To celebrate we took ourselves off to a local tattoo parlour. Robert pulled a drawing from his pocket. It was a screwed up piece of paper that looked old, that looked like it had been unfolded and folded hundreds of times. He handed it over without saying a word and lay down on a bed. I laughed as I watched - an angel was etched on his back, not just any old angel, but a fallen one. It was perfect, it was Robert.
Chapter Nine
It took a couple of years of hard work to lose the crap and turn the businesses around. For the first time Robert and I worked separately; he spent more time in the office and I still kept my feet on the streets. I wasn’t as clever as he was with the paperwork side of things, I liked to ‘do’ rather than ‘tell’. Mack and I set up a security division. We had enemies, and as we introduced ourselves to computers, I found something I was really good at.
Hacking into someone’s computer was easy, hacking into the local police and authorities’ systems even easier. I spent hours playing.
“Trav, I got a parking fine, can you sort it?” Jonathan asked. It took no more than ten minutes to have that wiped off the system.
I was often amazed at how easy I found it all. Mack and I had hours of fun changing the stop light sequence and watching the traffic pile up outside the office, much to Robert’s annoyance. He had his head buried in paperwork and would look up and sigh at our laughter, or tut at the beeping of horns as people tried to navigate the gridlock.
“I need to get out of here, want to go get something to eat?” Robert said, causing my fun to come to an end.
“Sure, the club?” I replied.
He nodded, shut down his computer and we made our way out. At that point we had bought a couple of cars. Robert had chosen a Range Rover and I stuck to the car I loved the most, the Mercedes. Long gone were the beaten-up old wrecks we were forced to drive. I still needed to be the one in the driving seat, I suppose that, deep down, it was my way of having a little control. Robert would sit in the back and work. I wasn’t his driver, I wasn’t his security, I was more than that. I was his right-hand man.
The club had been revamped. It no longer resembled the place we would go to on a Friday night to pick up girls. It was an exclusive restaurant with a bar upstairs. We kept the name just for old time’s sake.
“You looked fucked, Rob, you’re working too hard,” I said.
“Thanks, bro,” he replied in his usual sarcastic way.
“You need to get laid. When was the last time?”
“Fuck knows, too long ago,” he replied.
As much as girls threw themselves at us all those years ago, women did the same. No matter where we went, eyes would follow us, lips would be licked and legs parted as easy as the proverbial Red Sea. I fucked regularly and took great pleasure in reminding Rob of my tally - he was far more cautious.
“What about her?” I said as my eyes glanced over at the table next to us occupied by two women.
“Which one? The brunette looks more your type the other has to be her fucking mother,” he said with a laugh.
“Mmm, you might be right,” I said, giving the brunette my killer smile.
I called the waiter over and ordered a bottle of wine to be delivered to their table. Robert shook his head.
“Bro, watch and learn,” I said.
The waiter appeared at the table with their wine and as predicted, the brunette raised her glass to me as she took a sip. I watched as she fumbled in her purse for a pen and wrote on the napkin she then gave to the waiter to hand over to me. Written across it was the word Alison and a cell number. I smiled at her as I folded it and placed it in my shirt pocket. I would certainly be calling Alison, and soon.
“Seriously, bro. I’m worried about you, all you do is work. You need to let loose once in a while,” I said as the waiter placed our meals on the table.
“Trav, there’s still a lot to do and I want out of the office. I want somewhere we can live, too. There’s a place nearby that might make a decent replacement; we can turn the top floor into an apartment.”
“And live where we work? Rob, you’ll never be away from it.”
“I need to work, Trav. I need to make this work for us.”
“It is working. Fuck me, I have a wallet full of money, we have bank accounts. Who’d ever have thought we would get this far?”
“It’s not enough. I need to know we will always be secure and if that takes another few years of hard work, I’m fine with that,” he said. “Anyway, I still have part of the plan left to accomplish.”
“Am I allowed to know this plan?” I asked, teasing.
“When I know we can achieve it, bro,” he replied.
We finished our meal and stood to leave. I think it was the first time I’d noticed the change in people around us. For years people had been wary of us, avoided us to some degree, but dressed in our suits and the best handmade Italian shoes, the looks we got were of respect. Some stood to chat and shake our hand as we made our way to the restaurant door, some just gave a nod. Many were businessmen with their fake smiles and some were people from the neighbourhood.
The following day I called Alison. “Hi, Alison. It’s Travis. We met...”
“I know who you are,” she replied cutting off my answer.
“Can I take you to dinner?” I asked.
“Sure, I’d like that.”
“How about I pick you up at seven,” I replied.
“How about you just let me know where and I’ll meet you?” she answered.
After making arrangements, I smiled as I replaced the phone. Robert had been working on the plans for the completion of the office block that we were soon to move into, and he wanted to drive over to check on the work. Paul was left in charge although he was yet to gain Robert’s full trust.
“So you have a date with the brunette?” he said as we made our way to the car.
“Sure do, want to come?” I joked.
“Bro, I wouldn’t want to cramp your style,” he replied with a laugh.
It was obvious that most of the women we met flocked to Robert. At first that was something that irked me. We were both the same height; near enough the same build, but so different in looks. I doubt I would ever figure out women. Robert never smiled, he wasn’t approachable, but maybe that was the attraction.
We pulled up at the office block; it was an imposing building, all glass and stainless steel. It had been built a couple of years before, and the building company had gone broke, leaving it empty and unfinished until Robert bought it. It was to be the new headquarters. We stood outside for a few moments, admiring the view.
“Fucking amazing how far we have come,” I said, looking up at the expanse of glass.
“We used to walk past this years ago. It was an apartment block, I think,” Robert replied.
“Let’s take a look around,” I said.
We entered a large foyer, in the centre was a circular desk made of granite. To one side, a security desk and behind, a bank of elevators. There was a door that led to a private parking lot and another leading to a maintenance area. The polished stone floor gleamed under the glare of the light as it streamed through the glass wall. We took the stairs, exiting on each floor to take a look around.
Each floor contained one corner glass-walled office, the rest was open plan, with a kitchen and meeting room until the tenth storey. The whole floor was set up as a boardroom with yet another kitchen and upscale restrooms. The floor above that was ours. As we exited the door we were met by Paul and a team of workmen.
“Rob, Trav, come on in,” he called.
We made our way to one of the four doors behind the reception area, passing an enormous granite desk that was identical to the one in the lobby. The largest corner room was to be Robert’s office. Two walls were made of glass, and striding over, I took in the expansive view of DC below us. In the distance, but easily seen, was the White House and Capitol Hill. Next door was the office Mack and I would share with some of the security team we were hiring
. It was to be a state of the art command centre, so to speak. Banks of CCTV were already installed. The rest of the floor contained restrooms and a kitchen.
“How are you doing?” Robert asked.
“On schedule, we can occupy in just over a month,” Paul replied.
“And upstairs?” Robert asked.
“Completed, just need you and Trav to think about decor.”
“I’ll leave that to Rob. I know fuck all about wall coverings and paint colour,” I said.
Robert and I left Paul to take a look upstairs - the eleventh floor and our new apartment. It was to be our first real home. There were three bedrooms and an open plan living space with those same glass walls. As we walked in, I stood in the middle of the living room and just looked around. I was going to live there, and the thought that Robert and I would have our own place finally hit me. We looked at each other and smiled.
“Want to pick paint?” he said.
“No, you choose, although I want a black leather sofa and a fucking big TV,” I said.
We laughed and made a list of what we required. Paul had instructed an interior designer to furnish the apartment, but between us we wanted it kept simple. We weren’t materialistic as such, never having owned anything of our own. Robert never watched the TV at Joe’s but had started to listen to music a lot. He wanted a high tech sound system, one connected to speakers placed around the entire apartment. We selected our bedrooms before heading back down to meet Paul.
I left Robert with Paul going over the finer details while I played in the security room. I felt strange though; I couldn’t put my finger on what I felt other than, I suppose, we had finally grown up. It was all real, and it was Robert that had made it possible.
****
Robert was to meet with Joe that night; they met nightly for their chat. Sometimes I would join in, and sometimes I had no idea what the fuck they were talking about. As Joe got older so he reverted more and more to Italian and I couldn’t keep up with the conversation. Rob was a natural at the language and we often joked that he must have had Italian ancestors.
After my shower, I dressed and headed to the garden room. Joe was laughing, he had pulled Robert into an embrace.
“Vassago,” he said with a laugh. I knew Robert must have just told him the name of our new company.
“And where are you off to, looking all smart?” Joe asked.
“I have a date, Joe,” I replied.
“A real one this time? I hear about you, you’ll catch a disease if you’re not careful,” he said, his laughter turning into a wracking cough.
Once he had gotten himself under control, and after Robert and I had looked at each other with worried expressions, he sat down and patted the chair beside him.
“My sons, look at you both. So grown up now. Such powerful men, I’m proud of what you both have become,” he said.
“We wouldn’t be where we are now without you, Joe,” I said, wondering what had brought out his sentimental side.
He waved his hand and shook his head. Evelyn came into the room with a pot of coffee and a handful of medication for him.
“Hi, Trav,” she said with a smile. “You’re heading out?”
“He has a date, a real one,” Joe answered with a smirk.
“A real one huh? Make sure you tell me all about it when you get home,” she replied.
I left the three of them sitting on the couch, Robert and Evelyn on either side of Joe, and smiled. That was my family sitting there; they were all I had and all I needed.
****
I arrived at the club a few minutes early and was shown to the table reserved solely for Robert and me. It was towards the back, shielded slightly by plants to give us privacy. I sat facing out into the restaurant and watched as Alison made her way to the front desk. She handed over her coat and was escorted to our table. She wore a smart black dress that fell just below her knees, black stockings - I hoped - and fucking high heel shoes. She walked with an air of confidence. When she saw me stand to greet her, she smiled. I placed my hands on her upper arms and kissed her cheek as she came to stand in front of me.
“You look good,” I said. She raised her eyebrows at me.
“I mean it, you look beautiful,” I said.
“Well then, thank you,” she replied as she took her seat.
“So, Travis, I take it you own this restaurant.”
“Not entirely, it’s complicated,” I said. To anyone else I would have just said yes but there was something about Alison that had me wanting to be honest with her.
“Complicated huh? My life story,” she said as she opened the menu the waiter had handed to her.
I ordered a bottle of Merlot and made a mental note to ask Robert about wines, he was the expert. Alison had an air of sophistication about her and I wasn’t in a rush to make a fool of myself. As she placed her order I studied her. Her long brown hair shone, she had a healthy glow to her skin as if she spent time outdoors, but it was her eyes I studied the most. I couldn’t determine if they were blue or green.
“Tell me about yourself?” I asked.
“Why don’t you tell me about you first,” she replied. Feisty, I liked her already, a lot.
“Since you already know who I am, I guess there’s not much left to tell, back to you,” I answered. I had to be a little careful, I wasn’t sure exactly what she knew, or thought she knew.
“Touché,” she replied, raising her glass of wine to me. “Well, I came to DC about three years ago, followed my heart, which then got broken. I’m an interior designer and the reason I know who you are, Travis, is because I’m about to start work on your building and apartment.”
“That’s fantastic. So we’ll be seeing quite a lot of each other over the next few weeks.”
“I imagine so, although my contact is Paul.”
A waiter appeared and placed our starters on the table and I think I may have fallen in love at that moment. There was no pushing food around the plate or picking and nibbling from Alison, she ate normally without embarrassment. The conversation flowed, we laughed and she held her own, verbally sparring with me. I enjoyed her company and as much as I would have loved to have fucked her senseless, talking and listening to her was much more satisfying.
With our meal finished, Alison pulled her purse from her bag and before I could take the check from the waiter, she laid some bills on the table.
“Alison, put that away,” I said.
“I’m not someone you pay for, Travis. Not on the first date anyway,” she said with a smirk.
“Are there going to be more?” I asked.
“Perhaps.”
We walked towards the front door. I took her coat from the concierge and helped her into it; then we made our way outside.
“Can I give you ride somewhere?” I asked.
“No, thank you. I’ll take a cab.”
Being the gentleman I was, I stepped towards the curb and hailed a cab. I opened the door and just as she climbed in, she turned and smiled at me.
“Thank you, Travis. I’ve enjoyed this evening and no doubt I’ll see you at your office soon.”
I watched the cab pull away and with a smile, walked to the Range Rover.
****
The following day Robert and I made our way to the new office block. As we entered what was to become our apartment I caught sight of Paul and Alison. They had plans laid out over the breakfast bar and seemed deep in discussion. Both looked over as they heard us.
“Rob, Travis, let me introduce Alison, she’s our interior designer. We’re just going over what you requested,” Paul said.
“We’ve already met,” I replied. Robert raised his eyebrows at me, no doubt recognising Alison from the club.
She was professional and mainly ignored me other than to talk through her design for the apartment. It was as we had asked, whitewashed walls with wooden floors, and I smiled at the image of the TV that I wanted. Rob and I spent a half hour finalising the decor before moving on
to the rest of the building. As we walked around, Alison explained how the floor would be laid out. It was to be an open plan with just one corner office for the head of that department. She talked about acoustics and light - things I had no understanding of. She had even detailed where every power socket would be concealed. I enjoyed watching her work, she wasn’t at all fazed by my scrutiny, and at the end of our meeting she shook hands with us all, collected her briefcase and made her way out of the building.
“That’s the woman you took to dinner, isn’t it?” Robert asked.
“Yep. She told me last night she was our interior designer,” I replied.
“Whatever you do, don’t fuck her about. She’s highly regarded in her field, took a lot of persuasion and fucking money to get her on this project,” Paul added.
“Paul, contrary to popular belief, I don’t fuck women about. Well, not often anyway,” I said.
Robert chuckled as we left. I fished about my pocket for my cell and sent a quick text to Alison, asking if she wanted to meet that evening. Her reply had me smiling. It was a no; she needed to work, but suggested another night. Why was I smiling? There was nothing I enjoyed more than the chase before the kill.
****
A development prospect had come up in New York and Robert was interested, but I was unsure. I had no desire to return there. Just the mere mention of the city brought back unwanted feelings.
“You don’t have to come, Trav,” Robert had said as we discussed the build.
“What’s your meeting about?” I asked.
“I have to meet Massimo Gioletti. His family runs the city, but I’ve told Joe I’m not going there to ask his permission. I’m meeting him out of respect for the relationship he and Massimo have.”
Joe and Massimo had been connected back in the day, in Chicago. I also knew nothing would get built in New York City without Massimo either knowing or being involved. But it was time to lay some old ghosts to rest. I would go with Robert and I would avoid Hell’s Kitchen. I had no desire to meet any member of my family, unless it was to spit on their graves. I had no idea if my mother was still in the apartment or if Padriac and Carrig were still around. I had no desire to meet my sister again. She was the one I felt the most disappointed in, because she was the one who was supposed to come and find me — but she never did.
Travis: To accompany the Fallen Angel Series - A Mafia Romance Page 15
