Chapter Ten

Badfellas

Chris was a little hesitant to ride to Salvatore's this time. He drove slowly, obeying every traffic law he could remember (which is odd, but it was the best way to slow himself down.). The banshee slowly came to a halt in Salvatore's lot outside his mansion. Chris knocked on the door, and was relieved when he saw Salvatore's butler instead of Maria opening the door. He had a feeling Maria had done something wrong, and he wasn't sure what. Salvatore was just behind the butler, and greeted Chris with a hug.

"Good job, sonny! You kicked the shit out of those greaseballs!" Salvatore said, coming out of the hug . "Sit down, kiddo."

"I got one more job for you before we can all sit down and party. Y'see, my boys down at Luigi's club caught us an informant, had a bit of a rumble, and it got a little messy in the car. Thought he was a good guy, but not too much brains. The car explains that. So, anyway I want you to take the car, and get it cleaned. Come back here to my party with the car in mint condition. It's in the alley next to Luigi's club."

Chris left quickly. This is pretty easy, but whatever it takes to keep his made man position was worth it. Chris drove down to Luigi's club, and saw the car. It was a sleek red Cheetah. Chris smiled, got out of the car, and the first thing he noticed was that the car had already been cleaned. Wrinkling his forehead, Chris looked into the side window. In the passenger side lay a small black box. From the box came a beeping noise...... Chris ran to the Banshee again. He wasn't sure what to think. Salvatore wanted him dead. A blue Sentinel pulled up next to his parked Banshee. He entered the Banshee, and looking to the left he saw Maria was the driver of the Sentinel. Chris rolled down his window. And Maria rolled down her own.

"You're car is traced Chris, get in! Salvatore's men are looking for us!" Maria screamed. Chris's face drained of blood. He jumped in the car. Looking in the side mirror, he saw two Mafia Sentinels approaching behind them. They saw him, and accelerated.

"Maria, you better start driving!" Chris grabbed his shotgun from the Banshee as they took off. Maria accelerated as Chris positioned his body half in and half out. He opened fire on the Sentinels. Five bullets punctured the hood and sent the car flaming in to the nightclub.

"Where the hell are we headed anyway?" Chris asked after seeing this.

"Staunton Island. You ever fired one of those from a car, baby?" Maria fishtailed on to a street. They were making for an abandoned dock.

"Not one of these. I'll get some practice on the way though." Chris fired again, and as the second Sentinel blew he saw four more accelerating behind it.

"Shit! Why's Salvatore after us?" Chris drew back in, reloading for safety.

"I'll tell you later."

* * *

Chris had already guessed. He withdrew halfway from the car, and fired at the approaching Sentinel. He missed. A man withdrew from the car like Chris, opened fire with an assault rifle. The bullets pierced the car. Maria screamed.

"Take one of these!" She handed Chris a grenade. Chris smiled, and took out the pin. He slowly rose out of the window, and let the grenade go. It skidded along the pavement and blew under the chassis of the forerunning Sentinel. It launched into the air, caught fire, rolled three times until the remaining three slammed into it.

"FUCK YOU GUYS!" Chris screamed and fell back into the seat as they rolled into the dock. Maria stopped the car and sat on the hood. She seemed shaken. Chris stepped out of the car. He walked over to her. She had her hands in her lap. She brought them up to her face. She began to weep. It was something Chris hadn't heard from anyone in a long time.

" Maria, what did you do?" Chris sat down next to her on the hood.

"I.... I......" Maria looked up at Chris, her face red, her eyelashes stained with tears.

"I told Salvatore we were an item..... don't ask me why! I don't know!" Maria finally managed.

" YOU said that? Maria, things were so perfect!" Chris sighed.

"Now you've killed us both. You do know that, don't you?" Chris grew angry.

"No. We aren't dead... yet. I have a friend, should be showing up any minute in her boat. Her name's Asuka. She's to the Yakuza what Salvtore is to the Family. If we take care of Salvatore, she says we'll be okay. It'll cut the legs out from under the Family, for good. She's gotta brother, kinda her capo. Runs the casino downtown." As she finished that sentence, a speedboat rolled slowly into the harbor. A long-haired, Asian-looking businesswoman was it's lone occupant. She walked up to Maria and Chris.

"Hello, Maria." Asuka smiled.

" Chris, this is her. She's someone we can trust."

"We should get out of here before more bloodthirsty Italians swarm the dock. I'll take you over to Staunton to my place. Come on, hop in." Asuka motioned to her boat. Maria stepped into the neon pink speedboat. Chris followed suit. Asuka started up the boat and accelerated out of the harbor.

"Chris, Asuka found us a nice place with a view. It's her guesthouse but it's not on her property. Chris, would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?" Maria leaned closer to him. Chris looked at her, relaxing while he could She was beautiful, her hair let down, pretty even in an impromptu tanktop and jeans.

"Sure." Chris tried to keep his cool, looking out on the ocean's glassy blue as it rolled by.

"Chris, I think you'll like the way I have equipped you place. Flat-screen T.V. surround sound, latest game systems, PC and a huge stereo. All the stuff you'll need to enjoy your time. However, you'll have you're room in my place until your ties with the Mafia are severed." Asuka pulled into a luxurious dock outside her penthouse.

"And how am I gonna go about that?" Chris asked, stepping out of the boat.

"There is only one way." Asuka smiled at Chris. "You must kill Salvatore Leone."