Disastrous (Disastrous Series) (7 page)

Me (9:36am): Marcie’s at noon? I love that place.

Marcus (9:37am): Sounds good to me. Looking forward to seeing that beautiful face.

Me (9:38am):
J

“Good morning, my lovely friend.” I jumped with delight on the small armchair located at the corner of the living room, giving me a view of Jeremy and the entire apartment behind him. He was unknowingly tracing his tongue along his bottom lip, concentrating on a game that he was playing on his game console. He quickly glanced at me and then back at the big screen. “You’re in a good mood,” he said while thumbing the controller. “What do you have planned for today?” he asked.

Jeremy and I had a very close relationship, and we hardly kept any secrets from one another, but I decided to keep this Marcus thing from him just because I didn’t know where it was going yet. “Oh, I’m meeting a friend for lunch downtown and maybe do some shopping afterwards down there while I’m at it.” I watched the screen and saw a Batman and Joker fighting each other. I wasn’t certain which one he was because there were other comic book characters fighting in the background. I shook my head.

His character died, so he placed the controller down waiting for a new game to reboot. He eyed me suspiciously. “Friend? What friend?”

Shit,
I’d forgotten we have mutual friends and that I didn’t hang out with anyone except with him. I slightly caved in. “
Okay
, so I met this guy, and we are just going out for lunch, that’s all.” He wasn’t buying it; adjusting his body on the couch, he was now facing my direction with an amused grin.

“What’s this guy’s name?”

I looked away because I couldn’t stare him in the eye. I’m the worst liar. “I rather not say because we’re just friends getting to know one another.” Biting my bottom lip, I bravely looked at him, hoping he’d leave it at that.

He frowned. “Is it Marcus?” His expression shocked me.

“No! It’s not, and why did you say it like
that
?” I thought he and Marcus were friends.

“He’s a cool guy and all but wouldn’t be good for you.” He faced the flat screen to restart his game.

“Not that I care because it’s
not
Marcus, but if it were, why wouldn’t he be good for me?” The question was delivered a little harsher than I expected. You could feel the tension building between us. He knew something and didn’t want to say, but I was nosy and would continue drilling until I collected my information.

My tone of voice set him off. His ears were bright red, and he seemed to be biting his tongue. I knew that look: the steam was building, so he’d blow up pretty soon if I kept pushing his buttons, but didn’t care. I stood from the chair and crossed my arms, giving him a nasty stare. “It is Marcus, so what!” That did it. He got up, throwing the controller on the couch.

“Jesus Christ, Mia! Did you fuck him?” His cheeks turned the same fire-engine red as his ears.

What the hell was his problem?
I gripped my hip with my one hand and waved my other at him like he was a five-year old. “That is none of your business!” I stormed to my room and slammed the door. The nerve of him! Did I
fuck
him?
Why
was he so against Marcus? I paced back and forth in my bedroom to calm my nerves.

The door swung open, and Jeremy was standing by the doorway irate.

“First of all, it is my business because you’re my
friend,
and I don’t want to see you hurt. Second, have you thought about the rest of the summer when you’re working for him and how it would affect
you
? Third, I
highly
recommend you do some research on him and see the
stuff
that he’s into, because so help me God, Mia, if you get hurt in any way and I find out that he was involved, there’s no telling what I would do.” He slammed the door behind him and left me in the room speechless by his outburst.

What did Jeremy mean, “if I’m hurt in any way,” and what’s this research thing about? What kind of stuff is Marcus into that could possibly harm me? My mind was racing, and I had so many doubts. This was what I didn’t want to happen, and yet a kiss from him had made me weak. There I was getting ready to meet him for lunch while my best friend was angry with me in the other room.

I threw myself onto the bed, trying to go over the past few days. My friendship wasn’t worth losing. What if Jeremy were right? Maybe I would get hurt in the end. Was Jeremy jealous or just being a concerning friend? I had so many unanswered questions. There was only one way some of these blank holes could be filled: Google. Jumping off my bed and slamming into the chair, I started up my laptop.

There were lots of articles on Marcus DeLuca: on his firm, his achievements, charities, and his successful verdicts on many criminal cases, mainly involving the mafia. I looked at many websites and spent twenty minutes trying to find something until the headline of one Boston newspaper caught my attention. It was short and to the point.

JIMMIE DELUCA QUESTIONED ON MAFIA DRUG DEAL

21 December 2011

Written by Samantha Jones

Jimmie DeLuca was taken in for questioning Monday morning regarding a drug deal at a local warehouse in Midtown Center City. For many years
,
there have been allegations that the DeLuca brothers, Jimmie and Marcus DeLuca, were and still are involved with the illegal acts of the Sorrento Mafia Family. Sources close to the brothers have denied all allegations, and there has been no evidence to charge them with any crimes.

Shortly after Jimmie DeLuca was taken into Boston Police headquarters, his younger brother Marcus DeLuca came to the rescue as his attorney. The detectives had no evidence to arrest Jimmie, and released him, not even ten minutes after Marcus DeLuca arrived.

Anyone who knows the DeLuca brothers knows that Marcus took over his brother’s firm five years ago. When he became involved with the firm, he began to represent the Sorrento family and cleared their names from many accusations involving drug deals, money laundering, as well as gun trafficking.

Whether these accusations against the DeLuca brothers are true or not, it does raise one question: What is their true involvement with the Sorrento family?

End of Article. SJ

I continued to research and found similar articles but with Marcus brought in for questioning a few times. After researching for what seemed like forever, I blankly stared at the monitor for a while, trying to wrap my head around what I’d just read. Was this what Jeremy meant? There was nothing incriminating about it. They were taken in for questioning, but they were never charged with a crime.

I’ve heard that the Sorrentos were very dangerous and definitely not a force to be reckoned with. I’d heard stories about murders, corrupt cops, and drug deals involving the Sorrentos and that anyone who crossed their path was either family or an enemy. In the Italian mob, there were no friends: you were considered family even if you weren’t blood related. The thought that Marcus could be involved made my stomach turn.

Though growing up with a cop as a father and a detective as a brother, I knew that the media portrayed things as worse than they really were.

I was stuck. Should I believe the media, or would hearing him out be a better idea? Should I cancel this lunch date, or go and flat-out tell him what I read? Due to the fact that I was very pushy and needed information to make a decision on anything involving my life, I decided to meet him for lunch and ask all the questions that I needed. One thing I’m grateful for is that I can read people very well, courtesy of my brother. If it so happened that I felt he wasn’t trustworthy, I’d walk away.

I took a shower and threw on a navy blue maxi dress, beige flip-flops, and a matching messenger bag. My hair was in a low ponytail, and I accessorized with gold hoop earrings and a long gold necklace with a horseshoe charm. It was my favorite piece of jewelry. Michael bought it for my 24
^th
birthday last October before he passed away.

Every time I wore it, I felt like he was nearby, protecting me. I glanced in the mirror, looking at my reflection. My big green eyes filled, but I held back my tears, not wanting to ruin my makeup. I held the horseshoe up and pressed the charm against my lips. Giving it a kiss, I whispered a small prayer for him to protect me always.

Walking out of my bedroom, I didn’t see Jeremy anywhere. He had to be in his room unless he left while I was taking a shower. I felt terrible about our fight and refused to leave the apartment until we made up. We never fought, ever.

I knocked on the door, and since he didn’t answer, I pushed it open. He was lying in bed with his eyes closed, listening to music. I walked over to him. He must have sensed me because his eyes popped opened. Sliding in next to him, I placed my head on his chest; he wrapped his arm around me after he took off his earphones. “I’m sorry, Jeremy. I don’t want to fight like that ever again.” I tightened my arm around his chest.

Sighing, he squeezed me a little tighter. “I’m sorry too, Mia; I had no right to go off like that. It will never happen again. I promise. He’s a good guy … I’ve just heard stories about him; that’s all. Who am I to judge?” He laughed once and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

“Thank you, and just so you know, I didn’t have sex with him. I just led you to believe it to get you mad.” I nervously peeked up at him.

“I knew you didn’t; I was mad that you lied to my face. By the way, you’re a terrible liar.” I laughed and he joined in. We said our goodbyes, and I went out the door ready to question DeLuca.

Relieved to find street parking, I pulled into a spot and dug for change to place in the meter. After I scrounged three dollars in quarters and dimes, there was plenty of time for lunch and light shopping. Admiring the midtown of Boston has never bored me with so many successful individuals wandering around in their business attire. They seem to move at a fast pace, rushing to a busy work schedule. Tourists wandered at a slower pace taking pictures by the Charles River and other historical sites.

I reminded myself that one day that would be me: an up-and-coming attorney running around and busting my ass until I made partner at a top firm. I let out a deep breath, knowing it would all be worth it in the end. I would have to sacrifice having fun and being spontaneous until I was at the top of my career. Hey, I’d done that so far in my life to be at the top of my class, what were a few more years?

Reaching the building, I pulled the door handle; it wouldn’t budge. I shook it a few more times, nothing. I was stunned when I finally
saw an
OUT OF BUSINESS
sign
on the door. Great, what was I supposed to do now? Quickly searching for my phone, I dialed Marcus’ number. He picked up instantly. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Uh, hi, uh I’m standing in front of a closed Marcie’s.” I giggled.

“Yeah, I found that out earlier. I had my assistant make reservations at another restaurant if you don’t mind?”

“Okay, where shall I meet you?”

“Well, if you turn around you will see a tall, well–dressed, and handsome young man walking in your direction.” He laughed. I turned and spotted him instantly. He was right: he was sexier than I could’ve ever imagined. He wore an all-black, high-end suit, fitted perfectly against his clearly fit body. The light, salmon-colored shirt and matching silk tie looked perfect against his tan complexion. Even though most men would not dare to wear pink, there was something about a man who could pull it off. Marcus DeLuca could definitely pull it off. Everything about him screamed masculine, powerful, and bold from the roots of his hair down to the stride of his walk.

When he reached me, his eyes were on mine with a wide smile. He pulled me into an embrace and held me. I hugged him back, surprised by his warm, public display of affection. He pulled away and planted a small but soft kiss on my lips. “You look very beautiful, Mia.” Still stunned, I whispered, “You too.” His brows rose with humor. “Shall we eat?” he asked. I responded with a simple nod, unable to say anything else.

I nervously asked him how his morning was as we headed towards the restaurant. He went on about a boring conference call with a judge, but my mind was wrapped around how we walked side by side with his arms around my shoulder. Shamelessly I liked the feeling. It was odd, but it felt intimate: something I wasn’t used to. I’d only known him for a couple days; I had no idea who this man was. Yet I had this connection with him that I couldn’t describe. Then I thought of Jeremy and the articles, and I pulled away. I could tell by his expression that he knew I felt uncomfortable, so he kept his arms at his side for the remainder of the walk and continued with his discussion.

After the longest fifteen minutes I’d ever endured, we entered the restaurant. Of course it was a five-star place. We were immediately seated in a private booth. I settled in my seat across from him. Everything about him was irresistible. My eyes met his, and I lowered my glance to his lips: those lips that he teased me with last night, making me want him, allowing me to fall in a trance I couldn’t control. I had to get to the bottom of things before I got lost in him again.

“We need to talk. I have a few questions for you.” I made it a point to sound stern.

He waved his hand before him. “By all means, Mia, ask away…I mean it, whatever you want. Don’t hold back.”

I scowled at him suspiciously, but before I could begin my interrogation, we were greeted by a waitress I recognized. She saw me, and her eyes widened with a smile. “Hi Mia, how are you? What are you doing here?” She was overly ecstatic.