Chapter 5

I pulled Gina back, I mean I tried to hold Gina back. Nope, one thing I learned you don’t ever try to hold Gina back.

She sure wasn’t like this five years ago. I guess she grew up in that time. Hell, she not only grew up but out too.

I should not have been surprised that she knew about Ashley and Eileen even. Everyone I called about both were ‘family’ and it should not have been a big jump on my part to understand that any ‘family’ I had contacted knew Gina and would also inform her what I wanted done.

Remember I said Gina had two sides, I guess what I was to see today was the kinder, more gentler girl. In retrospect I could not think of anyone else that could match my mood swings as well as she did. Sure, she was much younger than me, but not by too many years. That her sister was my ex had some bearing on my concerns but Gina and I were never close until today.

That she came on to me like a house on fire, treated me from that first greeting as family and made it clear she wanted us to be together made everything seem all right. That Vito seemed to agree to this was equally important. Me, well I had loved her, in a different way, when she was twelve, so now at seventeen, a tweak here and there was all it took to shift gears about how I felt about her. Gina was a force of nature unto herself, that would be the one thing that might make our new relationship go South.

I think I had mentioned that Gina and I seemed to communicate with very few words needed. One look on her face, the flinging of her long hair, the hand or head motion was all it took to convey a message to me. Regarding a ‘trip to Vegas’, marriage and grand children, she might have been a bit premature, however just thinking about her brought up those same thoughts in me. My uncle Joey said, ‘she was a beautiful girl’ and I could not think of anyone else better than her for a wife.

When we walked in, Ashley was on the sofa wearing a hotel crested robe and had bare feet curled up under her. Seated next to her, facing the door was a girl, woman perhaps, that I had never seen before. On the floor, back to us, I recognized the head of the guy but not his name. As Gina started to say something, the distinctive sound of a gun hammer falling back could be heard. It came from a chair to our right side. On the coffee table a distinctive sight could be seen, they were playing a board game. Imagine that. Ashley in a robe must be more at ease than she was when I left. Gina then said it all.

“Carry on guys. I’m Gina, soon to be Tommy’s better half, so listen to what I say, it won’t lead you astray.” A poet she was not.

The guy on the floor nodded to the others. I recognized him again but still did not know his name. Gina went up to a house phone, asked for Emma and began her epistle.

“Emma, Gina, get more security at the hotel, ‘our’ floor should be closed off from anyone else but ‘our guests’ and cleared ‘family’. The girl stays here, add another room or two for the guards to use. Good choice about them here but you need better ones at the garage. Tommy and I need another suite with guards outside it 7/24. If you can, add a connecting suite to this one, have one of the bedrooms changed for someone coming out of hospital, Tommy is starting a harem I think.”

A pause

“No. There has been some changes. Joey has been replaced, all the hotels are Tommy’s now. You won’t reach Vito either so from now on ask me or Tommy for what you want.”

Another pause.

“Oh, he did, did he? Does it make sense?”

Still another pause while she listened.

“So girl, why are you waiting to ‘make it so’ or do you and I need to have a little discussion. If ‘we’ did not want it Tommy would not have asked for it. Also arrange to have guards at the hospital for the girl, room 1114.”

I think the last thing Emma said was not welcomed by my new boss.

“No, there is no boyfriend, living, that is, never was. Call Vegas and get a ‘honeymoon suite’ at ‘The Paris’ for Tommy and I and arrange for a plane from here. You can do that right, if not...” No further questions.

I almost had to laugh; almost. If ‘we’ had any reason to keep a trip to Vegas a secret or about ‘our’ new relationship telling Emma was a faster way to let everyone know what ‘our’ plans were than a TV ad. In a way it was smart, I much rather have any unpleasantness here than at Vito’s home. Between Eileen, Ashley, the attack on Vito and god knows what else would happen there had to be at least one common element.

I caught Gina’s comment to Emma about ‘no boyfriend alive’. I wondered if that was meant to make me feel good or was a warning to keep her happy?

The knock, knock on the door and a phone ringing both informed us that Emma’s forces were now in motion. Gina and I were handed card keys to ‘our’ new room as well new garage and lift key cards. Gina’s instruction were like words from god I guess; maybe a bit more important, she did say something to the effect, ‘if not’ after all. I might add, Gina was known to have a bit of a temper. Her kinder side had been coming out often today, but, that was as rare as a ‘blue moon’ happening. I think there was a term for her persona, ‘High Maintenance’ might apply or was that, ‘The Wicked Witch From New Jersey’? Same thing really.