Alannah
How things can change in seven days.
A week ago, I just knew this life of ours was going to be filled with laughs and trips to places I’ve never heard of. I knew there’d be problems, sure, but I also knew Dominic could handle them with his loyal family behind him. I thought the Family would always be there for us, and there wasn’t anything in the world that was too big.
I thought they all could be trusted—Frankie, Jimmy, Big Sal, John, and of course, Tommy. I believed they all had Dominic’s best interest at heart. I thought they loved him, that they wanted him to be the boss and they took pride in calling him Don Collazo. Dominic is the youngest boss in La Cosa Nostra history, and I thought they liked being a part of that history. I thought this family wasourfamily.
That was a week ago, but oh how things can change in seven days.
“I’ll have the lobster scampi linguini,” Tommy says to the tall, blonde waitress, who doesn’t bother to write anything down because she plans to memorize our orders.
“Cajun chicken linguini alfredo,” Dominic orders next, as he hands the menu to the blonde.
“And for you, ma’am?” she says to me.
“Seaside shrimp trio,” I tell her. The blonde throws me a smile and turns on her heel to hopefully not ruin our orders.
The three of us sit in a booth in the corner of Maggiano’s Little Italy, an exquisite Italian restaurant with an owner that Dominic used to extort when he was still a capo, sipping wine as we wait for our food to arrive. We met at Mercy Hospital to see Dan two days ago, and ever since that meeting, there’s been something restless growing in my gut. I can’t identify it completely, but I know it’s there, and I know it’s real. Something’s wrong—someoneis wrong, and I feel the danger hovering over me like a dark cloud ready to strike. I feel the hairs on my arm standing up. I know the lightning is coming.
“So, how’s he doing? I haven’t been able to get in there to see him since the day he was shot,” Tommy says to Dominic who sips his wine casually.
“Better, I guess,” Dominic answers. “He had surgery yesterday morning, and came out of it alright. That’s the last I heard.”
Tommy stares at Dominic, and his face looks like he’s holding his breath. He’s looked that way when talking about Dan ever since Dan went to the hospital. Something in that face bothers me. Something in that face isn’t right. I can feel it in my bones.
“That’s good. Maybe I’ll go by there soon. You know, to make sure he’s okay,” Tommy says as he adjusts his red tie, but Dominic frowns.
“Ain’t nothing you can do for Dan,” he says. “I need you with us. We gotta be a tight circle until this thing is done. Now, did you get that information for me?”
“Yeah, I did,” Tommy replies as he pulls out a small piece of paper and sets it on the table as he reads over the information scrawled on it. “So, the night Raphy and Dan got hit, Jimmy was working at the carwash. Him and his crew were counting money from a small score they had a couple of days ago. I even had one of his workers show me the video of all of them walking in together. He definitely wasn’t in Chicago shooting Raphy and Dan if he was at the carwash.”
I can see it in Dominic’s face that he’s convinced Jimmy is connected to all of this. Just because he wasn’t physically in Chicago doesn’t mean he wasn’t behind the hit. It doesn’t mean he’s not working with Victor and Giovanni.
“How about Frankie?” Dominic asks, moving on from Jimmy as if nothing had been said about him at all. He smooths out tiny wrinkles on his black jacket as Tommy reads more.
“As for Frankie, he was at home with his wife that night. I asked around, and everybody who lives around there said they saw him come home in the early afternoon, and his car never left the house again.”
“And Sal?” Dominic continues pushing.
“Sal and John were both at River City that night, Dominic,” Tommy says, almost as if he’s sorry to say the words. “Both of them are all over the cameras playing Texas Hold ‘Em.”
“Okay,” Dominic utters quietly, nodding his head even though his face says nothing has changed about how untrustworthy everyone seems.
I feel so sorry for Dominic. He wants the answers to all of this so badly, and I know he feels like they’re within reach, but he just can’t grasp them. He’s standing on a ledge with his arms outstretched, reaching for the solution, and he’s so close to falling off.
“It’s gotta be Victor and Giovanni,” Tommy says just as the blonde waitress is back with all of our food. He folds the paper into a tiny square before shoving it back into his pocket and giving the waitress a faux smile.
Dominic and Tommy go quiet as the blonde waitress and a redheaded helper place our plates in front of each of us and make sure everything is how we ordered it. To my surprise, it actually is. I commend the waitress for her good memory before she thanks her helper and walks away. We all start to dig in as Tommy begins again.
“I know it might sound far-fetched,” he says quietly, unfolding his napkin. “But after looking into all of our guys, it’s the only thing that makes any sense now. Victor must’ve had Giovanni come down here and cause all of this.”
“I still don’t buy it, Tommy. Maybe I’d consider it if we had proof,” Dominic replies.
“I cangetproof,” Tommy immediately counters with too much confidence.
I look up at Tommy as he leans forward, pleading with Dominic with his eyes. I can’t shake the feeling that I have, and it’s the first time I’ve ever had a bad feeling about Tommy. Maybe it’s my lack of trust just growing after Dominic told me the hit was an inside job, but the only person I trust is Dominic.
There’s something in Tommy that keeps catching my attention, though. I can’t put my finger on it, and the last thing I’d ever do is interject how I feel into Dominic’s business. At least, not without significant evidence to support my claim. I’d have to be one hundred percent certain before talking to Dominic about this, and I’m not there yet. So, I’ll keep my mouth shut for now. However, I’m not completely dead at this meeting between Dominic and Tommy. I’m listening. I’m watching.
