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Instead I hold onto her so tightly, she squeaks slightly. “Mommy too hard.”
“Sorry, baby,” I pull back. I can’t help the tears streaming down my face, and I touch hers. “Are you okay? What happened? Nonna Mia?”
Her eyes fill up with tears. “I don’t know. There was yelling and she told me to run. And I ran just like you and Uncle Sal tell me to. Mommy I ran really fast and…”
She burst into tears.
Around her sobs I tuck her against me. “Jesus,” I whisper, patting her hair. “It’s okay, it’s okay baby. You’re safe. You did the right thing. You did exactly the right thing. You ran and you did so good…”
I keep talking, keep patting her back for what feels like an eternity. I’m so thankful that I can’t hardly breathe, but at the same time, I’m horrified.
What happened?
What happened to her? To Nonna Mia?
Who the hell came after them, if it wasn’t Elio?
Elio.
I grab Luna and hoist her up. I spin to where he’s standing behind me. I knew he followed me off of the plane, and now I hold her close to me as I snarl at him.
“You did this.”
He frowns. “Did what?”
“You. You did this. You set up the hit on Nonna Mia to get back at my family for something that you think we did. You ruined my baby’s childhood, you monster!” I hiss at him.
I would use quite a few more choice words, but I’m mindful of the small head still nestled, sniffling, in my shoulder.
“You think I did this? That I organized a hit on an old woman and a child?”
“You’re the only one who is smart enough. Who has the resources. Who hates my family with a vengeance. It was…”
“Caterina. Shut up.”
I reel back like I’ve been slapped.
Elio is fuming. His face promises darkness that I am terrified to face.
But I will anyway.
“How dare you speak to me that way,” I spit. “That’s how you talk to your wife?”
Immediately his face pales. His jaw works. “Caterina, I…”
“Mommy, who’s that?”
Shit.
Luna’s head is off of my shoulder and she’s peering at Elio with interest.
Everyone freezes.
Gia looks like she’s in shock. Her eyes dart between Elio and me, with a smattering of glances at Luna. Luna blinks from my arms, looking at Elio with interest.
I’ve never seen Elio look so lost.
All of the gloom and danger that he had promised earlier is gone. In its place, there’s a slack-jawed shock, a kind of total confusion, as he stares at Luna.
