Mobster's Angel (Mobster Series) by Amy Rachiele Page A

Thanksgiving weekend ?
    Clarissa: Yippee!
    Me: I’ll ask my dad. 
    Asking my mother would be stupid.  She won’t want to spend the money for a pla ne ticket on a holiday weekend, especially after she nagged me to come all the way back to Palmetto.
    A n awkward, icky feeling comes over me.  Brice!   Clarissa hasn’t mentioned seeing him.  I wonder if he ever came back to school?
    And Vito!   I would miss him…  I kind of don’t want to go and not see him… but it’s a weekend, a holiday: I wouldn’t see him anyway.  Weird.

Chapter 10
Vito
    I pop into Antonio’s car.  Dennis had a week.  The week is up.  It’s time for him to pay.  Tonio doesn’t bring up our conversation the last time we went to collect and I don’t either.  He would just haul off and punch me again.  That’s how guys are.
    Tonio steers us over to the street we saw Dennis last time where the buildings are closely cinched together. I see him a few feet down from where he was last week.  He doesn’t run when he sees Antonio’s car.
    Tonio parks up against the curb and we get out. Our car doors slam simultaneously.
    “Hey, Dennis,” Tonio greets him.  He d oesn’t run, but his face is full of raw fear.
    “Hey,” he says softly.
    “You got anything for me?” Tonio asks.
    “Yeah.”  Dennis pulls a wad of hundreds out of his pocket. His fingers are puffed out with white bandages. He hands the bills to Tonio.  I move close to Dennis and cross my arms over my chest.  Just in case this fucker tries to run. The money might not all be there.
    Tonio counts.  He shuffles and runs the bills through his fingers, counting them in his head.
    “Well, good job, Dennis.”  Tonio smiles at him.  “Nice doing business with you.”
    Tonio nods to me that we are all set.  I pat Dennis on the shoulder and he shrinks away from me.
    “Stay out of trouble.” I tell him.
    We pop back into Tonio’s car and drive away.  He hands me an envelope and the money.  I slip the money inside and seal it.
    *** **
    Tonio parks at the restaurant and we head inside.  Antonio’s Pop is there, sitting with his head enforcer, Donny, the knife .  We walk to him and Tonio places the envelope in front of him.
    “Good,” he praises.
    He takes out some hundreds and hands both of us five each.  “Go.  Get some dinner.  Tonight’s special is eggplant parmigiana.  It’s delicious.”  He waves his hand in the air dismissively.
    We start to walk towards a free table when Mr. Delisi calls me.  “Yo, Vito.”  He flicks his fingers, signaling me to come back.  Donny gets up and leaves.  I sit in his seat.
    “How’re you doin’?”
    “Good,” I say.
    “I heard you met with my man .”  He means Patrick.
    “Yup.”
    “Are yous okay with it?” he asks.
    I shrug my shoulders , noncommittally.
    “I ’ve barely had time to digest it, but I know my place.  If that’s what you want, you know I’ll do it.”
    “You’re a good boy.  I’m proud of you.  So is your pop.”   He takes a heaping forkful of parmagiana and chews, thinking.
    He pauses a minute to consider me before continuing. “This girl.  Megan’s sister.  You like her.”
    I nod.
    The boss laughs, “I don’t know what it is with you boys, but...”  He pauses.  “But she’s a little thing, not too strong.  We sent her away.”
    I nod again.
    “Yous think she can take it.  Her mother brought her back, but I told Patrick to send her away again.  She doesn’t have the oolee or the stomach for this shit.”
    I nod.
    He cuts his eggplant and takes another bite, thinking.  “Yous wanna take a chance with her, that’s fine.  I won’t send her back. But nobody, not nobody knows your new job.”  He says low on his breath.
    “I understand.”
    “No bitches you bang… nobody.  Get me?  Tonio and the girl you put a ring on only.  That’s it.”
    “Yes ,” I respond. He takes another bite and waves his fork as he talks.
    “What is this shit with