Maybe they had high political power and contacts all over the city, but the Raines family was the most notorious crime syndicate in all of New York. They had contacts too, and theirs were much more morally inept. My brothers had maybe run amok in the underground a little bit, but I firmly believed that it was because neither Gio nor Merrick felt the need to check them just yet. If they were expecting a battle with the Raines to be a landslide, they had another thing coming.
None of that was really what I wanted to say to them, though. I didn’t want to talk about how firmly I believed that the odds were actually stacked against them in a standoff against the Raines, I wanted to talk about our father and how they could honestly bring themselves to kill him.
Next to me, my phone rang and my heart leapt a little bit. I reached over and pressed the answer button, and then immediately heard a dark chuckle.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t our baby sister?” Vincent growled. “Here I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you ever again.”
“You know exactly why I’m calling,” I said.
“I’m afraid I don’t. Why don’t you be more specific?”
I scoffed. “Thanks, but I’m not as dumb as you’ve always thought I am. I want to talk. Meet me at Ray’s Coffee in twenty minutes.”
“My. That almost sounded like a demand.”
“It was,” I said.
“Tell me, how am I to know if this isn’t just a ploy that your new little family is pulling?” he asked.
“You’ll have to just show up and hope for the best I guess,” I said, “or use one of the many, many sets of eyes I’m sure you have. Bring Anton. I’ll see you soon,” and I hung up on him before he could say anything else.
Ray’s Coffee Shop was a small shop that Lorie first took me to and I grew to love over time. It wasn’t just that it was a family owned and operated place, but it was also frequented by police officers getting their coffee before a shift. Night or day, it didn’t matter. They were open twenty-four hours a day so that they could serve both the day shift and night shift officers. It would be a perfect place to speak with my brothers without being too concerned that they’d try and pull something. Hopefully it would give them the same confidence.
At the end of the day, I just wanted to talk.
Thankfully, the staff recognized me when I walked in and quickly offered me a cup of coffee. My family had a tab, so they weren’t too concerned about a dollar cup of decaf, which was good because I didn’t actually have any money on me at all.
I didn’t have anything but my purse, inside of which were my cell phone and a gun.
“Late family meeting?” I heard one of the staff call out just as I was sitting down at one of the tables in the far back corner of the cafe.
“We’re all so busy, we barely have time to stop to bond,” Vincent replied. “Can we just get a pot at our table, please?”
“Of course.”
I sat down facing the door and kept a careful watch on my brothers as they stepped through the cafe towards me. They were both suited and well kempt--not much had changed in four months.
“Avion,” Vincent said, then held out his arms for a hug. “It’s been too long.”
I laughed and didn’t move from my seat. “I don’t really feel the need to keep up appearances anymore.”
“Can’t blame you,” Vincent replied, dropping his arms and pulling up one of the chairs on the other side of the table.
“Anton,” I said, as he walked up and sat down next to Vincent. I paid extra close attention to him knowing he’d be a wreck if he’d actually killed his father, but he looked particularly calm. “You look well.”
“As do you,” he replied.
“So tell us,” Vincent said. “Why did you call this little meeting?”
Anton leaned in a little. “I’m surprised you’re alone. Unless you aren’t?”
“Actually, I am. I chose to have faith that my brothers wouldn’t actually kill me,” I said, carefully sliding my hand into my purse next to me and tightening it around my gun just in case.
The chuckle that came out of Vincent was knowing. “That’s why you’re gripping what I can only imagine is a gun in your purse?”
I smiled. “It’s like I said before. I’m not stupid.”
“No you aren’t. Certainly not inviting us to a place where cops are known to frequent. You sure do know how to cover your bases. I almost want to be proud.” The pot of coffee was delivered to our table and Vincent immediately started to pour himself a glass. “Well don’t leave us in suspense, little Avion.”
