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You can be the reigning Queen of Chicago. Men can shake and bow at your feet. Strong men. Even evil men. But you have a teenage girl? They’ll literally stick their hand in the lion’s mouth and mock it.
I’m not afraid of anything.
Except being a mother to a senseless creature like these damn teenage girls.
Chapter 4
Tony
Ileanbackinmy chair. I’m on security duty. Hanging out on a folding chair next to the “storage room” door. I’m watching Luigi, Frankie and Aria all crowd around the card table. They’re discussing their battle plan. For probably the tenth time.
“We can’t do that,” Aria groans, discouraged, after the fourth or fifth lame brain suggestion.
“They’re expecting us. They know I’m not going to just lay down and take it. They’ll know it’s coming.” She puts her head in her hands and massages her face, clearly frustrated. “We have to do something completely unprecedented; something they’ll never see coming.”
“But won’t they be expecting that too?” Frankie snorts.
I shake my head. He’s missing the point.
“If it’s unprecedented enough, they won’t be able to prepare…” I retort, without meaning to. I was always good at blurting shit out when I had no business.
Aria looks up at me, her expression marked with confusion.
“Sorry…” I mutter.
“The bodyguard thinks he knows more than me…” Frankie laughs. It’s a full blown belly laugh. My fists ball.
“Shut up, Frankie…” Aria’s voice full of venom. She’s really frustrated. I can tell.
“I’m just sayin’ I’ve been in this business for a long time, what’s a mechanic got on me?!” He is being defensive. But I can’t blame him. He’s old. He knows his days doing all this are numbered.
“Well, for one, I have already had a plan ever since it happened, but I’m just a bodyguard…a mechanic bodyguard…” I remain seated and extend my leg to get more comfortable. At this rate, I’m going to be there for a whole hell of a lot longer. Aria’s the only one with any brains. But her own ego is clouding what she needs to do.
She’s just like Madam Rosa.
She puts blinders on herself.
Frankie scoffs and I clench my jaw. It’s taking everything in me not to retire the old man early. His fat belly rubs the table as he adjusts in his seat. I shake my head.
“What’s your plan?” Aria asks, sitting up straight, her eyes piercing into me.
“You can’t be serious!” Frankie protests, slamming his hands down on the table.
Luigi laughs and looks down at the green felt, clearly not making a comment. Probably for the best.
“Well,” I stand up and walk toward the table and grab a few of the poker chips. “For one, here’s you guys…” I threw down two of the poker chips. “Here’s the Colombos.” I throw down two more of the poker chips. “They may just be one family, and you may be two — but they’ve got the numbers to match you. They’ve been recruiting for three years.”
“You saying I’m losing my footing?” Aria chimes in.
I nod. “Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I’m saying, but fortunately for you…” I grab a handful of chips that are at the dealer’s side and throw them down on the table. “There’s all these recruitment prospects here…”
“Recruitment prospects?” She whispers, staring at the chips like they hold some sort of secret key. “What are you saying?”
I smile. “All the families that have flooded into Chicago over the years..this is them…” I say and she looks up at me and shakes her head. I hold my hand up. “They’re thugs. They’re idiots. But… they’re also folks the Colombos have written off. Same as you. They wouldn’t expect you to use them to go after them.”
“So you’re saying get into bed with a bunch of idiots?” Luigi cuts.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. They won’t know what hit them…”
