Awakening in Little Italy

“Dude, wake up,” Dom said as he poked Cameron with a plastic Ikea shoe horn they had picked up solely and specifically because it was crafted to look like a snake.

“Piss off.”

“Wake up!” Dom poked Cam again.

“I swear to God if you touch me with that thing one more time I am going to beat you to death with it.”

“Dude, it’s a plastic shoe horn.”

“Then it will be a slow and painful death. Now go away!” Cameron rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head. Dominic shook his head and went to the kitchen for some coffee. Cam tossed and turned for a few more minutes, but the damage was done. Dom’s interruption hand rendered futile any thought Cam had of squeezing out a few more minutes of sleep. Wearily, he rose, yawned, and walked into the kitchen to join his brother.

“Morning, sunshine,” Dominic said derisively. Cameron glared at him as he poured himself some coffee. “What’s the matter? Long night?”

“Fuck you, Dom.”

Dominic laughed. He knew what his brother did most nights, and he knew that Cam rarely slept as a result. Sometimes, though, it was simply fun to antagonize his twin brother. As Cameron moved into the light, Dom notice the bruising on the left side of his face and frowned. “How long are you going to keep this up?”

Cameron frowned. “Until I make enough cash, I guess.”

“You’re going to lose eventually, you know.”

“Yeah,” Cam replied with a sigh. “I know.”  Cam flexed the sore knuckles of his left hand. He had gotten most of the dried blood that clung to his ripped flesh washed off the evening before, but clearly some of the wounds continued to bleed in the night. The water stung as he held his hands under the faucet to clean them again.

Dom shook his head. Cameron was by far the more physically fit of the two. Despite being twins, Cameron had inherited their father’s genes whereas Dom had clearly gotten their mother’s. Cam stood at about 6’2” and was 225 pounds of solid muscle. Dominic, on the other hand, was barely 5’10’ and weighed all of a buck eighty-five soaking wet. There was no mistaking the fact that they were brothers, and twins at that, as they both shared an incredibly rare genetic trait that ran in their family: each had one blue eye and one brown.

Dom was about to ask Cam who had been his latest victim when they were startled by a knock on the door. Apprehension filled the apartment.

“You expecting anyone?” Cam asked.

“No. You?”

Cameron nodded in the negative. Dominic disappeared to his room and returned shortly brandishing his police-issued side arm. “Who is it?” Cam asked loudly.

“It’s your best looking sibling. Open the damn door!” Cam and Dom smiled as Cam opened the door to welcome their sister.

“What took you so long? Do you how rude it is to leave a lady waiting?”

“Next time a lady knocks on our door, I’ll let you know,” Dom said with a grin. April glared at him and gave him the finger before the three burst out laughing and she gave her brothers hugs.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be going to Paris or something,” Cam asked.

“Yea, well, plans change. Look, Cam, I didn’t want to tell you, but I figured you’d be more pissed at me if I didn’t. Carolina is back in town.” April let the words sink in until the realization filled Cameron’s eyes.

“Nico too?” April nodded silently. “Goddamn it!” Cameron exclaimed as be began pacing the room.

“Cam, calm down. I didn’t tell you to get you upset, I just wanted you to know, in case you ran into her or something,”

“How the hell did you think I was going to react, April?” Cam demanded to know, his voice raised.

“Don’t you take that tone with me, little brother. Don’t forget who practically raised you!”

Cam narrowed his eyes and glared at her before finally easing his temper. “Sorry,” he said softly and apologetically. It wasn’t April’s fault. It was Lina’s. Carolina Vega had been Cameron’s one true love until she got mixed up with Nico Barrone. Lured by the lifestyle Nico could offer, one filled with money, clubs, short skirts, dancing heels and some of the best drugs money could by, Lina slipped away from Cameron’s heart. Eventually Nico disappeared, and Carolina along with him. They had assumed the authorities were getting close and Nico was forced to move his operations. They were never really sure.

“Why come back? Why now?” Dom asked as he returned to the living room. As Cameron and April talked, Dom had gone to get dressed. When he emerged, he was wearing a sport coat and tie,  the bulge of the his shoulder holster barely visible under his oversized jacket. “I’m going to head down to the station and see what I can find out. You ok for now?”

“Yeah, go,” Cam replied. Once Dominic was gone, Cam grabbed his leather jacket and keys.

“Cam, mio fratello, please don’t,” April begged.

“Where is she, April?”

“This is not why I told you!”

“April, where is she?” Cam stared at his sister and she shuddered. She hated when people stared at her to begin with. The differing colors of his eyes made her brother’s stare even more haunting.

“From what I understand, she’s staying in one of the apartments above Shooters.”

“Is Nico staying there too?”

“No, he’s back at his place on Park.”

“Ti amo, sorella,” Cameron said to his sister before kissing her on the forehead, grabbing his helmet and rushing out. Though what had happened was exactly what she had expected, it was not what April had hoped.

“Merda!” she exclaimed as she banged her fist on the table.

Cameron practically flew his Ducati Diavel across the city, weaving in and out of traffic at speeds he knew were dangerous at best. He didn’t care. It was merely minutes before he pulled the powerful motorcycle to a stop in front of Shooters, a dive bar/pool hall on Elmwood Avenue. Given everything that had happened, Ricky was more than surprised to see Cameron’s hulking mass stride through the door.

“Cam! Haven’t seen you here in ages. How’s it goin bro?” Ricky said nervously.

“Where is she, Ricky?”

“Who?”

“Don’t fuck with me, Cartone. You know exactly who.”

Ricky Cartone gulped, swallowed and exhaled slowly. “Upstairs. Number 6. Cam, as your friend, I’m begging you, don’t. If Nico finds out you were here….”

“Do you think I really care about Nico?”

“You should, man. I’m telling you. He ain’t the same. He’s gotten big, bro. Real big. I don’t think you want to mess with him.”

Cam patted Ricky on the shoulder. “I can take care of Nico, thanks.” Cam walked out of the bar and went to the unnumbered door a few feet away. With a deep breath, he opened it and climbed the stairs.

Inside the bar, Ricky shook his head. “No Cam, you can’t,” he whispered to himself.

The hallway leading to the apartment was about as dingy as Cam expected. Door number six was covered with layers of peeling green and blue paint. Cam wondered how many children had gotten lead poisoning from eating the paint chips that littered the hallway floor. Reluctantly, he knocked.

It took Carolina a moment to answer the door, and she was yelling when she did. “Dammit Nico! I told you told leave me alone! Now go aw….” The word stuck in her throat as she thrust open the door and saw Cameron standing there. She was all at once elated and terrified. “Cam,” she whispered. “What are you doing here?” Lina pulled cam into the modest apartment and shut the door. “Nico will kill you if he finds out you’re here! He’ll probably kill me, too!” she exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

“Then let’s go. Let’s get the hell out of here,” Cam reasoned.

“It’s not that easy,” she replied, turning away from him.  Cam reached out to grab her arm. When he did, he could feel the tiny needle scabs on the inside or her arm. He closed his eyes.

“Oh Lina, what have you gotten yourself into?”

“Don’t you judge me!” she said angrily as she turned and thrust her forefinger into Cameron’s chest. “You lost that right a long time ago.”

“No, Lina, you gave up on us a long time ago. You walked out and walked into this life so don’t you dare get angry with me.”

Lina’s expression softened, and she wept. Cameron took her in his arms and let her cry. She pulled back, wiped her tears and looked up at him. “Why are you here, Cam?”

“For you,” he replied, before he placed a soft kiss on her lips. Lina, overcome with emotion, threw herself into his embrace.

“Ok,” she said when they finally broke for a breath.

“Ok what?”

“Ok. Let’s go,” she said with a smile. Cameron grinned about as broadly as he had in some time. His grin quickly faded.

“You’re not goin’ anywhere.” Nico stood in the doorway with two bodyguards filling the space behind him. “I’m surprised you had the balls to come around here, Vanni.”

“A lot has changed, Nicoletta.”

“Nobody calls me that anymore!” Nico shouted. Nico was scrawny as kid and started out as a dime a dozen pot pusher. A touch on the effeminate side, Nico was saddled with the nickname “Nicoletta” in reference to his feminine features. Cameron Vanni wasn’t afraid of Nico then, and he certainly wasn’t afraid of him now.

“What are you gonna do about it Nico? Shoot me?” Cam asked with his arms outstretched.

Nico smiled an evil smile. “No, no, I’ll let the boys take care of you. You,” he said, pointing to Carolina. “You I’ll see later.” Nico stepped between his henchman and disappeared down the hall. Nico’s weakness had always been the fact that he underestimated his adversaries. He assumed that his two goons would make quick work of his former friend. He was wrong. What Nico didn’t know was that Cameron Vanni had been fighting on the underground circuit for the better part of the last three years. He had never lost.

Cameron stood his ground when the first man approached him. What happened next was a blur to the unfortunate soul. He came at Cameron with a right, telegraphing his every move. Cam sidestepped the blow and came down across the man’s face with a thundering left. The impact shattered the man’s nose and fractured his jaw. The other approached as his partner writhed on the ground in agony over his broken face. He faired no better.

Cam spun around just as the punch was thrown and caught it square in the jaw. He stumbled but never lost his balance. When the second came, Cam was ready. Deflecting the shot with his left arm, he let loose with a body blow that stole the air from his opponent’s lungs. While the man was stunned Cameron release his grip on the man’s arm, grabbed his head with both hands, and pulled it down into his rising knee. He crumpled, unconscious.

“Time to go,” he said as he grabbed Lina’s hand and led her out of the apartment, leaving behind one body guard a motionless heap and another a bloody, screaming mess. Cam and Lina hit the sidewalk running. By the time Nico realized what had happened upstairs, they were already speeding down the highway. Cameron didn't stop until they reached the shore. After bringing the bike to a stop at the edge of the parking lot, he shut the engine down, removed his helmet, and stared at the water. Lina did the same and wrapped her arms around Cam's waist.

“What are we going to do?” Lina asked to finally break the silence.

Cameron paused, and thought. “I don’t know.”

© J.J. Goodman 2013. All rights reserved.