Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) (10 page)

   “But, this must have cost a small fortune.”

   “It’s a great space. Either way it’s a good
investment and it was all acquired legally.”

This made my eyebrows rise. “Really?”

   “Yes,” he said with a laugh. “In fact, since I’ve
taken over for the family, I’ve been slowly getting things more legit. Like at
Crimson no one is getting paid under the table anymore.”

   “So are you taking crime out of organized crime?
This has to have some people pissed off.”

   “Nah, but how things were operating at Crimson
made us easy targets. Running our public businesses legally gives the feds less
ammo.”

   “That’s smart,” I conceded.

   “Yeah, Uncle Marco thought he was untouchable.”

We both knew that wasn’t the case. Dom got quiet
after that. He gently squeezed my hips and rested his forehead against mine.
“Hey, you can’t undo it,” I whispered.

   “I know and he needed to go, killing him was the
only way. He wanted you dead, Natalie.”  Dom’s voice cracked and he stepped
away, walking over to the window. Looking out on the street, he continued
talking. “You know what’s funny though? Despite him being an asshole and me
being a punk ass kid, I still managed to learn from him. Like this whole under
the radar move? Uncle Marco did that a few years back when this rival gang, the
Latin Kings, were under some serious heat.”

   “I think I remember that. It happened when I was
like a freshman or sophomore in college.” I joined him at the window. Sun streamed
in and warmed my face. A Septa bus rumbled by, coming to a squeaking stop at
the corner.

Dom nodded. “That sounds about right. Things were
quiet for a couple of years after the Kings were basically eviscerated…until
all of that Nucci shit.”

That part I remembered and couldn’t forget since I
was all too present last summer when a rival family tried to take over. It was
hard to believe that just a little over a year ago I was a naïve college
student. That person was long gone and it felt like she’d been missing for
years, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be her again.

I looked at Dominic then, noticed he didn’t miss a
single movement on the street. It was almost predatory the way his eyes darted
from pedestrian to car. He was very still where he used to always be on the
move. He stood with his back straight and shoulders squared, strong and
confident. While he looked the same and smelled the same, he wasn’t as quick to
laugh and he was more guarded. Dominic had grown into a leader while I was
gone, a man who bore a lot of responsibility.

Who did I want to be? I thought I knew and Dominic
was offering me some options for the future based on old dreams. Did I still
want the same things? My mind was spinning as we walked back to the hotel.
Dominic seemed content to just walk beside me. We passed by a fountain and I
stopped to make a wish. Closing my eyes I wished for a sign, a point in the
right direction. After kissing the penny for good luck, I tossed it into the
water where it sank down to the bottom, joining its copper and silver brethren.

 When we reached the front entrance to the hotel,
Dom handed his ticket to one of the valet drivers and only had to wait a few
seconds for them to bring his car around. Instead of his Mustang, which we had
steamed up the windows many times, I was surprised to see a new car, this was a
Mercedes SUV. The steel gray paint shone in the sunlight.

   “Nice ride. Did you get rid of your Mustang?” I
asked, not sure of its fate after it was shot full of bullet holes in a drive-by
hit. The last time we were in it, Dom was critically injured; I was shot too
and had killed one of the shooters. Dark thoughts threatened to move in, but I
took deep breath and forced them back into the depths of my mind.

   “No, I had her restored – she’s good as new.” If
it was only that easy; I thought to myself. Dom turned to me before he got into
his new ride. “Think about what I said, but no pressure, okay?” He gently
kissed my forehead and slid into the driver’s seat.

   “I will. Thanks for today.”

Dom smiled and winked before shutting the door. I
watched as he pulled out when there was an opening in the traffic and drove
away like he owned the streets. In a way he did.

When I got up to the suite, mom was in her room
packing up. While I was staying another week, she had to go back to work in the
morning. Her suitcase was opened up the bed and she was folding clothes. Her
dress from the wedding was hanging up on the back of the door and the plastic
sleeve protecting it rustled when I walked in.

   “Hi, did you have fun today?” she asked, glancing
up from tucking a sweater inside her suitcase.

   “I did, but I’m exhausted.” A yawn escaped to
emphasize my point. “Dom gave me some stuff to think about.”

   “Oh, like what?”

Ordinarily I didn’t open myself up to her, but she
seemed genuinely interested and I wanted to talk through Dom’s offers with
someone. Setting my bag on the carpeted floor, I sat down on the edge of her
bed. The mattress was so firm it only dipped slightly underneath my weight.

She picked up a t-shirt and set it on top of a stack
of clothes already folded and packed. She didn’t interrupt as I laid out what
Dominic had offered. She cocked her right eyebrow when I told her about the
commercial space.

   “Wow! What are you going to do?” she asked,
zipping up her suitcase.

   “Honestly, I don’t know. I appreciate Dom’s
gesture, but both options are a little overwhelming and I don’t want to be
indebted to him. Does that make sense?”

   “It makes perfect sense,” my mom said with a sigh
and sat down on the bed next to me. “It sounds like Dom is trying to buy you
back. You’re not for sale. If you want to own a gallery, earn it on your own.
If you want to teach, while it’s helpful to know someone, get that job on your
own and not on a favor. You’ll like yourself and appreciate your successes so
much more if you do.”  She paused and reached over, placing her hand on my
knee. “Don’t concede out of guilt or anything either. There shouldn’t be any
strings attached or ultimatums if he’s trying to win you back.”

Oh, ultimatums, I knew all about those. A part of me
wanted to tell her the truth about what happened over the past year, but the
self-preservation part of me reined it in. Even if my mom and I had the best
relationship in the world, secrets needed to remain secrets. “Thanks Mom,
that’s actually some good advice.”

She patted my knee and smiled before standing up. “I
have to hit the road in order to get home at a reasonable hour. Let me know what
you decide.”

   “I will thanks.” I stood and we hugged. For once
it wasn’t awkward. Usually I could feel tension radiating off of her and her
body was always stiff. This time she put everything into the hug and my eyes
misted over at the comfort I felt being in her arms. The light floral of her
perfume clung to her shirt and I breathed it in. We held each other for longer
than normal and when we separated, I saw my mom’s eyes were teary too.

   “This past week was good, wasn’t it?” she asked.

   “It was, Mom. I want to forgive you, but give me
time – more moments like this.”

She smiled and wiped an errant tear off of her
cheek. “I can do that. Don’t be a stranger now. I’m only a phone call away.”

After my mom left, I walked to my room, shutting the
door behind me. I called Chelsea and got her voicemail. So I hung up and texted
her. She replied a few minutes later:
At brunch with Derek’s p’s, TTYL
.
I was anxious to get her perspective since she knew the history between me and
Dominic. She was also my best friend and had never steered me wrong. Dom’s
offers got me thinking and I’d been hiding away in L.A. from more than my mob
problems. It was time to figure out just what the hell I wanted to do with my
life now that I was back in control.

Whenever my mind was in overload, I went for a run,
so that’s what I did. Within minutes I was changed and lacing up my sneakers.
With my iPod strapped in, I rode the elevator down to the lobby and headed out
towards the parkway. It had been too long since I ran one of my favorite
courses past the art museum and through Fairmount Park. After some stretching,
I was off and running. Too bad I was distracted by my thoughts; otherwise I
would have recognized a familiar dark blue sedan parked off to the side.

By the time I reached the first of the large
fountains along the parkway, I was tempted to dive in. To say I was hot and
sweaty was an understatement. Just taking a few days of from running made a
difference and my body was resistant to finding a pace, so I pushed back. By
the time I hit my stride and the endorphins kicked in, I was determined to
exhaust myself. The promise of a shower and a big bottle of cold water waiting
at the hotel won out and I bypassed the fountains.

Pulling a sweaty key card out of my sports bra, I
unlocked the hotel room and stepped inside. I took my ear buds off and slipped
out of my sneakers, leaving them on the tile in the entryway since I had hit
some mud puddles along the way. I started walking toward the kitchen and froze,
choking on a scream lodged in my throat.

A man sat on the loveseat in the living room. My
heart pounded in my ears as I took a few calming deep breaths. Finally my
throat cooperated and I swallowed the scream down. “What the hell do you want?”
I asked, continuing on my way to the kitchen. I jerked the refrigerator door
open and grabbed a bottle of water before slamming the door closed. I took my
time and chugged the cold water until it gave me a brain freeze. It was
pointless to ask Agent Phillips how he got in since he worked for the FBI and
probably took a class on breaking and entering.

   “Miss Ross, you know what I want.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. The last time I
saw Agent Phillips was in Los Angeles when my ex-boyfriend, Jason, tried to get
his lawyer dad to cut me a deal if I turned witness against the Grabanos. This
also meant turning on Grant. When I discovered the FBI didn’t have any solid
evidence and were hoping to get that evidence from me, I declined. I had no
desire to be a rat. Bad things happened to rats and I certainly wasn’t going to
turn against Grant or Dom.

   “Yeah, yeah, you want information I don’t have
and will never have because whatever you think Grant and Dom are involved in,
you’re wrong.”

   “That was quite the wedding. You were very pretty
as a bridesmaid. Interesting dance partners you picked too.” He stood up and
walked over to where I was standing in the kitchen. He had on is standard
uniform of a navy suit with white shirt and a lighter blue striped tie. It must
have been government issued because it was all he ever wore. He was carrying a
large yellow envelope in his left hand. He took his time unfolding the metal
clasp and pulling the contents out. He set a photograph down on the counter
next to my water bottle. It was a picture of me dancing with Egan.

   “Is it illegal to dance at weddings now?” I
asked, unable to keep the snark out of my tone. Sweat dripped down my back,
along skin already beginning to cool in the air conditioned suite. The
contrasting sensations made me shiver and I think Agent Phillips took that as a
sign of weakness as he smirked.

   “No, that’s Egan Malloy, we suspect him of
heading up the K&A Gang in Northeast Philly; basically Irish Mob wannabes.”

I didn’t say anything, just took another sip of
water as Agent Phillips set another picture down. This was of Dominic and Dante
sitting around a table with two Asian men and the black man, Demetrius, who I
had met briefly.

   “Do you know who these men are?” he asked.

   “Nope, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
Again with the snark, I just couldn’t help myself. Agent Phillips was becoming
a pain in my ass and the persistent fucker was standing between me and a nice,
long shower. He was wasting his time if he thought he could make me change my
mind.

   “That guy,” he said, pointing to the younger
Asian man who was wearing a snakeskin style suit. “That’s Ji Seung and
allegedly he’s the leader of the Red Scorpions, a notoriously vicious gang
known for drug dealing and this guy,” he pointed to the older Asian man, “Is
Heng Chan, he goes by Chan, and is rumored to be the head of the TRGs, or Tiny
Rascal Gang.”

I kept my face blank as I looked over the pictures
and waited for him to continue because apparently he was on a roll. He didn’t
let me down.

   “This guy,” he said, pointing out Demetrius. “He
did a stint in prison and we thought he’d get out of the game, but suspect he’s
still heading up one of the biggest street gangs in West Philly.”

   “Why are you telling me this?”

   “You need to know who your brother is associating
with. Don’t you want to help him?”

I sighed and rolled my shoulders, my muscles were
already beginning to tighten up. “My answer has not and will not change. No,
no, and no. Got that?” I held all of the power now. Before I knew Agent
Phillips and his Fed buddies were desperate for evidence, he easily intimidated
me. That all changed after Jason’s betrayal and failed attempt to get me to
join WITSEC. I strode to the front door and whipped it open. “You need to
leave. We’re done here.”

   “You don’t want to make an enemy out of me, Miss
Ross.”

   “Is that a threat?”

His response was a tight smile and patronizing wink
before he left.