Elenora and Her Two Mafias

Chapter Seventeen

Seamus Walsh Point of View

I wake up early in the morning. The first thing I do is pick up the picture on the bedside table. It's of the five of us outside of my wife's restaurant on its grand opening. Maeve is sitting on my lap but is in the process of moving on to Elenora's. Ryan is sitting next to her putting bunny ears behind her. Cathleen is sitting on the other side of me with Collin next her. He is looking over at Ryan and rolling his eyes at his immaturity.

I was going to put the nicer one of us all looking straight ahead in the frame but Cathleen insisted this is the moment we wanted to remember and not a serious one of us. So that's what I did, and now every morning I look at it and remember how I want to make sure I can preserve the family in the picture and how far we have fallen from that happy moment.

I set the frame down and I am careful to get out of bed as Meave sleeps on her mom's side of the bed with her stuffie held tightly in her arms, scared of loosing another thing. I don't want to wake her she's been so sad the last two months and the only time she doesn't look sad is when she is asleep. She said in her dreams her Mom and sister play tea party with her and I don't want to be the reason she is disappointed to wake up again in a world where they are not there.

After taking a quick shower I walk downstairs to get the kids breakfast ready and start to pack Maeve's lunch for school before I realize that it's the weekend. It's been hard to keep the days straight. Collin is dealing with the Russians and Italians and I'm doing my best to help. I'm doing my best to keep Ryan, Maeve and Collin together but  can barely to keep it together myself. It doesn't help that it's been more than a week from Aiden who said he had a lead in Elenora somewhere in the state of New York. He's disappeared and that's another thing that's causing my family to give up hope.

I put the bacon on the heated pan and I'm starting to put the toast in the toaster as I hear Ryan's footsteps heading down the stairs. They almost could be mistaken for Collin's but he's been spending most of his nights at the warehouse in case of an emergency. I turn to see Ryan with several bags in his hand, only to stop when he sees me. I send a concerned look his way.

"I thought you were going early this morning to help Collin" was all he said to me.

"Well you were wrong" I start to walk closer but he backs up. "What are you doing?"

"Aiden is gone I'm going to follow whatever lead he had. Someone needs to bring Elenora back, especially if she's anywhere near the Italians, it's not safe" he says, hyperventilating. I grab his shoulders and give a hug but he doesn't reciprocate but pulls away.

"I know you want to help, but all you are going to do is give me someone else to worry about. I- I can't loose you too" I tell him. I know he's going find a way to leave if I don't force him to stay, but I don't want to loose his trust too.

"I have to go, and you can't stops me" He starts to shove me out of the way to the garage and I grab the back of his shirt to stop him. He twists my arm and starts to run but I stick my leg out to trip him. Luckily he catches himself on the wall allowing me enough time to grab him. A small voice from the hall

"Please don't leave me" Maeve says. Tears are forming in her eyes as she looks from his bags to us. I look into eyes hoping that he sees the same reason I do, a need to keep the family together. I see him nod and I let him go. He slowly walks over to her, leans over and picks her up. He whispers something in her ear, rocking her back and forth. They head to the kitchen table and I go back to the food, throwing the burnt food away and starting it again.

***

Dante's Point of View

I'm finally on my way home with Toni after our information session with Irish. Luckily they should be back from their shopping trip and the twins are back from wherever so we can all eat as a family for dinner. Elenora needs the support since she is taking her placement exam tomorrow. I want to protect her from all of this shit, from the school and from the Irish.

Those Irish were useless to us, the only thing they told us is that they were not responsible for the attacks. I shouldn't believe them, probably using some tactic to get us to release them, but something isn't adding up. Aiden, their second in command, was scoping out an area far away from the warehouse they were planning on attacking. We didn't even have to spread our men thin to cover the area where we found him since the local gang did that for us.

As if indenting to my thoughts, Toni start to talk from the passenger seat. "I don't get it" he sighs "The only thing over in the area he was found was the twins stupid street racing" I nod gripping the steering wheel tighter thinking about the amount of times I have had to get them out of that stupid prescient. That's why I have people stationed there like Sargent Rogers. I start to think about how the last time I picked them up Elenora was taken to the same place. I start slamming my hand down of the horn, hitting it in frustration.

"God dam" I say as I watch the people in the cars around me at the light look at me like I'm insane. I turn to my right and realize that Toni is doing the same. "The other thing in that area at the time was Elenora. I think you were right about other people being aware of her in the underworld. Maybe their main target isn't our warhouses to take us out but Elenora as a bargaining chip. Now that we are aware of her, them taking her would be perfect for them" I step on the gas pedal as soon as the light turns green driving back to house, to keep her protected from those Irish.

***

Author's Note
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