by Magan Vernon
“Nonna said we can play with her hair toys!” Gabby yelled from her booster seat.
“Yeah!” Jackie smiled, looking over at Gabby.
“You’re going to have a new woman when you come back,” Ang said.
I stood up. “Hopefully she won’t have changed too much.” I poured a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table and walked through the dining room and living room and out onto the back deck.
Dad stood there, slowly drinking from his mug and looking out into the darkness at the trees. When I closed the door he slowly turned and smiled. “Thanks for coming tonight, Nicky.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice. Something has to be done about our situation.” I closed the distance between us and leaned on the railing next to him. The deck was huge and wrapped around the entire back end of the house with a gazebo at one end where the patio furniture was and grill and hot tub next to that. It all looked brand new because no one ever used it. I knew Ang hosted a few parties in high school and during college breaks, but that was about it.
Dad glanced back at the house, even though the curtains were pulled and he couldn’t see inside. “Do you love her, Nicky?”
I nodded. There was no sense in hiding it from him. He could sense my bullshit anyway. “Yeah. I do.”
“I guess you must if you’re willing to bring her into this family. You know she’s just as much a part of this El Lobo shit as the rest of us. Maybe even more so.” He slowly sipped his coffee, staring back out into the woods.
“I know. What happened at her place scared the shit out of me. I don’t want them to come after her like that again, or to have any more of our family members bleed because of that fucker.”
Dad licked his lips. “Then we have to hit them where it hurts, let them know that they don’t own us. Put an end to them so they can’t fight anymore.”
“How do we do that? Take them all out fucking vigilante style? Everything I’ve thought of just seems to come back to bight me in the ass.” I raised my hands. I was up for anything that would stop the fucker at that point.
Dad shook his head, smiling slightly. “Sometimes I forget that you’re still a kid at heart.” He turned to me, his dark eyes locked on mine, the smile wiping from his face. “No. You find the heart of the matter and you take it out. You find what El Lobo loves and you rip it from him. You make it look like an accident. You cover your tracks so well that when the police chief questions me about it I can say, ‘Look at the evidence, Chief, it points to this guy.’” He pointed a finger at me, as if he was about to jab it right into my skull. “Do you understand what I’m saying? You have to be smart. None of this fucking fly by the seat of your pants bullshit like you did with that bastardo gangbanger. You have to plan it out. Keep me in the loop and nothing happens without me knowing about it first, capeesh?”
I nodded. “Okay. I can do that.” I licked my lips and took a sip of my coffee. “I just have to think about it first. Rethink the plan.”
A small smile crept on his face. “That’s what I like to hear. You’re using your head for once. And not just the once in your pants.”
“Fuck, Dad, don’t use a dick joke on me.”
He laughed, patting my shoulder. “I’m just giving you a hard time. I have to find a little humor in things.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I sipped my coffee.
“Now that we’ve come to an understanding, I’ll let you get back to Jackie. Hopefully Gabby’s taken good care of her.” Dad patted my back.
“Yeah. I hope so too.” Just like he hadn’t been taking care of Mom. But that would soon change. I was going to make a difference. For Mom. For Jackie. For the famiglia.
Chapter 19
“This gym is even more in the ghetto than ours.” Dominic stared out the front window when the GPS told us to turn down a narrow, one-way street on the south side. I kept my focus on the road.
“Yeah, I never said El Lobo was a fancy guy, but at least we won’t stick out in this POS.” The car was one of the usual pieces of shit that Larry sold us at Larry’s Imports, which wasn’t really an import shop at all, but where he sold and bought totaled cars. This one looked like shit but ran, and we’d get rid of it when we were done with the job.
“And this guy said he’s gonna meet us there?” Dominic glanced at me.
“Yeah, the dude is looking for his next fix. He was willing to sell us anything.”
Dominic shook his head. “How’d you get away with talking to him without Jackie noticing?”
I shrugged. “One of my guys said Twitch was outside having a smoke when he pulled up to the gym, so he said his boss wanted to know where he could score and made arrangements to meet here.”
“Aren’t you afraid that he’s going to tell her?”
I shook my head. “Tweakers like that aren’t going to blab shit. Especially not when he wants money.”
Dominic exhaled. “Hopefully you’re right and it’s not just one big fucking trap.”
“I know what I’m doing. Do you not trust me or something?” I snapped.
Dominic put his hands up for a second then put them back on the wheel. “Hey, calm down, cuz. I was just saying that I don’t want to get caught. I’ve never done one of these without some backup and I’m fucking scared, okay? Is that what you want to hear? That I’m being a big fucking pussy right now?”
I laughed slightly, shaking my head. “It’s fine to be scared. It’s not like our line of work is easy.”
“No, it’s fucking not. Sometimes I wish I could just be like my dad and be one of the guys that hangs out at the restaurant whose only job is helping with alibis.”
I stared at him full-on. That didn’t sound like the Dominic I knew, the kid who always worshipped my dad and me and acted like he wanted to be the next Don. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? I thought this was what you wanted.”
He licked his lips. “I always thought it was. I did. It sounds fun to have all this action in theory, but in actual practice it’s a fucking nightmare. I’d rather have my fights in the cage and leave it there.”
I nodded. “Now you know how I feel.”
He glanced over at me before turning down another street into a warehouse district. “Then how do we get out of it?”
“We don’t.”
“I was afraid that was what you were going to say.”
I sighed. “These are the demons we just have to live with. I’ve been fighting them for years. All I’ve ever wanted to do was be a fighter. Just keep the fight in the cage and away from all this family bullshit. But now this shit directly involves us and we have to deal with it the only way we know how, and make sure that we end it for good so it doesn’t come back.”
“Hopefully this works and they don’t come back.”
I looked out the window as the sign for El Matador came into view. El Lobo and his gang’s gym. It was just a small warehouse with some bags and a ring, but a fighter didn’t need much more. We’d been staking it out for the past two days, making sure we knew exactly what we were dealing with. I had two of my guys sign up to train under El Lobo so they could learn the ins and outs of the layout of the gym and plant everything we needed.
Dominic pulled into the parking lot at the back next to a VW bus. Of course the tweaker, Twitch, would drive one of those. “Looks like he’s already here and waiting,” I said, unbuckling what was left of the seatbelt.
“I’m not used to these guys being prompt,” Dominic said and pried the door open. I didn’t even bother opening my door, just jumped out of the window, General Lee style.
“There’s a first time for everything.” I put my hands in my pockets, walking alongside Dominic toward the back of the building. “The dude says he’s a regular here.”
“A crack-head who’s a regular at a gym.” Dominic shook his head. “This shit just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”
We went around to the back and there stood Twitch near the back door, under a small neon sign that was half burnt out. He li
fted his head, smiling and showing off a gold grill. “If it isn’t El Principe here to grace me with his presence.”
“’Sup, Twitch?” I nodded and closed the distance between us.
He turned his steely eyes toward Dominic. “Who’s this fucker? You told me to come alone and you bring another guy with you? That shit’s messed up.”
I put my hands up. “Hey, no need to get your panties in a bunch. This is my cousin, Dom. He’s the one that was looking for some. That’s why I brought him.”
Twitch flipped his dreadlocks over his shoulder and looked around the parking lot. “Obviously your boy’s been getting a lot of it if he’s spending his money on product instead of his wheels.” His giggle was raspy.
“Can I just get my shit? I gotta be somewhere.” Dom shoved his hands into his pocket, kicking at the gravel. At least he pulled off the anxious thing well.
“Yeah man, yeah. I got what you need.” He pulled a small baggie out of the pocket of his frayed cargo shorts and dropped it on the ground.
I pulled a few twenties out of my pocket and dropped them next to the baggie. Twitch bent down and grabbed the money, counting the bills quickly while I picked up the baggie.
“That’s what I love about you Dago fuckers, you always have the money up front.”
I slid the baggie in my pocket. “Yeah, we good?”
Twitch raised an eyebrow, stuffing the money in his pocket. “You don’t want to smoke some with me first?”
“No, man, we’ve got to get going,” Dom said, looking back at the car and then at Twitch.
“Come on, just one quick smoke. Let me have some time with El Principe.” Twitch grinned and it took everything I had to keep my hands in my pockets and not smack the slimy smile off his face.
“Nah, I’m good man,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t touch the stuff.”
“What, you don’t want Jackie finding out about this?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Hey, we agreed this stays between us. It’s for my cousin and you know that. Tell her about this and I break your fucking neck.” I jabbed a finger at his chest.
“If he makes it that far,” Dom muttered under his breath.
Twitch’s eyes widened in recognition. “Holy fuck, this is a set-up isn’t it?” He pointed his finger between us and then pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m calling Ricky. Fuck you Dago fuckers.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you...” I growled.
“Watch me, bitch,” Twitch spat, putting his phone up to his ear. The crack of Dominic’s fist into his jaw knocked the phone out of Twitch’s hand and shattered it on the ground. Twitch’s eyes stayed wide until his head slammed against the concrete wall behind him and then he fell with a loud thud to the gravel.
I looked down at his body, kicking at his arm to make sure he was out. “Well, that wasn’t part of the plan.”
Dominic turned Twitch’s phone over with his foot, the screen black and completely shattered. The call obviously never went through. “Yeah, I had to improvise.”
I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Should we get out of here?”
“Yeah.” Dominic nodded. “ Let’s light em up.”
Dominic ran to the car and I waited until he was inside and had it running, taking one last look at the ground where Twitch lay. I’d wanted to punch him since the day he walked in and threatened to tell Jackie’s boss about us fooling around in the shop, acting like he was superior even though he was the fucker sneaking back in for a crack pipe.
“That’s what you get for trying to fuck with me and Jackie.” I spit on his dreadlocks and turned to where the gas line was, pulling out a pack of matches and the 9mm that I bought with the car that morning.
Dominic had the car idling about twenty feet away and I knew how fast I had to run to get there before I’d get caught in the flames. I pulled my earplugs out of my pocket, securing them in my ears. Then I lit the first match and used it to light the matchbook’s cover, tossing the whole thing on the ground in front gas line. It would have taken awhile to light the line, but I knew a way to speed up the process. I turned, eying my target and imagined it was El Lobo standing there instead of the gas line. “This is for you, Phil,” I whispered.
The boom was instantaneous, echoing loudly even with the plugs in my ears. A brilliant display of orange and red erupted into the sky. My guys had done their job and made sure the place was well packed so it would burn quickly.
I turned on my heel and ran as fast as I could, the heat hitting the back of my leather jacket. All the training and running on the shore of Lake Michigan every morning had prepared me for that moment.
El Lobo loved his gym and his neighborhood. It’s where he trained. It’s where he spent his days, spent time with his crew. Dad said to take him out at the heart of his operation and that just what I’d done.
At that time of night I wondered how many people were out and how long it would take someone to call the fire department or if anyone even would.
I hopped in the car through the window and Dominic sped off as the fire engulfed Twitch’s body, removing him from my sight. I knew it would take awhile for him to burn, but that would make it look like the tweaker started the fire.
As we got back out onto the main road I saw the smoke rise from the building. By morning El Lobo would know: You don’t fuck with the Ragusa’s.
Chapter 20
It had been a few days since we’d destroyed El Lobo’s gym and I hadn’t even seen it in the papers. No one gave a rat’s ass about some gym in the ghetto and even though I lost to El Lobo, Malfoy had already scheduled me for another fight. I didn’t care about getting back in the cage but I needed something to blow off some steam, to take care of the rage that I couldn’t keep taking out on my apartment.
Coach stood in the ring with me, his mitts on, while I bounced around him and listened to his instructions. “Glad you’re finally listening to me, Nicky, instead of being a stubborn ass.”
I landed a swift kick to his right hand. “Yeah, yeah. Give me some time and I’ll go back to my old ways.”
He shook his head and kept his hands up while I took a few jabs. “Shame about Martinez’s gym though, ain’t it? His coach called and asked if he could practice here. I said it shouldn’t be a problem.”
I stopped mid-punch, my breath catching in my throat. “What?”
Coach raised his eyebrows. “Is that a problem?”
Of course it was a fucking problem. I’d burned his place down so I wouldn’t have to deal with the fucker, not have him invading on my home turf. I swallowed hard, trying to think of the right thing to say. But I didn’t have anything to say at all. I was completely at a loss for words.
“Look, the kid has no place to go. He just wants to be able to fight. We can go anywhere else in this town and practice. Hell, you have a gym in your own freaking condo that we can work at if we really wanted to. You don’t need this place.”
“That’s not the point! This is my gym. It always has been. He can go somewhere else. This is just his way of trying to take what’s mine and act like he’s won.” I slammed my hand into his mitt and Coach stumbled back, his eyes wide.
He lurched forward, throwing the mitts down on the ground and stopped when his forehead was barely an inch from mine. His brow was furrowed and his lips were sneered. “You want to show him who has the bigger set of balls or show him that you have some dominance over this piece of shit little gym? Get off your fucking high horse for once and thinking about somebody other than yourself.”
I blinked hard and swallowed. How the fuck could he say that? I had been thinking about everyone but me. My famiglia and what was best for them. I needed to show El Lobo who was boss and letting him shit on me was not the best way to do it. “That’s not it. You’re acting like I’m being a fucking pansy about this. It’s about me versus him. He’s just doing this to try and get to us.”
“I know that loss was hard on you, Nick, but you can’t let it get you down fo
rever. Man up for once.”
The anger surged in me. I wanted to hit something. “I’ve had a lot of shit going on these past few weeks, you know that, and this is just the fucking icing on the cake.”
“You know, Nick, there was a saying that my old boxing coach used to say to me about fighting. ‘The world is a war and this is just another battle.’” He stared off toward the brick wall behind me.
“Are you trying to tell me that we’re at war with the other fighters like El Lobo?” I raised an eyebrow because that was exactly what was going through my mind.
He shook his head and sighed. “Life is one giant war, Nicky. We’re all fighters in it. And once a fighter understands that he’s not out there fighting the other guy, but actually fighting himself, that’s when a fighter becomes unstoppable.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I was done with his metaphorical bullshit. I needed answers before destroyed something.
Coach stepped back and grabbed the mitts off the floor. Then he stepped out of the ring. “I’m going home. Call me when you’re ready to stop acting like a spoiled little shit and actually practice.”
“Coach, wait! Don’t be like that!”
He didn’t look behind him as he grabbed his bag and put on his worn out fedora.
“Come on, man. I need you,” I begged.
He glanced back at me. “Do you, Nick? Do you really?”
I nodded. “I do. You know I do. You’ve been there for me. You’re my coach. The guy that takes care of me in the ring.”
“Then are you going to let El Lobo train here too and stop acting like a little pussy?” He raised an eyebrow.
I licked my lips and slowly shook my head. I wasn’t backing down from this one. Once he started training in my gym then it would be like he won. “No.”
Coach sighed. “Then I’m sorry, Nick. I have to go. Call me when you’re ready to grow up.”
With that he turned, stuffed the mitts into his bag and walked out of the gym, leaving me standing there and wondering what the hell I just did.
***