Playin' For Keeps, Pt. 1

(Note: While set in "New York", the locations and street names are for the most part invented...don't pull up a map of New York and try and get the layout because it's the New York in my head, ha ha)

         “Little to your left…left…your left!…no wait!  AIIEEE!!!”
         The bookcase tilted haphazardly, rocked backward, then forward again.  Both girls froze, straining futilely against the behemoth piece of furniture.  As it pitched forward again, the girls knew they were going to lose the battle.
         “Abandon ship!” Clara cried.  The girls dove away from the massive wooden bookcase and with a groan the oak shelves fell to the study floor with a deafening crash.  Neither girl moved for a moment, at last peaking out from under their arms.
         “Izzy, you okay?” Clara asked, raising her head to peer over the bookcase at her cousin.  Izzy slowly pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, brushing strands of hair out of her eyes.
         “Your other left,” Izzy chuckled, getting to her feet.  Clara smiled sheepishly and clamored off the floor.  She brushed the dust off the front of her black t-shirt and stared down at the bookcase, scrunching up her face in exasperation.
         “Stupid heavy piece of crap,” Clara declared, planting her hands on her narrow hips.  Clara didn’t weigh more than 110 pounds and at 5’2”, she looked somewhat like a defiant child glaring at the fallen shelves.  Izzy gave a winded laugh and leaned against the dark mahogany desk behind her. 
         “I’m thinking we may need some help,” Izzy said, letting down her hair and running her fingers through the long black curls.
         “I could call my friend Jen…”
         “As much as it irks me to admit it, I’m thinkin’ we need some manpower,” Izzy sighed.  Clara grinned.
         “I thought we were empowered, dangerous women who can do anything a man can do and do it in half the time with twice the results,” Clara said, putting her thin blonde hair back in a ponytail.
         “Yeah.  I kinda said that to inspire you to help me move in because I was so desperate for help.  It’s a total load of bull.  I just don’t really know any men in New York yet.  No amount of feministic drive is going to win out over actual physical prowess and lets face it, neither one of us is the Incredible Hulk.  I mean, I’m built like a tank but I’ve got the upper body strength of a string bean,” Izzy joked.
         “Hey, I may be small but I’m feisty,” Clara said with a haughty smirk.
         “Well unless you can feisty that bookcase up off the ground and around that desk, we’re going to need some extra muscle.”
         Clara whipped her cell phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contact list. “Thank God, I’m exhausted.  I’ll call uncle Frankie and see if some of his guys would be willing to come over and give us a hand.”
              "His guys?" Izzy questioned, wondering if it was better not to know.  Clara just smiled.
              "Uncle Frank owns a few of businesses in the area.  Couple restaurants, a florist shop...he even owns a music store that sells all kinds of instruments and stuff downtown.  He's got guys attached to all his businesses.  I'm sure he won't mind us borrowing a handful," Clara said.
         Izzy winced and looked unsure.  “I uh, I’m kinda low on cash.  I don’t know if I can pay them right now.”  Clara looked at Izzy like Izzy was speaking in jibberish.
         “You’re family.  You don’t pay for help from family,” Clara stated seriously before raising the cell phone to her ear.
         “Yeah, distant family I’ve met like twice in my entire life and haven’t seen in over ten years,” Izzy muttered under her breath. Clara wandered over to the study window and looked at the view, waiting for Uncle Frankie to pick up.
         “Uncle Frankie?  Hey it’s Clara….I’m good…I have a teensy weensy favor to ask…no this isn’t about whacking my World Politics professor for failing me…I’m totally over that…”
         Izzy’s eyebrows shot up a fraction of an inch, glancing at Clara to confirm she was kidding. “Aaaand, I didn’t hear that….”
         “…no, I have a different kind of favor to ask,” Clara continued nonchalantly. “James told you that Izzy moved up here right?  Izzy?  Aunt Emily’s daughter?  Yeah, Isabella!... She’s been up here a week or so…Well, her grandmother on her father’s side passed away and willed her this gigantic house out here near the waterfront  Yeah, well her movers flaked out on her…no, I don’t want them whacked either…”
            “Oh sweet Jesus,” Izzy murmured quietly, clapping her hands to her head as Clara grinned playfully.
            “Well, I’ve been helping her move in but we could use a little help with some of the bigger stuff…we wouldn’t need many…two, maybe three guys.  All we’ve got left is a couple of chairs, a bed frame, an armoire and a table…”
            “And a bookcase that is possessed by Satan,” Izzy chimed in, fidgeting with gold letter opener on her desk.
          “…yeah, and one big bookcase that almost crushed and killed us both…yeah, the address?  Hang on, I have no clue…”  Clara glanced at Izzy.  Izzy pondered a second and looked dumbfounded.
          “Holy crap, I don’t know either.  Hold on a second.”
        Clara laughed out loud with the phone pressed to her shoulder. “You may want to make a point to learn it.” 
        Izzy ran out of the study, down the hall and into the grand foyer, snatching up a box that had been delivered the day before.  She jogged back into the study and slid the box across the desk.  Clara read the address over the line and with a few niceties, hung up.
        “Uncle Frankie sends his love and says he’s glad you are here.”
        Izzy smiled.  “I still feel really guilty,” she admitted.
        “Why?”
        “I’ve met the man two, maybe three times since I was four years old and I’m asking favors from him…” Izzy’s smile faded into depressed frustration. “I mean, this isn’t how I had my life planned.  Losing my dad  was life altering enough but moving up here on a whim...this house…this city…I’m not Brooklyn material!  I just...I feel like I was totally lying to myself about being able to handle this all by myself and surprise!  I’m already needing help from other people…”
        “Izzy,” Clara said with a soft laugh, walking over and hugging her cousin.  “For one, you used to live here! And it’s not like you’re living smack dab in the middle of North Central Brooklyn here.  You’re in a pretty tame area.  More importantly, that’s what family and friends are for!  You aren’t supposed to have to bear all of your burdens alone.  And you’re 100% Italian for God’s sake!  Being part of a big family who is looking out for you should be instinctual for you.  It’s just what we do!”
        A little bit of the sparkle came back in to Izzy’s amber eyes. “Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve buried that instinct over the years but maybe the change in scenery will rejuvenate it.”
        “That’s my girl,” Clara said with a smile.  “Alright, it should take the boys about 20 minutes to get here from the bar downtown, so it will probably be at least half an hour.  I am absolutely starving though.  Can I raid your kitchen?”
        “Be my guest.  I swung by the market this morning.  They had the most glorious cold cuts I’ve ever seen.  There is bagel bread on the counter I think and a loaf of wheat, and all the cheese and condiments and stuff are in the fridge on the left side…I think…maybe it's the right side...why don’t we venture together?  I have no clue where I put everything!” 
        They left the study and made their way back down the hall to the grand foyer.  The sliding doors to the formal dining room rolled open easily and the two girls turned and pushed through the heavy door into the kitchen.  The kitchen was Izzy’s second favorite room in the entire house.  It was a rich, warm, inviting space.  The floor was a brighter honey-amber color than the dark wood through the rest of the house.  The walls were a creamy eggshell and the whole room was just filled with light from the two big glass doors in the breakfast nook that lead out onto the patio.
        Clara wasted no time dragging out the sandwich fixings and began building a monstrous sandwich.
      “Plates are up in the cabinet to the right of the refrigerator and glasses are…I think in the lazy Susan in the corner there,” Izzy mentioned as she flopped into one of the kitchen table chairs around the empty space where the table would be.
      “You not eating?” Clara asked, munching on a pickle.
      “I had a sandwich for breakfast about 3 hours ago,” Izzy chuckled.  “And I also had chips…and spinach dip…and cookies…and ice cream…”
      “Now that’s my kind of breakfast!” Clara grinned.  She poured herself a glass of tea but Izzy stopped her before she could take a sip.
      “Was that in the container with the blue top or the white top?”
      “Blue top, why?” Clara asked, holding the glass away from her as if it were poisoned.
      Izzy laughed.  “Okay, you’re safe. The white top is sweet tea and I know you’d sooner drink battery acid.”
      “Ugh!  Why would you even have that stuff in your fridge? You southerners are flippin’ crazy!”  Clara took a tentative sip of the drink in her hand and then chugged down half the glass. “Ahh, now that is tea,” she said with a satisfied sigh.  She wandered over with her sandwich and a bag of chips and settled in the chair next to Izzy.  Clara started working on the formidable sandwich she had created and Izzy gave an unconscious sigh, gazing out the patio doors.  A furry body suddenly trotted up and Izzy smiled.
      “There’s my baby.”  Izzy stood and sauntered over, opening the door. The German shepherd-mix bounded in and skittered to a stop in front of Clara. “Don’t beg, Phoenyx,” Izzy warned, sitting back down.  Clara grinned at the hopeful-eyed dog in front of her.
      “She is so funny looking with those short legs.  She’s like a German Shepherd that got cut off at the knee!”
      Izzy snorted and nodded. “Yeah, she’s a little…stumpy. Say, ‘but I’m too cute not to love!’”  Izzy rubbed the dog’s black head fondly.  “Okay I have to ask, you were just kidding with Uncle Frank about whacking Prof. Wilson and my movers, right?”
        Clara gave her a slightly amused look.  “Yeah, sure…totally kidding.” Her eyes were sparkling as she bit into her sandwich.  Izzy looked slightly disconcerted and furrowed her brow uncomfortably.  They sat in silence for a while before Izzy locked her gaze on Clara, her eyes serious. 
        “Could I uh, ask you a favor?”
      Clara paused with her sandwich halfway to her mouth. “Of course.”
        Izzy sighed, trying to decide how to word her next statement. “I know very little about this side of my family.  You are the only one I really know.  I heard things from my mother in passing and I’ve heard a few rumors…seen a few police files…” Clara’s expression didn’t change.  “I don’t want to know if they are true, I really don’t care. And I’m not trying to pry in anyone’s business.  Trust me, I’d rather be ignorant.  I’m worried about being too ignorant though.  I mean, technically people are probably going to find out I’m a Romano.  Are there…”  Izzy stopped and twitched her mouth, pondering her next statement.  “If there were specific areas, businesses, and people around town that I would be smart to avoid, would you be willing to tell me?”
        Clara’s face broke into a broad grin. “Always the cautious diplomat,” she laughed.  “After the guys get the rest of your stuff where it belongs, I’ll run home and we can both get dressed up and I’ll come back and take your on an informative “grand tour” of the city. The tour will come to a close at the greatest bar in the entire state so we can celebrate the return of another Romano to the streets of New York.  How’s that sound?”
        Izzy grinned gratefully.  “That sounds amazing, thank you.”  A short melodic sound resounded through the house and Clara looked around confused.  “Uncle Frankie’s guys are pulling in,” Izzy explained.  “Well I’m guessing it’s them.”  She stood and trotted over to the fridge.  She pressed a nondescript button behind the coffee maker and a ten-inch LCD screen flipped down from under the wall-mounted cabinets. 
        “Umm, excuse me??” Clara laughed, walking over.  “Can I guess your grandmother didn’t already have that installed?”  The screen burned in and a grey wash security camera feed flashed up, showing the two black cars slowly pulling up the driveway. Izzy touched the buttons on the screen and the screen split into quarters, giving 360 degree coverage of the vehicles.  “Holy shit, girl, this place is like the bat cave!  Any particular reason you felt you needed this much security?” Clara chuckled, her eyes on the screen. “Is there something I don’t know?”  Clara looked over to see Izzy give a slightly cryptic smile, still watching the screen.
          “Let’s just say I like my privacy.  And you know I’m cautious by nature.  This whole city makes me edgy.  Plus these were all free gifts from the guys at my tech. company in Virginia.  I like my tech. toys,” Izzy responded.  The cars were swinging up to the front of the house so Izzy pushed the screen back up under the cabinet and clicked it closed.  “Alright, guess it’s back to work.”
        Clara put her glass and plate in the sink and followed Izzy to the door.  Phoenyx was spinning in excited circles and whining at the door, wanting to go greet their new guests.  Izzy grabbed Phoenyx’s collar and opened the door as three guys stepped up onto the portico. 
          All three guys were Italian descent from what Izzy could tell.  She guessed the first two were in their late thirties, early forties.  One guy was taller, well over six feet, and very big.  He looked like an enforcer, built like a tank and looked like he had the IQ of a tank as well.  His eyes were deep set and his black hair was greased back.  He was wearing a buttoned lightweight sport coat and Izzy really didn’t want to ponder too long on what was hidden under it.
        The second guy was shorter, lightly muscled with a hard, cruel, rodent-like face and glittering sharp little rat eyes.  The third guy was younger, maybe late twenties.  Izzy felt her heart skitter when she saw him.  He was maybe six feet tall, lean hard muscle with a chiseled jaw and dangerous, attractive features.  He ran his hand back through his medium length dark hair and flashed a smile at Clara.  Izzy prayed he wasn’t a blood relative.  She unconsciously ran a hand over her helplessly mussed hair and looked down at her baggy t-shirt, hoodie, and jeans.  Not a good look for a first impression.
        “Hey kiddo.  We, uh, heard you ladies got attacked by some uncooperative furniture?” The big guy said to Clara.  He had a strong Sicilian-New York accent that made Izzy think of The Godfather.  Phoenyx was wheezing and straining to launch herself out the door at the men.  Izzy dragged Phoenyx back and opened the door wider so the men could come in. 
        “Dog, chill.  Gentlemen, please come in,” Izzy invited.  All three men came into the front foyer and glanced around the entrance hall, nodding in what Izzy hoped was approval. “Do any of you mind dogs?  I promise she won’t jump up but she’s going to strangle if I don’t let her meet you guys.  She’ll calm right down,” Izzy said, squatting down with the hyper excited dog.
        “Nah, I got a couple dogs myself,” the big guy said.  Izzy let go of Phoenyx’s collar and Phoenyx scrabbled across the slick floor to the men and spun in excited circles, whining and panting.  The big guy laughed and petted the dog amiably. The rat guy snorted but his smile was genuine.  The dog circled to the third guy and spun in lower and lower circles until she flopped over on her back, went spread eagle and froze perfectly still hoping for a belly rub. 
        Izzy shook her head and gave the dog a disgusted, exasperated look. “Phoenyx, you attention whore, leave them be.” The younger guy chuckled and squatted down, rubbing the upside down dog.  Clara laughed.
        “By the way, Izzy, this is Hal.  Hal, Izzy Romano-Salieri,” Clara introduced.  The big guy extended a beefy hand and Izzy smiled sweetly and shook it.
        “It’s very nice to meet you Hal.  And thank you so much for coming out here on such short notice.  My movers were acquaintances of a friend of a friend of a co-worker and they went on a lunch break three days ago and have yet to come back,” Izzy said with a strained sigh.  “I kept telling myself maybe they both got sick and are in the hospital, or maybe they both suddenly died…If I see them again they are going to wish they were dead…” Izzy muttered sharply.  She realized she had said it out loud and winced.  “Forgive me, that was a little harsh…but when I pay to get a job done I expect it to be done right.  I know that’s apparently asking a lot.” Hal just chuckled.
          “She’s definitely a Romano woman,” Hal said to the guys behind him. 
“Oh, Izzy, this is Paulie. Paulie, Izzy, and that’s Dominic back there,” Clara said, finishing up introductions.  Izzy shook hands with Paulie “The Rat” and then with Dominic.  Dominic flashed Izzy a smile that was reflected in his dark eyes and Izzy got hot all over.
        “Alright boys, the demon book case is face down in the study at the end of the hall there.  It goes in the only wall space big enough for it. The rest of the stuff is out in the truck and we’ll tell you where to put it,” Clara said.  Izzy couldn’t help smiling at how Clara took charge with these guys.  Dominic and Paulie made their way down the hall to the study and Clara, Izzy, and Hal went out the front door to the moving truck. 
        “This here is a damn fine piece a property you got,” Hal commented. “What’s it got, three, four acres with it?”
        Izzy nodded.  “Yeah, about four and a half acres I think.  It extends back pretty far.  There’s a large storage building in the back that marks the back property line.”
        “Storage?”
        Izzy nodded again.  “I have no idea what is in it.  I know Grandpa Salieri used to collect car parts and a bunch of other stuff that annoyed the hell out of my grandmother.  The building is locked up tight and the keys are MIA still.  I haven’t gone through all of my grandfather’s desk drawers yet so I’m hoping to find them and make clearing that out this week’s project.  God knows what all I’m gonna find.”
        “Huh, it’s like a treasure hunt.”
        Izzy laughed.  “I’m guessing there won’t be much treasure.  More like a trash hunt.”
        Hal chuckled, glancing around at the manicured lawn, perfectly shaped bushes, and painfully neat landscaping.  His eyes stopped on the silver Chrysler 300C parked in front of the moving truck. “That your cah?” He asked, wandering over and circling the vehicle.
        “Yeah, that’s my baby,” Izzy smiled.
        “It’s a sharp lookin’ piece a equipment.  Bentley grill’s a real nice touch.  Drive good?”
        Izzy nodded. “Like a dream.  Well, I think I’ve got an alignment problem right now. I’ve got the tiniest little shimmy when I get up over 65, but it’s the best driving car I’ve ever owned.”
        “Well if yous lookin’ for a mechanic in the area, lemme know.  I got a guy who would do her up real nice,” Hal offered, running his hand over the trunk of the car.
        “Thank you, I really appreciate that,” Izzy replied nervously, flashing what she hoped was a grateful smile.  Her mind was busy conjuring up images of some dark scary mechanic’s shop where most of the business was done after dark, behind closed doors, and had little or nothing to do with automobiles. They made their way back over to the moving truck and Hal started to slide the door to the truck open when he stopped.
        “You, uh, you know the lock on this here door is broken?” Hal said, examining the door. 
         “Oh really?” Izzy said, trying to sound surprised.  “Wonder how that could have happened.” Clara snorted and smothered it with a cough. Izzy shot her a look.  Dominic and Paulie had come out of the house and stood nearby.
         “It ain’t just broken, it’s totally mutilated!” Hal continued.  Clara had dropped her head down and was shaking with suppressed laughter.  Dominic was watching her.  Izzy’s face flushed as she made a noncommittal noise in her throat. 
        “Really? Huh…”
        Dominic’s brow suddenly furrowed and his mouth opened slightly.  He leaned in past Hal and ran a finger over the truck frame.  Izzy started wringing her hands and looked nervous.  Dominic turned around, the slightest hint of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.
         “Is that…a bullet hole?”
         Izzy winced slightly and bit her lip.  Clara finally lost it.  She snorted and collapsed into laughter.  Izzy’s face flushed hotter as she tried to look betrayed.
         “Clara!”
         Clara was grinning from ear to ear. “Sorry,” she giggled.  “I can’t help it.  It was possibly the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”  Hal, Paulie and Dominic were standing watching them looking expectantly for an explanation.  “You have to tell them.  They won’t care I promise,” Clara snickered, swiping at the tears of laughter running down her face.  Izzy stomped her foot in frustration and then looked sheepishly at the three men standing next to the truck.
         “My, uh, my rat fink movers kind of locked the truck and took the keys when they left…” Izzy began helplessly.  Dominic’s face broke into a grin and Izzy knew he understood. “I mean normally I would have just picked the lock but I lost my picks in the move…” The men blinked at this comment but Izzy rushed on. “…and I waited three days, but my mattress was still in the truck and I had nothing to sleep on and I got more and more pissed and when Clara showed up to help me this morning I hadn’t had much sleep and I decided enough was enough and I needed to get into the truck and…well…”
         “And she beat the ever-loving shit out of it with a tire iron and when that didn’t work she got fed up and she hauled out a piece and blew the lock off with one shot…”  Clara said proudly, still grinning from the memory of it.  Izzy looked mortified and ducked her head self-consciously.  All three guys were grinning like idiots at this point.
        “Nice!” Paulie said with a head nod.  Izzy realized that the incident seemed to have actually won her brownie points.
         “That’s quite a hole you made, what in hell were you packin’, a 44 Glock?” Dominic asked with a laugh. 
         “ .357 magnum,” Izzy replied immediately and then winced, looking embarrassed.  “I mean I don’t usually carry a gun…hardly ever in fact. I just keep it around for protection really…”
         “And for opening locks,” Clara added in.  Hal laughed and shook his head.
         “Alright boys, now we know.  Don’t piss off the new girl, she’s got herself a big gun and knows how to use it,” Hal advised, sliding the door to the truck the rest of the way open.  Dominic shot Izzy another amused look and climbed up into the truck.