Through Time She Came

Ch.36 The Love of a Maggio

Anet stares out the car window. "Why does it feel so different?"

"You've been in the past for 6 months."

"Maybe."

Silence.

"Where are we going?"

"It's been almost just as long for us as it's been for you. The time machine, Doc said, broke down for a while before he could fix it and continue his search for you."

"Oh." she goes silent again.

"Also..." he adds. Hesitates. "Well, the main reason you don't have your apartment, Anet... well, we... we had to fake your death so Maggio would give up the hunt for you."

He continues due to her silence, "The Doc wouldn't tell me about the time traveling until he knew you were safe from Maggio here. He seemed to think you were in some big trouble when he finally came to me. I guess we got to you before it happened."

Anet looks out the window, wondering what could have happened.

Maybe Vic found out about me and Tommy... Or Maybe Torelli, came back.

They enter the heart of downtown.

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

"Wow. I haven't heard that in forever."

Jay looks at his phone.

"Mama P?"

Shrug, "I have no idea. —Hello?"

"Jacob, where have you been? Did you find Anet? Is she home?"

Anet and Jay exchange confused looks.

Anet's attention is suddenly drawn outside, "What the hell is that?" It had been so long, she wouldn't have noticed much change in the city if it had, but this she couldn't miss!

Atop one of the many skyscrapers, crimson letters alight in two words:

MAGGIO TOWER

"What happened while I was gone!?"

Jay looks just as stunned. "I have no idea."

~•~

June 8, 1928

Jay sat in the back seat of Maggio's boy's sedan. "'You taking me to see Maggio?" he asked.

"Is that what you're after? Who are you? Some bastard son of his come skulking around for some charity? Revenge maybe?"

"That's not the Maggio way."

""Not the Maggio way"." he contemplated the lookalike.

"This mug just looks like Angelo, Lor, but he ain't one of us."

Deadpan stare. "But I am. I've grown up just like you —all of you. We live and die for the Maggio family. Putting the fear of God in the families that turned on us all those years ago, when they massacred our family on Christmas Eve."

The car slowed to a stop.

"Keep driving!" Lorenzo snapped. Eyes never leaving Jay. "Everyone knows that much."

"Well, since all three of you are family, I'll keep going." Jay continued, "Yeah. I know who you are. Lorenzo, Benny, Little Gianni. I know you two are Danté's cousin Gianni's boys. He looked back at Lorenzo. "And you're his nephew. Giovanni's son. Oldest. You have a younger brother Joseph -Giuseppi, if you want to get technical. Maggio is really the last name of everyone in this car. We just all run around the streets using mama's last name so nobody knows how close we really are to the head of the family. Just a measurement of protection. —Although! After I got sent undercover, I couldn't use mom's name." Shrug. "No big deal."