Book 1
Gia Salvatore does not like to feel tied down. Tired of answering to her controlling father, she ran away the night of her high school graduation and moved in with a secret older boyfriend, glad to cut ties with her toxic family.
But four...
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Gia walked into Soprano's Pizzeria delighted to see the interior was exactly as she remembered. Vintage photos of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley filled the available wall space. There was a jukebox in the back of the restaurant that constantly ate your quarters and was only kept around as decoration. She smiled when she saw the giant gumball machine near the checkout counter. Her mother would always let her get one as a child when they frequented the parlor.
Just like being inside the casino, it felt like everything in her life was different but nothing had notably changed.
Gia realized there was a high likelihood of her being recognized inside the parlor and shoved on Evan's ballcap and expensive lenses to hide her identity. Her father may only legally own the casino but his reach extended down the entire boardwalk. From bars, to t shirt stores to candy shops and pizza parlors, Giovanni was both well known and feared.
Gia glanced behind her and saw Evan had been stopped by a small group of teenagers sitting at umbrellaed tables just outside the business. They were genuinely excited to have spotted him and Evan was excited that they were excited.
Gia could see his large smile from the doorway as he stood taking selfies and signing skateboards. She was reminded of the little sparkle of diamond each tooth had and she couldn't help but notice how much more attractive he was when he wasn't wallowing. It seemed a little admiration did the entertainer good.
Ego. she chuckled to herself, filing the information away about him.
Gia walked up to the counter hoping to be greeted by a college student taking on a summer job and none the wiser of the businesses mob affiliations but, instead, she was standing face to face with a short, no nonsense Italian man in a clean Soprano's t shirt. He wasn't the proprietor she remembered but that didn't mean he wasn't involved with the crime families or wouldn't recognize Gia's well known face.
"How can I help you," the man asked, eyeing her strangely.
Gia knew she must look odd with her disguise but she wasn't going to take it off and risk blowing her cover.
"I'd like a pizza," she responded, trying to shift the tone in her voice as well.
She was reminded why she had left the city to begin with. She had felt like a prisoner. The older she got the more freedom she thought she had but it turned out eyes were everywhere, watching and reporting back to her father. She had even worn a blonde wig for a short phase until even that had been found out.
Evan appeared next to her, his smile sloppy drunk but full of pride. He leaned heavily against the window display that covered the sliced pies, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"One of those kids had my high school demos downloaded on his phone," Evan shook his head in wonder, now toying with the unlit smoke. "They've never even been formally released."
