Rule #2: The family business is everything. Protect the legacy at all costs.
Ava Centofanti knows the ins and outs of the Mafia like the back of her hand - after all, she is nicknamed the "Mafia Princess" for a reason. Next in line to inherit the Ca...
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By the time 9 pm rolled around, I was dressed in the bodysuit and in my favorite pair of knee-high black boots. Slipping my black leather jacket on, I reapplied the red lipstick Mom gave me for my birthday and headed towards the study, reminding myself with each step that I could handle whatever was about to be thrown my way. Uncle Leo was sitting at his desk just like earlier; this time, he was peering over a local map with Dad and Alpo, marking certain areas with circles and X's.
"Is this a weapons kind of party?" I asked as I eyed the coffee table to the left of the room, its contents glistening under the low yellow lights.
"Sort of," Alpo nodded to the table. "These are only meant to scare, not to seriously harm. No guns allowed tonight; there are kids involved."
"That's fine with me." I shrugged as I picked up a wooden baseball bat and weighed it in my hands.
"How did I know she was going to go for the bat?" Aidan joked, walking through the door with Milo right behind him.
"They didn't nickname me 'Harley Quinn' in high school for nothing." I grinned at my brother.
"Good point."
"Everyone here?" Uncle Leo looked around the room.
"Everyone else is waiting outside in the vehicles," Aidan answered him.
"Good. Let's go."
Uncle Leo's driver, Romeo, stood outside a black vehicle parked in the driveway, bowing slightly as he opened the door for us. The vehicle reminded me of an SUV and a limo combined as it was large enough to seat all of us like an SUV could, but elegant enough to pass as a limo.
"At your service, Mr. Carmichael." Romeo spoke, his European accent slightly emphasized with each word. "Everything is taken care of, just as you asked."
"Thank you, Romeo. Paul will sit in the front, he's going to go over the map with you." Uncle Leo waved Dad forward, who immediately outstretched his hand to Romeo for a firm handshake. "Everyone else, get in the back."
"Ladies first," Aidan motioned for me to go ahead, grasping my hand as he helped me into the vehicle.
Once everyone was settled in, Uncle Leo gave a sharp knock on the window separating us from the front seat. The engine roared to life angrily and soon the wheels were turning as Romeo headed towards our destination.
The neighborhood was dark and silent, except for a few street lamps casting an eerie yellow-orange glow onto the pavement. Abandoned cars lined the streets and the alley near the old boxing gym that Uncle Leo had turned into a center for the local teen programs to use at their disposal; the building itself had fainted paint and a crumbling exterior set for a makeover in the upcoming summer months.
A chill rolled down my spine at the gloominess as I climbed out of the vehicle, my eyes scanning the surrounding area for any sign of movement. Glass shattering echoed through the alley, and Uncle Leo motioned the team forward, around the gym to a lot in the back.
