Twisted Judgement

by K. D Clark

  “Wes?” Aubrey asked.

  Avé shrugged and walked down the hall to the bedroom to grab her purse.

  “He’s a good guy, Avé,” Aubrey called after her as if she didn’t already know that.

  Wes was the best guy, a real sweetheart but she had to keep reminding herself she'd moved to New York to get away from the life. She grabbed her Michael Kors purse from the bed and walked to Aubrey. “Ready?”

  Aubrey walked out first while Avé set the alarm and enabled both of the locks on the door. She’d bought the alarm system after she’d spotted Liam at the coffee shop not far from her house. They walked out of the apartment and over to Aubrey’s Jeep. It was sitting in the parking space next to Avé’s white Lexus.

  “We have to pick up the other girls,” Aubrey said once they were inside.

  She nodded and grabbed the aux cable to plug into her phone. They pulled onto the busy street towards Charlotte’s house. She lived the closest to Avé in a four-bedroom home with her husband and two kids.

  “I think next week is going to be crazy busy,” Aubrey said.

  “Why do you say that?” she asked.

  “Bernard has a couple of big cases coming up which I’m sure he’ll want me to do all the research for.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy all the extra attention Bernard gives you,” Avé teased.

  Aubrey’s jaw dropped and she playful shoved her shoulder. “Ew stop. Bernard is old enough to be my dad.”

  “Or your daddy?”

  “I’m going to throw up.”

  Avé laughed as Aubrey pulled into Charlotte’s driveway. She put the car in park and sent a text. A minute later Charlotte opened her front door. Charlotte’s blonde hair fell to her shoulders in a bob. She was dressed in a low cut top and a pair of tight jeans. Charlotte was the mom of their group. It was rare that she agreed to go out with them.

  “Hey, ladies,” Charlotte said after opening the back door of the jeep and climbing inside.

  “You look hot!” Avé said turning in her seat to face Charlotte.

  “Thanks, the girls are with my mom for the night.”

  “Where’s Drew?” Aubrey asked.

  “He had to work late,” Charlotte said.

  Avé turned back in her seat and shot a look over at Aubrey. They’d both noticed that Charlotte’s husband had been working later and later every night. Neither of them has asked Charlotte about it and Avé wasn’t ready to bring it up, at least not tonight.

  Next, they picked up Sienna who lived in a nice apartment closer to the city. Sienna was tall like a model with beautiful tan skin. Her curly hair was pulled up into a big bun at the top of her head. Sienna was the one who often sat next to the lawyers for first client meetings. It had everything to do with her looks and nothing to do with the administrative work. As they drove closer to the center of the city, Avé’s heartbeat picked up. This area of the city was exactly where he would hang out. It was a thin line between the Irish mob and Cosa Nostra. Of course, the other girls wouldn’t know that, only someone who’d grown up in the life would. Even though she hadn’t grown up in the city, between Wes and Liam she’d quickly learned the neighborhoods. When Aubrey parked the car in front of the Irish bar, Avé’s heart sunk to her stomach. There was a good chance he would be here. She had only been here once before with Liam after one of their dates. It was the first time she’d started to pick up on who he was.

  “What is this place?” Sienna asked from the back seat. It wasn’t a club or a popular bar like they would usually go to.

  Aubrey shrugged. “A friend told me about this place. They have half-price drinks so I figured we’d come here and pre-game and then we can go somewhere better.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Charlotte said.

  They unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the Jeep. Avé stayed in the car looking at the brick building with the neon green sign. People littered the streets. It wasn’t like that much could happen without someone seeing. Plus she was with her friends. There was also a chance he wouldn’t even be here. She prayed that was the case. Months of trying to avoid him and she was walking right into his territory.

  “You coming?” Aubrey asked. She held the driver's side door open and raised an eyebrow at Avé.

  She took her seatbelt off and got out of the car with the rest of her friends. She took a deep breath and followed them inside. As soon as the door opened she was overwhelmed by the smell of Guinness and smoke. The place was small and dingy. There were a couple of high tables, a long bar and a jukebox but other than that the place was pretty bare. Avé looked around to see if she noticed anyone. She sighed with relief when she didn’t spot him. The bar was full of men. She could count on one hand the number of women, and those that were there looked like they’d seen better days. Out of all the places to start their night, this is where Aubrey had chosen. She tried to calm himself, they were just here for a few drinks and then they could move on with their night. They took the last seats at the end of the bar next to a red-haired man smoking a cigarette. Avé turned around to search the bar after she'd ordered a drink.

  “You ok?” Aubrey asked.

  Avé nodded. “Yea it's just…”

  “Oh shit, Liam,” Aubrey said a little too loudly for her liking. “I’m so sorry I didn’t even think about that.”

  To Aubrey, Liam was just a guy she’d dated for a while and it hadn’t worked out. She hadn’t told anyone about the constant text messages she’d been getting or the times he had shown up in the parking lot of the office building. She really just wanted it all to go away.

  “It's ok he’s not here,” she said more to herself.

  The bartender sat the drinks in front of them. She took a sip, her throat burning all the way down. The Irish sure knew how to drink.

  “Did you guys see that the wife, Mrs. Cambridge, from the divorce case came into the office yesterday?” Sienna asked.

  Avé listened to them talk, pitching in when necessary but all she could think about was getting out of the bar. She chugged down her drink and quickly ordered another one.

  “Hey, there’s a jukebox!” Aubrey exclaimed, pointing in the corner where an original jukebox was set up. “I haven’t seen one of those in so long. Let's go see what kind of music they have.”

  The girls got up from the stools and went to play with the Jukebox while Avé waited for her drink. Her body stiffened as someone sat down beside her. She knew it was him. Goosebumps rose over her arms and a chill went down her spine.

  “You miss me?” he asked, his Irish accent thick.

  She turned to face Liam. His black hair was gelled back and he was dressed in a suit. His green eyes were fixated on her as they roamed over her body. At one point she would have even said he was attractive but now all she felt was disgust. She sat up straight, trying to give the impression that she wasn’t scared of him.

  “I came here with my friends.”

  He turned his head slightly. “Oh yea I saw them earlier, this isn’t really their scene, now is it, babe?”

  “I’m not your babe,” she snapped.

  His eyes darkened at her words. “Let's step outside and talk.”

  She was shaking her head before he’d even finished his sentence. “I don’t think—”

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. He leaned close to her ear, the scuff of his 5 o’clock shadow brushing against her neck.

  “We both know who I am and you are surrounded by men that I keep on my payroll. Now I suggest you walk outside with me before making a scene. Babe.”

  Tears threatened to spill out but she kept them at bay. Liam was a dangerous man. He was the son of the boss. The Irish mob didn’t have the kind of rules that Cosa Nostra did, there wasn’t that level of respect and she wouldn’t put it past Liam to hurt her friends just to get to her. He stepped back but kept the tight hold on her arm. His eyes bore into hers. She took a shaky breath before nodding. They stood from the stools, his ha
nd still wrapped tight around her arm, and headed out of the back door that led into a dark alleyway. She tried to run as soon as she stepped out of the door but she couldn’t slip out of his hold. He slammed her against the brick wall, knocking the wind from her lungs. The cool rough surface of the bricks scraped the skin on her shoulders. Tears uncontrollably fell down her cheeks as she gasped for air.

  “Now, now, don’t be so upset,” he said, using his thumb to wipe away the tears.

  “Please let me go,” she begged.

  Her stomach turned as he pressed himself closer to her. The bulge in his pants rubbed against the thin material of her dress.

  “And why would I do that?” His hand slipped under her dress, and she whimpered as his cold clammy hands ran over her thigh.

  “Let's get something straight, baby. You belong to me. No matter how much you try to run or hide.”

  Her muscles tensed as his hand traveled up to cup her. He smiled at her and she thought she might throw up. That’s when he made the mistake. His hand loosened from around her arm, and the minute it did she brought her knee up. It made a satisfying crunching noise as it connected with his groin.

  “Fuck!” he yelled out, letting her go completely so he could hold himself. She ran out of the alleyway as fast as she could and onto the busy street. She turned right. She didn’t know where she was going but she knew she needed to get as far away from Liam as possible. She needed to get help but she couldn’t go to the police. People like Liam had all types of men on their payroll. She looked around her and realized she must have run a good three or four blocks when she saw the sign for a familiar club. Before she could think too much into it she ran towards its bright lights.

  Giovanni

  He leaned back in the leather chair, watching the surveillance cameras. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary going on and that’s how he liked it. Either way, he made sure to keep an eye on everything. His job was to know everything that was going on with Cosa Nostra so they weren’t taken by surprise. The door shut behind him, and he turned around to see Tommy walking up to him with a duffle bag in hand.

  “My man,” Gio said as they slapped hands.

  Tommy let the bag fall onto the coffee table. “Enzo will be by in a bit to pick it up. Five pounds of pure,” Tommy said.

  His capos often used the nightclub as a go-between place for drops. It was the safest way to do it since Gio was there. That’s what he was there for—protection. He’d earned a high level of respect which meant no one fucked with him, not unless they wanted to die.

  “How’s the crew in Queens? Everything running smooth?” Gio asked.

  Tommy ran a hand over his short beard before placing both hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. “Things are good, nothing new.”

  Gio nodded. “I figured, since you have enough coke to pass some along to Enzo.”

  Tommy’s lips twitched with a smile. “I charged him out the ass for it.”

  Gio held back his laugh and shook his head before waving Tommy on.

  Once the door had shut, Gio took his suit jacket off and relaxed in the chair. It was going to be a slow night. The business had been running smoothly for the past couple of months. When he wasn’t running errands for Cassandra, his job was to oversee the New York capos. New York had five capos; Enzo, Tommy, Angelo and Dante. Manhattan was currently without a capo since Kit had got arrested. The capos were busy running their crews and even the club wasn’t as packed as usual.

  He thought about having security send a couple of women up just to keep him company but he knew how that would turn out. They always wanted more from him than he was willing to give. Besides the occasional one-night stand, he stayed clear from women altogether. He’d seen too many men get wrapped up in a woman just for her to later stab him in the back. This business was dangerous enough—he didn’t need anyone messing with his head. He did wonder sometimes what else was out there, though. He’d breathed and lived Cosa Nostra for as long as he remembered. Some men claimed they were happily married but he doubted it. Their wives were probably waiting for them to die so they could inherit everything they had. Men did stupid things just to go home to a full house. Luckily Gio didn’t have that problem. Being alone was where he thrived. He reached across the table and lifted the already lit blunt to his lips when the phone next to him rang. His eyes flickered to the security cameras again. The only person who called this line was his security detail at the club. He spotted his bouncer at the door with a cellphone pressed against his ear. He reached over to the side table and picked up the landline.

  “We got a problem?” he asked.

  “No, sir, we have a young lady here to see you. Her name’s Avé.”

  Avé. He racked his brain but came up empty. He was about to tell his bouncer to send her away when he looked closer at the cameras and got a good look at the girl. She had blonde hair that fell in long waves down her back. She was wearing a short dress with long sleeves that hugged her hips. She looked to be maybe 5’5 in her heels compared to his bouncer.

  “Send her up,” he said then hung the phone up.

  He was curious if nothing else about the girl. How had she got his name much less have known that he’d be at this club? Not that it was a secret but normal people off the street didn’t know details like that about Cosa Nostra.

  He took another drag of his blunt before putting it out in the ashtray and straightened his dress shirt. The door opened and shut but he didn’t turn around. Her heels slowly clicked against the floor. He could hear the hesitation in her steps and he smiled to himself. This girl was scared, as she should be. Most people were scared of him, that’s what made him a successful underboss. He turned his head as she got to the edge of his leather chair. Her face was streaked with a mix of what must have been tears and makeup. Her dress was a bit crooked and she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth biting on it. This girl was terrified. He waved at the couch next to him, and she sat down. She was more beautiful than on camera. His eyes lingered on her exposed legs until she started speaking.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come,” she said, her voice coming out more confident than she looked.

  “How do you know who I am?” he asked.

  “My father is Alessandro.”

  His gears started turning at the name, and as he looked at the girl again, he could see the resemblance to her mother.

  “From Vegas then?”

  She nodded.

  “And what brings you here, Avé?” he asked, still confused as to why she would show up at his club. She looked down at her boots as if debating something in her head.

  He stayed silent waiting for her to speak.

  “A guy I was dating…” She took a deep breath as if trying to gather her thoughts. “He won’t leave me alone.”

  She looked back up at him but he simply waited for her to continue. He wasn’t a bodyguard and after she was done telling her story he’d send her on her way. But he was willing to hear her out. At least to give him more time to stare at her curves

  “His name’s Liam. He keeps texting me and tonight he took me out to the alleyway of the Irish bar and…tried to rape me.” The words rushed out as if she’d been thinking about them for a while.

  “What’s his last name?”

  “I don’t know, I just know he’s part of the Irish mob.”

  Anger coursed through his body at the thought of anyone trying to force a woman, much less an Irish man. He knew who Liam was, the spoiled son of the boss. He tried to keep his organization as far away from the Irish as possible but it looked like they were coming to him. She couldn’t go to the police. She was actually smart by coming to him.

  “And why did you come to me?” he asked her through clenched teeth.

  “I don’t want you to kill him,” she stated.

  He scoffed. “Then you came to the wrong person.”

  She didn’t say anything instead she acted like she was picking at something on her dress.

  “Doe
s he know who your dad is?” he asked.

  She nodded. Liam was bold to come onto a capo’s daughter like that but the Irish mob wasn't like Cosa Nostra. They didn’t have the same rules or levels of respect and that was one of the reasons he hated them so much.

  “Come on,” he said getting up from the leather chair.

  “Where are we going?” she asked standing to her feet.

  He didn’t answer, instead walked out of the door with her following behind. He took the stairs down to the dance floor and out of the back door where his car was waiting.

  “Get in,” he said, walking to the driver's side.

  She didn’t move from the spot until he’d got inside and started the engine.

  “Look, I’m not some damsel in distress,” she said once inside the all-black Mercedes.

  “Put your seatbelt on.”

  “Did you hear me?” she asked, raising her voice.

  “I heard you but you came to me for help. Someone who you knew people feared and that could take care of the issue. Now put your seatbelt on,” he demanded. He was barely holding onto his anger. He didn’t want to scare the girl any more than she already was but he was pissed at the Irish.

  She opened her mouth to say something but shut it again before doing what he’d said and putting on her seatbelt. He pulled out of the alleyway and towards his house.

  They rode the rest of the way in silence besides the sound of her typing away on her phone. This whole situation was a mess. He had respect for her father, he did for all the older men, which meant he had to deal with the Irish. The two organizations had managed to stay out of each other’s way all these years but it looked like things were about to change. Liam had known what he was doing when he’d attacked Avé tonight. It was a mistake on his part and he’d pay for it. Giovanni pulled into his circle driveway and got out of the car. Avé followed behind as he climbed the steps to the large porch and opened the door. When they walked inside, she didn’t gasp or widen her eyes at the place instead she didn’t even acknowledge it at all.