by Amy Rachiele
“Only Delisi would find a girl who can shoot like that,” Ty says to his friend.
Joey pulls his phone out. It must have been ringing, but I didn’t hear it over the noise.
“Yeah we’re coming,” he shouts into the phone. “Nope, right now.” He ends the call and looks at me.
“Ready to head back upstairs?” he asks grinning.
“What about the ice cream for Erin?” I ask. I don’t really care about me, but I want to at least bring it for Erin and Clarissa.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have someone bring it up.”
The hallway is silent as usual. In the elevator, Joey stares at the target the entire ride. He certainly is proud. I am surprised by my own ability. Maybe it was just luck. Maybe, maybe not. It felt right. I just knew what to do. It was easy. Why is it so wonderful? Can’t other people do that?
At the suite, Joey puts a code in, and the door opens. I walk in to darkness. The suite is completely black. Where is Erin? I immediately snap to alert.
I hear Joey click the lights on.
“Surprise!”
It takes me a second. The entire room is filled with people.
Clarissa and Carlo.
What’s he doing here? He supposed to be with Antonio. I quickly scan the room for Antonio’s face, but sadly don’t see him.
Doc Howie and our governess, Lucia. Okay, she is really a tutor, but I go with the flow. It’s what Ennio calls her.
Alex, one of our bodyguards and enforcer stands off to the side with a deep grin on his face. He is a tall drink of cool water like the rest of them. Natural dark skin, intense brown wavy hair, and built in all the right places.
My mother is not here. She went to stay with the O’Connell’s back in Palmetto. Once Erin started getting better, she left. She didn’t even ask us to go with her, probably knowing I wasn’t going to listen to anything she said. I want to at least be in the same state as Antonio, and Erin’s proximity to Doc Howie is vital for her recovery and safer than any hospital in Palmetto right now.
Troy!
Troy is here. He sweeps me into a hug and spins me around just like he used to.
“Oh my God! I’m so happy to see you.” My eyes adjust as the room spins. I can’t believe it. Troy is here. Ennio was so adamant that no one could come to visit. “How? They let you visit?” I fumble my words.
Troy still holding me, whispers in my ear.
“They blindfolded me. They fuckin’ blindfolded me,” he says as he puts me down. “It was the only way they would let me see you.”
“Oh.” His words make me falter, but I recover because I am just so happy to see him. I missed my friend so much and hug him again.
Shock consumes me and Erin comes up to me.
“What is this all about?” I ask.
“This is for you,” she says.
“But it’s your birthday tomorrow, not mine,” I say puzzled by all this.
“I wanted to do something to thank you.”
“For what?” Now I was really baffled.
Tears spring into Erin’s eyes. “For taking care of me.” She pauses. “And putting up with me.”
I reach out and hug her.
“Oh, Erin, I am just so glad you’re better.” Tears leak out onto my cheeks, too.
There is nothing I won’t do for my sister. As fragile as she is, I would do everything I could to help her. Over the past few weeks, the dark circles under her eyes have lessened. Her rosy complexion has come back, and her strength is returning.
We break our embrace, and Clarissa comes up to hug me, as do Lucia and Doc Howie. I am so busy talking that I don’t notice Alex trying to get my attention until he taps my shoulder.
“Come on over here,” he says. I follow him across the room. Troy and Erin are right behind me. Staff from the casino mill in and out of the room offering stuffed mushrooms and little egg rolls.
Near the windows facing the windy city of Chicago is a sheet draped over something huge. I stand in front of it as everyone else makes a semi-circle around me. Alex rips the sheet off...
A harp!
The most gorgeous harp I have ever seen. Intricate scrolls and designs cascade down the sides. A cherub with hands extended, graces the top arch. It is absolutely magnificent!
“It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” I breathe aloud in awe.
I step closer and gently strum my fingers across it. Perfect!
“What is this for?” I ask no one in particular.
“It’s from Tonio,” Alex answers. “He knows you miss the one at your house.”
My chest tightens and my cheeks burn. I ache for him so much.
“Play something,” Alex says. Everyone in the room mumbles and nods encouragement.
“Yeah, come on, Meg,” Troy urges.
Erin sits down on the sofa, and Clarissa follows. Slowly, each person in the room finds a seat as I settle behind the enormous instrument. I caress it easily, loving the feeling of the strings. I play a few chords, learning the composition of it.
Beginning slowly, Ave Maria glides out of my fingers into the strings and out into the air. I am home.
Chapter 3
Take Out: Kill
Antonio:
“This fucking sucks!” I toss my phone hard onto the dresser. I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t work later.
“Tonio? I thought we were going to the casino tonight?” Vito asks, coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His black hair is wet and longer than usual.
Vito and I are staying in a scummy hole-in-the-wall hotel in the heart of Chicago’s hit area. It sucks, but we have no choice. Pop wanted me home for a week to take care of some business for him, then come back here. I said No fucking way! I am not leaving without Megan.
I am miserable. Vito is more ornery than usual, too. Crossing our path is bad luck for anyone and everyone – even the poor guy that sold us coffee at Starbucks.
Vito walks to the bed to put on his jeans. I get a good view of his back. His scars are pink and angry from the burns. It’s been three weeks since the car bombing. We are no closer to getting Uncle Tutti than we were then.
“Dude, Pop called,” I huff out, disgusted that I even have to tell him this. “We have a meeting down on Charleton Street at six. We’ll never fuckin’ make it to the party,” I tell him.
Three weeks of chasing.
“Mannegia!” Vito growls.
Chasing after Uncle Tutti and Luigi Prazzo is playing on my fucking nerves. This is bullshit! I have to kill them. Sadly, that’s not what’s eating me alive...the biggest fuckin’ stab is being away from Megan.
I really want to see her face when she receives that harp. It’s the most expensive thing I have ever bought in my life. Pop had to take money out of an overseas account he has for me to pay for it.
“What the fuck is goin’ on now?” Vito spits, aggravated.
We both wanted to see Megan and Erin tonight. We’ve both been on edge. I’m starting to question my own sanity. Days are running together. My mind feels edgy and frustrated.
For weeks, Pop, Patrick, Vito, and I have been scouring Chicago and Palmetto for Uncle Tutti’s men. And now, we are forging another alliance...tonight. Ennio’s family, the Mancuso’s, arranged a meeting with another Mafia family in Chicago, the Furlotti’s. Pop is coming to Chicago tonight especially for this meeting.
I pull my shirt over my head as I walk to the bathroom, ready to shower. Vito is pulling his jeans on.
Knock, knock.
We both become motionless, and then spring into action. Vito grabs the two handguns off the bedside table and tosses one to me. We flank each side of the hotel room door. I nod to Vito, and he opens it.
“What do you want?” Vito barks out.
I infer by Vito’s response that the person at the door is an undesirable. I stiffen, bracing myself to react.
A very female voice answers.
“Marrone! Is that anyway to talk to me?! I’v
e known you since you wore diapers.”
“Get in here,” Vito scolds. “This is no place for you!”
“Nice to see you too, asshole.”
Alessandra steps over the threshold.
“Tonio!” she beams at me and throws her arms around my neck. I embrace her back. I bury my head in her thick brown hair.
I have missed her. Besides Vito, she has been my closest friend. When everyone else was fake or stayed away from me, she never did. She has been tried and true...like a sister. She calls me on my shit and never lets me get away with anything.
I pull away. “What are you doing here?” I ask much gentler than Vito and throw a glare his way.
Vito reads my glance, hugs her, and then stands back, arms folded across his chest waiting for an answer.
“School’s out for holiday break. I was bored. My parents flew me out here. I rented a car, and here I am.”
“Who told you where we are?”
“Carlo,” she says. “Hey, where is he? I thought he said he would be with you?”
“He is back at the casino. I wish we were, but some stuff has come up,” I say aggravated.
“Oh...he said something about a party there for Megan?”
“Yeah, but now we won’t get there ‘til later.”
“So, let me get this straight,” I question, “Carlo told you to come here and not go straight to the casino?” Something is not right.
“Well...no. He told me where you were staying, and I decided I meet you here and go with you guys over to the casino. You know, to surprise Megan. How is she doing?”
“So, Carlo expects you at the casino?” Alessandra is obviously trying to change the conversation, but I don’t drop it.
“Um, yeah...” She looks ashamed.
“When you drove into this neighborhood, did you not start to get a clue it might not be the best place?!” Vito spits at her.
I sigh. “We’ll have to drop her off before the meeting.”
“I can drive myself,” San huffs.
“There is a lot of shit going down, Alessandra. I would feel better if we took you.”
I pick up my phone and call Carlo.
“Hey, man,” he answers.
“Alessandra’s here.”
“What?!”
“She is at the hotel.”
“I sent a guy to the airport to pick her up!” he says annoyed.
“They must have missed each other because she is standing right in front of me.”
“Do you want me to come and get her?”
“No. We’ll drop her off.”
I click the phone off and walk to the bathroom to shower. I make it a quick one and dry off, dressing quickly. Vito and Alessandra are having a heated conversation in the next room. The door is so paper-thin that I can hear every word.
“Don’t play me, Vito! I know you like her.”
“Just shut up, San! You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about?”
“The hell I don’t! I see the way you look at her. You follow her with your eyes at school!”
“She was at school for what, two weeks, before all this shit went down,” grumbles Vito.
“Don’t play me, Vito. I’m not stupid!”
“Yes you are! You came here by yourself. You are fuckin’ stupid.”
San huffs and curses under her breath.
“Carlo has been filling me in. He said you bend over backwards for that girl.”
“Why the fuck are you starting shit with me?! Stay out of my business!” Vito sounds at his limit.
Who the frig are they talking about? My brain kicks in. Shit!
“What the hell does Carlo know? We’ve hardly seen him in years. Besides, I’m supposed to be watching out for her. She is my responsibility,” he adds.
“...and he said you haven’t been doing your usual screwing anything on two legs! To me, that sounds like a man who is whipped!” Alessandra is pushing.
“What the fuck did you call me?” Vito’s voice is alarmingly sharp.
“Wh-ip-ped! Would you like me to spell it, dumbass?”
I yell through the door, “Sta-zitto! Now!”
Their voices lower.
“San, I’m gonna say this once. She. Is. A. Kid.”
“And I’m gonna say this once. Does. Not. Matter.”
Oh, shit! Erin!
We pile in the SUV that we are using, courtesy of Ennio, and leave San’s car at the hotel. I’ll send someone for it later.
The two of them are uncharacteristically quiet.
How did I not see it before? Am I dense? Am I losing it? Have I been so caught up in my own shit? Getting her to drink and eat...freaking out over that chooch, Jake...sleeping in her bed to get her through her nightmares...sitting at her bedside... Fuck! He’s got a hard-on for her!
Deep down, Vito is a nice guy, but that stuff did seem over the top even for him. Come to think of it, I did catch him watching her a lot. Not that he has had much opportunity, but San is right, he hasn’t gone after girls...hasn’t even mentioned any.
“So, San, how’s school?” I ask.
“Boring without you guys,” she mutters.
Vito snorts.
The ride gets quiet again but then Alessandra speaks up.
“How are Erin and Megan?”
Vito stiffens noticeably beside me.
“They’re safe. I haven’t seen Megan in a few weeks, but I get regular reports and call her. She hates being there.”
“I’m sure she does. She probably feels like a caged animal. Poor Clarissa, I don’t know how she has done it all of these years. Ennio keeps a short leash on her.”
We pull up in front of Regale Casino. A doorman opens Vito’s door, but Vito waves him away and points to the back where Alessandra is.
“Aren’t you coming in at least for a minute?” she asks.
“If I go in there, San, I’ll never come out,” I say, meaning it. It has been so long since I’ve seen Megan that I’m not going to want to leave.
Alessandra gets out, and Carlo shows up at the curb. His face is stern. He is pissed at Alessandra. Carlo knows better than to tell anyone where we are staying. San made him look bad, and I will have to talk to Carlo later. It’s not that we can’t trust Alessandra, but you never give out information someone doesn’t need to know...she didn’t need to know. It is important to maintain discipline between enforcers and associates within the families.
Vito plugs the address into his phone, and we arrive a few minutes early for the meeting. I get out of the car and light a cigarette, taking a deep puff. I watch the smoke mixed with my breath in cold in the night air.
Business is always the same, no matter where we go. Dark alleys, warehouses, seedy bars. We are constantly reliving the same smells and the same sounds. The air reeks of cat piss and rotting trash.
The mob underworld never changes. It hides itself deep in the cities. The rules, people, and danger are a given. Sometimes I wish things were different, but they're not.
I take one last drag of my cigarette and toss it on to the pavement. Vito is standing beside me, partially in shadow from the street light. His figure is intimidating. Menacing is what we need right now. Forming alliances brings out territorial bad asses wanting to strut their shit. They want to let you know how tough and dangerous they are. They’ll try to challenge us tonight...one sit down is not going to cut it. This is not a simple thing, but a process, just like everything else in the Mafia.
The door is a huge metal one with a chain that lifts it. I rap on the metal, and I can hear the rattle of the chain as the door rises. A shiny, gray cement floor is revealed. Round tables and folding chairs create a makeshift meeting place, just like we do in Palmetto. My father is leaning against a wall talking to Donny, who looks really good. A bullet doesn’t keep him down for long. Others are milling around, talking. Pop spots Vito and I.
“Tonio!” he beams at me.
I walk to Pop and Donny, Vito behind me. I approach my dad and in a
flash I can see myself for the first time...really see myself...what I am meant to be...who I am meant to be.
“Hi, Pop.” I smile.
My father’s stance is confident and sure. It is very good to see him. I miss him and Ma. I reach out for the typical, half-hug with pats on the back. But Pop grabs me and holds me tight.
“I missed you, son,” he says.
“I missed you, too,” I say into his shoulder.
Donny clasps me on the back, and I turn to hug him. It’s weird. Donny and Pop have been friends since they were kids, the same as Vito and I.
Vito greets Donny and Pop, too.
“Eh, Vito, you look good! How’s the back?” Donny asks.
“It’s healing up.”
“If everyone will take a seat, please,” Mr. Furlotti says.
I pull out a chair and think that I can’t wait for this meeting to be over. I just want to see Megan.
We all take our seats accordingly. Pop and Donny have a couple of their enforcers with them from Palmetto. Ennio also sent a couple of his own...Julio, his head enforcer, and a couple muscle thugs, people who take care of the little shit.
Don Furlotti is a short, balding guy and the boss. Next to him sits his underboss, Mikey Fingers. Mikey scans the room like everyone is a threat. He started out in this business as a cleaner, his specialty being dismemberment. He starts with the fingers. The thought crosses my mind that he has a lot in common with Patrick.
“Loyalty!” Mr. Furlotti calls out, and slams his fist on the table as he launches into a long speech about alliances and what it means for all of us. It is all the common blah, blah, blah, that has been ingrained in me since I was a child.
Then he brings up Uncle Tutti, and my fists clench.
“Tutti has taken the wrong road. He's going away from his boss, going away from us all. We cannot let him come into his own power. Palmetto’s boss and son are here to form an alliance. It is a tradition that our first order of business is a challenge.”
The room buzzes with everyone talking quietly amongst themselves. I drink in the vision of the mobsters around me...all similar to me. We all know the rules. We all know the game. We all know the lifestyle. Once you're in, you’re always in, and it is very difficult to get out.
