Gio (5th Street) Read online

  “Nah, she’s a jazz singer but she’s small potatoes. I met her in Vegas after one of my fights. She does have her own show out there but nothing you’d know about.”

  “So, she your new chick? “ Abel asked.

  Felix laughed. “C’mon brother, you know me. Life’s too short to settle on just one chick. Although there is one who seriously has me considering it.”

  “No way,” Gio said, closing his locker. He’d heard rumors about Felix and a girl from Big Bear but just like all the other rumors he’d heard about Felix, Gio hadn’t thought anything of it.

  “Hey,” Felix said, lifting his hands in front of him. “Stranger things have happened. So what do you say? You in?”

  “I’ll give it some thought and let you know in a couple of days. I gotta talk to Jack, too. This is my first day back and already I gotta tell him I may be leaving for two months.”

  “I doubt he’ll have a problem with it,” Abel said “He’ll probably agree you could use the time away.”

  Gio frowned. “Still, I gotta run it past him first.”

  Gio had to admit the more he thought about it, the more he agreed with Abel that getting away might do him some good.

  As it turned out not only was Abel right about Jack agreeing that Gio could use the time away, he insisted Gio did. That evening Jack took Gio aside. “I’m getting old. Too old to be managing this place. The busier it gets; the harder it gets for me.”

  “That’s what me and the guys are here for. You know you can count on us for anything.”

  “Oh, I know that,” Jack said coming around to sit at his old desk. “I already have Hector doing the bills and payroll for me.”

  “Hector?” Gio asked, confused. The kid was still in high school.

  “Yeah, that boy is smart as a whip. I showed him the other day how I do all the back end stuff around here and within minutes he had it all going on the computer—said I could do it all faster and more efficiently that way. He’s working on getting everything in there now.”

  Gio remembered Abel telling them how his little brother had always been smart and talented that way. He said if the kid ever stopped messing around, he might actually do something with that talent.

  “Anyway, so Felix is talking about remodeling this place and putting some big bucks into it. He really wants to give back.”

  Gio’s eyes opened wide. “That would be awesome!”

  Jack turned to Gio. “That’s why I need you to go and get yourself all better. This place is gonna be all of yours soon and I need you to be here one-hundred percent, both physically and emotionally. But there’s something else I wanted to run by you.” Gio nodded, waiting silently for Jack to go on. “Your name is already on the title of 5th Street. I added you years ago.”

  Gio’s eyes opened wide. Jack had made comments in the past about how someday he’d pass 5th Street on to him but he had no idea he was already on the title.

  “I wanna add Noah, Abel and Hector’s names too, but I wanted to make sure you were okay with that.”

  Gio couldn’t believe Jack would even have to ask. “Of course it’s okay. They put in just as much work around here as I do. But Jack, I don’t… I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just say you’ll always work as hard as you do now to keep this place running smoothly. This place is my life and I’m trusting you boys with it.” Jack stood. Gio walked over to him and hugged him.

  “You have my word.”

  Jack smiled. “I knew I would, son. Just do me a favor. Don’t tell them anything yet. I wanna get their names on the title first. And keep to yourself the fact that your name was the only one I added at first.” He pressed his lips together. “You were just the first one I got close to. But now I love you all the same. They don’t need to know about that.”

  Gio promised not to say anything and with that their guy talk was over and Jack left him with a lot to think about. Gio always knew in his heart that someday he and the guys would be running things. Jack, who had no family of his own, always treated them like family and he’d been a father figure to all of them. For the first time in weeks, Gio felt excited again.

  CHAPTER 2

  Nana and her mother stared at Bianca as she got off the phone. She hadn’t been able to wipe the silly smile off her face fast enough.

  “Was that who I think it was?” Nana asked.

  Bianca gave in, nodding. Ever since the past summer, she’d been seeing the Felix Sanchez, current welterweight boxing champion of the world. She didn’t know a thing about boxing but everyone, especially in her neighborhood, knew about Felix. She’d gone to high school with him and he became the local hero when he started winning fight after fight. Then he’d won the championship over a year ago. He was now known worldwide and she was dating him.

  Although she admitted him being famous and insanely rich was part of the intrigue, she’d actually had a crush on the guy way back in high school. She hadn’t seen him in person since she graduated, but last summer when she came up to Big Bear after her grandfather’s death she ran into him. She’d been surprised he remembered her. One thing led to another and they began seeing each other.

  A first she had her doubts about it working out. She even reasoned that it would be okay if it didn’t. She knew he lived a busy life that was much different from her small town life in Big Bear.

  Another reason for her doubts was his fame. Boxers weren’t usually the target of the stalkarazzis but because of Felix’s age and looks—the fact that he’d been linked with quite a few young Hollywood A-listers, and because his upcoming fight was so highly anticipated, he’d now become just as much of a target as a movie star.

  Bianca had never been one to follow the tabloids but ever since she’d gotten involved with Felix she couldn’t help but get sucked into them. Especially when they talked about him being seen with a new girl—this after he’d assured her their relationship was an exclusive one.

  She’d been doing her best not to buy into the hype and made up drama, which Felix said, was all it was. One particular incident last year was when she saw a photo of him and Shana Thompson, the current women’s figure skating champion, said to be the front-runner in this year’s Olympics. It was the week he’d had a photo shoot for Sports Illustrated’s Hottest Young Athletes layout. They were caught in a compromising pose where they apparently were on a date sitting in a very cozy restaurant booth in New York. In one of the photos it appeared as if they were about to kiss. It made Bianca crazy. They’d only been intimate for a few weeks when the photo surfaced and she’d lost it.

  Days after letting him have it and telling him she was done with him, the same photo resurfaced only this time Shana’s boyfriend and Felix’s publicist Andy were also there. The other photo had been doctored. They took the most damning picture of them when they’d leaned in to say something to each other and cropped everything and everyone else out. Just like Felix explained, it wasn’t just a restaurant it was also a blues club and the music was really loud. She felt terrible, especially because Felix had tried in vain to explain to her that that’s what the paparazzi did to sell stories and word was beginning to get out about his mystery Big Bear girlfriend.

  Neither her grandmother nor her mother were crazy about her dating a celebrity, especially one known to be such a womanizer, so of course they were concerned when they saw how upset all the tabloid stories made Bianca. But once the truth was out about the photo they actually convinced her to call Felix and apologize. They also made her promise she’d stop reading the stupid tabloids. More than anything they hated to see her hurt and her mother said it was a better idea if she just followed her heart instead of the gossip. From that day forward, she vowed to never read any of the tabloids. Though there were times she’d slip and give into the temptation. But it had been a while since that happened.

  “So he’ll be up here for two whole months?” Nana asked with a coy little smile.

  “Yes.” Bianca clutched the phone in her hand, feeling lik
e a silly schoolgirl. The time she got to spend with Felix always felt so short. Knowing he’d be up here for two whole months and his saying he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible made her insides go wild. She eagerly filled them in on how long Felix would be there and when he’d arrive. Then she remembered. “But don’t worry, I won’t cut my time away at the shop.”

  Nana waved her hand at her. “We can more than handle it if you want to take some time off.”

  In addition to Bianca and her mother she had two cousins who also worked at her grandmother’s rental shop. During the winter, they rented everything from snowboards and skis to sleds. Then in the summer, they rented all the water sport stuff—rafts, fishing gear, kayaks and they sold bait all year along with a ton of souvenirs. They weren’t insanely busy but business was steady year round with summer and winter being their busiest seasons.

  With it being the middle of winter and more heavy storms expected, business would be booming from now through the end of ski season. Just last night they’d gotten eight inches of fresh powder. “No. I’ll put in my regular hours as usual. I’ll have plenty of time to spend with him before and after my shifts.”

  Bianca could hardly wait. Felix had just called her to tell her he’d be up next week. He was in Los Angeles today but wouldn’t be able to make it up because he had to fly back to Vegas, then Chicago to take care of some final business before he moved to Big Bear for the next couple of months. She loved the way that sounded. She hadn’t seen him in weeks and now she’d have him all to herself for two whole months.

  This was by far the hardest part of their relationship. The amount of time they had to be apart from one another. Sure he’d set her up with a webcam so they could have live chats via the internet but it just wasn’t the same. When he was gone, she missed him so much. Even though he offered to bring her along many times, she could never leave her mother for too long.

  He’d taken her to Miami, New York and even Puerto Rico but she’d always go for just a few days. The longest she’d vacationed with him was the trip to New York for a week around the holidays. She’d mentioned that she’d always wanted to see New York during the holidays and he made the arrangements immediately but she came home to be with her grandmother for Christmas. New York had been great but nothing beat Big Bear, especially during the winter. There was something so homey and quaint about the small town.

  Gabe, one of the cousins who also worked at Nana’s shop, walked in. “Oh, good you’re here. I can leave now.”

  “Where are you off to?” Nana asked.

  Bianca smiled. “To Toni’s to get my hair cut.”

  Her mother quickly signed to her that she should be careful driving. The roads were still very slippery from the snow earlier. Bianca had to smile, even via sign language and without ever voicing her words like some deaf people did, her mother’s worried anxiousness came across loud and clear. She signed back that she would and that she loved her and was off to Toni’s.

  Her hairdresser, Toni had quickly become one of Bianca’s closest friends since she’d moved up here. At first, Bianca thought Toni was just good at making her feel comfortable because it was part of her job. Making conversation as she worked on her client’s hair came with the job description but it turned out Toni was just cool—more than cool, she was awesome. When she found out Bianca was a newbie in town she took it upon herself to show her all the hot spots to shop, the best places to meet men and even taught her how to snowboard the more advanced slopes. Not that Bianca was a total beginner. She’d gone snowboarding plenty of times when she visited her grandparents in the past but she’d never attempted the more advanced slopes she now snowboarded, thanks to Toni.

  When she walked into the small hair salon, Toni sat reading a magazine. The first thing Bianca noticed was that her hair color was different—again. Toni was a few years older than Bianca and a bit eccentric. The hair that was curly and blonde the last time Bianca had seen her just last week was now straight and dark brown with a couple of blue streaks. Her eyes lit up when she saw Bianca.

  “Your hair?”

  “You like it? Toni asked, flipping a strand of hair with her hand.

  “It’s different,” Bianca said examining it as she got closer. “But yes I like it. How is it that every color and style looks good on you?”

  “Because I wear the hair, honey. It doesn’t wear me.”

  Bianca giggled. This was true. Toni could take any look and totally own it.

  “So, is it time?” Toni asked.

  Bianca nodded, feeling keyed up again. She’d known about him coming up to train for months now but he hadn’t given her an exact date until today. “Yes. He called today; he’ll be here this weekend.”

  Toni jumped out of her chair. “Well, let’s get this going.”

  Bianca hadn’t expected Toni to be busy—not on such a snowy day as today. So it wasn’t surprising her little salon was empty.

  “What’s it going to be?” Toni asked as she wrapped the cape around her, tying it around her neck.

  “I don’t know, Toni. Just make me stunning.”

  “Girl, you’re already stunning and you know it. There’s a reason why that boy, who can have any girl he wants, keeps coming back here. He ain’t blind.”

  Bianca winced taking in Toni’s words. Any girl he wants. She stared at herself in the mirror. Never in her life had she been insecure about her looks. In fact, she’d been blessed with the Rubio family’s beauty gene. Her father’s sisters had actually won a few beauty pageants back in their day and everyone said Bianca was a Rubio through and through. From her long legs to her big expressive eyes, to her full lush lips, she’d always been a head turner. Yet, she hadn’t really blossomed until after high school. Which is why she was surprised Felix remembered her.

  But she couldn’t help feeling a little intimidated knowing Felix was constantly around some of the most glamorous women in the world. She’d told herself from the very beginning when she decided to allow herself to become involved with Felix that she’d never been insecure before and she certainly wasn’t going to start now.

  “Just work your magic, Toni. I wanna look perfect for him when he gets here.”

  “I know exactly what to do.” Toni smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “If this boy thought you were hot before, wait ‘til he gets a load of what Magic Hands Toni has in store for him.”

  Bianca took a deep breath and smiled. It was almost scary how excited she felt about this.

  ~*~

  Abel had offered to give Gio a ride to Big Bear since Felix told him driving his bike in the snow would be a sure death sentence. But Felix insisted on sending a car for him. Some of his other trainers and a driver were already at his compound getting things set up for his arrival. Gio wasn’t sure what he meant by compound but he sure as hell was surprised when he got there. The property was secluded, and tucked away deep in the mountains. And there were several structures on the property. Everything was constructed of logs but it was luxury beyond anything Gio had ever witnessed.

  He stood there for a good ten minutes; his still stunned eyes taking everything in. The spiral staircase that went up to the second floor was all made of logs as well. All the furnishings: the tables, lamps, even the full bar was either made of wood or boasted some kind of wooden accent. The chandeliers throughout were made of antlers. Deer or moose or maybe even elk since they were so huge.

  Gio walked slowly through the cabin, glad no one was there with him yet because he was completely speechless. He stopped and looked into what appeared to be a theater room complete with a huge screen, theater seats and an old fashioned but shiny new popcorn maker.

  Continuing with his tour, he walked into what was obviously the game room. A pool table was the centerpiece of the room with a party sized Jacuzzi in a corner. Then he saw it: a giant, wall-sized, salt water aquarium. “Whoa.”

  Gio had an idea of what something like that must cost from a reality show. It was about a family whose
business was building these elaborate things for customers like Felix who could afford to have one custom made. As he approached it he noticed the underwater village of some sort. When he got close enough he knew this was definitely custom made to Felix’s specifications. “What?” he laughed.

  It wasn’t a village. It was 5th Street. Not just the gym. The entire barrio. 5th Street was in the center, but the park where they used to play hoops and the liquor store they’d frequent was there. He didn’t leave any detail out. He got it all, right down to the broken street lamps.

  Ray, one of the other trainers and also former 5th Street alumnus, walked in and greeted him. He showed him to his room. Just like all the other rooms it was spectacular. Gio could hardly believe he’d be spending an entire two months here.

  Since there was no snow in Los Angeles he’d seen no reason why he should wear his snow gear on the way up but now he was here, it was snowing and colder than shit outside. Gio changed into the snow pants, jacket and boots Felix had promised would be in the closet. He checked the drawers for a beanie and gloves and they were full of them. Just like Felix said. He’d hooked him up good.

  He heard a car pull up and a car door close so he walked to the window to see if it was Felix. The driver walked around the car, opened the back door and a girl stepped out. “The hell?”

  Gio couldn’t see very well due to the window fogging up already and the snow still coming down pretty densely. From what he could see, she was glammed up just like all the other girls he ever saw around Felix. But why would she be here now? Felix said he wouldn’t be up until later tonight. Then Gio remembered. I’ll make sure you have company. “Ah hell.”