine on top. He tensed up briefly and then relaxed.
“Show some fucking respect,” Dom snarled. “So did you win or lose?”
“I always win.” His smirk turned into a shit-eating grin and he winked at me.
I rolled my eyes, lifting the glass to my lips for a sip, swallowing a smartass remark along with the brandy. Clearly Egan was drunk on testosterone and his ego and I didn’t need to encourage his antagonistic attitude towards Dom. Besides, I knew Dom could handle himself.
“Right, so the shipment is on as planned?” Jin said, interrupting and steering the conversation to business.
“Yeah, we’re all set. It will be coming in the next two weeks,” Dom confirmed.
“It’d better be worth the wait and now with the heat you’re getting from the shooting, it better be a smooth transaction,” Egan added.
“Or what?” Dom countered.
“Or I’m fucking out and I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
“You know my offer is the best out there and I have access to the best product.” Dom leaned forward, his words barked out in a tightly controlled whisper. “Good luck going elsewhere.”
The tension ratcheted up as the situation was quickly devolving into a display of two alphas competing for dominance. In my mind I pictured majestic elks getting ready to clash and almost snorted.
“Guys, while I love how cozy we are here, I’d rather not know the inner-workings of your ‘business’.” I emphasized the last word with air quotes. While they didn’t outright say what the product being shipped was, I knew what they were talking about.
“Your girl’s right, Dom,” Chan said, regarding me with his dark eyes. “I don’t trust anyone I don’t know.”
“I’m not going to say anything to anyone,” I said, immediately coming to my own defense.
“No offense, sweetheart, but I’ve heard that before.”
He glared at me and I broke eye contact, turning to Dom. “I’ll go sit at the bar if you need to discuss business. Maybe it’s best I don’t hear anymore.”
Dom’s lips were pursed into a narrow line as we regarded each other. There was an expression on his face, one I hadn’t seen before, as if Chan’s words planted a seed of doubt about me, but before I could examine it further his smile chased the expression away and he stood up to let me out of the booth.
“I won’t be long and then I’ll take you home.” He bent down and lightly kissed my cheek before I walked across the crowded room to sit at the bar, ordering another brandy as my nerves were unsettled all over again. Not from the conversation I just left, but from Dominic’s expression. Did he know about the deal Jason’s father tried to broker with Special Agent Phillips for me to enter WITSEC; the deal I shut down?
Chapter 24
DOMINIC
Natalie was quiet on the drive back to the city. A crease between her eyebrows had taken up residence the longer the silence went on.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.
“No,” she said with a sigh and turned back to look out the window. She was gnawing on her bottom lip like she had something more to say.
“So why the silent treatment?”
She shrugged and continued to face away from me. “I’m just tired.”
“Uh huh.”
We had just passed Temple University’s main campus when I heard her take a deep breath before speaking again. “Do you trust me, Dom?”
I didn’t answer right away. I did trust her, wanted to trust her completely, but also knew she was holding something back; something that happened in L.A. and I didn’t want to be an asshole by forcing her to tell me. I wasn’t going to interrogate her, but didn’t like that she was keeping secrets so I decided to just be straight up.
“Did anything happen in L.A. that you want to talk about? I feel like there is.”
Natalie licked her lips and swallowed. “No,” she answered and even though she maintained eye contact, I noticed a flutter, almost like a tic in the corner of her right eye. I knew how to read people, call it an occupational necessity and that tell told me everything. Natalie was lying.
“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me.” I was giving her another chance, more than I gave anyone.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She looked away this time as we turned up the parkway and approached her hotel. I squeezed the steering wheel tight, resisting the urge to keep her in the car until she talked to me. The doorman opened her door and Natalie started to get out, but she twisted around in the seat to look at me.
“You never answered my question,” she said.
“What was that?”
“Do you trust me?”
Would she hurt me again? Yes. She was the only one capable of hurting me. Would she turn on me and Grant? No. I didn’t think so. “Yes, Natalie. I trust you.”
“Okay,” she whispered and got out. I was left with the soft floral scent of her perfume and wondering what exactly it was she refused to tell me.
Trust was a rare commodity in my world and there were a handful of people I could talk to objectively about this. Grant was in the hospital and it was too late to bother Miranda. Dante was probably getting his dick wet somewhere and Uncle Al was managing operations at Butter so that left one person: my dad. It was late, but I knew he’d be up.
I sent off a quick text message to let him know I was coming over and to not blow my head off when I let myself in the house.
As soon as I stepped inside, the familiar smells surrounded me; garlicky remnants from dinner mixed with citrus scented candles my mom loved. A lamp in the living room provided enough light to spill into the hallway, but I knew the layout of this house and could walk through in the pitch black. I’d done that before whenever I snuck in after curfew. I walked toward the kitchen at the back of the house and saw a thin line of light underneath my dad’s closed office door. I rapped on it once and he told me to enter.
My dad was hunched over his desk that was covered in blueprints and contracts. He had one hand buried in his salt and pepper hair and the other circled around a glass of scotch. This was a familiar sight and one burned in my memory from childhood.
“Hey Dad, where is everyone?”
“Hi son,” he said, leaning back and stretching. “Your mom went to bed and your sister is at a sleepover. Apparently your brother is hanging with Johnny and who knows where they are. Those two remind me of you and Dante – more brothers than cousins.”
I laughed and sat down on the brown leather loveseat that was against the wall opposite the gas fireplace. In the winter this room was the warmest place in the house. I spent a lot of time locked away in here discussing business or enduring lectures about my choices.
“So what brings you here this late? Everything okay?”
“Yeah…no…I don’t know.” With a sigh, I sunk back in the sofa and stretched my legs out, but couldn’t get comfortable so I stood up and crossed the room to the small bar in the corner. I poured myself a scotch and tried settling back into the loveseat.
“Is this about business or Grant…” my dad trailed off and chuckled.
“What?”
“This is about Natalie, isn’t it?” he asked and shook his head. “Only a girl can get you tied up in knots like this.”
“I’m not,” I started to protest.
“Dominic, I’m your father and can tell these things. I remember when you liked Julia Samaratino your freshman year. She turned you down when you asked her out and it was such a blow to your ego. You acted all fidgety and restless then, just like you are now.”
I glared at him, annoyed yet relieved he could read me so well. “Fine, you’re right, it’s about Nat.” Just as I started to tell him, there was a light knock on the door right before it opened. My mom peeked her head in and smiled when she saw me.
“I thought I heard someone come in,” she said.
“Sorry to wake you, Ma.”
“Don’t be. What’s going on?” She looked back and forth between me and my dad, noticing the glasses of scotch and our rumpled hair.
“Dom’s having issues with Natalie,” my dad said and I glared at him again. Ever since I found out that my mom helped fund Natalie’s escape to L.A. and didn’t say a damn thing about it, I’d been a little pissed off.
“Of course he is,” she said and flashed a slight smile before tightening her silk robe and tentatively taking a seat next to me as if she was waiting for me to kick her out. I hated that she was scared of me and she had every right to be. I held a gun to my dad’s head in front of her and freaked out when she told me about her involvement with Natalie. I wasn’t proud of those moments. While dad had understood and already moved past that night, mom and I still had some shit to work out between us. “Maybe I can help by adding a woman’s perspective?”
She had a point and I had to admit it was nice having my parents there. For the first time in a long time I wasn’t Dominic the mob boss, but just Dominic, the oldest son of Rico and Angela Grabano, seeking relationship advice about a girl I loved.
So I proceeded to tell them about Natalie and how I thought she was keeping something from me. Immediately my dad became concerned about everything Natalie knew, information that could make us all see a lot of prison time.
“Dad, Nat’s not a rat. Do you think she’ll do that to Grant? You know how close they are.”
“Family has turned against family before,” he said pointedly. He didn’t to say it; I knew he was referring to Uncle Marco. “What if Grant’s life is threatened, do you think she’d turn witness to save him?”
I had to refill my glass after that suggestion because it was a possibility. Natalie would do anything to keep Grant safe.
“She won’t say anything,” my mom spoke up. For the most part she had been sitting quietly, listening to us talk.
“You don’t know that, Angela,” my dad snapped.
“Yes, I do because she would have turned already and made a deal for both her and her brother. She’s been victimized horribly with the assault and the shooting. If that didn’t force her to seek federal protection, nothing will.”
“Ma, you’ve never been involved in this side of the family business before. How do you know?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Because I’ve been married to your father for 25-years and I’ve learned a few things. Plus, for as much as that girl has been through, she loves her brother fiercely…and she loves you. A woman in love will endure just about anything.” She glanced over at my dad and smiled. His face softened from that one look and he winked at her.
“How do you know she still loves me?”
“Because she told me and I can tell by the way she looks at you.”
Tension pressed down on my shoulders at the thought of my mom and Natalie talking about me and our relationship. The last time that happened, Natalie disappeared and moved to L.A.
“Stop it, Dominic. I can tell by the way you’re pursing your lips tha
t you’re upset. It was an innocent conversation in the ladies room and nothing more. Now, let me ask you this, and listen to your gut on this, do you think Natalie is playing you and talking to the FBI?”
I exhaled sharply and ran a hand through my hair, but didn’t have to think about it very long. “No.”
“There’s your answer. If you feel Natalie is keeping something from you, it’s probably for your benefit. A girl’s allowed to have her secrets, you know?”
“Are you keeping secrets from me?” my dad asked.
“Maybe,” she teased and started to leave the room. “Dominic, give Natalie some space and let her focus on her brother.”
I left a few minutes later feeling better after talking things out with my parents. I’d give Natalie some space and be supportive from a distance. It was going to be hard, but I needed to focus on the business too. I wasn’t surprised to see Leo sitting on the front stoop waiting for me.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked.
“Your dad texted me.” Leo stood up and dusted off the back of his jeans.
“Any issue with the Feds?”
“Nah, I went for a drive and lost my tail out by the King of Prussia mall.”
I laughed and shook my head at the lengths Leo went through. He probably enjoyed fucking with the Feds. That was just the beginning. Special Agent Phillips had no idea what was coming.
Chapter 25
It took about a week of surveillance in order for me to make my move. I had all of our crew in action scouting out the area surrounding the concrete and glass building on Arch Street. Leo took his girlfriend on a romantic carriage ride that went right past the building. He took pictures of all the street lights and visible cameras. Johnny, Anthony and Paulie hung out at Independence Mall one afternoon and after grabbing hot dogs from a cart, sat on the wall directly outside the building. They made sure to keep their heads down and baseball caps lowered so the bills concealed their faces in shadow.
Endings & Beginnings: Book Three of The New Mafia Trilogy Page 18