I took the wine glass and I downed half of it, “I can’t let that happen.”
Tommy looked at me like he felt sorry for me, “Easy with the wine. The pizza’ll be here in half an hour.”
“He’s my Dad.” I passed the glass back.
“Your father knows the price of what he’s done. It’ll happen.”
“But Witness Protection…”
“He has nothing. My Pop hasn’t let him near any family business since before you were born. They’re not gonna protect him when he has nothing to give them, babe. He’s goin’ to jail for the drug charges and then someone inside’ll get him. He was hoping you’d rat, that’s why he sicked the cops on you.”
I hugg
ed my arms around myself and shook my head.
“He knows the price of his actions, Tia.” Tommy shrugged.
“Don’t be so cold.”
“So cold?” Tommy started to look pissed, then “He just tried to fucking take you from me!” came out with a roar.
I laid down and stared at the ceiling. Tommy downed his wine and then got his cell and dialed a number, “Pop,” he said as he left the room.
I stared at the ceiling for a long time. After a little while I got up and washed my face and then plugged in the cell phone. As I did that, the house phone rang from my nightstand.
I let it ring three times in case Tommy was going to get it but when the fourth ring started, I picked it up, “Hello?”
“Tia, Sweetpea.” It was my Dad.
“Dad?” How did he get this number?
“You have to help me,” he whispered, “You have to tell the cops what you know about the Ferranos, about what they’ve done.”
“I know nothing, Dad. Nothing. What the hell did you do this for?”
“I needed to save you,” he sounded like he was crying.
“You needed to save me? Save me? You needed to try to fucking save yourself, Dad. Like always!”
Tommy was coming in the room, he looked at me on the phone, heard what I said and his eyes burned with rage.
He snatched the phone out of my hand, “Fuck off, Greg. You’re done fucking with her life, you hear me?” he hung up and pulled me to him. I was bawling.
He wrapped his arms around me, “Baby, he’s fucked.”
“I know.” I said.
“You don’t. Sit.”
I sat.
“I just got some info. He owed a lot of money to another crew, not ours. When he came here he was hoping to work for me for Ferrano protection against that other crew. Figured if he got in good with us he’d get off the hook with them. This witness protection bullshit has gotta be his last kick at the can to save his own ass. Pop won’t have to give any orders; Greg’ll be gone fast if he’s in gen-pop because of the shit he’s pulled with people that have zero to do with our family. He was determined to get into this life and he got in with someone else; in over his head.”
The iPhone started to ring and it was an unknown number. Tommy picked it up, listened for a second after saying Hello, then said, “Fuck off, O’Connor.” And ended the call.
“How did he get the stupid iPhone number?”
“That’s what I’d like to fuckin’ know. No one outside of my family has that number. Stupid iPhone?”