“Ah, the sweet Clarissa. How are you? It is
so nice to see you amongst other people,” his comment is boiled in
sarcasm.
He moves himself closer to Erin and stands
above her small frame. Antonio immediately reacts along with Joey.
I’ve learned to read his signals, and this isn’t a good one...he is
ready to lunge.
“Happy birthday, little Erin,” Demetrius
says lightly.
Sensing Antonio’s indicators and catching
on, Troy reaches around from behind Erin and wraps his arms around
her shoulders, hugging her to his chest. “Yup, this is our little
birthday girl!” Troy quips, his voice jovial and upbeat against the
tense situation.
“And who might you be?” Demetrius asks
nastily.
“I’m Troy, a close friend of the family,” he
holds up one hand in a sharply exaggerated manner to shake
Demetrius’, without letting go of Erin. Demetrius does not shake
Troy’s hand, rather scowls down at it with disgust. Joey and Jake
converge on Troy.
“Troy, why don’t you and Jake take the girls
inside and get us a seat?” Antonio asks, but it comes out as a
command.
“But I’m not done saying hello to old
friends,” Demetrius pointedly shifts his attention to Alessandra.
She turns away from him and grabs Clarissa’s hand, click-clacking
in her heels on the marble floor as she nods for me to follow.
Antonio releases my hand Troy, Erin, and Jake follow Alessandra and
Clarissa into the restaurant. Following them, I twist to gaze
behind me. Joey, Alex, and Antonio face-off to Demetrius, then the
walls of the restaurant swallow me up.
*****
Antonio:
“What the fuck are you doing here,
Demetrius?”
“Now, now, Antonio, that’s no way to talk to
someone you are forming an alliance with.”
He is fucking with me! And so it begins.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Come on Antonio, we’re practically family.
I just wanted to say hi.” Demetrius laughs and drops of his act.
“But now that you mention it,” he starts, then pauses and looks
around. “So where is Vito?”
I already have enough on my plate. I don’t
need this asshole dicking me around. I wrestle with the urge to
punch him square in the face. I don’t know what his game is yet,
and it makes me furious inside.
“He’s around. Why are you here?” I
mutter.
“I need a favor.”
Shit!
A favor in this world doesn’t mean he’s going to ask me to
babysit his pet snake while he goes on vacation. Favors are one of
two things – it is either a test for the installation of new
members into a family, or it will be some business that needs to be
handled delicately or on the sly. With the mention of a favor, Joey
and Alex slowly back away, knowing their place. What Demetrius is
going to ask or say isn’t for their ears. Demetrius and I move
farther away to a more private area.
I have been gritting my teeth since seeing
him standing with Alex, and my jaw is starting to ache. Being in
Demetrius’s presence irks me on an instinctive level and produces a
foul taste in my mouth.
“I have a very important shipment for the
Furlottis coming in. I need an experienced associate.” Demetrius
shrugs.
“When?”
“Forty-eight hours.”
I can’t say no. Forming alliances with other
families is all about one hand washing the other.
“Where?” I ask, knowing he won’t answer that
question. After all, I don’t need to know until it’s time.
“I’ll contact you.” Demetrius begins to walk
away. As he’s walking he can’t seem to help but comment, “By the
way, your girlfriend is one sweet piece.” He recognizes how to rile
me. I stand still not trusting my own body to react to his words.
She is my Achilles’ heel, and he knows it. “I wouldn’t mind a
little of that...or maybe you could set me up with her sister?” He
laughs arrogantly and finally strolls through the tables.
Alex and Joey immediately approach me. Joey
has a worried look. “What was that all about? You okay? You looked
like you were gonna pounce on him!”
I evade the questions. “Let’s go have
lunch.”
At a large round table in the back of the
restaurant sits Alessandra, Clarissa, Erin, Troy, and Jake. I don’t
see Megan, and my body immediately shoots a warning to my brain.
Where is she?
Troy reads the question on my face because
he said, “She went to the ladies room.”
I move quickly, rushing to the restrooms,
pushing wait staff out of my way. My fears aren’t for nothing. Up
against a wall stands Megan, pinned, wisps of her red hair dance on
the wall...Demetrius has her trapped.
“Let me pass, please,” Megan says to him,
looking annoyed. She has a sassy hand on her hip.
Demetrius tightens his stance by leaning his
hand against the wall by her face. I automatically react, thrusting
my body between them and forcing Demetrius back. The edges of his
mouth twist up into a grotesque smile. I feel Megan’s shaking hands
rest against my back. She’s afraid.
“Relax, Tonio. We were just talking,”
Demetrius hisses the words like the snake that he is.
It is taking everything I have to maintain
my self-control. My whole body hums with agitation. My fists scream
at my brain to let them fly. But it’s a bad idea. Starting anything
with Demetrius right now will cause more problems in the
future.
Before I can respond and diffuse the
situation, Vito and Carlo come rushing around the corner. Vito
doesn’t hesitate or even know what is going on. He strides forward,
seizes Demetrius by the arm, and flings him into a nearby empty
table, crushing it as Demetrius goes down hard.
Megan gasps behind me knowing a fight is
coming. My only concern is her.
Carlo reaches down and pulls up Demetrius
roughly, anticipating retaliation. Demetrius doesn’t counter.
Instead, he laughs and brushes himself off as the commotion rings
through the restaurant. Security officers come running, along with
our lunch party.
“What happened?!” Alessandra calls out.
“Holy shit!” Troy says.
I keep Megan trapped behind me, still
uncertain about what Demetrius might do. He is a loose cannon.
Vito’s breathing is harsh, and he is clearly ready to go at it with
Demetrius. Carlo holds up a hand to stop the security officers and
let them know he’s got it covered.
Surprisingly Demetrius speaks up. “It is
just a misunderstanding,” he says, his hands raised in
surrender.
The gesture means nothing to me, because I
can see him calculating something ruthless in his eyes. He’s not
the type to do something for nothing. I steal a look at Erin, her
hand covering her mouth with shock. Jake puts his arm around her
shoulder, comforting her.
“Go back to the table,” I order. I gently
take Megan’s hand and lead her over by the rest of the group,
giving them another warning order to go back to the table.
They reluctantly leave. Security flanks
Carlo waiting for instructions on what to do. I step forward with
Vito, Joey, and Alex standing behind me.
Vito’s decision to send Demetrius flying
into the table was rash, but what’s done is done. I can understand
Vito’s reaction. Almost everything Demetrius does is hostile, so
you can never be too careful.
“Sorry about that,” I say to Demetrius.
Uncharacteristically, Demetrius shrugs his
shoulders in a nonchalant way. But then Demetrius approaches Vito.
It’s a standoff. Neither one of them moves or backs down. That
would be a sign of weakness.
“Why don’t I show you out,” Alex offers,
moving towards Demetrius.
“Tonio,” he says but is staring down Vito.
“I’ll be in touch.” His voice is ominous as Alex walks him to the
entrance. Security follows.
“What the fuck was that about?!” Carlo asks,
annoyed.
I scrub my hands down my face aggravated at
the whole situation. I don’t like this kind of shit happening with
Megan around...and Erin witnessing that...not good.
Vito’s regretful gaze lands on me, resting
for a moment on my blackened eye. ”That fucker is lucky I didn’t do
worse than throw him into a table.”
Any other day, I wouldn’t care. Vito could
beat Demetrius to with an inch of his life, and it wouldn’t bother
me in the least. But with the girls around, with us being under the
hospitality of Ennio, it’s not cool.
I ask Joey and Carlo to go back to the
table. Words don’t even have to leave my mouth as Vito follows me
over to the slot machine smoking section. A couple of people are
sitting at the terminals we’re near. Vito looms and shoots them a
lethal glare, and they suddenly have the urge to try a new machine
elsewhere.
I tap my cigarettes until one comes out.
Vito folds his arms over his chest watching me. I grab my lighter,
clicking it with the cigarette to my lips; I stoke it until it
catches. I inhale deeply, each curl of smoke entering my body, one
by one, relaxing me.
Vito is waiting patiently. We’ve been
friends long enough for him to know I need a few puffs before I
enter into this conversation.
“Demetrius wants me to do a favor,” I
start.
Vito tightens up at the word favor, and his
face gets hard. I know what he is going to say before he even says
it.
“You are not going alone!”
“Don’t start this shit, you know I have
to.”
“What the hell? I don’t like it! Who knows
what that psycho has going on his head!” Vito yells. I motion for
him to calm down. ”When?” he asks.
“In a couple of days.”
I take another drag off my cigarette,
feeling Vito’s irritation and rage bouncing off my skin. His
opposition is warranted because I feel the same way, knowing it’s
all probably a set up for something bigger. But I have to follow
through - for the family.
I stamp out my cigarette in an ashtray near
me. Alessandra is walking towards us, and we meet her half way.
“Erin wants to go back upstairs. I think
it’s for the best. Let’s have lunch brought up.”
“That’s fine,” I agree.
Chapter 6
Racket: illegal business
Antonio:
The silence is deafening on the ride to the
top floor of the casino. For most people, it’s not every day you
ride in an elevator with two people who have cloth bags over their
heads. It’s the only way that Troy and Jake can come upstairs.
Erin had buried her face in my chest and
cried when Carlo pulled out the bags. “Please Antonio, don’t let
Carlo do this,” she begged. But I explained the reasons, and she
calmed down some. Security is non-negotiable.
Joey has some work he had to do, so he
didn’t come with us. He probably has to go write up a report about
today’s events.
“I guess this is one of those things I
shouldn’t ask questions about huh, Antonio?” Jake asks.
“Yup,” I clip off. ”No questions.”
Erin stands in the middle of Megan and me,
each of us holding one of her shaking hands. Clarissa and
Alessandra appear unaffected, and Troy already seems to know the
routine. Jake just makes light of it all. Alex squishes himself in
the back of the elevator. I watch him in the mirror as he stares at
Alessandra for the whole ride.
The elevator stopped at the family floor,
and I step out with Megan and Erin. Alex and Carlo maneuver Troy
and Jake, leading them since they can’t see. The door slides shut,
and Carlo removes the bags.
Jake is already smiling when his face is
exposed. ”You know I felt like that crazy scarecrow in that horror
movie.” He snaps his fingers a couple times, trying to recall it.
”I can’t remember the name of it...”
“Dark Night of the Scarecrow?” Alex
suggests.
“Hey, yeah! Hollywood didn’t have to pay too
much for that costume, huh? A burlap bag with a few holes in
it.”
Everyone laughs. Jake definitely has a way
of breaking up the tension in the air.
We step inside the suite. Garment bags are
lying all over the furniture and hanging on the backs the doors.
Clarissa squeals. “It’s like Christmas in here!” she yells. ”Erin,
please tell me you are going to share?” she jokes.
“It looks like someone brought the whole
store up here,” Troy says.
Megan’s mouth hangs open in either horror or
amazement as Alessandra and Clarissa begin unzipping bags.
“Are you going to buy her a bigger closet,
too?” Alessandra asks me.
“I didn’t buy all of this,” I say, and leave
it at that.
Alex helps collect the bags with Alessandra.
They carry them into Erin’s room. Erin trails behind them with
Clarissa.
Troy and Jake have made themselves at home,
sitting at the kitchen table and snacking on chips they must have
found in the cupboard. Carlo is on the phone ordering our food.
Vito quietly disappears into the bathroom. It’s not my place to say
that he bought all this shit. When Carlo and Vito took off earlier,
they must have carried all the stuff up here for Erin.
Megan examines me keenly. The look she gives
me makes me feel like I’m in trouble, like she thinks I’m lying. I
kiss the tip of her nose, loving the way she’s observing me
speculatively.
“It’s not all me,” I whisper to her.
I have a seat at the table with Troy and
Jake, pulling Megan down to sit in my lap as I hug her to me. I
want more than anything to scoop her up, take her to her room, and
lock the door. With all these people here, I’m thinking it’s not
going to happen. A guy can wish though... I run my hands up and
down her smooth skin as she talks to Troy and Jake. I have no clue
what they’re talking about...I’m in my own world with Megan in my
arms. I come back to reality when I hear Connor’s name.
“Your brother’s turning fifteen this week
too?” Jake asks around a mouthful of chips.
“Yeah, Connor is the same age as Erin,” Troy
adds.
Megan shifts in my lap, noticeably
uncomfortable with the conversation.
I want to rip Troy a new one for even
bringing his asshole brother’s name up. I keep my cool, though, not
wanting to start trouble. Thankfully, Erin is still in her bedroom
sorting her new clothes.