Awakening the Mobster Read online

  Even with the warnings over the speaker system to sit down, Vito and I walk the aisle in opposite directions.

  At the galley area I find them, Erin is in a jump seat by the bathroom throwing up in a federally-regulated barf bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Megan in another seat in the corner by the huge aircraft door. The sound of the engines is much louder back here.

  The big brother twitch finds me again. I lean over a panting, green-faced Erin, and kiss the top of her head. I can feel Megan’s eyes on me and glance her way. She is smiling broadly at me. She is so fuckin’ pretty!

  One of the flight attendants takes Erin’s bag and hands her a new one. Vito stands in the aisle at the last seat watching the scene. His face has an unfamiliar expression. I can’t pin point it. He motions me over.

  “Shouldn’t they give her something?” he asks. “She’s gonna dehydrate.”

  I shrug my shoulders. The crackle of the loudspeaker sounds again.“We will be landing in South Bend in approximately ten minutes. Please take your seats. Make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened. And as always thank you for flying with us!”

  Megan gets up and helps her sister to stand. We walk single file back to our seats. The girls sit together again as we land in Indiana.

  Down the passageway and out into the terminal, it’s like we landed on foreign soil. I am totally out of my element. This is not New Jersey, and it makes me uneasy. Even the faces of people in the airport seem to have a different shape and context to them. I have a burning need to get my hands on a weapon. It would comfort me.

  Vito is on high alert, too. It is crowded and, for all intents and purposes, we are on alien ground. My Mafia education kicks in, and I will have to rely on only that until I can get my hands on a piece. That will be my first order of business once we settle in.

  We rent a car. Vito wants to rent two sports cars to tool around in. I nix that idea and rent a black Porsche Cayenne SUV. Definitely more practical, and with the money Pop gave me, we can afford to be extravagant and comfortable.

  I pull the vehicle to the curb. I pop the rear door, and Vito loads the luggage in. I jump out to help.

  “Wow, this is ‘mob-ish.’” Megan deadpans.

  “How does the saying go, ‘If the shoe fits...?’” I trail off, smiling at her.

  Erin’s complexion isn’t blotchy and red anymore. It is a perpetual grayish-green. She sits in the backseat, and Megan sits next to her.

  I drive while Vito rides shotgun. Vito uses his phone to put in the address of the campus.

  “Pull in here,” he says.

  I navigate into the parking lot of a convenience store. Vito gets out and goes in. I turn in my seat to check on the girls.

  Erin is staring into space, and Megan is looking at me. She shoots her eyes to Erin, deliberately, letting me know without words that she is worried.

  The passenger door opens, and Vito slides back in. He has a box of saltines and a large bottle of Gatorade. He opens the saltines and tosses one in his mouth. Then he reaches diagonally behind him and waves the box at Erin.

  With effort, she reaches into the sleeve of crackers, taking a few. Slowly, she puts one in her mouth and chews. We sit there waiting and watching Erin. She never looks anywhere but out her window.

  Vito then twists the top off on the Gatorade and hands it to Erin. Either she doesn’t notice or doesn’t want it. Megan takes it from Vito’s hand and holds it under her sister’s nose. She won’t take it.

  “Come on, Erin, have a small drink,” Megan pleads quietly. Erin remains unresponsive.

  Vito unclicks his belt and gets out of the car again. What ishe fucking doing now?

  He opens Megan’s door. “Why don’t you ride next to Tonio?”

  Megan gets out and sits next to me while Vito buckles in next to Erin. He whispers to her. Then Vito reaches forward and motions for Megan to give him the Gatorade. Erin drinks it. It is only a couple of sips, but at least it is something.

  I pull out of the parking space and get back on the road to Notre Dame.

  “So, this is cool. You get to visit the college before you come here next year,” I say to Megan to fill some of the silence in the car.

  “Yeah,” she responds quietly.

  I take her hand in mine, and Megan leans her head back and closes her eyes.

  *****

  The campus is huge. I thought it felt foreign here in Indiana, but nothing could have prepared me for the Gothic European buildings.

  Vito gives me directions from the backseat to O’Neill Hall, where Troy is living. The irony of the name is not lost on me.

  Large stone structures, with church-like pillars adorn all of the fancy structures. It’s another country right here in America. Students carrying heavy backpacks flood the sidewalks and step right out into the street without looking.

  O’Neill Hall is on the other side of the campus to where we enter. It is slow going amongst the pedestrian crowds. Megan sits up and watches. There is a small smile on her face. I can see it in her profile. Is she happy that she’s at the campus, or happy to see Troy? Fanabola!

  “Tonio, turn right here,” Vito directs me.

  Chapter 3

  Bombaleed (bom-ba-lead): messed up! or poor quality.

  Megan:

  The Cayenne rolls to a stop at a four story pale brick building. A large sign on the door reads, O’Neill Family Hall. Some distant relatives must have donated some serious money for this place. My heart is pounding, and I’m not sure why. Seeing Troy is important to me. The thought didn’t hit me until I saw his dorm.

  Troy has been my best friend for a long time. I tell him everything. He’s like the big brother I never had. I need him. We have had some great times over the years. He has been such a big part of my life. He has kept me grounded to my Irish heritage.

  I turn to Erin from my seat. Antonio has already stepped out of the car. She looks like she’s going to cry again. Vito holds out his hand to help Erin out. She takes it.

  Room three-twenty-three is of course on the third floor. We ride in the pristine elevator in silence. When I picture college dormitories, I imagine something dirty or messy. Not this immaculate and modern building.

  Antonio’s face is hard. I’ve seen that expression before. I give him a reassuring squeeze of his hand. I cringe at the thought of how many times his hands have punched or hit someone, or snapped a limb. The same hands that offer me reassurances and kindness.

  The four of us are a sight. We look like we’ve been traveling for days not just the morning.

  I step up to Troy’s door. I raise my hand to knock, and the door flies open. It’s a girl...a tall girl with long blonde hair. She’s rumpled and is adjusting her shirt.

  “Hi,” she says and then walks past us. “Bye,” she says and throws a cute little wave over her shoulder. Which I immediately think is directed at Antonio.

  I gaze into the room. It’s small and neat. Troy is lying on the bed,shirtless, his arm is thrown over his eyes. In a matter of seconds, he sees me and jumps up. Troy’s face is hard, just like Antonio’s. I am still processing the girl leaving when Troy walks to me in the doorway.

  “Hi, Meg,” he says, and pulls me in for a gentle hug. Antonio’s hand shoots out to stop him. Troy allows the interference. Thenhe takes his T-shirt andyanks it on forcefully with his back to us.

  “So what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?”he sighs, rethinking his sarcasm. “Meg, you weren’t supposed to be here until Friday.”

  We are all still standing in the doorway/hallway. I’m not even sure if Troy saw anyone but Antonio and me.

  I step into the room with Antonio, and Troy faces us with a changed expression. He is trying to be pleasant. “What’s with the bodyguard?”Troy chuckles.

  “It’s boyfriend, asshole!” Antonio retorts sinisterly.

  “Oh well, pardon me,” Troy hisses sardonically.

  There is a charge of male electricity in the room, raw and feral.

 
“Didn’t my father call you?” I ask him, trying to defuse the glowering males in the small room.

  “No.”

  “Oh,” I say, surprised. “I’m going to be visiting longer than expected. Erin is here too.”

  I swivel around to the doorway, but she’s not there. I step back into the hall, a little flustered. Leaning against the wall is Erin, and she is staring at the floor. Vito is standing next to her. He shakes his head at me and I understand. She doesn’t want to go into Troy’s room. I can sympathizewith her not wanting to see Troy; he does look a lot like Connor.

  Troy tries to follow me, but Antonio stops him with a hand on his chest. “I don’t think she wants to see you dude.”Wow, Antonio is very intuitive.

  “Last I heard, the O’Neill’s put an end to your little fairytale,” Troy says vehemently to Antonio. Antonio’s posturing at the comment sizzles the atmosphere, and his upbringing rears its head.

  “Meg...?” Troyasks frustrated. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”Troy scrubs his hand down his face. I snap back into the room not wanting a fight.

  “There’s been some trouble, Troy. We need to stay here for awhile. My father sent us here,” I tell him trying to calm the situation.

  “I don’t think we’ll all fit,” Troy spitsacerbically and gestures to his small room. Antonio steps forward, and I cringe.

  “We’re staying at the guest suites on campus,” Antonio says, pushing forward invading Troy’s space. His voice matter-of-fact, “I am going to take the girls there to get some rest.”

  Antonio sees Troy’s phone on the night stand and picks it up. “Here’s my number. Call us when you get your shit together.”

  Antonio reaches for my hand and pulls me from the room. He is moving quickly. The four of us get back in the elevator. Erin is still speechless. Vito and Antonio are ticked off.

  That just wasn’t what I envisioned would happen seeing Troy. I left the dorm feeling betrayed, for what I’m not sure. Watching that girl leaving his room startled me, but I wouldn’t say it bothered me. I know he has a life, but one minute he’s saying he wants to marry me, and the next he’s sleeping around?

  Maybe betrayed isn’t the right word. I think I feel gipped. I didn’t find the normal solace I usually find with Troy, and that makes me sad. It’s like I lost something with him. But I just have to turn and look at Antonio, and everything I feel I lost with Troy, I have gained ten-fold with Antonio.

  *****

  We arrive at the guest suites. They are beautiful and richly furnished. The campus really went all out for visitors. They even have small kitchens. There are two bedrooms in each suite. The units are adjoined by a door in the living room.

  I flop on the couch in the suite I am sharing with Erin, exhausted. Antonio and Vito move the bags into the respective rooms. Then I catch them doing something weird. They are looking out every window, moving every curtain, checkingthe locks on doors. They are moving succinctly like they’re cops staking out a building.

  Erin slips into her room after it’s checked and shuts the door.

  “Don’t lock it,” Vito orders at the closed door.

  Antonio sits down next to me and leans in to give me a sweet kiss.

  “I have some stuff I need to do,” he says. “Why don’t you go lie down too?” His request is syrupy, but with a hint of command behind it.

  Vito hovers by the door that connects the rooms. Antonio gets up, checks the bolt on our main door and leaves with Vito. They don’t shut the adjoining door, but I still can’t hear them.

  I go to my room and grab a blanket off the bed. I lie down on the couch and close my eyes.

  A phone buzzing on the coffee table wakes me. Antonio is reaching for it.

  “Hello,” he says, “Yeah.” (pause) “Everything is fine.” The other person is speaking. Then Antonio continues, “How’s everything there?” (pause) “Good. I wish I could tell you but I can’t.” (pause) “I don’t know how long. No, I know. (pause) I’ll talk to you later, bye.”

  I yawn and stretch.

  “Alessandra says hi,” Antonio says.

  “How does she know?”

  “I’m gone, you’re gone. Alessandra is pretty bright.”

  Antonio’s phone buzzes again. I get up feeling the call of nature when I spot the table in the kitchen area. It is loaded with stuff—guns, ammunition, phones, crackers, chips, and a jar of peanut butter. Holy Crap!

  “Hey,” his demeanor is totally different. “Everything is good here.” (pause)“Yeah, I sent Vito.” (pause) “He should be back any minute. I will. Bye.” Antonio hangs up.

  He comes over to me and kisses me. My stomach flip-flops, and I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck. He kisses me deeper. He tastes like spearmint gum. His arms come around my waist, and he tugs me closer. Antonio pushes me back a little, and I fall onto the couch cushions. He hovers above me — kissing me, worshipping me with his passion. I’ve never felt so wanted in all of my life.

  “Dude! Come on,” Vito says walking into the room annoyed. He’s carrying a map. He lays it across the coffee table in front of us.

  I glance at it. It is all marked up with a highlighter.

  “What are you guys doing?” I ask.

  “We’re learning our surroundings,” Antonio says. “We have to know where everything is.”

  I point to the kitchen table covered with stuff. “And that?”

  “Shit we need,” he replies.

  “But where did you get it?” I ask intrigued.

  “We have resources,” he says flatly, and Vito laughs still reading the map.

  There is a very faint click behind me. Slowly Erin’s door opens; she walks out with a very bad case of bedhead. Her red curls jut out in all directions framing her face. Vito stands.

  “Feeling better?” I ask. Erin just shrugs her shoulders.

  Vito has made it to the refrigerator and grabs an orange juice. Wow they’ve been busy while we’ve been asleep. He hands it to Erin.

  She seems to sip it gratefully. Antonio’s phone buzzes again. Angry lines form on his forehead.

  “Yeah,” his tone is intimidating. “No, you can talk to me, asshole.” I immediately know it is Troy. “They’re fine.” (pause) “Tomorrow would be better,” he says. “Fine.” Antonio hangs up.

  “What was that about?” I ask.

  “Troy wants to get together. We have stuff to do and talk about. He’ll have to wait.”

  Antonio is a very take-charge person. It is comforting and scary all at the same time. Erin sits in an overstuffed chair, sipping her orange juice. Her eyes go wide at the accoutrements strewn about our kitchen table. She gets up and moves next to me on the couch. Vito watches her every movement carefully.

  Antonio takes the two phones off the table.

  “These are for the two of you. I want them charged and on you at all times. They shouldn’t be traceable.” He hands them to each of us. Erin and I take them from him. Then Antonio points to the map on the coffee table. “This is a map of South Bend and the surrounding areas.”He points to a highlighted area. “If anything happens or we get separated, this is where we meet. The address is programmed in your phones. You are not for any reason to leave these rooms or go off by yourselves. You have to be with Vito or myself.”

  I am in the middle of a military briefing hosted by Antonio Delisi, mob-child.

  “If you suspect anything weird going on or hear any weird noises... Do. Not. Think. Twice.Get one of us. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” I say. Erin nods.

  “Just like we have resources everywhere we go or can find them, so do the people your father is worried about,” Antonio hovers over us. “Any questions?”

  Erin and I shake our heads no. Part of me felt like we just got a lecture or a scolding. I know Antonio is trying to keep us safe,but I immediately felt safer the minute we took off and away from Palmetto. We are so far away and in a totally different environment. Who’d find us here? I wonder if my father has calle
d.

  “Did our father call or anything?” I ask.

  “He texted me,” Antonio replies.“I said everything was fine.”

  Chapter 4

  Schifioso (skeevotz): Yuck! Gross!

  Megan :

  Vito and Antonio take us to a pizza place off campus for dinner. We sit at a booth in the corner. Antonio has a clear view of the door. Antonio’s face screws up like he tasted something sour when he bites into his pizza.

  “This isschifioso! It tastes like shit!” Vito exclaims. “My five-year-old cousin makes better pizza sauce than this.” He throws his piece down on to his plate.

  Antonio taps his plate with the crust, white against his dark Italian skin. “This might be bullet proof,” he says.

  It is tasteless, but I didn’t care. It is food. Erin plays with her pizza, not talking. We let her be. I’m not sure when she’ll come around, but everyone handles things differently.

  Vito gets up, and speaks to a waitress, and comes back. He stands out in the room, darkly confident and menacing looking, like Antonio.

  A few minutes later, soup is placed in front of Erin. It appears to be chicken. Vito leans over and whispers in her ear. Erin reluctantly picks up the spoon and starts eating.

  Antonio’s hand brushes my thigh under the table, and I jolt in surprise. He gives me a knowing smile, and I relax. It feels so good to have his strong hands on my leg. His hand creeps higher and I stiffen, heart racing.

  *****

  By the time we make it back to the campus and made our way to the rooms, I am beyond tired. It is as if my legs can’t function. I stumble on the carpet in the hallway. Antonio secures me back to a standing position and opens the door. He leads me to the couch.

  Erin is next to me. Her eye lids droop and her head starts to hang. Antonio and Vito scan each room checking every inch. Antonio lifts Erin up off the couch and carries her to her room.