*Flashback 1922*

Anthony sighed as he looked over the copy of "The Prince" by Nicolo Machiavelli that Umberto Andreoli had given him. He had claimed it was time for him to begin to read it and absorb its wisdom. Henrico Ragno had agreed with his Consigliere and pointed out that his older brother, Enzo, had been instructed to read this book when he had reached the age of 9.

It was somewhat hypocritical to hear Pops tell either of his sons to read Machiavelli when he himself was barely literate. Henrico Ragno had grown up poor in Naples, Italy. He hadn't had much schooling beyond basic learning and didn't feel the need to learn more so he hadn't bothered to pick up Machiavelli himself.

Anthony rolled over on his bed in the cordoned off corner of the room he shared with his older brother. Andreoli had intended that he only read the first two chapters as they were short, barely more than a paragraph. So they would be easy for the young reader to cover and discuss later the next day. Pops however, insisted that his younger son read the three chapters since two paragraphs felt too simple.

The nine year old boy found himself struggling with the book. While the text had been translated to English, the wording still followed an antiquated way of speaking that was hard for his childish mind to grasp. How was he to comprehend phrases such as: 'Such dominions thus acquired are either accustomed to live under a prince, or to live in freedom; and are acquired either by the arms of the prince himself, or of others, or else by fortune or by ability.'

On top of that he also was distracted. Sabina had a stranger in their home for a while now. Ever since Enzo had turned ten, he was given the responsibility of making sure his younger siblings were up, dressed, and ready for school. Their grandmother would have breakfast and lunches prepared for them. It was a matter of eating quickly and heading out the door to their school, which was a two-mile walk from their home. The walk was often tiring and tedious, but it was their only option. They had no other way to get to school and had to make the most of it. Even so, they were always running late and had to rush to their classes. The only times when they were driven to school anymore was when it was pouring rain or heavy snow. They were now old enough to walk the two miles to school in any kind of weather and Pops wouldn't hear any alternatives.

They would see Sabina now and again since she was still family, but she didn't have a role in their lives as she had previously. The other thing that was distracting Anthony from his reading was his older brother. He had started working for the family once he was done with his day classes. His routine would be he would drop off his younger siblings at their third grade class, then attend his seventh grade class half a mile away. Once classes were over he was to return to the elementary school to retrieve his younger siblings on the forty-blocks they would need to walk to get back home. Once they were under the care of their grandmother, Enzo would get changed into a suit then head out to show up for his role with the family's business. At night he'd return completely drained from whatever he had to do. He'd manage to find the energy to do his assignments, but it would be close to two in the morning before he allowed himself to sleep only to wake up at seven and start waking his siblings up. On weekends and days when he didn't have school he'd be fully engrossed in his job within the family. What bothered Anthony is that tonight Enzo had come home from his job seemingly rather distressed. He was breathing hard and shaking, and he had a look on his face like though he was going to pee himself in fright. His deep brown eyes were wide and wild, darting around the foyer of their home as if searching for a place to hide. His body trembled, and his hands shook. His face was pale and he seemed to be on the verge of tears. His brother's distress was unnerving to him, Anthony had never seen his older brother react like this before. Molly was also concerned with their brother's behavior and wanted to know what was wrong. Anthony shook his head at his younger sister, it wasn't their place to know what had happened. This had something to do with the family, and they were left out of it.

An hour later Pops had come home, and he sounded as mad as a raging bull. While Enzo was the son Henrico Ragno most proud of, that didn't mean the older boy was exempt from facing their father's heavy handed punishments. If anything, he was held to a higher standard than Anthony. If Pops was this angry with Enzo about something that meant something had happened. Enzo entered the foyer from where he was seated at the dining room table. He had braced himself for the worst as his father walked in the door. Pops' face was a storm cloud of anger, ready to burst at any moment. He didn't say a word, but his gaze said it all. Upon seeing his older son, Henrico grabbed Enzo by the arm and dragged him into the study. From the top of the stairs, the young brother and sister could hear their father's loudly rage at his older son about how he could be so foolish, and how his actions could cost them.

"I'd expect this shit from Anthony," Henrico had snarled. "Not from you. I raised you better than that!" Enzo had remained silent, he had been too afraid to speak or didn't have the words to explain what had occurred. The siblings watched with bated breath as their father slammed the doors of his study shut. It was quiet for a moment before they heard the sharp sound of something cutting through the air, and the crack of it hitting flesh. Anthony knew that noise better than anyone, it was the sound of their father's belt. It was an experience he knew all too well. He felt his chest tighten and tears welling up in his eyes. He could almost feel his brother's pain with every blow, Enzo wasn't crying out in pain which was a wise decision, screaming would only make the blows rain down harder. The sound of the belt hitting his brother's skin over and over again was almost too much to bear. Anthony felt helpless. All he could do was listen to his brother's silent suffering as their father bellowed in anger. He knew he would never forget the sound of that leather strap slicing the air before the sharp sting of pain as long as he lived. Molly touched his wrist to let him know she had heard enough. The two of them backed away from the stairs to go to their respective rooms.

Anthony had settled in his small corner of his room and made attempts at understanding the passages in the book. It was some minutes before he heard Enzo labor his way up the stairs. The way he would groan and his clearly showed how in pain the older boy actually was. Closing the book, he put it down and left the room so see if he could be of some assistance. The sight he saw was horrifying. Enzo was bare chested having been stripped out of the jacket and dress shirt he had been wearing, his wiry torso was pock marked with bruises both massive and broken, there was also bloody welts and cuts.

The jacket and dress shirt Enzo had been wearing before were gone and he was bare chested. There were massive and broken bruises on his wiry body, along with bleeding welts and cuts. His face was swollen, with one eye shut and his lips split. He was barely recognizable due to the damage, but it was clear he had been more than simply punished. Pops used his authority to abuse his oldest son ruthlessly. Enzo's body was a canvas of suffering, a testimony to Pops' brutality.

"Fratello," Anthony called his older brother. "Here...let me..." his words ended as Enzo struck his younger brother hard in the stomach. Anthony fell to the ground. Enzo towered over him, his face a mask of rage. He raised his fist, ready to deliver another punishing blow.

"Stop it," Molly cried out, rushing to her immediate-older brother's side. Anthony painfully hugged his arms around the area he had been struck. His stomach hurt and bile threatened to erupt from mouth. Molly's face was a mix of rage and worry, her knuckles turning white as her grip on her brother's shoulders tightened. She glared at the perpetrator, rage burning in her eyes as she silently vowed to protect her brother no matter what. "Why did you do that?! He's done nothing to deserve that!"

"He was born," Enzo growled as he staggered towards his room. "That's why..." His words felt like a punch to the gut and Molly's face twisted in sadness and anger. She felt helpless and the only thing she wanted was to make sure her brother was safe. Molly quickly walked to Enzo's side grabbing hold of his arm.

"This ain't like you Fratello," Molly protested. "Anthony was only tryin' to help!" She looked into her brother's eyes, searching for some sign of regret or acknowledgment of his actions, but he only stared back coldly. Molly knew there was no use in arguing with him. With a heavy heart, she let go of his arm and returned to where Anthony was kneeling on the floor. Anthony looked up at Molly and shook his head sadly. He slowly stood up, and gave her a small smile to assure her he would be okay. He staggered slightly as he walked, but returned to the room he shared with his older brother.

Enzo was sprawled on top of his bed and did not look at the younger boy. Even speaking to his younger brother seemed uninteresting to him. Anthony collapsed on his own bed and closed his eyes, trying to dampen the pain he was feeling. Things would resolve themselves, he just didn't know how. He sighed deeply, feeling more alone than ever before.

"Mi dispiace, fratello maggiore, (I'm sorry, big brother,)" Anthony said into the unsettled gloom within the shared space. He chose to speak these words in Italian, hoping his older brother could feel the sincerity. Enzo did not offer him a response, nor did he expect one. Anthony looked away and focused his gaze on the wall, a wall that had been a silent witness to countless arguments and reconciliations between the two brothers. All he could do was wait for Enzo to be ready to speak with him. Enzo's silence remained heavy and oppressive throughout the night."

*End Flashback*


"Your own…brother" Charlie tried to wrap her head around this. "He hit you just for wanting to help? It's just…I find it hard to believe someone would hurt a family member like that."

"Some people in families just suck," Angel shrugged, though there seemed to be a sense of longing in it as well. "Just because someone is connected to you by blood doesn't mean they give too fucks about you. Fratello often gave me a hard time when we was growin' up. That wasn't unknown in mob families. Pops also encouraged it, so even if Fratello did feel guilt in hurtin' me or whatever he couldn't show it. I guess that was a way for him to prepare me for the life we would live. He wanted to make sure that I knew things wouldn't be easy, and things like familial love and respect needed to be earned…not given."

"I guess I can understand that," Charlie agreed. "Respect is something that is earned that is true. But there is no point in trying to earn respect from anyone, when there is no one who is able to accept the effort put towards it."

"Fratello did have his kind moments at times," Angel pointed out. "They only happened when Pops wasn't around, so he felt he could get away with it. After that whole event I told you about,the next morning Moll's and I walked to school with him like usual. Then at the end of the day, he slipped me some notebook pages and said I could use them to help with the book Pops wanted me to read. Fratello had spent his break periods that day to break down the first three chapters of the book so I could follow what it was saying. That way when Pops and Andreoli asked me to explain what I had read, I could give a straight answer."

"So he did that as an apology," Charlie grasped at what Angel had told her.

"Now you're gettin it," Angel gave a pleased smirk, though this faded as he returned his story. "The following year, however, our family would be broken yet again."


Flashback *Summer 1923*

It was a warm summer evening as the Ragno family sat down to a lasagna dinner. Umberto and Sabina also had been requested guests to their family. It wasn't usual for Pops to invite his former sister-in-law to a dinner with them, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen.

"I got a bit of an announcement to make," Henrico Ragno said as the dinner concluded. "There are gonna be some changes. Enzo, my boy…you will be turning 14 years of age this September. You're practically a man now, I think it's time for you to have your own room back." Anthony was confused by this pronouncement. There were only four rooms upstairs, his fathers room, the guest room that was occupied by their grandmother, Molly's bedroom, and the room he shared with his older brother. That meant if Enzo was going to have his own room again…then what did that mean. He couldn't room with Molly again, it wasn't appropriate for a brother and sister to live in the same room after the age of five. If Enzo was getting his room to himself again, that meant someone was leaving.

"I've been talkin' to my sister Felicia recently," Henrico continued. "My sister and her husband agreed to have Molly come stay with their family."

"You're sendin' me away Papa," Molly gasped in horror. "Why? If I've done somethin' bad…I'll be good I promise. Don't make me leave."

"Sweetie," Henrico said, was a forced sweetness in his tone. "You ain't goin' cause you've been a bad girl. You're going 'cause in a handful of years from now, you'ze gonna become a woman. And that sort of stuff is sort of dame to dame so to speak."

"Then I won't go through those changes," Molly insisted. "If becoming a woman means I need to be taken away from my home and family, then maybe I don't want to be one."

"May I speak," Sabina asked as she put down her wine glass. "I agree that Molly should be around women who could teach her about the physical changes that she will experience. I don't feel it is necessary for her to be separated from her brothers. It might be better to have her stay with her husband and I, we have space where she would be comfortable."

"That's why I didn't ask you," Henroin said with a growl. "Anthony and Molly are too close…I had thought that having him share a room with his brother would teach him how to properly be a boy. That hasn't worked so far, and I can't afford distractions in this family. Soon enough, I'm gonna need him to start pullin' his weight."

"Tony's no good for the family business pops," Enzo remarked. "The kid's too soft-hearted, being in the family would eat him alive."

"I would have to agree with Enzo," Umberto added. "I know that boys are typically raised with the expectation that they would be involved in a certain lifestyle and ethic. However, there are some exceptions to this. Anthony is still too young to be considered as an associate of the family. However, in my observation, I believe it would be better for him to support the family in other ways."

"Enzo is already in the family," Henrico growled. "If he's taken out before he even has shown his worth to the family then there is no future. I've done too much and fought too hard to lose it all now. Certainly not because I allowed a worthless piss-stain like Tony to puss out on me."

"Zio Matteo was looking for someone to work in his machine shop," Enzo supplied somewhat casually. He didn't look at either of his siblings as he said this. "Maybe Tony could be of use there, and then when he's a bit older he could come back to New York and prove himself to the family."

"Possible," Henrico mulled the suggestion over. "But Felicia said she only had room for one and she said she wanted Molly…there is an all girls private school prepared and everything. Besides, Felicia has two girls around Molly's age."

"Kate and Sarah," Anthony said. "Those two entitled witches..."

"Anthony," Don Ragno admonished. "It's not nice to speak of family in that way, besides they're older then they were when you saw them last. And your aunt does insist the two of them are perfect angels."

"Pops please," Molly begged. "Don't send me away, I'll hate it upstate, and her daughters have always been mean to me. The last time I saw our cousins they…"

"I don't care what they did to yah," Henrico said. "This is the way things are gonna be, Felicia and her family will be coming this weekend. You have until then to pack up…" Their fathers words hung in the air like the toll of a funeral bell rendering everyone present at the table into an uncomfortable silence.


There was no talk among the trio of children as they traveled upstairs following the evening meal. There was some heated all-though muffled discussion between Pops and Andreoli in the Pops study while Sabina and their grandmother spoke to one another while washing the dishes.

Both conversations were in Italian so they could be more private, but Anthony and the rest of his siblings were fluent in their native language. He doubted the adults had forgotten this fact, but they hadn't realized how much any of them would pay attention to their conversations.

Nonna Ragno was ecstatic to learn that Molly would be sent to live with her daughter and her daughter's family upstate. The older woman was commenting about how she felt it was high time Molly learned how to be a proper Italian woman. She had been worried that the girl would lose all sense of her culture due to being too American, and how this country didn't raise its women properly.

With his fathers discussion with Andreoli the argument was pertaining his role or rather what he was expected to be for the family. Whatever that meant, whenever Enzo or their father spoke of the family nowadays…it didn't sound like they were talking about their family at home, but something that was separate from it and yet still one and the same. Something he was forbidden from knowing because he wasn't part of this "family"…whatever it was. And what was this talk about how he wasn't suitable or an exception to what was desired for the "family". What were they expecting him to do? How could they expect him to prove himself to them when they couldn't and wouldn't talk to them about whatever it was. And given what sort of ways being part of this family seemed to change those around him, he began to wonder if…if he even wanted to be part of it. Each day, he could see the toll it took on Enzo. Each day his rich coffee brown eyes would become harder and colder. Creases and dark patches formed under his eyes as though he wasn't sleeping. He'd get enough rest to get by, but it was clear every sound and every noise had him on edge as though unknown threats were lying in wait within every shadows of their home. He had grown so quiet and distant. It was almost like he was in a world of his own, a world of pain and rage that he couldn't escape from. He would also become increasingly hostile such as some nights ago when Anthony had gotten up to use the restroom. When he had returned Enzo had immediately tackled him and had pinned his younger brother painfully against the floor demanding to know who he was and what he wanted. When he had realized the supposed invader was just his younger brother returning to the room, Enzo didn't apologize for his actions. Instead he just chewed his younger brother out for startling him. Though a few nights later, when Anthony had made sure to say he was just stepping out and when he had returned. Enzo had only groused at him about waking him up for something so trivial and to just get back to bed already.

Having had enough with being part of secret conversations, Anthony headed to the hallway where the rooms were. Enzo wasn't in the room, he was out on the small balcony that spanned between their house and the Andreoli's. He had taken to smoking cigarettes, a habit he had picked up from one of their cousins who were also in this "Family" as everyone seemed to call it. Even if he had been in the room, he didn't think he'd be able to deal with his older brother at the moment.

Approaching his sister's room, he saw her sitting on her bed looking at a picture frame. Anthony didn't speak up or announce himself as he stood in the door. Instead he glanced about the place, up until the age of six, this room had been part of his life. It was where his memories resided. It had been the nursery when the two of them had been infants, it had been a shared space when he and Molly had been small children. Even though Molly filled the space with light and warmth, there was still a loneliness that always seemed to hover. Anthony began to wonder what sort of presence he would leave in this room when he began in it again.

"Fratello," Molly said when she caught sight of him standing in the door. She brushed tears from her eyes, not in shame or fear at being caught crying. Still he knew she was trying to be strong for his sake, the whole thing just felt so unfair. "I don't like this…"

"I don't want this either, Sorellina," Anthony agreed, placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. He glanced towards the window and looked out into the darkened street. He childishly considered running away hiding themselves in the darkness and then traveling by night out of the city. Maybe finding a circus and traveling with it as an amazing sibling duo act. But there weren't any traveling shows in town, and they didn't know how to make any sort of living for themselves. Yes, there were orphans and runaways who were able to leave town using the train cars. Molly would just need to dress in boys clothes and hop aboard a freight car and they could leave Pops and the city behind. It would cause a stir for a time, but after a while Pops would give up on them being found. However, doing so would mean leaving Enzo behind. Their mothers last words were to take care of one another, and Enzo wouldn't leave…not willingly. Pops still had him firmly under his control.

Looking at the frame Molly was holding, it was of the two of them when they had been young and their mother was still alive. Their mother smiled to the camera, both of her arms proudly wrapped around the shoulders of her young son and daughter. Sitting on their mothers lap and held up by both children was a small black cat. The cat looked less than comfortable being in that position, but it was being tolerant enough for the photo image.

"I miss Mamma," Molly said, "And I miss Bo, why did Kate and Sarah feel they could take him like that. And then…"

The cat in the photo had been a kitten their mother had given them for Christmas when they were three years of age. She had felt the three of them were of an age to learn how to take care of something and expected them to take equal responsibility for him. The two children immediately fell in love with him and gave him the name of Bojangles after the stage name for the vaudeville performer, Bill Robinson. Their father had only crudely grumbled about the worthless cat being named after a colored person. The two children happily did take responsibility for their pet. He even took turns sleeping with them during the night, with Molly he would find a curve in her body and mold himself into it. With Anthony, he would curl on top of the child's body or keep close in a way that looked like he was keeping protective watch over the boy. After their mother had passed away, many members of the family began visiting for the funeral including Felicia and her family. The moment the two girls saw Bojangles while they had gone upstairs to Anthony and Molly's room they squealed in delight about how cute he was.

Felicia Ragno had grown up with very little while she had been a child in Italy, upon moving to America she felt her daughters deserved everything they desired. So when her children ran to her saying they wanted Bojangles to be their cat, she immediately agreed to it. Henrico didn't object to it either, since he was tired of the house smelling like kitty litter anyway. It was over a week later that the two girls had lost interest in their new pet and just let him wander outside never to be seen again.

"I miss him too," Anthony agreed. "They never should have taken him. Unfortunately, that's the sort of people they are, they want what isn't theirs because other people have it and they take it because they can. If they can't have something, then they destroy it so no one has it. However, there is one thing they can never take or destroy though…and that is the fact you have two older brothers. So, if they get you down Moll's…hold on to that. It ain't like they can keep yah upstate forever, there are bound to be breaks, and an end to school.

*End Flashback*


"That was it," Angel said. "Molly's things were packed up and she was taken upstate. Before she left the two of us gave Mom's old recipe journal to Sabina. The two of us agreed that she should have it, because obviously cousins Kate and Sarah would just see that as something they could take from Molly, and Pops saw activities such as cooking as a woman's work. So there was no way I could keep or use it. So Zia Sabina agreed she'd hold on to it, but she would give it back to Molly when she became a bride."

"That feels unfair," Charlie commented. "I mean yeah, I know puberty in females can…"

"Make men squeamish," Angel agreed. "That wasn't the reason that Moll's was being sent away though, that was more of a convenient excuse. If it was the real reason, Molly would have been asked to live next door with Sabina. The real reason is that's when I was starting to catch on that I was gay. I had always been more on the girly side for a boy. I guess you can put it in that kind of context. I had never really thought of it in that way before, but it was becoming more and more obvious. I started to realize that I was different from other boys my age. Pops thought I'd start understanding what being a boy meant if I lived with another guy, so he kept me with Fratello. With Molly being around she was seen as too much of a girly influence on me, so that was why she was being sent to live upstate.

"But she wasn't the problem," Charlie pointed out. "She was just someone you loved and saw as a friend."

"Yep," Angel hugged himself as though he felt he was going into painful territory. "That's when Pops started other methods at correcting me. Homosexuality had a stigma associated with the time I was from."

"Yeah…" Charlie said. "Husk told me about that. How people could be sent to mental hospitals for who they were in love with."

"In the Mafia," Angel said. "If you were even suspected of being gay you could be executed. Being the son of a mafia chief, gave me some leniency, but Pops was still gonna give me hell about it. One of the corrective measures he had was a storage room in the basement. So if he caught me lookin' too interested in a guy I'd be locked in there for a period of days. I would get some food, such as bread and water. I wasn't anywhere near ready to be brought into the family business, and if it was known that Pops had a 'queer' it would be seen as a weakness by rival families. So I was seen as a liability to the family because I existed, because what I was...who I felt attracted to was seen as unnatural. I was told that I had to change, be someone else in order to be accepted by them. My own identity was not enough. Without Molly, I felt isolated and alone, like I had no place in the family if I could never prove myself.


*Flashback 1925*

"Anthony, you're doing it again," Enzo growled in annoyance as he stood up from where he was sitting. His younger brother was practicing with the use of the Thompson Machine Gun. He had done well enough with hand held pistols, but they still needed more proficient gunners in the family. So far today, the choice of putting the twelve-year-old on this type of gun was a mistake. Anthony's wiry frame could barely handle the recoil, but he would grow into that with use. What was bothering him was where Anthony was aiming at the target's. "What are you trying to do, make the target tap-dance?"

"I just don't feel right about this," Anthony said as he put the heavy weapon down. "You know with shootin' people."

"You have a problem with shootin' people," Enzo asked? The darker haired man didn't know whether to laugh at the irony or strangle his younger brother for the sheer craziness of that statement. "Here, Fratellino…look at me. Think of this target as a Made Guy from another family…you think he's gonna care about you not feeling right about shootin him?"

"I guess not," Anthony said as he was picking up on his older brother's logic.

"You guess," Enzo growled. "You guess…not?! Tony, this guy is going to be armed to the teeth himself and if he's running at you he ain't gonna be given two fucks about you wantin' to shoot him. Because he ain't gonna have any problems shootin' you, the only thing you gotta worry yourself with is taking him out before he can fire off a single shot. Yeah, you can disable him by taking out his leg, but you don't need your legs to fire a gun. When you make a kill the only thing that exists is the guy comin' at you and the weapon in your hand. And the only thing that matters is your survival, and there is only one chance to land a killing blow. If you don't land a critical hit, you're as good as dead. With that in mind, when you pick up the gun again, fire off a three second burst."

Anthony picked up the Thompson and let off a round of fire tearing the center of the target to shreds. There was a whistle of approval from behind him as his older brother came up behind him.

"Not bad," Enzo said. "Keep that up, and you could be a Made Guy yet." As much as Anthony liked hearing his older brother give his approval, Anthony could only eye the remains to the target horrified by what he had just done.