FOR BLOOD AND LOYALTY

Chapter Two

FOUR MONTHS EARLIER.

It was the moment Bobby Drakis had been waiting for. Looking forward to. Not knowing if it would ever really happen. But it did.

            So he hugged his lawyer, loosened his tie and strolled through the old courthouse in the best shape of his life in a dark grey suit and a white shirt with a thick manila envelope in his hand. And a smile, a look of relief on his face.

            He even flirted with a fat, unattractive female court officer on the way out. She was flattered. What the hell, Bobby thought. Rhinos need love too.

            And he walked outside on that nice Spring afternoon down the long front steps of the Albany, New York courthouse past all the people wondering what he was so happy about and right up to his best, oldest, closest friend Victor Saravano who was illegally parked out front, leaning on his shiny, sparkling dark blue 1997 BMW 540 with black tinted windows and custom chrome rims in a white t-shirt, baggy grey sweatpants and white Jordan sneakers with a smile on his face bigger than Bobby’s.

            “You’re gonna get a ticket,” he told him.

            “You’re acting like I give a fuck,” Victor replied.

And they hugged, embraced.

            “I can’t fucking believe it,” Bobby said.

They hugged again.

“Believe it, Brother.”

            But Bobby just stared into his eyes. “Thank you,” he replied.

            And they took off. They were in drive.

“Oh my God I feel fucking great right now.”

            “You should.”

            “I do,” Bobby said, as he finished up a burger, and fries, as they cruised down the freeway. “This is the best food of my life. This is the best day of my life.”

            “Yeah well hopefully tomorrow isn’t. You’re wakin’ up with a hangover, Bro. You’re goin’ back to Queens a hero tonight.”

            “I don’t care about none of that. Really, man, I’m just happy to be free.” Which was all Bobby thought about as he breathed in the fresh, clean, Upstate New York air through the window. “But since you mention it, what’s the plan for tonight?”

            “Whatever you want, Brother. When we get back I’ll show you the apartment I got set up for you. You could shower. I got some clothes for you over there. Take a nap if you want.”

            “I don’t need a nap,” Bobby smiled. “I slept great last night.”

            “Your bunkie tuck you in or something?”

            “With lotion.”

            “Well then after you wash it off I’ll take you around. Or do whatever you want, really. But later tonight we got a little something planned for you.”

            “It’ll be nice to see everybody. What’s up with this job though? I’m not trying to live off of charity.”

            “We’ll talk about it. Why don’t you just get settled first,” Victor said, and he pulled over at the next rest stop.