CHAPTER 12
Bethany
“So, the deed for the property is all taken care of?” I asked Fat Eddie.
He nodded.
“We own it, it belongs to us now.”
“Excellent. Well then we need to get a demolition crew in there as soon as possible, so that we can get that old wreck of a house knocked down, and then get the foundations laid for the new place.”
“I'll call my cousin Antonio,” said Eddie. “He owns a construction company, and he can probably put us in touch with some demolition guys who'll give us a decent price to take the old house down.”
“You do that. The plans have all been drawn up, and I think we all agree that this is how our new place is gonna look, right?”
I looked all around the table, making eye contact with each of my capos. They each gave me a nod, indicating their approval.
“Perfect,” I said. “This is gonna bring in a ton of cash if we do it right, boys.”
Murmurs of agreement rippled around the table.
“Alright, well we'll put that on the shelf and get back to it when the demolition has been taken care of. We can't do much until that old house has been knocked down and the whole plot has been cleared and leveled. Eddie, you make sure you get a quote on demolition by the end of tomorrow, you got it?”
Eddie nodded.
“I got it boss.”
“Alright, next order of business. Giovanni, have you finally sorted out that sushi joint and the money they owe us?
Giovanni nodded.
“I got some boys to watch the place, seeing as Kawasaki was trying to lay low, and was sneaking around. We got his routine down after a bit of observation though, and I managed to corner him. He tried to make up some excuses, but after a swift and brutal introduction to my favorite pair of brass knuckles, he soon coughed it up.”
“Good,” I remarked with a grin, “I'm glad the old guy wasn't around to chase you away with a samurai sword again.”
Everyone laughed, and Giovanni winced.
“Aw come on boss, quit bustin' my balls!” he protested.
“I'm just kidding with ya, Giovanni, come on, I ain't bustin' your balls.”
The laughter died down, and then I looked at each man in turn.
“Are there any other orders of business we need to discuss for the night?” I asked.
Everyone shook their heads.
“I think we've pretty much covered everything that we need to worry about for the present,” said Eddie.
Everyone mumbled in agreement with this.
“Alright,” I said, “well I guess that means that we can call it an early night. See you all tomorrow.”
They all got up and started shuffling out of my office, but as Tony walked past me I put a hand up to stop him.
“Not you Tony. I wanna speak to you alone. You wait here until the others have gone.”
He nodded, looking uncomfortable, but hovered by the door until everyone had left. Then he closed it behind him and walked back to his chair and sat down.
“Tony,” I said, “I've noticed that you've been making an effort to control your drinking.”
He nodded.
“I have, boss. I realized it was getting in the way of things. Hell, it's been getting in the way of everything in my life for far too long now. I gotta cut down; there ain't no two ways about it.”
“What made you come to this sudden realization, Tony?” I asked. “With all due respect, I been telling you to cut down on that stuff for years, but only now you make an effort to do it. So, what made you change your tune?”
He shifted in his chair, looking uncomfortable, and a look of distinct unease crossed his face.
“Last week, I almost killed a little girl.”
“Shit, well that certainly sounds like one way to get a wakeup call. What happened?”
“It was after out poker game at the strip club. You remember how wasted I got, right boss?”
“We were all drunk, yeah, but you Tony, you were on another level. Hell, you were almost paraplegic. You told me you were gonna sleep it off before driving, though.”
“I tried to, boss. I got into my car, lay down in the back seat and passed out. When I woke up the sun was shining. I figured since I'd had a few hours’ sleep I would be okay to drive. I started driving, and soon realized that I was still pretty damn wasted. Still, you know how many times I've driven drunk before. I thought I'd be fine. I'd had some narrow misses before, but I'd always made it home safe. Well not this time. I was lurching all over the road, and I came around this corner way too fast – and right there, crossing the road on her way to school was this little girl, maybe seven or eight years old. Thank God I'd had the car's brakes done the week before, because without brand new brakes, I would have plowed right into her, and that would have been it, game over. I managed to stomp on the brakes, and the car skidded right around her – I think I just brushed her dress with the rear end of the car, but I did manage to knock her lunchbox right out of her hand and destroy it. That's how close it was Ben, that's how close it was – one inch. Less than one inch. She was an inch away from death, because of me. Well anyway the car hit a fire hydrant and I messed it up good. It was still drivable so I got the hell outta there before the damn cops showed up, and I guess no bystanders got my license plate or nothin', coz I ain't heard nothin' else about it, but man, when I got home I was shakin' like a leaf. It wasn't the fact that I would have gone to prison that was buggin' me so much, but the fact that I almost took out an innocent kid. I mean sure, I've iced people before, but those are other gangsters, criminals who deserved to die, not some innocent little kid crossing the street. So, after that I knew, I knew that I had to make a change. God – if there's a God up there – sent me that little girl as a warning. And I'd be a fool not to take a warning like that. So yeah . . . there you have it, boss. That's why I've cut down the drinking.”
I nodded and clasped my hands together.
“I'm sorry that it took something like that to get you to take this seriously, but I'm also glad that it finally got through to you, Tony. You're a good man and you've been a loyal and dedicated soldier, but your weakness to the bottle has always held you back, has always stopped you from advancing any further in my family business. But now . . . if you're able to keep this up, you'll be able to earn the respect – and the promotion – that's been long overdue. Prove yourself to me, Tony, and I'll reward you. I'm a fair and generous man – you know that. If you can stick with this for the next six months, I think some major changes will come your way. Changes that you'll really appreciate.”
Tony smiled.
“Well that'd be great, boss! Even more reason for me to stay sober.”
“Keep it up, Tony. You can leave now, see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks boss,” he said as he got up and left. “See you tomorrow.”
After he had gone I gathered my things together and packed my briefcase. The meeting had gone well, and now plans for our new casino and restaurant, a project we had been planning for a very long time, were now underway. And now tonight I would be able to get home around midnight – an early night for me, after all the hard work I'd been doing over the past couple of months. I wondered if Bethany would still be awake when I got there.
Most likely not. Because of our differing schedules, with her working at the diner and me being at the strip club or the fitness center, or out meeting contacts, we were rarely in the apartment together. I had been hoping to have been able to get to know her a little better during this time, but it hadn't really happened, and we'd only seen each other in passing, really. But now that the plans for the casino were ready, and the property had been bought and the title deed transferred, I would soon have a lot more free time – and that would go to Bethany, and getting to know her better.
I drove home feeling relaxed and optimistic. Everything about the project was looking like it was going to be a remarkable success. And I knew that if it did turn out to be as big of a success as I hoped it would be, things would work out well for me in the long term – and, by extension, they'd work out really well for Bethany too.
I still couldn't wait to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her, to make love to her, and the desire to do so was growing stronger and stronger with every passing day, but my word, which was my honor, was extremely important to me, and I would do anything, and sacrifice anything, to stay true to my word. And if that meant not touching her until she was ready for that contact, well then that's what I was prepared to do.
I got home, parked the car in the underground parking and went straight up to the penthouse. I took my coat off in the entrance lobby, and then opened the door, intending to go straight to my liquor cabinet for a nightcap of eighteen-year-old single malt whiskey – and then I saw Bethany sitting at the dining table, staring at me with a look of pure fury burning on her beautiful face.
“Bethany, you're still up,” I said. “I-”
“Now you just listen to me!” she spat. “I've got some things to say to you!”
Wow. She was clearly fired up about something.
“Alright,” I said, making sure my tone at least was calm, cool and even. “Would you like something to drink? Could I at least get myself a whiskey.”
“No, I don't want anything.”
“Alright, so can I pour myself a whiskey at least?”
She folded her arms across her chest and huffed with exasperation.
“Fine, do it.”
I walked calmly over to the liquor cabinet and poured myself a whiskey, and then headed over to the fridge to drop some ice blocks into it. After that I went over to the dining table and took a seat across from her.
“Okay, let's try keep calm and talk like rational adults here,” I said. “I can see that you're really upset about something. Let's talk, and see how we can solve whatever problem has come up.”
“You're friends with some real bitches,” she hissed.
“Whoa,” I said, holding my hands up, “hold up, hold up, what are you talking about?”
“Or are they just friends, huh? Are they more than friends to you, Ben? Are they?”
“Who?” I asked, confused.
“I was having a coffee at the little coffee shop downstairs, when these two snobby bitches approached me, right out of the blue. They insulted me! They asked me who I was, and I told them I was your girlfriend, and then they insulted me, in public, in front of everyone at the cafe!”
“Calm down, calm down. What did they say to you?”
“They said that your taste in women had clearly declined, and they told me to go back to whatever trailer park I'd come out of! Can you believe that?! In public, they said these things to me, with no provocation, with no reason to do so! They straight up insulted and demeaned me for absolutely no reason! Now I don't know who the hell these bitchy women were, but they seemed to know you well enough, Ben.”
“Uh, what did they look like.”
“Both tall and skinny. Way too much makeup. Tasteless, over-the-top gold and diamond jewelry. One had long black hair, the other long brown hair, both artificially straightened. Seemed like they lived in this building. Sound like someone you know, Ben? Do they, huh?”
Actually, they did sound like girls I knew. One had to have been Delia Grant. She and I had slept together a couple of times. To me it had been nothing but a casual fling. She had wanted a relationship though, which I hadn't. And, of course, things had soon turned sour. She now had a grudge against me – even though I knew she still wanted me – and I guess she now saw Bethany as a threat, as someone who stood between her and me, and had resorted to bullying her to try to get rid of her. I guessed that lying about her would only make matters worse, as the truth would eventually come out, and then Bethany would be even more upset when she found out.
“Yeah, I know 'em.”
“How Ben? How exactly do you know those mean, awful bitches?” she demanded.
I sighed before answering.
“I went on a couple of dates with one.”
“Which one?!”
“The one with brown hair. Her name is Delia Grant.”
“Oh, so she's your ex, is she? Or is she something more current than an ex, huh? Because I've said you can't touch me yet, you think it's fine to just go around and sleep with other girls, is that it?”
Wow, she was seriously fired up – and I had to admit, that kinda turned me on. I liked women with passion, women who had fire in their blood – and Bethany evidently had boatloads of it.
“I ain't sleepin' with anyone, and I certainly ain't sleepin' with Delia.”
“But you did! You slept with her in the past, didn't you?”
“A couple of times, yeah. But it was nothing. She was never my girlfriend. Like I said, she and I, we went on a couple of dates, and that's all. That's it. And yeah, we had sex, but it was nothing. And that was around a year ago. It's ancient history.”
“Well she didn't seem to think it was ancient history! And she humiliated me, Ben, she humiliated and degraded and insulted me in public, in front of everyone! And I will not stand for that, I will not allow anyone to treat me like that, ever! And if you don't take steps to make sure that never happens again, I'm gone, do you hear me?! If either of those two nasty bitches ever speaks to me again, I am taking my things and I am leaving, and you will never see me again! Ever!”
She jumped up, pushed the chair over and stormed into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. I chuckled – she was really fired up, oh yeah. I guessed I would have to have a word with Delia. That woman was a bitch; Bethany was right. But she sure as hell was persistent. I would make sure that she never insulted Bethany again though; nobody spoke to my Bethany like that and got away with it, and I would make Delia understand this, whatever it took.
Still chuckling, I sipped on my whiskey and looked out at the bright lights of Detroit, thinking about the coming weekend at my parents' Grosse Pointe Farms house, where we would be having a big family dinner – where I would introduce Bethany to the rest of my family. It was going to be a very significant occasion, and one that I was looking very much forward to. I just hoped that Bethany would cool down by then, as it was only two days away . . .
THAT WEEKEND
“Are you sure you don't want another helping of desert, dear?” my mother asked Bethany.
“It's absolutely delectable, Mrs. Sciotti, but I really can't fit anything else in! I'd love to have some more, but the laws of physics are telling me that it just won't be possible!” remarked Bethany, beaming a big smile at my mother, who laughed, along with everyone else at the table.
I was pleased; Bethany had been getting on amazingly well with my family at this dinner. We'd been at my parents' house for a couple of hours now, and she had taken the time to introduce herself to everyone, including distant cousins and uncles and aunts of mine, and she had made an effort to have little bits of fun with the various kids who were here too – various nephews and nieces. It had gone way better than I had expected, and she really was proving to be a hit with everyone. It seemed that being in social situations brought out the best in her. She was a real busybody, in a good way of course, and she had a liveliness and vivaciousness that was seriously infectious – when she made jokes, everybody laughed, and she was able to make even my more reticent relatives feel welcome and happy.
She and my uncle got talking, as he had owned a diner before, and as they were getting into an in-depth discussion, my mother subtly nodded to me to go to the kitchen where I could speak to her in private.
I excused myself from the table and headed out of the large dining room into the kitchen, which had just been redone – a birthday gift from me to my mother. She came into the kitchen a minute or two after me, wearing a big, broad smile on her face.
“I take it you like her, ma?”
“Like her?! I'm crazy about her! Where'd you find her, Benny, where?”
I didn't really want to explain to my mother the whole thing about the contract with Sal, so I guess I had to twist the story to make it seem a little more legitimate.
“Well, you know the old house we just bought, the one that's on the site where we're gonna build the new casino and restaurant?”
“Yeah?”
“Well her diner is on that street. When I was checking out the house I decided to grab a bite to eat, and headed into her diner – and the rest is history.”
My mother hugged me tightly.
“Good boy Benito, good boy! I'm so glad you've finally found a good, decent woman who you can make your wife. Your father and I, we've been waiting for this moment for a very long time, you know. A very long time! So, when are you two getting married, huh? We want some grandchildren!”
“Whoa, whoa, hold your horses there ma! Yeah, we'll be getting married, but not next week or nothin'. It'll take time until, until things are ready.”
“She does want kids, right?” my mother asked, suddenly looking slightly worried. “She's not one of those who doesn't want to have children, is she?”
“No ma, she wants kids,” I said, although to be honest I wasn't sure how true that was, as Bethany and I had never actually spoken about it.
“And can she cook? How's her cooking?”
“She owns a diner ma! Of course she can cook!”
“But can she cook our food – Italian food? She's gotta be able to cook our food, you know. I mean, it's not a big deal if she can't, because I can teach her, you can teach her – but if she can't, she'll have to learn. If she's gonna be a part of this family, she's got to learn to cook our food.”
“I know ma, I know. Look, don't worry about that alright? She probably knows already anyway.”
“Well how do you know that? Has she cooked for you?”
“Uh no, she hasn't, not yet.”
My mother looked shocked.
“She's living in that penthouse with you, with that beautiful kitchen and all those appliances and all those wonderful cooking utensils, and she hasn't cooked for you yet?”
“Ma, we're both real busy. She's running a diner, I've got all my projects and meetings and stuff. She don't have time to cook for me!”
“Well, you can't think of marriage when she hasn't yet cooked you a meal!”
“Alright, alright, I'll make sure she cooks something for me.”
“Something Italian.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, Ma, something Italian.”
“And after she's done that, your father and I will want to come over for a visit so that she can cook for us too. I have to see myself, you see. And don't worry, don't put any pressure on her! If it doesn't turn out as it should, we can teach her, you know that.”
“I know, Ma, I know. Now go back to the dining room and talk to her some more. I think she likes you.”
My mother smiled.
“Oh, I think so too – and I like her very much too. Well alright, I'll go back there, and 'll tell your father and your brothers to go to the library room and meet you, I know you men of the family have important business matters to discuss.”
“That we do ma, that we do.”
We hugged each other once more and then she headed back to the dining room to summon my father and brothers. I headed straight over to the library, with its big, long antique table in the center, around which we would have important meetings.
I was sitting at the table waiting for them when my phone rang. I picked it up and saw that it was Bobby.
“Hey Louie, make it quick because I'm about to have a very important meeting.”
“Sure thing boss, and I'm sorry for disturbing you at your family gathering, but I know you're definitely gonna wanna hear what I have to say.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“An informant just got hold of me, and informant who's getting me info on the CM thugs.”
“And?”
“They're planning something, boss – they wanna do something bad to either you or Bethany. Tyrese wants to teach you a lesson. Says he don't wanna lay down for no white boy, and wants to prove that he's a force to be reckoned with. The informant doesn't know what they're planning exactly, but they're planning something. Just thought you'd like to know that Tyrese wants to get you.”
“Thanks Bobby. We'll talk more later.”
As I put the phone down I growled.
“So, you wanna take me on Tyrese? You really want to start a war? Well bring it on, motherfucker, bring it on . . .”