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“What the fuck?” Sebastians says leaning back looking at me like I have grown a second head. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Leo has been talking. He is getting better and better every day. He and Annie fucking chat all day every day about God knows what shit. She got him talking. My girl got my son to fucking talk,” I tell him, bursting with pride and love for the two of them.
“When, how, what? That is amazing!” Sebastian clears his throat, overcome with emotion, just like I have been. “I need to see my godson. I want to hear his voice.”
“She is good for you, you know. I wasn’t sure you were ever going to open up to anyone after Angelina, but Annie is your match. I can see it. She is good for you and Leo. She is welcome into the family.” I drive in silent shock for a moment. We haven’t talked too much about Little Red and I, and although she has been living with me for the better part of a few months now, I thought I was keeping our activities and my feelings about her on the down-low. However, Sebastian’s approval and welcoming of her into the fold is a big deal, and I am grateful.
“Thank you, brother,” I reply after a moment, looking at him and nodding my head. He nods to me in return, and we refocus on our task for today.
“Now let’s get this slimy bastard so we can both go home and fuck our women. Dominic has made threats against us, against our families, and we need to fucking find him.” Sebastian, like the rest of us, is frustrated. The pressure on us continues to build each day that he can’t be found, the other families still asking questions.
“We need to work out what he is planning. We killed his best men and his brother. His attack on us is going to be brutal if we don’t get to him first,” Sebastian looks out the window at the passing shops as I drive us to Queens.
“If today doesn’t flush him out, then we need to regroup. Carter is following some intel today back at the compound, so hopefully he finds something too,” I offer, even though I’m going to be even more pissed if we have to settle for intel instead of his dead body when we leave today.
The car weaves through the streets until we come to a stop outside Allure. I have been to this shithole more times in the past few months than ever before, and the sooner I can leave it all behind, the better I will feel. It is still a heap of crap, nothing renovated, nothing cleaned. As I survey the streetscape, I can clearly see the spot where I threw Little Red down onto the pavement that first day and that is the only good thing this place has going for it.
Sebastian and I step out of the car, standing tall in the street, showcasing ourselves to anyone who may be watching. In the bright afternoon sun, we are hoping that a visit during the day, when everyone can see us, may be the way to draw Dominic out. Sure, we have our people planted all around the streets and inside, and we are fully armed and ready to kill on sight, but if Dominic is watching, then he’ll see it as his chance to kill us both.
Offering ourselves up like lambs to the slaughter is not anything new. We have put our own lives on the line before and we are not afraid. We stop on the sidewalk and look around, taking our time, seeing no one, nothing, the street quiet, eerily so. My skin prickles and I have a feeling that something isn’t right. Looking at Sebastian, I can tell he feels it too, but we turn and walk into Allure like we are paying customers.
Stepping inside, things look like they usually would for this time of the day. There are a few patrons sprinkled around the tables, and I spot some of our team undercover around the place. Music is playing through the speakers as women dance on the stage and the smoke haze filling the room is enough to make my eyes sting. My shoes stick to the floor, the peel with every step I take irritating me even more.
As Sebastian and I walk to the bar, all eyes are on us, and I don’t miss the sly grins we are receiving from some of the men in the room, like they know something we don’t. That uneasy feeling I had outside multiplies.
We brought our best team with us, which means that our compound is now secured by our new young soldiers, and Carter is the only one still there with them. He stayed behind, locking himself in the office, looking at computer files, needing the quiet to piece together the data that might help us find this asshole if we don’t on our own.
We reach the bar and lean on it, and I look briefly at the women who are in different states of undress dancing on the stage. Cheap sequin outfits, high heels and tassels abound, and I notice my ex-wife is not here. At least that is one thing I don’t need to worry about today. Her calls are now incessant, so much so, I no longer answer her, especially after Leo hearing me yell at her. Something I still feel guilty about.
We stand at the bar, surveying the room, both feeling uneasy. I look at the barman who is currently polishing glasses down at the other end. He is an older guy who has been around for years, never causes trouble, and is always neutral in our activities. He nods to me as he comes closer. I turn to face him, leaning my arms on the sticky bar as he stands in front of me.
“I have a message for you,” he states, and I nod for him to continue as Sebastian tenses next to me, his anger permeating from his body. The barman moves his hand, and Sebastian and I immediately do the same, our fingers itching to grab our guns, but instead of pulling a gun, the barman pulls out a note and slides it across the bar. Nodding again, he walks back down to the other end of the bar and continues polishing the glasses.
I grab the folded piece of paper he passed to me, wondering what the fuck is going on. As I look down at the words written, the scrawling handwriting just as messy as this fucking bar, my face drops, my scowl now all but gone and my body rigid as I read it.
“The boy belongs with his momma, and the redhead, I will keep just for fun.”
29
Annie
I stifle a yawn as I mix the Bolognese on the stovetop. Leo is sitting at the kitchen bench, content with his Lego pieces, trying to skillfully make a small rocket, another one to add to his collection, while keeping me company. I’m tired. More so than usual. I don’t know if my health is starting to fail me, or if it is all the extra physical activity I have been doing with Dante. A smile appears on my face at the thought of him as butterflies dance in my tummy.
This past week has been like nothing I could have ever imagined. On the one hand, it has been extremely domesticated, because with Maria unwell, I have been looking after the house and my boys and I love it. The cooking, spending time with Leo, looking after Dante’s needs, it has come to me very naturally, my caretaking role one I feel I was made for. On the other hand, the amount of pleasure I have given and received is more than I ever thought I would have in my lifetime. My cheeks heat as I think about lying naked on Dante’s office desk just a night or two ago, and how much I love his hands on my body, and how I am enjoying everything he is teaching me. It has been so amazing, I keep forgetting that I am on a timeline, until times like this when I feel more tired than usual and my body aches more than it should.
As the house fills with aromas of basil, there is movement at the door, and I am surprised to hear Dante home already as he only left an hour or so ago. Turning the stove off, I wipe my hands on the towel and walk to the other side of the kitchen to where Leo is, as we both turn and smile, evidence of our combined joy at seeing Dante back earlier than we expected.
But it isn’t Dante. It is a woman who staggers into the house looking disheveled. She has two burly men following her, and my heart rate immediately rises.
“Ahhh, can I help you?” I ask her, nerves evident in my tone as my eyes flick between her and the two men, wondering who they are and why they are here. I’m not sure if she is someone who works with Dante’s team, or perhaps someone from Sebastian’s wing. My head jerks back to little Leo when I hear his Lego spaceship fall onto the floor, smashing into tiny pieces, which skit across in every direction, and I hear him gasp. Looking down at him, I notice his eyes are as big as saucers as he looks at the woman, his breathing speeds up, and his hand grabs onto mine as tight as a vice before he slides off the kitchen stool and stands so close to me that we could be conjoined.
“Leo?” I ask gently, sensing the fear in his body. Now I am even more concerned.
“LEO!” The woman shouts, and both Leo and I jump. My head flicks back in her direction, my eyes wide in surprise. As I stare back at her, trying to work out what is going on, she looks between the both of us, seeming agitated. Leo continues to shuffle closer to me, and I instinctively put my arm around him and tuck him into my side.
“GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY SON!” she screams at me, and I jump again at her sudden explosion, taking a small step back until my body hits the kitchen bench. Realization dawns on me that this is Leo’s mother, and my eyes widen as my heart rate increases. Looking at her, as she stands mere feet away from us, I notice she is swaying on her feet, her hair is oily and unkept, and her body is covered in bruises and scabs. It is clear she is not lucid. What she is under the influence of, I don’t know, but it is more than alcohol, of that much, I am sure.
“It’s oka—” I start to say, but she cuts me off as I bring one hand up, my palm facing her.
