Awakening the Mobster Read Free

the plane dip and shake. I do the opposite of the little red sign that reads, “Please fasten seatbelt.” Megan and Erin haven’t come back yet. The plane isn’t that big, but, when I check up and down the aisle, I don’t see them.
    I motion to Vito and point towards the front. I knew they had headed to the back of the plane originally, but I wasn’t taking any chances, weird shit happens on planes all the time.
    Even with the warnings over the speaker system to sit down, Vito and I walk the aisle in opposite directions.
    At the galley area I find them, Erin is in a jump seat by the bathroom throwing up in a federally-regulated barf bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Megan in another seat in the corner by the huge aircraft door. The sound of the engines is much louder back here.
    The big brother twitch finds me again. I lean over a panting, green-faced Erin, and kiss the top of her head. I can feel Megan’s eyes on me and glance her way. She is smiling broadly at me. She is so fuckin’ pretty!
    One of the flight attendants takes Erin’s bag and hands her a new one. Vito stands in the aisle at the last seat watching the scene. His face has an unfamiliar expression. I can’t pin point it. He motions me over.
    “Shouldn’t they give her something?” he asks. “She’s gonna dehydrate.”
    I shrug my shoulders. The crackle of the loudspeaker sounds again. “We will be landing in South Bend in approximately ten minutes. Please take your seats. Make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened. And as always thank you for flying with us!”
    Megan gets up and helps her sister to stand. We walk single file back to our seats. The girls sit together again as we land in Indiana.
    Down the passageway and out into the terminal, it’s like we landed on foreign soil. I am totally out of my element. This is not New Jersey, and it makes me uneasy. Even the faces of people in the airport seem to have a different shape and context to them. I have a burning need to get my hands on a weapon. It would comfort me.
    Vito is on high alert, too. It is crowded and, for all intents and purposes, we are on alien ground. My Mafia education kicks in, and I will have to rely on only that until I can get my hands on a piece. That will be my first order of business once we settle in.
    We rent a car. Vito wants to rent two sports cars to tool around in. I nix that idea and rent a black Porsche Cayenne SUV. Definitely more practical, and with the money Pop gave me, we can afford to be extravagant and comfortable.
    I pull the vehicle to the curb. I pop the rear door, and Vito loads the luggage in. I jump out to help.
    “Wow, this is ‘mob-ish.’” Megan deadpans.
    “How does the saying go, ‘If the shoe fits...?’” I trail off, smiling at her.
    Erin’s complexion isn’t blotchy and red anymore. It is a perpetual grayish-green. She sits in the backseat, and Megan sits next to her.
    I drive while Vito rides shotgun. Vito uses his phone to put in the address of the campus.
    “Pull in here,” he says.
    I navigate into the parking lot of a convenience store. Vito gets out and goes in. I turn in my seat to check on the girls.
    Erin is staring into space, and Megan is looking at me. She shoots her eyes to Erin, deliberately, letting me know without words that she is worried.
    The passenger door opens, and Vito slides back in. He has a box of saltines and a large bottle of Gatorade. He opens the saltines and tosses one in his mouth. Then he reaches diagonally behind him and waves the box at Erin.
    With effort, she reaches into the sleeve of crackers, taking a few. Slowly, she puts one in her mouth and chews. We sit there waiting and watching Erin. She never looks anywhere but out her window.
    Vito then twists the top off on the Gatorade and hands it to Erin. Either she doesn’t notice or doesn’t want it. Megan takes it from Vito’s hand and holds it under her sister’s nose. She won’t take it.
    “Come on, Erin, have a small drink,”