The canon characters all belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm just playing in her sandbox, because they need a push in another direction.
Thanks to: Steven, for the second eyes. If there's a mistake, it's on me – I choose to do this without a strong Evanovich reading Beta, cause quite frankly – not sure to where even meet one these days. This will be a Babe story...
Familial Bonds by IrnBruLush aka Loz
Prologue – You can't choose your family...
He resented the Boss sending him into the Grizolli Crew turf, the way he saw it, Trenton was small-time—a place where seasoned mobsters lucky enough to get past their graying years, happened to pass away into obscurity. The only real connections here linked via the Delaware into Philly. The Grizolli family ran those connections since Vito Grizolli took the helm in the sixties and until recently, negotiating with the New York families for a share in Elizabeth and Atlantic City. He was only here because six months ago, a soldier from Jimmy Three Toes' Crew made a fuckup during a hit and shot an undercover Cop in North Jersey. The Feds made many arrests following the cluster fuck. Including the old man, Vito Grizolli.
The Feds put the squeeze onto those arrested and one twist in the wind Capo flipped against the entire Colichio syndicate and turned key witness. Everyone involved knows no mistakes go unpunished. Even the smallest could mean a bullet in your back. And everyone knows the code of silence, you never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.
The Authorities unsealed an 85-count indictment, in the Federal District Court in Newark. They indicted Vito Grizolli a month ago on racketeering charges that involved 27 murders, extortion, and drug trafficking and placed him under house arrest.
He followed her from her home to the supermarket as he continued he checked his mirror. The air con blew cleaned scented linen air around him, he disliked the basic model Minivan he'd hired in Newark, but he could appreciate a spotless car. The man in the Minivan had done this job hundreds of times with no issue. He was low on the Colichio family pay scale and besides he'd been hired for his discretion and unremarkable appearance. He faded into the oblivion of the suburban hell.
As he sat back in his chair, he sank into the late afternoon shade. He lowered his window and looked out across the car-park, the automatic doors to the grocery store swooshed open, the pregnant blond exited the Supermarket. Shoppers were everywhere, pushing their carts to their cars. The clash of metal slamming into metal hit his ears as the collector pushed his flock of rolling carts together. He cranked the volume on the car stereo to drown out the busy sounds of outside from his haven.
She pushed the toddler in her stroller, laden with bags from the afternoon's grocery shop slung over the handles towards her car. When she went into her bag to find her keys to open the car, the baby wailed. She scooped the baby out of the stroller, and while comforting her, collapsed the stroller one handed and loaded up the trunk with the bags of groceries and the stroller. He had to admire her efficiency. She secured the baby into her car chair and carried on what he guessed as the School run.
After collecting her middle daughter from Chambersburg Elementary, he tailed the dark blue SUV as she drove the three blocks distance along Broad to pick up her oldest daughter from South Chambersburg Middle School. From observation, the oldest girl was the image of her mother. Prim and neat. She had an olive complexion, a shade darker than the rest of her siblings and her hair fell in dark brown princess ringlets. She stood by the stairs to the school entrance, a backpack slung over one shoulder, a violin case rested on the sidewalk by her feet, scanning cars. Her Mother pulled up to the entrance of the school and slammed on the brakes, chastised by her daughter who looked down at her watch in response. The trunk to the SUV popped open and the girl picked up her violin case and purple backpack and placed them carefully inside, avoiding the stroller and bags of groceries. Once the girl was safely secured inside, the SUV began to again.
Five minutes later, the car slowed and turned into a driveway of a small row-house near Columbus Park, he parked his car a door down so he could continue to watch. Even with the efficiency, she showed before, unloading the car with two more children turned into a circus. The middle daughter had bounds of energy, galloping around the car as her mother and older sister struggled to unload the car of all the groceries. As the blond sat her youngest daughter into her stroller, he felt tempted to get out and help her get her boisterous brood in check. The older sister stuck her foot out, tripping the horse kid. He was too far away to hear her voice, but from the kids' crestfallen faces they were getting told off, they hugged, the oldest girl rolled her eyes and followed her family into the house, several bags and her violin case remained in the SUV trunk.
The man in the minivan shifted in his seat and rubbed his lower back to get some life into it. He had been sitting in the car for too long. That would soon change.
The neighborhood remained still. The next block over, touched upon a busy road and he eyed people walking dogs and children being dropped off by yellow school buses. The occasional honking of a horn as neighbors greeted each other. Everyone knew everyone's business and the locals involved in the mob. And with Vito on house arrest would it let crime be controlled better?
Vito Grizolli's house arrest caused a Statewide split between the Colichio family factions. Vito's son, Nikki Grizolli ran the crew now and he liked to draw unnecessary attention. But the way things turned quiet in the last few months, he suspected that Terry Gilman to be the one pulling the strings behind the recent Grizolli push into South Jersey. And that Gilman was porking the cop, she slipped secrets. He knew the cop. He was smart but volatile and that could be a lethal combination. In another life, someone the man in minivan could have respected.
In the past, he proved impervious to bribes. Good cops are what land his people in prison, good cops do not quit out of the blue.
The mother came back out to the SUV to retrieve the remaining bags, her oldest daughter followed, they halted when saw him get out the vehicle and approach them quickly.
"Mom, who is that?" The daughter said to her Mother.
"Can I help you?" The Mother called to the man stepping towards them.
"There's an issue with your Father. You need to come with me right now, little lady. Your Daddy is in trouble Angeline, and he needs to see you. Now."
The girl stepped behind her mother, "I don't get in cars with strange Men."
He pulled a handgun from the back of his shirt and pointed it at them. "Get in the Van. Or I'll blow a hole in your Mother's chest."
Morelli, your life is about to become a living hell.
A/N – Please review, I' m a shameless slut for them. And it'll me write faster ;) Suggestions, ideas, mistakes…. Lemme know.