Page 74 of Tommy
Now it’s Payton’s turn to choke on the water she was drinking, and while Mama ignores it, my brothers smirk. Well, not Danny, but I think I got an eye twitch out of him.
“Well, that’s lovely. Perhaps we can all go together soon. We can even have Milly come up with her family.”
“Pretty sure her man is scared of us,” I mutter.
Mama frowns. “Scared? Why on earth would he be scared?”
Bobby shrugs, as do I. Vinny answers, though; he was always the good one of the group.
“Death threats might have been made against him if something happened to our little sister.”
Mama sets her fork down with a clatter as Dante laughs. “You threatened him?”
Vinny shrugs as he dabs at his mouth with his napkin. “Strong talking-to.”
“‘All but promised’ is what you mean.” Dante chuckles with a shake of his head. “Once a Mafia king, always a Mafia king.”
Payton’s fork skids across her plate as if her hand jerked at the words.
Is she really that innocent to not know who we are? I mean, we keep it out of most mouths, but even so, people talk. They mention things. I figured she’d have at least googled me and my family. Not that she’d find much. We make it a point to keep out of the newspapers and the police station. Neither can help an empire succeed. It’s all about what happens under the table, not discussed outright but said with certain undertones.
“What do you have to fear from your sister finding happiness? Shame on you, Vinny. I expected more.” Mama looks at Vinny, then gives my girl a kind smile, letting her know that despite our title, there’s nothing to fear. At least not now. We get jobs done, and while that might make us bad to some, we’re not evil or cruel.
“Oh, Mama, it’s not fear of what she finds. It’s the fear of her losing her happiness that had me speaking out.”
“Well, if that’s the case, I forgive you.”
“Typical,” Bobby says under his breath.
I agree with him, but I don’t speak up. It would be foolish to. We all know that Vinny gets away with a lot of shit with Mama. Him and Milly. The firstborn and the only girl. The rest of us were never neglected, but we all like to tease them both about it.
“Didn’t know you knew what fear was,” Dante says with a grin as he looks at Vinny, always one to push buttons.
Usually I do that, but now I’m just enjoying a meal with the family and my girl beside me, sitting in silence and watching it all play out. For once I’m not having to defend myself. I guess this is what Danny feels like all the time. Since he rarely speaks up at these things, he can just sit back and enjoy the moment. I see the appeal now.
“I fear nothing.”
Bobby shakes his head and waves his fork around. “That’s not what you said. You get scared, just like everyone else. You might almost be human after all.”
Vinny rolls his eyes. “Oh please. You can’t be serious.”
“Very much so,bigbro. Imagine the shock that will go through thefamigliaat hearing such a thing. Vinny, the don of New York and the East Coast, scared. The headlines would be riveting.”
“Everyone gets scared. It’s not a headline. It’s a fact. It’s how you act on it that defines you.”
Bobby scoffs. “If you say so.”
“The only thing that scares you is marriage.” I smirk with a wink at Payton, who quirks her lips slightly in return.
Bobby lets out a full belly laugh as he puts his fork down. “That’s true. Scared like a kid told to eat his vegetables.”
“Not scared.” Vinny gives him a side glare. “Just particular.”
“You keep being that particular and you won’t get a choice. One will be made for you by the syndicate,” Mama says softly.
It’s not a threat, but it might as well be. Vinny knows there’s an expectation with his position. He’ll eventually need to choose a wife. If he doesn’t find one soon, there will be talk. Talk isn’t a good thing; it gives room for doubt and concern about leadership. It shouldn’t matter if a man is married or not, but the old ones who run certain families see it as a good thing. Family is the look a don should have.
And if a don doesn’t marry for love, which is rare but happens, then a marriage must be arranged for alliances. Vinny’s already older than some of those in the syndicate would like for him to still be single. Not too far gone, but enough that there’s been talk. I heard a bit at thefamigliaevent.
