Carlita’s sharp eye didn’t miss the uneasy glance Vinnie and his new bride exchanged. “What is it, Son?”
“We…gotta coupla unexpected extra guests attending the wedding and reception.”
“What do you mean - unexpected guests?”
“Daddy insisted two of his personal bodyguards accompany us on this trip,” Brittney said. “They’re outside.”
Carlita stepped over to the living room window and peered into the alley below. She caught a glimpse of a tall man, wearing a three-piece suit and standing on the stoop. “He wouldn’t happen to be a burly man in a suit wearing a white fedora?”
“That’s Luigi,” Brittney nodded.
“I thought you said there was more than one.”
“Ricco went around front. He’s guarding the entrance to the pawnshop.”
Mercedes peered over her mother’s shoulder. “Why do you need bodyguards?”
Tony, who had remained silent so far, spoke. “I don’t want any trouble at my wedding, Vinnie. Why are Vito’s goons here?” He turned to Brittney. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Brittney replied. “It’s for all of our safety and protection.”
“Vito’s got a hit on him, or maybe someone close to him. As an extra precaution, he sent two of his bodyguards down to keep an eye on us.” Vinnie went on to tell his mother Vito suspected another “family member,” Louie Esposito, had taken out a hit, with rumors it might take place while the couple was in unfamiliar surroundings.
Carlita slowly made her way across the room, her eyes drawn to the headless wedding topper. “Elvira found this on our back stoop a little while ago. We have no idea who sent it.”
“It’s a wedding cake topper,” Vinnie shrugged. “So Tony’s wedding cake topper got busted.”
“That’s not ours.” Tony picked it up. “Could be Shelby ordered it before we found a topper with a man, woman and little girl on it. She can send it back since it’s broken.”
“The head is missing,” Mercedes said bluntly.
“Missing?” Tony asked.
“Yeah. The head was off when we got it. It isn’t inside the box.”
“That’s creepy.” Brittney shivered.
“It may be some sort of warning,” Carlita said quietly. “But if this is a warning, then Tony is the target.”
“I dunno, Ma. We ain’t had no trouble around here. The first thing to do is find out if Shelby ordered a cake topper. Let me check real quick.” With the topper in hand, Tony exited the apartment. He returned a short time later. “Shelby said she never ordered a topper. Where’s the package it came in?”
Mercedes handed the boxes to her brother.
“I don’t know what to think. Seems to me someone went to a lot of trouble to leave a broken cake topper on our doorstep.”
“Maybe it’s your Uncle Eddie playing a practical joke.”
Vinnie’s head shot up. “What’s this about Uncle Eddie?”
“He’s here. He showed up on our doorstep a couple of hours ago,” Tony said. “He wanted to surprise us.”
“What a scumbag.”
Carlita pressed a hand to her chest, taken back by the hard tone in Vinnie’s voice. “Your Uncle Eddie is a scumbag?”
“He’s not supposed to be here. Vito told him to stay put. Wait’ll Vito finds out Eddie is down here.”
“Now I’m really confused.” Carlita shook her head. “Your Uncle Eddie and Aunt Anjelica are here for Tony’s wedding.”
“I wouldn’t bet my life on it.”
Brittney grasped her husband’s arm. “I’m sure Daddy already knows Eddie is here.”
“Which means there could be even more members of the family hanging around now,” Vinnie pointed out. “Half the family will be down here before we know it.” He ran a ragged hand through his hair. “There’s not much we can do about it now, except to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.”
“Why can’t I have a normal family?” Frustrated, Carlita marched to the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee and clear her head. The last thing she needed was the mafia on her doorstep…again!
At the very least, Vinnie should’ve given her a heads up about what was afoot. Carlita squeezed her eyes shut. Not only did she have to worry about making sure the wedding went off without a hitch, she now she had to worry about a hit on her son and daughter-in-law’s lives.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Garlucci.”
Carlita’s eyes flew open. “It’s okay, but please don’t call me Mrs. Garlucci. It’s either Carlita or Ma.”
“Carlita.” Brittney smiled hesitantly. “I think Daddy is being over-protective. I’m sure the wedding will be fine. In fact, I would like to help. Just tell me what to do.”
“Thank you, Brittney. That’s very sweet. Are you thirsty? I have some bottled waters in the fridge, or sweet tea if you’re interested.” While pouring drinks, Carlita kept the conversation light. They talked about life in New Jersey, Brittney and Vinnie’s recently renovated apartment and the baby.
They finished pouring the drinks. Carlita carried them into the living room while Brittney set a plate of cookies on the coffee table.
“How is Shelby this afternoon?” Carlita turned her attention to Tony.
“Better. She was getting ready to head out to run some errands with Violet.”
“Is there something wrong with Shelby?” Vinnie grabbed a cookie off the plate.
“She’s been feeling under the weather. I think she’s stressed out between the wedding, working and trying to pack up and move to the new apartment.” Tony glanced at his watch. “I can show you around the restaurant and the apartment before I head back to the pawnshop.”
The siblings downed the rest of their snacks and drinks and headed into the hall. Carlita told them to go ahead without her, explaining that she wanted to try to reach Eddie on his cell phone to try to get to the bottom of the broken cake topper.
After several attempts, she was finally able to reach her brother, who insisted he never sent
