chapter Nine
A New Home
Monique
It’s been a week and I have a shitty attitude. LaSalle’s home has been like freaking Fort Knox. I can’t even go out without someone reporting to him where I’m going.
Reese offered to provide my physical therapy, but Nico and LaSalle shut that down since she’s pregnant. I feel like a prisoner here. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the time I get to spend with the kids. They have been sweet little angels. Sad little angels, but sweet nonetheless.
Sammy has been coping as best as can be expected, except for at night. He won’t go to bed in his own bed. He has insisted on sleeping in LaSalle’s bed, in Ellen’s spot. I find it sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time.
Sammy will wait up all night for LaSalle to come home, just so he can climb in bed with him. Only problem there is that LaSalle has been coming home later and later every night, smelling of alcohol.
I haven’t felt like it’s my place to say anything. I know he is grieving, but so are the children. They need him. Their little sad faces are ripping me apart.
“How are they today?” I hear a male voice rumble from behind me.
I turn to find Marcus Mairettie standing in the sliding glass doorway. This family is super tight. Someone is here every day to check on the kids. Sometimes two and three different friends and family members. Camille is here the most.
I’ve been steering clear of her. I hate that hopeful look she keeps giving me. Like magically, I’m going to go along with her and a dead woman’s harebrained scheme.
That shit is not happening. LaSalle is a mess. With each day that passes, I see less of the man I once knew. Well, that is with the little I see of him. I feel for him.
Besides, I have my own shit I’m dealing with. LaSalle was true to his word. After the burial, when we reached the house, Camille took the children and LaSalle took me down to his private room in the basement.
If that’s what you want to call it. It’s a sound proof, steel reinforced, box. From the moment I entered it, all I could do was wonder what he really used it for. Then I wondered what Ellen thought it was used for. I hadn’t realized I spoke the words out loud.
It was the first and last time I saw LaSalle actually laugh, since I’ve been here. His whole face lit up with the deep rumble. It made him so handsome.
“She had no idea this room was down here,” he said in amusement. “You do realize we walked a very long distance once passing the basement game room.”
I licked my lips and nodded.
“We are now underneath the back yard. Under the pool to be exact. That,” he nodded to a second door. “Is the entrance and exit I use for business. It is accessed from the other side of the property. An even longer walk.”
“Oh,” was my lame reply.
After that LaSalle sat me down and unloaded everything on me. All the details about my sisters. The fact that Misha is protecting my sister that’s still alive.
He got me up to speed on all the shooters on that fatal day outside my job. My job, that he forbids me from returning to until further notice, which did annoy me a bit. LaSalle laid out his plan for keeping Misha at bay until we figured out our next step.
My shoulders were so heavy by the time we left that room. I felt like I was wearing the weight of the world. The guilt and burden of Ellen’s death only increased. If it weren’t for the men shooting at me, I would have been able to save Ellen from her batshit crazy cousin.
Then there are the men Carlton’s mother sent after me. I guess all of that’s the real reason I’m allowing myself to be trapped here. I don’t know when someone’s going to come at me from one direction or the other.
As if reading where my thoughts have gone, Marcus saunters over and takes a seat on the lounger next to me. He looks out at the kids that have been sitting in a semi-circle off to themselves. I’ve watched the three become close. Sammy has taken on a new role in the group. It’s amusing to watch.
“You have to understand my brother. His role is different from the rest of ours. He has to put on a brave face even though he’s dying inside,” Marcus mutters.
“I get that. I get it more than you know,” I say back.
“I know you know who he is,” Marcus says. “Do you know that he has gotten a recent promotion? It’s not an official, but just as good as.”
“Yes,” I say in a whisper and nod.
LaSalle informed me that he has been appointed to Don of the Locatelli family. It was one of the first things he made sure I understood. He wanted me to understand his role and his relationship with Misha.
“Then you understand that this all is not easy. He is not neglecting the children. He is handling his responsibilities,” Marcus asks.
I turn to look him in his grey eyes. They are so much like LaSalle’s, minus the hidden darkness. Marcus’s eyes are soft and kind.
“They’re his responsibility as well, but you don’t have to explain anything to me. Your brother is doing me a favor. One that could put everything on the line. I have no opinion on anything else,” I shrug.
“Bullshit,” Marcus chuckles. “It’s eating you up as much as it’s eating me up. I see it in your eyes.”
I sigh. “I know he’s busy, but the girls would love to see him during the day. I’m not their mother. They miss her and him.”
Marcus looks out at the kids and stares for a moment. He chuckles as he observes what I’ve seen in Sammy. He confirms what I suspect with his words.
“Sammy has become their protector,” Marcus chuckles as his eyes light up with the vision before us.
Sammy has wedged himself between the girls and has an arm wrapped around each of them. The girls understanding Sammy’s needs, both have an arm wrapped tightly around his waist.
“Yeah,” I giggle. With a smile on my lips I continue. “It’s the cutest thing. I’ve watched him anticipate their needs. It’s like he knows…”
My words trail off and my eyes widen. Oh, my God. No way. I’ve watched Sammy react to his sister’s breakdown within seconds of them happening. It’s like he knows when they are about to burst into tears. Or when they’re going to run from the room. Holy shit.
That fucking Ellen. That’s what she knew about Sammy. That’s the trigger I’ve been trying to find.
Brenda and the other therapists as well as myself were never ready to just place Sammy on the spectrum. His speech is far more advanced than his parents thought when they brought him to the clinic.
Yes, Sammy has a sensory issue, but there has been this nagging in the back of my brain. Sammy’s meltdowns just have never seemed right. If you watch Sammy you see that he observes and reacts just fine.
There has always been something else. Something just outside of reach. The way he channels his center without outside help when he can. It all makes sense.
“What? What just happened?” Marcus turns to me, frowning and searching my face.
“Did you know about Ellen’s gift?” I ask cautiously.
Marcus rubs that back of his neck. “Not until after she passed. Although, there had been a time or two when she said things to me in an odd way. Later on, it would click as certain situations would unfold.”
I nod and lick my lips. “La…Sam explained to me that it was something that was passed down through the women in Ellen’s family. I think this generation was a bit different. I think Sammy can see like his mother,” I say, as my thoughts race.
Marcus wrinkle his brows and just stares at me for a long time. “Are you sure?”
I bite my lips and chew it for a few beats. “I think I am, but maybe we should keep it between us for now. Lord knows, this all sounds so crazy. I did bump my head. I don’t want anyone trying to commit me for ranting craziness,” I snort.
Marcus throws his head back and laughs. His laugh grabs the attention of the children that have been in their own world. The girls squeal and run over.
“Uncle Marcus!”
I smile as the girls latch onto someone familiar to their lives. Sammy hangs back a little, moving toward us at his own pace. I look out to where he is standing as he gets closer. His eyes lock with mine. I’m not sure if he is looking at me or through me.
That’s when his body jerks and his eyes focus on mine. He nods at me as if, I too understand what just happened. He moves into my lap, as I keep my eyes intently on his.
“Be strong, Mo-mo,” Sammy says, as he cups my face. “He will be here soon. He is coming. Be strong.”
I look up to find Marcus lifting a brow at me. A shiver runs through me. I am not ready for this. Nope, not at all.