"You act as though I don't make them at least once a week."
"Yeah, but I'm going to miss them."
Her fork clinked against her bowl. "What do you mean you're going to miss them?"
"Well, at least until we find a new place."
"What are you talking about?"
"How do you feel about California?" I took another bite of a meatball.
"I've never been. Why?"
I took a deep breath. "We're moving."
She stared at me, her entire body still. I wasn't sure if she was even breathing. "We're moving?"
"I'm done. I'm getting out."
Momma shook her head as she closed her eyes. "You know there's only one way out."
Ididknow that the only way out was if Frank was dead, but then I wondered how she knew that. "What way is that?"
"I know Marco told you."
"That …?"
She took a sip of her red wine. "I know a lot, and it's why I didn't want Marco to get you involved with Frank Russo."
"What all do you know?" I questioned.
Momma looked off to the side toward the fridge. She waited almost an entire minute before shedidn'tanswer my question, but instead asked, "Are you serious about leaving?"
"Yes." I didn't hesitate.
She looked back at me. "So, you're going to kill Frank then?" Shedidknow the only way out, but how did she know that? Why would Uncle Marco have told her?
"I don't know," I admitted.
"I didn't raise you to be a murderer."
"No, you didn't, but I've killed before."
"But not like this."
"I know." I took a sip of my water.
"I guess it's time then."
I looked over the rim of my glass. "Time to …?"
Momma took a deep breath. "Time to tell you about your father."
"What about him?" My brow furrowed. My father died in a carjacking when I was five. I didn't know anything else about him because my mother never spoke of him. She never remarried, and I didn't think twice about it because she never appeared to be lonely, and I was too young to realize any differently. Then I enlisted at eighteen, and my focus was on becoming a SEAL and then being a SEAL.
She stood to grab more wine. "Promise me that you won't do anything rash."
"You mean kill Frank?"
