“And he’s correct. Let me explain how we work. Jonathan is my Consigliere, he advises. Paulo and Ricardo are Caporegime, let’s call them head of departments,” he chuckled as he spoke.
“Joe runs a tight ship here, Rocco. There are no hard drugs on our streets and there is no protection money paid. If a business wants a dispute settled all parties are brought before us and if the dispute is settled, a donation is always welcome. That donation goes to the church. We don’t work the way other families do. Joe looks after this neighbourhood and they respect him for it. However, fall outside the rules and a price is paid,” Jonathan added.
“How do you earn your money, if that’s not too bold a question?” I asked.
Joe, as I was now allowed to call him, laughed. “Rocco, my boy, import of course. We import some of the finest goods from Italy and sell it to the local stores. We acquire goods, which are sold to the local residents. I believe in them having the opportunity to buy items they couldn’t necessarily afford.”
I guessed the import part of his business wasn’t declared to the taxman, and the acquisition of goods probably not legal either.
“You need to work, Rocco. Every man needs to earn his way and have money in his pocket to spend on wine and women. So you’ll work with me.”
There was no invitation to refuse his offer and so started my career with Guiseppi Morietti, local gangland boss, Cosa Nostra or, as the press called them, the Mafia.
****
I spent the next couple of months shadowing Joe, listening and learning. He was very well respected by the locals, they made a point of stopping and chatting to him, shaking his hand and offering goods from their stores. He smiled and greeted each and every one, often by name. He introduced me to everyone he met.
“Always respect these people, Rocco. Without them we would have no business,” he said as we walked through Columbia Heights.
Two guys, two very large guys who walked a few paces behind, always accompanied him. Perhaps the streets of DC were not as safe as he would have me believe.
I enjoyed working with Joe, with the guys he surrounded himself with and it wasn’t long before I was in a fortunate position. I took orders from Joe and I handed those orders down the line. There was only one problem I had no idea how to solve—Evelyn.
It had become obvious over the past months that she liked me, whether it was teenage infatuation or more, I wasn’t sure.
I’d been helping unload a lorry of acquired goods the previous evening and slept in late. It was as I finished my shower that I realised I had left my clothes in the bedroom. With just a towel around my waist I made my way to my bedroom. The door was ajar and knowing I had closed it before I left, I quietly pushed it open. Evelyn had her back to me and a t-shirt of mine raised to her face. I tried to back out, not wanting her to know I had seen for fear of causing her embarrassment but a creaky floorboard had her spin on her heels.
I watched the usual blush creep up her neck and into her cheeks. She stared at the floor, mumbling about collecting washing. I was flattered by her attention. I also knew she was too young and my security, my family’s safety, depended on her father. I was under no illusion that her father would go ballistic should he find out his daughter had feelings for me.
“Thank you, Evelyn. I took care of it myself,” I said.
She quickly pushed past me, not giving me time to move out the way. Her body was close to mine and I inhaled her scent. I closed my eyes briefly as she assaulted my senses.
****
Evelyn did everything she could to avoid me over the next couple of months and I was pleased with that. At meal times she would sit in silence, staying out of the conversation as much as possible. There was a change in atmosphere and I knew her mother was aware; I overheard them talking one evening.
“He’s no good for you, Evelyn,” Maria said.
I had retired to the back yard for a cigarette. It was a muggy evening and the kitchen window was open allowing the conversation to flow out to where I sat.
“I love your Papa with all my heart, but this isn’t a life I want for you,” she added.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Evelyn replied.
“You do, my sweet girl. Be careful who you give your heart to, that one will break it. He’s too old, too damaged already.”
It saddened me to hear Maria speak that way. Yes, I was too old, I knew that and it was for that reason I would never take advantage of Evelyn but was I damaged? I wanted nothing more than to fall in love and marry, to have children with someone who loved me back. I ground the cigarette in the ashtray and stood. As I did, Maria made her way into the yard. She stopped abruptly, surprised to see me I guessed. I nodded and gave her a small smile before making my way back into the house. I had work to do that evening, a problem to solve. I also knew it was time to find somewhere to live. I had outstayed my welcome and it would be easier to avoid Evelyn if I wasn’t sleeping in a bedroom opposite hers.
****
Life changed a month or so later. Maria got cancer; it ate away at her at such speed. She had been poorly for a few weeks, often sitting on her own wrapped in a blanket in the sweltering garden room. Evelyn seemed to have taken over looking after the family. She cooked, cleaned and kept busy. Joe was distraught. He took a step back from business to care for Maria, and I took a step up and conducted his affairs in his absence.
I avoided going to the house as much as possible, not for any reason other than to give the family some privacy. I stayed at the hotel most nights. However, one evening I needed to speak to Joe. I opened the front door and called out. There was no answer. As I made my way to the kitchen I heard my name being called. Maria was in her usual position on the small sofa in the garden room.
“Maria, is there anything I can get for you?” I asked.
“Sit with me for a moment. Joe is in the garden with Evelyn, he’s teaching her how to tend to my flowers. I don’t know why. They are lovely but they don’t mean that much,” she winced as she moved into a sitting position.
“It’s a dumb question to ask how you’re feeling I guess,” I replied.
Maria chuckled before giving me a smile.
“Evelyn is in love you with, you know that, right?”
I nodded my head. “I promise you, Maria, I would never take advantage of your daughter.”
“I want to ask one thing of you. Don’t ever put her in danger. She is a kind young woman. I want her to fall in love and be happy, to marry and have children; and to have a future, a safe future.”
After nodding, I stood and left. My chat with Joe could wait and I headed for my car. I didn’t believe Maria had given her blessing, she was telling me that I couldn’t offer that safe future.
It was late one night that Maria passed away with her family by her side.
I kept out of the way as much as possible, allowing the family time to grieve. It was at the funeral that something inside me changed. I watched Evelyn support her father, her sister and brother. I watched her conduct herself in such a refined manner; she was a grown woman and a knot formed in my stomach when I watched her. She was even more beautiful in grief than normal. But, no matter what that knot meant, she would never be available to me. I wasn’t good enough for her.
****
Joe found me a house, a small one in need of some repair but in a good location. He owned it, and I set about making it my home. I had no furniture but I had started to earn well and, of course, I received either donations or discounts from the stores I bought items from.
“It’s looking good,” Joe said when he visited one day.
“I used to repair the farm back home.”
I had repainted the living room and kitchen, fixed the cupboards and polished the wooden floor.
“I want you to keep the key to the house, you may need it. Now, we have some trouble to deal with.”
A local drug gang had been trying to muscle in; Joe allowed the sale of dope but nothing more. This gang had decided they
might try their luck with something stronger and it was time to show them the error of their ways. Drugs were not something I was interested in; my choice of high had become the women that threw themselves at me.
I took Paulo and a new guy, Mack, with me. Mack had recently joined the gym Joe owned; he was a fighter, a fucking good fighter. It didn’t take long to find the person I was after, he was stood at the corner of a block waiting for a customer I guessed. Paulo drove, Mack was upfront and I sat in the back of the black Mercedes. We pulled alongside; Mack got out and opened the rear door. The dealer was encouraged to join me.
“José, I’m glad we’ve caught up with you,” I said.
It was very clear he was uncomfortable. He knew our rules, he knew he had broken them and he also knew this wasn’t a social call.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“For a drive. It’s a nice evening for a drive, don’t you think?”
I took pleasure in watching his hands shake. I knew then what those old friends back in the village felt. I had come from nothing and now I was someone to respect, to fear—I enjoyed that.
We arrived at a small bistro nestled between a deli and a barber. I liked the area, Great Falls was rural and the bistro was somewhere I visited frequently. I watched José relax; I guess he thought he was being taken for dinner. He was, except he hadn’t realised he was the one on the menu.
“Get out,” I said as Paulo opened the rear door for me.
I straightened my jacket before nodding to the owner, Fredrico. He had risen from his usual place at a metal table outside the front entrance.
“Rocco, it’s good to see you. You’re usual?” he said, his eyes darted from me to José.
“Of course,” I replied. He nodded.
We followed Fredrico through the restaurant, it wasn’t busy but the patrons that were there averted their gaze. We continued to walk until we reached the kitchen and then on through the rear door to a yard behind. Our dealer had started to falter. Mack gave him a shove, encouraging him to keep walking. As we did, I unbuttoned my jacket and shrugged it from my shoulders.
I spun around quick, pulled back my fist and punched the guy straight in the face. He fell to his knees. I punched him to the side of his head, anywhere I could. Blood spattered over my t-shirt, it ran through my fingers as his nose gave way and as his teeth were knocked from their sockets. He tried to protect himself as best he could.
“Why are you here?” I asked him, taking a breather from his punishment.
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice gurgled in his throat.
I kicked him hard, connecting with his side. “Wrong answer.”
“I’ll leave, I’ll move on,” he whimpered.
“Another wrong answer,” I said.
“What the fuck do you want me to say?” he tried to shout but hadn’t quite caught his breath from the kick.
I leant down and grabbed his hair, raising his face close to mine. “Thank you for killing me quickly should be the words you speak.”
His eyes widened in fear, I let go of his head and took a step back. He didn’t see the gun that Mack held, he didn’t feel it press against the back of his head and I guess he wouldn’t have heard the muffled shot as the bullet flew through the chamber, down the barrel and out the silencer. I jumped back as a piece of stone ricocheted where the bullet exited his head and caught me on my cheek.
“You could have fucking shot me,” I said, feeling a slight sting on my cheek.
Mack laughed. “No, I aimed down. It’s only a graze.”
I shook my head and we made our way around the side of the restaurant and to the car. I didn’t want to be visible for any length of time so avoided washing my hands in the kitchen or the restroom. Fredrico would deal with the body; he had a nice way of cleaning up after us. He liked to feed the stray dogs out back and the dealer would provide plenty of meals. We headed back to Joe’s.
****
It was late by the time we arrived and the house was dark, Joe had obviously retired for the night. I had been hoping Joe would still be up, he would want to know what happened that evening. I decided to clean up, stay the night so I could chat with him in the morning. Without turning on the light I stumbled up the stairs and headed to the bathroom.
“Shit,” I whispered as I banged my shoulder on the frame of the door.
I ran the taps and held my hands under the cool water; the skin on my knuckles was broken. I heard the creak of a footstep on the floorboard and looked up into the mirror. Evelyn was standing at the door.
We didn’t speak as she walked towards me. She took a washcloth and held it under the water. She raised it to my cheek, holding it over the graze. The control I had exerted inside for so long gave way to an overwhelming desire for her. It had been two years that I had watched her grow into a woman, two years of holding back, of knowing she wanted me and resisting her.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I turned and took a step towards her. I rested my forehead on hers as she bunched my shirt in her hands. It wasn’t a conscious movement but my hand snaked around her waist, gripping the t-shirt she was wearing. Her smell was intoxicating and my senses spiralled out of control. I nuzzled into her neck; her warm skin met my lips. My tongue trailed a path across her jawbone finding her mouth. She welcomed me in. As our kiss deepened I walked her backwards, pressing her against the wall. I needed the wall for support. And then I heard a small moan, a moan of pleasure.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I said as I moved away from her.
“Rocco?” she whispered.
I paced, I had just gone against everything I said I wouldn’t do. I would not touch her—I wasn’t worthy of her. I saw the tears that pooled in her eyes and felt like a complete shit. She rushed to the door. I needed to speak, to say something and apologise. I blocked her way.
“Let me pass, Rocco,” she whispered.
“Ev, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m so sorry.”
She ducked under my arm and as quietly as she could, she ran to her room. I stood for a moment, my head bowed and my eyes closed. I had hurt her and that was the one thing I’d never wanted to do.
As I walked to the bedroom I once slept in, I paused outside her door. I could hear her sobs. It took all my strength not to open that door, not to pull her into my arms and to kiss her again. She did something to me, something unwelcomed. She had no idea who I was or what I had done. She had no idea I was only alive because her father gave me sanctuary. I believed I would be sent packing if he thought there was even the slightest inappropriate behaviour with his daughter. I was torn. The safety of my family weighed heavily on my mind.
****
I didn’t sleep at all; I tossed and turned. I dreamt of her, the smell of her skin lingered. I tasted her still and my lips tingled at the thought of crushing on hers. My cock painfully stiffened and no amount of stroking gave me the release I needed. I wanted to fuck her; I wanted to make love to her.
The following morning, with a fuzzy brain from lack of sleep, I headed to the bathroom. I wanted to be showered and out of the way before she rose. I wasn’t thinking when I opened the door and walked into the hot steamy room. Evelyn was in the shower, her perfect body an outline against the tinted glass cubicle. I watched as her hands slid down her stomach to that one place I wanted to bury my face. I swallowed hard and my breathing became shallower. Perhaps she had sensed my presence as she startled and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a scream.
She made no attempt to cover herself; instead she opened the cubicle door slightly.
“Pass me the towel please,” she said.
I took the towel from the rack and handed it to her. She wrapped it around herself before stepping out. Wet hair stuck to the side of her face and droplets of water ran down her chest. I wanted to lick those droplets from her body. As she walked past, I couldn’t stop myself. I reached out and held her arm; I smoothed a piece of hair from her face.
“Soon,” I whispered.
She looked at me, those hazel eyes so full of trust and love. I knew then, no matter what, I had to find a way to be with her.
Chapter Four
Maybe I was over-thinking but it seemed that Joe kept me away from the house, he kept me busy. He needed to fly to New York, the Commission was meeting and he was expected to attend. The Commission was a collection of heads of prominent families and Joe was the one who often chaired, who mediated when business got strained between them. It was a long day, driving the few hours it took there and back. It gave me the chance to catch up with Joe. I told him of the dealer and how we had removed him from our streets. I got him up to speed on his various businesses in the city and any problems I had solved before he needed to become involved.
Talk soon moved onto his family.
“I worry for Evelyn,” he said.
“In what way?”
“I want her to meet a nice man, a lawyer or a doctor. Someone respectable who can treat her well, give her a nice house and clothes.”
I didn’t answer. Maybe that was his way of telling me I was no good, just as Maria had all those years ago.
“I’m sure when she’s ready she’ll meet the man worthy of her,” I said.
Joe rarely spoke of his other daughter, Maria, someone who was clearly unwell. She never left the house, her bedroom even. Jonathan had found a housekeeper to take the pressure off Evelyn and I knew she wanted to work.
“You know Mark Philips is looking for someone to help.”
Mark Philips had been installed in one of Joe’s import businesses. He was trusted but chaotic. Olive oil, some from my family farm, was just one item that found it’s way into the warehouse and then onto the stores locally. Although the storeowners had a choice, the ones that owned their own stores of course, they were encouraged to purchase from Joe. He offered a fair price for his goods but that import business covered up a multitude of sins. Liquor and cigarettes were smuggled through, mixed in with the crates of oil and I knew my uncle was involved somehow.
Not that it was really any of my business but I wanted some control over where Evelyn worked. She was headstrong but I felt a sense of duty to make sure she was safe and Philips was the ideal choice. Thankfully it didn’t take a great deal of manipulation before Joe sent Evelyn to meet Philips.
Rocco: To accompany the Fallen Angel Series Page 3
