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Me: These people, I don't know what they're capable of. I never mentioned Amanda to them, but I don't know if they know about her. I need her to be safe, especially if something were to happen to me.
Me: If you truly care, can you find a safe place for my child for a while?
I waited anxiously for her response. My phone vibrated again, and I quickly checked it.
Christine: Yes, I know a place for her, but be careful. I'll text you an address.
I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for her willingness to help. But I did feel uneasy not knowing where my daughter would be going.
Me: Could you tell me exactly where my daughter will be?
Christine: In a boarding school, mixed with children slightly older than her.
Me: Okay, thanks. Let's move on it now.
I felt a sense of urgency to get my daughter to safety.
***
It was 5 a.m., and the air was crisp when I returned to my house. The dimly lit hallway seemed to swallow me up as I made my way to the bathroom, my mind racing with everything that had just happened. I went through the motions of getting ready for work, my mind still reeling from dropping Amanda off at the boarding school in the middle of the night. Amanda wasn't even awake when I dropped her off. Poor girl, she was about to wake up in a new environment, without her daddy.
Just as I was about to leave the house, my phone rang, and I saw Laura's name flash across the screen. My heart rate quickened as I answered, eager to hear her voice.
"Laura," I said immediately, relief flooding through me.
"Anthony," she replied, her voice urgent and slightly panicked. "I'm sorry, I should have called. A lot has happened. It's so overwhelming. I couldn't deal with it for a while."
"Anthony,” she continued, her tone firm. “Don't avoid work today. You arenotgoing into that system—I won't let my dad do that to you—but you do need to show up for work today as always so that they don't trust you less."
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. She knew what was going on. I couldn't believe it.
"I will call you back later. You trust me, right?" she added.
"Laura…" I stuttered, my mind racing with a mix of emotions. I couldn't believe she was trying to protect me.
"I understand. We will talk later," she said and hung up.
I was left standing there, phone in hand, feeling completely lost. I couldn't even hold a normal relationship with Laura, and now she was trying to protect me from her own family. I knew I had to push these thoughts aside and focus on getting to work.
As I walked into my workplace, my eyes darted around, looking for any sign of James. Even though Laura might be able to stop him this time, I knew that he was still a threat and that I was walking into the circle of death.
Chapter sixteen
Laura
"Thank you, Tank," I said, my fingers tapping idly against the table as I hung up the phone. Tank was one of my dad's most trusted men, and we had been friends for as long as I could remember. Even though I was technically an outsider in the organization, Tank always kept me in the loop about what was going on.
As I mulled over our conversation, my mind began to race with questions. Why was Anthony getting initiated into the organization? The fact that he was a driver only made things more complicated. Drivers were typically kept in the dark about the inner workings of the Mafia. Their knowledge was limited to what they needed to know to do their jobs. So, what could Anthony possibly have to offer that would make him valuable to the organization?
I leaned back in my chair, letting out a deep sigh as I tried to piece together the puzzle in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more dangerous it all seemed. Climbing the ranks in the Mafia was never an easy feat, and it often came at a considerable cost. This whole thing was very suspicious. Anthony may have been playing the game perfectly in his head, but if he wasn't careful, he could end up paying the ultimate price.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. It was times like these that I wished I wasn't a part of this world. But I knew there was no escaping it. The Mafia was in my blood, and no matter how hard I tried, I could never entirely distance myself from it. All I could do was try to navigate through the dangerous waters as best as I could, relying on my instincts.
My mind was racing with possible motives. James? No. I quickly shut down that thought. I had given him a stern warning, and he wouldn’t dare do something like that. But what if he knew?
Memories of James flooded back to me. It had only been a week since he had last been here. What could he have caught on to?
James had always been subtle about his interest in me. At first, it was just small gestures and compliments, but as he rose to power and grew in my father's trust, he became bolder. I couldn't imagine what he had done to gain my father's trust—a trust that seemed unbreakable. The thought of what he might be capable of made me shudder.
