Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) (22 page)

Natalie

Jillian and Danny were always notoriously late so I
didn’t wait for them and ordered a drink. I busied myself by looking over the
menu while I waited for the bartender to return. It was fairly early in the
evening for a Thursday night, but the bar was already crowded. An occasional
elbow would jab into my back as people standing behind me pressed in closer.

   “Natalie!” I heard over the hum of conversation.
Turning on my stool, I saw a hand, the fingernails painted black, waving above
the crowd. Seconds later, Danny appeared, his spiked purple hair demanding
attention. Wearing black skinny jeans and a tight purple shirt, he tugged a
person along behind him. This man was the total opposite of Danny, wearing
chinos and a light blue button down shirt. His brown hair was combed and gelled
into obedience. Where Danny had gauges in both ear lobes and a hoop through his
lower lip, his boyfriend didn’t have any. It was alternative meets Abercrombie.

   “Nat, this is my man, Tyler. Tyler, this hooker
here is my friend, Natalie, who disappeared off of the planet and didn’t let
anyone know she was still alive for like six fucking months. Ohhh, what are you
drinking?” Danny snagged my drink and took a long sip. Tyler laughed and shook
my now vacant hand.

   “Nice to meet you, Natalie,” he said and
retrieved my drink from Danny, handing it back to me. It was now only half full
of the bubbly light blue beverage.

   “This drink, Danny, is called an Adios
Motherfucker,” I said with a grin. This was a popular drink at one of the
Mexican fusion restaurants by my apartment in L.A. The combination of gin,
vodka, rum, tequila, and blue curacao should have been illegal.

   “I am so getting one of those!” he said, smacking
his lips together.

Tyler and Danny wedged themselves up against the bar
and placed their orders. Our arms were raised and poised for a toast when
Jillian practically crashed into us.

   “Natalie! I’ve missed you!” She threw her arms
around my neck and pulled me in for a hug. Since I was sitting, she basically
shoved my face in her tits. Jillian smelled like a mixture of vanilla scented
body lotion and clove cigarettes. The last time I saw Jillian, her long hair
was dyed black. This time it was a scarlet red and hung in long waves halfway
down her back. She was wearing a strapless leopard print top, putting the vine
tattoo that ran the length of her left arm on full display and a short black
mini skirt with black platform heels that showcased her long legs. I noticed
several guys checking her out. Jillian quickly hugged Danny and Tyler who
kissed her cheek then she turned back to me.

   “Okay, Nat, you’ve been back in the city how long
and this is the first we’re hanging out?” she asked, her hands on her hips.

   “I know, I’m sorry, but with the wedding and the
shooting,” I shivered at the memory. “Well, it’s been crazy.”

The bartender came leaned over to take Jillian’s
drink order, his eyes scanning her cleavage that was on display. “I can’t
believe you were there at the mall when that shit happened. How’s Grant?”
Jillian’s tone had softened.

   “Good.” I filled her in on his recovery and
Miranda’s pregnancy.

   “So how’s L.A.? I really need to get out there
and visit.”

We spent the next couple of hours catching up and
drinking. We ordered spring rolls and kimchee fried rice along with chicken
satay that came with a series of dipping sauces. Danny ordered a round of
Fireball shots followed by a round of tequila. My skin was flushed and my
cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. It took all of five minutes for my friends
to forgive me from leaving Philadelphia the way I did.

I don’t know how long we ate and drank, but the
constant buzzing of my phone against the surface of the bar became impossible
to ignore. Scrolling down I saw I had missed texts from Dominic. The first one
was asking me to meet him at Crimson as he was taking Victor and Jimmy there.
He sent a follow up text letting me know they had arrived at the club and were
sitting in VIP.

   “Hey guys, do you want to go to Crimson? Dom is
over there with some friends from L.A.”

   “You mean go hang out with your ex-boyfriend, the
one you ran away from?” Jillian asked, arching one of her perfectly groomed
eyebrows.

   “It was complicated and intense. That’s why I
left. You know I don’t do relationships well.”

   “So are you guys together again?” Danny asked,
asserting himself into the conversation to diffuse the tension.

   “No. We’re, um, well I guess we’re friends. So
you guys wanna go? Jillian, wait until you meet Victor. He owns his own tattoo
shop.” I had her attention then and she was on board after that. We paid our
tab and pushed through a traffic jam of people to the exit. The air wasn’t much
cooler outside, but at least we could walk without bumping into someone. Tyler
hailed a cab and took the front seat while Danny, Jillian and I piled into the
back. I cracked the window for air and pressed my forehead against the cool
glass. We were stopped at a red light and I looked around at the neighborhood,
recognizing the building right in front of me.

   “Hey Jill, see that space?” I said pointing at a
dark and vacant storefront, the emergency lighting above the emergency exit at
the back of the store provided the only light.

   “Yeah. What about it?”

   “Dominic bought it for me. He thought it would be
a great location for a gallery.”

Jillian and Danny stared at me with their mouths
hanging open. “Wait, he bought you real estate?” Taylor asked, twisting around
in the front seat to face us. “He must really like you.”

   “I’m with Tyler on this and it’s a fantastic
location,” Jillian said, recovering from her speechlessness. “Let me guess you
freaked out and didn’t accept. Am I right?”

   “I told Dom I’d think about it.”

   “Oh thank God you didn’t turn him down!” Jillian
snatched up my hand and squeezed. “This is perfect. You move back, open the
gallery and hire me to help run it! Did you get the notice from the University
about the new grant program for alumni?”

   “Whoa, slow down. It’s more complicated than me
accepting a freakin’ store from Dom. What grant program are you talking about?”

   “They want to encourage alumni to stick around in
the city and give back. So there are two grants available per year, valued at
$50,000 each. You need to go talk to your old advisor. Starting a gallery and
featuring UofA students’ wo
r
k will be brilliant!”

            “That’s sounds amazing and all, but I
can’t accept such a big gift from Dom, I’ll be indebted to him forever.”

Jillian sighed and squeezed my hand again. “I get
it, Nat, but I don’t think that’s what Dom had in mind. Besides, you’ve
accepted other extravagant gifts from him before.” She looked at my chest where
the diamond pendant Dom had given me for graduation sparkled against my skin.
“If it really bothers you, why don’t you work out a lease agreement with him?
Make it a business deal.”

   “Yeah, with zero income and zero business
management skills; I’d be setting myself up to fail.”

   “I can offer accounting assistance,” Tyler spoke
up. He was still twisted around in the front seat. “I’m a junior CPA and you’re
a friend of Danny’s, so I’d do it for free.”

   “Awwww, honey,” Danny blew kisses to his
boyfriend.

   “And I have retail management experience from
working at Barnes and Noble and with the grant money, you can totally do this.
Plus, I can feature some of my work there!”

I sat back and stared at the blur of pedestrians,
traffic and storefronts as the cab approached Crimson my mind going a hundred
miles an hour processing Jillian’s ideas. I pictured the gallery as sunlight
bathed the walls in a brilliant glow, highlighting murals and colorful
paintings; splashes of color against a stark white canvas. I had done a little
bit of research before the mall shooting and knew the condos being built in the
building started at $500,000 and over half of them had been sold already. The
residents would be on the market to decorate their new space. But could I do
it? Could I move back here?  Just the very thought of going back to California
and leaving everyone behind again made me uneasy.

   “Nat, we’re here,” Danny called, pulling me out
of my head.

I looked up to see Tyler holding the door open for
me. I scrambled out to stand in front of Crimson. It looked different since the
last time I’d been here. The entire front of the building was bathed in red
light, giving it an eerie glow. A new awning, all black, had been installed and
it extended from the entrance to run the length of the building. People stood
under the awning in a line that slowly inched forward as the bouncer at the
door checked identification. With arms the size of beer kegs, it was easy to
recognize the man working the door.

   “Hey Anthony,” I said as we approached. Jillian,
Danny and Tyler letting me take the lead. “We’re meeting Dominic.”

   “Yeah, I know. Good to see ya, Nat. How’s Grant?”

   “He’s getting better every day,” I replied and
started to move forward, but froze when I saw the metal detectors. I had
completely forgotten about them and really didn’t want to have to explain the
gun in my bag. Fortunately Anthony “The Giant” held a side door open for us and
this entrance bypassed the metal detector. Crisis averted, we proceeded into
the pulsating and sticky atmosphere.

   “Hey, don’t say anything about the gallery in
front of Dom, okay?” I asked Jillian, Danny and Tyler. They all agreed and we
continued on.

Another bouncer, who was also one of Dom’s soldiers,
met us at the top of a set of three stairs. He paved a way through the crowd
for us and we followed him right to the VIP section. It was surreal being back
at Crimson after being away for so long and hanging out as a customer, not
employee. I remembered my first day on the job like it was yesterday and not
over a year ago. Pushing through the crowds in a short skirt with a tray
weighted down with drinks was a challenge. How my hormones kicked in when I
first caught a glimpse of Dominic behind his bar. As we approached Dom’s table
I had to take a few deep breaths. Memories of Marco’s beady eyes taking in my
body and his hands groping my ass, when I used to work this section, tumbled
forth. Recall of Mr. Genovese’s cigarette smoke laden breath as he held me
close to his side with bony fingers made me swallow back a wave of nausea.
Memories, both good and bad would forever be associated with this place. I took
a final deep breath and held a hand against my abdomen. Feeling the slight bump
of my diamond belly button stud further calmed me as I remembered it was in an
alcove not too far from where I was standing, where Dominic gave it to me. He
had kneeled in front and traced a trail of kisses along my abdomen, before he
secured the stud and looked up at me with those mossy green eyes. Those same
eyes were staring at me now, his dark brows slightly pinched together with
concern as I came to stand next to the table.

After quickly introducing my friends to everyone, I
sat down next to Dominic.

   “Are you okay?”

   “Yeah, it’s just weird being back – a lot to
process, you know? I like the lighting and awning out front. When did Miranda
put that in?”

   “About three months ago and you’re not changing
the subject so quickly.” I flushed at being caught. He knew me too well. “Are
you really okay?”

   “I am. Do you want to know what I last
remembered?” Leaning over, I whispered in his ear and watched as he swallowed
hard, his nostrils flaring slightly.

   “You know I can’t pass that alcove without
thinking of you,” he whispered, his breath on my neck sending shivers down my
back. I pulled away, breaking the spell. I’d had a few drinks and didn’t trust
myself to stay strong around him. It wasn’t right for me to flirt and lead Dom
on since we were no longer together. I glanced over Victor, expecting him to be
smirking at me, but was surprised to find him completely focused on Jillian. He
had a tattooed arm stretched out along the back of the booth behind Jillian and
she was leaning into him, talking animatedly about something. Then she twisted
and pointed to a tattoo on her back. Victor curled around to look and responded
by lifting the bottom of his shirt to reveal a fierce red and black dragon on
his side. Jimmy and Dante were sitting on the far end of the booth that overlooked
the dance floor and they were busy taking in the sights.

Danny and Tyler sat across from me and their heads
were touching as they carried on a private conversation. Feeling the need to
move, I got Danny’s attention.

   “Let’s go dance!” I said, sliding out of my seat
and grabbing his hand.

   “Wait up hooker, you’re not going dancing without
me,” Jillian announced. She shoved against Tyler so he would hurry up and move.
Leaving my bag on the table with my drink, I told Dom we’d be back and filed
out after my friends.

Joey D. was getting ready to enter the VIP section
as we were leaving. He stopped me on the steps and gave me a hug where I felt
swallowed up by his biceps.