Clean Slate (New Mafia Trilogy #2) (20 page)

           
“Victor’s friend, she’s new to town,” he explained. “Now
go, I have business to take care of.” Gio dismissed his wife by turning away
and walking back toward his office with Victor right behind him, leaving me
with Samantha and her desperate housewife friends. I found a space to sit on
the edge of the sectional and was introduced to the other women who were all
mafia wives.

           
“So, you’re with Victor, huh?” one of them asked. I think
she might have winked. It was either that or her thick mascara was so heavy she
couldn’t keep her eye open.
 

           
“Yes, we’re friends.”

           
“Have you ridden on the back of his Harley?” she asked.

           
“I have, yes.”

The woman chuckled and
took a large slurp of wine from her glass. “How was the ride?” She winked and
this time I was sure it was wink as the other women giggled at the implied
innuendo. For middle-aged women it sure felt like I was sitting with a bunch of
high school girls.

           
“No, it’s not like that. We really are just friends.”

           
“And he brought you here for Christmas dinner? You don’t
have to deny it. We’ve been trying to get a piece of that action for years.
He’s a tough nut to crack. We want details.” She leaned in conspiratorially.

I felt the blush
creeping up my neck, which probably only made me look guilty, but I was
embarrassed…for these women. Fortunately the object of our conversation came by
just then to rescue me and I smiled up at Victor with relief, which triggered
another round of giggles. Victor looked from me to the women with a raised
eyebrow. I shook my head and stood up. “Can you show me around out there?” I
asked him, pointing through the picture window at the outdoor patio and pool.

Victor slid open the
door and I stepped out onto a flagstone patio. To my left stood a bar replete
with tiki torches and to the right was a full kitchen, with a built-in grill.
The foundation was all stone and a wood paneled ceiling with recessed lighting
and three ceiling fans ran the length of the house, extending past the grill.
Tables and chairs as well as several chaise lounges were occupied and the pool
was packed with kids of all ages. So far, every area I had been in, except for
Gio’s office, was full of people.

           
“What did I interrupt back there?” Victor asked once the
door was closed behind us and I noticed he was back to being his more relaxed
self.

           
“They think you and I are together and they wanted
details.”

           
“Really?” He laughed and shook his head.

           
“Oh, yeah, I’m serious. One of them said, and I quote: ‘We’ve
been trying to get a piece of that action for years.’”

           
“Man, that shit’s not right. Sorry you had to go through
that.”

I shrugged, I’d been
through worse situations. “Is it a big secret about who I am, is that why Gio
introduced me as being with you?”

           
“Yeah, only Jimmy and I know about the arrangement, and
the capos, of course, but Gio’s keeping it quiet until everything is done.”

           
“That makes sense.”

           
“So do you want to have some fun with those women?”

           
“What do you mean?”

           
“Pretend we’re together and give them a show.”

I crossed my arms over
my breasts and felt myself retreat inwards. While it would be fun, putting on a
show meant kissing and I wasn’t interested in Victor that way. I glanced over
my shoulder and could see the wives sitting on the sofa cackling away.

“Fuck
it, let’s do this.”
 
Grabbing his hand, I
pulled Victor along behind me and we went back inside. “Come on baby, I’m
hungry,” I said to him, just loud enough for “the wives” to hear me. I pouted
and tugging on the two front belt loops of his jeans, yanked him closer. He
smirked before leaning down to kiss me. I fought the urge to turn away.
Victor’s mouth covered mine with lips that were surprisingly soft. He wrapped
an arm around my waist, his hand found its way beneath my sweater. It was warm
against the small of my back as he pressed me against his hips, before slipping
his tongue into my mouth. My body tensed the moment he passed that barrier and
I released his belt loops. Victor broke off the kiss and, resting his forehead
against mine whispered, “I can tell you’re not into this, but I think we gave
them enough for their fantasies.”

I laughed at his last
statement and the tension eased. Keeping his arm around my waist, we walked out
of the room and into the kitchen. As soon as we were out of the wives’ sight,
he removed his arm and I stepped away.

           
“Here, you said you were hungry.” He tossed me a garlic
knot. There were three baskets full of them on the counter.

           
“You’re such an attentive boyfriend,” I said before
inhaling half of the buttery roll.

Victor laughed and
grabbed a beer from the fridge. “Want one?” he asked and I nodded since my
mouth was full. Just like that any awkwardness was gone and the rest of the
night was spent by Victor’s side, even when we sat down on chairs with maroon
velvet cushions for dinner around an enormous dark wood table with the most
ornately carved feet I’d ever seen. There were twenty-five of us at the table
and another table the same length, but not as elaborate, was set up on the
patio for the kids. Caterers buzzed around serving us prime rib and lasagna.
There was also turkey, broccoli rabe, stuffed shells, antipasto and an endless
supply of garlic knots.

Victor remained relaxed
even with Gio in the room, but maybe that’s because we were at opposite ends of
the table. Wine was poured and toasts were made. Before I knew it, the table
was being cleared and it was time to leave.
 
Gio and Samantha stood by the door, a two person receiving line, to see
their guests out. When Victor and I stepped up to say goodbye, Gio once again
kissed the back of my hand.

           
“I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again,” he said.

           
“Thank you for dinner, it was delicious.” It was too and
I was glad I had gone for a run earlier after the carb load I’d just inhaled.
Samantha nodded at me coolly when I thanked her. And that was it, Victor and I
walked through the now empty courtyard, only embers remained in the chiminea.
The front gate was locked, but Victor had a key and he let us out. A handful of
cars were left in the driveway with Victor’s being the last.

I waited until we were
on the road heading back before asking Victor all the questions I had been
storing up over the evening. Most of the guests at Gio’s were family, not that
they were all related, but Gio’s capos were there with their families and Jimmy
had his mom there, but Victor was like a lone wolf in his pack.

           
“Hey Victor?”

           
“Yeah?” he responded, not taking his eyes off of the
dark, winding road.

           
“Is your family out of state or something? Why aren’t you
spending Christmas with them?”

It was like I flipped a
switch with that question as Victor’s face shut down. The emotionless mask was
back on, except by the way he was gripping the steering wheel, I knew he was
feeling something.

           
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. Forget I asked.”

He exhaled and loosened
his grip. “It’s a long story.”

The car filled with
silence with the exception of the radio turned down low, Demons by Imagine
Dragons played in the background.

           
“My dad’s in prison. He’s ten years into a thirty year
sentence for murder. I was sixteen when he got arrested. Basically, he had just
taken somebody out and was leaving the scene, when his car got t-boned. He
still had the gun on him.”

I didn’t say anything,
letting Victor continue. “Gio and my dad were tight and this happened before
Gio became Don. Anyway, after the sentencing, my mom wanted to leave California
– start over fresh. During the trial, Gio was there for me. I mean, I had a lot
of shit going on in my head then. I refused to leave with my mom, but that
didn’t stop her. She took my three sisters and moved to Florida. I stayed
behind and Gio looked out for me. He gave me the loan to start my tattoo shop.”

           
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

           
“You don’t have to say anything. It is what it is.”

           
“So why are you so serious around Gio? It’s like you’re a
completely different person around him.”

           
“I owe him my life and act that way out of respect.”

           
“Okay, I think I understand. Thanks for telling me.”

I was so focused on
Victor’s story I didn’t realize we were pulling up to the gate for my apartment
complex. Victor entered the code and the gate slid open. We parked and I opened
the door.

           
“Thanks Victor, I had fun tonight.”

           
“Me too, especially messing with the women.”

           
“Yeah, they weren’t the friendliest.”

           
“That’s because you’re young, beautiful and they see you
as a threat. If they could, they’d drain your essence dry like a bunch of
vampires. This life as made them hard and it shows on their faces.”

           
‘And out here Botox is the new black,” I added, making Victor
laugh. “Actually it’s like that in Philly too.”

Victor walked me to the
door and did a quick security check of my apartment before leaving me alone.
For my first Christmas truly on my own, it wasn’t that bad. I slid the gun case
out from underneath the futon and opened it. Lifting the gun out from the foam
padding, I held it for a few minutes. The cool metal eventually warmed in my
palm and it didn’t feel so foreign. I was going to learn how to shoot and felt
the beginnings of empowerment settle in my soul. In the past I’d been
practically defenseless and I never wanted to be in that situation again.

Sun peeked through the
horizontal blinds in Chelsea’s room at just the right angle to penetrate my
eyelids, forcing me awake. I groaned and flipped over, but just as I dozed off,
the alarm started blaring, making me jump.
 
I smacked it, immediately silencing the beeping and laid there, on my
back, staring at the ceiling. Aside from the muffled murmur of a television
coming up from the apartment below and the low hum of traffic on the freeway
located a couple blocks away, it was quiet in the apartment. In Philly there
was always a car alarm going off somewhere or the wail of sirens. Snuggled up
in the warm confines of the comforter, my eyelids started to close until I
remembered Victor was coming to get me to go shooting and this was the only
reason why I set the alarm in the first place.

Excitement got my body
moving and I took a quick shower then pulled on jeans and a long sleeved
t-shirt. I was pouring coffee into a portable mug when Victor knocked on the
door. My gun case was on the counter next to my bag and Victor grabbed the case
before we headed out.

Instead of his Harley
or Audi, Victor opened the door to a dark blue Ford F150 pick-up truck.

           
“Do you have a car for every day of the week?” I asked as
I stepped up on the chrome running boards to climb in.

           
“Hey, I like my toys.” He emphasized this by gunning the
engine and peeling out of the parking lot. He hopped on 405 and we were heading
into east into the foothills.

           
“Where are we going?”

           
“I rented us a private range at this place.”

           
“You can rent a range like for weddings and birthdays?”

Victor laughed and
shook his head. “A shotgun wedding, maybe.”

“Ha,
touché!” I eased back in the passenger seat, propping my feet up on the dash.

“I
prefer renting a range. We don’t need people knowing our business and the
owners are discreet.”

The freeway stretched
out ahead of us and was fairly traffic free once we got outside of the more
developed areas. Neighborhoods turned into homes built far apart from each
other and into farm land. Signs of civilization had become pretty scarce by the
time we arrived at the shooting range, which had fencing surrounding it making
it look more like a cattle ranch. Dust billowed out behind the truck when
Victor turned onto the dirt driveway. It must have been another mile along the
rutted road until a building came into view. Out in the distance, metal glinted
against the brown craggy hills dotted with fading green scrub brush.

I stepped out of the
truck into a strong wind, instantly getting sandblasted. Particles stuck to my
freshly applied lip gloss and I sputtered, trying to remove the grit. Grabbing
a hair tie from my bag, I pulled my hair back so it wouldn’t be wrapped around
my face. That wouldn’t help my aim at all.

Victor watched all
this, his lips twitching with an amused smirk. “Are you ready, Princess?” He
started walking toward the building, which reminded me of a ski lodge in the
Poconos where I went skiing once. With the large wooden logs, it blended into
the natural environment. Gun shots carried on the wind and I couldn’t help but
flinch every time I heard a shot. Picking up my pace, I caught up to Victor.

Inside was brightly lit
and a large counter, which was a large glass display case full of fire arm
accessories like ear and eye protection, ran the length of the room.
 
A register was on the right and various
banners for gun and ammo companies blanketed the wall behind the counter.

An older man greeted
Victor like they were long lost buddies and quickly checked us in. He looked
over our hand guns, set extra ammunition on the counter then handed me foam
plugs for my ears and large clear safety glasses.

           
“You know where you’re going Victor, so I’ll save a map.”
They shook hands and Victor thanked him.

We climbed back into
Victor’s truck and he drove down a narrow road, which wasn’t much wider than a
path. As we got closer to our range I realized the metal I saw glinting on the
hillside were targets. Some were traditional bull’s-eye, but a lot were shaped
like animals. The truck came to a stop in front of a chain-link fence that had
bright yellow warning signs about live ammo being fired beyond that point. We
grabbed our gear and went through the gate.

Victor started me out
at a beginner’s target level that had a distance of 25-feet. He showed me how
to load bullets into my gun, check the safety and how to hold my shoulders and
not hyperextend my arms as a way to better absorb any recoil after pulling the
trigger. I remembered how surprised I was when I first fired a gun at
Genovese’s men. My first shot went wild and took out a row home window. So,
this time around I was better prepared and actually hit my target on the first
attempt, impressing Victor.

           
“Princess, you’re a natural.” So of course I got
overconfident and missed my next shot, but after that I kept my focus and felt
pretty good every time I heard a bullet ping when it made contact with the
metal.

We spent two hours at
the range and by the time we were done, my ears were ringing a little bit,
despite the ear plugs and my arms were tired from holding my gun. We left the
range and as we were driving back down the bumpy road, Victor reached behind my
seat. I turned to see what he was reaching for and he handed me a bottle of
water, which I gratefully accepted. I was pretty thirsty after being windblown
and in the sun for so long.

As soon as we
re-entered civilization, Victor’s cell phone rang like it was signaling our
return. He answered, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. I wasn’t listening
in until his voice got slightly louder when he said, “Yeah, she’s with me now.
I’ll tell her.” He hung up with a sigh and cast a sideways glance.

           
“What’s going on?”

           
“That was Gio. Marco just called in a favor. He’s learned
you’re here and basically handed you over to Gio gift wrapped. Marco wants us
to take you out.”

I ran clammy palms
against my jeans while licking suddenly dry lips. A roaring filled my head and
my ears felt hot as tiny dots danced in front of my vision. “Shit,” I said.
“What did Gio tell him?”

           
“He said he would look into it and to give him until
after New Year’s. Dom and Grant’s deadline just got moved up.”

           
“I need to let Grant know,” I pulled my cell phone out of
my bag and dialed the number he had called me from on Christmas, but I got a
recording that the number wasn’t in service. “Damn it! You’re going to have to
get in touch with one of them somehow.”

           
“Relax, Princess, I’ll handle it.”

I was immersed in
memories after that, staring vacantly out of the passenger side window; not
seeing the buildings we passed, but the barrel of a gun. My shoulder developed
a phantom ache at the memory of the bullet passing through muscle and tissue.
 
It wasn’t until the truck’s engine shut off
that I realized we were parked in front of my apartment building. I gathered up
my stuff and started to get out when Victor circled my wrist with his right
hand, preventing me from leaving.

           
“You’re not going anywhere Princess, not until you tell
me what happened in Philly. Dom said you saved his life. I know there’s a story
behind that.”

I sat there, staring
straight ahead, tension seeping in. My shoulders and stomach were competing for
most number of knots. “Long story short, Marco is not a good person. He hurt me
and one of my friends. Dom was shot twice during a drive-by and became
incapacitated. I killed the man responsible using Dom’s gun.” I turned and
looked Victor in his eyes. “I took someone’s life and it’s really fucked me
up.”

           
“The first kill is always the hardest,” he said. “But it
sounds like you had no choice. If you hadn’t, would you be alive today?”

           
“Probably not.”

           
“You did what you needed to survive and to protect someone
you love. That’s how I see it.”
 

Victor was right and
while I still harbored guilt over killing a man, I knew it very well could have
been me or Dominic with a bullet in our head. I needed to let it go and move
forward. After inhaling and exhaling deeply, I smiled at Victor. “Thanks for
the pep talk.” Opening the truck door, I hopped down to the asphalt and started
up the walkway with Victor right behind me. When I reached the stairs, I heard
someone coming down, so I glanced up to see Jason.

           
“Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were in
Sonoma until tomorrow?”
 
I called out to
him. Jason met me at the base of the stairs and pulled me into a hug. My arms
were full and basically crushed in between our chests.

           
“One of my dad’s clients got arrested so he had to come
back. I was just coming by to check on you. Did you get my voicemail?” He stood
in front of me with his hands in his jean pockets.

           
“No.” I frowned and handed my gun case to Victor so I
could dig around my bag, locating my phone in one of the side pockets.
 
I noticed the little red notification
indicating I had a voicemail, something I’d completely overlooked when I tried
to call Grant. “Oh, sorry I didn’t see that I had a message.”

           
“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out – grab dinner
and maybe watch a movie.” Jason looked over at Victor and then back at me, “Unless
you have other plans?”

           
“That sounds great. Victor was just dropping me off.” I
started climbing the stairs, fishing my keys out of my bag. Victor took them
out of my hand and opened the door, going in first in all business mode;
serious expression and guarded movements as he searched the apartment for any
hidden dangers, which there were none of.

           
“Victor, Marco gave Gio until after the holidays. It’s
too soon to be wary.”

           
“Unless Marco contacted someone else to get the job done
before the New Year.”

Crap. I hadn’t thought
of that. With this new possibility, I sunk down on the futon.

           
“Wait, what’s going on?” Jason asked. He crossed his arms
over this chest, stretching the fabric of his white t-shirt.

           
“Marco knows I’m in L.A.” I said, surprising myself with
how calm I sounded.

           
“Jesus Christ,” Jason sat down next to me and took my
hand in his. “Are you okay?”

           
“You know what? I am. I just want this to be over. I’m
tired of being scared and in hiding. If Marco wants me dead, I’m not going out
without a fight.”

Both Victor and Jason
stared at me like I was on horseback, wearing a kilt and had blue paint smeared
on my face, but then Victor grinned.

           
“Oh the confidence of owning a gun has gone right to your
head,” he said with a laugh.

           
“Nat, you own a gun?”

           
“Yes, I do now. Victor got me one for Christmas.” I stood
up and grabbed my gun case off of the counter. I sat back down on the futon and
set the case on the coffee table before popping it open. I lifted the piece out
to show Jason and he leaned away, eyeing it warily. “It’s not loaded,” I
assured him with a laugh, realizing I sounded like Victor when he was
reassuring me just the day before. Maybe Victor was right and the empowerment
had gone to my head.

           
“Can I talk to you?” Jason glanced at Victor. “Alone?”

After setting the gun
back on its foam padding in the case, Jason followed me down the hallway to
Chelsea’s room. He closed the door as I turned around to face him. He moved
forward, closing the gap between us, until he was close enough for me to feel
his body heat. He looked down at me and his blue eyes seemed even brighter than
usual. “What is it Jason?”

           
“A gun, Nat? That isn’t like you. Do you even know how to
use it?”

I wasn’t about to tell
Jason I had already shot and killed a man. “Victor is teaching me. We went to a
shooting range today. I need to learn to defend myself.”

           
“Yeah, but a freaking gun? This gangster shit isn’t you.
Take Tae Kwon Do or something.” Jason reached out to caress my cheek, but
stopped mid-way and quickly dropped his arm. I smiled to let him know I
appreciated he was respecting the friend zone. “What happens if your brother
and Dominic are successful in taking out Marco? What are your plans? Is part of
this in preparation for you going back to Philly or will you stay here?”

           
“I uh, I don’t know,” I said, sitting down on the edge of
Chelsea’s bed. Jason sat down next to me, his thigh flush with mine, our jeans
a contrast of dark and faded denim.