Dante's Redemption

by Jaime Whitley

  “That sounds so domestic. You know we’re anything but. Besides, I doubt you have any coffee in this place or mugs to go with it. You need to fill this place up if you’re going to be living in it for a while.” Slapping my chest she says, “Let me up. I have to get going. I have a meeting I have to get to for work.”

  Moving my body off of hers, I roll out of bed and grab a pair of sweats and put them on. As I lift my arms above my head and stretch, I see Ava’s eyes travel to my v-cut; she runs her tongue across her lips. “Up here, Pop Tart.” I say, getting a cold stare from her.

  “You know I hate that fucking pet name. Shit, I hate pet names period.”

  “I know, but I can’t get enough of your filthy mouth. So if it gets a rise out of you, obviously I’m going to use it.” I wink at her.

  “I swear, Dante, you’re such a smartass. Really I have to go or else I’ll make myself late.” She leaves the bedroom, grabbing her keys out of the entryway.

  “I didn’t know strippers had monthly meetings.” We have this cat and mouse game where we constantly play with each other, trying to guess what the other one does for a living. Needless to say, we’re still guessing. I could easily use the access that comes along with my job, but I find this much more entertaining. It leaves a bit of mystery to her.

  “I’m honestly surprised you haven’t asked that one earlier. Besides, have you seen my body? There’s no way I could keep up with those girls.” She says as she walks out the door with the wave of her hand. All I can think to myself is yes, I’ve seen your body and have it permanently etched in my head.

  There’s no forgetting the way her hips sway as she walks across the room. And you can’t miss her sexy, toned legs that go on for days. Her glossy, chestnut brown, deep set eyes always leave her looking mysterious. Her black as midnight hair goes down to her perfectly round, full ass. She’s smoking crack if she thinks her body isn’t good enough for a stripper, its better. Speaking of crack, I’m surprised I haven’t heard from Angelo yet. With as hard up as they have been for a new supplier, I’m sure I would have heard from him by now. Just as that thought crosses my mind, my phone goes off and I see a number I don’t recognize on the screen. I slide the bar and answer having a feeling I know who it is.

  “Yeah.”

  “Dante, it’s Angelo. We’re ready to set up our first shipment. Meet me in twenty minutes. I’ll text you the address.” He hangs up, not even waiting for a response. God I already hate having to work with this douchebag. I take a quick shower before throwing some clothes on and head to my car. Looking at the address in the text, I recognize it as one of the properties the Onoratos own. I’m a little shocked that they would conduct business there, especially since they know the cops are on to that location.

  As I pull up, I see a bunch of people working their asses off and it makes me wonder if they know who their employer is. I personally would not bust my ass for a company owned by a mob boss. To each his own, I guess. As I step out of the car, I see Angelo come out of the warehouse and head in my direction. Just as I’m about to close the car door, he yells out to me. “Get back in, we’re going for a drive.”

  I start eyeing my surroundings to look for anything sketchy. Not noticing anything out of place, I rub the back of my neck a little, nervous as to why I didn’t just meet him at this other location in the first place. Reluctantly, I get back in the car and rub my hand down my jeans and start the ignition. Just as I do that, Angelo opens the door and occupies the passenger seat.

  “Nice car,” he says, rubbing his hand against the dashboard of my Mercedes SLK. I wish I could say this was my car, but it was given to me with the condo.

  “You don’t strike me as the car loving type.” I say, dryly.

  “No? What type of guy do you peg me for?”

  Shifting in my seat I tell him, “Gambling, mainly horse track races if you want to get specific with it.”

  “Ah, that would be my second love. First are cars. I have a sweet Porsche 980 Spyder sitting at home.” I bet you do, asshole and I bet you bought it with your blood money too.

  “So, where to?” Changing the subject, I’m ready to get this meeting started. I’m not here to make friends and sing kumbaya around a fucking campfire. I’m here to put this motherfucker behind bars.

  “Well, it’s your lucky day.”

  “How so?” Backing out of the warehouse, I put the car in drive and wait for further instructions on where we’re going.

  “Mr. Onorato would like to meet with you.” My head jerks in his direction as my hand grips the steering wheel tighter. I’m both shocked and nervous as to why he wants to meet with me. From what I understand, he doesn’t meet with anyone new. I quickly calm my nerves and turn my head back to the road.

  “Why? From what you told me, I wouldn’t be getting to meet him.”

  He sighs heavily and out of the corner of my eye I can see his foot tapping against the floor. “The hell if I know. Your reputation must be out-fucking-standing for him to want to meet you.”

  I don’t question him further, and I continue following his directions. All conversation stops and a couple minutes later, we pull up to an Italian restaurant. As I’m stepping out of the car, Angelo instructs, “Leave your gun in the car.”

  This immediately puts me on high alert, and although I’m unsettled with it, I don’t want to seem untrustworthy or shady. I do as he asks and pull my gun out of the holster and put it in the glove box. “If you have anymore, get rid of them now because you will be checked before you reach his table.” He warns.

  “I’m good. Can we just get on with this? It’s rude to keep people waiting.” I walk up to the door and hold it open, waiting for Angelo to walk his slow ass up to the restaurant. He stops at the door and locks eyes with me. “I’m going to give you a little advice because you seem like a stand-up guy. I don’t care if you have that smart ass attitude with me. But, have a little more respect for Mr. Onorato because he will not tolerate that shit.” I nod and we head into the restaurant.

  As I walk in the restaurant, I scan the room and see a bunch of familiar faces. A bunch of them have their very own mug shot in the system. I see robbers, dealers, and even one asshole that got off for human trafficking. That case was handed to the district attorney on a silver platter, but evidence went ‘missing’ and the D.A. lost the case and his job. Twisting my neck to try to relieve the tension building in it, I pray to God that no one recognizes me. Even though my body is now stiff, I keep walking at a steady pace as I continue to scan the room. Luckily, everyone is too busy with whatever they are involved in to notice me.

  The restaurant is nice and well lit, as the shades on the windows are open, letting the sunlight in. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling give the place that rich look and there are teacup candles in jars on the tables. The seats are padded with dark leather and the tables look to be made of dark wood under the crisp, white linens.

  We reach the table in the back of the room where there are four men seated. Two I have seen before, but the other two are new faces to me. One of the familiar faces eyes me suspiciously and I slowly reach my hand around to my hip, only to remember I don’t have my gun on me. If this guy recognizes me and blows my cover, it will make for an ominous situation. Assessing each man, I look to see where each one has his gun holstered so if I need to, I can grab one and shoot my way out of here.

  The other men at the table are in deep conversation, not caring that we are standing before them. Angelo clears his throat, alerting Salvatore of our presence. The subtle gesture stops all conversation. The men all turn toward me. All sets of eyes land upon me, sizing me up, assessing if I’m a threat. I straighten up while cocking my head in a nod of acknowledgement to Salvatore, the man who I intend to bring down in flames.

  “Angelo,” Salvatore says, looking down at his watch. “Right on time.” His stare makes its way to my direction and it’s hard to read him, as his face has no expression to it. “Killian, wait outside with Angelo and f
ill him in on our current situation that needs immediate attention.” Killian, nodding his head, gets up from the seat and follows Angelo out the door. “Take a seat,” Salvatore says, pointing to the now vacant chair. Taking a seat, I allow myself to relax a little. I don’t need him having any doubts about me; this needs to go as smoothly as possible.

  “So, I hear you’re the best there is when it comes to rock.”

  “You heard right.” I answer, keeping my posture straight and looking him directly in the eyes.

  “Cocky one, aren’t you? Be careful with that attitude son, it might get you in trouble one day.” He picks up his brandy, takes a drink before placing it back down on the table.

  “With all due respect, don’t mistake my confidence with being cocky. When you do what I do, there is no room for error. I can’t have any fuck-ups or deal with any untrustworthy people. That is how I got the reputation I have.” Leaning back in my chair, I continue, “For others this may be a game but to me, this is my business and I take my job very seriously. With that said, if you feel like you may have any loose ends on your side, we will not be able to conduct business together. Just like myself, you have quite the reputation and I need to be sure I can trust you. That if things go south, you won’t rat me out for the first deal handed to you or your guys.” Sal leans forward, placing his arms on the table.

  “Neither I nor any of my guys rat, Mr. Serra. There is a high price to pay if you open your mouth, and even when you think you’re safe, you’re not. I can get to you wherever you are. My guys know and fear this and that is how I run my business.” Well, not all of them obviously, since I’m sitting here. Someone doesn’t fear this guy and wants him behind bars just as badly as I do. “Now that we have that worked out, I like what I see and we will continue to move forward. We will see how the first order goes, if I like what I see, I will be making you a rich man, Dante. I have another meeting I need to take, so Angelo will give you the list of what I want and when I want it by. I expect delivery to be prompt.” He’s holding out his hand, making it clear our business here is done for today.

  “You won’t be disappointed.” I say, as I shake his hand.

  Getting up, I walk through the restaurant to the door. As I exit, Killian puts out his cigarette, nods at me before heading back into the restaurant. “Ready to go?” I ask Angelo, who is engrossed with his phone.

  “You’re good to go. I’m sticking around for this next meeting. I’ll be in touch.” The sound of a car arriving pulls Angelo’s attention away from his phone. I turn my head and see an all too familiar looking mustang parking in front of me. As the driver side door opens, all I can see is a tall woman with long black hair step out of the car. My heart rate starts to pick up as she turns around to close the door, I catch a glimpse of Ava and pray that this is not who Sal is waiting on. Her neck has a scarf tied around it, which I bet if you remove that scarf, bears a mark from our previous night. Thinking of our previous night makes my dick twitch, and what horrible timing for it. I’m totally taken aback, but can’t show it. I’m fucked. I always thought ‘no questions asked’ was a good thing. But now, I’m not so sure as I watch Ava walk past me, without a second glance, into the restaurant. I’m standing here befuddled and Angelo breaks the silence that fell upon us. “Are you sure you don’t want to stick around for this meeting?” He’s wiggling his eyebrows up and down suggestively and I suddenly have the urge to knock him out. His tone sounds like a fucking creeper, but I can’t be concerned with it right now. I need to get out of here and figure this shit out. I dig in my pocket for my keys and pull them out once I have a hold on them.

  “I’m good. I don’t mix business with pleasure.” I walk to my car, quickly get in and book it the hell out of there. I need to call Riggs and fill him in on what just happened. He’s not going to be happy. God, I can’t believe I let my fucking dick compromise my cover. Pulling out my phone, I hit Riggs but he doesn’t answer. Go figure, the one time I need him to pick up right away he’s not there. He’s probably out fucking fishing, or something, with the luck I’m having right now. I don’t know what the fuck Ava was doing there, but I do know one thing, I fucked up big time and Riggs is going to have my ass for it and even my job maybe. Banging my hand on the steering wheel, I drive in the opposite direction of my condo. If Ava does blow my cover, they will know exactly where to find me. Right now, I need to hang low and wait for Riggs to call back.

  Not sure where I’m headed, I step on the gas and hop on the highway. As I cruise down it, sweat starts to trickle down the sides of my temples, the whole way down to my neck. You know that feeling you get when you know you’re in trouble but your parents aren’t home yet? So you have to sit and wait for the punishment coming your way, yeah that’s me right now. I’m so fucked I can’t even begin to wrap my head around all this. I’m usually spot-on when it comes to figuring people out. Maybe that was my problem, Ava is just sex and I never really cared about getting to know who she really is. But a member of the Onorato organization? Who would have thought?

  Growing up, I never had to fear the consequences of facing the wrath of my parents. That is until I moved in with Riggs, things vastly changed. I suddenly had a curfew and had a parental role model to answer to and even a sister you could say.

  I was working at the auto shop late one night, past closing. My mom was having one of her drug parties and I preferred not to go home. Dale, the shop owner, knew my current living situation and often let me sleep at the shop if I needed. There was an old beat-up couch in his office, not too comfortable, but it was perfect for my needs.

  I was working on an old Chevy in the back of the shop, when I heard the glass to the shop door break. Running into the office, I called the police station and alerted them of the break in. After calling Dale, I grabbed the tire iron that was sitting next to the other tools by the office door and made my way out to all the commotion, hiding behind stacked boxes of parts. Anyone else would have booked it out of there but not me. That was my safe haven, my home away from home and I’ll be damned if I let someone come in and rob it on my watch.

  There were three men all dressed in black from head to toe, searching the insides of the cars. I didn’t see a point in their choice of clothing since they weren’t being quiet at all. The sound of the discarded tools hitting the floor echoed throughout the garage as they threw them on the ground. Flashing lights started to light up the garage and the sound of sirens sounded in the air. Two of the three robbers booked it out of the place, trying to make a run for it and the other ran right past me into the office. I was pumped with adrenaline at this point as the cops busted through the door with their guns drawn out. They started scanning the area and made their presence known by shouting, police, come out with your hands up! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man who ran into the office pull a gun out from his waist and aim it at an officer. Without hesitation, I lunged forward and knocked the perp to the ground, knocking the gun out of his hand. The gun slid across the floor and all I heard was an officer yelling, let me see your hands! Put your hands up!

  Doing as I was told, I thought I was going to get booked with these criminals until I saw Dale enter the shop. The cops immediately stopped him and he told them that this was his shop and pointed to me saying I was the worker who called in the robbery. I was immediately released with a pat on the back and an apology for the misunderstanding.

  After the third robber was found and put in cuffs I was taken down to the station where I gave my statement. Dale came along with me so he could give me a ride back when I was finished. As I was about to head out, Captain Riggs called me into his office and told me to take a seat. A girl that I go to school with, Ali, was standing in his office. She smiled warmly at me and said hello before she said goodbye to Captain Riggs. Apparently, Ali is his daughter. I never knew her father worked in law enforcement, but I didn’t really know much about her. I returned a smile to her and hoped she wasn’t one to gossip. I don’t need people thinking that I’m going
around robbing places. People will start to think I’m no better than my mother.

  He asked me a bunch of questions like where I lived and which school I attended but something told me he already knew the answers. Like he was, in his own way, trying to read me. I answered all of them truthfully, even told him about my mother and why I was at the garage so late. He would have known if I was lying about that because it was in my statement and Dale confirmed it. After he was done questioning me, I could have never imagined what happened next. He surprised me with what came out of his mouth, he said he spoke with his daughter, Ali. She told him I was a good kid who doesn’t get in trouble at school, makes good grades, and just got dealt a tough hand.

  After telling me that everyone needed some form of parental guidance in their lives, he offered me a place to live, in his home with him and his daughter. I could stay however long I wanted or needed, as long as I followed his rules. He told me he would provide food and clothing and all that was asked in return was that I continue on the straight and narrow path that I was currently on. I just sat in my seat with my mouth agape, wondering ‘why me?’ Why is he offering me, someone he doesn’t even know, a house to live in?

  An extra mouth to feed and a body to clothe, it just didn’t make sense. Most of all, I wasn’t anyone’s charity case, and as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, he handed me a piece of paper and said, don’t look at it as a hand out but an opportunity to do so much more with my life. He praised me for saving one of his officers. He said not everyone would have the courage to do what I did that night.

  Looking uncomfortable with the small break in his tough exterior, he cleared his throat and pointed to the piece of paper in my hand. He asked me to think it over and when I’m ready, come find him. Glancing back at his desk, he dismissed me with a wave of his hand, I was free to go.

  Before leaving, I opened the paper and saw his name, Joe Riggs, with an address. I folded up the piece of paper, and stuck it in my pocket. The next day, after getting a long lecture at the shop from Dale after telling him I didn’t want to take a hand out, I found myself ringing the doorbell of Joe’s home, heart in my throat and butterflies in my stomach.