Free Clean Slate (New Mafia Trilogy #2) by E. J. Fechenda Page A

dreamless sleep. Jason must have
felt me stirring as he was soon awake and tracing circles down my bare back.
                “That tickles,” I giggled and flipped over to face him.
                “You were amazing last night,” he said, touching his
forefinger to my lips and I kissed it. He then ran his finger between my
breasts and down to my belly button. Goosebumps appeared in its wake.
                “You weren’t bad yourself.”
                “How did you get that scar?” Jason’s finger had traced its
way back up and now moved gently across my shoulder.
    I looked down at his
chest and away from his gaze trying to come up with a story. He lifted my chin,
reestablishing eye contact.
                “I, um…I had a bizarre accident. I was on my bike and hit
the curb. There was a piece of rebar sticking up out of the concrete and I
landed on it. It went straight through.” I rolled over closer to Jason and he
strained his neck to look at the back of my shoulder.
                “Wow!”
                “Yeah, the doctor said I was pretty lucky, had it been
any lower my lung could have been punctured.” At least this part was true.
Jason kissed the scar and worked his way up my neck. My lips were waiting for
him.
    Chelsea’s door clicked
and we heard it swish across the carpet when it opened. Our kissing slowed down
as we listened further. They wouldn’t see us right away since the frame of the
futon obstructed the view. Jason moved the blanket up to cover our nakedness.
    Light footsteps came
down the hall and Chelsea appeared in the living room. When she looked down and
saw us on the futon her jaw dropped.
                “Well I guess the whole apartment was a love fest last
night,” she said with a grin.   I felt my
whole body flush.
                “Are you hungry? I’m famished!” She walked into the
kitchen and started pulling pots and pans out. Derek wandered in wearing only
his boxers and yawning.
                “Man, am I glad I took today off from work,” he
stretched. “How ‘bout you bro?” He didn’t seem surprised to find us together.
                “Yeah, except I’m working tonight.” Jason reached over
and grabbed his boxers off the floor. I had only been wearing my dress and
underwear, which were clear across the room. Jason helped me up and I stood
behind him to wrap the blanket around me then made a quick exit to get some
clothes on.
    Jason and Derek were completely
at ease with each other hanging out in their underwear. I had a picture in my
head of their college days at their frat house lounging around half naked. The
atmosphere was relaxed as we ate blueberry pancakes.
    I was happy.

Chapter 11

 
    PHILADELPHIA
    DOMINIC
    I answered the door to
let my cousin Dante in, who was followed by my brother, Anthony. They crossed
over the breakfast bar where Natalie’s brother, Grant and his fiancée, Miranda
sat. Joey D., one of the bouncers at Crimson, leaned against the bar.
                “Thanks for coming over on such short notice. First, I
want to make it clear that this meeting is more than just about Natalie. Yes, I
love her and want her back. We know about the contract out for her, so I fear
for her safety. This is just part of it. We have all disagreed at some time or
another with Uncle Marco and how he’s running the organization. His ways are
archaic and even barbaric. Remember what happened to Brittany.”
    They all nodded,
remembering the horrific rape that Brittany endured under Marco’s consent; an
assault that led to Brittany taking her life. Recalling the bruises around
Natalie’s neck, in the shape of my uncle’s handprint, my hands clenched into
fists and I felt a vein throb in my neck when my pulse increased. While Grant and
I had killed both Luigi Genovese, the man who almost raped Natalie, and the men
who raped Brittany, it didn’t