"Four times! Charmaine, are you fucking kidding me?" Annalisa exclaims. "How are you even walking?" She laughs, shaking her head. I laugh but grimace a little as the pain between my legs begins to throb when I move.
"Not without difficulty." I laugh and wince at the same time. "I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do it all over again, though." Smiling fondly, as I recall, one of the best nights of my life so far.
JP and I couldn't get enough of each other; I thought we had enough in bed until he joined me in the shower this morning, and we just couldn't help ourselves.
"Well, damn. I need to get myself laid," Annalisa says as she eats a piece of watermelon from a fruit bowl Carmela brought out to us.
"Don't you fret sugar lips; Joey can fix that."
We turn and see Joey and JP walking towards us. I blush as I realize they must know what we are talking about, and it's confirmed when I see the smirk on JP's handsome face.
"How's my demanding principessa?" JP asks me, moving me to sit on his lap. I wince from the movement. "Still hurts?" He asks quietly.
I lean into him. "Yes, but I took more medicine, so I'll be fine." He holds me close, rubbing my thigh.
"So, how about it, gorgeous?" Joey asks Annalisa.
"Pass." She deadpans. "I like sex but not enough to catch whatever's on your middle leg, Joseph."
Joey gives her a tight smile, narrowing his eyes. "Hate to disappoint you, baby, but despite what you think, I'm clean as a whistle....must be lonely though, being single and only having your high standards to keep you warm at night."
Annalisa sits up, clearly ruffled. "You're right, I am single, and you'd have to be fucking amazing to change that."
Joey leans down, placing his hands on either side of the armrests of her chair, leaning in close. His dark curly hair falls over his face. "Only one way to find out."
She laughs and then looks Joey directly in the eye. "If anyone can have it, I don't want it...remember this, Joey, dust settles, I don't." She pushes him away and grabs the fruit bowl, and continues eating.
I clear my throat at the thick, sexual tension between the two of them and elbow JP in the side to say something and then regret it when he winces from his still sore side, where he was shot.
I mutter an apology as he looks over at me with an annoyed look on his face.
"Anyway, you two ready for Joey's big birthday bash next weekend?" JP asks, running his fingers through my hair.
"I'm still shocked Uncle Timo is okay with the party being here," I state as I absentmindedly draw patterns on JP's forearm that's resting across my lap.
"It's probably because he'll be out of town. Otherwise, I'm sure he'd push for it to be held somewhere else." Joey says, looking at his phone.
"John Paul, Joey; I need you two, now." Tony's baritone voice has us all turning towards the terrace doorway. "Charmaine, I need you to take Annalisa into the house, preferably in your room, until someone comes to get you."
I sit up alert, wondering what's going on, and Annalisa picks up her fruit bowl and follows us into the house.
"What's going on, Tony?" Joey asks as we walk into the kitchen. Carmela smiles at us as she sees us all coming in. She's rolling out pasta for dinner tonight. But that's not what's got my attention.
It's the fact that there are a few of my Uncles' men standing near the windows and the doorway, holding semi-automatic guns. Tony speaks to Carmela in Italian quietly, and she walks out, leaving the pasta on the counter, without looking back, and the armed men follow her out.
Tony turns back to us. "Feds. The men stopped an unmarked vehicle at the gate to the property. They want to talk to Timo. It wouldn't be the first time men posing as cops have attempted to pull a fast one on us. So, we just want to be prepared."
I grip JP's arm, and he looks down at me. He tries to look calm, but I know he's nervous.
"If they are legit, then they are probably here to ask questions about the gala. But we'd rather expect the worst." Tony says as we start to walk toward the foyer.
"Um, should I be worried?" Annalisa asks, her face anxious. I hold her hand, trying to comfort her.
"The guards at the gate are stalling them for the moment; we want to make sure everyone is in place. A sniper is making his way up to the roof as we speak. Are you two carrying?" Tony turns, eyeing JP and Joey.
JP pulls his gun from his back and removes the safety, and cocks the gun to load it; Joey does the same. "Good. Out of sight for now." Tony instructs.
The doorbell rings.
"Cazzo! I'd thought we had a few more minutes. Joey, go get Timo, he's in his office. I'll stall them for a few minutes to give Timo time to get there. Charmaine, Annalisa, go back to the kitchen and stay out of sight." He says, looking directly at me. "You're good with knives, and you know where they are if you need them."
My mouth runs dry at the quick turn of events. I turn back to Annalisa and take her to the kitchen, my mind running a mile a minute.
We need a distraction, so I tell her to pull out a couple of cutting boards. Then, I open the fridge and start pulling out some vegetables. "What are we doing, Char?"
I look at her and smile, even though I'm anxious as hell. "Prepping for dinner. I'm pretty sure Carmela was making a pasta garden salad to go with the steaks she's marinating. Plus, instead of sitting here anxious, we'll keep busy cutting vegetables."
She nods. "Good thinking." And she proceeds to rinse and wash the vegetables I set out on the counter.
JOHN PAUL
I watch as Charmaine takes Annalisa by the arm towards the kitchen, and I take a deep breath.
I turn to my father, who nods at me, and I follow behind him as he makes his way to the front door. He pulls the door open, and two men dressed in suits stare back at us. Their badges hang on their hips.
But they whip out their credentials; the guy in the front appears older and must be the superior of the two, as he is the one who introduces himself first; his partner who's looking around the front of the house, taking in the scenery.
"Afternoon, I'm Special Agent Barnes, this my partner, Special Agent Delgado. We're here to speak to Timoteo Bracco. Is he in?"
"What's this regarding?" My father asks; he keeps his face neutral as he speaks to the two men.
"There was a shooting last week at a local event; Mr. Bracco attended that. We have a few questions for him; then, we'll be on our way. Is he home?" Agent Barnes asks again.
My father nods and steps to the side, allowing them entry to the foyer. They each nod at me as they walk in. I watch as they take in their surroundings as subtle as they can while appearing interested in us.
My father holds his hand out to shake theirs.
"Anthony Toretto, Timo's assistant." My father gestures back to me, "This is my son, JP." It's odd to hear my dad use my nickname; he never uses it.
They each shake our hands in their firm grip. "Please follow me, gentlemen." They follow my father while I trail behind them, walking towards the conference room.
Timo is sitting in the center of the large table. Tobias and Joey are standing in the corners of the room behind him.
Timo stands and welcomes them. "Gentlemen, good afternoon. Timoteo Bracco. Please have a seat."
He gestures for them to sit across from him. They look uneasy as they take into account they're outnumbered, and if they're smart, they also know they are outgunned as well.
"Thank you, but this won't take long. I'm special Agent Barnes, and this is my partner Special Agent Delgado." Agent Barnes responds.
Timo nods in acknowledgment. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?"
Agent Barnes clears his throat. "We wanted to ask you a couple of questions about the gala held at the Broadway Events Center you attended last weekend. The shooting that occurred resulted in one death and several injuries." Agent Barnes shifts on his feet, glancing at his partner for a moment before turning his attention back to Timo.
"Initially, we thought you were the intended target; given the history of run-ins over the years with some of your...associates and known associates of another gentleman, by the name of Giovanni Dante..." Agent Barnes wipes at his brow, no doubt from the intense gaze coming from Timo.
Timo brings a hand up to rub his chin contemplatively as he listens. "...The person found deceased at the scene was discovered to be an associate of Mr. Dante." Agent Barnes pauses.
Timo folds his arms and arches a brow. "I'm sorry, was there a question in there, somewhere?"
Agent Delgado steps up. "Sir, we wanted to have you look at something to see if you could help us? Do you have a laptop or iPad we could use to show you a video?" He holds up a flash drive in his hand.
Timo looks at me. "Call David to come here, per favore." I reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone to do as I'm asked.
"Pulling surveillance proved problematic for the local police, but a witness came forward and submitted a video of the shooting from their cell phone." Agent Delgado informs us.
Timo doesn't react even though I know the news of a video upsets him. Shortly after, David walk-ins, nodding at the federal agents and looks to Timo for instruction. "David, can you please pull the video from the flash drive Agent Delgado is holding?"
David turns to Agent Delgado, who hands him the flash drive. We watch as he walks over to a cabinet near the front of the room and pulls out a drawer that holds a laptop. He plugs the flash drive in, and the screen hidden in the ceiling comes down as he types away on the computer.
The video starts playing; two young teenage girls are laughing and talking about the gala. The camera pans around the outside of the event. The young woman holding the camera instructs the other friend to act like she is walking the red carpet. We see her posing, smiling, and waving at the crowd the way celebrities do.
As she walks, near the stairs, in the background, I catch a glimpse of Charmaine, but she's not facing the camera; she's turned to the side. I know this is where she is facing Jimmy.
Then the sound of the loud pops of bullets and screams fill the room. We see as Enzo leaps to get to Charmaine as he points his gun at the gunman. Jimmy disappears in the chaos of all the guests running for cover, and the camera falls to the sidewalk.
Agent Delgado clears his throat and asks if he can use the bathroom. My father instructs him where to find the nearest bathroom, but my father follows, watching him at the door as the agent walks away.
Agent Barnes retakes the lead. "As previously mentioned, initially we assumed you were the target of the would-be assassination attempt; however, this video appears to indicate a young woman was the target..." My heart is racing as they are referring to Charmaine.
"We are unable to identify the young woman as she is not facing the camera but also the mask she's wearing, makes it damn near impossible. We wanted to know if this young woman has any connection to yourself or possibly one of your men?"
Timo is still looking at the screen before he turns slowly to Agent Barnes. "I'm sorry to inform you, gentlemen, I don't recognize the targeted woman who. But from what I just saw, it's clear the masked man who took out the gunman knew about the assassination taking place for him to be able to save her in time."
"Yes...we figured as much as well..." Agent Barnes states slowly. "But you're saying you don't know the woman or the masked man who shot the gunman?"
"Yes," Timo responds curtly. "Now, if that is all, I must be on my way to make a flight on time."
"Just one more question. From what we gathered from witnesses, the masked man appears to be wearing a mask that most of your group was wearing that night. And you are certain you don't know him?" Agent Barnes questions Timo again.
Timo holds his gaze for a moment before he answers. "My head of security found one of my men in a supply closet unconscious, without his mask; presumably, it was this masked hero who is responsible.
We questioned the guard when he came to, but he could not describe his attacker as he states they came from behind. All of this was all made known and explained to the local police department, Agent Barnes."
Agent Barnes's face flushes slightly.
"If you will excuse me, I must be on my way. My assistant will see you out." He nods to my father. David hands the flash drive back to Agent Barnes, who nods at Timo and walks out the door, my father following behind.
I turn to Timo as soon as I know they are out of earshot. "Why did you turn the attention on Furia? Won't that lead them back to us, to Charmaine?"
Timo shakes his head. "Furia knows how to make himself invisible and non-existent when necessary; it's part of who he is. So they won't be able to find him or trace him back to us, and it'll be a dead end." He states confidently.
"However, we must be more vigilant when we are out. Make sure we are not being followed by the feds, now." Timo states, he dismisses us, and I head out to find my girl.
<><><><>
STELLA/CHARMAINE
Annalisa is wiping at her face with her forearm from the onions making her eyes water. I grab a piece of sliced bread. "Here, put this in your mouth; it will help." Remembering, my mom would do that whenever she cut onions.
"How in the hell will eating a piece of bread help?" Annalisa groans as she wipes her eyes with her shirt.
"Just try it!" I laugh.
"I've always heard chewing gum helps."
We jump at the unfamiliar voice.
Annalisa's knife clatters to the floor noisily, but I change my grip on mine as I face the man in a suit standing at the doorway of the kitchen. I move to position myself in front of Annalisa and hear her rapid breathing behind me.
The man briefly eyes the knife in my hand before he smiles, his straight white teeth on display. His dark hair is spiked up in the front; he looks young but older than us by at least a few years.
He steps in further, and I lift the knife a margin, making him stop, holding his hands out. The movement causes his suit jacket to open and catch on the holstered gun inside.
"Whoa, whoa. Easy. I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm Special Agent Ray Delgado. My partner and I are here to talk to Mr. Bracco."
"Then why are you in the kitchen?" Annalisa questions behind me.
"I was looking for the bathroom and got turned around; this place is like a maze." He laughs lightly. "Do you two live here?"
"Take a left, second door on the right," I instruct him in the direction of the nearest bathroom.
"Great, thank you...? I didn't catch your name..." He continues to prod.
"I didn't give it."
He smiles. "I get it, stranger danger, right?"
"Something like that," I say.
I'm relieved when I see Tony standing behind him. "Special Agent Delgado, your partner is waiting for you outside."
The man turns back to us, smiling. "Well, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ladies. Maybe we will see each other again."
He nods at Tony as he brushes past him and walks out. Tony looks at me for a moment; his eyes move to the knife in my hand before he follows the man.
"Oh my God, Charmaine! I've never been so scared. Well, that's not true. Last weekend was pretty scary too." She hugs me tightly. "Would you really have used the knife?"
I shrug as we continue hugging. "If I had to, I would."
"You two alright?" I turn and see JP, and I make my way to him, holding him; his arms engulf me in a comforting embrace.
"Agent Delgado was totally scoping out the place and fishing for information.He claimed to have been lost, looking for the bathroom." Annalisa informs him. "But Char put him in his place."
"Of course she did." He leans down to brush his lips lightly on my temple.
"Where's my lovin'?" Joey walks in, his arms outstretched towards Annalisa, but she tosses a cherry tomato at him, which he catches in his mouth, grinning at her.
She turns back to halve the tomatoes. Joey walks up behind her, putting his arms on either side of her. He brushes her long hair to the side. "Can't you just picture us doing the domestic life one day, just like this, Bella?" He leans down, nipping her ear.
Her face reddens as she gives a small smile before she shoves his face away. "Sure, just not with you."
"Now that's just hurtful," Joey responds before swatting her on the butt and walks away.
******