Chapter 2

“I’m sorry, I was on campus.” Adelina averted her eyes from the man. “I got distracted.”

“With what?”

“School work.” She responded sheepishly.

He nodded for a moment. “Still art something or other?”

“Literary Arts, yes.”

He considered this for a moment. “A waste, if you ask me.”

She had never asked him. Still, time and time again he thought it appropriate to tell her what he thought of her major.

A waste.

She shook it off, and chose not to respond.

“Well my girl, I suppose it’s time.” He set the cigar in the ashtray and dusted his hands on his dress slacks before standing. “Come with me,” he led her back in the grand house, down the wood floored hallway into his office.

At one time, Massimo was a handsome man. His dark hair was now peppered with streaks of gray, and his stomach was now more flabby than toned muscle. He walked with a slight limp from hip pain but refused any assistance from a cane. The man had truck-loads of money, yet he wore dress slacks and a short sleeve button down with the top three buttons undone. A lot of the men he surrounded himself wore suits, proper gangsters, she called them. Not Massimo. Massimo considered himself the town sweetheart. Women loved him, round belly and all. On Thanksgiving, he handed out turkeys to all the families in Federal Hill. If you were down on your luck, Massimo had a job and a wad of cash for you. He protected the neighborhood, and therefore the neighborhood protected him.

And if you didn’t protect Massimo, then you didn’t live.

Vinny was already waiting when they arrived in Massimo’s office.

Massimo greeted him with a clap on the back and took a seat behind the large cherry wood desk. They sat in silence for a long moment while Massimo poured himself a glass of dark liquor and took a long sip.

“My boy,” he mused. “He loved you." Massimo looked to her, saying these words with emotion Adelina wasn’t expecting. He was referring to Theo, his only son and Adelina’s first and only boyfriend.

Adelina didn't respond, she didn't need to.

"I've held this off for as long as I could," he told her sadly, "For his memory."

She nodded even though she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Your brother here," he gestured to Vinny, "Has gotten some offers and so it's time, topolina."

Topolina, little mouse, was the nickname that Theo gave her as a baby. He was three years old when she was born and the first little girl of his father's inner circle. When he saw her in the hospital room he shouted "Topolina!" They assumed this was to do with an Italian children’s book he had recently read, but nevertheless it stuck, and Adelina grew up with the nickname from their families. She was the little mouse that Theo would guard and protect for the rest of his life.

Adelina followed Theo around like he was her savior. She spent every possible moment as a child running through the gardens with him, riding bikes, and swinging from tree branches.

So, when Theo announced at 19 that he would marry Adelina, no one was surprised except her. She had been raised alongside boys who had been trained to take what they wanted, never realizing that she was one of those prizes they would take.

At 16, Adelina wore a promise ring knowing in two years it would turn into an engagement ring. But when those two years were up, instead she was met at the end of the aisle with two coffins.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

He took another long drink.

"I felt that as his father I should be the one to tell you."

Adelina forced back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. "You could stop it," she said sounding whinier than she meant.

"Adelina!" Vinny scolded.

"My girl," Massimo cooed, "this is your duty to your family, you know this."

Adelina choked on a laugh.

Duty.

Famiglia.

Italian men all talked the same. This was a speech she had heard from Theo, Vinny, and now Massimo. A single tear dropped down her cheek and she wiped it quickly before her brother could scold her for being childish.

Massimo sighed. "Your brother has a few meetings set up for you. I will attend since your father cannot. Adelina, you will make me proud, yes?"

"Can I be excused," she asked shakily, and Massimo nodded looking to Vinny to take her home.

Adelina felt sick to her stomach as she ran from the house. Vinny's shouts echoed behind her and she knew she'd take shit for this later, but right now just needed out of this place. She made it to the first bush outside before she threw up.

Roberto, the enforcer whose job centered around watching her, hovered over. “Here, skip." He called.

"Jesus, Addy.” Vinny muttered catching up to her.

Using her sleeve to wipe her mouth, she finally turned to them.

"Take me home please."

They obliged, and less than five minutes later and Adelina was back in her childhood home. Her mother had been thrilled to see her.

Eve DeMarco was nothing without her children, or at least that's what she told them. The woman was a little bored since Adelina was away at school, Vinny was in and out of the house, and her husband was no longer home to be taken care of. She spent one night a week with the other wives, but "they're all lil’ old bittys" as she told Adelina. She lived for the moments her children were home so she could dote on them and feed them a home cooked meals.

She already had lasagna in the oven when Adelina burst through the front door.

"Topolina!" she cooed.

Adelina visibly flinched at the nickname.

"You haven't been home enough." Eve's hands gently touched Adelina's cheeks and pressed on her shoulders as if making sure she was there, real, and intact.

"Sorry, Ma."

"Your shaking." Eve studied her daughter, whose eyes were full of fear and on the verge of crying. "Vincent?"

"She's fine, Ma." He huffed from the entryway. "We just met with the Boss."

Eve's eyes dropped to the floor, and she reclaimed her arms to wrap them around herself tightly. "Oh," she muttered. "I see."

"Wait," Adelina looked suspiciously between the two. "You knew?"

"Yes," Eve sniffed. "I'm sorry Addy, but it will be okay."

Adelina was pissed. She was annoyed and angry that she lived in a world where she got no choice, no voice, no opinion, and everyone was going to stand by and let it happen. Even the people closest to her.

The first thing Adelina learned growing up in la famiglia: trust nobody.