by Amy Rachiele
I pause. My father is asking me to kill everyone. I actually have never killed before. Beat the shit out of them, even shot them, yes. But I have never been the end reason for someone dying.
This thinking is short lived because the monster, angry and untamed peaks over the top of my consciousness ready to kill. I have been primed my whole life for this. Megan’s life is in danger. Uncle Tutti started this...and I’m going to finish it.
“I got it, Pop. You comin’ out here?”
“I can’t. I am trying to fuckin’ control Sommersville. With you and Patrick gone, I am running low on people I can trust to get the job done. You can handle it, Tonio. Keep those girls safe. With Vito and Patrick, you have a good team to sweep and clean. I trust Ennio.”
My instructions are clear, take down Uncle Tutti’s crew. I hang up with Pop and walk out of the bathroom. Vito is by Erin’s bed with Megan’s mother. Ennio and Patrick have left. I sit next to Megan on the couch. She leans her head on my shoulder. Her soft hair touches my cheek. I put my arm around her and squeeze. She lifts her head and kisses me gently. It is just as sweet as the first time.
She tilts back to look at me, and I see the rope burns and the bruises. Adrenaline, hot and fierce, pumps through me at the sight.
“Antonio... Is everything all right now?” she asks.
“No.” I say, staring into her eyes. “It is just the beginning.”
I have to kill them all!
End of Part two
BOOK 3
Mobster’s Vendetta
There are three sides to every story. Mine, yours, and the truth.
Joe Massino, Mob Boss
Chapter 1
Capo: Captain of boss’s enforcers
Megan:
If anyone asked me I’d tell them I’ve known Antonio my whole life–intimately. This isn’t because we have spent every waking moment with each other since birth. In fact, we never spent any time together until recently.
But, my soul was drawn to him even when my mind didn’t want to be. It isn’t about the danger or his dark beauty. It’s the connection I feel. He makes me feel at home even though I am miles away from it.
We have been apart now for three weeks. I have been caged in this gilded prison for three weeks. Fancy meals, workout room, pool, repeat.
This separation is painful. If you get something, something powerful, then lose it, desolation takes over. It’s both unhealthy and right all at the same time.
“Meg!” my sister, Erin, calls weakly.
“Coming!”
I just finished working out. I use the gym here every day. I have never worked out before, but boredom took over. Well, boredom and my run-in with Uncle Tutti, Antonio’s uncle. Near strangulation is a great motivator. It inspires me to become stronger.
The only time that I leave the family floor of the casino is during the slow times. A bodyguard takes Clarissa and me downstairs to get ice cream from the small Ben and Jerry’s stand in the midst of the high-priced shops that line up and down the main lobby hallway. I always look forward to this escape. Sure, it’s a diversion from the top floor of Mancuso Mafia Penitentiary, otherwise known as La Bella Regale Casino, but it is something I have to get me through.
The bodyguards are relatively nice. Joey is typically the one on duty when we get our treat. It still surprises me that Clarissa has been living like this her whole life. I don’t know how she does it. I, on the other hand, feel like an animal in a cage, even if it’s a comfortable one.
I typically bring Erin a huge sundae. Chunky Monkey is her favorite. I think she is well enough to come downstairs with us, but she chooses to stay upstairs.
“Meg! Joey’s here.”
“I’m coming!”
I walk towards the front of the suite. It’s not a short walk. Think studio-style with palace-like, heavy gold furniture...an old-world palace in a modern-day skyscraper.
“Hey, Joey,” I greet him.
He grins at me. Joey is a good looking guy...well no, he's gorgeous. He fits right in here with his black, floppy hair scattered around his forehead, but his eyes seem to set him apart from everyone...they are a pale green. I can see why Clarissa and my sister, Erin, giggle every time he's around. He is quite charming. When he smiles, two dimples appear on each side of his mouth. It's sweet and endearing. But, all the same, I probably wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley.
Clarissa is sitting on the couch next to my sister. Her short-cut bob of rich brown hair swings when she turns to me flashing a warm smile. Our stay has been a treat for her.
Erin and Clarissa have their heads together, snickering. I roll my eyes at their immaturity, but it also fills me with happiness to see my sister entertained. They have become very close during our seclusion. Clarissa truly has been a lifesaver by pulling Erin back from the darkness of recent traumas.
The traumas run deep. Connor, her ex-boyfriend...what an ass! He cheated on her. There isn’t a minute that goes by when I think of his betrayal that my blood doesn’t boil. And the truth about Dad’s work, being bound to a chair in our kitchen with a gun pointed at her head...these events revealed my sister’s insecurities and vulnerabilities.
Clarissa is good for Erin. She is a tough cookie. She gives my sister coping skills that she desperately needs. Being immersed in the Mafia lifestyle, even though she’s trapped at the casino, makes Clarissa a force to be reckoned with. She has learned, like Antonio, to handle and deal with tough situations.
Joey is the son of Ennio’s right hand man, Julio. Julio is head of security and an enforcer...I’ve heard him also referred to as Capo. Joey is in the beginning of his training, at the very early stages. Being a bodyguard for us is one of the things he has to do. He is pretty close-lipped about it, but I still ask a ton of questions and he typically caves. As much as what goes on scares me, it also fascinates me. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m in love with a mobster or if it’s because I’ve been born into this life, albeit ignorant of it.
“You ready?” Joey asks.
“Yeah. You coming, Clarissa?” I ask, grabbing a sweatshirt.
“I think I’ll stay with Erin.”
“You don’t have to,” Erin interjects.
“It’s okay. Make that two Chunky Monkeys today, Meg.”
“Got it. We’ll be back.”
Joey and I leave the suite and head for the family elevator. The red and gold carpeted hallway gleams all the time. I have mused to myself that little elves come in the middle of the night to scrub it.
Joey pushes in a security code and we wait.
“How are things going today?” he asks.
“Ugh. Same ol’,” I shrug.
A door opens at the end of the hall. We both turn to look. Alex, another enforcer, sticks his head out. My face automatically moves to offer a greeting, but, when he sees Joey and I, he quickly pulls his head back in and shuts the door. No hello. Alex is another one of the people I’ve met here that I really like. He seems genuine and has been extremely helpful with anything that Erin and I have needed, so this behavior is a little odd.
“What was that about?” I ask quizzically.
“Who knows,” Joey responds.
The elevator dings, and we step in. Mirrors line all of the walls. I know behind those mirrors are cameras. There are cameras everywhere.
“I think I’m going to take my ice cream upstairs too. I’ll eat with Erin,” I tell Joey.
“Nah, eat downstairs. It’s your big adventure to the casino floor,” he coaxes.
“I’d rather eat in the suite with Erin and Clarissa. Erin’s birthday is tomorrow, and it’s not too early to start celebrating. Besides, I always feel guilty when I leave with you.”
Joey raises his eyebrows at me.
“Why? Do you have a thing for me, Miss O’Neill? You’re a beauty, but I don’t need my face knocked in by Tonio,” he jokes, his dimples deepen when he laughs.
“Ha ha,” I deadpan.
Everyone knows that Antonio
and I are in love. I miss him so much. But I am struck by what Joey said. Joey is in his twenties, much older than us...and he’s afraid of Antonio.
Joey’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and he shifts his coat to the side, his gun and holster poking out, as he takes his phone out and answers it.
“Yeah...(pause)...No...(pause)...I can do that...(pause)...Okay.”
Joey hangs up and presses a new floor button - B.
“Are we are going to the basement?” I ask skeptically.
“Yup. We’re going on a field trip.” He scrubs his hands together maniacally. He is joking, but an eerie feeling overcomes me. Mice and gross things are usually in basements. Is there a special mob morgue down there? My mind is running away from me. I have been cooped up too long.
Joey grins at me. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” I shiver. “I’m just not a big fan of basements.”
Joey shakes his head and laughs at me. “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Says the mobster - Sure, no problem!
The elevator dings. The doors slide open.
Chapter 2
Enforcer: Mafia henchman, who enforce the rules
Megan:
A half-dozen enforcers are lounging around on leather couches. All faces turn to us. All conversation stops.
“Hey!” Joey calls out to no one in particular.
This place never ceases to amaze me. The basement is like a whole other world. The conversations resume. The doors slide shut behind us as I scan the room.
The first thing I see, because you can’t miss it when you step out of the elevator, is a huge screen television. It swallows the whole back wall of the basement. A football game is on. The players are enormous like in a movie theater. In the corner is a kitchenette. Mini stainless steel appliances, complete with a Keurig coffee pot. The granite counters are covered with open chip bags and salsa, metal food trays, and plastic dishes.
“Hey, Meg,” Ty yells over when he sees Joey and me.
He is another enforcer/bodyguard that I see a lot. I wave as I continue to examine the fortress. A poker table for eight sits against another wall. Over to the left is a massive steel door with a huge glass window next to it.
“So, Meg, this is where we hang out.” Joey gestures around the room.
I have never met most of these guys before, and feel their eyes follow us as we make our way through the room. Ennio, Clarissa’s father, owner and boss, is very strict about who is allowed on the family level.
Joey walks me over to the steel door and opens it. Lined floor to ceiling are television screens. Levers and switches cover a desk. Every inch of the building appears to have a camera trained on it. I knew this, but seeing it freaks me out. Not that I have never thought of it before, but seeing the actual place where they come together is unsettling.
“Here is the command center where we can keep our eye on everything.” Joey winks at me.
Tables, entrances, and slot machines are all on the screens surrounding the room. Joey shuffles me in front of him. “This is Gilly. He sits a lot.”
Gilly punches Joey in the arm. The man appears to like his doughnuts and coffee. Two empty boxes sit next to him, piled on top of each other, and a bunch of coffee cups overflow the trash can. Gilly has a sweet face with a stomach the size of a basketball.
“Don’t listen to him, Megan. I hit the floor too.”
I have never met Gilly, but he knows my name. He has probably seen me through the cameras. I hope there isn’t one in the suite. I scan the frames trying to find my room, but don’t have time to finish searching because Joey takes me through another door.
“Come on. I have to grab a couple of things,” he says, waving for me to follow him.
Inside the door is a huge bowling alley style room, but it’s not for bowling. Large targets are at one end - huge black pinned up outlines of people with circles on their chests hang from the ceiling.
A firing range.
Makes sense. They must need to practice shooting. I have seen first-hand that Mafia is a tough business.
“What do you think?” Joey asks pulling me from my thoughts. He is rifling through some boxes and putting some equipment together.
“Umm. It’s nice. Very high-tech.” I wonder to myself if the police have anything so spectacular.
Guns and ammunition hang on the walls. Steel boxes are piled in a corner. There are five firing lanes with goggles and headsets positioned at every station.
I walk over to the first lane. A small handgun rests on the counter, seemingly innocent and arbitrary. I pick it up. It’s cold and heavy in my hand. But it’s not as weighty as the one the guy had trained on my sister only weeks ago.
I take aim, wistfully. The gun is a natural fit to my hand. My eye’s predisposition draws to the center of the target. I’ve done this before. The feeling conflicts my memories, ghostly recollections of the past.
Joey startles me. He is behind me while I observe the target.
“You wanna give it a try?”
“What? Me?” I ask, shocked. He wants me to fire a gun in here?
“Let’s see what you got, O’Neill!” he eggs me on.
Joey grabs the hand gun from my hand and slips the clip out, replacing it with another he grabs from the metal boxes. It clicks in place. He turns the butt of the gun to me, expecting me to take it.
“Uh...I don’t know about this. Why don’t you take some shots, and I’ll watch?”
I’m very uncomfortable about this. The last time I held a gun it was over the guy that broke into my house. I do my best to not touch any of Antonio’s weapons, even though they are around all the time. I’m not sure why I picked this up.
“We’ll fire together,” he suggests. He gestures for me to take the gun by waving it at me slightly.
An image flashes in my mind.
Shadows.
Danger.
There are tall shadows, and I’m so low and small.
I shudder.
“Come on. It’ll be fun,” he encourages. The gun still hangs in the air between us.
I take it.
“Move right over here.” Joey gently places his hand on my back and lines me up at the firing range. “Stand here and put these on.”
He hands me goggles and a headset and grabs a set of his own from the next station. His voice is muffled when he speaks again.
“The safety is off on this gun, so there is nothing to do. Just hold it in front of you, point, and pull the trigger.”
Joey stands behind me, all business. My fingers and hands seem to slip into the right position. It feels familiar, and I have held a gun before.
I readjust myself and get comfortable. It feels intuitive, like I know what I am supposed to do. My mind flashes again with images of tall men in shadow. I shake it off.
“Now, look right here. It’s the site. Aim right for the heart on the target,” Joey says bringing me back to the here and now.
My heart beats faster as I hold the metallic object in my hand. My hand fits perfectly. My index finger is lying comfortably on the trigger.
“Take your time,” Joey says to me in my ear. “Focus. Look only at the target.”
A hysterical giggle wants to erupt from inside me, but I don’t let it.
I suck in a breath, focus myself, and squeeze the trigger. The gun bucks slightly as the bullet releases. I can feel the shot all the way down my arms and into my chest.
Joey freezes.
I freeze.
He pushes a button on the panel. The target, suspended on a wire, rushes towards us. It has one hole in it. And the hole is through the heart...perfectly.
After a second of silence, Joey jumps and fist pumps the air.
“I knew it!” he yells. ”The minute you picked up that gun, I knew it!”
I’m confused.
“You knew what?!” I yell, partly because it’s hard to hear with the headset and because I am scared. What did he know?
“Y
ou’re a sharpshooter! It’s gotta be in your blood. Holy Shit! I knew it!”
Joey grabs the door to the security room.
“Dude! Get the guys. They gotta see this! Mannegia!”
Joey is beaming as he comes back to me.
“Do it again!”
I’m flustered. I’m a what? Sharpshooter? Don’t you need to go to like some kind of gun school for that...or years of training?
“Come on, do it again! I bet you can do it every fuckin’ time!” Joey pleads. “Go through the same hole! Come on!”
He pushes the panel button and the target swishes back to its position. The room fills with enforcers and bouncers. The huge expanse of the firing range becomes very small.
The hulking guys are pushing each other and fooling around, being guys. Joey stands behind me again.
Ty starts chanting my name like he is waiting for me to score the winning touchdown. Some of the others join in.
Joey gives me some last minute instructions. I push out the noise and commotion behind me. Joey must raise his hand or something because the room becomes very quiet.
I suck in a breath, focus myself, and squeeze the trigger just like last time. I fire and the gun bucks.
The room is still while Joey pushes the panel button. The silhouette target dances towards us again. I concentrate on it before it makes it to us. Another hole. This one overlaps the other in a figure eight form with the middle missing. I was off by a millimeter.
“HOLY SHIT! She did it!” Joey exclaims, and cheers erupt in the room. “I have to save this for Delisi!”
I feel hands on my back. Multiple hands clap my back and congratulate me. Joey pulls me in for a half-hug.
“You are the awesomest medigan I have ever met!” Joey yells and unclips the paper guy from the wire. He holds it over his head. “Fuckin’ awesome!”
Everyone hovers around us as Joey examines my bullet holes. The flock of guys are all gasping and chatty like little girls.
