Accidental Mobster (16 page)

“Duh,” I reply, and start to back out of the room, but Julia shakes her head violently.

“Honey, I've got to go. Our exchange student is bothering me again!” she says sweetly.

“I'll call you if everything works out tonight. You had better not be late!” She slaps her cell phone shut and throws it on the bed, and then she stares expectantly at me.

“Exchange student?” I ask.

“My boyfriend is
collegiate
. I think he's starting to get bored with me. Just trying to make life more exciting, maybe make him a little jealous,” she replies, smiling coyly. “What do you want?”

I know I have no easy way to deliver the news, so I plunge ahead. “Tomorrow, everyone will know that I'm from Ridley, not Boston.”

Julia's eyes widen. “How?”

“I'm telling them.”

Her face twists in anger. “Whatever for? Do you want to ruin my journalistic reputation?”

“Maybe you should have thought about your ‘journalistic reputation' before you lied in your article,” I shoot back.

Her cheeks turn bright red. “I did it for you! Everyone will hate you if they know you're from Ridley!”

“I don't have a choice, Julia. If I don't tell everyone, Tommy Gallo will.”

Her eyes narrow. “How does that creep know about you?”

I shake my head. “Beats me. But he threatened to expose me unless I do what he says. Besides, it's only a matter of time before someone Googles me and finds out I wrestled at Ridley Middle School.”

“What does Tommy want you to do?” she asks, her anger momentarily distracted by the mention of something juicy like blackmail.

“Well, that's actually why I came to talk to you. I think we may be able to salvage your reputation and trap Tommy at the same time.”

She scoots to the edge of her bed and studies me for a moment. “I'm interested,” she says. “What do you want me to do?”

“First, I need you to write a retraction and tell people where I'm really from, but it can't be released until noon tomorrow. I need a chance to talk to my friends. Then meet me in the gym before third period. All you need to do is watch and listen. I think you'll be getting the scoop of the year.”

Her eyes light up in excitement, but then she quickly wipes the eagerness from her face.

“
Fine
. But I want a favor in return.”

“The scoop of the year isn't enough?”

Julia crosses her arms. “I need to ride to the hospital with you.”

“Why?” I ask, thinking that Julia could not have any reason to visit Tony's dad. Julia shrugs. “A friend's mom is there. I want to visit her.”

I glance at her cell phone and remember the words of her phone conversation—something about tonight. “I'm not helping you sneak out, Julia. I'm not lying for you. I'm trapped in enough lies as it is.”

She glares at me. “I am visiting a friend,
okay
? That's all you need to know!”

I shake my head in disgust and reach for her cell phone. Julia tries to grab it first, but she's not quick enough. “What are you doing? Give it back!” she whines, lunging for it. I hold it away from her and step back. “I just need to borrow it for a minute.”

“No way!” she shrieks.

“Hey, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.”

She looks at me with uncertainty. “What?”

I roll my eyes and turn to the door. “It's an expression, Julia. Don't get so excited.”

She is infuriated by my jab. “Oh, shut up, Danny. Only in your dreams would I ever like you!”

I turn to her, smiling. “Only in my nightmares.”

She throws a shoe at me, but misses.

“Nice shirt,” I say, not able to help myself, “but you won't want to let your dad see you in that.” Then I close the door and head back down the stairs.

* * * *

I take Julia's cell phone outside and sit on the step. Gino isn't home yet, so here on the porch I can talk to Reggie and keep a lookout for my godfather. I can't be certain that Gino's phones aren't bugged by the FBI or that Gino doesn't bug his own phones for any number of reasons. But I think Julia's cell phone should be a relatively safe way to get into contact with Reggie, who is my only advantage in this dangerous game I've decided to play. No one knows that Reggie has been at the diner—not Frank, not the Newcastle Mafia, nobody. Reggie answers the phone on the second ring.

“Reggie, it's Danny.”

“Finally! I almost had a heart-attack last night!” Reggie says.

“I know. That was a close call.”

“So the plan—it must have worked, right? I mean, you're okay? I was worried, but my mom mentioned you called, so I figured you were breathing.”

“I'm fine,” I reply. “But I didn't exactly get out of there undiscovered.”

Reggie sucks in air. “No way! What happened?”

“Someone knows about me,” I continue, “but it's not the Newcastle Mafia. An undercover FBI agent covered for me.”

“Does this ‘agent' know about me?”

“No,” I answer. “And I'm going to keep it that way. At least for the time being.”

“Okay,” Reggie agrees. “So what happens next?”

“Nothing. We wait and we watch.”

“Shouldn't we—”

“No,” I interrupt. “We'll wait.”

* * * *

The ride to the hospital is extremely uncomfortable. Portia had come to the door, and when I answered, she had given me a big hug and thanked me for going to the hospital with her. “Tony needs my support, and I need yours,” she had said. However, she quickly became guarded when she discovered Julia wanted to ride with us. Portia had nodded and smiled weakly when Julia made the request, but I know she is uneasy around Julia. Portia is a kind, sincere person who likes everyone except people who are exactly the opposite of her—fake, selfish people. Julia certainly fits into the second category, but I'm surprised at how both girls try to act pleasant toward each other. I decide that boys are much more straightforward than girls. That's why women are so frustrating—you never really know where you stand with them.

The car ride is quiet. Joe Saviano is at the wheel of the old Cadillac on which Portia was sunbathing when I first saw her. Portia is silent, although I wonder if this is due to Julia's uninvited presence and not due to Portia's lack of things to say. Portia sits up front next to her father, and Evie and Julia are sandwiching me in the middle seat. It's not a bad place to be, but I'd rather be sitting next to Portia than anyone else. The uncomfortable silence in the Saviano car finally wears on my nerves, which have already taken more abuse than I can stand for one day.

“Portia, did anyone find out what happened to Tony's dad?” I ask, wondering if Mr. Chen's mishap had been traced to the Newcastle Mafia yet.

Portia shakes her head. “I guess he told the police he couldn't identify the men who robbed and attacked him. It's so awful to think that those men might get away with doing such a terrible thing!”

I'm mildly surprised. So Mr. Chen did not alert the police to the Mafia's involvement?

That seemed strange after his show of defiance last night. Had Ray frightened him enough to stay quiet?

I try to make small talk with Portia and Evie about various classmates, and I'm always impressed with how kind Portia is, even when gossiping about other people. She's certainly not a spoiled girl, even if she is an only child (as I found out from Vince). Julia snickers from time to time when certain names are mentioned, but for most of the ride, she remains silent. I can only guess what crazy scheme she has put together to sneak out of the house. I feel a little guilty about helping her, but she said she was visiting a friend's mother in the hospital and had thrown a long-sleeved T-shirt over her revealing top, so what else could I say? Ronnie had given her permission, and I have bigger things to worry about than Julia's underhanded schemes.

Julia deserts us the minute Joe puts the car in park. She says she will grab a ride home with her friend and then heads toward the hospital. I glare at her as she walks away because I don't believe her story for one moment. Portia obviously notices me watching Julia leave, because she says, in a resentful voice that is out of character for her, “Do you like her, Danny?”

“No, I think she's trouble,” I say quickly. I smile at Portia. “Let's not worry about her. I'm here for
you
, and you're here for Tony. Let's go inside.”

Portia returns my smile, and I'm proud of myself for turning a potentially sticky situation around so quickly. The truth is, I can't help but find Julia attractive, but I certainly don't want to do anything more than look at her. When it comes to wanting a girl with whom I could spend quality time, that girl is Portia. Outwardly, she is just as pretty as Julia, but Portia is far ahead in the personality department.

We enter the hospital and quickly find the intensive care unit where Tony's dad is currently undergoing treatment. I see the other three members of the Chen family before they see us. The family looks exhausted. Tony's mother has obviously been crying, and Tony's face is strained with worry. Tony's younger brother seems frightened by the doctors scurrying back and forth and the obvious distress of his mother and older brother. And suddenly, looking at Mr. Chen's family, I know exactly why Mr. Chen didn't identify his attackers. Family is everything.

* * * *

I stretch out on my bed fully clothed at the Vigliotti house. It's already ten p.m., but I'm a long way off from being able to fall asleep. When I arrived back at the house, Ronnie had immediately asked me where Julia was. I had repeated what Julia had told me—that she would grab a ride home with her friend. I hadn't believed Julia, and now I could tell that Ronnie was regretting her decision to let Julia go out without obtaining any particulars about which friend she was visiting or when she planned to be home. I feel mildly guilty, but I can't take the blame for this one. Julia lied, Ronnie believed her, and whatever else happens is between the two of them—and possibly Gino, if Julia is unlucky. I'm ridiculously behind on my schoolwork. This is very unlike me, as I have always breezed through my schoolwork and had excellent grades to show for it. The first week of school is almost over, and I have probably done less than a full hour of homework. I may be able to get away with blowing off my work this week, but next week, if I don't crack down on myself, I'll start to fall even further behind. I'm not going to give the Vigliottis any unnecessary reasons to hand me back over to my mother. Gino's activities may be corrupt, but I cannot willingly let myself be kicked out of a house that is beginning to feel so much like a home. Gino has behaved fatherly toward me, Ronnie has already gone above and beyond my own mother, and Vince is beginning to feel like an older brother. The only Vigliotti who doesn't quite feel like family is Julia, and I know that's probably only because I find her attractive, and thinking of her like a sister, even though we are not related, just makes my attraction feel very wrong.

I think about the Chen family and how they have seemingly pulled together in a very rough situation. I didn't see Mr. Chen tonight, but Tony had described most of his injuries, which made me sick to my stomach all over again. The little brother was particularly difficult to watch—his young face so full of misery was more than enough to haunt me. And Mrs. Chen had appeared strong for her boys, but when she didn't think anyone was watching, her face fell into a look of such desperation that I had fought the urge to go and put my arm around her shoulders. Yet there they were, standing together as a family, and I knew that I had never known the love that these people held between them. The closest I have come to that is living in the Vigliotti house.

I know I will do everything I can to protect the Vigliottis. I don't want any more people to get hurt, but I begged Frank and Pete Alvarez to let me stay as much to help them as to keep an eye out for Gino and his family. My emotions are all twisted inside of me. On the one hand, I cannot ignore the terrible work in which Gino is involved, but on the other hand, I don't want this family pulled apart in any way. Somehow, I hope that everything will work out so that Gino can get out of the mob, but that the mob itself will be destroyed. And yet, I know that having both of those outcomes is unlikely.

I get up to put my books in my backpack and get ready for bed, thinking about another missed opportunity to connect with Evie tonight. At no time did I have a chance to talk to her without making it look to Portia like I wanted to be alone with Evie for other reasons. I'm working hard to keep Portia from getting the wrong idea.

Lost in thought, I'm just slapping the biology book on top of the algebra book and wondering how I will ever zip my enormously overstuffed backpack, when the lights go out in my room, and a hand on my shoulder spins me around and slams me up against the closet door. In the darkness, my arms are trapped at my side in an iron grip.

“Vince! What the heck?”

Vince's shadowy, furious face is just inches from my nose. His eyes are blazing, and I have no idea what has made him so angry. He looks like a kid who is ready to beat the crap out of me.

“Where did you go today?” Vince demands, holding me against the closet; although, to be fair, I have yet to struggle.

“What do you mean? You mean just now? I was at the hospital!”

Vince slams me against the closet door again, making a dangerous amount of noise. I'm thankful that Ronnie and Gino are busy worrying about Julia at the moment.

“Not tonight! I mean today! Where did you go during school?”

“Knock it off!” I say, pushing Vince back against the bed. He looks like he is going to rush me, but I put my finger to my lips and move to shut the guest room door, which is still ajar from Vince's abrupt entrance. Vince waits by the bed, his chest heaving and his fists curled into balls at his side.