“You boys are a long way from home, but I’m glad you’re checking in. Victor told me you were in town.” Gio nodded his head in the direction of the tall tattooed soldier who was standing to his left.
There was an unwritten rule that when visiting another Mafioso’s territory, you were to make your presence known within 24-hours. Grant and I were cutting it close, but the fact that he already knew confirmed it wasn’t coincidence those men were at Dirty. My fists clenched at the thought of Natalie being watched and vulnerable. I noticed Grant’s jaw was bulging and the vein in his temple was popping so I knew he was having similar thoughts.
“Let me guess, you’re here about the girl,” Bianchi said, leaning forward.
Fuck, he did know about Nat. My immediate reaction was to lash out like a feral animal and eliminate the threat, but we were unarmed and outnumbered.
“I have to admit I was a little surprised that Marco outsourced the job. He usually takes care of things in-house. Did he change his mind?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“The mark on the girl, you know the one that Marco issued?”
I turned to look at Grant, he shifted in his seat. “Marco put the hit out on Natalie?” It was Grant’s turn to ask.
Gio smacked his hand down on the desk and leaned forward. “You guys didn’t know? What the fuck are you doing here then?”
“The girl is my sister and we were going to ask for protection until we took her back to Philly, but considering this new information…” Grant stood up and started pacing, rubbing the back of his neck as he processed the latest development. “Are you sure the hit was issued by Marco and not one of the five families?”
“Your sister?” This information seemed to pique Gio’s interest.
“Yes, and she’s my girlfriend,” I added.
“And you’re Marco’s nephew, right?”
“Yes and Grant’s engaged to Marco’s daughter, Miranda.”
Gio sat back in his chair as if this new information literally knocked him backwards. “What the hell did your sister do to piss Marco off?” he asked.
“The only thing I can think of is that she left – she basically ran away out here after saving Dom’s life.”
Gio’s gaze switched focus to me. “Yeah, there was a drive-by and I would have died if it weren’t for Nat.”
‘Interesting,” Gio said, tapping his fingers on the desk. “Victor, what do you know of this girl?”
Victor uncrossed his arms and shifted his stance. “Aside from being a hot piece of ass?” he snorted and the other soldier laughed too. I tensed at his statement, but managed to stay calm and not launch out of my seat. “She seems harmless. Although as far as her being your girlfriend, she’s pretty friendly with that blonde bartender at Dirty.” Victor directed this comment at me. I could still taste the kisses Natalie and I shared that morning and being reminded that Jason had feasted on those same lips really pissed me off, but I couldn’t react to Victor’s jab.
“It’s complicated,” I said instead.
“So she wasn’t Marco’s girl and fucked around on him, she didn’t steal anything like money or drugs?” Gio asked.
“No, she’s a total newb to the life.”
“Fucking Marco,” Gio said, pushing his chair back and standing up. He walked around to the front of his desk, sitting on the edge. His feet barely touched the tile floor. “Sounds like he’s still crazy, huh?”
This was like the pot calling the kettle black because Gio’s own ruthlessness was just as legendary. There was a rumor that when Gio caught his first wife cheating on him, he had her lover killed right in front of her then he forced her to bathe in his blood.
“Are you going to let your uncle get away with this?” Gio asked.
“No,” I answered, staring the short fucker down so my seriousness wasn’t questioned. Learning that Uncle Marco was the one who ordered the hit on Natalie, feeding us misinformation to make us think New York had issued the order only accelerated our plans to remove him as Don.
“Interesting.” Gio smiled a malicious smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Is it safe to assume there might be some new leadership in Philly?”
That was a loaded question and one that needed to be answered carefully. Grant, who had returned to his seat, twisted around to face me. He nodded his head toward the door.
“Can you excuse us?” I asked Gio.
“You have two minutes and they better be worth my time. Understand?”
We agreed and left the office. The same man who showed us in stood guard outside the door. He watched us as we moved further down the hall out of earshot.
“What the fuck is going on?” Grant hissed. “Fucking Marco wants Nat dead? How did we not know this?”
“I didn’t have a fucking clue. Swear to God. My dad probably knew this whole time too. Fuck!” I wanted to punch something, but putting a hole in Gio’s wall wasn’t a good idea.
“Dom, I know you didn’t know. As much as I don’t want to admit it, you love my sister and I trust you.”
“Are we agreed that Marco needs to be eliminated sooner than later?” Our foreheads were practically touching as we whispered.
“Yeah, but do we reveal our plan to Gio or is he going to tell Marco?”
“I know they’re not best buds or anything and Gio is still pissed at Marco over the heroin deal.”
“Why?” Grant asked.
‘Gio wanted a twenty percent share and is only getting fifteen.”
“So, if we promise an increase once we take Marco out, do you think he’ll go for it?”
“Yeah, I think so.” It was a risk, but Gio was like Marco, motivated by money and power. If Philly had to lower its share of the heroin trade to gain Gio as an ally, it would be worth it.
“Let’s go negotiate,” Grant said and started to walk back to the office. I put my hand on his chest, stopping him. “What?”
“We have to be careful and we can’t reveal all of our cards. Everything is hypothetical.”
“I got it,” Grant said. I lowered my arm and we walked into Gio’s office a united front.
He was back behind his desk and looked up expectantly when we entered. We sat down in the chairs across from him.
“Mr. Bianchi,” I began. “Say a leadership change did take place, would a 5% increase in your share of the heroin trade interest you?”
He regarded us, his dark gaze passing between me and Grant. Victor and the other soldier still stood at attention next to his desk, but I noticed they exchanged a glance over the top of their boss’ head.
Gio leaned back, his fingers forming a triangle in front of his mouth again, tapping the tips of his fingers against his lips, which turned up in a smug smile. “This gesture wouldn’t be out of goodwill or righting a wrong though, am I correct?”
“You’re correct. This would be in exchange for the protection of a certain girl until the threat against her life has been cancelled.”
‘That’s it?” Gio’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “All this just for a girl?”
“She’s family,” Grant said.
“She’s my life,” I responded and instantly regretted my choice of words when I saw Gio’s eyes flash and the smug grin return.
“Careful who you reveal that to, Dominic. This girl is your weakness. Maybe that’s why Marco wants her dead?”
Shit, I hadn’t thought about it that way. Was this an attempt for Uncle Marco to assert more control over me? If it was, his plan was about ready to backfire.
“So do we have an agreement?” I asked.
“Yes. I’ll know when the leadership change happens and I’ll be expecting my 5% increase to go into effect immediately.”
Gio controlled the ports in Riverside and we controlled the ports in Philadelphia. New York owned a 25 percent share of the trade and Chicago, which had control of Lake Michigan and routes into Canada, controlled 20 percent. Miami and Seattle each had a 10 percent share. Since Marco was the one who
initiated the deal and secured a strong source out of Afghanistan, he managed to convince the other Dons to keep L.A.’s share at 15 percent even though Gio had another source to import from in Mexico, which is why he initially demanded a larger cut.
“Of course, it will be immediate.”
“Consider the girl under my protection,” Gio said.
“Her name is Natalie.”
“Fine,” Gio rolled his eyes. “Natalie is under my protection.”
“Speaking of, can we each borrow a piece for while we’re in town?” Grant asked.
“Of course, can’t have you guys walking around naked. “Jimmy,” Gio gestured to his soldier with the scar, “Get these guys each a piece.”
Jimmy walked to a closet, which had a keypad lock. He typed in the code and pulled open the door to reveal a walk-in seemingly stuffed with office supplies. It was a façade that slid to the side, exposing the closet’s true contents: a small arsenal. Jimmy grabbed two handguns and loaded them each with a magazine before closing the door. He held two solid black Ruger MK3s up for Gio’s inspection, Once Gio approved, Jimmy handed us the weapons. The ribbed grip felt familiar in my hand and I made sure the safety was on before shoving the piece in the waistband of my jeans. The metal was cool against my back.
“Thanks, Mr. Bianchi,” I said and crossed the room to shake his hand. Grant was right behind me.
“We’re doing business together now, call me Gio.”
We all shook hands, sealing the deal. Fortunately my uncle’s shady dealings provided this opening for us and I knew we couldn’t fail. Natalie’s life depended on it.
Chapter 20
NATALIE
After the taillights disappeared from sight, I stood in the driveway, not ready to go back inside. Jason was in there and I owed him an apology, but he also had to know my intentions.
When I turned to go in, Chelsea was standing in the doorway; arms crossed and scowl in place. “You need to talk to Jason. I don’t know what you’re doing Nat, but that guy would do anything for you.”
“I know. I was just getting ready to find him. Do you know where he is?”
Chelsea moved aside and I squeezed past her. “He’s upstairs in his room.”
I climbed up the stairs and walked down the hall to Jason’s room. The door was cracked, so I pushed it open. Jason was standing by a window, looking out at the beach below. He just had board shorts on and his blond hair had dried in clumps after his early morning surfing expedition. I imagined the clumps were crusty with salt and sand. Jason always smelled like ocean and sunscreen, so different from the woodsy cologne Dominic wore. Jason’s back was facing me; his shoulders were broad, his skin smooth and tan.
“Hey,” I said, breaking the silence.
Jason turned and regarded me with cool eyes and a guarded expression. “Hey.”
I started to walk over to him, but stopped, feeling suddenly awkward. He had just seen me kissing another man in his house, where he had been kind enough to let us stay. “I’m such an asshole,” I said and sunk down on the edge of his bed instead.
“Not an asshole, exactly,” he said with a tight smile.
“No, I am. I’m sorry about all of this and Dominic. It’s just,” I trailed off and looked away from his intense gaze.
“I know you still love him. It’s difficult to see it on display though.”
“I’m really going to end it with him, Jase. I’m staying here and he’s going back to his life in Philadelphia. I need to make it a clean break, but I want these last few moments with him. It’s like pigging out on the last unhealthy meal before going on a diet. Does that make any sense?”
Jason sighed and uncrossed his arms. He sat next to me on the bed and I felt the heat from his body as his leg brushed against mine.
“It makes sense. So you’re really going to do this?”
“I have to – I need closure in order to move on. Thank you for being so generous with everything and I’m sorry about earlier with Dom…and um, the kiss.” I tucked a stray hair behind my ear and glanced up at Jason to find him staring at my lips. Without warning, he swept me up against him and his mouth was slanted over mine with sheer possession. I tried to push him away, my hands flat against his bare chest. After a few attempts, he got the hint and stopped. He sat back on the bed and I was too stunned to move. His lips had left a trace of salt behind on mine that I tasted when I licked them.
“Shit, now I’m the asshole,” Jason said, breaking the awkward silence.
“It’s not like we haven’t kissed before, Jase. I’m not ready. My head and especially my heart, needs time.”
He nodded in understanding. “How long are they here for?”
“I don’t know. A few days? You’ve helped me a lot these past couple of months and I know it’s a lot to ask, but will you still be there for me? I’ll totally understand if you tell me to fuck off.”
“That’s not going to happen. I’m here for you Nat. Like I said last night, we’re friends.”
“Thanks.” Leaning over, I kissed his cheek. “You’re a good guy, Jason.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving his hand as if to brush me off.
“So, are we okay?” I stood up and headed for the door.
“We’re good,” he said with his usual smile, not the tense one he wore earlier.
I made my way back downstairs to find Chelsea and found her outside on the deck, sprawled out on a chaise with her face stretched towards the sun like a plant seeking the light. She wore baggy jeans with the pant legs rolled up to just below her calf and she had tucked the sleeves of her green t-shirt under her bra strap, exposing her upper arms to the sun.
Pulling up the other chaise next to Chelsea, I sprawled out too. While it was December and considered cold by the locals, it was heaven for me. A light chill carried in on the wind off the ocean caused my skin to prickle, but the warmth of the sun quickly smoothed the bumps over. Chelsea was sleeping, and under different circumstances I would have been dozing along with her. Usually the combination of sunshine, salt air and the sound of waves gently crashing against the shore would knock me out, but my mind was going a hundred miles an hour with a multitude of thoughts: how was the meeting going, were Grant and Dominic okay, how was I going to say goodbye to Dominic, was I making the right decision? The more I thought about everything, my heart began to race and my breathing evolved into sharp pants, which woke Chelsea up.
“Hey, whoa, calm down Nat. Take a deep breath,” Chelsea inhaled and exhaled deeply and I matched my breathing to hers. Eventually my heart rate slowed and the shaky, sweaty feeling that encompassed my entire body faded as quickly as it had appeared.
“Better?” she asked. She was facing me and had a hand on my knee.
“Yes, thanks. I’ll be glad when these are a thing of my past.”
“Me too. I’m glad you’re not going back with them. I don’t think you’re healed enough.”
“No, I’m not.” I took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. “It’s been good living with you, like old times. Normal.”
“Stay with me as long as you need,” she squeezed my knee once before releasing it so she could recline back on the chaise. “Did you talk to Jason?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s complicated too.” I told her about how Jason kissed me and how possessive it was. Chelsea rolled her eyes and laughed. “We’re good, I mean he agreed to remain friends, but seriously, I don’t know if it’s possible to stay just friends since we’ve already slept together. God, life was so much easier when I either had one night stands or didn’t have sex at all.”
“What’s this about sex?” Dominic asked. I didn’t even hear the deck door open and jumped at the sound of his voice. Dominic walked towards me with Grant behind him. I noticed Jason in the background as he closed the door and disappeared into the house.
“You’re back!” I held my hand out and Dom grabbed it before taking a seat next to me. I noticed the gun tucked into his jeans. “How did it go?”<
br />
“Good. Gio is going to look out for you.”
“Just like that?’ I asked, looking over at Grant who had taken a seat at the table where we ate breakfast.
“There have been some developments,” he paused and ran a hand through his hair. The sound of the door opening distracted me and I turned away. Jason was walking out with a six pack of beer in his hand. He passed a bottle out to all of us before taking a seat at the table across from Grant.
“What developments?” I prodded.
“Uncle Marco is the one who has the hit out on you,” Dom said.
“What?” I whipped my head around and met Dom’s steady gaze.
“Yeah, I was just a surprised.”
“Because I left? What about…” I turned my attention back to Grant. “Is there a hit out on you too?”
“No, just you and we’re not sure why. Listen, Nat, before we even knew where you were, Dom, Miranda, Dante and I decided that a change needed to be made and we’ve been making plans. Now, knowing that Marco put a hit out on you and has been lying to us only solidified these plans.”
“What are you talking about?”
Looking sideways at Jason, Grant hesitated, but Dominic answered my question. “We’re taking Marco out.”
“God damn it, Grabano!” Grant slammed his beer bottle down on the table so hard that suds erupted from the top, spilling down the side. Standing up, he stormed down onto the beach. This time it was my turn to follow him.
I could see the tension in his shoulders from ten feet away. He paced a short length of the beach with his hands clenched into fists.
“Grant!” I called to him as I jogged up. He didn’t stop his pacing, but I noticed his shoulders drop and he relaxed his hands. The sun had lowered in the sky casting long shadows and his stretched out to greet me.
“What was that all about?” I asked once I was pacing alongside him.
“How much do you trust this Jason guy?”
“I trust him. He’s been good to me. That’s not what I’m asking though. Are you seriously thinking about killing Marco?”
“Yes. It’s time for new leadership.”
Clean Slate (New Mafia Trilogy #2) Page 11