CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Markie
BEING WITH ANGEL'S family was surreal. First, his father, Dom, pulled me aside and led me to his office. Uninvited, Angel came along and stood behind me as I sat in front of Dom's desk. Dom grilled me about Adamo Pelino, and I explained that I'd picked up a pamphlet at the doctor's office when I'd gone in for a pain killer refill.
"Do you still have the pamphlet?" Dom asked.
I dug around in my purse until I found it, all folded and mutilated from its time in the bottom of my bag. After I handed it over, he examined it, and then turned his attention to his laptop.
"No mention of Adamo on their website." He opened his desk drawer and withdrew the business card I'd given Angel. "Logos don't match. Looks like he made up a card at a print shop."
"Think he tapped in on Markie's call?" Angel asked.
Dom nodded. "The bastard clearly has resources. How many times had you met up with Angel before your doctor's appointment?"
I thought back. "I don't know. A few times?"
"Do you remember where you guys went?"
"The restaurant at the airport, the Ozone, a Cajun restaurant Bones took us to, the High Roller. I think it was the day after that," I said.
Dom thanked me for my time, apologized for his previous assumptions, and hugged me, kissing my cheek as he welcomed me to his family. Weird. Still, Dom's welcome wasn't hollow. It carried weight, and brought on a strange sense of belonging. I was part of a family again. A huge, dangerous family, but a family, nonetheless. Warmth spread through me. I thanked him and followed Angel out to find his mom.
People were everywhere, talking, laughing, genuinely enjoying being together. Angel introduced me around as we made our way to the living room where Nonna, Annetta, and Annetta's best friend, Adona, had everything organized, and were handing out lists of the items families had requested. Angel's seven-year-old twin siblings, Luciana and Georgio, latched on to me immediately, tugging me into the toy room to see the fort they'd built the night before.
"Are you Angel's girlfriend?" Luciana asked. She was so adorable with her dark curls and big green eyes, that I wanted to keep her.
Angel had followed us and stood just outside the door, talking to Adona's husband, Mario.
"Um..." Angel and I hadn't exactly defined our relationship yet, and I didn't know if he could hear us or not. "I'm not sure."
"Well, if you're not attached, I'm in the market for a girl," Georgio said.
"You can't be in the market for a girl," Luciana told him. "That's stupid. It makes girls sound like something you can buy."
"What about the girls on the billboards? Uncle Carlo says--"
"Whoa," Angel cut in, giving Georgio a sharp look as he approached. "Not something you should be talking about. Especially in front of ladies, Georgie."
Georgio deflated, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Sorry."
Angel ruffled his hair. "It's okay. Go get your jackets, you two. We're about to head out."
"Can we ride with you?" Luciana asked.
"Not this time. Father's already got security lined out, and I'm not messing with it."
As the two of them scurried off, Angel grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, kissing my neck. "By the way, yes, you're my girl," he said.
That made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Before I could respond, he tugged me in the direction his siblings had gone.
* * *
Shopping with Angel's family was a blast. Angel told me they usually split up and went to different stores, but because of Adamo, Dom had increased security and kept us all together at one huge department store that had everything. Which, I thought was more fun since Angel's family was everywhere. After the shopping was done, several of us came to his parents' house and wrapped presents. Then we handed them off to a service to deliver. Angel, Bones, and I lingered there, drinking wine while the kids had hot chocolate, long after everyone else had left.
I was on my third glass of wine when Dom came hurrying in, looking frantic.
Annetta bolted to her feet. "What's happened?"
"Dante's car blew up," Dom said, wrapping his arms around her. "He's okay. Conscious. Our guys are on the way to escort him to the hospital."
Angel jumped to his feet. "Do we know anything else?"
Dom looked at me, and I didn't think he'd answer, but he nodded. "The girl he was seeing... the one you told him to stay away from..." He shook his head. "She was with him. She didn't make it."
Annetta sucked in a breath, bringing her hands to her mouth. "Who did this?" she asked.
"I have a pretty good idea, but I will get to the bottom of it," Dom promised. "I'm gonna meet Dante at the hospital."
"I'm going with you," Annetta announced, pushing away from him and heading toward the hall closet.
"Where are Sonia and Sofia?" Dom asked.
"The girls are with their cousins at Mike and Zeta's." Annetta whipped out her cell phone. "I'll call and let them know what's going on."
"Tell Mike to put his security on alert. Call in anyone he can. What about the twins? We can't take them with us to the hospital."
"Nonna will be here. And Markie can stay as well." Eyes pleading, Annetta pulled her gaze from her phone to focus on me. "Please?"
"Yes. Of course. You guys go take care of Dante."
I'd met Dante while we were out shopping. He looked like a younger version of Angel, and I couldn't imagine what he was going through, knowing his girlfriend had died.
"Thank you," Annetta hugged me.
"We'll leave half of the security team," Dom said, dialing his phone. "I don't know what these bastards have planned, and we can't let them catch us with our pants down."
Angel kissed my forehead, squeezing me close to him. "Thank you for this. We won't be long."
"Be careful." I squeezed him back.
"Always, baby."
With that, he followed his father out of the house with Bones and Annetta right behind them. Wondering what was going on, I turned to Nonna.
"They'll be fine," she assured me. "Dom's handled a lot worse. He knows what he's doing."
Apparently this was a normal occurrence. No big deal.
Right.
Trying not to let that fact rattle me, I went to check on the twins. They were building a Lego castle in their room, so I sat on the floor and joined them. After a while, Nonna came in and sat on the bed.
My head hurt, and my vision was a little blurry, making it difficult to focus on the blocks. The blurred vision and headaches had been increasing in frequency and intensity. The literature I'd received from the doctor had told me to expect it, but it still sucked. Giving up on the Lego building, I sat back and watched them.
"This section needs to be pink, because it's the princess's room," Luciana announced, placing a rose-colored wall. "This next area will be blue for the prince. They're going to get married." She glanced up at me. "Are you and Angel going to get married?"
You'd think I'd be used to the bizarre out-of-left-field questions kids ask, but nothing had prepared me for this.
"No," I replied, hoping she wouldn't pry.
In true child-like fashion, she did. "Why not? Don't you like Angel?"
"I like Angel very much."
"Then you two should get married. I'll be your flower girl and Georgie can be the ring bearer."
Tears stung my eyes. There'd be no wedding, no flower girl, no ring bearer. Not to Angel nor anyone else. It had never bothered me before, but at that moment, it hurt to know I was running out of time.
Nonna's eyes softened as she looked at me. "Do not give up hope, child."
I took a deep breath and blinked away useless tears. "You'd make a beautiful flower girl, Luci. And Georgie would make a handsome ring bearer."
"But you're not going to marry Angel?" Georgio asked, sounding confused.
"No, I'm not."
"Well, will you marry me, then?"
I smiled.
Luciana rolled her eyes dramatically. "She can't marry you. She's old, and you're just a kid."
Although I wasn't "old," at least I wasn't a child. Kids died of cancer all the time. Now that really sucked. Me? I'd lived a pretty full life. I'd gone to college. I'd spent time in Africa--not many people could say that--and I'd laughed. A lot. And now that I'd met Angel, I could honestly say that I'd fallen in love. Even though Angel hadn't said it, I was pretty sure he loved me, too. And unlike the last guy who I thought had loved me, Angel hadn't bailed when he found out about the cancer.
"How did the scans go?" Nonna asked, pulling me out of my musings.
"Good. Dr. Monte said she was sending them to a specialist. She'll let us know when she hears back."
"Good." Nonna nodded. "I'd like great grandchildren someday."
I smiled, even though kids were so far from my current situation, I couldn't even imagine them.
Nonna started to say something else, but the sound of gunfire--coming from outside--interrupted us. All four of us jumped at the noise, and Georgio rushed to the window.
"Is it the bad guys?" Luciana asked, her eyes round with fear.
"I don't know. I can't see anything. Wait. I see--"
I grabbed Georgio and tugged him away from the window.
More shots were fired. It sounded like we were in a freaking war zone.
"What's going on?" I asked Nonna.
"We're under attack," Georgio answered, grabbing Luciana's hand. "It's just like we practiced. Remember what to do?"
Eyes still wide, she nodded.
I looked to Nonna for help. She shrugged. "Dom trains them all. They can get us out of here."
The house shook. Downstairs, men shouted between gunshots.
"The attackers are in the house," Georgio announced, sounding strangely calm. "We have to go."
He tugged Luciana toward the closet, gesturing for me and Nonna to follow. I helped her off the bed and we hurried behind the kids, ducking through a small door in the closet. Luciana closed the door behind us. We stood in the darkness, listening as feet pounded against the stairs.
"They're coming," Luciana whispered.
"It's okay," Georgio whispered. "Dad will find us."
"It's just like hide and seek. You don't have to be scared," Luciana said. I couldn't tell if she was trying to reassure us or herself.
I turned on the flashlight app on my phone and looked around. We were in some sort of hidden passageway in the wall. It went on past Georgio. I angled my phone, but couldn't tell how far it continued.
The twins were visibly scared, but also eerily calm. They'd acted so quickly.
"Does this happen often?" I whispered to Nonna.
Heavy footfalls on the other side of the wall kept her from answering. Luciana started trembling, so I pulled her in for a hug. The four of us held our breath and listened.
"They're not in here," a muffled voice said.
"Well, they've gotta be here somewhere. Check the rest of the rooms." Names and directions were called out as the footsteps retreated.
My cell phone rang.
It pealed through the darkness, startling me. I jumped, and then fumbled to silence it. Angel's face appeared, and then vanished when I hit the button to send him to voice mail.
"You hear that?" someone asked.
"Sounded like a phone."
"Where?"
More footfalls. They were searching for us.
Georgio grabbed my phone, removed the battery, and set both phone and battery on the floor.
"They can use it to track us," he whispered. "We have to go."
He was like a seven-year-old James Bond. His father had prepared him for an attack. Why? Who would break in to a well-guarded mansion, to assault a couple of kids?
If this was a common occurrence, no wonder Dom had been so freaked out about me.
The four of us held hands so we wouldn't get disconnected in the dark, and tip-toed through the hidden passageway with Georgio in the lead.
After a few minutes, there was a faint click, and then a rush of fresh, cool air. Still holding hands, Georigio led us outside and in between a line of tall bushes. Staying low, we crept away from the house, stopping at a tall fence.
"How you doin', Nonna?" I asked, looking over my shoulder.
She was breathing heavily behind me. "Don't you worry about me. Just do what you need to do to keep these two safe."
Loud banging came from the house. Someone was tearing the place apart. Fearing that they'd find the passageway and follow it to us, I helped Nonna through the hidden gate the twins opened.
Once we were on the other side, Luciana looked up at me with big trusting eyes and asked, "Which way?"
Sirens blared in the distance. The cavalry was coming to save us. "Maybe we should wait here for the cops," I said.
Georgio shook his head. "No cops. We can't trust them."
Sure couldn't, but hearing him say it broke my heart a little. "There are good cops, too," I argued. My parents had been two of the best. Of course, they'd also died for it.
"Too risky," Nonna agreed.
Gunshots coming from the back of the house told me we needed to move.
"Come on," I said, gesturing everyone forward.
We ran for two blocks, and then Nonna was so winded she couldn't continue.
"Take them," she said. "I'm going to Dr. Monte's place."
"We'll come with you," I said.
"No. It's too close to the house. They'll be looking for the kids. Nobody will care one lick about this old lady. Now, get out of here. And keep my babies safe."
She hugged all three of us and shooed us away. I hated to leave her, but I could hear someone coming and figured she knew much more about what we should do than I did. The twins and I took off running again. Two blocks later, two gunshots rang out behind us.
Tears stung the backs of my eyes as I wondered if they got Nonna. With no time to think about that, I hurried the twins along. Several blocks later, Luciana started to lag behind. I didn't know if we were still being followed and didn't want to take the chance. I picked her up and kept going.
When Georgio and I ran out of steam, I lowered Luciana to her feet and we slowed our pace to a walk. By then, my head was pounding, and I was lost. Not only was my vision blurry, but it had also narrowed considerably. I felt like I was walking through a tunnel. Still, we continued on for hours, mostly traveling down side roads and alleys.
"We should get a map," I suggested, pointing toward a convenience store. Of course, I had no idea what I'd purchase a map with since my purse was still at Angel's parents' house.
"No. There's cameras," Georgio said.
"And?"
"The bad guys can take over the cameras and see us."
Certain he was messing with me, or quoting something he'd heard on television, I started to laugh. But Georgio was serious.
"No they can't," I replied.
Stone-faced, he said, "My dad does."
Terrifying. I started watching for cameras as we continued. My tunnel of vision kept narrowing, and my brain felt like mush. With numb legs and no clue what to do or how to get a hold of Angel, I led them on, searching for a landmark any of us recognized.
The temperature dropped with the sun. It was well past dark when we finally caught a break, a sign for a coffee shop I'd frequented. We were only a few blocks from someone I could trust.
Feeling hopeful, I urged the kids on.