For a while, there was no activity in the coffee shop of any interest to Vinny. The employees were playing a game of poker behind the counter. They could get away with it since they rarely had customers these days. Antonio was getting notably bored, drumming his fingers on the table with one hand and reaching for his cell phone every few minutes to check for text messages. He was probably waiting for a reply from some new girl. The boy was a hopeless romantic. Vinny couldn't say he blamed him, but with their careers in the mafia, what sane woman would even look twice at them? Antonio was just going to have to learn that the hard way.

Figuring nothing new was going to happen, Vinny was just about to get up from his seat at the table. Suddenly, he heard the long awaited chime of the bell, signaling that someone had opened the door. It was old fashioned, but it was one of the little details he liked about this store. At the sound, the workers hustled to stuff their playing cards and chips into a bag and get back to their stations. The commotion was almost like something out of an old cartoon, with characters running this way and that while crashing into one another in a mad dash. Vinny cracked a smile. He glanced back at the door to see who had come in today.

[i]Wait a mo'...[/i]

Vinny stiffened, staring at the girl as she stepped up to the counter. Could it be? But what was one of [i]them[/i] doing at a place like this? The Addario family had claimed this part of New York! He felt irritation bubble up in his gut, but forced it back down. He couldn't afford to blow his cover. Not with the police so close by. Besides, chances were the girl wouldn't recognize him or Antonio. Vinny was an expert at staying below the radar - most of the other family didn't know his face, even if they had heard his name - and Antonio hadn't been involved long enough to build up a solid reputation.

Vinny realized he was staring quite obviously and hurriedly dropped his gaze to the table. She had probably noticed already, but hopefully she would just brush him off as some random creepy guy. Still, he couldn't help the slight curl of his lip at the thought of a member of the Campione family so close to him. If he made a quick 'hit and run,' he would probably be able to get away without too much trouble, but then again... He sneaked a peek at the employees. There were too many witnesses. There was no way he'd be able to show his face in this part of town for a good month or more if he caused a scene. Best to just sit and wait her out, Vinny decided.

Unfortunately, Antonio had other plans.

He was staring wide-eyed at the girl, completely unaware of who she was. He met Vinny's eyes and raised his brows as if to say: [i]'I'm gonna go for it.'[/i] Vinny shook his head and glared at his companion, trying to get the message across without words. Who knows if the girl had magic to allow her to enhance her hearing or to summon a beast that could act as her lookout. He wasn't willing to risk it.

Antonio missed the cue. His face was taken over by a goofy grin, and he combed his fingers through his hair, preparing himself to get up and approach the girl. Vinny shot out a hand to grab Antonio's arm. He glowered at him more fiercely and jerked his head towards the girl, trying to convey that she was off the market. This time, Antonio seemed to understand. At least, he didn't try to get up again, and that was good enough for Vinny. He could explain later. For now, they would just have to sit back and wait her out.