bit during the trip, like how her father had tried to kill Jonny Amaro, but they'd just felt like stories. Tales of another life, of another place. It wasn't until they drove by the quarantined shell that had once been Casato, pulling onto the block that had been rocked just months ago by a violent car bomb, that it sunk in.
"It's funny, though, isn't it?" Matty asked as he stopped at a red light. "They want to control these streets so bad that they go to war over them and end up destroying it all."
"I wouldn't call that funny, Matty. Joe Pesci is funny. Our fathers are just assholes."
"Funny, how?" Matty grinned, leaning toward her. "Funny like a clown?"
"Don't even." She shoved his face away. "Don't be quoting Goodfellas to me right now. I mean, holy shit… that's like saying Bloody Mary in the mirror in the dark. What are you trying to do, conjure the fuckers? It's goddamn Candyman all over again!"
Matty laughed, pulling away from her when the light turned green again. He continued driving, veering west. Genna left him to his curiosity as he drove into Soho, navigating the familiar streets to The Place. He slowed as he passed the remnants of the building. It, too, had burned.
"My father's seriously gotta be pissed about that," he mumbled, continuing on, not wanting to linger too long in one spot. "And those guys who hung out there, you know, they weren't bad. They just got mixed up with the wrong crowd."
"Don't we all?" Genna watched in the side mirror as she frowned. She hadn't expected to feel so… heartbroken. "I'm sad I'll never see that pool table again. I lost my virginity on top of it."
Laughter burst from Matty. "You were not a virgin."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know. I didn't take it easy on you that night. Had you been a virgin, you would've been in tears, not mewling."
She scowled. "Mewling?"
"Like a cat in heat."
She shoved him, damn near making him swerve the car into another lane. "You just did not compare me to a cat in heat!"
"You practically backed that ass up into me, begging me to stick it in, baby."
"See, that's it… I'm done with you." She shifted around in the seat, slouching, trying to get comfortable but the damn seatbelt was tight on her stomach no matter how she turned. "Just take me to my father's house and drop me off. It's about time we go our separate ways."
"Over my dead body. That's the last place I'll be taking you."
"What if I demand it? What if I refuse to go with you?"
"Then I'll tie you up and throw you in the trunk."
"See, I knew it!" She lugged her body his direction again, groaning from discomfort, and waved her finger all around his face. "When I saw you on the elevator that day, I totally called that shit. Creep."
Matty pulled her hand away from his face. "I'm not taking you to that house. Ever. But I know where we can go."
"Where?"
"Neutral ground."
Neutral ground. New Jersey.
"You sure the house is still there?" she asked. "Everything else seems to have been wiped off the map."
"Positive," he said. "Just like I'm positive you weren't a virgin."
"Whatever. I didn't mewl, though. I would never."
"That sounds like a challenge."
"One we'll save for another day," she said, shifting around yet again. "Ugh, can you make it speedy? I've gotta pee here."
"You just did that."
"Yeah, well, tell that to the baby bouncing on my bladder."
Reaching over, Matty ran his hand along her stomach, rubbing. "Take it easy on your Mom, kiddo. We need her in one piece."
Genna rested her hand on top of Matty's, slipping her fingers between his as she smiled. She could feel the bumps, the baby shifting around in her stomach, kicking against Matty's hand, his thumb steadily stroking the spot that kept moving.
He was right, as it turned out, the house in New Jersey still there. Matty parked the car in the driveway, not having a way to open the garage, and hesitated as he approached the front door. "Shit."
Genna danced around behind him, her bladder about to burst. "What?"
"No key." He felt his pockets. "I didn't even think about it."
"Oh, pfftt, no problem." She headed back to the car, yanking the door open, and snatched a screwdriver off the floorboard. She wiggled it in his face as she returned. "Easy-peasy."
"Stealing cars… hustling pool… breaking and entering… just a few of your many talents."