“Oh? How so?”
“Everyone knows Gianna’s staying with us. What do we look like letting some cagacazzo put hands on her? Now it’s taken care of.”
“We did the right thing, Pop.”
“Yeah, you’re still grounded.”
“Fine, we’ll take it.”
“But she better not be out here in these streets, or you’ll end up having to lock us away somewhere for a while.”
“How dare she hit a Russo? Is she nuts?”
“But she didn’t; she hit Gia.”
“That’s just semantics, Pop.”
“Okay, I guess you two are proud of yourselves by the way you’re acting?”
“It’s all in a day’s work. You’re the one who taught us that.”
Don’t laugh, Draco. Don’t smirk, don’t smile. In fact, don’t let your face twitch one way or the other. They left the room after I dismissed them, and I went back to trying to find my son. The kid ditching his team isn’t an issue. He does that all day, every day, because he was put on this earth to put me through what I put my Pop through when I was his age. I know, I get it. But on a day like today, he ought to know to stay close.
The phone on my desk rang, and I was so focused on Gabe I forgot to check who was calling.
“Draco Antonio!” Ah shit.
“Yes, Ma.”
“The girls can’t be grounded, their birthday’s coming, and their grandpa and I have lots we need them to do.”
“They can help you for a few hours after school.”
“No!”
“Ma!”
“You will not penalize them for doing what we taught them. There is no grounding.”
“Ma, they were brawling in the streets.”
“So? This is New Hampshire; it could do with some excitement. In my day….” I had to listen to ten minutes of what it was like for an Italian girl growing up in Brooklyn in the fifties and sixties.
“Okay, Ma, you win.” Their brother would’ve fought for them anyway.
“Don’t you think they’re a bit too old for you to still be doing this? They’re not cute little three-year-olds who got into the candy and ran to Nana to escape a scolding.”
“When you have grandchildren of your own someday, you’ll understand. Now, this stronza, you take care of her?”
“Ma! Where’s Pop?”
“Your father, he had something to do.”
“Is Gabe over there? Was Gabe over there?”
“I haven’t seen him. Where is my grandson? Did you lose him? We’re coming over, this, all this, is no good Draco. It’s been weeks already. Why haven’t you taken care of this coglione?”
“I’m on top of it, Ma.” Why is it that everybody wants me to go legit except my own family? Sofia has to be held down by Sheila, who’s looking for excuses to join her instead of restraining her. Thank fuck I talked her into calming down.
Her ringers, the two that just left here, are not done, I’m sure since they were stopped before too much damage was done. And even Garrett, my levelheaded doctor of a brother, is pissed at me for letting his nephew slip away unnoticed in the middle of turmoil.
Ma finished ranting in both English and Italian then invited herself to dinner before hanging up. They used to be here for dinner every Sunday since they literally live around the corner, but with health issues and not feeling like it, that had tapered off some in the last year, something that did not make my wife happy at all. She’s not satisfied unless the whole family’s here for Sunday dinner. Shit, where the hell is my son?
GABRIEL
“What was that back there, might I ask?”
“Victoria’s car.”
“Okay, Uncle Draco’s been ringing my phone off the hook. You better call him.”
“I’ll see him when I get home. I need to stop and get Gianna some ice cream first.”
“Gabe, look, I know you’re pissed, but you need to calm down.”
“I am calm.”
“No, no, you’re not. There’s a difference between calm and ice cold. Right now, the temperature in here is about forty degrees colder than outside, and that’s with the heat on.”
“You think this is ice? It can’t be; Victoria is still alive.”
“Gabe!”
“She hit her, right in front of me.”
“I know, I understand.”
“Do you?” I looked out the window at the dark nothingness keeping my thoughts to myself.
If there was any doubt as to what she’s come to mean to me, this cinches it. But that’s not what I’m thinking about right at this moment, no. It wouldn’t be fair to think of such sweet softness as love while my heart is in a blind murderous rage. She dared, right in front of me. After how many warnings?
Forget dragging this out for my own sick enjoyment. Starting now, their lives are in my hands. I just have to get around Pop and his legion of men. I know once I get back, he’s going to ramp up security, but I’ve got an answer for that. I came up with it while torching Victoria’s pride and joy.