Note: This story was inspired from a dream I had after watching too many Robert De Niro movies. De Niro is represented by Dio and Joe Pesci is represented by Joe.
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"You tagging along too, doll?" Joe called from beside the black sedan with the two other older men.
"Oh, me? Really? I asked excitedly.
"Who else is out here? No one. Come on. You've been here a month and never been on a run. You need to learn what we do." He said. I practically jumped into the car. Dio sat between Joe and me. My grandfather Harry was driving but the front seat remained empty.
"The hell is she?" Harry demanded. "We ain't got all goddamned day." A few minutes of uncomfortable silence passed then Joe grabbed his cell phone from his suit pocket, unknowingly flashing his gun at me. Before he could punch a number in, Harry said "There she is. Fucking brat." He adjusted the rear view mirror. The girl approached the car and when she saw me she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Babysitting I see, Harry?" she sneered.
"I wasn't at first, then you showed up, Sheree." He replied. Joe kicked the back of his seat. "What?" he turned around aggravated. Joe pointed at him sternly. To a bystander it would have been a comical sight to see, a man no taller than 5'4" was putting my 6ft tall grandfather in his place. But if they knew what Joe was capable of they would understand the consequences of Harry's defiance. Harry took the cue and started the car up.
Dio had been silent the entire time. Which was odd since we had spoken all night on the patio. Maybe it was just my grandfather's presence. On the other hand, maybe it was all in my head that a man like Dio would even be attracted to me. He probably just felt bad for me because no one else in the family would talk to me. After all, he was a very mature, intelligent man, so why would he be attracted to me? His maturity and intelligence were both a big turn on for me. I ached to jump on his lap, to taste his lips. I dreamt about it almost every night. He was very handsome, in a rugged way. He had brown eyes, short black hair with a little gray above his ears. He was very gruff around the other family members and the clients, but who wouldn't be in this business? You can't show weakness, but I swear he showed weakness when we were alone. He often wore a look of indifference which he revealed to me was a mask. He was analyzing his surroundings. "Always be ten steps ahead of your enemy, Lynn. Always know where your exits are and have at least five ways to get to each one." I wondered if that was what he was doing now. But who was the enemy? Sheree was annoying but posed no threat. Certainly not Joe or Harry. Joe was his cousin and closest friend. They had grown up together since they were little boys. The family was very close knit and rarely let anyone else in unless it was by marriage. Harry was an exception. Joe and he had been cellmates together. They had formed a close bond and upon his release the family made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Literally. The things Joe had told him while incarcerated could send him back for life, if Harry ever snitched. But Harry was a smart guy.
At one time he had even had his own family. It was nowhere near the size of Joe and Dio's. It had never had the chance. Harry had three children, my dad, my Uncle Ted, and my Aunt Jan. Ted had a son Roger, Jan had a son Eric, and Dad had my brother Rick and me. We were a family of bank robbers. I had been involved with our profession since a young age. Harry said I could crack a safe before I could walk. I was a better shot than most men and could sneak up on you and slit your throat without you suspecting a thing. I had assisted on more heists than I could count. We could have been famous if it wasn't for my cousin Roger. He never knew how to keep his mouth shut and insisted on being a cocky showoff. And it was because of him that I lost most of my family.
We were doing a job at this corporate bank. It was supposed to be an easy in and out. Harry was the getaway driver, I was standing look out at the entrance in street clothes, and dad led the guys; Rick, Eric, Ted, and Roger, into the bank. The last thing I remember hearing before the hail of gunfire was Roger's voice, loud and boastful "What are you gonna' do?" Minutes later, Rick staggered out clutching his stomach. Harry raced over with the car and I helped my brother in.
"Go!" he had yelled.
"But the others!"
"They're all gone." His face was pale and serious. Harry peeled away. I pulled his shirt up. He had been shot twice and was bleeding out at an alarming rate. I tried to plug up the wounds by applying pressure, knowing it was hopeless.
"It was Roger wasn't it?" Harry asked him.
"Yeah," Rick smiled. "Dumb, son of a bitch." Blood began to dribble out of his mouth. I cradled his head and my brother died in my arms.
Someone had seen Harry's car at the scene and that's how he had met Joe. My mother was unable to live with the pain and poetically overdosed on painkillers. Uncle Ted's wife disappeared mysteriously and I had nowhere else to go but to Aunt Jan's. She tried her best to reform me and keep me out of trouble and it worked. I was almost finished with college when Harry was released. I was planning on going to medical school next year and taking out a bunch of loans to pay for it. Harry wouldn't hear it. He said the family would pay for it as long as I worked for them afterward. He invited me to come live at the mansion with them. It was a huge deal. Like I said, you couldn't just join the family. I had to take vows and everything. I pledged my life to the family. My life was set, I was a made woman.
Our objective today was to check in with a few businesses and then meet a client and the boss for lunch. The boss's daughter Sheree was riding with us to the salon, which was near where we were going. The boss didn't like her going off on her own because she was bound to cause a scene. By the time we finished our business, she would be done with hers and she could go to lunch with us. She absolutely hated me and I had no idea why, but with her attitude the feeling was mutual.
"Uncle Dio, I seem to have misplaced my credit card. Can I borrow yours?" she leaned back smiling angelically.
