by Lana Cameo
“Your daughter needs to hear from you. Or did you decide to be a deadbeat dad after all?”
She hit send and paced the floor. She couldn’t take the look in Melody’s eyes every time she asked her mother if Daddy was coming over or if she’d talked to him. Every time, the answer had been “no” in the last days.
Hannah couldn’t help thinking that the last time she’d seen him, they’d slept together and the last time she’d called him, it was to tell him she loved him. This couldn’t be a coincidence. She guessed that he’d freaked out. That suddenly, sleeping with Hannah and exchanging I love you’s had made it too real for him. He couldn’t commit, so he’d decided to vanish on them instead.
When she got the mail that day, there was a check from Anton. She slammed the check down on the table and glared at it. This was how it was going to be, then? He wouldn’t call or come by, but he’d send money. Nice. Who needed a loving father when you had new clothes? Well, her daughter did, that’s who. And Hannah was not going to stand for this. She’d warned him from the start that he couldn’t do this to Melody.
That night, she called him after Melody went to bed. She didn’t want her daughter to overhear what she was going to say. He wouldn’t answer. She knew that now. So she’d planned out what she would say on his voicemail and called.
When his voicemail picked up, she left her message, not disguising her anger or disgust at his actions.
“You son of a bitch. Do you think you can just come into our lives, shake everything up, tell me you love me and sleep with me, then just ignore us? Send a check and that will make everything okay? You know what? Screw you, Anton. I should have known you’d pull something like this after what you did to me before. But now you’ve broken the heart of an innocent child. Of your daughter, or did you forget that you have a responsibility to her? You promised you weren’t going to do this. All I want to know is why. What is it about us and the life we were trying to build that is so terrible that you can’t be bothered to pick up the damn phone!”
She hit end and threw her phone across the room before collapsing in tears. How could he do this to their daughter?
When her phone rang, she didn’t hurry to answer it. But it kept ringing, so she got up and went to retrieve it. When she saw Anton’s name on the display, she was shocked.
“What?” she answered.
“I can’t explain everything.” He sounded upset and rushed. “I’m not vanishing. Or I’m not trying to. My grandfather died and I have a lot to do with the business. I’m sorry. I do love you. I love Melody. But I need to make sure you’re going to be safe and sometimes, that might mean I can’t be seen with you.”
His words took a long time to sink in. Finally, she said, “Your grandfather died?”
“Yes. And now I’m running the whole business. It’s a lot.”
“Then let me help you or—”
“No, Hannah, I can’t have you get involved in this.”
“But Anton, we—”
“Listen. As soon as it’s safe—”
“As soon as it’s safe? What does that mean?” she asked. “Why can’t you be seen with us?”
“I’ll call you when I can.”
“Oh no. You are not going to do this to Melody! Anton! You have to call her, and you have to come see her. It’s been almost two weeks! She’s very upset.”
There was a long pause. Then he said, “Okay. I can come tomorrow.”
She let out a relieved sigh. “Okay.”
“But we can’t stay in the apartment. And Melody has to stay with the neighbor.”
“She hasn’t seen you. She wants to be with you. We can bring her—”
“No!”
His insistence surprised her. But if she was alone with him, she could maybe find out more about what was going on. And she really wanted to see him. She missed him.
“Okay,” she said softly.
“Tomorrow.”
“You’ve said that before.”
“I know. I’ll be there after work.”
He hung up without another word.
Chapter 16
When she got home from work, Hannah watched out the window to see if Anton’s car pulled up. She hadn’t told Melody he was coming. She hadn’t gotten dressed or done her hair and makeup. She wasn’t sure he was going to show at all.
But, to her surprise, after she’d been home just a half hour, there was a knock on the door. Hannah opened it to find Anton, looking more stressed than she’d ever seen him.
“Well, look who showed up,” she said.
He didn’t greet her, but quickly stepped into the apartment, glanced around the hall, then shut and locked the door and deadbolt.
This behavior was starting to really scare Hannah. “What’s going on?”
“Let’s go.”
“Daddy?” Melody’s voice, followed by her footsteps, came to them in the hall.
She ran to Anton and he scooped her up in his arms.
“You’re here!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were coming. I have to show you my math test and my art project!”
She ran off and Hannah gave him a look that said, “See, I told you she misses you.”
“I thought you were going to take her to the neighbor’s.”
“I wasn’t going to do that until I was sure you were actually going to show.”
“I’m here. Take her over so we can go.”
“What’s the hurry? We can spend some time with her before we go. I’m not even ready.”
“Please hurry.”
She gave him a questioning look. “What’s going on?”
“We can’t talk here.”
“Okay. I’ll hurry. At least go spend time with your daughter while I get dressed.”
He went into Melody’s bedroom as Hannah went into her own and hurried to get ready. She was going to get answers tonight, whatever it took. He was acting too strangely and it didn’t feel right. Why hadn’t he told her about his grandfather sooner? That was Melody’s great grandfather. They would have gone with him to the funeral and everything, had they known.
She stuck her head in Melody’s bedroom once she was ready. “Hey, silly girl. Ready to go over and see Amy?”
“Oh, I want to go with you guys,” Melody whined.
“Not tonight.” Anton kissed her forehead and hugged her as he stood. “Soon.”
Hannah walked Melody over to the neighbor’s apartment, then followed Anton as he hurried her into the waiting car. This was a car she’d never seen before. Jet black with heavily tinted windows. This was a car someone took when they didn’t want to be seen.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
“Are we going to eat?”
“Sure.”
She let out a huff. “What is going on with you? When did your grandfather die? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been there for you.”
“That’s why I couldn’t tell you.”
“That makes no sense. Why isn’t it safe for you to be seen with me?”
He shook his head. “It’s not safe for you to be seen with me.”
“Why?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
She crossed her arms and looked out the window. “How is this ever going to work if I know nothing of what is going on with you?”
“I’ve been asking myself that same question.”
They barely spoke until they reached the restaurant. Hannah took a look at the building and eyed him.
“A public place? Are you sure it’s safe here?”
“I’ve done my best to make sure.”
They got out of the car and a second car pulled up. Several men in dark suits got out and followed them inside.
“Increased security?” she asked.
He nodded.
All through dinner, she questioned him, but got nothing. She could barely eat. She had no idea if he was going to be around tomorrow or next week or next month. She didn’t k
now when he’d disappear again. She had no idea what the danger was and that, too, made her uneasy.
“You’re not eating,” he said.
“How can I?”
He put his hand to his forehead and rubbed his temples. “I’m sorry.”
“Then tell me what is going on!”
“Sir.” One of the men leaned down and spoke in Anton’s ear.
Hannah watched his face go white. He stood.
“We have to leave. Now,” he said.
She glanced around, not seeing anything that hinted at danger. “Why?”
He picked up her jacket and held it out for her. She shook her head but slipped into it. On top of being confused and afraid, now she was getting angry. This was all getting ridiculous.
One of the security guards stepped beside her, putting an arm around her as they hurried from the building. The car door was opened and she was sliding in when she heard the first gunshot.
The door closed with her inside, with Anton outside. She tried to open the door or put the window down, but both were locked.
“Anton!” She banged on the window.
“Ma’am,” the driver said. “Please duck down.”
“What?” But she did as he said and crouched between the backseat and front seat. Several more gun shots rang out.
After several heart-stopping minutes, the door opened again and Anton slid in. He pulled her up and the car took off, speeding so fast down the road that the tires squealed when they turned.
Anton was on his phone, talking fast and ordering commands. When he hung up, he looked her over. “You okay?”
She nodded, still in shock. Then she asked, “You okay?”
“Yes. I have a good security team.”
“Was someone… were those shots…”
“Someone tried to kill me.”
She gasped and put her hands to her mouth. “Why!” The tears filled her eyes quickly. “Anton, talk to me, please! What is going on? Why is this happening? What are you involved in?”
She was nearing hysteria, she could feel it. Her voice was high and her words frantic.
He turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“No, I’m not. But I need to.”
“Then I’ll tell you. But don’t interrupt me until I’m finished, please.”
“Okay.”
“My grandfather wasn’t just the CEO of DeCalvo Shipping. He was the boss of the DeCalvo family. The DeCalvo mob family.”
Her eyes widened, but she waited to say anything, still listening.
“When he died—or was murdered—everything became my responsibility. I’m the boss now. I call the shots and also take them, apparently.”
He stopped talking, though she expected him to say more.
“So that’s it?” she asked. “You’re a mob boss.”
He nodded.
She laughed. “Good one. What the hell is really going on?”
“Hannah. Someone just tried to kill me because I had his father killed for killing my grandfather. My grandfather was killed for taking out two men who killed one of our family and attacked two others. Should I keep going?”
She gulped and shook her head. Everything was starting to make sense. The secrecy, the money, the security, and now this night. Something came to her then. An article she’d read long ago about mafia activity in the area. The FBI seemed to always be doing some sort of investigation. The organization they were trying to take down—which had to be the DeCalvo family—was known for being the most dangerous and active mafia family they’d ever seen.
“What happens now?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.”
“Are Melody and I in danger?”
“Not if I keep you hidden. That’s why I had to cut off contact. I didn’t want the people after me to come after you.”
“Right.” Hannah nodded, thinking. “Well, that makes sense. You have to stay away from us. I can’t let Melody be in danger. If this is your life… if it’s going to be like this… then you can’t see her.”
She saw his jaw working, but he said nothing.
After a long while, he said, “I know. That’s why I haven’t called or come by. I can’t put you both in danger, so I have to stay out of your lives.”
The realization of this hit her so hard, it was like someone had just pressed pause on her heart. She couldn’t speak. When the car stopped in front of her building, she got out without a word and walked away, a security guard walking her to the door.
Chapter 17
“Sir, you don’t understand,” Marco said, raising his voice at Anton. “We know exactly who shot at you. It’s the same family that killed your grandfather.”
“And we killed the man who killed my grandfather,” Anton said.
“And now they want to kill you for that killing,” Marco said. “It will never end unless we strike back hard.”
Anton looked around the room at his five highest employees. They’d all been urging him to take action. To do more, to fight back harder.
“We’ve outlined a plan and want you to take a look,” Stefano said.
“Let’s hear it,” Anton said.
“Okay.” Stefano seemed pleased that Anton was at least willing to listen. “First, we go after the guy who shot at you. It was one of their made men. Then, we systematically attack these four warehouses.” Stefano spread a map across the conference room table and pointed to four locations. “These are their biggest points of business. This will leave them hurting and vulnerable. Then, we can move in and take out all the high ups in the family and take down the boss.”
It was a decent plan. Anton had seen his grandfather do something similar when he was younger. It was a similar situation, where a family wanted to take over the DeCalvos and they’d had to defend their territory and take out the other family. His grandfather had taught him that this sort of thing happens sometimes when a new boss takes over. The rival family thinks the newbie is weak, easily overtaken. It seemed like that was exactly what the Romano family thought of Anton. They’d been moving in, and now they wanted to take over by taking Anton out.
A takeover like this was huge. It could be the biggest thing Anton did in his position as boss. It was no easy task to take down another family. His guys had been working hard to get the details they needed to form the plan. It was a solid plan. There was just one problem. Anton didn’t want more killings.
Once he became boss, he’d started making changes in the shipping company. He’d gone after bigger, legal accounts and had made subtle shifts that would lead them toward going completely legit. And that was his goal. Go straight so he could be the man Hannah and Melody needed him to be. This would be moving in the opposite direction. This would make him less of the man he needed to be.
And it would mean killing many people, which meant affecting many individual families and children. Just because they were in the mob, too, didn’t mean these men didn’t love their wives and kids and that they didn’t love them back. He would be ordering people’s lives to be ruined in doing this.
“I need some time to think through this,” Anton said.
“What are you waiting for, a bullet to your head before you’ll act?” Marco asked.
“No, I just want to make sure we’re making the right move.”
“This is the only move,” Stefano said.
“For now, we wait.” Anton slammed his fist on the table, reminding them who the boss was. “It’s my life on the line, and I want a few days to consider all the options.”
He was still hoping there was a way to end this amicably. Talk to the boss, Lorenzo Romano, maybe? Explain that they were getting out of the mob business and that they weren’t a threat to them? It seemed like a pipe dream, but maybe it would work. If it didn’t, he could always go back and kill them later.
The next day, he sat in his office answering emails and trying to get more legal contracts. Someone knocked on his door. He looked up to
see Matt holding a stack of mail.
“Thanks,” Anton said.
Matt set down the stack and walked out.
Anton finished sending his email, then flipped through the envelopes. He stopped when he got to an envelope that had only his name on the front. It had been hand delivered.
Inside, he found a photo of Melody walking to school. His blood boiled as he opened the notepaper included with the photo.
“Cute kid,” was all it said. It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. He knew it was from the Romano family. This was just the latest in the line of threats they’d sent him, but this one was more personal.
He pounded his fist on the desk. Now they were going to get Melody involved in this? And that meant Hannah was involved, too. Her photo would probably show up next.
Now he had no choice. He had to act. It was one thing to let them live if only he was in danger, but if they were going to threaten or harm his daughter, they would all die.
“Marco! Stefano!” Anton called out of his office door.
The men arrived moments later. “Yes, boss?”
“Put your plan into action,” Anton said. “I just have one change.”
“What’s that?” Marco asked.
“I’m going to be the one to take Lorenzo Romano out.” Anton could hear his heart beating in his ears. “I want this done tomorrow. Get the cars and everyone ready.”
“Smart move, boss,” Stefano said. “We’re on it.”
Chapter 18
Hannah looked out the window again. The car was still there. For days now, cars had been showing up and sitting in the parking lot of her apartment building. At work, she thought there was a strange car or two as well, though it was harder for her to keep a watch there. She pulled the curtain back down and grabbed her phone.
After the night with Anton when he’d been shot at, they hadn’t talked. This was how it had to be, but it didn’t make it easy. Melody was asking daily when she would see her father again. The night Anton showed up and took Hannah out was like a tease for Melody, who’d been missing her father. Now she asked when it was her turn to go out with Daddy. Hannah couldn’t tell her the truth—that her father was a dangerous mob boss and couldn’t be around them or they’d be in danger. This was a fact that had taken Hannah many days to let sink in, and she still wasn’t sure it had.
