"What the fuck are we gonna do about these Catalinos?" Sammy seethed with venom in his usually calm voice. His dark eyebrows were furrowed down as he paced across the At home gym with tiger like moves. My head was thinking the same question along with some ways I could kill Gio without my dad ever finding out it was me. He had taught me well enough how to dispose of a body.
"Vin?" Ralph said. I looked up from where I was bench pressing with sweat cascading down my body. Ralph gave me a look so I put the heavy bar back on the posts. Sitting up, I strared at all of the boys. They wore the same pissed off expressions that almost made me laugh. Almost.
"Pops said we can't do shit," I stated. "But I ain't about to let some new bambino come and take my place." They all grunted and nodded. "We can't kill him, though."
"Damn! I come in here and you guys are already talking about murder!" I turned my head with a smirk on my lips. Tommy bounced into the room with his brown eyes glowing and a smirk similar to mine playing on his lips.
Tommy is my little brother. A bucket of fucking sunshine and rainbows in our fucked up line of work. Tommy is only sixteen and he is involved in this fucked up life of ours. He is what gets me through life most the time and for that I am always grateful. Even when the little shit messes with my stuff.
"What the fuck do you want Tommy?" I asked as I stood up.
He smiled. "Can't I just want to say hi to my big brother?"
"Uh, no," Leo answered. We all laughed as Tommy rolled his eyes in fake annoyance. "When do you ever come in here when you don't want something?"
Tommy looked thoughtful. "Good point."
"What do you want Tommy?" I asked with a smile.
"Pops is mad at you. You were supposed to come to the office when you got home." All laughter disappeared once those words left his lips. My body went ridged. "He wanted me to come and fetch you." Tommy looked down with his lip between his teeth. His dyed blonde bangs fell in front of his eyes as I looked at the boys.
"If I die-"
"Sammy is in charge," they all answered. I gave them a grin and then threw my arm over my little brother's shoulder. He looked up at me and gave me a half smile. The sparkle in his eyes reminded me just how innocent he was. I wish I could go back and grab a hold of that sparkle that had been in mine but I was no time traveler.
"How mad did he look?" I asked him.
"About a six," he answered. "What did you do today?"
"Some new kid sat at my table. I showed him what happened if he ever did that again and then dad came and said he was family," I scuffed. "Some family."
"The Catalinos? You fought the Catalinos!?" I looked down at him and he shook his head in disbelief. "Pops was just talking about them last night at the table! He told you to take them under your wing!"
"I'll take him under something," I answered. "Well that came out wrong," I immediately said as I thought back to my words. Tommy snorted and nudged my shoulder with his.
"Do you think pops would ever really kill you?" he asked with a serious tone. I really didn't have the answer to that. Pops always threatened me when I did wrong. Death was a weapon for him because we knew he would kill anyone. He had killed his best friend, Jimmy, when I was only in the third grade. His son, Alberto, had been my best friend and my dad had shot Jimmy right in front of him and his mom without even hesitating. Alberto had run away and we never saw him again. His Ma had been so upset she slit her wrist in her bathroom. Or so pops said.
When we got to the office door I turned Tommy so he could look me in the eyes. "No," I finally answered. "Pops loves us more than he loves the mafia. He would die protecting us." Tommy didn't look convinced but still he nodded his head. I held him tight against my chest and then let him go.
"Now, go play with your Barbie's," I said. He scuffed and punched my shoulder before dodging my own swing and running down the hall. I laughed and pushed the door to my dad's office open. As soon as I was in, pops had me by the back of my neck.
"I give you one fucking job and you fucked it up!" he hissed. "I should take one of your fingers off!" He threw me to the ground and I sat there not looking up at him. When pops was mad, The littlest thing could set him off, it was a trait he apparently got from his father, or so Sam, Sammy's dad said. Sam had been adopted when my dad was four and he was only two making them adopted brothers but also best friends. Apparently their upbringing made ours look like a walk in the park.
Hard to believe.
"Vincent!" he hissed. "What do you think your punishment should be?"
"Nothing," I answered. He yanked my head by my chin. I met his hazel eyes and he shook his head. "I was only doing what you taught me since kindergarten."
"Which is?" he hissed.
"Protect what is mine and my family's." He looked me over and then sighed. He knew I was fucking right. "Pops he knew what he was doing when he sat down in my table."
"Son I love you and your willingness to protect what is your family's but you might have just fucked up big time." He brushed my hair out of my eyes and sighed. "God, you look just like me."
"So ugly?" I offered. He smiled and let go of my chin. I smiled slightly back. Moments like those are what made me never stop loving my pops. No matter how badass he pretended to be, he was always the joker I remembered from my childhood.
"What's the big deal with the Catalino boys anyway?"
"Weren't you listening last night?" he questioned as he pulled me off of the ground.
"Nope."
He sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. "You are goin' to be the death of me son." I smiled slightly at the thought of that. What irony that would be. "The Catalino's moved here so they could be closer with us. We have always had connections with them but some shit went down with one of their guys getting busted dealing drugs. The guy mysteriously was let out on bail and then turned up dead in the Hudson. They moved closer so we could keep everything under wraps."
"So we are risking our lives for them?"
"They our really important in our lifestyle." I sighed and nodded. "Giovanni is on his way here. I want you to take him out and hang out with him."
I snapped my eyes over to my pops. "You want me to do fuckin' what?"
"Watch your mouth!" he hissed. I continued to glare at him until he sighed and walked back behind his desk. He grabbed a bottle of Tums and then popped two of them. "Take him out."
"Kill him?" I asked hopefully. In our line of work 'take him out' means kill him and cover your tracks.
"Vincent," my dad said sternly.
"I was joking," I offered when we all know I was so far from kidding. A knock at the door had me looking over to it. Tommy popped his head in with a smile.
"You're not dead!"
"Told you. He wouldn't be able to live without me," I said with a smirk back at my dad who was mumbling under his breath about not having any more kids. "What's up, Tommy?"
"Some guy is here for you," Tommy answered. I groaned loud. "Is that a Catalino?"
"That's the leader's son," Pops answered. "Now go make a friend or loose a tooth or somethin'. I am too tired to even think of a good threat. You kids are killin' me slowly."
"Oh you love us too much to actually do anything," Tommy answered. Pops gave him a 'are you sure?' look and Tommy ducked out of the office with me hot on his heels. I walked down the grand stair to find Ma standing with Gio talking adamantly.
"Ma, don't talk his ear off," I said. She turned around and pinned me with a glare. Her brown hair that matched mine was falling down her shoulders in thick curls. Her hazel eyes were warm as always and the smile she was giving me made me want to hug her.
"Don't worry, Isabella. I like talking with you," Gio said.
"Suck up," I coughed. He turned is sea-foam green eyes to me and I gave him a cocky smirk.
"Boys play nice," Ma said. I nodded as did he but the tension still stayed. She urged us both out of the house with a kiss on the cheek for me and a hug for Gio. When we got to my car he stopped and whistled.
"Nice ride," he said. I had a Lamborghini, so what?
"Get in the damn car before I pull my gun out on you and shoot you. Trust me. I will fucking do it." I slid into my black Lamborghini and buckled my seat belt as he slowly opened the door. I glared at him as he slid inside.
"You are such a buzz kill, Vin," he said with a smile. I was momentarily caught up in his smile as his white teeth glistened in the setting sun's light. Who knew a boy could even have a smile that perfect? I let my eyes stay on his mouth as the smile slowly disappeared to just a quirk of his lips.
"Whatcha starin' at, Vincent?" My eyes snapped up and I shook my head. What the fuck was that? I looked back at Gio and found him looking down at his hands with a weird expression. "You're still starin'."
"No, I am not," I answered. I shoved the key into the ignition and smiled when the goose bumps I always got when I started my car came again. The engine was pure beauty when she came to life. Gio suddenly grabbed my arm and I looked over at him.
"She is so perfect," he said with a smile. I looked away from that smile before those thoughts from early came back into my head. I pulled my arm away from his grip and shifted the car into gear. Warm tingles were going through where he had touched me, making me feel uncomfortable. Everything was on edge until Gio slapped the side of my head. I grabbed his neck without taking my eyes off of the road.
"Touch me again and I will snap your neck in two," I seethed before letting him go.
"Excuse me!" he hissed. "You were just being so damn awkward."
I chuckled. "Well excuse me," I hissed right back. "Maybe I should just stop the car and pain your nails and we should braid each other's hair! Would that suffice your need for bonding time!?"
"What is up your ass?" he asked with that smirk that seemed to never leave his lips. I growled and tightened my hands on the steering wheel until my knuckles were white. I heard him chuckle. "I just get underneath that tight skin of yours, don't I?"
I chose not to answer. I sped down the streets until I came to Tino's Pizza Joint. Sammy's dad owns the place so I could trust that if I tried to kill Gio, he would stop me. I yanked the keys out of the ignition and ripped my seatbelt off. I got out of the car leaving Gio in and then walked into the restaurant.
The smell of greasy pizza hit my nose and I automatically smiled. Mussolini boys always hung out here when we were kids. The familiar smells always brought a smile to my face. I could remember all of the fun we had here. The bright eyed kids running around messin' with people and stealing their pizza while the others distracted them. Those days were the good one's now....I hated life.
"Vinnie!" Samuel, Sammy's dad, yelled as he grabbed me in a fierce hug. Sammy was named after him if you didn't catch that. I smiled and hugged the man back with just as much force as he gave me. "What's up, kid?"
"Here with-"
"Hey, Sam," Gio said. I growled in my head as Sam looked back at Gio. He looked back at me and then back at Gio and gave a knowing look.
"Hey, Gio. Where's the pops?"
"With the boys," Gio answered with the same tone I used when I talked about my dad. I looked back at him and found him looking at the floor. Fir just a small moment, I felt sorry for him. I knew that look. The look that said 'my dad cares but he doesn't'. I had used that look so many times.
"Alright well I guess you two are together?"
"What! No!" I screamed before I could catch myself. "I mean we are together but not together." These weird thoughts are gettin' to me. I looked back at Gio and he wore a wide-eyed expression. His cheeks were tinted pink but he covered it so I wouldn't see.
"You need to take a chill pill, kiddo." I nodded and gave a forced smile as he walked us over to a table. I slid into the booth and Gio slid in across from me.
"Watcha want kids?" Sam asked.
"Orange Crush," we said at the same time. We both looked at each other with suspicious eyes.
"Looks like you have a lot more in common than you think," Sam said and then walked away with a smirk. Is it just my family or do all Italians smirk? I looked over Gio and found him smirking down at his menu. Not just my family.
"What are you smirking at?" I asked Gio. He looked up at me and the smirk turned into a smile. It has to be illegal to have that perfect of a smile.
SHUT UP, I hissed at my brain.
"You," he finally answered.
"What about me?"
"You think if you like something or do something, no one else is allowed to like or do the same thing. It's cute but not the way things work." My heart sped at the word 'cute'. He thought I was cute?
Oh, fuck. Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP!
"I don't think that. I just don't like people jockin' my style."
"So what I said," he answered. I went to tell him to shut up when two drinks were set on the table. I went to go thank Sam but when I looked up it was Sammy instead of his dad. He gave me a 'what the fuck are you doing with the enemy?' look and I shook my head suddenly feeling exhausted.
"What can I get you two fine gentlemen?" Sammy asked in an overly sweet voice. Gio looked up and smirked. His eyes lit up at the very sight of Sammy, making my stomach clench in...disgust? Yeah. Sure.
"I want a cheese pizza with extra cheese on fettuccini sauce," I said with a glare at Sammy. He gave me a smile and I knew something bad was about to happen.
Gio coughed and Sammy and my eyes went to him. "I want the same thing as him on regular sauce," he said. I rolled my eyes. Copycat.
"See! That's what I am talkin' about!" I felt my face flush. Sammy scuffed and then yanked our menus away before stomping away. "Your friend is a bitch."
My eyes snapped back to him. "What did you just say?"
"Your friend is a bitch," he said simply. "He is getting' all pissy at you because your dad forced you to go on a lunch date with me." Date? That's not what this was. Right? Why am I taking everything he said so literal? What is up with me?
"He just doesn't like outsiders. None of us do," I stated firmly.
"You act like me and my boys do. We hate you guys equally or maybe more than you hate us," he said. "When I sat at your table today I was just fuckin' with you to see what you would do and you completely blew it out of proportion."
I clenched my teeth together. "You knew what you were doing?"
He laughed. "Yes. God! Everyone in the school warned me and the boys about you all day and they told us where not to sit, so of course I had to see what would happen for myself."
At that moment I wanted to grab him by his neck and drowned him in his orange soda. The guy pissed me off on purpose? He did that shit on purpose!? "I didn't think your pops would do that shit to you in public though. My pops usually waits until no one can hear me scream."
My eyes went back up to his and I found him looking out the window beside me. "Pops in the mafia are the worst kind," I said. "But they aren't all bad."
He scuffed. "Maybe not from ages 0-10. After that you are trained to become a killin' machine." I nodded because I knew exactly how he felt. Tommy had been lucky, because dad didn't tell him until just last year about what our family really did. Why the cops always showed up at our house lookin' for stuff.
"Your dad and the other Mussolini's are pretty cool though."
"How do you know all of our parents anyways?" I asked. He laughed and then sipped his soda.
"I met them all Saturday when you boys were out at the warehouse. Your pops said you guys are always there."
I smiled a little. "Yeah. We love it there."
"We have a place like that back home, but not one here."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. We had this place underneath a tattoo shop. It was so cool." When he spoke his eyes lit up like a candle. Something inside of me switched and I found myself getting lost in his eyes as he spoke of this place underneath the tattoo shop. When he lifted his shirt, however, I snapped out of it and my hand flew out sending my drink forward into his lap.
"Oh, shit. Sorry," I said as he grabbed his shirt again and pulled it all the way off. His tanned chest had a tattoo of a cross that said 'qui sopravvivo fino dio pensa che io muoio' (here I survive until god thinks I die) I stared at the words confused by them.
"So why are you playing soda hockey?" he asked suddenly. I looked up at him and found him scowling at me. His eyes were swarming with different feelings but the most obvious was hate. "Ya know? Fuck you, Vincent." He walked away from the booth cursing. I hurried and flew out of my own, following him as he walked out of the building.
I snatched his shoulder and turned him around. "What's your deal?"
"You!" He shouted. "You are so fucking unexplainable! So infuriating but I can't hate you or pops would flip shit!" He pushed me away from him. "Just stay away from me, Vincent. You wanted a war for this turf? Well you just fuckin' got one." He turned away from me and continued to walk down the street with no shirt on. I didn't know if I should follow him or not.
"About damn time," Sammy said. I glared at him and then pushed past him. I got in my car and sped off in the opposite direction of Gio.
He was right. I asked for a war and now I got one, so why did I feel so dead on the inside?