Leaving Annalisa was a lot harder than I thought. If you’d have told me when I’d been captured that I’d have a chance to escape, but I’d be torn about doing so, I’d have told you that you were crazy. Yet, there I’d been, standing in her kitchen, wanting to hold her for a moment longer. I nearly grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the night with me. The only reason I didn’t was because I wasn’t sure it would work. What if Rita didn’t come? What if I got caught trying to get off of the property?

No one saw me, which I found odd and might have even thought it was a trap, especially because of the look in Annalisa’s eyes when I left her. She was torn, conflicted. At first, I thought it was because she was worried about me going, but as I ran across the lawn in the dark, the doubts crept in. Maybe they’d let me go, so they could shoot me escaping and then still take the shipment. That thought raced through my head as I climbed the chain link fence and found myself by the side of the road.

Half a block I could see a car parked on the side of the road. This neighborhood had driveways, so I knew it had to be Rita. I ran up to the car in the shadows of the trees. When I got closer, I saw Rita sitting in the passenger seat. Jimmy was driving. I didn’t like it. I had no idea who the traitor was on my side, and at this point, I trusted no one.

I walked up to the car and opened the door to the backseat on the driver’s side. I got in, closing the door quickly to turn the light off that had come on when I opened the door.

“I can’t believe you really escaped,” Rita said.

“Me either, honestly. For a while there, I didn’t think I’d make it out.” I looked over at Jimmy and motioned with my head. “What’s he doing here?” I couldn’t remember if I’d told her not to tell anyone in the video. I thought I had, but I’d been so rushed. I wanted as few people to know as possible. I hoped she hadn’t mentioned Annalisa.

“I told him about how you tricked that chick into letting you go. Jesus you must have a wonder dick.” Rita laughed.

Tricked? Oh shit, she thought I’d been playing Annalisa. In her defense, I probably would have thought that too, given my history. I sighed loudly. “Rita, it wasn’t a trick. Please tell me you grabbed my stuff.”

Her head whipped around and she looked at me in shock. “What stuff?”

It wasn’t until then that I realized that we weren’t even headed in the direction of the dock. “JESUS FUCK! Take me to my house. So help me God if something happens to her, if she gets hurt, if she thinks I’m not coming....”

Rita stared at me, her eyes wide. She was giving me that big sister stare down.

I stared right back.

“Holy shit! You love her, don’t you?”

It was nice she was finally getting it. “Yes Rita. I love her like... oh fuck. I just, I can’t even describe it. Jimmy, hurry please.”

After Rita and Jimmy dropped me at my place, I ran inside to grab my duffle bag and spare cell phone. This was the number I’d programmed into Annalisa’s when I had it this afternoon so she could call if there was trouble.

I changed my clothes, grabbed my lucky deck of cards and my pack of smokes on the dresser. As I picked them up, I realized I didn’t even smoke anymore. I’d quit cold turkey. It had been two weeks. I set them back down and turned to go.

I took one last look around my room. I wasn’t sure if or when I’d be back. A wave of panic hit me. Was I doing the right thing? I was free. I could warn my father, stop the deal, figure out who was a traitor and everything would be fine. Well, everything would be fine for me. Annalisa would be fucked. Maybe she could pin the escape on Vito, but maybe he’d have an alibi. What would happen to her if they found out? What would happen to her if they didn’t know it was her but Vito or some others killed her father? What if, literally, everything worked out fine for both of us and we just went on with our lives? Would I be happy with her living across town never getting to see her, hold her, make love to her? Could I even be happy knowing she was with another man? The answer was simple, no. I couldn’t live without her.

I focused again on leaving. It still bothered me that I didn’t have my wallet. There was plenty in the duffle bag, fifty grand, but it was five bands of hundreds. It was hard to be inconspicuous with that. I always kept cash around. Occupational necessity. In my business, most people didn’t accept MasterCard or Visa.

I walked over to my dresser where I kept some extra cash. As I reached into the drawer for the wad of twenties, my knuckles brushed against a box of condoms. Thoughts of Annalisa’s warm pussy gloving me perfectly made me glad I hadn’t needed these. She’d said she was on the pill. I wasn’t sure how hard it would be to get those where we were going, so I threw the box into the bag to be safe. Living without Annalisa would be impossible, but living with Annalisa and not being able to make love to her would be hell on earth. I grabbed two more boxes and closed the dresser drawer.

On top of the dresser sat my jewelry box. I know most guys don’t have jewelry boxes, but I was Italian and there was nothing wrong with a little bling. It wasn’t one of those jewelry boxes with the little ballerina or some shit like that. It was a small wooden box that had a few gold chains in it, my pinky ring, and another ring I couldn’t stop thinking about. I grabbed them both and put them in the duffle bag.

My car hadn’t been started in two weeks, but she jumped to life when I turned the key. I wanted to take her, but we weren’t taking a ferry. I’d buy some beater car when we got there and worry about the rest later. I had plenty of money in offshore accounts if the money in my bag ran out. What I wanted to focus on was getting to Annalisa and getting both of us out of town safely before all of the shit went down. I’d thought about going to my dad, but I wasn’t sure he’d believe me. Rita hadn’t. It was too dangerous to attempt it.

I drove the quiet streets toward the dock. I had plenty of time to spare. Things were going fine on my end. My heart was racing though, for Annalisa. She would be leaving right about now. What if someone caught her trying to leave? I wished I would’ve told her to text me as soon as she got out of the house and not just in case of emergencies.

As if she knew, I was thinking about her, my phone vibrated. I looked down and saw an unknown number. I didn’t know Annalisa’s number. It had to be from her. I clicked on it my heart in my throat, hoping it was an “I’m safe” message rather than an “I was caught” one. It was neither.

I changed my mind. I’m not coming. - Annalisa

My heart sank. I stared at the phone, blowing through a red light, nearly missing a car who honked angrily at me. I pulled over to think.

I knew it was a lot to ask of her, to leave her friends and family, but I’d hoped she felt the same way about me as I felt for her. I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “Get it together Ranetti,” I said aloud to myself. “She’s just a chick.”

But she wasn’t just a chick, and I wasn’t giving up that easily. I fucking loved her. I needed answers. I texted her back. “What happened? What changed?” I pushed send and waited for her response. A minute went by, two, then five. I texted again. “Annalisa. Talk to me. What’s going on?” There was no response. “Annalisa,” I texted again.

Finally, I got a response, though it left more questions than it answered. “Look Dante. It was fun, but it was just a fling. You were good but I’ve had better. Stop messaging. It makes you seem like a pussy.”

I read the message over three times. It made no sense. I mean, besides the fact that it seemed like more than a fling to me, I was the only person she’d ever slept with. And her word choice, calling me a pussy. I’d heard her drop the “F” bomb more than once, but it didn’t seem like her. My stomach turned over. It wasn’t her. Someone had caught her and was messaging me.

It still didn’t make sense. Why bother messaging? Why not leave me standing at the dock? Why not show up and capture me? Maybe they’d caught her trying to leave and she was texting me a warning? There were too many what ifs. And the truth was, I’d already decided that I wasn’t running without her and I wasn’t staying and living my life without her either. I wanted her and she was worth whatever risk I was taking.

I pulled back onto the street and headed back to the place I’d spent the last two weeks trying to get away from. I didn’t care if I got caught. I just wanted her.

My plan was to try to sneak in the way I came, then rather than go to the basement, try to find her in the house. I counted on the fact that me coming back was the last thing I’d do since I’d just escaped.

The house was dark except one room on the second floor. I saw a female figure move in front of it, the sheer curtains blocking a clear view. Changing my plans, I threw a pebble at the window taking a chance it was her. The curtain was pushed aside and the window opened.

“Annalisa,” I whispered into the dark from behind a tree.

“Dante?” a high pitched voice asked. It wasn’t Annalisa. It must have been her friend Lina, she talked about.

“Where is Annalisa?” I whisper shouted, hoping she’d know.

“She’s at the dock. It’s almost midnight, why aren’t you there?” It was good to hear she knew about our plans, but not so good that she didn’t know where Annalisa was.

“She texted me that she wasn’t coming.”

Lina looked confused. “She left a few minutes ago. When did she text you that?”

“About fifteen minutes ago,” I answered.

Lina looked even more confused. “She was with me then.” Her eyes went wide. “And she couldn’t have texted you. She doesn’t have her phone. She left it with your sister.”

My sister? My sister wouldn’t have texted me like that. Who else...

Jimmy.

Rita had told me that she’d played my message for him. I’d told Rita that I loved Annalisa in the car and he’d heard it. If he had her phone, he knew our entire plan. But why keep me from the dock? I felt all of the blood drain from my face. He had Annalisa at the dock all alone. I looked at my phone. I had ten minutes.

“Lina, I need your help. Annalisa needs your help!” I shouted up to her, not caring who could hear me. Fuck the consequences. “Get Marco and tell him everything. Tell him to get to the dock. Tell him not to trust anyone.”

“Lina, who the fuck are you talking to?” I heard him say from in the room. Marco appeared at the window and looked out. I was still behind the tree. I didn’t have time to waste.

“She’s talking to me Marco,” I said stepping out a bit. I had no idea if he had a gun.

“Dante? The fuck?” he asked, squinting.

“I don’t have time. Annalisa is in trouble. I need to get to her. Meet me at the dock and don’t fucking trust anyone. I don’t have time to explain more.” I took off running across the yard toward my car.

“Why should I trust you?” he shouted after me.

“You don’t have to,” I called back. “Just get to the dock and help her.”

I knew Marco was a good guy and even if he would hurt me, he would die to protect Annalisa and that’s all I cared about right now. I was counting on him to be there. I raced towards the dock breaking every traffic rule. I had to get to her.

While it bothered me that she might be standing alone on the dock thinking I’d stood her up, the realization that she was likely not alone nearly drove me insane. I knew what he did to his wife. What the fuck would he do to my girl?

It was 12:05 when I got to the dock. I wanted to run screaming for her, but I knew I’d have to be smarter than that. If Jimmy were here, he’d be armed. I cut my headlights and coasted into the lot, parking a bit away from the water. I moved on foot across the pavement and toward the dock. I scanned the area and saw them standing by the water and I crept towards them.

Jimmy held a gun on Annalisa with one hand and his hand was in her shirt.

I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. I thought about shooting him from where I was, but as good of a shot as I was, they were really close. What if I missed? I had to get closer. I ran full on now, counting on the sound of the water hitting the dock and Annalisa’s crying, which I could now hear to muffle my footsteps.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she begged.

He pulled his hand out of her bra and started unbuckling his pants with one hand, the gun still in the other. “Oh, this won’t hurt. It’s going to feel really nice...yeah...real nice.”

I moved more slowly now. I had to get a clean shot before he could shoot at me or her.

“You know the funny thing?” he said to her as I moved through the shadows. “Dante really was going to come here tonight. I texted him from your phone telling him you weren’t coming. Probably broke his heart. Don’t worry though, he won’t suffer long. I’m going to kill him in the morning.”

Annalisa sobbed loudly.

Again, I used the noise to move even closer.

“Shut up or I’ll kill you too and make this a true Romeo and Juliet story. Two dead lovers.” His pants dropped to his ankles and he reached into his boxers. “Now, be a good girl and show me what’s so special about that pussy that made Dante Ranetti go legit.” He’d pushed her against the building and was standing between me and her.

It made it impossible for me to shoot. I couldn’t wait for a better shot, he was about to rape her. I had to make a move. “Fucking touch her and you die,” I said stepping from the shadows, my gun trained on him.

He spun around, and pulled her tightly to him using her as a human shield. “Come any closer and I’ll shoot her.” He had the gun pressed against her side.

Where the fuck was Marco? I’d let my emotions cloud my judgment and I’d lost the element of surprise. “Let her go. This is between you and me,” I said walking closer to him. His gun was still pressed against Annalisa. If I got him to point it at me, I’d take the shot. She’d be safe. I continued on my path forward. “Leave her out of it.”

I heard the car screech into the parking lot. I knew it had to be Marco. Jimmy looked to see what it was. Using the distraction, I fired a shot. The shot rang out through the silence. “POP-pop” I’d hit Jimmy in the chest. He lay on the ground motionless.

At first, I thought the second pop I heard was an echo of my shot, but as I watched Annalisa crumple to the ground next to him, the blood seeping through her shirt, I knew he’d gotten off one last round.

Rushing to her, I ripped her shirt open to have my worst nightmare confirmed. She’d been shot in the abdomen, on her right side. There was blood pouring out of her stomach, running onto the dock. It couldn’t see her back to see if the bullet had gone all the way through or not. I didn’t want to move her to check.

She looked up at me. “Dante. Help.” Her voice was so soft.

“Shhh, you’re gonna be okay Babygirl. He’s gone now and he won’t hurt you.”

She looked up at me, and spoke in a raspy whisper, “I need a hospital.”

“I know Baby girl. We’ll get you one.”

“Not me, the bab…” she said before closing her eyes and going limp.

“Annalisa!” I shouted, but her eyes didn’t open. I had no clue what she’d been talking about. Her bab? Did she mean her back? “Annalisa!” I shouted again out of fear and frustration. She didn’t answer but to my relief her chest still moved up and down.

“Drop the gun fucker!”

I recognized Marco’s voice. I knew what it must look like. I was holding a gun over Annalisa and she was shot, but I didn’t have time for this shit.

I threw the gun and spun around, still on my knees. “If you’re gonna shoot me, shoot me fast. Cause my girl needs an ambulance. So stop dicking around, shoot me already and get her help.”

“Marco! JESUS CHRIST!” Lina yelled running down to the dock. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“He shot her!”

“The hell I did,” I said spinning back around to hold my girl. The fucker could shoot me in the back if he wanted. I wasn’t leaving her alone any longer. I guess he was convinced because the bullet never came.

“Please call 911 Lina,” I said, looking down on Annalisa.

She looked so pale. I felt the tears prick at my eyes. This was all my fault. I pulled off my own shirt and pressed it to her stomach.

Marco knelt next to me and helped put pressure on it.

I heard the sirens before I saw the lights. I’d never been more grateful to hear them in my life. It had probably only been five minutes, but it felt like a year and the dock was already stained with her blood.

“What the hell happened here?” a paramedic yelled rushing down the dock and over to us.

Marco looked up. “These two were just walking on the dock and this guy attacked them.” He pointed to Jimmy. “He shot that woman and then…”

“And then this other guy shot him. I have no idea why and then he ran off with the gun,” Lina chimed in.

I looked at the dock where I’d thrown the gun but it wasn’t there.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what happened,” Marco confirmed. It was pathetic that Franco’s men were more loyal to me than mine were. They could have easily turned me in, said I shot Jimmy and Annalisa. I was covered in her blood and had fired a gun.

“Sir, did you see anything?” they asked me, but I was still looking at the dock where the gun had been. Had I lost my mind?

“He’s in shock,” one of the paramedics said. “Call him an ambulance.” He turned to me. “Sir, can you please go sit over there so we can help your friend here.”

I stepped back and let the paramedics work on Annalisa on the dock, then load her onto a stretcher. They seemed to think it was urgent.

I watched as they put Annalisa on a stretcher and started to load her into the ambulance. “I’m coming with her,” I said, running after them. They were locking the stretcher in place and closing the doors.

One paramedic looked out. “Sir, are you hurt?”

I looked down and saw that my bare chest was covered in blood.

“No… it’s hers.” I said, pointing as they were locking the stretcher in place. “I need to be in there. I need to go with her.”

“She needs to go now,” he said. “Another ambulance is on its way.”

I wanted to argue, but I wanted her to get to the hospital, so I let them go. Not more than ten seconds after they left the second ambulance had arrived along with three squad cars.

“Let’s go,” Marco said, pointing to his car that was only a few steps away.

The officers jumped out and rushed over to the scene. The paramedics rushed down to Jimmy, but after a moment, there was no urgency. “He’s not breathing,” the paramedic shouted to the cop.

It was no surprise to me. I knew I’d killed the fucker, and I’d do it again.

We rode in silence for a while, before Marco finally spoke, “Why were his pants down?” It was clear he was trying to control his voice to keep it calm. “Had he—did he…”

I knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if Jimmy had raped her. “No—he-he touched her, but I got there in time.”

Again, there was silence for the rest of the ride. When we pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, he turned to me. “You were really going to run away with her?”

I looked him square in the eyes. “Yes, I was trying to get her away because I wanted her safe. Some good that did me.”

We got out of the car and started to walk inside. There were a few police cars.

“They’re going to question us in a lot more detail than the paramedics did,” Marco said quietly. “You and Annalisa were walking on the docks and he came out. He pulled a gun and said that he wanted your wallet and her purse.”

“And her phone,” I added. “He probably has it on him.

Marco nodded. “That’s good. Then he wanted more. He started to take off his pants. Annalisa refused, he shot her and you shot him.”

“That’s what I saw,” Lina said.

We walked into the hospital. I started to walk up to the nurse’s station but Marco walked off toward a doctor. “Elena. Did you see that Annalisa is here?”

She nodded and started to talk then saw me. Her eyes went wide.

“It’s alright, Elena.”

“Yes, she was brought in. They’re evaluating her now. I’m heading back in to check her status. I already called Franco.”

We went to the waiting room. I stepped off to the side to call my father. He didn’t pick up, which wasn’t a surprise. I was calling from my burner phone. “Dad, it’s me, Dante. I need to talk to you. I’m at Our Lady of Mercy hospital. There’s a lot to explain. Don’t believe anything you hear and don’t trust anyone.”

I was mid message when I saw Franco walk through the doors. He walked right up to Marco and Lina.

“Marco, what the hell is...”

I closed the phone figuring I’d call my father back when I could so I could listen.

“I got a call from Elena that Annalisa was here. I thought she had to be wrong, so I went to check her room. She wasn’t there, but there was a note. She said she was in love with some guy and was running off with him. What fucking guy?” His voice was loud. He was looking from Marco to Lina. He stopped talking when he saw me. “THE FUCK?” He looked from Marco to me then back to Marco. Technically, I was supposed to still be chained up in his basement. “YOU?” he growled. Franco walked over to me. “Was she talking about you?” He thrust a piece of paper in my face.

---

Dear Mom and Dad,

I’m so sorry, but I love him. I hope you can understand and one day you’ll forgive me. Please don’t try to find me. I’ll contact you when I can.

Love,

Annalisa

---

He didn’t give me a chance to respond. “So let me get this right...you somehow seduced her, tricked her into releasing you and then, get her to the dock alone at night so your boy can shoot her?” He leaned in. “I’m going to kill you so slowly you’ll be begging me to finish it off.”

The police came into the waiting room and Franco backed off a bit, but he was still shooting daggers at me.

There were four of them. They looked shocked to see us all in one room. I knew that they knew who I was, who Franco was and who Marco was. Hell, I recognized one of the cops, Williams, who was on our payroll.

“We need an official statement,” an officer with a badge that read Santanelli said.

“Can we do it here?” Marco asked. “We were witnesses, and he was a victim.” Marco had pointed at me.

Franco looked shocked and Officer Santanelli’s eyebrows rose. Clearly, he knew the connection between our two families.

Santanelli and his partner looked over at Williams and his partner and nodded. “I guess. If we need more, you’ll have to come down to the station.” Marco nodded and so did I. “So, what happened?”

“Well, I was taking a walk on the dock with my girl.” He pulled Lina closer to him, and we saw this guy, Dante here doing the same thing with his girl.”

“His girl being Annalisa Morelli?” the cop asked with his eyebrows raised, clearly not believing the story.

“Yes, we’ve become very close lately,” I chimed in. “We were taking a walk by the water and this guy comes out of the shadows and asks for my wallet and Annalisa’s purse. He got her phone. I didn’t want her hurt, so I handed over my stuff. But then, he wanted more.”

“Yeah, he pulled down his pants,” Marco added.

“And I called 911,” Lina said.

“I went to help, to stop it, but Annalisa slapped him and the next thing I knew, there was a shot. The guy had shot Annalisa.”

“And then I shot him,” I finished. “I shot the fucking asshole who was trying to rape my girl and who had fucking shot her and yeah, I’d do it again.”

Franco stared at me. It was as if he knew I was telling the truth.

The one cop wasn’t buying it. He piped up. “So wait, you’re telling us you want us to believe you’re a couple with Annalisa Morelli and that a guy robbed you, a guy who happens to be one of your closest business associates?”

“It was dark,” I said.

“And he had on a mask,” Lina said quickly. “I was standing there and saw the whole thing. It was just like Dante said, only he forgot the part with the mask.”

“He wasn’t brought in wearing a mask and the paramedics didn’t put it in an evidence bag,” the officer said.

“Then I guess it’s on the dock still,” Lina said. “Maybe it fell in the water. He only took it off at the end, when he was taking off his pants.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Does any of this?” Marco asked.

The cop turned to me. “So you want me, us, to believe that you didn’t know that the guy robbing you was one of your closest business associates?” I nodded. “And you want me to believe you’re now with Annalisa Morelli?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?” Lina asked. “I mean, she’s having his baby for fucks sake.”

Everyone’s jaw dropped, including mine. We all stared at her. I didn’t even notice the doctor come into the waiting room.

“For Annalisa?” she said.

I turned to the cops. “Look, we gave you our statements. Annalisa will confirm we’re together when she can. Check Jimmy’s stuff. You’ll find he has her phone on him, unless that’s in the water too. I’m gonna go hear about my girl. If you need anything else, arrest me and talk to my fucking lawyer.”

The cops left and the four of us walked over to their doctor friend. “She’s stable they are doing a few tests and prepping her for surgery. The bullet is lodged against her liver. I’d expect her to be in there for a few hours. I’ll keep giving you updates.”

After she left, we all went back to the chairs and sat down.

“Thank you guys,” I said to Marco and Lina. “Great story.”

“How much of it was true?” Franco asked, appearing a lot calmer.

“I did shoot Jimmy after he shot her.”

“But why the fuck did he shoot her?” Franco asked.

“Boss, there is a lot more to this,” Marco said. “I only learned about it an hour ago myself or I would have told you.”

Franco looked at me then Marco. “Well?”

“I’ll tell you, Sir,” Lina said. “I’m the one who told Marco.”

“Go on then,” Franco said, sounding impatient.

“So, well, the other night Annalisa was in the kitchen when she heard Vito outside talking on his phone.”

I noticed that she left out the part about having just come from my room.

“Well, he was talking to some guy…”

“Probably Jimmy,” I interrupted.

“Yeah, probably Jimmy,” Lina continued. “So Annalisa said she heard Vito saying that he never thought that the deal would work and he was mad. He was going to shoot Dante when the deal was going through anyway. He’d tell you he was escaping. Then he said that Dante’s father, Sal would be mad and it would be war. He’d order a hit on you, and he’d let the guys in to do it.”

Franco’s jaw clenched.

Lino started to tear up. “And he said that Donnie and Marco would avenge your death. The plan was to let them kill Sal then kill them. Vito and this other guy were going to unite the families and run the city together. There were lots more guys.”

Marco looked surprised. “You didn’t tell me they’d planned to kill me.”

Lina hugged him tightly.

Franco looked at me for more information. “So then the plan was for you two to pretend to be together to draw out the traitor on your side? To use her as bait?”

I could see how it looked that way, but that wasn’t it at all. “No, that’s not what happened. Annalisa told me they were planning to kill me. She didn’t want to see me die or start a war.”

Franco’s expression didn’t change.

“She wanted to come with me, but I was worried it was too dangerous. I was going alone and she was supposed to meet me there. That’s when things went bad.”

“So you made up the part about you two being together?” he asked, perhaps not wanting to believe his daughter was with me.

“No, that part is true. I fell for her, big time.”

He looked at the letter again. “She says she loves you,” he said, more to himself than me.

“I love her too.”

He stared at me for an eternity, perhaps trying to stare me down.

I held his gaze.

Eventually, he looked away and sat there in silence.

We all did. The television show playing in the corner of the room was the only sound in the room. I looked over at Lina who was holding Marco’s hand.

“So in essence, you saved my life,” Franco said out of nowhere.

All three of us turned to look at him.

“My life, Marco and Donnie’s life, and your father’s life,” Franco finished.

Marco nodded. “It would have played out like Vito had said. They’d have killed Dante and Sal would have been so pissed he sent Jimmy to take you out. Normally, I’d say he’d never get to you, but if Vito handed you to him on a silver platter, yeah, he’d have gotten you. And then of course, Donnie and I would have gone there to avenge you.”

“Where is Vito now? As soon as they tell me Annalisa is all right, I’m going to go find him and kill him.”

“I can’t let you do that,” I said as respectfully as I could.

“The fuck you can’t. What are you in cahoots with him?” Franco hissed.

“In cahoots it with him? The douche bag was going to kill me remember?”

“Then why the fuck can’t I kill him?” Franco growled, his hands balled into fists.

“I need him alive, at least for a little bit.”

“It better be to fucking torture him,” Franco said relaxing a bit.

I let out a chuckle. “You can do whatever you want with him, but I need to see who else, on my side was in on it. I don’t want to tell you how to run your business, but I’d suggest you do the same.”

“He’s right boss. There was no way this was gonna be just two guys,” Marco added.

“Unless it was,” I added. “I need to be sure.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Franco asked.

“Well, word’s probably out that Jimmy is dead, so that fucks things up a bit, but I still have a plan. I need to get his phone though. I think I might be able to get it out of evidence since it’s not really evidence anyway. I knew one of the cops who questioned us.”

Marco raised his eyebrows. “Santonelli?”

“No, Williams.” I laughed and shook my head. “So we had two cops out of four in that bunch?”

“We’d make quite a partnership. Imagine the connections we’d have together…” His words trailed off.

It had been a joke, but it was the fucking truth. Together we’d have this town by the balls.

I took out my phone and looked down at my contacts. I was so glad I’d put them in when I’d gotten it. I texted Williams.

Marco was texting too, as was Franco.

“I’m having Donnie bring Theresa up. I don’t trust her to be anywhere but with me.”

I understood what he meant. I wanted my parents to show up so I could warn them already. I was about to call again when a doctor walked into the room. “Dante Ranetti?” he called out. I walked over to him.

Franco, Marco and Lina followed me.

“Annalisa wants to talk to you.”

“I’m her father,” Franco said. “I’ll go.”

The doctor looked at Franco, fear in his eyes. “Yes Sir, I know you’re her father. We’re giving her the best care, but she asked for Dante.”

“Fine, we’ll both go,” Franco growled.

“Just Dante,” the doctor said looking at me.

“Is she out of surgery already?” I asked, walking toward him.

“No, she hasn’t gone in yet. There’s a slight complication,” he said, glancing at Franco. He stepped between us and started ushering me toward the locked double doors. “Please, come talk to her so we can get started with her surgery.” The doctor held his badge in front of the doors making them open. He pushed me through and closed the doors behind him. Franco had been right there. He looked pissed. I worried for the doctor and for myself when I got back.

“I don’t understand,” I said as we walked down a hall. “Isn’t she unconscious?”

“No, she’s awake, being prepped for surgery.”

“And she wants to talk to me? Why?”

“I’ll let her tell you.” We’d stopped walking and the doctor indicated an open doorway.

I could see Annalisa lying on a bed. There were two women around her, one was doing something with her IV, the other was putting her hair into a shower cap type thing. Even like that, even after being shot, she was still so fucking beautiful.

“Dante,” she whispered when she saw me.

The nurses looked up and left the room. “I’ll give you five minutes,” the doctor said from the doorway.

Annalisa nodded.

I walked over to her. I stood over her holding her hand. She looked really small in the bed and I tried not to look at the place I knew she’d been shot. It really had been all my fault. I should have been there and it was my guy who did it. “Babygirl, what are you doing? There’s a bullet in you and they need to get it out.”

“I know,” she said. “But there’s something I have to tell you first.”

I knew all about confessing shit right before you died or thought you were going to die. You’d be amazed at the stuff fuckers said before they were offed. “Annalisa, whatever it is, you can tell me after they get the bullet out. It’s not going to change anything anyway.”

“It might,” she said softly.

I didn’t care what she said. What could she possibly confess that was half as bad as any of the shit I’d done? I’d humor her though. “Alright Baby, what is it?”

“Well, you know how I told you I was on birth control pills?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

She bit her lip.

“Oh Baby, are you saying that you lied? Is that what this is about? Babygirl, I would have made love to you anyway.”

“You would have?” she asked looking into my eyes.

“Yeah, I think so. Do you know how sexy you are?”

She smiled. “I swear I thought I was on them. I only found out today that they were sugar pills.”

I leaned down and kissed her. “It’s not a big deal Babygirl. It was a mistake, and besides what are the odds anyway?”

“Odds?” she asked.

“Yeah, the odds you’d get pregnant.”

She stared up at me but said nothing, though the look in her eyes said it all.

“Oh fuck. I—I got you pregnant?” The next question that almost came out of my mouth was, “Is it mine?” but I realized it had to be. I was her first and she was with me every night after that.

“I’m sorry,” we both said at the same time.

“You’re sorry?” I asked. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one who got you pregnant.”

“But I said that I was on the pill. This is my fault…and you don’t have to do anything. That’s why I didn’t even tell you earlier.”

I’d been leaning down close to her but I pulled back. “Earlier? You knew earlier?”

She nodded and the tears started to fall. “Yeah, I found out after I gave the phone to your sister.”

I was crushed she hadn’t told me. “Why didn’t you tell me? None of this would have happened if you would’ve told me. I wouldn’t have left that basement, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have let the woman carrying my baby run around the dock at midnight, that’s for fucking sure.”

“I know...and that’s why I didn’t tell you. I knew if I did you’d never go...or…” She stopped talking.

“Or what?” I prompted.

“Or you’d go and take me, but not because you wanted me, but only because you wanted the baby. I had to know that it was me that you wanted, that you loved.”

“You had doubts?” I was crushed.

She nodded. “Yeah—no—I don’t know. I’ve been so tired and haven’t felt well, and super emotional, and then after I gave Rita the phone I forgot to take it back. I needed it because your number was in it. I went back for it, and she was talking to some guy laughing about you…how you fucked your way out of another one and how you’d used me.”

I was furious with my sister and I wanted to tear her head off, but one look at the broken angel in front of me took all of that anger away. “Baby, how could you believe her?”

“She’s your sister. She’s known you your whole life. I’ve known you a few weeks. I didn’t want to believe it. Lina said not to believe her, to go with my heart. I let you go. I went to the docks.”

I leaned down and hugged her. “Yeah you did Baby, and I showed up, so no more doubts okay? Everything is good between us. No more secrets. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from Jimmy.” I looked down at her stomach, where the gauze was, the blood seeping through.” Is there...can you still have children? We can try again.” I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. Five minutes ago, I didn’t even know I wanted kids, and now, after losing one, I wanted to try again.

“I—Dante…” she said.

I tore my eyes from the bandage and looked into her eyes. I’d been trying so hard not to cry, but this was too much.

She took my hand and moved it over to about an inch above her pussy. “This is where my uterus is. Jimmy didn’t shoot the baby.”

“So you could still be pregnant?” I asked, looking at the several inch distance between the gunshot and where she held my hand.

“Not could be. I am.” She handed me a little black and white picture. There were some plus signs on it and a little blob in the center.

I looked at her confused.

“Well, that’s the baby,” she said, her nose still running but a laugh coming from her. “It’s just a blob now.”

I held the picture and hugged her again, being careful of her wires and wound. “Annalisa, I know everything now. I’ll be here when you get out of surgery. Please go.”

She shook her head.

“Knock, knock,” the doctor said from the open doorway.

“Everything set Annalisa?” he asked. He looked nervously at me.

I usually loved when people were intimidated by me, but not ones who were going to have the lives of my girl and baby in their hands.

“Dante, I don’t think I should. I could lose the baby.” Tears began to fall down her cheeks.

I looked from her to the doctor. “Is that true?”

“We always have to inform patients of all of the risks before a procedure. There is a slightly elevated chance of a miscarriage for women who are under anesthesia than women who aren’t.” He looked at Annalisa. “It’s just a slightly higher percent.”

“What about keeping me awake? What about an epidural?”

“That’s an option, but I don’t think it’s your best one. This wouldn’t be like an epidural you’d have when you’re in labor. The bullet is in a totally different place, and so we’d have to numb more of you. There are nearly equal complications from epidurals this early on in pregnancy. In addition, your blood pressure would be raised, which isn’t good.”

“Can I not do it at all? It doesn’t hurt that much.”

“Annalisa!” I said. “You can’t just keep a bullet in you.” I looked at the doctor. “Can she?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s lodged next to your liver. It hasn’t done any damage, but it could shift at any moment. It’s a jagged piece of metal in your body. It has to come out. It has to come out now.”

I took both of her hands in mine. “I know you’re scared. I’m scared. I’m scared I’m going to lose two people I love, but it has to be done. The doctor said it’s a low risk, and Baby, if for some reason the worst happens,” I looked up at the doctor. “She could get pregnant again right?”

He nodded. “There is no reason you couldn’t get pregnant again right away.”

“See, so if for some reason the worst happens, we can try again. I promise, we can try every day until it happens.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

She looked down at her stomach and then up to me and finally to the doctor. “Okay. I’ll go under.”

He and I both sighed in relief.

It was amazing how fast they moved after she said that. I barely had time to give her a kiss before they wheeled her from the room. I was left standing there, staring at the empty space her bed had been holding a picture of what looked like television fuzz in my hand.

I walked back to the waiting room in a daze. What if something happened to her in surgery? What if something happened to the baby? It was stupid because fifteen minutes earlier I hadn’t even know I was going to be a father, and now I wanted that baby more than anything. Yeah, I wanted him or her for myself, but I also wanted him for Annalisa. It was something she wanted and I didn’t want to see her hurting.

I pushed the doors open and walked in a daze into the waiting room.

Franco rushed over to me. “Is she alright? What did she want? What was the complication?”

“I—uh…”

He stared at me waiting.

“She’s in surgery now. She wanted to tell me— to tell me…” I handed him the picture.

He took it and looked at it. “What the fuck is this?”

“She’s pregnant.”

He looked up at me then back down at the photograph. “That’s not even possible. She’s a virgin. She’s never even been on a date.” He looked at me.

I knew it was written all over my face. I was pinned up against the wall in a second. The photo fluttered to the floor as he held me against the wall by my neck. “I’m gonna fucking kill you.”

I was seeing tiny flashes of light on my vision when I thought I heard my father’s voice. “Get off of him!” he shouted. There was a scuffle and Franco let go of me.

“What the fuck is the matter with you?” my dad yelled at Franco.

He turned toward my dad and shouted, “Your son violated my daughter and knocked her up!”

My dad’s eyes went wide. I could see the same anger in his that was on Franco’s face. “You forced yourself on his daughter and got her pregnant?”

I shook my head. “No… No. I mean, yeah I got her pregnant.”

My dad slapped me on the back of my head.

“But it wasn’t like that at all, She wanted me to.” I rubbed my head where he’d hit me.

“You son of a bitch!” Franco screamed.

I was once again, shoved against the wall.

“Franco, calm down.” This time, it was Marco talking. “You’re drawing attention.” He was right. Security was walking toward us. “It’s all right,” Marco said.

The guard stood there until Franco stepped away from me.

“I’m sure what Dante meant was that he didn’t force Annalisa. He was locked in the basement. She had to have gone down to see him.”

Franco still looked pissed, but stepped away from me. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Franco was glaring between me and my father. My father looked like he wanted to kill Franco and slap me again. I had so much more to tell my Dad, but I couldn’t focus on anything until I heard word on my girl and my baby.

The entire mood of the room changed when my mother walked in. Franco and my dad relaxed a bit and I felt the facade I’d been holding up crumple. She walked straight over to me and threw her arms around my neck.

“Mom...I fucked up big time,” I said, hugging her tightly. “Everything is so fucked up and it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to take Franco’s shipment and none of this would have happened.

“Everything is going to be fine now. We got you back.” My mom stepped away from me and looked me over. “You’re okay right?”

I nodded. I was far from okay, but I knew what she meant.

“Is it Jimmy? Your father got a call on the way over from a friend on the force saying he’d been shot.”

“Yeah, Jimmy was shot. He’s dead. I killed him.” I looked over at my father. “I had to kill him Dad. He was a traitor. He was going to kill me and Franco. He was going to let them kill you, but most of all, he was hurting my girl. He had her on the dock and he was going to rape her.”

“Your girl?” my mother asked. “Who’s your girl?”

I took a breath. “Annalisa, Annalisa Morelli is my girl. I love her more than anything in the world and I’d do anything for her.”

My mother smiled and squeezed my hand.

My father looked confused still. “What was Annalisa doing on the dock with Jimmy?” my father asked, though he was looking to Franco, as if it was his plan.

“She let Dante go. They were running away together,” he said through clenched teeth.

Both of my parents turned to me for an explanation.

“He’s right,” I said, feeling the sting of tears that I wouldn’t let come. “She let me go and we were supposed to meet at midnight. Only I wasn’t there because I thought Annalisa was standing me up. But she wasn’t standing me up. It had been a trick. As soon as I realized, I told Lina and Marco and rushed to the dock, but it was too late.”

The color drained from my mother’s face. “What do you mean it was too late? Where is she?”

I nearly lost it when she asked that.

It was Franco who answered, “She’s in surgery getting a bullet removed.”

“Jimmy shot her. I shot him. Well I shot him first, but he got off a round. He shot her in the stomach.”

“Is she going to be all right?” my mom asked.

“I don’t know. The doctor said that…” I stopped talking because Donnie walked in the room with Theresa. She ran over to Franco who wrapped his arms around her.

Donnie was glaring at me. I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t my biggest fan right now either.

Franco was whispering in Theresa’s ear.

My mother squeezed my hand again, as I watched the two of them. I had no idea how I was going to explain any of this to Annalisa’s mother.

Franco released her from his hug and she turned slowly to face me. She wiped her eyes and walked over to me. I’d faced down the world’s toughest criminals and mob bosses without flinching, but as she approached, I was terrified.

She opened her arms and pulled me into a hug. “My husband says you saved our daughter.”

“I didn’t really—”

“You got Marco for help?”

“Yeah.”

“And you went to the docks to save her?”

“Yeah.”

“You shot the man that shot her?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“And you got her here?”

“Well, Lina called 911. I just put pressure on the wound until the ambulance arrived.”

“You could have run,” she said.

“No…no I couldn’t have. I couldn’t have left her there.”

“My husband says you claim to love her. Do you?”

I nodded my head. “I love her more than anything.”

“She’s strong. She’s a tough girl. She’s going to be okay.”

I nodded my head. “Yes, she is. She’s in surgery now to remove the bullet.”

“You were saying there’s a complication?” my mother asked.

“Well, it’s not really a complication. I mean, I don’t think of it as one...but...well, there was a delay in starting the surgery because Annalisa is pregnant. I got Annalisa pregnant.”

Theresa gasped and my mother’s eyes went wide.

I was prepared for a similar reaction to the one I got from Franco and my father. But no choking or slapping happened. Instead, the two women burst into tears and hugged me then hugged each other.

“We’re going to be grandparents,” my mom said. “I swore this was never going to happen.”

“Me too,” Theresa said. “Franco wouldn’t even let her date.”

“Some good that did me,” Franco grumbled from the other side of the room.

Theresa let go of my mom, walked over to him and gave him a big hug.

My mother turned to me. “In this day and age? Dante, how could you be so irresponsible?”

“I was being held prisoner. It wasn’t like I could run out to the store and buy condoms. And well, Annalisa told me she was on the pill.”

Theresa slapped Franco’s chest. “See, I told you we should have put her on the pill.”

“Why did she need to be on the pill, she was a virgin?”

“Obviously, she wasn’t. If we’d have let her go on the pill, she wouldn’t be pregnant.”

“If he wouldn’t have climbed on top of her, she wouldn’t be pregnant,” Franco said, glaring at me.

It was not the time to point out that likely she’d been on top when she’d gotten pregnant because she loved that position and came so hard when she was riding me.

I glanced away for a second and Marco caught my eye.

He was shaking his head as if he could read my mind. He looked like he was biting back a smile. I couldn’t blame him. This would be kind of funny if it wasn’t happening to me.

I looked back and Theresa had whispered something in his ear then his expression softened. I hoped he’d let it go. I didn’t want to talk anymore about my sex life with my girlfriend’s father.

Donnie walked over to me and shook my hand. “I hope we’re cool,” he said.

I nodded.

“I’m glad I didn’t have to kill you,” he added.

“Me too.” I laughed.

He laughed, but then his face became serious. “But I’ll do it in a heartbeat if you hurt her.”

I nodded. “I understand, man.”

I scanned the room to see the three couples huddled in pairs. I’d never wanted that until recently. When I’d seen a guy with his wife or girlfriend, I’d felt bad for him, thinking he must feel trapped. Now I knew different. I walked over to where the picture of my baby lay on the floor, still there from when Franco had choked me. I picked it up and stared at it. I still could only see a bunch of grey stuff.

“The baby is here,” Lina said leaning in and pointing at a small cluster of grey dots between two plus signs. “It’s way too soon to be anything other than just a little ball.”

“Looks like a calzone to me,” Marco said.

I shook my head. We were all still staring at the photo when Detective Williams came into the room. He was without his partner. He walked over to me. “I forgot to give you my card,” he said. He handed me his card and discretely slipped me Jimmy’s cellphone. He didn’t need to be discrete. There wasn’t anyone in the room I wasn’t going to show it to the minute he left.

As soon as he was gone, I turned it on. I was staring down at the lock screen.

“Jimmy’s phone?” my dad asked, walking over to me.

“Yeah, but it’s locked. I need either his fingerprint or his 4 digit backup code.”

“I’d be willing to go to the morgue and cut off his finger,” Franco offered.

I knew he was kidding, well hoped he was.

“Try 2953,” my mom said.

Everyone looked over at her.

She was looking down at her own phone. “Last summer Jimmy went to Vegas for a week. He asked me to go take care of his bird. That was his alarm code.”

I nodded and gave it a try. It worked.

There was a collective sigh.

“He’s got 6 missed calls and a bunch of texts.”

“Who are they from?” my dad asked.

“The contact says, “Underboss.”

Everyone looked from me to Marco. Marco was Franco’s underboss and I was my fathers.

“It wasn’t me!” Marco said.

I pressed the contacts and read off the number. “Whose number is that?”

“Vito,” Franco said. “I don’t believe it. How could he? What do the texts say?”

I scrolled back a bit. “At first it was about killing me, then you. Then it was Vito asking how it was going? Then uh… Jimmy said that he’d messaged me from Annalisa’s phone and that he was going to meet her at the dock.” I read the next message, but couldn’t say it out loud.

Everyone stared at me.

“What? What did it say?”

Marco took the phone from me. His eyes went wide. “It’s about Annalisa. Vito...uh...said he wanted a turn after Jimmy was done. They were um, going to share her after they’d killed Dante.”

Marco was definitely giving the PG version, because one of the texts I’d read had been from Vito and had said that since she had two holes, they could share. I’d stopped reading when I got to the part about her screaming when he fucked her ass.

I was going to kill him. No, I was going to torture him, then kill him.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Marco said handing me back the phone.

“Not yet,” Franco said. “He will be killed, but I want to know who else is with him.”

“As do I,” my father said. “Was Jimmy working alone?”

I scrolled some more through his phone. There was one other contact who had messaged a lot. I recognized it as one of our cappos.

“Why don’t we get them all together in one place,” I suggested.

“How are we going to do that without tipping them off?” Marco asked.

I was already texting Vito. “Everything is working out better than planned.” I hit send.

Marco, my dad and Franco gathered around me to read the messages.

The message came back in an instant. “Who is this?”

“It’s me, Jimmy,” I texted back.

“I heard you were dead and Annalisa shot.”

“You heard wrong. I popped that punk ass Dante. Cops got it all mixed up. Sal heard though, and he made up the shit about Annalisa to get Franco out of his house. He went to the hospital and popped Franco as he drove up. “

“You serious?”

“Yeah and it gets better.”

“That asshole, Marco, went after Sal and put two in his head. That just happened.”

I was about to tell Marco to text Vito, but he was already doing it.

Vito texted back. “Marco just texted me that. He says he’s going to Sal’s to get Annalisa back.”

“Good, I’ll cap him when he gets here. Tell him to bring Donnie.”

Marco got a text a minute later. “Take Donnie.”

I shook my head and looked up at Franco. “My god is he stupid?”

I sent one more text to Vito. “I’ll text you when it’s done. Gather up all the guys. We’ll have a meeting tonight to tell them the new leadership.” I looked up. “Where should we have them meet?”

“My basement,” Franco said. “There’s a room near where you were kept. There’s a metal detector at the door. Tell Vito you want everyone to leave their weapons at the door since it’s a first meeting.”

“Is it true Franco has a room with a metal detector?” I texted.

“Yeah. In the basement.”

“Have everyone meet there. No guns. All we need is one rogue guy and this is all for nothing. We have to be careful until we have established order.”

“Agreed. We’re the new Don’s now. Everyone will bow to our feet.”

I was about to set the phone down when another text came in. “Bring Annalisa. She can be our entertainment after the meeting. Hell, bring Rita too.”

I felt sick. What if Annalisa hadn’t heard Vito talking that night? This is exactly how this could have gone down.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one thinking that.

“We were so focused on our feud, we didn’t even see this happening around us,” my dad said.

“Maybe it’s time to leave the past in the past,” Franco said.

“We used to rule this town together,” my dad said.

“You two can again,” it was my mother this time.

“I’m not sure we can put the past behind us,” my father said.

“There have been a lot of things said and done,” Franco added.

“And a lot more things will be in front of us and a lot more things will be said and done. Things that you two are going to miss if you stay stubborn.”

“What are you talking about Camilla?” my father asked.

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed your son pacing over there, looking so worried I think he’s about to throw up. I don’t think this is just a fling. When is the last time he told you he was in love with a girl?”

I looked over at my dad.

He shrugged, “Never.”

“And Dante.” She looked at Franco, but spoke to me, “Do you plan on seeing Annalisa often?”

“Not another day of my life will go by where I won’t see her.”

“Looks like you’re gonna have company a lot Frankie, unless she’s over at our house.”

Franco looked a bit upset at those words.

“And then there’s the baby.”

I like that my mom assumed that the baby was going to make it.

She looked over at me. “You’re excited about the baby?”

“Well, I don’t know if I’d say excited. I mean, I want this baby, and Annalisa does too. I just wish that it wouldn’t have happened accidentally. I would have wanted it to be her choice, and uh, I’d like to have been married first.”

I saw four sets of eyebrows raise. Yep, I’d said the “M” word.

My mom turned back to my dad and Franco. “So, you two can be stubborn asses or you can decide to move forward and share in your children and grandchild’s life. Yes, I know it will take time and work, but don’t you think it’s worth the effort?”

“Let’s take care of Vito and the men he’s gathering. See how that goes, is that enough for you Cami?” Franco asked her.

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. Cami? It was the first time I’d ever heard her called that.

“I’m not going to miss a moment of my grandchild’s life, I’ll tell you that. And I don’t know Annalisa at all, but if Dante loves her, then I want to get to know her and I’m sure I’ll love her too.”

Marco had been holding Jimmy’s phone. “I’ve been texting. Everyone is meeting in the basement soon. They believe that I’m dead along with Donnie. We have to go now.”

I looked at them. “I…fuck…I know this is important, but I have to be here when she wakes up. I promised. If she...if she lost the baby, I can’t have her here alone.”

“Of course, you need to stay,” my dad said.

“I’m counting on you to protect her. Tell me that I’m making the right decision,” Franco said walking up to me.

“I’d die to protect her, Sir,” I stated.

He seemed to like my response, or perhaps the word Sir. It seemed to fit the situation. He turned to Marco and Donnie. “You two can rock paper scissors for who stays here as well.”

“I don’t need them to stay here and watch me.”

Franco laughed. “I’m aware of that. I want your focus on Annalisa. If she needs you, go. I don’t want to leave your mother or Lina alone without protection. Most likely, everyone is heading to our basement, but what if even one comes here? I can’t leave them alone.”

Donnie held out his hand to rock, paper, scissors it out with Marco. Marco was Franco’s underboss and could have easily ordered him to stay. I knew they both wanted to go to take care of the traitors. Marco looked over and Lina whose face was filled with worry and then to me. “Nah. You go Donnie. This is your thing. I’m gonna stay here with the girls and Dante.”

There was no more discussion. After kissing their wives goodbye, my father, Franco and Dante left. I sat down next to my mom and stared at the photo of my child. I didn’t remember closing my eyes, but after what felt like a minute, my mother was waking me up.

“Dante...there’s news.”

I stood and walked over to the doctor who’d entered the room. Theresa was walking over with me. “She’s out of surgery. We were able to remove the bullet without any complications. She’s being monitored in recovery. You can go see her, but she’s not awake yet. Two at a time, please,” the doctor said when we all went to follow him.

“Why don’t you two go,” Lina said to Theresa and I.

We followed the doctor into a bright room. Annalisa’s bed was dead center. She had a ton of tubes and wires hooked up to her, but her color looked a lot better than it had before surgery.

Theresa rushed over to her and held her hand.

I turned to the doctor. “How long until she wakes up?”

“That’s uncertain, but it should be in the next hour or so. Even when the anesthesia wears off, she’s going to be incredibly tired, and it is the middle of the night.”

I glanced at the clock. It was quarter for four in the morning. “And the baby?”

“There’s no way of knowing. The baby isn’t far enough along for a heartbeat. At this point, it’s a mass of cells. If the fetus survives the trauma of the gunshot, surgery and anesthesia, it will continue to develop. If it could not, it will be reabsorbed into her body and she’d have what would appear to her as a heavy menstrual period.”

“So there is nothing we can do?”

“You can keep her calm and relaxed. When she’s released, you can keep her off her feet for a while. Taking another pregnancy test in a few weeks will give you the answer. If the pregnancy has ended, her test will come back negative. If it’s positive, that means that the hormone that the baby is producing continues to be in her blood stream. Of course, if she starts to bleed more than a cup in an hour, she’d need to come back in.”

It sounded simple and awful at the same time. It wasn’t anything I was going to worry about at that moment. There wasn’t anything I could do but keep her calm and relaxed.

Theresa had pulled up a chair and was sitting next to Annalisa.

I sat on the other side of her. Neither of us said anything, the beeping of her monitor the only sound in the room. I watched as Theresa closed her eyes and fell asleep.

It was five in the morning when my father and Franco appeared in the recovery room. I was shocked because they’d said only two of us could come back. Then again, people rarely said no to my father. I couldn’t imagine saying no to him and Franco, especially when Franco was asking to see his daughter.

I looked at the two of them, wondering why they were here.

“It’s done,” my dad said. “Nine men. Georgie, Little Nicky, Tommy and Gus from our side.”

I nodded. None of the names shocked me that much.

“How is she?”

“They say she’s good. She hasn’t woken up yet. Maybe that’s a good thing.” I indicated the tubes and wires. “This can’t feel good.”

“But she’s stable? They got the bullet out?” Franco asked.

“Yeah, it’s out and there were no complications. They’re going to move her to a room soon.”

“Why don’t you go home. I’ll stay with her,” Franco offered.

“You can stay, but I’m not going,” I said.

“How about this. I’ll go home, take Teresa home, shower and come back. If she’s not awake, then we’ll sit together. If she is, you let me take your place while you go home, shower and get a bit of rest.”

I nodded my head. “Deal.”