Chapter 6 "Old Friends, Good Times and Red Wine"
Antonia opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. Not only that, but her vision was slightly hazy. She looked down noticing her feet and a sheet soon came over her, as a man's voice talked on in the background to someone, perhaps on the phone. She wanted to turn to follow the voice but her head was heavy so she closed her eyes again. There were trails and drippings that left stains of a faded red with the smell of wine that sat heavy over the white blankets her feet were partially under.
The talking she hoped would stop, which suppressed her pounding migraine continued and she finally opened her eyes again this time with a clearer vision. She was in a bed with no clothes as the sheet feel from her shoulders for the second time.
"Yeah man, I've never been surer, it checks out…"
Antonia closed her eyes again after discovering that it was AJ's voice she was hearing in the background. She finally turned, and in the area where AJ had been laying she found instead his black hat. Grabbing it from its place on the bed, she studied it for a long time, and taking it to her nose she inhaled deeply.
For some reason she expected him to have some kind of hat hair, or some kind of a smell since he wore it all the time, but there was none, just a scent she couldn't phrase but loved and felt entranced by all at once. It was coined with a small bit of cigarette smoke but never the less did she lock it in memory.
"Alright, later G…"
AJ turned as he placed the Cell phone on the dresser. He smiled as he looked over at Antonia, noticing her body slightly covered by the sheets.
"Hey…" He said softly.
"Hey yourself, you're up early …"
"Yeah, I had to make a call"
"Call?" Antonia asked turning over on her stomach.
"To G, about the job…"
"Oh…so what's he say?"
"Took some convincing with the route and all, but everything checks out, he'll send word to the rest of the guys…"
Antonia looked down and placed the hat back on the empty side of the bed. AJ walked over and took a seat on the edge. He looked at the floor which was covered with scattered clothes, both belonging to him and Antonia. He bent down to pick up the bottle that hid partially under the bed.
"What the hell happen last night AJ?" she asked looking around the room as well.
"Four years of us being away from each other and a bottle of red wine" AJ said holding up the evidence that was completely empty.
"My body is super tired…" she whined with a lazy stretch.
"That's how much I missed you" AJ clarified with a smile as he leaned over and kissed her.
She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled back at him.
"I missed you to AJ, I really mean that"
AJ's hand trailed down her thigh to her ankle where he stopped and observed quietly before looking back at her.
"Your place is pretty clean for a bachelor" She chuckled running her fingers through his hair again.
"I try" AJ said with a shrug and a smirk, looking around.
"Unlike john, I swear he needs to find a wife" Antonia went on.
"What's john gonna do with a wife, that guy is too busy to settle right now, not to mention he's living the life, I'm sure he'll find the right girl exactly when he needs to…"
"The first one that can cook for him will be the one he marries…"
AJ chuckled to himself.
"Probably…"
She sat up a little looking at his eyes.
"So do the girls you bring here get the same type of loving I do?"
She placed her arms around his neck bringing him closer.
"Nah…not even close"
Antonia laughed.
"Good answer" she said biting his bottom lip softly.
"What about you, I'm sure there's somebody by now, right?"
Antonia slowly looked down.
"There's been nobody…" AJ asked.
"There have been a lot of nobodies AJ, it's not that easy for me" Antonia said with a serious tone.
He looked at her and suddenly the silence between them made her uncomfortable. She took her arms from around him and reached down to pick up her black dress.
"Anyway I gotta get back to the hotel" she declared standing up and putting the dress back on.
"No, you're not going anywhere" AJ said getting up and walking over to her.
She threw him a quick look.
"Says who?" she questioned with a brow raised as if she was being challenged.
"Look I haven't seen you in four years, at least have lunch with me, ghost won't miss you that much"
Antonia smiled just a little as she folded her arms.
"Okay fine, but I have to go there anyway; I can't go into a public place with last night's clothes on"
AJ gave a look at the dress in disagreement but decided not to argue.
"Alright, I'ma hit the shower, get dressed and then I'll be ready, make yourself at home" he kissed her cheek, turned and walked down the hall making his way to the bathroom.
"Will do…" Antonia finally answered more to herself then AJ as she took in her surroundings once more and looked to the patio doors to catch sight of the Jacuzzi as the shower finally went on in the background.
...
Lilly looked at the toilet in discus before flushing it. Her stomach just hadn't seemed to be agreeing with her lately and trying to recall what she actually put in it made her even more nauseous. Turning on the facet she splashed her face with water and placed a hand over her head for a moment. She grabbed a towel and patted her face. Once she was finished she turned off the light and opened the door.
"Wow Jessie, you scared me!"
"Damn my fault" Jessie said.
"What are you doing here?" Lilly asked trying to calm herself down from the shock.
Jessie smiled and leaned on the wall looking at her.
"Now you know I had to come and get my grub on Lilly lill"
She sighed with a small smile shaking her head as Jessie made his way to the kitchen.
"Jessie, tell me again why you have a big beautiful house with no food in it?" Lilly said closing the bathroom door behind her as she followed him.
"Cause I know my sister in law won't turn away her starving brother-in-law" Jessie protested with a grin.
Lilly rolled her eyes.
"Where Jake at?" Jessie asked picking up an apple and taking a bite.
"Upstairs still sleep I think…"
"Oh yeah?" Jessie looked to the stairs curiously then looked back at Lilly.
"What you doing down here, yall got a bathroom upstairs…"
"Explain to me again why it matters to you which bathroom I use?" She argued.
"Does Jake know yet?" Jessie asked.
"No, and don't you go running your mouth either Jessie, I need to be sure before I make any announcements" Lilly said pointing at him with a serious face.
"Alright I won't say nothing to lover boy, Anyway you gonna hook me up with some food or not?" Jessie said bringing his smile back.
"Can I go check on my fiancé first?" Lilly asked wide eyed.
"Can I go check on my Fiancé first" Jessie said mocking her in a high pitched voice.
"Fine go check then…" He said throwing his hands up taking another bite.
Lilly laughed and make her way up the stairs to the master bedroom. She walked into the room seeing Jake on the edge of the bed on the phone.
"So AJ said everything's good huh…"
"Yeah he wants to get together to discuss the plan he came up with" G replied.
"Plan, he already has a plan?"
"You know AJ, when he says he's on it he's on it…he doesn't bullshit"
"Look G I place my trust in AJ, in his ability, cause I know in the end of it all he's down with us, but are you sure his head is where it needs to be right now?" Jake hinted.
It was silent on the other end of the line so Jake continued.
"If it had just been Ghost I wouldn't question it, you know I don't trust him, and neither does AJ, but-"
"You think he took on the job just because she's back?" G finally speculated cutting him off.
"I don't know, I can't call that one man and even if he did what's the explanation? I mean I know for a fact AJ's not scheming against us"
"Look when it comes to money, AJ is all about handling his business and he's the best at what he does, whatever happens between them outside of the job, he won't let it interfere with the end result, his head is exactly where it needs to be, believe me when I say that mate" G noted.
"So what about Ghost?" Jake asked.
"I'll have John keep an eye on him, anything goes wrong, I'll call it"
"Alright"
"Can you breathe a little easier now?" G disclosed.
"Just a little, talk to you G"
"Yep…"
Jake hung up the phone with a sigh and looked up to see Lilly standing over by the dresser drawers. He smiled and got up walking over to her.
"I was wondering where you were?" He said kissing her.
"I was downstairs, Jessie's here, I'll make something to eat in a minute"
By the tone of her voice, Jake could sense that something was wrong.
"Baby you okay, you seem a little on edge"
"Yeah I'm just…" She stopped and looked down at her hands.
"Talk to me…" Jake said looking at her.
"I don't know about this whole thing…" Lilly let her eyes meet his.
"You don't trust it?" he suggested.
"No I don't, I don't want you…Jessie, or any of the guys getting hurt behind this" She said placing her hands over his.
"Baby I don't want you to worry about it, I'm not gonna let anything thing happen, we do this job…it helps the club and after that he's out of our lives, I want to start a family with you, grow old with you…you're the best thing that's happen to me, I would never place that happiness in harm's way"
"I know Ghost Jake, it's a feeling I have…I can't explain it" she kissed him and looked to his eyes again.
"Please, please just be careful" she pleaded.
Jake smiled hoping to ease her stress.
"I promise everything will go the way it's supposed to go, and no matter what, I love you"
Lilly's expression finally softened.
"I love you" She said kissing him again.
He smiled at her.
"Well I almost forgot, I need to make this breakfast" Lilly said getting up.
"Skip breakfast, its closer to being lunch, Jessie can deal"
"Okay….anything you're in the mood for?"
"Yeah!" he quickly took her on his lap and embraced her.
"And what's that?" Lilly asked placing her forehead on his.
"The soon to be Mrs. Attica
...
It was a bachelor pad no doubt. Complementary to the white walls, the grey carpet was a nice addition and the color codes that depicted navy blue and black was a spot on match to the overall feel of the place. AJ had certainly out done himself in the decor and it looked almost like something out of a magazine. Unlike John's place that was crafted in a wooded feel, AJ's was a bit classier.
With a sigh she thought it best to start the mission of finding her lost stiletto after her private tour of AJ's house. She had found one which had been tossed to the corner by the door. She walked over to AJ's side of the bed and bent down feeling around for the other.
Her hand caught sight of something else, hard and big. She got a grip and pulled the object from under the bed to revel a long black case. Antonia looked at it for a minute before grabbing the handle and taking it up on the bed to sit beside her.
For a moment she hesitated on the ideal of opening it. AJ suggested she make herself at home, not go snooping around in his things. She sighed and went to pick the case back up to put it back under the bed when she gripped the handle and stopped. In one moment the thought of money probably being in the case faded quickly when she actually looked at it. After all, why would AJ put money in a saxophone case?
Saxophone case, her breath seemed to catch and her stomach went tight. She looked down at it again and placed her fingers on the clips that locked it. Antonia was almost cautious to open it, but once she did her lips parted with a faint gasp.
AJ walked over to her with a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was still wet and his body partially dry, but Antonia hadn't seemed to notice his departure from the bathroom.
"I kept it for you after you left…"
AJ looked over at the saxophone and then back to Antonia who hadn't taken her eyes from it.
"Never took it out of the case…" AJ softly said.
Antonia hadn't turned to look at him, instead she looked down at the instrument, her eyes fixed on it, like she was meeting an old friend after many years of separation between them. Easily as if she were cradling a child, she picked it up and let it rest in her lap.
Watching her AJ thought of a tune she had often played on the saxophone when he first met her. He thought of her sitting under the soft glow of the Brooklyn streetlights, her fingers dancing across the instruments keys, the peace on her face, the escape.
He smiled softly and walked over to the bed taking a seat beside her as he placed a hand over hers, resting his head on her shoulder, he whispered in her ear.
"Play something…"
Antonia's hands tightened against it as she put her lips on the mouth piece, but pulled away just as they reached it, old memories flooding from it like a dam unleashed from bondage. AJ watched her eyes and couldn't explain to himself why suddenly they seemed so sorrowful.
"No…not now" she quietly replied, placing the saxophone aside and back in its case.
AJ looked at her but remained quiet as to why she wouldn't play for him, at least just one song.
"Come on" He said standing and looking at her.
"Let's get to the hotel so you can shower and change, I'm starving" he laughed.
She managed a smile at the suggestion of food and stood to her feet closing the case and turning to walk away. AJ walked over to it and picked it up following behind her.
"What are you doing?" she turned to ask.
"I'm bringing this with us, it's yours you know" AJ chuckled.
"Oh and by the way, if you're looking for your other shoe, it's over there"
She laughed when she realized where.
The car ride was quiet; Antonia enjoyed the wind on her hair and the comfortable silence between them. With AJ she had never felt pressured to say something, everything just seemed right, even the cigarette smoke was welcoming though deep down she wished he'd give it up.
Once they got there Antonia hurried herself through the main entrance, case in hand and up to the 6th floor. She didn't offer AJ to come in, she knew he would decline especially knowing Ghost was there. AJ only tolerated Ghost when he had to and if he could avoid a confrontation he did.
She was pretty sure he wasn't in the mood to hear Ghost go on about things he knew nothing about and knowing how AJ's temper could erupt at the drop of a hat she felt it was better for him to just wait in the car.
Antonia walked down the hall, her stomach still in butterflies from the night before. It seemed to slowly be coming back to her as her headache faded more and more with the passing hours. Until she stopped suddenly and stood there for a moment stiff as a board, that feeling coming over her again, the same one she had that night she got in her car back in New York.
She looked down and bit her lip, ready for whoever she would find behind her. Quickly she turned to find herself absolutely alone in the hall way. She sighed and waited for a moment before she continued walking towards her room again. The feeling would come and go like a cold to a child, however she couldn't understand why she felt like she was being followed.
Ghost took his eyes from the TV and sat up at his cousin's entrance. He looked at her in the dress from the night before, her hair, and the makeup that had been there that wasn't there anymore.
"Slept in huh?" He teased.
"Yeah, how was your night?" She yawned, as she laid her coat on the nearby chair.
"Great…"
Antonia threw a glance in ghost room. The covers where a mess and there was a condom rapper on the floor beside the bed, she knew exactly what he meant without having to say that he more than likely bought a stripper back to the hotel for the night.
"What's that?" Ghost asked looking down at the case in her hand, hanging by her side.
"An old friend…" Antonia confessed.
"Okay, old friend" He mumbled under his breath with a grin.
"What you bout to do?" He asked positioning himself back into the couch.
"Hop in the shower real quick…" She went quiet for a moment.
"Me and AJ are gonna go grab something to eat"
"I see, the morning after huh?" Ghost affirmed with a smirk.
"Do you talk classes on being an asshole or is it just a character trait?" Antonia asked annoyed with his smart remarks about her private business.
Ghost shrugged and looked back at the TV screen.
"I just want you to stay focused on the real reason where here, don't let the dick get you all discombobulated and shit, all I'm saying cousin, you need to be free of distractions in order to make this happen"
"Whatever ghost, I don't need to keep being reminded…I'm a grown ass woman, not some fucking kid you can keep commanding around, so stay outta my gotdamn business alright" She went to walk away but stood there and threw him a look over her shoulder.
"By the way, what I was gonna tell you, AJ got G to agree on the route…"
Antonia rolled her eyes and went to her room slamming the door behind her.
"Aye" Ghost called out.
"What Ghost!" Antonia yelled looking at the door.
"Pick me up something on your way back to!"
She exhaled and sat the case on her bed. Walking over to the drawers she pulled out some dark blue jeans and a white shirt. She grabbed her gray boots and matching leather jacket, gathered all the items and went to the bathroom starting up the shower. Once she was undressed she folded the dress nicely and sat it on the toilet seat and got in. The hot water seemed to calm her nerves, it was so peaceful and for a moment she closed her eyes just wanting to escape and feel nothing but the water hitting her back.
"So how do you think you did this time around?" John asked as the two entered the house.
Antonia shrugged as she took a seat on the couch.
"Oh I don't know, a little better then the first time, shooting him in the side would probably bring them down, I just can't seem to get that middle target though"
They had finally made it up to the mountains. They didn't kill any animals, but they did do a good amount of fishing. For that whole week they would have fish sandwiches, fish and fries, backed fish and fried fish.
"Well that depends on the person doesn't it, I mean we all fall down just a little differently right?" Antonia went on.
"Maybe, I say it depends more on the gun and the bullet, don't worry the more you practice the better you'll get, over all it has to do with the rifle fit, maybe you're not hitting the target because that gun was not made for you, although it's a hell of a good one to practice on, the rifle must fit the shooter" John concluded placing the fish in the sink.
Antonia looked over at the picture on the coffee table and sighed as she looked to her feet for a moment. John washed his hands and walked over to his answering machine.
"Look two messages from Ghost, here you wana listen to um? He called out.
"Nope, if there for me delete um" Antonia said sitting back.
John sighed, shook his head and deleted the messages, he was sure they were for her, because the whole time she had been there they had only been for her, and it was always Lilly trying to get Antonia on the phone so that she could give it to Ghost, but Antonia wouldn't talk to him.
"John…" She called out.
"Yeah?" He replied looking back at her.
"Remember that time in the car after we came from the store and had to go see Naomi in the hospital?"
"Um hum"
"And the conversation we had?" she paused for a minute before looking at him.
"I'm sorry…"
"For what?" John asked confused.
"For bringing it up…" She began.
"You know about your time in the war and all that"
John nodded looking away as his tone softened.
"You were just asking a question…, it's okay"
"No I mean I feel bad, I'm sure whatever you saw over there wasn't anything good, I saw your eyes that day, I didn't want to bring back any unwanted memories, see-"
John looked at her again.
"My older brother went to war…And that was the last time we saw him, me and my mom…"
Antonia looked away this time hiding the memories that were present in her own eyes.
"It changes everybody, death…" She looked over at the picture on the table again and john noticed.
"Aye that dinner thing Lilly's throwing is tonight" he interjected trying to pull both of them from the subject.
"You were going…?" Antonia seemed to ask in shock.
"Well she asked me" John said with a crooked smile.
"Oh, well see you when you get back I guess" Antonia said waving him off and getting up.
"You have your dinner there and I'll make my own here!"
"What do you mean make your own here?"
"John I can't take this anymore I'm hungry!" she exclaimed making her way to the kitchen.
"I told you Antonia there's nothing-"
John stopped and finally followed her into the kitchen.
"Hey what are you doing?"
"I said I'm hungry!" She yelled taking things from the fridge.
"Yeah but you can't-"
She threw him a glare.
"Okay okay all I'm saying is why don't we just go to Lilly's for dinner together, this sneaking around stuff isn't me, I took you to the house to steal your clothes, I tell them you're not here when you're listening in on the other line, I mean this is bananas!"
Antonia walked past john and sat some things on the counter.
"I told you I don't want to see him; he left me in jail for crying out loud" She reminded him.
"I know I know but don't you think it's time to forgive the man already, it wasn't that bad was it?" john said with a small laugh.
"Was that a serious question?" Antonia asked giving him a look.
"It was only like a week, and you know if it had went on any longer I would have got you out"
Antonia stomped her foot in a whine.
"Johnny you're supposed to be on my side, now come on we can make a meal together, don't go over to Lilly's and leave me here by myself"
Dragging his feet he walked over to the counter slouching over.
"But I don't want to, I'm not a chef, what about Lilly she's the one that bailed you out, why you mad at her, I mean she's got food over there, homemade, we've had every kind of fast food in town, plus all that fish!"
Antonia poked out her lip and pinched John's cheek.
"Awww don't be like that, now come over here" She looked around and grabbed one of her paper hats she had made from boredom a few days before while john was out.
"What the hell is this?" John exclaimed as she placed it on his head.
"A chief hat Silly" she laughed as john examined it. It looked more like a dunce cap to him.
"See, first woman you've ever had in the kitchen!" Antonia hit him on the back with a smile.
"Great…" He mumbled sarcastically placing the ridiculously looking hat back on his head.
"So, what we making?" He asked trying to act as if he really wanted to engage in destroying his kitchen.
"Blended pork, with noodles over dried toast!" Antonia announced pulling things out of the cabinet.
The combination didn't seem attractive and almost made his whole stomach flip upside down.
"Blended pork, where you gona get that from?" He asked curiously.
"Hot dogs" Antonia concluded throwing him a half eaten pack.
John looked over at the counter of ingredients.
"That doesn't sound very healthy Antonia …"
"Look my grandma used to make it for me all the time"
Her grandma hadn't really been her grandma by blood, just an old Spanish lady who had the most unusual recipes that she'd make and feed the children around Antonia's neighborhood.
"Was your grandma senile?" John asked with a sour face.
"Well it's the only thing I know how to make okay, what do you want me to do! And don't talk about my Mi abuela!" she warned.
"Why is that the only thing you know how to make?"
John took a second to think about what he was asking and quickly shook his head.
"Wait never mind I don't want to know…"
"Just come over here and help me will ya!" She said turning the oven on.
"Antonia, as big of a front you got, you know you're not really gonna cook this let alone eat this!" He gagged a little in his mouth thinking about the end result of her creation.
"You remember that one night" He gagged a little more remembering his own creation.
Antonia nodded as her nose scrunched up slightly.
"Yeah all too well, felt like I would throw my guts up, couldn't get that taste out of my mouth for two days…"
"See, now what do you say, let's face it neither one of us are cooks, besides I think they miss you around the house personally"
Antonia gave him a look as her bottom lip poked out.
"You're not just saying that because you want me to go home are you?"
"Yeah…" john seemed to say plainly without much hesitation.
Antonia shook her head with a small grin.
"But I really do think they miss you though"
Keeping her grin, she shook her head.
"Had nookie in this house all this time and never got to do nothing with it, maybe guys really do need sex every other day, you don't even walk the same since little John went on strike"
Antonia finally laughed and looked over at John, who was almost pleading with her to give in after that comment.
"But your right, I can't run forever, I'm gonna have to face Ghost sooner or later"
The tension in John's face eased as he gave a sigh of relief.
"Come on" She said with a smile and threw an arm over his shoulder.
"Let's get ready to go to Lilly's dinner"
Antonia woke with a start, opening her eyes and finding that the water had gone cold. She turned it off and stood there for a minute with her head resting on the tile of the shower. As her thoughts of john faded she remembered AJ was still waiting in the car. "Oh Shit…" she mumbled to herself with a slight laugh. She knew he wouldn't say anything to her directly but he was probably annoyed from waiting so long.
Once Antonia was dressed she put her hair in a high ponytail and went to the front door. She turned to say something to Ghost but found he wasn't on the couch anymore. She walked over to the TV and turned it off. "Ghost?" she called out looking around.
There was no answer and then she noticed the note on the table.
Stepped out had some things to take care of, people to see shit to do, your car keys are on your bed
Ghost.
After reading it she crumbled it up and tossed it in the waste basket.
...
In was a small restaurant tucked away deep in L.A, and Antonia still couldn't understand how AJ was able to find all these places she had never even heard about. It had been a nice place to share conversation and enjoy a nice hot meal. The music was exceptional, a combination of soft R&B with a dash of classical jazz. The company was minimal and the servers were pleasant, so it brought a sort of piece to the atmosphere as a quiet laughter was being shared between the two.
Yeah I didn't expect him to say that" Antonia said with a smile.
"He was always like that though" AJ reminded her with a smile of his own.
"Yeah, he was…" Antonia nodded agreeing as she looked around again.
"This is a nice place" she finally said.
AJ nodded looking around himself.
"Not as nice as that old café back in Brooklyn, it had an entirely different feel to it"
"Yeah, I'm sure it's not the same though, with Miss sherily gone"
Antonia looked back down at her food and AJ noticed her silence. He took a bite of his steak and afterwards made his fork ready with Coleslaw.
"Hey Antonia"
"What?" she asked looking up from her plate.
"Hum…" He placed the fork in her direction.
"Emmm ummm" She said shaking her head pushing his hand a little after seeing what he was offering.
AJ laughed.
"Come on, just try it…"
"I don't like that stuff AJ" she refused as she looked at him.
"For me…"
Antonia sighed. It was something about the way AJ said "for me" wearing his hat and that grin that never seemed to leave.
"Oh alright…" she grabbed his hand and took the little bit of coleslaw from the fork.
"So how is it?" AJ asked looking at her.
She chewed a little more before looking back at him with a smile.
"Well damn, this is really good surprisingly"
"See…" He said taking a bite of coleslaw for himself.
Antonia laughed and shook her head as the two got busy again eating. A minute or two into her backed potato and gravy she smiled.
"Hey, remember when we had that debate about Chet baker and Roy Elbridge?"
"Yeah, both of them different, great in their own right, both to unique in their style of music to be compared…you just wouldn't let it go, so I had to keep at it to" AJ admitted with a chuckle.
"Well I never listened to Fats Navarro, I never told you this but afterwards I bout the album, I was curious I guess, I didn't think he could really be all that good, the way you made it sound anyway, but after listening I was hooked, he's like one of my favorite artist now"
Antonia's expression softened.
"You've opened my eyes to a lot of new things; I mean I thought I knew so much about music, until I met you…"
AJ looked at her about to speak when the waiter came along, interrupting the moment between them.
"More iced tea sir?" He asked with a pitcher full.
Antonia looked down.
"Oh, no thank you" AJ said.
But when you get a chance will take the bill though"
"Yes Sir…"
He walked over to Antonia's side.
"And for you Miss, more to drink?"
"I'm good thanks" She said with a half smile finishing up her tea.
"I like this song…" AJ said out of the blue.
Antonia looked at him before noticing the song to, my one and only love, A true classic among classics.
"Me to…who is it?"
"Ben Webster and Art Tatum…" AJ Answered.
"You know who it is without them announcing the name?"
"Yeah don't you recognize this song?"
She shook her head.
"Yeah, my one and only love…"
"Hummm, Brings back a lot of memories, Bruno and tiff… the club" AJ said reminiscing.
He looked at her.
"You remember Misty?"
"How could I forget?"
"Misty, damn what a song, we put so much feeling into it"
"The piano and saxophone duo, oh and this chick singing, ridiculous, not to mention the percussion!" Antonia said in a low tone imitating a voice from that night she remembered.
AJ chuckled.
"I've never heard a voice like hers; Bruno was a monster on those drums, man"
"Hey don't forget you on the piano, a dream" She said giving him a small push in his modesty to forget himself in the combination.
"And you on the saxophone, perfect…"
Her smile faded and her green eyes met his blue as the song changed to A change is gonna come.
"Do you have any regrets AJ?"
He seemed to somehow mirror her emotions she was feeling.
"Hell no…"
"So, why did you really go along with all this, the job I mean…"
She pushed her plate aside as she wiped her hands, threw the crumbled napkin onto the table and brought her hands to her lap.
"I know how you all feel about Ghost" she continued without looking at AJ.
"…Because, I trust you" He finally said.
Antonia felt a moment of panic, a moment in which her stomach seemed to clench and her breath stop when he said that, and she looked at him again.
"I know it must be a hard thing for ghost to watch somebody he loved be in love with someone else"
AJ went to his pocket to pull out his credit card, and Antonia remained frozen by his words.
"Something like that would probably drive me crazy" He continued.
"Cause if it was me and I was in his place, I'd probably want revenge…after losing everything"
Antonia finally blinked, and noticed her hand was shaking underneath the table.
"But it's not about ghost, for me it's about you, and I know your heart, so that's why…because I trust you"
He placed the card inside the booklet along with a twenty dollar tip.
...
Antonia closed the door behind her resting on it for a minute; she stood there in the darkness before turning on the light and looking around after being dropped off back at the hotel. It was close to 6:15 by now, she wasn't entirely sure.
"Ghost…" she called out to receive no answer.
"He's probably still out" she thought to herself as she sat his food on the coffee table. She walked to her room and looked at the case that was still on her bed. Hesitantly she walked over to it placing a hand over the top of the case.
She closed her eyes tightly for a moment before opening it, those same memories came again like they had done the first time she had opened it back at AJ's.
He had been honest when he said he hadn't taken it from the case. It was still in the same condition the last time she had played it.
"Hey there, old friend…been a long time huh?" Antonia whispered.
She wiped the tear away that seemed to run down her cheek unexpectedly and took the saxophone out of the case. She let her lips meet the mouth piece in a faint embrace, and closed her eyes gripping onto the body, letting her fingers become one with the keys.
Antonia stood by her window as she watched everyone leave. She thought about going back to stay with john, bus she was sure he was tired of her and wanted his house and his women back.
"Thanks for helping Lilly with the dishes"
Antonia closed her eyes for a second trying to keep her composer and at least try to be civil with Ghost.
"Yeah…" She replied walking over to her bed and lying on her stomach with her back facing towards him.
"Come on Antonia you can't stay mad at me forever" Ghost said with a grin.
Antonia gave him a quick look over her shoulder.
"Do you have the money to put down on that bet ghost?" she asked.
"I didn't leave you in there to punish you, I mean were family, I thought you understood that" Ghost said folding his arms.
"You wana talk about family?" Antonia asked sitting up and facing him.
"You never came to see me ghost not once, but john came, Gordon, Lilly got me out, not my family….and where were you?"
Ghost came in her room shutting the door mid way.
"You remember when you first came to stay with me?"
She looked at him.
"I didn't even know you existed…" Ghost continued.
"Your mama never brought you around, no pictures, I could have turned you away, shit it was damn near like letting a stranger come in"
Antonia looked to her window, thinking about going after John, she was not in the mood for another lecture.
"But I didn't…"
She looked back at him again.
"I took you in when you had nowhere else to go, I kept food in your stomach and clothes on your back and what that says to me, you were lucky I even accepted the jail call…"
Antonia shook her head with a smirk looking down.
"In the end you have to pay, you have to pay for everything you do, sooner or later it catches up to you….I just wanted you to get that through your head, gave you a little time to do it" Ghost finished.
"Is that so…" Her smirk seemed to widen.
"Then when is taking extra cuts of the money gonna catch up with you?"
She looked back up at him.
"Huh Ghost?"
Ghost pushed the door to close a little more as his own smirk appeared.
"Oh so you know about that?"He asked.
Antonia nodded her head slowly.
"You know john is getting suspious, it's only a matter of time before they figure it out…"
Ghost looked at her.
"On their own, right?"
"More secrets huh?"
"For now…." Ghost replied.
"Guess everyone's got a couple" Antonia whispered.
"Oh yeah, who else?" Ghost asked.
She looked up at him realizing he had heard her, then to the crack of the door.
The strength of the saxophone started to fade as her will to finish the song was beginning to crack. The tears were streaming down her face endlessly and finally she tossed the saxophone on the bed and feel to the floor with her hands over her eyes in a sob.
The guilt was eating at her again and AJ's words continued to repeat themselves "I trust you, I know your heart" and they twisted with her memory's and made it almost impossible to breathe. Somehow she managed to get on her bed and grab the sax she seemed to abandon the moment before, and with it continue to cry.
It was around 8:30pm when the phone rang. Antonia scurried and sat up slightly. The room was still light and she remembered that she hadn't turned the lights off before she had fallen asleep. Reaching over she grabbed the hotel phone and cleared her throat.
"Hello" she answered her voice a little groggie.
"Hey, the crew's getting together at John's, were gonna go over the plan AJ came up with"
"Oh yeah?" she asked before throwing a look over at the clock.
"Yeah, so get down her e A.S.A.P" Ghost informed.
"I'm on my way…."
...
Once she arrived at john's place, the puffiness of her eyes had completely vanished from the car ride and the sleep she had acquired after her big cry. She had changed her clothes and freshened up. Her hair was let down and her leather jacket was now black instead of grey over a dark blue shirt. Her jeans were black as well as her boots.
She expected John to let her I when she rang the doorbell, but it was Lilly who greeted her with about the same amount of awkwardness she had the night before at the club. Ghost may have acted like none of what was happening between Lilly and Jake was bothering him, but Antonia could only pretend for so long before her emotions were all over her face and unable to lock away. She followed the voices to the upstairs room and knocked on the open door walking in as Jessie looked up with his jaw almost hitting the floor.
"What's going on?" Antonia asked watching all the guys get up and moving around.
"Quick Intermission…" Ghost said walking past her heading toward the bathroom.
Antonia followed him with her eyes.
"Well Antonia nice of you to join us"
"Hey G" She said finally taking her eyes off her cousin and looking at him.
"Daaaaaamn mami, where you been all my life?" Jessie said looking at her up and down still shocked.
Antonia rolled her eyes with a small smile.
"What's up Jessie?" she asked folding her arms.
"Haven't seen you in a cool minute"
He got up from his seat and walked over to her.
"Uh not much, but I know something you can get up though, I know you missed me and everythang" Jessie suggested raising his brows up and down.
She gave him a look after his comment but smiled again.
"Aren't you out past your bed time kid?" she said quieting her tone.
"And no, that minute don't look like it did much, for other things" she looked down slowly then back up to him again with the sweetest smile in the world.
"Ouch" John said under his breath taking a shot.
"Hey that anit got nothing to do with the skill baby, and if I am a kid, my dick sure anit"
"Haha, I'm sure"
"you tryna go there and put a bet on that?" Jessie asked.
"I'd rather not bruise that little ego of yours tonight" Antonia said pinching his nose like she may have done a child.
"Why not?" he still challenged.
"Aye…" AJ said popping Jessie in the back of his head giving him a look.
"Cool it…" Smiling at Antonia he gave her a quick hug.
"Hey…" He looked her over for a minute.
"You changed your clothes?" He asked.
"Just to freshen up" She said noticing that he was looking at her breast that wear sitting nicely in the v-cut shirt.
"Damn AJ!" Jessie wined rubbing the back of his head.
"Why you always gotta hit motherfuckers, I told your therapist you needed that anger management course"
AJ threw him a glare.
"Now mates, come on were all friends here…" G said getting up and finishing his drink.
"Hey I'll be right back, john you got another bathroom?"
"Yeah over the river and through the woods"
G chuckled.
"Come on john with the jokes…" She said shaking her head.
"Okay okay, down the hall and around the corner to your left downstairs"
" Thanks…"
Anotnia threw a look at AJ and stuck her tongue out at Jessie before leaving the room.
"Man…woman be on some shit don't they, right Jake?" He looked over at him.
"I anit in it…" Jake said waving his little brother off as he focused on some paper in his hand.
AJ got up leaving the room without a word.
"Oh now all of a sudden you anit in it" he said looking at Jake dumbfound.
"Shut up Jessie…" John finally said with a laugh.
"Your never gonna get no play outta that, so let it go already man"
G looked at Jessie with a small laugh.
"I'm trying to tell him"
Antonia walked around the corner with a sigh as she stopped and looked herself over in a mirror on the other side of the hallway wall.
"Hey…"
Antonia turned around to find AJ with his hands in his pockets staring at her.
"Hey yourself…" She said placing a hand on her hip as she looked at him.
"Thought you were going to the bathroom…"
"Couldn't find it" She said watching him approach her.
"Uh huh…liar"
AJ pushed her against the wall behind her and sat her on the chair that was in the hallway they were standing in. They looked at each other for a moment until Antonia let her legs speared just enough to make room for AJ to go between them.
Gladly accepting her invitation he pressed up against her. She immediately pulled him down into a hot, passionate kiss, her legs wrapping around him, pulling him close. She knocked off his hat trailing her fingers in his hair.
Groaning, AJ latched onto her neck, sucking and licking her butterscotch flesh causing her to throwing her head back in pleaser. She moaned as her hands roamed endlessly over AJ's muscled arms and chest that were hitting under his shirt.
As the intensity increased so did AJ's desire to be closer and he began grinding into her as if there were no clothes between them. Gasping at the electric jolt down her spine at each tweak, Antonia crushed her lips in to his, sucking gently on the tongue, licking the roof of his mouth.
Arching her back she moaned when AJ put his hands in her pants. She went for the belt on his pants, fighting the temptation to undo the zipper that was keeping her from what she so desperately wanted. Antonia opened her eyes and gasped grabbing onto AJ's shirt and pulling up her own.
"Shit, AJ!" she whispered pushing him a little.
"What?" He said looking at her then over his shoulder.
"Jessie ha-ha, Sorry we, we were you know" Antonia tried to explain.
"Nah, please continue, my fault, for the interruption" He said looking them up and down.
They both watched him walk away before AJ put his head on Antonia's chest with a smile.
"That little pervert…"
"Awkward…." Antonia said under her breath making sure he was really gone.
"Where were we?" AJ said moving the straps from her shoulder again partly revealing her breast.
"Come on AJ, we can't do this here, what if Gordon or someone walks in next time" she said trying to fight the sensation of the butterfly kisses he was leaving on her jaw line.
"Fuck it let um see…" he said picking her up and bringing her legs around him. By this time he was so hard he didn't care who watched what was about to go down.
"Come on AJ stop it" Antonia laughed hitting him softly.
"Shit…" He mumbled under his breath putting her down.
Antonia looked at his disappointed expression, and kissed him softly.
"Tell you what, I'll come over later"
He pulled her close putting his hands around her waist.
"Where the black dress again…"
She gave him a look.
"You look sexy in it…"
"Fine, I'll wear the black dress, just for you"
"Good…"
"Come on we need to get back in there before Ghost sends out a search party" she said pulling her shirt back up.
"Fucking tease…" AJ smacked her ass causing Antonia to laugh as she walked away.
"Whatever…"
She straightened herself and took a deep breath before walking back in the room where all the guys were gathering up again, acting like nothing happened as Jessie was walking out.
"Would you like a drink?" Lilly asked.
"Sure uh red wine, if you have it" She looked back at AJ and he smiled at her.
Lilly nodded.
"I think john might have some of that…"
John looked up when he heard his name.
"Yeah I do, in fact bought some yesterday, check the right cabinet" He called out.
"So where's the infamous Jessie off to?" Antonia asked looking at the door he had just walked out of.
"Oh you know the usual…" Lilly said finally finding the bottle.
She knew what the usual meant for Jessie, parties and woman.
"Figures…"
Antonia walked over to lean on the table a little.
"Did I miss anything?" She asked looking at the layout.
"Nothing that important, actually we were just getting ready to start again so we can get out of here directly…" John answered.
"Got something to do John?" Antonia asked as she took the glass of red wine that Lilly came and handed to her.
"Jessie's not the only one with a hot date" G said getting in on the conversation.
"Oh yeah, and what kind did you pick up this time?" She asked taking a sip of the wine looking over at john.
"Chocolate…"
G chuckled slightly as Ghost came back and took his seat at the table.
"Where did you go?" He asked looking up at her curiously.
"Bathroom…"
"And all day?"
Antonia went in her pocket to pull out two toy cars and place them down on the table.
"To get these…" she said as AJ grinned to himself.
"I thought they fit the occasion…"
"It took you all day huh?" Ghost said looking at her firmly as he sat back.
"Where'd you get um?" John interjected picking one up.
"At Harrison's, look just like the bank trucks don't they, almost exact, pretty cool huh?" She said nudging john playfully, ignoring Ghost completely.
He chuckled softly as ghost sat back with a sigh and continued to chew on his tooth pick as he watched Antonia take a chair and turn it backwards sitting beside AJ who stood leaning part way over the large table, as he went back to explaining the plan in detail ghost went back to chewing on his toothpick.
"Shall we finish this up fella's" Jake inquired looking at the watch on his wrist.
"Fine by me" John said scooting closer.
"Alright so for this route ghost is talking about, the only place we stand a chance is right there" AJ took one of the model cars and placed it on an area on the map.
"What's there?" Jake asked looking up at him as ghost turned his attention towards Antonia.
"It's an old subway car turnaround, its large enough to paraeall to the street, its kinda of perfect, I mean we can get access on hope street but I say we hold them up at 4th "
"Alright" G said nodding at AJ.
"We need to get down there first so we can get some entail on the street patterns, traffic density that sort of thing, but it looks good" AJ encouraged looking around at the crew as Antonia folded her arms over the top of the chair with a smile.
She loved watching him work; he was a genius at knowing what the fuck he was talking about when it came to planning out jobs. All the guys were remarkable at what they brought to the table and she seemed in some way to admire them all for their talents. Lilly entered the room bringing a new bottle of jack to the table for them to drink and Ghost looked over at her following her with his eyes before she walked away.
"Once we determine the blast radius and street density I can tell you how much C4 your gonna need to score" Jake said looking sternly over at ghost who looked back at him.
"What about the exits?" G inquired with a fold of his own arms as he turned his attention towards AJ again.
"Work in progress G, you know we gotta get down there first, check it out" AJ assured him.
"Get me some exits" G proposed firmly taking a stand as he looked to Antonia.
"You got it, will get down there first thing in the morning…"
"Alright lady and gent's, meeting ajorined…"
Author's Note*
For the loyal readers who have stuck it out this far with me. I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter as much as I have enjoyed writing.
I'm not big on author's notes because I would rather you as readers just enjoy the story without me talking so much, however in small cases they are necessary.
There is going to be a break on this story, I'm not stopping it or anything or putting it on hiatus but Chapter 7 is going to be very detailed and long so to speak, therefore it will take more time to put on paper for you as readers to comprehend.
For this being my first story on this site I've enjoyed writing this, just as much as I hope you all have enjoyed reading my vision of this great movie, so thank you all for your comments and your time.
I really enjoy reading your reviews and hope you stay tuned for the next chapter! Entitled "Stay Saxy"
