Page 10 of Mafia Manipulator


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COLLINS

The first day of tutoring Rocca went about as well as I thought it would. Kyle was actually enjoying his online classes with the new computer and text books that’d been left for him by Miceli, at the main house, when we arrived. We weren’t beggars. Kyle and me, had trust funds with almost five million dollars apiece waiting for maturity. Our stipulations were the same. The money held in trust would be ours when we turned twenty-five or when we graduated college, whichever came first.

I would have had access to mine this year.

Though, I hadn’t considered what would happen to the money, since technically, we were dead. I pushed the thought of our former lives aside so many times over the last ten months, not wanting to think about any of it. I didn’t want to remember how carefree we were because it made this—situation—harder on us. It used to be so easy to jump in my car and go shopping without worrying how much I spent or why. Now, I counted every penny in my car’s ashtray, along with our cash on hand.

Because Stephanie Hollis had died, and Collins Attwood was poor.

So, I penned a simple note of thanks and tucked it into the corner of Miceli’s door before leaving for the afternoon. Since the week had flown by with no incidences, I took Kyle out for some dinner, even if it was fast food. As long as no one recognized us or followed us, we should be okay. Besides, not like anyone would dare step foot on Miceli Daidone’s property. It was an open invitation for being killed. Hopefully, that extended to his employees as well.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” I tugged my brother toward the car. “I have this cash on hand, plus a paycheck.” One I had no clue how to cash or where to put the funds. See, Miceli gave me a list of benefits that came along with my job, but I hadn’t cared to read it over. On the day I arrived, I’d still been scared, agitated because of the incident in the WaWa, and nervous. I don’t even remember the full jest of the interview. I, regrettably, remembered my little faux pas in the house later that night, though. Thankfully, Miceli had been scarce around the house, so I didn’t have to worry about the awkward conversations that might have taken place. Nor hitting on my boss.Gross, who does that, Stephanie?

Obviously, I did.

“What are you going to do with a paycheck?” Kyle frowned. “Not like we can get an account anywhere.”

No, we couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. “Well, we’ll grab burgers, shakes, and loaded fries, then figure it out while we scarf down good food and watch cheesy movies.” I laughed. It felt so good. With as much pressure on both of us, considering the ramifications if anyone learned the truth of who we were, being able to enjoy something stupid like a greasy burger and stupid movies seemed heavenly. I couldn’t say when the last time was I felt so giddy or free.

“Ms. Attwood.” Benny waved as he drew near. “I’m glad I caught you. Mr. Daidone forgot to give you this earlier. You’ll have to activate it, of course, but it’s yours.” He handed over a black debit/credit card with Collins Attwood written on the front. Confused, I looked at Benny for a little help. He was a nice guy, doted on Rocca, maybe a little too much, but he had a heart of gold and took protecting Miceli’s daughter seriously.

“What is this for?” I didn’t want to sound stupid, but I probably failed miserably.

Benny chuckled. “It’s how we get paid.” He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, then grabbed his card from his wallet. “See? Mr. Daidone did this a few years back. All of our bonuses and pay are sent directly to the card on our designated pay days.”

“So, what’s in the envelope?” I turned the card over, relieved and skeptical about using such a thing. Since we’d been on the run, I’d learned everything device could trace someone, including a stupid watch.

“Pay stub.” Benny grinned. “Hey, I saw your car. You have an oil leak. Not bad, of course. Still, I can have a friend look at.”

Fear spiked within me. “Uh... No, pfft. No. I can handle that. It’s the weekend, right? I’ll just take it to like a Speedy Lube or whatever.” I laughed, trying to brush off his concern. “However, if you’d like a burger, my treat?”

“Are you sure?” Benny pressed.

“About the burger or the car?” I answered, trying to restrain the urge to run to the car and drive away screaming in panic.

“The car,” Benny replied. “Look, I know you and your brother have been on your own for a while now. It can be harsh out there. The guy I’m talking about works for Mr. Daidone. He can come here and check over the vehicle for you. You and your brother can watch. Hell, I’ll be here too.”

I sagged. “Why are you doing this for me?” I had to have the truth. The whole idea of relying on anyone right now frightened the fuck out of me. “Why do you care if the car has a leak?” Besides the fact an oil leak could stain concrete or draw attention or worse, put Kyle and me on the side of the road.Oh. Oh, that’s a bad thought. Bad, Stephanie.

“Because I can see when people are in distress. Clearly, whatever you have been through has caused you a lot of grief. I want to help you lighten the load. Heck, I’ll even let you pay him to work on your car.”

I laughed. “How generous of you.”

Benny shrugged. “Ms. Attwood, there is another reason, too.”

I figured. “Spit it out.”

Benny’s hazel gaze flicked to my brother, then back to me. “If you should ever be out with Rocca, and you used your car, we wouldn’t want you to get stuck on the side of the road or lead someone back here. If you catch my drift.”

Oh, I did. I’d worried about the same when all of this started. Hence why we had nothing that could be linked to Stephanie Hollis or Kyle Hollis. “Oh...” I tried to play it cool, like I hadn’t even thought about something so important. “You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry, Benny. Sure, I’ll take you up on your offer. Now, how about mine?” It was good to have friends. I missed that. Heck, I missed a lot of things.

“No thank you, my wife packed dinner for me,” he replied in kind. It was then I noticed the gold chain and ring around his neck. “I appreciate the offer, though.”

“You’re welcome.” I cleared my throat. “So, do I activate the card and just use it?”

“Yes, the instructions should be in the envelope along with your paystub.” Benny started back toward the house. “Have a good night.”

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