Tommy Gabrini 4: Dapper Tom Begin Again Read online

  “Hello, Tommy,” she said as he closed the door. “Thank-you so much for coming.” Ed stood up as Tommy walked over to the bride and groom.

  “Congratulations,” Tommy said matter-of-factly, as he leaned down and kissed Grace on the cheek. There used to be a time when he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t look her in the eye without feeling some kind of way about her; some kind of serious anger. Now, whenever he was around Grace, he didn’t know what he felt.

  “I sent invitations to your family members,” she said. “To Sal and Gemma and Reno and Trina, and the rest of them, but surprisingly none of them responded back.”

  Tommy looked at her with alarm, as if he didn’t understand why that would surprise her. What did she expect them to do? She knew how the Gabrinis were. She knew that they viewed loyalty as a ride or die eternal contract, not some situational agreement. In their eyes, she reneged on the contract. They were done with her. The only reason he showed up at all was because of his daughter. He wanted to show his face for her. That was why he endured it. And the fact that the mother of his child had found happiness again, was a plus too.

  He shook Ed’s hand. “Congratulations,” he said to him also.

  “Thank-you,” Ed said jovially. Tommy Gabrini was a very in-demand man. The idea that Grace would have chosen him over Tommy, even with Tommy’s issues, and Tommy would have chosen Grace out of all the women he could have chosen, made Ed feel ten-feet tall. Grace had to be worth it, he concluded, if Tommy Gabrini once wanted her. And Tommy wasn’t the one who wanted the divorce! “Thank-you very much,” he added. “Please, have a seat.”

  “No, I can’t stay. I’m on my way out of town, and I have somebody in the car.”

  Grace knew what that meant. One of his females was going to accompany him on this trip out of town. Not that it was her business anymore. It wasn’t. But for some reason that baffled her, it still stung whenever she thought of him with somebody else.

  “But before I took off I wanted to be sure to offer my congrats,” Tommy continued. “And to give Desi a kiss goodbye. Where is she?”

  “We have a section set up for the children,” Grace spoke up. “She’s playing with the other kids. She’s playing like she’s a four-year-old.” Tommy smiled. “I’ll send for her if you’d like.”

  “Please,” Tommy said.

  Grace picked up her cell phone from off of a side table, and text Micah to bring Destiny back to see her father.

  “Now will you at least sit down until she comes?” Ed asked. “It’ll take a little while. And we do need to discuss something with you.”

  Tommy would rather not discuss anything with either one of them on their day. He’d rather kiss his daughter goodbye and get the hell out of there. But she wasn’t readily available. He had to wait.

  He sat down.

  “Good,” Ed said as he sat down too.

  Tommy had a definite impression of the man. Although Grace undoubtedly loved him with all of her heart, and he was a doctor at the top of his profession with a glowing reputation in the greater Seattle community, Tommy saw a naked ambitiousness about the man that was very off-putting. Some of his distaste, he knew, had nothing to do with the man. And ambition was usually a good thing. But this guy, this Ed Jefferson, seemed to take it to another level. As if Grace was not only his beloved wife, and Tommy did believe Ed loved Grace, but that Grace was also a chess piece in a larger game.

  Not that it was an obvious game. Tommy had the man thoroughly investigated when Grace first mentioned that she was seeing him. Since that meant he would be around Destiny, Tommy investigated him vigorously. Nothing untoward turned up. He was as his reputation proclaimed him to be. But that didn’t stop Tommy from having a certain feeling about the man.

  “As you know,” Ed said, moving closer to the edge of his seat, “I am now Destiny’s stepfather.”

  Tommy’s interest in listening to Ed piqued as soon as he mentioned Destiny. He crossed his legs as he watched and listened more attentively.

  “She’s a wonderful two-year-old and I feel blessed to be a part of her life. But as Grace’s husband now, and as the head of our household now, I believe we need to set boundaries and make ourselves plain.”

  Tommy noticed how Grace was staring unblinkingly at Ed. Never at Tommy. Completely at Ed. As if this shit was rehearsed.

  “We believe,” Ed continued, “that you, as Destiny’s biological father, has every right to see her anytime you wish. However, we also believe that when you choose to see her, you should see her exclusively at our home.”

  Tommy knew bullshit was coming, he just didn’t know in what form. He didn’t expect it to be in this form.

  Grace finally looked at him. She knew their decision was going to hurt him, or anger him, or both, but Ed was right. “You’re a great father, Tommy,” Grace said. “And that little girl loves you to death. But we feel this is a necessary move. It’s all about protecting Destiny,” she added.

  It was only then, when Grace added such a comment, did Tommy feel it necessary to respond. “Protecting her?” he asked. “I protect her.”

  “Of course you do,” Grace said in a voice that almost sounded patronizing. “But this isn’t about you, or me. This is about Destiny.”

  “And you’re telling me that Desi, that my daughter, should not be allowed to stay with me on the weekends and holidays and whenever else I get her?”

  “We’re saying,” Ed said, “that we question her safety when she’s in your care. Nothing against you personally, but we have to think about the child. You have a very checkered past, if I can be frank here.” He held out fingers, reeling off that checkered past. “Number one,” he said, “you have an uncle who was a mob boss. Number two, you have a first cousin and best friend who’s a celebrated mob boss. He denies it, I understand that, but it’s a weak denial at best. Every law enforcement official I spoke to told me the same thing. Number three, even your own brother is a reputed crime boss! That’s a lot. Now come on. That’s a lot.”

  “Not that we’re casting dispersions on your family,” Grace interjected.

  Tommy almost laughed. Was she serious?

  “We’re not!” she insisted. “But you can’t deny the obvious either, Tommy. You can’t deny what we’ve been through together. I don’t want Destiny to ever have to experience any of that.”

  But Tommy continued to stare at Grace. Did she think he wanted Destiny to experience anything other than happiness and joy? Was she that far gone? Did she have that guy so far up her ass that she would think him capable of putting his own daughter in harm’s way? Tommy was becoming so furious that he wanted to jump out of his skin. But they didn’t see his fury. He was a master at outwardly maintaining his cool.

  “We want what’s best for Destiny,” Grace continued. “That’s the goal. Destiny. And Ed is right. We need to take positive steps to ensure her safety.”

  “What I don’t understand,” Ed said, “is how you can’t see it too. The idea that you wouldn’t feel terrified, just mortified for your daughter’s safety whenever she’s in your presence, boggles the mind. You put our child at an awful risk every time you take her from us.”

  Our child? That did it. Tommy had had it. He looked at his ex-wife. “Grace,” he said, “go get Destiny and wait in the ballroom with her. I need to talk to Ed.”

  “This isn’t just about you and Ed,” Grace insisted. “She’s my daughter too and I will participate in any conversations regarding her.”

  Tommy maintained his composure. “Grace,” he said again, “get Destiny and wait in the ballroom with her. I need to talk to Ed.”

  Grace knew that tone. She knew she was skating on thin ice when Tommy displayed that tone. But she wasn’t his anymore. “What do you need to talk to my husband about?” she asked.

  “Darling,” Ed said, patting her hand and smiling. “Wait for us outside.”

  “I will not wait outside!” Grace insisted. “This is my life too. I’m the one who was married to him. I’m
the one who had to fight those women just to maintain my marriage. I’m the one who had to do those unspeakable things---.” Grace caught herself, but not before Ed caught what she had said.

  He looked at her. “Unspeakable things?” he asked. “What unspeakable things you had to do?”

  Grace quickly shook her head and glanced at Tommy. “Just the fact that it was tough is what I mean,” she said to Ed. “That’s what I mean about unspeakable.”

  She and Tommy both knew that wasn’t what she meant at all. And it crystalized for both of them just how uphill a climb their marriage had always been.

  “But let’s get back to the issue,” Grace said, artfully changing the subject. “The issue is Destiny and her safety. And all of this talk about how you can protect her? It was the same thing you said about me. You were going to protect me too, Tommy, remember that? But you didn’t. You couldn’t. I don’t want the same thing to happen to Desi. And that’s why I’m not leaving. That’s why I’m staying right where I am!”

  “Then fine,” Tommy said, rising. Ed stood up too, sensing a change in Tommy’s mood.

  Tommy walked up to Ed, invaded his personal space, and stood toe-to-toe with him. “I want to be clear,” he said. “I want you to understand my words and understand them precisely.”

  Grace was staring at him too. She’d seen Tommy angry before.

  “My daughter is the most important human being on the face of this earth to me,” Tommy continued. “If you try to separate her from me, I will, in no uncertain terms, separate your life from you.”

  Ed swallowed hard. Grace did too.

  Tommy’s greenish-blue eyes were blazing. He was in a controlled fury now. “Understand me clearly,” he continued. “Destiny is my existence. That little girl is my life. I will take yours without breaking a sweat before you take mine. And if you doubt me, if you reach the conclusion that I’m just blowing smoke up your ass, I want you to try me. I beg you to try me. And if you do, there will be no warning. This is the only warning you will ever get from me. You try it, and it’ll be over. It’ll be too late for you.”

  Tommy’s bright eyes darkened. “You will not separate my daughter from me, do you understand me? It will not happen.”

  Then Tommy looked at Grace. “I care about you,” he said to her. “You’re the mother of my child and I care deeply for you. I always will. But don’t you take my kindness for weakness. Don’t you confuse the fact that I’m no monster with the fact that I know how to become one. Our child will be a motherless motherfucker before I allow you and this husband of yours or anybody else to put any separation between me and my daughter. That’s the kind of monster I can become.”

  He exhaled. He had a heart for Grace, but he had a bigger one for his daughter. “I put you through a lot, I know I did. You don’t deserve to go through any more. But what angers me about you is how you compartmentalize the truth. You behave as if you didn’t know who I was when you married me. As if I didn’t tell you who I was when you married me. And then you had a child by me. Not Ed’s child or any other man’s child. My child. And I’m not Mister Vanilla. I’m Tommy Gabrini. Shit happens around me and every Gabrini on the face of this earth. It just does. You knew that going in. Why you’re behaving as if it’s news to you is beyond me.”

  “So what you’re saying,” Grace said, “is that she’s a Gabrini and therefore she’s going to be in danger no matter what we do?”

  That was not what he meant at all. “Nothing will happen to our daughter,” he said. “I guarantee you that.”

  Grace was about to respond, and Ed was about to respond, and Tommy was about to continue talking when the door burst open and beautiful little Destiny ran in.

  “Daddy! Daddy!” she cried, and ran up to Tommy. She wore a bright blue dress that touched along her ankles, with a sash tied in the back almost as wide as the dress itself.

  Tommy had to compose himself quickly, and for her sake, he did. “There she is!” he said gaily, as he lifted her into his arms. “There’s my pride and joy!”

  “You came!” Destiny said.

  “I came to see you, that’s right.”

  “Mommy got wedding,” she said excitedly.

  Tears came to Grace’s eyes. Tommy smiled. “Yes, she did.” Then he corrected her. “She had a wedding. She got married.”

  “Married. Mommy got married.” Then she frowned. “What does that mean Daddy?” she asked.

  Tommy’s heart fell. “Happiness for Mommy,” he said. “Nothing different for you and I. We will remain the same. Closer than any two people ever can be.”

  Destiny smiled. “I like that,” she said, and hugged his neck.

  Tommy looked at Grace as he held their child tightly, and he looked at Ed. His eyes were cold as ice. Because he wanted them to feel him. He wanted them to feel the love he had for his daughter, and the unflinchingly chilling promise he made to them.

  After saying his final goodbye to his little girl, he left the hotel’s ballroom, made his way down the steep steps, and got back into his waiting limousine. The driver closed the door.

  “What took you so long?” Freda said after the door closed. “I was wondering if you remembered I was with you.”

  Freda was a Nigerian beauty he met at a party. She traveled the world modeling and he traveled the world on business. He gave her money when she needed it. She gave him sex when he needed it.

  Like now, as the limo began to drive away and he began unzipping his pants. He needed it now.

  “You’re going to take care of me, aren’t you?” he asked, as he unzipped.

  Freda knew the drill. She knew not to badger him or ask any questions when he wanted some. He was her gorgeous sugar daddy, and she wasn’t going to allow her mouth or any growing feelings she might have for him to ever interfere with such a perfect arrangement. He kept her living in high cotton, and she performed her duty wherever and whenever asked. “You know I will, baby,” she responded as he pulled that juicy dick out. She didn’t give it a second thought. As soon as she saw it, she stopped talking, and began licking.

  Tommy reached under her blouse and fondled her breasts as her licks turned to sucks. He leaned his head back, groaned with the feeling, and tried not to think about Grace and Ed as she did him. Grace knew him better than that. She knew he would never agree to limit his interactions with his own child. But she tried him anyway. As if he was that kind of man. As if he didn’t care enough to fight back. He didn’t like that. He didn’t like it at all.

  But the more his erection grew, the less he thought about them. The harder she went down on him, the less he thought about the nerve they had. When she took him in full, and he began mouth-fucking her, the less he thought about the level of disrespect they showed him.

  He thought less about them, but he still thought about them.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sal Gabrini leaned against his father-in-law’s Cadillac with his arms folded and his ankles crossed. He was casually dressed, in a pair of blue jeans, a V-neck pullover shirt, and a New York Yankees baseball cap. He was at the airstrip outside of Rosemont, Indiana, waiting for Tommy to un-board his private plane, and he was anxious to see his brother’s face again. It had been nearly a month since Grace married that doctor, and because of the fact that Sal now lived in Vegas, and Tommy still lived in Seattle, and they both were always away on business trips and rarely in the office of the Gabrini Corporation they co-owned, they hadn’t seen each other in nearly that same amount of time. They spoke by phone almost daily, but that had been it.

  Tommy finally stepped off of the plane and he was walking, it seemed to Sal, like a man free and clear. His sports coat was over his shoulder, his sunglasses were over his eyes, and his hair bounced around into a bang across his forehead. He had pep in his step. He looked years younger. But Sal wasn’t fooled. He knew his brother. He knew how seriously he took things to heart. There was no way, after only a month, he was there yet.

  “Salvatore Luciano!” Tommy said with
an upbeat tone as he crossed the tarmac and made it up to his brother, his hand already extended. “How the hell are you, man?”

  “Better than you, motherfucker,” Sal replied affectionately as they shook hands. “Where have you been all month?”

  “I’ve been working. Pulling your weight. Where have you been is the question.”

  “Ah, come here!” Sal said and pulled his older brother into his big arms.

  They hugged each other vigorously. Tommy loved the feel of his brother in his arms. It had been a while!

  But when Sal was ready to pull back, Tommy continued to hold him tightly. That was when Sal knew for sure that all of those phone calls where Tom insisted he was fine with Grace’s marriage going forward and how it didn’t bother him at all, was a load of bull just like Sal suspected it was.

  When they finally stopped embracing, and Tommy lifted his shades and placed them on top of his head, Sal was even more convinced. Tommy had the most expressive eyes he’d ever seen. People rarely saw it. They were too busy looking at the beauty of Tommy’s eyes. But Sal saw it every time. Those eyes told the story.

  But it wasn’t until they were in the Cadillac and Sal was driving them away from the airstrip, did Sal bother to mention anything that serious. He looked at his brother. With all kidding aside, his blue eyes now insisted. “Rough going, hun?” he asked.

  But Tommy wasn’t ready yet. “Whose car is this?”

  “My father-in-law’s. Rodney’s.”

  Tommy nodded. “Nice.”

  “Now answer my question.”

  Tommy still wasn’t ready yet. He always preferred to keep his private life private. Even from his kid brother. “Rodney and Cassie doing well?”

  “Tommy?”

  “What do you mean by that question?” Tommy asked.

  Sal continued to drive. He wasn’t bullshitting around with him, and Tommy knew it.