“All right. Tony, you can work with Salvatore and Vincent. They’ll teach you what needs to be done,” Johnny said, standing and extending his hand.
Tony lurched his hand forward, and Johnny grabbed on and held it.
“Consider yourself very lucky to be working for us,” Johnny stated, still gripping Tony’s hand in his own.
“I do, Mr. Morano. I really appreciate the opportunity.”
Johnny leered at Tony and looked down at their hands. Suddenly, Johnny jerked Tony forward, pulling his body overtop of the desk.
“What the fuck is that?”
Tony was confused. A trickle of fear ran through him. He followed Johnny’s glare. “A tattoo. That’s all.”
Johnny’s eyes burrowed into Tony’s forearm. “Slayer? Am I to understand that you are a gang member? You belong to the Slayers?”
Salvatore shuffled to the edge of the sofa, suddenly fearful for Tony. His father’s voice revealed a smoldering anger.
Tony tried to pull his arm back, but it was no use against Johnny’s strong grip.
“Yeah, but that don’t mean nothin’.” Tony’s voice quivered.
“You fucking idiot. It means everything. I don’t let gang members work in my business. You’re all a bunch of street trash. How dare you come into my home and ask me for a job.” Johnny turned and glared at Salvatore. “Did you know that this piece of white trash is in a gang?”
Salvatore remained silent and shook his head. He took a few seconds to find his voice. “No, I didn’t. But I do know that Tony helped me. I don’t care what Tony does. He went to prison and never ratted me out. When he went away, you said that’s what good friends do for each other, the kind of friends that you keep for life.”
“You’re right. I did say that. However, the fact that your ‘friend’ is a gang member changes everything.”
“But, Mr. Morano, if that guy who lied and said he saw me kill Rex didn’t die, I woulda been in prison for a long time. I was willing to do anythin’ to help Salvatore.”
Johnny came around his desk and stood toe-to-toe with Tony. Johnny’s posture was rigid, his jaw taut, and his eyes fixed on Tony. “Yes, that’s right. The so-called witness died suddenly, and you didn’t spend years in prison. I’d say that you got off easy—that someone came along and saved you from paying for a crime that you didn’t commit. You should be grateful for such good fortune.”
Tony took a step backward. “OK, Mr. Morano. I understand. Ya ain’t gonna give me a job. I’m just gonna leave.”
“Yes, that’s right. Leave. Crawl back into the bottomless shithole that you came out of and don’t come back here again. Oh, and if I have any trouble from those Slayer pricks of yours, it will make your stay in juvenile detention seem like a dream vacation.”
Tony turned and left Johnny’s office silently. Alessandra called to him as he went to the front door, but Tony didn’t look back. He rushed outside and walked at a fast pace to the next block until he was jogging, and then he burst into a sprint. He ran as fast and hard as he could until he felt as though his lungs would combust. He slipped down a small side street and leaned against the wall. His head was spinning, and he rested his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Finally, his heart beat normally, and Tony realized he was crying. He tried to stop the tears, but they were relentless. Gloom bubbled up from the depth of his very being; the hot, salty tears continued until his body was racked with sobs.
Tony slid down the brick wall, pulled his knees up, and rested his head. Once again, Tony felt as though he were a small child, rejected and judged by everyone around him. Tony had no love for the Slayers, but he needed to survive, and when he’d needed someone most, they’d been there for him. It was all he had. Seeing Johnny’s reaction and remembering Darren’s disapproval of him being a gang member made him feel as though he were nothing. What did I do to deserve this life? He wondered...
Chapter Seventy
Over the next three months, when Tony wasn’t with the Slayers, he spent his free time at Kate’s house. Kate had sat vigil over her mother. By now, Darren was rarely alert, as the pain medication the doctor had given her made her high most of the time. When Darren was awake, she talked to Kate and tried to give her the advice she would need when she wasn’t around.
Darren had been out of it for a little over a week, more so than usual. Tony was sitting on a lopsided recliner watching football when Darren woke and asked for Kate.
“She’s in the kitchen. I’ll get her,” he said.
Kate rushed into the living room, took her mother’s hand, and sat on the floor next to the sofa. “What’s wrong? Is everything OK?”
Darren nodded and gestured for the glass of water on the folding table set up next to her. Kate held the glass while her mother sipped at the water. Darren coughed a few times, trying to move the phlegm that blocked her voice.
“It ain’t long now, baby. I wanna tell ya some things so that cha know what I would be thinkin’. First, you make sure that when ya get married, ya think of me walkin’ ya down the aisle. I’m gonna be right there wit’ cha. And then when ya have a baby, I’m gonna be smilin’ down from heaven on my precious angels. There’s gonna be times when ya need advice from a woman. Ya like that lady Donata, the one that ya visit at the bakery, right?”
Kate was crying. “Yeah.”
“Well, ya talk to Donata when ya need to. Women see things different than men. We got more feelings, and sometimes those feelings confuse the hell outta us. Makes us all mixed up in our heads.”
“I don’t want you to leave me,” Kate said, beginning to bawl.
“I don’t wanna leave ya either. But God is callin’ me home. I don’t know why. Seems pretty cruel, if ya ask me, but there must be some reason.”
“I hate God! Stop talking about him. You act like there’s some great reason that he is taking you and leaving me here alone. There is no great reason; he’s taking you from me because he’s mean and selfish. I want you right here with me. When I think about you not being here, I can barely breathe.”
“You’ll learn to live different, that’s all. Ya gotta go on. I know ya don’t like it, and neither do I. But it ain’t gonna do ya no good wasting your life ’cause I died. I would feel like I killed both of us if ya did that. Ya understand me?”
“Yeah,” Kate said with a heavy heart.
“Can ya get me some ginger ale?”
Kate rose to her feet and headed into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of the room, Darren waved Tony over to her.
“It ain’t long. I’m tryin’ to hold on for Kate, but my insides feel like they’re liquid. Kate’s gotta stay here the next few days. If I pass when she ain’t here, it’ll make it harder on her. When I go, she’s gonna need ya to be strong…to help her carry on. She’ll be eighteen in a year and a half. I was livin’ on my own when I was that age. It’s gonna be hard, but she can do it.” Darren paused and took in a few shallow breaths. “With your help, she can make it through.”
“I told ya a million times, I ain’t gonna leave her. She’s my life, Darren. I need her just as much as she needs me.”
Two days later, lying in her bed next to Kate with Tony standing over them, Darren died. She was thirty-nine.
Over the next three days, Tony only left Kate to check in with the Slayers. He had told some members that his mother had died and he needed to help his sister get settled. Blast had made sure that Razor knew that Tony wouldn’t be around, but Razor didn’t care about Tony’s home situation; he still didn’t trust him.
A few days later, Salvatore picked Tony and Kate up at her house. Kate’s sadness filled all the empty space in the car.
Tony had arranged for a small memorial service at Darren’s church, and the priest, who barely remembered Darren, agreed to do the service for free. Tony, Kate, Salvatore, Vincent, Donata, and Ruth arrived at the church following Sunday Mass. Tony had made sure there were people there to honor Darren, but, more importantly, to support Kate.
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Darren was cremated and her ashes placed in a thick cardboard box that Kate kept with her at all times.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Salvatore said as he drove toward the church.
“Me too,” Vincent muttered.
At the church, Tony helped Kate out of the car. She clutched the box with her mother’s ashes to her chest. When she got inside and saw Donata and Ruth sitting in the front pew waiting, she felt a sense of gratitude that overwhelmed her further.
Tony looked around the small, outdated space of the empty old church. He was ashamed to be there, after all the bad things he’d done. The gloominess of the church erased the little bit of hope that he’d once held in his heart. He felt like he was a kid again standing in the open lot where the googamongers lived. His grief had settled into his bones. He was very fond of Darren and had grown to love her, but the inescapable feeling of helplessness wedged its way into his body. Once the service was over, he’d have no way to help Kate like he’d promised. The feeling of inadequacy made his throat feel dry and raw.
Once the mourners were seated, the priest led them in a short prayer and asked God to take Darren into his loving arms and give her comfort and peace in his kingdom. Before any of them could get up to leave, Kate stood and faced the five people who had come to pay their respects.
“My mother was a good woman. She taught me that love is more precious and rare than anything money can buy. She was my guiding light. We never had much, but we always had each other.” Kate’s chest was jumping, and she lowered her head to let her sorrow flow. After a moment she collected herself again. “I want to thank all of you for coming here to be with me. My mom was so afraid I’d be alone after she died, and Tony and all of you alleviated her only fear of death. I will never forget that you were here for me. No matter what happens to me now, I’ll always know that there are five people in this world who supported me when I needed it most.”
Kate took a step forward and staggered, her grief crushing in on her. Tony jumped to his feet and grabbed her around the waist before she collapsed. He was a lost child again, not knowing how to comfort the person he loved most in the world. He couldn’t take care of her as he had promised, and they had yet to discuss what would happen once they left the church that day.
The others rushed to Kate’s side.
“Sit her in the pew,” Donata instructed.
The older woman sat next to Kate and placed an arm over her shoulder.
“It’ll be OK, Kate. I lost my mother when I was twenty-seven. I thought it was the saddest day of my life until I lost my daughter several years ago. But through all of my heartbreak, I focused all my love on Ruth,” Donata said, trying to comfort her.
“But I don’t have a Ruth,” Kate wailed. “I don’t have anything.”
Tony wanted to tell her she had him. He believed that, but it wasn’t enough, to survive, Kate needed…a place to sleep…a place to eat…a place to call home.
Donata cupped Kate’s face in her hands. “You do have somethin’. Ya just said it. Look around ya; there are five people here that care about ya.”
Kate looked at each of them. Her eyes were glazed over, and Tony wondered if she could see through her veil of sorrow.
Donata looked up at Tony; his young face looked older. The lines on his forehead and around his eyes spoke of the pain he felt for Kate.
“Here’s what we’re gonna do. For now, you’re gonna come and stay wit’ me and Ruth until ya can figure things out.”
Kate lifted her face, and a smidgen of relief flashed through her body. “Then what?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know. But Tony…” Donata said, looking at him, “he’s very clever at figurin’ his way out of bad things. Aren’t cha?”
Tony nodded. He understood the financial sacrifice Donata was making. He had asked the older lady to let Kate stay with her and Ruth, but he had also promised to help with money. It was a promise he couldn’t live up to, and this embarrassed him, made him feel small. “Thanks, Donata,” Tony said. “I’ll find a way to fix this.”
“OK, let’s get goin’. You boys take Kate to her house and help her pack some things. Then ya bring her over to my place.”
When Kate was in the backseat of Salvatore’s car, Tony walked over to where Donata and Ruth stood watching.
“I know this ain’t what cha wanted to do,” Tony began, “but I promise I’ll figure out somethin’. It might take me a little while, but thanks for doin’ this. Ya didn’t have to do nothin’.”
“The girl is distraught. She don’t need no more crap in her life right now. I’m helping ya out here, but this ain’t a long-term fix. I need ya workin’ on what comes next,” Donata said gently.
Tony hugged Donata and then Ruth. “Thank you. I owe ya.”
Donata walked to the curb and hailed a taxi, and Tony watched them drive off. He turned back to Salvatore’s car, and daggers of worry slashed at his insides.
Chapter Seventy-One
Tony looked around Kate’s sparse bedroom. There wasn’t much to pack. She had barely any clothes worth taking with her. He followed Kate into Darren’s room and stood behind her while she feverishly went through her mother’s drawers, as if looking for hidden treasure.
Tony walked up behind Kate and put his arms around her. “Salvatore will be back in an hour or so to pick us up. Can I help you find something?”
She turned to him, a frantic expression on her face. “My mom had a ring. She only wore it on special occasions. I need to find it.”
“What’s it look like?”
“It’s a gold ring with an aquamarine in the center and two little diamonds on either side.”
“Aquamarine?”
“A light blue stone, Tony. Are you gonna help me find it?”
“Where’d she keep it?”
“In this drawer, Tony,” she squealed.
Tony gingerly moved Kate off to the side. He went through the drawer. It was filled with old T-shirts and worn-out, weathered shorts. He went through the shirts one at a time. Then he pulled the shorts from the drawer and placed them on the bed.
“See?” Kate screeched. “It’s gone.”
Tony kissed Kate on the forehead. “Give me a minute, will ya?”
Tony turned his attention back to the five pairs of shorts. He lifted them and went through each pocket, wondering why Kate hadn’t thought to do the same. When he put his hand into the front pocket of the last pair, his fingers fumbled upon a tissue. He pulled it from the pocket and unwrapped the tissue slowly. Inside was the ring, Tony held it between two fingers and showed it to Kate.
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Tony. This is the only piece of real jewelry my mother owned. It was very special to her…and to me.”
“Who gave it to her?”
“Right before I was born, my father won it in a card game. Just so happens I was born in March, and the aquamarine is the birthstone for March. He gave it to her while she was still in the hospital. She called the ring her blue baby. My mom told me that other than me, it’s the only nice thing my father ever gave her. She loved it because it always reminded her of me, not him.”
“Hold out your hand,” Tony said.
Kate extended her hand, and Tony slipped the ring onto her finger. “Looks beautiful on ya. I think ya should wear it all the time, not just on special occasions. That way you’ll know your mom is always beside ya.”
Kate sat on her mother’s bed and pulled Tony down beside her. She kissed him on his neck, and he closed his eyes softly, reveling in the feel of her lips on his skin. Kate lay back on the bed and pulled Tony down with her. Her tongue trickled over his upper lip, and he opened his mouth and ran his tongue over hers. Tony put his hand under Kate’s shirt and cupped her breast. Her back arched at his touch, and she leaned over and unbuttoned his jeans. She glided her hand effortlessly inside of his boxers. Tony lifted her shirt over her head and unsnapped her bra. Her breasts stood before him, begging for Tony to take t
hem into his mouth. He smoothly removed her skirt, and she lay in his arms in only her panties.
“Tony, I’ll love you till the end,” she purred.
“Till the end, Kate.”
Kate gripped Tony’s penis, pressing her groin against his. Tony’s jeans were still at his ankles, so he bent down, unsnapped the holster holding his gun, and placed it under the bed, putting his jeans on top. The two lay side by side. They kissed and held each other, flesh on flesh, heart to heart.
“Make love to me,” Kate begged.
“Are ya sure? I mean, I know you’re upset about your mother. Is this the right time?”
Kate leaned down and pulled Tony’s boxers off. He knelt over her naked, his muscles flexing and his handsome carved body a temptation she couldn’t resist. He pulled Kate’s underwear off and threw them to the side. Still kneeling over her, Tony put his mouth over one of her breasts and wiggled his tongue back and forth across her nipple. His hand slowly slid down her sternum; it felt like a feather as his fingers wisped past her belly button and lower abdomen until he tenderly put his fingers inside of her. Kate moaned, a sweet sound of pleasure, and he continued to touch her, ever so gently.
Tony knew from the purring sounds she made and the warm wetness between her legs that Kate wanted him. Tony looked into Kate’s face. “Please,” she begged, “I wanna be one with you.”
Tony eased himself inside of Kate. His lust was on the brink of explosion, but inside of Kate, making love to her, there was a mixture of lust and love. It was the most joyful feeling he’d experienced in his life. Kate pushed her pelvis forward and back, forward and back, as Tony rhythmically slipped up and down. It was only a few minutes before a sound erupted from Kate, as she burst into an orgasm. Tony opened his eyes, breathing in the scent of the apricot shampoo she’d used that morning. The look of joy and satisfaction on her face turned him on further, and a few seconds later, Tony surged with his own orgasm. It exploded inside of him, and he felt weightless, as though his body and mind were made of magic stardust—an instantaneous moment of floating in a warm sea filled with fireworks, and his body and mind went to a place of bliss. He wanted to stay in that state forever.
Mean Little People Page 26
