Major Changes Gains & Losses

The blue Jeep Cherokee made its way from Manhattan Island, now hesitantly drifting down a winding New Jersey street. Its wheels sloshed through melting snow as it passed imposing old money estates. The jeep slowed, rolling to a stop next to the snow covered roadside, avoiding the incoming corner turn that lead directly to the estate beyond the trees. It's intended destination.

"Bri, my parents live just over there." Said the olive skinned passenger, now pointing beyond the snowcapped trees.

The driver turned removing his seat-belt sighing signifying the words to come were serious.

"Andrea, do your parents know that I'm coming?"

"Yes," she said with less than solid confidence.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"In your voice, you're not telling me something."

"I told my dad I was bringing a friend, but...."

"Leaving out the fact that the friend is your black boyfriend? Am I on target? God it's Christmas dinner, Andrea!"

"Yes, but my mom knows, and you've met my mom and brothers. They like you, you've known my little brother Alex from when he visited me at college, trust me, it's not a problem Brian baby."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Does your dad at least have a hint of a clue that we're dating now?" Brian asked, knowing Andrea's dad wasn't the most accepting person.

A guilt laden silence kept Andrea's response at bay. Her indirect eyes said it all.

"Well that's just great!"

"It's all going to be fine, better than fine." She said reassuringly.

"Your dad hates me. Remember two months ago, at your cousins wedding? You should have seen the way he looked at me; that was when we were just friends. Can you imagine how he'll react now? He'll carve me, like a turkey."

"We weren't friends. Stop lying to yourself. We just hadn't given ourselves a title yet and you were still trying to act like you didn't like me."

Brian, armed with his pearly white smile, decided to correct her. "Like you? I've loved you from Chicago...." He said gazing into her deep sparkling brown eyes. "Nine years ago, you said you wanted to be friends so since then I denied my feelings for you, even to myself."

"I love you more; I was just a little late in figuring it out, Bri, that's all. My family is going to love you too; we're going to have a great Christmas dinner."

Brian's smile turned into genuine laughter. "You're funny ... You're beautiful and funny, you love me more, that's impossible."

"The second time around it was me that pursued you. Okay, I know how you attorney's like to leave out key evidence to make your cases. For over two months I chased you." Andrea said while she unbuckled her seatbelt, something that went unnoticed by Brian.

"True, you were quite the little stalker." Brian said with a laugh.

"I was just claiming what's mine and always will be mine." She said in a sultry tone.

Letting her seat belt completely recoil, taking the keys out of the ignition. She sat unrestrained and brazen. Her small, slender fingers moved under her skirt, pulling her shear black panties down her extended legs, stopping above her leather boots.

"Now?" Brian asked his eyes darting about; afraid her father might pop out from the bushes with an axe.

With a sleight of hand she reclined his seat, lowering it to its furthest tilt.

She lifted her left leg from the passenger side, over to the driver's side slowly lowering her frame along his waist, straddling him.

"Do you want me to stop?" She asked with a knowing, mischievous smile.

Without breaking contact the four brown pupils remained keenly focused, even as he answered by unbuckling his belt.

Her cold fingers reached for his member causing him to jump a little.

"Sorry," she said with a seductive smirk, briefly stealing her hands away to tie up her extraordinarily long dark hair, and hopefully warming them up.

Lowering her frame, her dimpled lips connected to his with a delicate, driven finesse that indicated a deep hunger.

She teasingly rubbed her beautifully smooth flower on his raging member, back and forth denying her lover the object of his immediate desire.

She took a hand placing it under his chin, capturing the full attention, that in actuality she already had.

"All you need to do is look at me, just look at me... just look at me," she repeated like a mantra, taking a warmed up free hand to guide his long, rigid tool to her aching, slit.

A grunt and an inhalation were exchanged between the two lovers, as girth and warmth came together in harmony.

With her leather boots planted around Brian's legs, she lifted her body upwards just to drop it back down with manic urgency.

"Just look at me," she kept saying between gasps for breath, and smiles of pleasure.

"No matter what happens around that dinner table you just look at me,"

"God, I love you." He stated, as his fingers traveled past her black stockings flicking away the fabric off the interfering skirt, venturing from her warm thighs to her tight, heart shaped buttock. He drank in the sight of her, taking in her natural and deeper beauty. "Beautiful." He said his hands making the journey up under the back of her blouse pulling her down while he lifted up his head kissing her in a deep French kiss, their tongues tangling, their lips exchanging little puffs of ecstasy.

With cries of bliss echoing through the rocking jeep her eyes fought the need to roll upward. She lost the battle as her pussy quivered around his length.

His hands gripping her tight cheeks pushed her upwards as fast as she drove downwards, their tongues hungry for more, but another hunger had to be fed first.

Seconds later it was, as Brian shot deep inside Andrea, mere seconds later she collapsed into his protecting embrace both of her lips quivering, screaming with accomplished bliss, their tongues now completing the last leg of the race.

She sat like that for minutes, running a finger along his flat stomach, through his shirt and sweater. The kissing and the sensations of his flesh were spurring her on, the beginning of a whole new adventure starting up, until suburban after Chevy suburban shot past the two carnal beings.

Andrea jumped to her side of the Jeep fixing herself.

"How many members of your family are attending this thing?" He asked, turning on the engine, pulling behind a plumbing van that just passed by. Turning the corner the plumbing van took its place with the fleet of suburban's scattered all over Andrea's parent's long driveway.

Brian turned his head toward Andrea with a smile.

"This isn't funny!" She pouted.

"You have to see how it's a little funny?"

"How?"

"There is nothing your dad, the hypocrite Mafia boss can say to me now; he's been pulled off his high horse by the justice department, or should I say the FBI."

"You don't know that it's the FBI!"

Just as she finished her sentence, a woman in an ill-fitting blue jacket approached. Its bold lettering that read FBI were a lot more important than its weathered uselessness.

The FBI agent came out into the middle of the driveway extending her palm, stopping the Jeep. Brian smiled at Andrea, she responded with a sad face saying, "Do something for me, please?"

The federal agent gestured Brian to roll down the window.

"Sir we can't allow you to pass. We're just about to have New Jersey state trooper's cordon off the compound, they're just a little behind."

Brian turned his head toward a visually saddened Andrea.

He took a breath turning back to the woman.

"Sir did you not hear me, turn your vehicle around."

"Agent....?" Brian asked searching for the name of the abrasive federal agent.

"Alright then I'll introduce myself. I'm Brian Cargill. At this time I'm identifying myself as the Attorney for Nicholas Curtoni, the man on whom I assume you're executing a warrant of some sort, right now."

Her anger at Brian's announcement escaped her mouth in the form of hot air.

"Look, you'll need to wait here until I can get Supervisory Special Agent Derrick Walker."

Brian was in his own world as his hands slipped through the bills in his wallet then cards. He pulled out two cards, shoving them in the agents face.

"This is my New York Secure pass ID card, but I guess this one works better for you, my New Jersey Attorney's ID card."

"I never said I didn't believe you were a lawyer, sir. Put your cards away and wait for Agent Walker."

Brian put his cards back in his wallet and put his wallet back in his jacket.

"Look, agent, I don't know your name. You haven't moved to get this agent, Walker after I clearly identified myself." Brian popped his head out the window pointing his finger, beyond the fleet of vehicles meters ahead to the group of men amassing at the large front door.

"I assume he's one of those men?"

The agent said nothing, knowing that her delaying tactic had been deciphered, so she decided to simply stop communicating with Brian.

"Alright," Brian said pulling his window back up.

The agent began to yell as Brian sped the jeep through the lawn past the mass of federal vehicles.

********

Four minutes earlier

In the back of a decoy plumbing van, a debate was brewing.

"Walker, are you seriously, going to try and take down Nicholas Curtoni with a flawed warrant?" said a fresh faced looking man wearing another one of those useless FBI windbreakers.

"Davis, you're young, you need to see the big picture. Most of the captains of the Curtoni crime family are in that house. With the evidence we've been tipped off as being inside we can lock them all up today. We're never going to have the opportunity to destroy the Cosa Nostra ever again. New Jersey's organized crime will be reduced to dust."

"Which Federal Judge signed this? I don't recognize the name." Asked Davis, who had been reading over the document.

"It was early Christmas morning; there were no magistrates no District Judge for sure. I arrived at Newark Liberty in time to persuade a state judge into signing it, just before his airplane took off."

Another agent at the front driver's seat poked his head back. "Before the airplane took off?"

"Yeah I had to board the fucker."

"He couldn't have been too happy." "No, he was in his seat next to his wife. Now, she wasn't happy. But you know how smooth I am." Walker said with a cocky smile.

"Sir, it may just be me, but it seems like you're playing this one a bit too close to the chest." said Davis.

"He's right Walker," said the driver.

"Look no one in that house can dispute this." Walker said, waving the piece of paper like it was some sort of golden ticket.

Davis tried to hold his tongue but found his lips parting. "You don't know that."

"I doubt Nicholas Curtoni has his lawyer over for Christmas dinner."

"It is possible," remarked the driver.

"We had another decoy truck watching, so I'm positive we're covered on the lawyer front. Plus the Curtoni lawyer is a Jew. Nicholas Curtoni is not the cuddliest fellow when it comes to outsiders. You heard the wire taps, Eric," Walker said to the driver. "You heard how pissed he was when his daughter Andrea brought that black kid to the Russo wedding a while back. She wasn't even dating the poor sap."

"True. " Eric the driver said in agreement.

Walker, with warrant in hand, let out one last pre-take down statement of confidence. "Plus I pointed out the one flaw to you. Not even a seasoned ambulance chaser would have been able to spot it. I'll give you this, if Nicholas Curtoni, the bigot, resurrected Johnnie Cochran and is having dinner with him; then and only then are we in shit." Walker said with laugher.

Agent Walker jumped from the van with pep in his step. Davis and Eric followed behind with a team of agents in quick succession.

Walker looked back. Even though there were a lot of SUVs, all were hidden behind a wooded covered section of the long driveway. All except for the plumbing truck, he observed the surroundings and the layout as he and his team approached the large mahogany door.

"Shut the fuck up." Walker yelled to the eight agents who had filled in behind him. Walker's eyes suddenly noticed a jeep speeding toward the house, but thought nothing of it. Remembering an up and coming federal prosecutor had said, she might stop by.

Today being Christmas the door was answered by Mrs. Curtoni herself instead of one of the maids. The regally aged woman opened the door to the face of a Cheshire cat grinning middle aged man.

"Merry Christmas Mrs. Curtoni I am Supervisory Special Agent Walker of the FBI, I have a warrant to search the premises, and seize specific items." as Walker stated this, Mrs. Curtoni's eyes curled back and her legs failed her. She landed on the marble foyer with a loud thud.

Right after the thud, a large balding man entered the foyer marching toward the agents.

Ignoring the collapsed woman Walker stepped over the body to present the warrant to the one and only Nicholas Curtoni.

"Mr. Curtoni I hav-."

"I don't give a fuck Walker, what did you to my wife."

"Hey, we didn't do anything to her; my men are going to search this house now." Walker stated seeing a flash of panic running through Nicholas's face for the first time, since he'd known him.

Walker knew their informant was on point, after that look, he knew The Terror of Jersey was scared.

Nicholas picked up his wife bringing her to the kitchen where he placed her in a chair. The agents were now combing through the house. Nicholas had little time; he took a marker pulling away his wife's sleeve. He began to write a series of numbers on her arm with the word Cayman after each series.

With that he poured himself a glass of water and calmly walked to his upstairs master washroom. He knew warning his two families would do no good. After more than two decades at the head of the family, they had him and there was no escape. No escape other than the one he had in mind.

He walked into the washroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He palmed back the graying scraps of hair he had left. He gave himself one last look in the mirror. "Fifty four years." He thought to himself.

"Fifty four years," he whispered with intent and resolve.

He pulled back the mirror and found what he was looking for. He took out the pills and put them in his hand, preparing to swallow his death.

He stopped in his tracks upon hearing the voice of an angel ringing in his ear.

"Dad....? Dad where are you?" They're leaving... The warrant was crap they're going."

Nicholas's heart pounded in new born relief, upon hearing the words and the voice.

"I'm in here, honey." He said with a whisper.

"Dad, are you in the washroom?" Andrea enquired.

"Where was he, why hadn't he replied?" Andrea thought to herself.

Nicholas put his hands in his pockets releasing the lethal content next to his bill fold and a black marker. Just as he did this, a beautiful glowing woman entered, long dark hair flowing past her back, and a shapely body not for his eyes to admire jumping forward in joy. Upon seeing his baby girl, the strong giant had to fight away the oncoming tears.

He grabbed her and hugged her. "You can't visit your ma and me no more, since you moved to Manhattan you've been a stranger."

While still in his embrace she asked. "Are you okay dad?"

"I'm fine, you know me."

"So you're alright," she said noticing the pill bottles and the water.

His eyes followed hers.

"You're mom fell; I was looking for Aspirin or something."

"Oh, well she's better now, they're all waiting for you."

Andrea grabbed her dads much larger hand and began dragging him out of the washroom.

Moments later Nicholas's mind began to normalize with thought, he used a single arm to embrace his daughters frame as they walked.

"So a few pre law courses at the University of Chicago and now you're an expert, I told you, you should have went to law school instead of med school, you would be in your second year at Zimmerman's firm instead..."

"Wow, you can't just let a bad moment turn into a good one and let it be. I'm a medical resident and I'm doing well enough on my own, making decisions for myself." She said having freed himself from his embrace.

"Well you haven't used you're credit cards in weeks so I know your surviving, but imagine what you would accomplish with a law degree. You just took on the biggest jack off in the FBI and won for God sakes."

"It wasn't me."

"If it wasn't you then who was it?" He asked confused, the two of them now nearing the stairs.

Andrea decided the time for a soft spoken tone had long past. She decided not to ease into it. "My boyfriend got rid of them."

"Mathew Alberti, and you got back together?"

"No, it's not him."

"That's what I figured, the boy comes from good Italian family, but he's an absolute failure, plus the kid is the furthest thing from being a lawyer.... It better not be that money grubbing nigger you brought to your cousin's wedding, or I swear."

"You are so ungrateful. His name is Brian, he's black. I don't care if you approve or not, I love him." Andrea left her father's shadow, running down the chestnut stairs they had finally arrived at.

She ran down preparing to run to her man who was busy scolding a federal agent that was on the edge of bursting: Using terms like obstruction, miscarriage of justices, filling a complaint, and millions.

"They don't even teach case studies like this in Law School. You know why, because no one's ever been as brazenly stupid as you were."

"Look, what do you want me to say, I'm sorry."

"I want a written apology from you, the US Attorney and the sad sack of a judge who signed that invalid piece of crap."

"Hey calm down pal, my agents are gone and you got my apology." Yelled a cowering Walker, who was now failingly attempting to regain ground, Brian overshadowed him with his booming preacher's voice and his basketball player's height."

"You better stop yelling and get writing, because you know what we have here. What we have here is a darling older woman and member of the Governor's taskforce on the Arts, and the top fundraiser for the breast cancer cure." With those final words Brian stopped and paused internally, before finding his footing again. "This beloved mother collapsed and most likely has severe brain damage, due to your callous disregard for due process and respect for carriage of just law."

"Come on are you serious?"

"Let me tell you what I am serious about, Supervisory Special Agent Derrick K. Walker. You caused The Curtoni family undue psychological stress and very real tangible evidentiary damage. Brian said pointing out the door to the carnage of the SUV's on the manicured lawn."

"We'll pay for that."

"Yeah, you will."

"Let's forget the letter."

Walker began to feel the heaviness lifting, just for Brian to drop it all back down. "If you go in and apologize to the Curtoni family publicly for violating their right to exercise their religion as promised by the Constitution, I will consider not naming you in the twenty million dollar lawsuit I intend to file."

"Are you serious?"

Brian said nothing other than.

"Thirty million."

"Forty Million."

Walker didn't need to ask, he knew what the incremental increase and the numbers meant. He reluctantly decided to comply, his reasoned mind which had left him for much of the day had returned. He decided to follow the pointing finger of Brian.

Brian smiled as he ran into Andrea, she tip toed up giving him a kiss, which said there's more for you later baby.

That's when Brian noticed the big cheese.

"Merry Christmas Mr. Curtoni, I'm Brian Cargill"

Andrea right then remembered she had forgotten to tell her father Merry Christmas, she was in no mood to do it now.

"Thanks." Nicholas mumbled, ignoring Brian's extended hand.

Brian had expected a little more appreciation than that. "I just saved your ass, you crooked fuck," Brian thought to himself.