The elevator slows at C-level. The doors
open revealing Carlo. Standing directly behind him, to my surprise,
is Troy.
I release Antonio’s hand and give Troy a
hug. I whisper in his ear, “I guess you made it out of here
alive.”
“Yes, I did. The bag over the head wasn’t so
bad the second time,” Troy jokes drily, trying to be funny.
I am so fixated on Troy that at first I
don’t see Jake standing barely two feet away.
“Jake?! How are you?” I exclaim. It’s nice
to see Jake. He was starting to grow on me, and he’s been a great
friend to Troy since Troy started college.
“Good. How have you been?” Jake asks.
Erin, Clarissa, Antonio, and Vito, along
with Joey, gather around Troy, Jake, and I. It’s the morning, so
the casino floor isn’t too loud. Normally, you have to speak in a
yell to be heard over the bells, whistles, and shouts of the
gamblers. Erin gives a shy wave to Jake, and he immediately takes
that as a sign to approach her without waiting for a response from
me. He speaks softly to her, and I can hear a happy birthday in
their conversation which is cut short by Carlo.
“Let’s head over to the shops, they’re
waiting for us.”
“What does he mean by ‘they’re waiting for
us?’” I ask Antonio.
“You’ll see.” He smiles.
If Antonio means that all these guys are
coming shopping with us, that’s weird. In my entire life, I don’t
think I’ve ever been shopping with this many people, let alone
men.
Slot machines cover the walls and are lined
up like soldiers in the middle of the floor. The brightly lit
machines with their colorful electronic designs mesmerize the
passerby. Against the far wall are tables with every gambling game
you can imagine in the casino -roulette, blackjack, some peculiar
games I’ve never heard of before, and, of course, craps. One whole
section of the casino is dedicated to restaurants and shops. A
gigantic waterfall separates the gambling floor from the shopping.
It is noisy as it cascades down the enormous man-made rocks. Small
drops of water splash on the granite tile floor.
The first shop is a high priced active wear
store where you can get a pair of sweatpants for hundred dollars.
The guys steer us right by that store. Antonio slows down at a
boutique called Calypso, which sells everything from jewelry to
high-end dress shoes. Standing next to the salesperson near the
register is Alessandra. She dashes towards us on her sky-high heels
and pulls Erin into a ‘happy birthday’ hug.
“I couldn’t stand waiting anymore! I almost
went to get you guys.” Alessandra stammers out. She jumps up and
down like a kid in a candy store. “Erin, wait ‘til you see the
gorgeous stuff they have here!”
Troy and Alex watch Alessandra bounce around
with excitement.
Alessandra takes Erin’s hand and pulls her
into the store. Flustered, Erin follows and allows herself to be
towed in as Alessandra sits her down in a chair and waves to the
clerk. Antonio motions for Clarissa and me to sit in the chairs
next to Erin. Our chairs are lined up facing the back of the store.
We sit down as our gang of guys stand behind us. This feels
weird.
Alessandra is too excited to sit still. It
takes me a moment to figure out what was going on.
A woman struts out of the back room dressed
to the nines in a sharp black dress with thick silver heels. She
parades across the store modeling the dress for us, and
Alessandra’s excitement bubbles over as she explains the plan to
Erin that she can pick out whatever she wants.
“I selected the best outfits here, and these
ladies are going to model for you. Seriously, pick out whatever you
want. Isn’t that cool?!”
Clarissa clapped, “Goody!” She and
Alessandra are giddy, but Erin looks as stunned as I feel.
“Uh...”
“Awesome! A fashion show!” Jake announces,
then quietly says to Troy. “Hot ladies in fancy clothes.”
“Mmmm... yeah...” Troy nodded in agreement,
smiling devilishly.
The next woman marches out dressed in a red
silk gown with a slit up the right leg. Her shoes must have a
four-inch heel and red satin straps lace up and down her feet, very
chic. Clarissa screeches in delight and claps her hands as we watch
the model spin and turn. Vito stands stoically, shooting glances at
Erin, gauging her reaction.
Joey strolls up beside Jake and gently
punches his shoulder. “This is my kind of shopping,” Joey says as
he leers at the model. Jake nods his head in approval.
I peer behind me at Antonio who is speaking
quietly with Carlo by the entrance, probably about business.
Shifting my attention back to the models, I
try not to appear ungrateful, but these outfits seem way too
sophisticated for my sister, unless she is going to a prom or
something.
“I love the next one,” Alessandra says as a
model parades back down the runway, sounding like a host on the
Home Shopping Network. ”You can wear it for dinner at a nice
restaurant or to a club.”
It is a little more youthful, but still
probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. A black pantsuit with a
form fitted jacket. The material looks expensive. Underneath the
jacket, the model is wearing a fancy shell that reveals her
well-endowed cleavage.
“If we’re voting, I totally vote for this
one,” Jake blurts out.
“Me too,” Joey chimes in.
Vito glare at the guys, his expression is
murderous. He has been out of sorts.
Erin looks to me for guidance. If I can read
her face correctly, she’s not only astonished, but a little
embarrassed. Before this whole shit-storm of trauma, Erin would
have been acting like Alessandra; totally into it and high on the
fun of shopping. But the recent events have changed her. She has
become more reserved. It is good and bad. While I hate to see her
changed, I must admit that I am pleased to see her a bit more
cautious.
Antonio breaks from his conversation with
Carlo. ”Do you see anything you like, Erin?”
She looks at him blankly. I turn in my seat
to regard him and speak for Erin. ”I think she’s maybe a bit
overwhelmed.”
The clerk frowns, probably hoping for a
major sale today. I give my sister a reassuring pat on her knee.
The clerk says hopefully, “The models are changing. The next one
should be out in the minute.”
Alessandra leans towards Erin. ”We can try
another store,” she says quietly.
Clarissa leans in to be part of the
conversation.
“Everything is beautiful,” Erin says to
Alessandra, pausing to say more.
One of the models steps out from the back
with a new outfit on. She stops mid-step when the very quiet Vito
speaks up, piercingly. “Just give her one of each outfit in her
size,” he says severely to the clerk. Vito looks at me. ”We’re
moving on. Let’s go.” He looks back at the salesperson saying, “We
will be back to pick the stuff up later.” The lady is beaming; she
probably made a week’s worth of sales in an hour.
He reaches down and takes Erin’s hand
gently. He helps her to a standing position and pulls her towards
the exit. Hmm...Okay... He hands a credit card to the clerk.
Troy looks over at me looking as dumbfounded
as I feel. My sister’s birthday celebration is turning extravagant.
A small evil thought gleefully creeps its way into my mind...Troy
will probably share with Connor the treatment Erin is getting and
the expensive gifts. Good! I want Connor to know that my sister is
fine without him.
“You ready?” Antonio asks me. I nod my head,
and he takes my hand.
Troy, Jake, Joey, and Carlo follow us out
while Alessandra and Clarissa stay behind to speak to the
salesperson.
Leaving the store feels abrupt and awkward,
but that’s Vito for you, straight and to the point. I keep
wondering who is going to pay for all of those clothes. All that
will cost a small fortune. Is Vito buying her that stuff?
Vito releases Erin’s hand as we walk towards
a new store. As Alessandra and Clarissa catch up with us,
Alessandra discreetly whispers in Vito’s ear, antagonizing him. He
practically growls. Alessandra, triumphant, moves closer to Erin
smiling.
“Those clothes are to die for! You are so
lucky,” she purrs.
“You have to let me borrow that red dress!”
Clarissa begs. ”What do you think, Meg?”
“Now, you just need someone to take you
out,” Joey says.
Vito stops short and glares at Joey, his
face icy. If actual steam could come out of Vito’s ears, it would
be doing just that right now.
“Are you fucking askin’?” he practically
yells at Joey.
Antonio steps forward, intervening. Jake
motions with his hands on his neck in a cut-it-out motion to Joey.
I remember that Jake has been on the receiving end of Vito’s anger
before.
“Dude, calm down,” Antonio says
directly.
“What is your problem?” Joey asks, highly
annoyed.
Vito shifts away, but doesn’t appear to calm
down. Alessandra smiles smugly as she pulls Erin to her and links
their arms. They lead us into a cute little store with more
expensive clothing. The mannequins in the window even look posh,
all posed distinctly with their sharp edges and lines like robots.
Alessandra steers us all towards the sales desk in the shop, a
small Asian woman approaches her and shakes her hand.
“Good morning,” she says. “What can I help
you with today?”
Antonio steps forward. ”We’re looking for
some nice things for this girl right here?” Antonio points at
Erin.
The nice Asian lady looks Erin up and down
and smiles. “Let’s see what I have.”
All of us, including the guys, walk around
the store. Jake picks up a pair of tacky platform shoes and holds
them up. “Didn’t one of the band members of Kiss wear these shoes?”
Erin walks over to him and laughs as she holds the shoe in her
hand.
“Wow! These are heavy,” Erin says. “I think
I want these, Antonio.”
Antonio examines them and laughs. “I don’t
think these are shoes, I think they’re weapons. Pick again.”
Antonio tosses it with a thunk back on the rack.
Erin seems to be warming up, laughing at
something Jake mumbles. I watch her with him, seeing how brings out
the best in her. Erin and Jake go to a display of hats. They each
try a few on, and Jake uses his phone to snaps some pictures of the
two of them making silly faces. Erin dissolves into stitches as he
makes comments about each and every one.
Vito leaves with a huff and goes to hang
outside the store with Carlo. Troy and Joey decide they’re bored
and go to hang out outside the store too. But, I catch Troy
surveying Alessandra’s every move as she and Clarissa stand
admiring the jewelry with the salesperson.
Antonio talks with the clerk. He pulls out a
wad of cash from his back pocket as I join them. “Here you go,” he
says, handing the cashier a ton of money. “Bag it up those outfits
in her size. We’ll be back for it later.”
I call out for my sister and the others.
“Come on.” I have no clue what all Antonio has purchased, but I am
sure it is more than Erin would ever need. He is so good to
her.
We all stroll out into the main area. By the
looks of Vito, I would say he is seething.
Carlo speaks to Antonio softly, “We’re going
back to that first place to settle up, and then Vito, and I will
meet you at the restaurant.”
I guess that answers my earlier question. It
appears Vito is buying Erin a closet full of new clothes.
“Okay,” Antonio says as he waves them off.
Then he glances at me. ”Let’s head over to Bella Bistro. I’m
starving.”
“I could eat to,” Troy says.
“So could I,” Alessandra adds, smiling
broadly at Troy. He looks away seemingly uninterested. Hmm…
I think she is still seeming interested,
although Troy... not so much?
Standing at the entrance to Bella Bistro is
Alex. I wave as we approach. He waves back as he eyes Joey and the
rest of the group, but zeroes in on Alessandra. I realize that Alex
is not alone though. Next to him is a tall man with a black eye and
bruises down his dark face, very similar to Antonio. He is an
enormous. Not fat...broad and muscular in a way that rivals Vito.
This guy radiates a domineering viciousness.
I develop a very bad feeling in the pit of
my stomach. Something seems so very wrong or off about this guy. He
smiles at us, but it doesn’t reach his cold eyes. There’s no
sincerity. Actually, he looks quite malevolent.
Antonio squeezes the hand that he’s holding
in a warning. It dawns on me that this is the man Antonio fought
last night. The bad feeling in the pit of my stomach turns
acidic.
“Hello, Demetrius,” Antonio says
deadpan.
Chapter 5
Favor: illegal business that you need help
with
Megan:
“How are you feeling this morning?”
Demetrius asks a little too kindly.
“Fine.” I notice that Antonio doesn’t
reciprocate the question.
Antonio takes my hand and uses it to tuck me
behind him marginally. His eyes never waver from Demetrius’. But
this doesn’t stop Demetrius’s eyes from locking on me. This brute
of a guy trails his them up and down my body rudely.
“So this is the famous Megan.” He offers his
hand. Antonio stiffens. I hesitantly hold my hand out, but instead
of shaking it, he brings it to his lips and kisses it. Antonio
swiftly pulls my hand away. Demetrius chuckles at Antonio’s
reaction. ”So the rumors are true...she is stunning.”
Demetrius’ cold but pleasant demeanor
transfers to behind me, where Erin stands with our friends.
“Ah, this has to be her lovely sister,
Erin,” Demetrius fawns bogusly. How does he know our names?
Clarissa shoves forward. “My father doesn’t
like you here.” She gets close to him, almost in his face. Joey
reaches his hands out, takes Clarissa by her shoulders, and pulls
her back.