Page 40 of Mafia Manipulator


Font Size:  

“You look nice.”

He spun around in a little circle. “Do I fit in now?”

I nodded. “You do. Let’s go.” As we exited the house, I glanced around to see if anyone was watching. I hadn’t driven my car since Antonio and Benny fixed it. Knowing my luck, even if I wanted to take my car, I’d end up in the Land Rover because my battery was dead.

“You sure we should take this?” My brother cocked a brow, staring at our vehicle, the one we’d spent so much time in over the last eleven and a half months in.

“It’s ours.” I shrugged. “Not like we’re stealing it.”

“Didn’t Miceli give you the keys to a Land Rover?”

“You sure you want to use one of his vehicles while we plan our escape?” I tilted my head, staring at my brother. Bad enough, I was sure Miceli had a tracker on all of his possessions.

He mulled over what I’d said, scrubbing his cheek. “You’re right.”

Always am.

I grinned, opening the car for him to get in while I walked around the front. The last time I checked, I had a half a tank of gas and a spare twenty in the middle console for when I needed to fill up. First thing was first, though, figuring out if my baby would start. Putting the key into the ignition, the chime for the door being open binged, a good sign. I turned it once, waiting to see if the fuel pump would engage along with the other lights on the dash. When they did, I turned the car over. The car started on the first try, and I yipped in triumph.

Score one for us.

Once we were situated, I backed up, then followed the driveway back to the front of the house. The weirdness of facing the road instead of the house hit me square in the chest. Though I realized we wouldn’t be gone for long, the idea of leaving bothered me more than I could explain or understand. I pulled out of the circular drive, then headed for town. Beside me, Kyle turned on the radio. Yes, music. I laughed, tapping my thumbs against the steering wheel. Sweet, sweet freedom.

“I’ve missed that sound,” Kyle said, smiling at me. “Hearing you laugh, like funny, full-on, happiness.”

Grinning at him, I replied, “Feels good. You should do it sometime, too.”

He snorted. “I do. You’re just not present when it happens. Mostly, though, it’s when I’m with the guys.”

I nodded. “Uh, huh? I bet.” Before we did any kind of shopping, I wanted a coffee and a pastry. “Starbucks?”

“God yes,” Kyle agreed. “I don’t care what you get me as long as it’s the biggest they have.”

I chuckled. “You sound like a size queen.”

“Well, I have learned over the years from you, dear sister, size matters.” He winked at me, unleashing a peal of laughter from me again.

“The fact you listened to those conversations... Boundaries, little brother.” For a moment, no matter how long or small it lasted, I forgot about everything and enjoyed the morning with Kyle.

I missed being the college co-ed who didn’t know who she wanted to be, and not being afraid of that. I’d been supported by wonderful parents who’d do anything for me no matter what. With them, I knew I’d never fail. Now, most days, I felt like a failure in so many ways.

After grabbing the biggest coffees we could both handle, I pulled onto the parking deck for the middle of downtown. Shops lined the road on both sides. I hadn’t seen a mall anywhere, and the plazas weren’t too far apart either. We could walk and drink.

The late spring/early summer air left the temperatures tepid. Not too hot, but not too cold. Perfect for what we had planned. The blare of horns and loud music was a welcomed bit of normalcy I’d missed since our entire ordeal began. The smell of exhaust, tinged with a hint of rain, along with blooming flowers, enveloped me. I missed this.

“You’ll tell me if anything hurts, right?” I cut my gaze to Kyle, who strolled beside me like he wasn’t in a hurry.

“I’m fine. Better than fine.” He lifted his left arm and showed me how much he’d improved in a few short weeks. “See. Almost good as new. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll always worry,” I murmured, continuing to the shopping center. “Okay, what first?”

“Phones?” Kyle said, pointing to the Apple store. “Computer too.”

“Perfect. Let’s do this.” A niggle at the back of my mind said this could be the biggest mistake I’d ever made. I had a little over twenty thousand dollars on my pay card, thanks to not having to worry about paying for anything, unless we wanted food delivered. The minute amounts of money we had on us didn’t even make a dent in my savings when I was Stephanie Hollis. Spending what I knew would amount to about five thousand dollars on electronics hurt, but I knew, in the long run, it was for the best, and I could replenish my savings until the inevitable happened.

Inside the store, Kyle went straight for the laptops. The associates were nice, helping us get everything we’d need and a few extras. The bonus items like air pods were a nice little freebie gift, considering the chunk of change I’d paid them. Yet, money was trivial when I saw how happy my brother was. He couldn’t get the exact computer he had, since all the newer models were sold out, but he found the equivalent, which was all that mattered to me.

When we were finished there, we headed to one of the cute boutiques I’d seen on the way to the Apple store. I missed my clothes. I’d taken to wearing baggie stuff. Hiding my figure and my appearance. If no one could see me, no one could mistake me for myself. As I stepped into the store, the blare of top 40 music jolted me. My brain found its happy groove, and I told Kyle to check out the men’s section while I browsed the women’s section.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like