“No, Natalia,” she huffs, seeming angry. “It doesn’t sound like you’re okay either. Do you mind if I come over?”
“Um, I won’t be here,” I tell her, “Can I come to you? Closer to the afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“The only thing is, I’m going to need you to promise not to breathe a word of whatever you see or hear when I see you. Can you promise me that?”
“Of course. Girl, you know I’m not Cassandra. Have I ever shared any secret you ever told me over the years?”
“You’re right. You haven’t. This is a little different though.”
“You have my word. I’m a vault. Plus, the shit going down in my life needs to stay on the QT as well. It’s fucking awful. Like always, I can only trust you with it.”
“Okay. Give me a few hours.”
“But you’re sure it’s today, right?”
“Definitely,” I say, my voice heavy. “My plans might be in flux from one hour to the next, but I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, chica. See you then,” she tells me, ending the call.
16
Antonio
It takes extra effort to hold my lane as I drive the boss’s SUV in the opposite direction from the planned itinerary.
Instead of heading northeast to Manhattan, we’re on our way to a car he stashed in a long term airport parking lot in South Philly.
Romano is deviating from the plan he shared.
He's going underground, and I'm the only person who knows.
According to him, it’s for the best. No one can know where he is.
"I'll do what I can to negotiate a deal with Mauro while I'm hiding," he says in an alarmingly smooth tone. "I'm still leaving you in charge. Once I'm safe, send instructions to the Pinuccis, then my mother and Natalia."
“All right, boss,” I answer.
He turns his upper body to me from his spot in the front seat, and I glance over to meet his gaze for a second. “Make sure no harm comes to them.”
My boss is a dangerous man. I've never seen him afraid, but today all I see on his face is fear.
“I will,” I tell him, holding his stare.
“Do you think I’m being too cautious?” he asks, and it’s the first time the man has looked to me for an opinion since this issue with Mauro came about.
I shake my head. “Can’t be too careful, really.”
"That's right," he agrees. "My old man used to say that the second you think everything's going smoothly is exactly the time to worry. A reasonable amount of paranoia is expected in this business. To be paranoid, it means that you're careful. It means that you're considering all the different possibilities and contingencies, and you're mitigating all threats, and reducing all risks. But you can never remove all risks. There's always some curveball that can come out of nowhere and throw you right on your ass. So paranoia is the only way to survive." He looks out his window, seeming pensive for a while. "We won't be safe if we're all together. That's why I'm okay with my mother going back to Italy. She's not a target when she's alone. I'm the target. And because Natalia is everything to me, Mauro's partners might think about using Natalia to get to me." Nodding, I glance over as he turns to look at me. "Your top priority is to protect my family. I'm counting on you, Antonio. You're the only one I trust."
“Yes, boss,” I say. “As long as I’m breathing, you can depend on me to keep them safe.”
“Good.”
The rest of the ride is eerily silent. It’s as though my promise echoes around us, hanging in the air, reminding me of what matters most. At the airport long-term parking, Romano directs me to a rusty old Chevy Trailblazer that looks like it’s been gathering dust since the nineties. He hops out before I can bring the SUV to a complete stop, his eyes darting in every direction to be sure we’re not being watched. I can tell he feels rushed, from the way he hurries over to the wheel well on the front passenger side and reaches for something.
“Everything’s in the trunk,” he tells me, holding up a key as I hop out of the SUV. “Here's what I need you to do. After you leave here, make sure that Natalia leaves on the private charter flight with Vinny and the man you choose from the protection detail. I want you to remain at the house as planned. I am handing you all of the keys, Antonio. I have access. You have access. Cristiano has access. But you are the one who has control of the entire enterprise while I'm gone. If you don't hear from me within a month, you should probably be worried. Do you understand what I'm telling you?”
I swallow hard to form the words, and I know deep down, it’s the guilt lurking around because I’ve already betrayed his trust by messing around with Natalia. But even though I’m keeping that secret, my promise to this family is the same.
“Yes, boss,” I tell him with conviction. “I'm in control while you're gone. The family, the operation, the assets, the money... everything.”
"Exactly. I want you to run this business the way you've seen me do it. Tend to the shop, so to speak. And by that, I mean that I want you to keep it going the way it's been."
“I will.”
“And keep Natalia safe. My mother should be safe in Italy. But Natalia, people will come for her to get to me. Or to control you.”
“I won’t let that happen,” I tell him confidently.
“And you need to watch your back. Choose the men that you think will support you no matter what. And I don’t think this will be an issue, but if you have the slightest hint of a suspicion that anyone’s coming after you, take whatever steps you need to keep your brothers safe as well. This is how the organization works. Family can become the very thing they use to force your hand.”
“Okay.”
The boss opens the trunk, and lifts out two of the four identical black duffel bags inside. He hands them to me. “Use as much of this as you, Natalia, and the men need.”
“All right.”
He follows me as I head back to place the bags in the back seat of the SUV. The hot, stifling Philly air hangs around us, adding to the weight of the moment. He rests a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Keep my daughter safe. Make sure the staff takes good care of my dog. Watch your back. Don't say a word of anything to anyone. Not until I’m back.”
“I will, boss.”
I watch as Romano transfers his things from the SUV to the Chevy.
This is not goodbye, but it fucking feels like it.
17
Natalia
I have too much on my plate for this conversation, but from the grim tone of Tammy Lou’s calls and messages, I can’t dismiss my friend. It’s bad enough that I’m leaving without her knowing. She and Cassandra will be mad as hell when they find out. But I can’t worry about that now. Not with several lives potentially on the line, including my own. On my way to the airport, I send her a message that I’ll pop by her place, then I ask Vinny to make a small detour so I can speak to her face to face.
We find her sitting on the front steps of her place. On her short walk toward our SUV, Tammy Lou looks back nervously, her eyes seeming to glance up at a bedroom on the second floor of the colonial style house.
“Hey,” she greets on opening the door.
"Everything all right in there?" I ask as she climbs in the back seat beside me.
“Yes… well, I don’t know.” She gives me a brief hug, then looks out her window, her hands running along the sides of her legs as her attention returns to the same bedroom window as before.
I turn my body sideways, angling my legs in Tammy Lou’s direction. “I’m a bit pressed for time. What did you want to talk about? It sounded pretty serious.”
“I’m not sure where to start…”
“Just tell me, Tams. You’ve been acting strange since the party. Don’t think I didn’t notice. Something’s been eating at you.” I wait for her to answer, but her eyes keep darting up to the room. “Tams, talk to me…. please.”
Finally, she looks at me. “Okay. Look, you have to promise not to say a word of this to anyone.”
"Sure," Vinny answers, and nods at me through the rearview mirror. "We won't be far. Let's go," he tells the driver, and they both step out, shutting their doors almost simultaneously.
“Okay, Tams. Talk to me.”
She takes my hands in hers and gives me an earnest look. “I’m trying not to freak you out, but I’m really worried,” She starts. “I'm worried for my sister...and I'm scared... for you and your family. Maybe it’s nothing. I could just be paranoid or something, but… I’m just not sure.”
“You’re not making any sense. What are you talking about?”
“Let me start from the beginning,” she mutters, sighing in a long breath. “My sister, Ray-Ann has been seeing this guy. Before I say his name, just know that he’s older. And…”
“And what?” I ask, seeing her hesitation.
“I think he might be targeting your family for something… a scam or something shady.”
This time, I wait for her to continue, to fill in the details on what makes her sister’s budding new relationship a problem. But she doesn’t explain. “You’re not making any sense. What exactly are you trying to tell me?”
"Okay, okay. Just, please… let me get it all off my chest before you ask questions. I'm not used to having to sort through this type of thing."
“Fine.” I rub her shoulder supportively. “Take all the time you need,” I say, although Vinny’s standing a few feet away, looking back and forth between the SUV and the time on his phone screen. “Go on. Take your time.”
“All right. The best way I can put it is, the guy my sister recently started seeing, well...he told her he was going away and wanted to take her with him. Very soon. He left here the night after your party and told her he had to leave ahead of her first, that he needed time to take care of the arrangements. From what I know, he told her that he was coming into some money. A really big score, from a bigshot family he worked with for years. People with pull. It's kind of surprising that Ray-Ann would say anything to me about it. But we've been really close since we made up over that last big fight we had. She didn’t want to leave without telling me. Anyway, I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the part that had me all worked up is not the news itself… it’s the guy. I’ve only seen him a couple of times…” Her lips press together as she seems to labor over her words again. “I'm really sorry, Nats. I should’ve told you right away. I saw him at your party.”
“Who are you talking about?” I press. “What's his name?”
"Hang on let me finish. The first time I saw him was just hours before the party. Ray-Ann's been super secretive about him. She never really brought him around our place. She never introduced Mom or me to him. But a few hours before I left home to start getting dressed at your house for the party, I just happened to be looking out here when some guy drove up in a silver Mercedes sedan and handed her a brown duffel bag. I saw him step out of the driver seat for a second to give her the duffel bag. And I saw him later, at your party... hovering around your dad most of the night. I tried to convince myself it was a different guy, but I saw him leaving your party in the same Mercedes."
“Tell me who,” I say again, my stomach in knots. She has to be mistaken. Honestly, on its own, it’s not a big stretch for someone close to the family to have set aside money for a rainy day, or to want to give it to someone they trust, someone at arm’s length, for safekeeping. But if he’s stealing from Father or doing some sketchy deal behind his back to come into that money, at a time like this, it’s a problem. And like Tammy Lou said, it’s not just the news that worries me. It’s the guy. That’s the grizzly detail she left out, but deep down, I have a sinking feeling. Only one person in our close-knit circle drives a silver Mercedes sedan. My family doesn’t stand a chance if her news is all true.
I have to be sure. “Tell me his name, Tammy Lou. Please just tell me.”
“I don’t know his full name, but my sister calls him Lorenzo.”
The sound of his name on my friend’s lips sends a chill down my spine. No one in my family is safe.
In a panic, I reach across her body and open her car door. “I need to leave. Don’t say a word of this to anyone.”
“What?”
“If he comes around your family again, don’t ask any questions. Just play dumb. You don’t know anything, and you never talked to me or anyone about any of this. Do you understand what I’m saying, Tams?”
“Are you trying to tell me I’m in danger?” she asks with a sobering stare.
“Don’t say anything to anyone. That’s the best advice I can give you. I’m sorry I can’t say more, but the less you know, the better. It could be nothing,” I add the lie to appease her and do my best not to show her how terrified I really am.
It’s not nothing.
Her news is big. The implications are grave and far-reaching, with the potential to hurt everybody that matters to me.
I have to tell Antonio. And Father. Father needs to know we might’ve all been put in danger by his consiglieri.
“I have to go away for a little while,” I admit to her. “Sorry I can't tell you much more about why, but when I get back, I’ll let you know everything. In the meantime, please do not say what you know to anyone. Not your sister, and definitely not Lorenzo.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
As Tammy Lou jumps out of the back of the SUV, an unexplainable feeling spreads out from the pit of my stomach.
Trust your gut, Nonna always says, so I go with it. I make a snap decision.
“Hey, Tammy Lou,” I call to her and kneel over the backrest, reaching for one of my suitcases.
“What’s up?” she asks as I open one of them.
I pull out my mother’s family crest and the box of letters from her that my father just gave to me. I don't think I should take this with me while I'm away.
“Can you hold on to something for me?” I ask, pressing the items against my chest. “It's from my mother, and they’re private. But I know I can trust you. Read it. Don't read it. Just hang on to them for me, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course,” she answers with no hesitation. “I’ll tuck it away with my things.”
“Thank you. Promise you won’t get rid of it or give it to anyone, okay? My dad just gave this to me this morning. I've only gone through a few of the items inside. But for this trip… I just think it’ll be wise not to take them with me.”
“Absolutely,” she whispers solemnly.
When she lowers her hands toward me, her palms open to accept the box as though it’s the most precious thing in the world, I know I’m doing the right thing. “Thank you so much, Tams.”
“Of course. I’ll take good care of it. You don't have anything to worry about.”
“You have no idea how much I’m going to miss you,” I tell her, and wrap my arms around her with the box pressed between us for a long minute.
After she jumps out of the SUV, I watch her walk the entire way to her front door while Vinny and the driver hurry back to the front seat. This might be the last I see of Tammy Lou. It’s a given that I’m about to face a lot of uncertain times, but I’d be lying to myself if I believe my friend is perfectly safe.
She’s not.
No one is.
For the first time, it sinks in that just knowing me puts people at risk. Father always used to say that it’s best not to be too close to anyone outside the family, for their sake. I suppose if I weren’t close to her, she also wouldn’t be able to put two and two together about Lorenzo, or to warn me. But at least she’d be a hell of a lot better off.
The driver beside Vinny drives over the speed limit for the entire ride toward the airport. I try to reach Antonio for the whole way th
ere. My phone calls are all going straight to his voicemail, so I send him a text that reads, ‘911, please call me'. He still doesn't answer by the time I got to the private landing strip. And I don't hear from him while Vinny makes me wait inside the vehicle for confirmation that the flight and our luggage has been cleared. Out of desperation, I send a string of short messages.
* * *
Me: Do NOT trust the Pinuccis.
Me: Why aren't you calling me back?
Me: Are you okay?
Me: Please call. Sorry for over texting. I have to go.
* * *
The pilot and one female crew member emerge at the airplane door nearest to the cockpit, waving for us to come aboard.
I don’t know why none of us paid much attention to the refueling truck that rolls up between our SUV and the plane steps. Nothing about it seemed out of place.
Until it was.
Just as Vinny opens my passenger door, five men dressed in jumpsuits that match the refueling truck charge toward us from the other side of the truck holding automatic weapons. Their faces are covered with balaclava masks.
Everything happens so fast. Too fast. Vinny pushes me back into the SUV. He and the driver reach for their weapons at their backs, but they’re outgunned and outnumbered.
My gut wrenches tight when I see their hands raise slowly above their heads.
My body starts to shake uncontrollably.
I have no way to defend myself other than with my hand my legs my limbs. One of the armed men pulls my door open, and I try to jump out of the other side.
That’s a mistake.
A big fucking mistake, because another guy is waiting in the shadow of this side of the SUV. I try to scamper back inside, but he grabs me by the throat. His other arm rears back, and for a split second, I catch a peripheral glimpse of the hypodermic needle he stabs into my neck.
Fall (A Mafia Crime Family Romance) Page 12
