Made in the Mafia

Tina was napping longer than she wanted when she heard a door downstairs slam loud enough to startle her out of a deep sleep. She jumped in her bed and didn’t know if she was coming out of a bad dream or if something was actually occurring in her reality. All of a sudden, she heard heavy footsteps coming from outside on the porch where she remembered her father telling her that that’s where he would be if she needed him. Flinging herself out of bed, she dropped to her knees with her eyes and ears peeled for any other startling sounds while searching for a baseball bat that she placed under her bed for protection. As she rose to her feet slowly and quietly, the sounds got louder and became more abrupt and disturbing. Alas, what made her run down the steps was the sheer shriek of her father’s muffled voice. By the time Tina made it to the porch, she saw her father being carried into the backseat of the black suburban that was following her earlier with his mouth duck-taped shut – arms and legs flailing about in an attempt to escape. Her first initial reaction was to grab the handgun that her father kept in the coat closet that was near the front door. Dropping the bat and throwing herself into the closet, she grabbed the pistol, which was already loaded and ran back outside to only get a glimpse of the SUV speeding out-of-sight. She cocked the gun and without concern aimed at the back left tire of the vehicle in hopes of blowing it out. Why would she aim it at the back windshield? She knew she could potentially harm her father, or worse – kill him. Her father taught her how to shoot a gun years back when she was a teen for self-defense reason. Tina, as shocking as it might have appeared, was experienced after one too many trips to the shooting range with her father. Missing the tire entirely due to the vehicle turning the corner, Tina screamed in outrage, “Fuck!” Neighbors were now rushing to their lawns to get a glimpse of what was happening. Tina ran back into the house, gun still in hand, and quickly grabbed her car keys, wallet, and cell phone that she threw in the blue glass bowl earlier. Not thinking about locking up the house, she placed the gun in the passenger seat along with her wallet and peeled out of the neighborhood as fast as she could after starting it up. Frantically, she called the only person she knew who to call: Uncle Lucas. Not giving him the chance to say hello, Tina practically yelled, “They kidnapped dad! I’m picking you up now. We have to find him!” “Was it the same suburban from earlier?” Lucas sounded shocked and began to lose his cool. “Yeah, those goddamn bastards took him! I saw everything!” She couldn’t catch her breath it seemed. “Where were you when all of this was happening? Were you at home? How do you know,” he asked recklessly while grabbing his jacket before heading out the door. “Maureen, lock it up and close early after this table leaves,” he demanded to the night manager who didn’t know what was going on. He pushed the door open and waited in the parking lot for Tina to get there while still on the phone with her. “I’m almost there. We’re going straight to the police.” Tina was angrier than she was upset when she ended the call. She was breathing heavily. All she thought about was seeking revenge and getting her father back – similar to someone else in another part of the country. Meanwhile in the parking lot, Lucas made a call to the only person he knew who to call… “Hello,” came a familiar raspy voice. “Hey, it’s me,” he said seriously. “They got him. They took Enzo.” Suddenly, Lucas found himself calmer than before he received the call from Tina. “I tried warning him, but he didn’t listen,” replied Monte, who wasn’t shocked to hear the news.