“You can give those messages to Dante. He’s taking care of it and things will blow over in a few days. Keep holding them off; you’re doin’ great,” I said and walked down the carpeted hallway to what was technically my office. It was rarely occupied. Our accountant resided in the only suite that was used almost full time.
I peeked my head in to say hi and he glanced up at me from his laptop before jumping in surprise. “Dom, did we have a meeting?”
“Nah, just needed to the quiet of the office. How are things going?”
“Good. I’m glad you’re here though. Someone reached out about renting the space at that condo building. Do you still have plans or want to lease it out?”
“Don’t lease it. With all the shit going on, I haven’t had a chance to finalize plans.” Natalie wasn’t in any position to think about the gallery idea and I didn’t want to pressure her now for a decision.
“Got it. I’ll wait to hear from you.”
“Good, also there are a lot of people prying into the businesses right now, make sure everything is buttoned up tight.
“Yes, sir.”
I stepped back out into the hallway, making my way to my office. It was as impersonal an office as you could get. Aside from a cup of pens and a stapler on the mahogany desk there was a closed laptop. Two generic paintings, like those found in hotel rooms, hung on the walls, but they were easily ignored in favor of the view. A large window looked out over the city facing the Delaware River. A yellowish haze hung lower than the clouds, dimming the sun. This was a typical sight in the summer and it only got hazier as the days got hotter, trapping exhaust, dust and other pollution like the city was under a dome.
I dropped the envelope down next to the laptop and sat down in the leather chair, stretching my legs out before me underneath the desk. Tilting my head from side to side until my neck let out satisfying cracks, I settled in to learn all about Special Agent Doug Phillips. Uncle Marco was always big on Sun Tzu and the Art of War, while I didn’t understand or bothered at the time to appreciate it, I did now. Quotes like “Know thy self, know the enemy” and “Let your plans be dark and as impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” were his favorites. While I didn’t want to be a cold and crazy leader like Uncle Marco, I did know I needed to be less impulsive and more strategic in order to stay ahead of the Feds.
Doug Phillips was 38-years old and a graduate of LaSalle University where he was on the pre-law track. Instead of going to law school after he graduated in 1998, he entered the workforce and it didn’t take long for him to join the FBI Field Office in Philadelphia. He started there in March 2000 and had been steadily moving up the ranks to his current position as head of the Organized Crime Task Force. He married his college girlfriend, Julia Cooper, in 2002 and they had two children; a 10-year old son named Jacob and an 8-year old daughter named Madison. Johnny even enclosed copies of the kids’ latest school pictures. I gave the pictures a cursory glance then moved on.
Special Agent Phillips had a few accolades in his personnel file; one of them being a leadership award for contributions involving the shutdown of the Latin Kings in Philadelphia. I remembered when that shit started going down. I had just graduated high school and Uncle Marco was tense that summer as he waited to see if the organization was going to get roped caught up in the charges.
The Phillips family lived in a colonial style home in a neighborhood of similar looking homes where lawns were well maintained and I bet everyone cleaned up after their dog took a shit. Guaranteed there was at least one neighbor who noticed everyone’s comings and goings. If we made a trip out to West Chester for a visit, we’d need to blend in.
I don’t know how he did it, but Johnny had even figured out where Phillips banked and had hacked in there too. As I read through the latest bank statement, I noticed every weekday morning there was a transaction for the coffee shop located on the first floor of the federal building. I grinned at this discovery. Doug Phillips was a creature of habit and now I could surprise him with a visit, but I couldn’t be in his face. Not only was I going be entering the building that housed the FBI field office, but it neighbored the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Federal Courthouse, U.S. Secret Services and the Federal Detention Center. Eyes and cameras were everywhere and I generally avoided this entire area.
Satisfied with the new information, I tucked the paperwork back in the envelope, making a note to give Johnny some extra cash for doing such an outstanding job. I said goodbye to Estelle and left the office. It was getting close to 4:00 and people were beginning to head home for the day so the elevator stopped at almost every floor. A few women smiled at me after looking me up and down. I ignored them and stayed at the back, standing with my eyes straight ahead seemingly unaware of my surroundings, but really hyperaware of who was on the elevator with me because you never knew.
One my way back to my condo, I called Aunt Gloria and placed an order to go. When I told her who it was for, she assured me it was on the house. I navigated through rush hour traffic and didn’t notice any company on my tail. After a quick workout at the gym in the basement of my building, I showered and made my way over to Franco’s Restaurant. Bianca’s older sister, my cousin Francesca, was lighting candles on the tables, which already had guests even though it was fairly early.
“Hey Dom,” Francesca called out, crossing the room to give me a hug. “Mom has your order out back and she wants to see you.”
“Cool,” I said and followed her through the two dining areas, what used to be a living room and dining room when the building was a family home, to the swinging double doors that led to the kitchen.
“How do you like being the manager now?” I asked her. She had graduated from Rutgers across the river in December and had taken over management of her parent’s restaurant. It was supposed to be a semi-retirement for Uncle Franco, but he still worked 60-hours a week.
Francesca laughed, throwing her head back, making her tight black curls bounce. “It’s a glorified title, Dom. You know who the boss really is around here.”
I grinned at her, knowing that Aunt Gloria still ran the show. We pushed through the doors and Gloria spun around, a wooden spoon dripping with marinara sauce in one hand.
“Oh, Dom!” she dropped the spoon back in a bubbling pot and pulled me into a hug, “such a big day with Grant coming back to us, yes?”
I squeezed her back and she released me. “Yes, Aunt G. He’s going to be okay.”
“Thank God,” she said, making the sign of the cross. “Here, you give this to Natalie and make sure she eats every bite. That poor girl…” Aunt Gloria’s lower lip trembled and her eyes grew watery. “Oh, and I made up two other plates; one for Anna and the other is for Miranda. I also made you a calzone with meatball. Sneak some garlic knots to Grant, that boy lost too much weight.” She handed me a paper bag that weighed about twenty pounds. I set it down on the worn butcher’s block and pulled out my wallet, but she swatted at my hand, refusing payment.
“This is what family does, Dom, you know that,” she admonished me before turning her attention back to the giant six-burner stove.
“Thanks, Aunt G. I’ll make sure everyone eats.” I kissed her on the cheek and waved goodbye to Francesca. My stomach was already rumbling in response to the smells wafting up from the bag.
I drove around to the rear of hospital, noting as I passed the front entrance area that the media presence wasn’t as heavy as earlier. The waiting area on Grant’s floor wasn’t a circus anymore either. I didn’t see a single member of my family loitering in the halls. As I was getting ready to enter Grant’s room, the door swung open. Natalie jumped in surprise when she saw me standing there and she let out a nervous laugh.
“Jesus, I wasn’t expecting you to be right on the other side.”
Holding up the brown paper bag with “Franco’s Restaurant” stamped on it in black ink; I asked her if she was hungry.
“Is that what I think it is?” she asked.
“Yup, you’re favorite made by Aunt Gloria herself.”
“I’m starving! Go sit in the waiting room. It won’t be fair to eat this in front of Grant. He’s on like a Jell-O, broth and saltine diet. I was on my way to the bathroom.”
I watched as Natalie walked down the hall to the public restroom, briefly wondering why she didn’t use the one in Grant’s room, but shrugged it off. While she was gone, I convinced Miranda and Anna to join us for dinner since Grant was passed out.
Taking over an unoccupied corner of the waiting room, I pulled four chairs together around a small table, moving the collection of magazines to another table. Within seconds of placing the containers of food out, Natalie walked in.
“Oh my God, I could smell the garlic down the hall. I didn’t realize how hungry I was!” she sat down next to me, pulling a container towards her. “Eggplant parmesan? I love your Aunt Gloria. She’s like my spirit animal.”
“What?” I said and laughed. I always loved how excited Natalie got over food. I watched as she took a bite and closed her eyes, moaning softly, reminding me of other ways that I’d made her moan. My eyes moved to her lips just in time to catch her lick them. Fuck. Thank God Miranda and Anna chose that moment to show up as my thoughts had veered straight into the gutter. In addition to huge portions of food, Aunt G had thrown in an entire loaf of fresh baked Italian bread, a garden salad and an order of garlic knots. Like always, there was too much food. The nurses working on the floor were glad to take the salad and garlic knots. Soon we were all stuffed. Natalie leaned back in her chair and let out a groan, patting her stomach.
“Your Aunt’s going to make me fat,” she said. “I’m going to have to run and extra four miles each day this week to make up for this.”
“Oh shut up, Nat. You have nothing to worry about. I’m going to be bigger than a house soon,” Miranda said with a yawn. “Plus, this baby’s going to turn me into a giant sloth.”
Anna shook her head. “You two are gorgeous and have nothing to worry about.”
I hated that Natalie looked surprised at her mom’s comment. Unfortunately I knew that she wasn’t used to receiving compliments from her.
“Anna’s right,” I told Natalie and gave her a wink, which caused her to smile.
After dinner we hung out in Grant’s room until visiting hours ended. Grant woke up for a few minutes before we had to leave when a nurse came in to check his vitals. He immediately started asking questions about the business and in his drug addled state he started talking about the heroin shipment. Fortunately he didn’t say heroin outright and Miranda was able to switch topics before Anna caught on.
To avoid the media, we all left out back via the service entrance. Uncle Al was waiting to take Miranda home and my cousin Leo was parked next to my Mercedes. He was going to follow me over the bridge to drop Natalie and her mom off at their hotel. I felt ridiculous and paranoid having someone guard me when I was by myself, but I wasn’t taking any chances with Natalie being unprotected. I was prepared to die protecting her and I knew Leo would take a bullet for me or Nat.
When we pulled up in front of the hotel, Anna jumped right out and said goodnight, thanking me for dinner. “You two go have some fun. It’s been a rough week, but Grant’s turned the corner. No sense Natalie being cooped up in the hotel with me.”
“It’s okay, Mom, I don’t mind. I’m tired too.”
“Natalie, go relax for a bit because I know you won’t take the time for yourself once Grant is home and you’re going to be his caregiver. I’m just going to take a bath and read a book.”
“I’m sure Dom has things to do.”
“Nope, I’m all yours tonight, Nat, and I agree with your mom.” At this statement, Anna gave me an approving smile.
Finally, I was going to get Natalie alone. We hadn’t had any time together where it was just the two of us since before the shooting, when I offered her that gallery space.
“Fine,” she agreed and it came out more like a growl, which made me laugh. We drove in silence and I noticed Natalie’s hands were fidgeting on her lap and she kept her face turned away from me to look out the window.
“Do I make you nervous?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“What? No!” She made brief eye contact with me before turning to the window again.
“Remember, I’m good at reading people.”
Natalie sighed and untangled her fingers. “Okay, yes, I am a little bit nervous, but it’s not you. Well, in a way it is,” she sputtered. “God, I can’t even talk straight let alone think straight around you!” she cried out in a frustrated huff.
I couldn’t help but laugh at her frazzled state. “I remember having that effect on you the first night we met. Should we stop and get some tequila – will that help?”
She laughed in return. “I don’t know about tequila, but let’s stop for a drink.”
“Anywhere in particular?”
“Not Crimson.”
I drove towards South Street, checking in my rearview mirror to make sure Leo was keeping up. I parked over by Grant and Miranda’s place on Bainbridge Street, which was a block over from South Street. Leo found a spot not too far from us. Natalie didn’t seem to notice he was following us, which was good. I didn’t want her to be any more uncomfortable. With a Phillies baseball cap in place to somewhat conceal my face, I reached for her hand and twined my fingers through hers. Together we pushed through the crowds on the sidewalk. Loud music blared from most of the bars, but a restaurant on the corner offered a patio where we could sit outside and talk. Leo took up residence on a bar stool inside between us and the front door. He had a clear line of sight of us from where he was positioned.
“Wine, beer or will it be hard stuff?” I asked Natalie, handing her a drink menu. We had both declined food menus since we were full from dinner. She surprised me by ordering a mojito and not one of her usual drinks like a rum and diet coke or vodka tonic.
“So, you’re going to be staying with Grant and Miranda?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ll move in the end of this week.”
“Do you need help with your bills or anything? I can help you out.”
Natalie shook her head. “Things will be tight, but I’ll be okay. You don’t need to take care of me.”
Leaning forward, I grabbed her hand, which was cold and wet from the condensation on her glass. “I want to take care of you,” I said and locked gazes with her.
“I appreciate that, Dom.” She squeezed my hand and I was expecting her to withdraw it, but she didn’t. “You’ve done so much for Grant already. Thank you.”
“He’s family, Nat.” I looked down at our joined hands. “So, are you done being nervous around me?”
She blushed and smiled. “It’s not so much nervousness, it’s just hard keeping things platonic, but I have to.”
“Why?”
“You know why. I love you, Dom. I’m not going to deny that. It’s your life I don’t love.”
“A life your brother chose.” She winced, but didn’t pull away. “I am who I am, Nat. It’s how I was raised, but I’m trying to be better to make our organization better…a little more legal. I need you in my life, Nat.”
“Your life is dangerous. People get hurt.”
We were talking in circles, rehashing the same argument, but she was worth the fight. “People get hurt all of the time. Like what happened at the mall? That was a random act of violence and had nothing to do with what I do, but because of my background, I was able to help save a lot of lives.”
She took a sip of her drink while processing my last statement. “Okay, I’ll give you that. The world in general is a violent, fucked up place.”
“But if I was a lawyer we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” After saying this, I realized it sounded like I was talking about Jason, the surfer boy Natalie dated in California who was on the pre-law track and a safe option.
She glared at me and pulled her hand away. “Same goes if I grew up in
South Philly, like Allegra. It wouldn’t be an issue.”
“I don’t want to be with Allegra.”
“And I don’t want to be with Jason.”
“But you don’t want to be with me either?”
Natalie sat back in her chair and I could see her shoulders tense up. Fuck, this was not how I envisioned the night playing out. Running a hand through my hair, I leaned forward to close the distance between us, but the table still created a barrier. “Natalie, I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.” I hated seeing the sadness in her eyes and much preferred the way they practically sparkled whenever she laughed. My hand twitched, wanting to reach across and hold hers again, but I held back. We silently regarded each other, our drinks long forgotten.
“So, we promised your mom we’d have a good time tonight. How are we doing with that?” I asked. She pursed her lips and attempted to hold back a laugh, but let out a snort and started giggling.
“You sure know how to show a girl a good time, Dom,” she teased and I laughed along with her relieved that the tension between us disappeared as quickly as it surfaced.
“Come on, let’s go,” I left a twenty spot on the table and stood up, holding out my hand to her, which she accepted. I nodded at Leo as we walked past and he followed us out, staying a good ten feet behind. It was a warm night, making the sidewalks crowded with people. Cars inched along down South Street, their music competing with the bars. We ducked into some of the stores and played around trying on a variety of hats in one and taking selfies. Our earlier conversation was long forgotten by the time we stopped for gelato. We waited in line for a few minutes, giving us time to decide what we wanted. When we stepped up to the counter, I ordered for both of us and fished out a wad of cash from my front pocket. I handed over some cash when Natalie placed her hand on top of mine, stopping the transaction.
Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) Page 16
