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“So do we.”
“True, and that’s not saying much.”
“Carmine, I need you to find out who the fuck is doing this. I’m assuming it’s all the same people. I want to know how they’re getting shit done so fast. And I definitely want to know the journalist and editor who ran this. If they got this photo out of public records, then they saw the rest of what happened, too.”
“I’m working on it. You saw it doesn’t have a byline, but I’ll know within a few hours. It’s almost four, so I can start making some calls soon.”
“Do you have any guesses?”
“None that aren’t complete speculation. I should have asked right off. How’s she doing?”
“Exhausted and badly shaken. I had no idea seeing a photo could trigger such a reaction from anyone. I’ve feared dying too many times to count. I’ve almost died plenty of times. I’ve seen you and the others near death, too. But this was the scariest shit I have ever experienced. When it started, her eyes were open but completely unseeing. It was like she was catatonic. She didn’t move when I put her on the bed. Not at all. The only movement was her chest while she breathed. Her heart was racing, and I’ve never seen anyone so pale without blood loss.”
“You’re lucky Fina and I had just finished the movie with Maria and Matteo, and we were still near the College Point theaters. Otherwise, it would have doubled the time it took for them to get to Mama’s.”
“I know. Why were you at such a late movie?”
“Maria got delayed with an MVA that came in and needed imaging. We waited and didn’t have dinner until almost nine. How’re you doing?”
“Fucking shaken like a shitty martini.”
“Glad to see you still have your sense of humor.”
I scowl. I wasn’t trying to be funny. I’ve been calm for Sinead’s sake, but I haven’t wanted to cry this hard in years. I am not a crier, but I don’t know what to do with all these feelings. It scared me shitless, then it broke my heart when she told me what happened. There is so much I know she didn’t tell me.
“I want to get back in there. Let me know as soon as you find anything.”
“I will. Is she getting discharged today?”
“Yeah. As long as nothing else happens, they said they’d release her midmorning.”
“Are you taking her back to Mama’s?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to take her anywhere that’ll upset her again. But I definitely don’t want her at a hotel. We can’t control that like we can one of our places.”
“Papa’s the most removed, so it would be great if she could stay with him. But that’ll looked fucked up if anyone finds out. Luca’s our underboss, and people know that, so he and Olivia are out.”
“Plus, Olivia’s pregnant. I doubt she wants a houseguest she doesn’t know.”
“True. She can stay with Fina and me.”
“You’re my best friend, and that’s not a secret from fucking all the stupid blogs and newspaper social pages we’ve been on. Maria and Matteo or Uncle Dom and Auntie Lotta are the best choices. Both women are doctors, and Uncle Dom and Matteo are high level but way lower profile.”
“True. Are you going to ask Auntie Lotta or Maria now?”
“No. I’m going to talk to Sinead first. If she refuses and gets upset, I won’t push. We’ll work something out with a hotel or her place.”
“You really like her, don’t you?”
“Yeah. You and Sera knew each other as kids, but you weren’t around each other at all except for once in nearly twenty-years. You didn’t get along when you were around each other back then, but somehow you knew it was different when we went into her bakery with Maria.”
Only Carmine calls his wife Fina. The rest of us call her Serafina or Sera.
“True. I’d say it’s a lot more like Luca and Olivia.”
“Yeah, but I can’t move her in with me to protect her. That’s the last thing I can do.”
“I know. But Luca said he just knew. He said from the get-go, he knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Olivia. And he couldn’t get enough of the time they spent together. He just really enjoyed being around her.”
