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Then I hear the sound of another vehicle. The unmistakable sound of tires squealing and the revving of an engine. Another van, smaller and all white with no police markings, comes screaming around the corner of the courthouse.
I hear screams as the van careens up onto the sidewalk forcing people to dive out of the way to avoid being hit. Mateo steps in front of me, and the van skids to a halt at the base of the courthouse steps.
Then I hear gunfire. Automatic gunfire from multiple weapons. I can just see a couple of masked men jump out of the white van with assault rifles before I feel Mateo grab me and push me to the ground between the parked cars.
I hit the ground hard, and Mateo is immediately on top of me. But he’s not holding me down, he’s covering me.
I hear the gunshots continue to ring out, footsteps running away and the screams of people who sound like they’ve been hit. It’s a war zone, but it feels like it’s a million miles away with Mateo’s strong body acting as a shield between me and the absolute chaos happening less than a hundred feet from us.
The gunshots begin to dissipate. People are still yelling and screaming. I hear the van rev its engine again and speed off past the cars that surround Mateo and me.
Mateo sit back on his knees and looks out from between the cars. He turns back to me once he confirms the gunfire has stopped.
“Are you okay?!” He barks at me.
“Y-yes,” I reply.
Mateo stands and helps pull me to my feet.
“What happened?” I say. I feel dizzy but Mateo is still holding me.
“Fuck,” Mateo sighs, as he looks around at the results of what just happened. I see a few people slowly emerge from their hiding places, surveying the scene just like we are. A few others are injured, trying to pull themselves up.
Then I see that there are several bodies lying on the ground, immobile.
Mateo starts to move toward the scene. I grab his arm. “You shouldn’t be here,” I say.
I know he probably wants to help. But I can hear the sirens of the ambulances already on their way. I’m afraid for Mateo to see what has happened to his men. But I’m also afraid for Mateo himself. This is not a good place for a man like him to be. I’ve no doubt as soon as police are active on the scene, they’d find some reason to take him in.
Mateo looks back at me. I can see the worry in his eyes. Not for himself. He’s worried about the people who are injured. But he hears the sirens, too. The man he was speaking to earlier runs up to us.
“Mateo, we should go,” he says.
“You need to get out of here,” I demand.
Mateo nods and goes with the man to their car. I watch just long enough to see them drive away before I turn back to the scene to see what I can do.
8
MATEO
Riccardo drivesme up to my father’s house in Chestnut Hill. I know my brothers and my sister will be there. They’ll want to talk about what happened at the courthouse. And I’ll have to give them the news. Even though Leo’s the Consigliere and we have our formal meetings there, my father’s house is still the go-to place when just us siblings meet. It’s much less formal.
This neighborhood is less traditionally residential than most parts of Chestnut Hill. It’s got more trees and bigger lots. Riccardo pulls off the road and into the drive of my father’s house. I see Damien’s motorcycle alongside Raine’s and Dario’s cars already parked near the house.
My father’s house is contemporary. Three stories with a tall pillar of stonework running up the front like a chimney. Dark wood slats line the walls up to the third story which is all steel and glass. Other sections of the house off to the side are done in dark slate, stone, and zinc.
I admit it’s a nice house. It’s large, but not grotesque. The massive trees surrounding it probably make it look smaller than it actually is.
We didn’t grow up in this house. We grew up in the city. My father moved up here after Raine was old enough to move out on her own. Dario’s the only one that ever lived here with him.
When I get inside, I hear Damien’s loud laugh from beyond the dining room. I walk down the hall, through the dining room, and find my family outside on the deck. The back of the house looks out over a valley in the forest. You’d never guess that just twenty minutes ago I was downtown.
“Hey, brother,” Damien says when he sees me.
I don’t know what he was laughing at, but he’s stopped. It was probably something Raine said. She has a really dry sense of humor.
I don’t like being the one that makes everyone turn serious when I walk in. But I don’t know how to be any different. And considering the topic we’re all here to discuss, that’s not going to change.
