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I answer in Italian, so he knows I’m not alone.
“Ehi. Dove sei?” Hey. Where are you?
He responds in Italian in case whoever I’m with can hear him.
“A casa sua.” At her place.
He knows who “her”is.
“Abbiamo bisogno di te da zio Sal. I Kutsenko hanno colpito una delle nostre spedizioni. Hanno preso le armi dirette in Venezuela. Dato che i numeri di serie sono spariti, non possiamo provare che siano nostre. Non ci venderanno. Le prenderemo.” We need you at Uncle Sal's. The Kutsenkos hit one of our shipments. They got the guns headed to Venezuela. Since the serial numbers are gone, you know we can’t prove they’re ours. They’ll under sell us. We're going to get them.
“Bene. Voglio altre guardie qui. Non me ne andrò finché non saprò che sono al loro posto.” Fine. I want extra guards here. I'm not leaving until I know they’re in place.
“Luca sapeva che l'avresti detto. Stanno arrivando. Ma sai che vengono dal Queens. Non c'è tempo per aspettare. David è già lì.” Luca knew you'd say that. They're on their way. But you know they’re coming from Queens. We don’t have time for you to wait. David’s already there.
David was Serafina’s guard before she married Carmine. Three of her guards jumped ship and came to work for us after she joined our family. They usually guard her, but they’re in the rotation for everyone. He’s good, and I trust him. But I don’t like the idea of leaving her with only one guy in a car parked outside the building.
“Lo voglio fuori dalla sua porta. Te lo spiego io.” I want him outside her door. I'll explain it.
“Qualsiasi cosa vi porti qui prima.” Whatever will get you here sooner.
“Cosa non mi dici? Perché è così urgente?” What aren’t you telling me? Why is this so urgent?
“Pensiamo che siano coinvolti gli uomini che hanno rapito zia Sylvia. Questo potrebbe significare che i Kutsenko hanno ordinato il suo rapimento.” We think the men who took Aunt Sylvia were involved. That could mean the Kutsenkos ordered her kidnapping.
That makes no sense. The bratva don’t target women. Ever. It’s the one line those sociopaths don’t cross. Some shit happened to the moms while they all still lived in Russia. They swear they’ll never subject any woman to what the women in their family endured. But that hasn’t stopped people — including my family — from using their wives for our gain. Have we finally pushed them too far? Have they changed their minds?
“Sto arrivando. Ciao.” I’m on my way. Bye.
“Ciao.”
“Is everything all right?”
I lean forward and take her hands in mine. I know she’s guessed I’ve been to the garage while she’s been at work. She hasn’t asked, and I haven’t volunteered. But she’s seen my busted knuckles. This is different. I’m leaving her to deal with this, and now I could be leaving her vulnerable.
“I have to go,piccolina. It’s work. David’s going to come up and stay outside your door. If you want to go somewhere, just let him know. David will go with you. Text my mom, too. If anything happens, she knows how to reach me.”
She nods, but I watch her swallow.
“How long will you be gone?”
She whispers the question.
“I don’t know. Hopefully, not long. But there may be times when I disappear for days. The last thing I want is for you to assume I ghosted you or that I’m dead. I’m always coming back to you, Chellie. If something happens to me, my family will get you. I promise. If I’m going to be gone for more than three days, I want you to go to my parents.”
“Three days? Could it really take that long?”
“Sometimes I have to travel unexpectedly. If that happens, it’s a bigger deal than I thought. I don’t want you alone and worried. I also want you guarded more if I’m away. The last time I had to travel unexpectedly was for business and before the threat.”
“Will it always be that way? If you travel, then I have to stay with your parents?”
“If it’s regular work and planned, no. But if it’s more than an unplanned three days, then yes.”
“Should I be scared?”
“No, little one. Come here.”
I open my arms to her, and she crawls forward to lie against my chest.
