by Amy Rachiele
He nods his head at me. “It’s good, Tonio.” He holds out his glass for me to fill. Standing gives me an opportunity to scan the room, but it also makes me an easy target for a bullet. Vito holds his glass for me, and I fill his too. I put the bottle on the table for the others to take what they want. It is inappropriate for me to serve them.
Donny comes back and sits as the waitress places the salads at each place setting. Her hands are shaking. A grape tomato rolls off Vito’s plate and hits the floor. She sucks in a scared breath.
“It’s okay,” he says to her.
The guys across the table engage us with news from Palmetto, giving us info on Sommersville and some punks they have had to put in their place. I am only half listening because of the severity of the situation we are in.
After the salads, Don Furlotti makes a toast. He stands and raises his glass. “To our new family. May we have many happy years working together.”
My first reaction is to snort at his declaration.
“This is a new era. Welcome! Salute!” he says, and everyone clinks glasses and says, Salute!
Demetrius looks in my direction and sneers with his glass pointed at me and Pop. I give it right back, not allowing him to rattle me.
Dinner is long and drawn out. I push the food around on my plate. I am running out of patience. Many goombahs and cavones come over to our table to speak to Pop. My father is admired and respected. They shake his hand, make jokes, and are generally happy to see him.
“When the fuck can we get out of here?” Vito whispers to me.
I totally agree. We need to get out of here and plan for meeting Demetrius tonight. “Soon,” I tell him.
We can’t leave before dessert; it would be considered an insult, and I am not leaving my father and Donny here with the wolves.
Finally, the waitress comes over to our table with tiramisu. Pop gives her a hundred dollar bill and thanks her for helping us this evening. She blushes deeply and slips the money into her pocket. I make mush out of it with my fork, not caring the least bit about eating. Dinner and dessert...and now it is okay to leave.
We cautiously say our goodbyes, and I am on edge waiting for something to happen. I find it hard to believe that this whole thing has gone down without a hitch or a gun shot.
Outside is a cold Chicago winter night. The wind is howling with the threat of snowfall. I press the remote for the car to unlock the doors, doing my best to search the surrounding area for danger. Pop had left a guy outside… Rawlo is his name, I think. His job is to watch the vehicles and keep a look out. The guy must be freezing.
My phone buzzes with a text from Carlo. What time?
I text back.
Leaving now.
*****
Antonio:
Carlo, Alex, and Joey are waiting for us in the basement interrogation room of the casino. Carlo plays with a deck of cards, fanning them professionally. Joey is leaning over a map that is laid out on the table. I appreciate their loyalty and efficiency.
My attention is stalled when I see Megan in a small metal folding chair in the corner, her demeanor uncertain. She is chewing on her nail nervously. Why is she here? The words are forming on my lips when Patrick walks in distracting us all. He is carrying a high-powered sniper rifle. It’s a beauty.
“Before you flip out, this was my idea,” Joey starts.
“What was your idea?” I ask, and then the unpleasant realization dawns. “NO! No. Fucking. Way!”
“Hear us out.” Joey talks with his hands like a true Italian. “She is an incredible shot! She will be far away for the whole thing. I’ll stay with her. We’ll even suit her up in bullet proof gear.”
“No! Absolutely not!” I shout.
I examine my beautiful Megan. She looks petrified. Every time I see her, my heart softens in a way that is not healthy for this type of business. She is one of the only things in the world I care about.
Joey pleads his case. “She’s your ace in the hole, Tonio. Her ability is going to give you the upper hand with Demetrius.”
“You want her to fuckin’ kill someone?! You want that on her conscience?!” I smash my fist against the table. “This isn’t her acting in self-defense. This is placing her in an assassination nest!”
“Can I finish?” Joey asks sarcastically. “You only need her if things go bad. She will be far away. She might not even have to do anything.”
I turn to Patrick for his input. It’s his daughter - flesh and blood that he brought into the world. He is his typical emotionless, stoic self. Dammit!
“Can I say something?” Megan says quietly, standing up. “Antonio, I want to do it. I can live with this. I know I can.” I can tell her mind is made up. “What I can’t live with is something happening to you, or anyone else, if I could have stopped it or helped in some way,” she pleads with me forcefully.
“No, you need to stay here on the family floor. I won’t be able to concentrate.” I am adamant.
“You can’t keep me locked in a tower!” she yells. “I have done everything you have asked of me. I’ve been trapped for weeks, waiting for this nightmare to be over. I want to get on with our lives. Please let me help.”
This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. I never wanted Megan anywhere near this shit. No matter how hard I try, my fucked up life follows and leads straight to Megan whether I want it to or not.
I level my gaze at her. “I don't want this for you. This is my burden to bear. I don't care if you think I locked you in a tower, it's the only thing that gives me comfort.” I suck in an angry breath. “Patrick, can I speak to you?”
We step out in the hall with everyone staring after us.
“You know why I immersed us in a rundown shabby hotel? So that I could keep the fight away from them!” I spit out angrily.
“I don't want my daughter involved in this anymore than you do, but, Antonio, clearly she has a talent that rivals the best of them. She's clever, and she has instincts. I will protect her.”
“This is scumbati! We shouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
“If I thought she would be in any danger, I wouldn’t even consider it. She will be far away,” Patrick promises.
I am losing this battle, and the clock is ticking. We still haven’t planned what we are going to do when faced with Demetrius tonight. I glance at the rifle in Patrick’s hands. It has a half-mile range on it, but even twenty miles away is not far enough for me when it comes to Megan. In this short span of time, with all of the crap that has gone on, I feel like she is more my family than any of my own blood; she is a part of my soul. I didn’t even know that was possible in this life.
Patrick and I go back into the room and sit down with the guys and Megan. Even with all of Alessandra’s knowledge and experience, she has never been a part of any of this type of business. But I know it isn’t my decision to make. I just have to have faith in my girl...that when the time is right, she’ll know what to do. I silently pray that it never comes to that point.
I let out an exhausted sigh when we finish making plans. Carlo and Alex have an excellent strategy. Hopefully, Demetrius doesn’t have a better one.
Chapter 14
Wise guy: Has proven loyalty to the family and taken life
Megan:
I am so uncomfortable. I am padded up ridiculously. Besides a bullet proof vest, I have on the pants that I can barely walk in. To top off my outfit, I have on a helmet that is so heavy it weighs my head down. I look like I should be in a foxhole in Afghanistan, not on a rooftop in Chicago.
My father and I never did a ton of father/daughter bonding activities, and the strangeness of this whole situation makes me feel oddly connected to him as we wait together. I am worried that this is going to be a bloodbath, and my anxiety over Antonio’s welfare is brimming over inside my chest.
My father’s voice sounds far away when he starts talking to me. The wind whips and howls making it difficult to hear. He is repeating instructions he already gav
e me at the casino when everyone agreed to the plan of attack. Antonio made it very clear that he needs to confront Demetrius. Demetrius’s abduction of Uncle Tutti is a personal attack on Antonio’s abilities. Not to face it head on would look weak in the eyes of the underworld.
From what I have observed and seen, there will always be a Demetrius or Uncle Tutti scratching to get to the top. It is the nature of the beast. It happens in all walks of life, and the underworld is no different than the rest of society when it comes to lust for power and greed.
“Don’t fire unless I tell you to,” Dad says forcefully over the wind.
I nod my head in understanding, and he hands me the rifle. It’s a heavy one. Planted next to him is another one, but it is not as fancy as mine.
“Lie down. Look through the scope. Learn the area.”
I bend myself the best I can, struggling in these clothes, but I am suddenly thankful for the thick padding because the cement on the roof is very cold. I position my eye to look through the site. The helmet gets in my way, and I push it back a little on my head.
The scope is like using a set of binoculars. Everything looks so close. I do what my father says and use it to scan the area. All I can see is bits and pieces and shadows in the dark.
“How am I to know who’s who? I can barely see anything,” I ask, terrified of shooting one of my friends.
My father flips the switch on the scope. A green light comes on. He beckons me to look through the site again, and I am astonished.
“Night vision scope,” he says informing me. “If things get out of hand, I will get a call and instructions on where to fire.”
I nod my head remembering that part of the plan. I have an ugly tickle of nerves at the back of my neck showering me with worry. This could turn out very bad.
My father lays his phone out in front of us. I glance at the time...it is 2:53 a.m. I am so awake, which is odd for me at this hour of the night. It must be the adrenaline pumping through my body, pushing the need for sleep away.
I check the site again to see if there is any movement down below...nothing. This experience is so surreal; like it is out of an action movie. I jostle a bit in an attempt to get comfortable. My father is like a statue beside me...waiting.
I look at my dad’s phone again...2:55 a.m. Time has never moved so slowly before. Earlier, the hours of planning flew. Now, time’s new trick is to stop.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
I obsessively look at the clock on my father’s phone...2:56 a.m. Suddenly it lights up, ringing and causing me to jump. My father moves quickly and answers it. I try to listen to what he’s saying over the noise of the wind.
“Yes...(pause)...How long?...(pause).” He shuts off his phone and puts it back.
“Who was that?” I ask hoarsely.
“Vito.”
I turn my head back to hold my position like I’ve seen on TV. It is my only frame of reference, fake snipers fighting battles with flying motorcycles. Maybe I should watch more reality TV...or the military channel. I put my eye back in the site. A red light blinds me for a second. I pull back to shake it off.
“What the...?” I say under my breath.
Beside me, my father goes down. Stunned, I look over and he is lying flat on his back. I scramble to get up to get to him. He raises his hand and fiercely motions for me to get down. My father has been shot!
I don’t hear it, but I feel a bullet whiz over my head. Holy Shit! There is a sniper firing at us. Another whizzes by, farther off the mark.
My father stays low and crawls to me. Blood oozes out of his left arm. I panic, my heart thundering in my chest. I reach quickly for the phone to call for help, but fumble and drop it.
Dad puts a gentle hand on mine, stopping me. Another bullet flies by as we lie on the roof flat. Holy Shit! They’re gonna get us!
“Megan!” he shouts, “Stay low and fire back.”
Tears fill my eyes seeing my father hurt. He smiles at me. Huh?.
“You can do it!” he says over the blast of wind. ”Take em out, honey!” He smiles reassuringly again.
I have to kill someone?? Antonio’s words press themselves into my mind. Don’t think, just do!
If I don’t do this, that asshole over there could kill my father...me...Antonio. I have to do this. I can do this!
I go into a zone in my brain that I have been to before. My father says I have instincts. I go to them...I call on them.
I stay low and raise my rifle. I move the damn helmet out of my way again. I focus through the site. I lock on a green apparition across four buildings. I aim, suck in a breath, and fire. The figure falls like a sack of potatoes out of my site line.
“Did you get ‘em?” my father asks.
“I’m not sure if I hit them, or they hit the deck to get down,” I say, unsure of myself.
My father smiles again. “I think you got them.” He closes his eyes and winces in pain.
I reach into one of the pockets of the pants I’m wearing and pull out the mini first-aid kit that Joey gave me earlier. I find bandages, unwrap them, and begin wrapping my father’s wound. He grits his teeth as I apply pressure.
“I’m sorry,” my father says. If I wasn’t so close to him right now, I would never have heard him.
“About what?” I ask, quickly sopping up blood.
“I should have told you years ago about this. Me,” he says remorsefully. “You would have been more prepared. I thought that if I kept it from you and Erin, you would never have to face it.”
I continue working on his arm thoughtfully, all the while, waiting for another bullet to zing by.
“This all started with those gangsters breaking into our house,” he says sorrowfully. “I think every day about what could have happened. I wasn’t there...but you were. You took care of your mother and Erin. You are an amazing girl.”
My father just called me amazing. I can’t believe it. My father thinks I’m amazing!
“That’s me,” I smile. “I can play the harp and shoot a tin can right through the center from a mile away.” I tie a knot of bandages around his arm in a bow.
“Antonio always saw it,” he says thoughtfully. “He has been in love with you since you were little. I saw it...knew it. It scared me.” He pauses and touches his arm. “He’s a smart kid, though. People respect him and not just because they’re afraid. He has a lot of integrity for someone in this business.”
The phone rings, and our talk is cut short. It’s 3:02 a.m. My father answers, then motions for me to get back in position. I do with a new sense of purpose. I have people counting on me. And my father has faith in me.
My father slides over and joins me once again, hovering next to me. With the phone to his ear, he tells me to aim below.
“Over to the left. Look through the sight,” his voice trails off in the wind, but I know what he said.
I see my target, aim, focus, suck in a breath...and fire.
Chapter 15
Contract: Someone is paying to have you scheduled for execution
Antonio:
The kiss I gave Megan before we separated wasn’t enough for me. It killed me to let her go, like there is a gaping hole in my chest that gets bigger every second without her. Knowing she is in this sickens me.
Carlo and Joey are positioned dockside. Vito is with me, but is headed to take cover in the trees to the left. Alex has a car waiting a block away. Vito calls Patrick to let him know where almost ready.
The metal of the guns strapped to me feels cold against my skin. I walk to the deserted building where Demetrius killed Lisa’s brother, and Vito and I separate.
I gingerly open the door, the click when it opens loud in the air. I stalk as quietly as possible inside, hearing movement in one of the inner rooms. I proceed cautiously knowing full well that my nemesis has no qualms about pumping holes into me. As I take more steps forward slowly, I keep my hand ready to grab my gun at the first sign of trouble. Someone
shushes someone else, and the noise in the other room silences. My feet move, taking me closer. I am pinned tightly against the wall. I glance around the corner.
There are four people in the room. Demetrius and one of his goons stand gazing at the object of my search...Uncle Tutti is strapped to a chair, looking bloodied and broken.
Rage forms a red haze over my eyes as I see the images of Megan’s raw throat...the attack on my friends. The alliance with Sommersville and trussing me up like a turkey hanging from a ceiling, I’m ready to just pull my gun out and fire. I don’t.
I am ready to take care of all of them. One clean sweep. My thoughts falter when my eyes catch movement to the right. Strapped to a chair, just like Uncle Tutti, is the girl from the other night, Lisa. Guilt quickly floods through me, pushing out the red for an instant.
Holy shit! This fucker has got to go!
“Come on in, Antonio, and join the party,” Demetrius says maniacally. He walks over to Uncle Tutti and grabs him by the back of the hair and rips his head up. His eyes are swollen shut. “Say hi to your Uncle Tutti.” He lets go, and Uncle Tutti’s head slumps back down. He’s either unconscious or drugged.
Lisa looks frantically around the room for me with fear in her eyes. Her black hair is knotted, and her face is red and dirty. As Demetrius walks over to her, I stiffen, wanting to lunge and crack his head against the floor. He strokes his fingers down her filthy cheek. She cringes away from his touch and he steps closer antagonizing her. She turns her head away disgusted.
“Don’t look away from me, bitch!” he sneers.
Demetrius grabs her chin roughly and crashes his face into hers, kissing her. She squirms and wails, but they are muffled by his mouth ravaging hers. So easy...it would be so easy just to take my gun and shoot him in the back, but impatience causes mistakes. I don’t know what traps he has set, how many people are in the shadows. His thug stands there enjoying the show.
